Snow Can Wait
or
This Time Next Year
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Dear Comrades,
Glad tidings for the annus novus! On behalf of all my Society co-conspirators, I would like to convey to you our sincerest wishes for a thoroughly sordid and debauched Twenty-Eleven.
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Upcoming Performances
 This week, Secret Society will be staging our very first incursion into the Beltway Bubble. On Wednesday, January 5, we shall bring our disreputable pack of miscreants to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. We hit the Millennium Stage for a brief performance from 6:00 - 7:00 PM, an event that is free to all comers.
However, as it seemed a shame to travel to Our Nation's Capital for such a fleeting event, we will also be performing a completely different, extended set at the underground music space Subterranean A later that evening. There, we shall be aided and abetted by Richmond, Virginia's most pugilistic tentet, Fight The Big Bull. Subterranean A is what you might affectionately call an "intimate" venue -- so much so that we are eschewing amplification and playing an old-school acoustic basement bigband party. Space is, as you might imagine, extremely limited, so you are gently encouraged to buy your ticket in advance and arrive punctually for the 8:30 PM doors.
 The following night, we return to Brooklyn, with Fight The Big Bull in tow. Both groups will be making their debut at Littlefield, a new performance space that has been bringing all manner of excellent music to the Gowanus area. Also joining us for the late set at Littlefield on Thursday, January 6 will be Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, playing the music of one Sylvester Stewart... better known as the reclusive genius Sly Stone. The event also doubles as a Victory Party for the tireless folks at Search and Restore, who are celebrating the against-the-odds success of their recent $75,000 Kickstarter campaign. What better way to ring in the New Year than with an S&R-presented Brooklyn bigband bonanza?
 Also, there is much excitement to come next month, when Secret Society will premiere newly commissioned works by Vijay Iyer, David T. Little, and Nicole Lizee at the Ecstatic Music Festival on February 24. Also on the bill is Newspeak, who will be presenting a preview of The Sleep Room, a song cycle I am developing based on the CIA-funded MKULTRA mind-control experiments that took place in the late 50's and early 60's at Montreal's Allan Memorial Institute.
� Jan. 5, 2011 - Secret Society @ The Kennedy Center (Millenium Stage) Washington, DC. 6:00 PM. Free� Jan. 5, 2011 - Secret Society (w/Fight The Big Bull) @ Subterranean A, 1432 R St. NW, Washington, DC. Doors 8:30 PM. $17.50 advance / $20 at the door� Jan. 6, 2011 - Secret Society (w/Fight The Big Bull + Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra) @ Littlefield, 622 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, NY. Doors 8:00 PM. $15 / $12 students� Feb. 24, 2011 - Secret Society (w/Newspeak) @ Merkin Hall, Ecstatic Music Festival, New York, NY. 7:30 PM. $25
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New Year's News
 There's been considerable activity since our last communiqu�, both Society-related and extracurricular. In October, my first piece for dancers, "Imperfect Syzygy," was performed by TAKE Dance at Judson Memorial Church -- video of this performance is on YouTube. Following that, I spent a week in Cologne, Germany, recording with the WDR Big Band.
In November, I returned to Europe, this time with the full complement of Society co-conspirators, for performances in London and Milan. Audio from our appearance at London's Cafe Oto is now available from the Secret Society blog -- this show was nominated as "a contender for gig of the year" by the Guardian's John L. Waters, so we are happy to be able to share the field recording with you, gratis.
Secret Society was included among the Top 10 Jazz Stories of 2010 according to the Boston Phoenix's Jon Garelick. And you may have heard that our debut recording, Infernal Machines, has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.
We are very fortunate to have had such a fruitful 2010, and we are looking forward to many exciting things to come in the year ahead.
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Fall-Winter Fundraiser
A gentle reminder that our Fall-Winter Fundraiser is in full swing. Contributions will help support our road trip to DC and our appearance at the Ecstatic Music Festival. All donors at all levels (except, of course, those requesting anonymity) will be thanked on our website. Those who are able to donate $75 or more before Jan. 31 will also be acknowledged in the Ecstatic Music Festival program for our Feb. 24 show. We are tremendously grateful to those who have already made a contribution.
Thanks to the good folks at Fractured Atlas, all contributions to Secret Society are tax-deductible. Our musical endeavors would not be sustainable without your support, so if you can, please give generously.
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All of the musicians involved in Secret Society are sincerely grateful for your loyal support. Thank you for supporting independent art.
Be well and be warm,
- Darcy James Argue
composer - conductor - ringleader
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Secret Society is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Fractured Atlas will receive grants for the purposes of Secret Society, provide oversight to ensure that grant funds are used in accordance with grant agreements, and provide reports as required by the grantor.
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INFERNAL MACHINES
Grammy Nominee - Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
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SHEET MUSIC
SCORES & PARTS are now available for selected Secret Society compositions.
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SECRET SOCIETY T-SHIRTS
  It's all about the layers.
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