Announcing the PhilaMOCA SPARKStacular, a one-night celebration of the music and career of Ron and Russell Mael aka Sparks.

Sparks’ career spans 41 years, 22 albums, and a half dozen genres…and they haven’t slowed down yet.  While the brothers Mael are spending their autumn touring Europe, PhilaMOCA curator Eric Bresler has decided to hold a public tribute to his favorite band, an opinion that is apparently shared by many…

The SPARKStacular will open with an art show/memorabilia reception, which will include everything from vintage T-shirts to rare photographs, stained glass portraits to a diorama of their classic appearance on Saturday Night Live.  Artwork is being shipped in from as far as Russia.

The reception will be followed by the premiere of VIDEO PIRATES: SPARKS, a one-hour career-spanning video comprised of rare live and television appearances from throughout the Maels’ career [Video Pirates is the VHS found footage project of PhilaMOCA Director Eric Bresler].

And then, the night’s main attraction, a host of musical performers from throughout the East Coast will take turns gracing the PhilaMOCA stage to perform unique cover versions of their favorite Sparks tunes.  The still-growing lineup will include:

Lushlife
Shawn Kilroy’s Weird Hot
Tom Persinos, an accordion player from Boston (video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bpZq2tOufo
Christen Hooks (Disco Machine Gun) and her string quartet
+ lots more, from experimental musicians to traditional singer-songwriters

The event will also be filmed for inclusion in Never Turn Your Back On Sparks, an Israeli-produced, feature-length documentary on Sparks fans that is currently two years in the making.

And if all that’s not enough, due to popular worldwide demand, PhilaMOCA will be live streaming the event on philamoca.org for the enjoyment of Sparks fans the world over.

In a fashion typical of both Sparks and PhilaMOCA, the SPARKStacular promises to be a gloriously strange and beautifully over the top event for both the diehard fan and the clueless uninitiated.

Doors at 7:00 PM, Entertainment at 8:30 PM; $10 donation

Free refreshments courtesy of Narragansett Beer Co.