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Paste Studio Session:

Blind Boys of Alabama

Time works a little differently around The Blind Boys of Alabama. Their music carries echoes of church sanctuaries, civil rights struggles, family gatherings, and countless stages, yet it arrives with a warmth and immediacy that belong entirely to the present.

Through decades of lineup changes, personal losses, and reinvention, the group has remained rooted in the traditions of Southern gospel while continually finding new life within them. Recorded live during Big Ears 2026, this Paste Studio session captures that enduring

spirit in motion.

A Conversation with

Nik Bärtsch

Nik Bärtsch’s music is built on precision, repetition, and groove, but the thinking behind it runs much deeper. In a wide-ranging interview recorded during Big Ears 2026, guitarist and composer Joel Harrison sits down with Bärtsch to unpack the ideas shaping his practice, from Zen and martial arts to rhythmic cycles, band chemistry, and what Bärtsch calls “the silence in the groove.”

It’s a conversation worth settling into, accompanied by an impromptu hotel lobby performance captured during the festival

Carlos Niño & Duval Timothy

Collaborate on rain music

For nearly three decades, Carlos Niño has been a vital presence in Los Angeles’ creative music community. His collaborations with artists including André 3000, Laraaji, and Shabaka Hutchings reflect the curiosity at the heart of his own practice, where atmosphere and improvisation keep the music in motion.

Across the past two Big Ears festivals, audiences have encountered Niño leading Carlos Niño & Friends and helping shape ensembles of many different sizes. That collaborative instinct carries into rain music, his new album with pianist and producer Duval Timothy.

The project began on a rainy November afternoon in Timothy’s London studio, where the two improvised together on prepared piano and percussion. Working later from London and Topanga, they expanded those sessions with contributions from Laraaji, Navy Blue, Nate Mercereau, Darius Jones, Michael Alvidrez,

and Aaron Shaw.

The result is spacious and unhurried, with each voice entering gently and subtly reshaping the landscape.

Laurie Anderson is

Revisiting the Future

Opening her recent NPR Tiny Desk with “Let X=X,” Laurie Anderson returns to a song first released in 1982 and finds it as open-ended as ever. Joined by Martha Mooke and Doug Wieselman, she explores the piece with the same curiosity that has long defined her work, revealing new possibilities within familiar terrain.

The performance arrives alongside Let X=X (Live), a new triple-LP collection recorded with Sexmob that revisits songs from across Anderson’s career. Together, they capture an artist whose work continues to evolve through performance, conversation, and reinvention.

Free to Explore

Big Ears has always been guided by a simple belief: transformative encounters with music, art, and ideas should be available to as many people as possible.

This commitment to accessibility is an important part of who we are, and it is made possible in part through the generosity of donors, foundations, and community partners who share that vision, creating opportunities for residents, students, and curious newcomers alike to engage with the spirit of discovery that defines the festival.

As we look to plan our future, Big Ears will continue to extend our free programming into the community that surrounds it. We're grateful to everyone who helps make that possible.