Michael Stipe Shoots For The Stars

The album, appropriately titled Third (and then later issued as Sister Lovers), was recorded in 1974 and released in 1978 by PVC Records. Third featured Big Star’s Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens along with a number of additional musicians including guitarist Steve Cropper and guitarist/drummer/producer Jim Dickinson.

In December an all-star band performed the album for the first time in public with the original string and wind orchestrations. The show at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, N.C., featured Big Star’s Jody Stephens, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Let’s Active’s Mitch Easter and The dB’s Chris Stamey.

“We have been trying to create a concert piece that can have life in years to come, trying to keep the spirit of the music and make it come across with the right emotions live,” Stamey told Indy Week. “There’s something about this record that connects with my generation, and apparently many generations.”

Third/Sister Lovers will be recreated again this weekend with a March 26 performance at Mason Hall at Baruch College in New York.

Big Star Third will once again feature Big Star’s Stephens, R.E.M.’s Mills, dB’s Stamey and Let’s Active’s Easter. Along with Stipe, the show will also include Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan, The dB’s Will Rigby and Matthew Sweet. The Lost in the Trees Orchestra will perform with Jane Scarpantoni, The Old Ceremony’s Django Haskins, Brett Harris, Sidney Dixon and Matt McMichaels.

In addition to performing Third/Sister Lovers in its entirety, the group will also play additional Big Star and Chris Bell songs.

Tickets range in price from $35 to $100. Proceeds benefit three musician-oriented charities including the Corona Youth Music Project in Queens, N.Y., KidZNotes in Durham, N.C., and the New Orleans Musicians Clinic. The Corona Youth Music Project and KidZNotes are part of the “El Sistema” children’s musical education projects.
     
Click here for more information on Big Star Third.

Click here for the Corona Youth Music Project’s website, here for KidZNotes, and here for the New Orleans Musician Clinic.

 For more information about El Sistema, click here.