RECOMMENDED Largely influenced by the fledgling punk scene of the late seventies, New York’s cerebral underground and the residual strains of acid rock, the influential art-punk band Mission of Burma had a life span of only four years. Formed in 1979, the Boston-based group had something that most of their contemporaries lacked: formal musical training. This understanding of the technical side of sound led them to build upon their influences and push boundaries that no one else could see. Ever willing to experiment, live shows featured auxiliary member Martin Swope looping and editing stage feeds from behind his perch at the sound console. Mission of Burma played together for the first time in eighteen years in 2001, sparking one of the most celebrated—albeit unexpected—punk reunions of all time, two new albums (2004’s “ONOffOn” and the 2006 follow-up, “The Obliterati”) and a documentary. Shellac’s Bob Weston has taken over Swope’s audio duties, adhering to the technology of yore to get that distinct Burma sound just right. (K. Tighe)
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
