No-No Boy in Concert

Schedule

Saturday, May 11, 2024
7:30 p.m. Performance

Entertaining, contemplative and enlightening, this immersive concert experience from No-No Boy (Julian Saporiti) and collaborator Emilia Halvorsen Saporiti illuminates hidden Asian American histories through folk songs, sound pieces, live projections, and storytelling in a performance celebrating the new album Empire Electric.

Released by Smithsonian Folkways, Empire Electric incorporates American folk sounds, Asian instruments, electronics, and field recordings to craft stories drawn from Saporiti's Vietnamese American identity and research from archives, oral histories, and site visits, while also examining the complex topics of spirituality, intergenerational trauma, and imperialism.

A reception will follow the concert where audience members can continue the conversations sparked by the show.

"...equal parts jams to blast in the car and fascinating historical revisions that go as deep as you care to dig." – Portland Monthly

"One of the most insurgent pieces of music you’ll ever hear which re-examines americana with devastating effect." – NPR Music

“Amazing storytelling in the finest folk tradition.” – San Francisco Chronicle

Previously at Asia Society Texas

Encore Series: No-No Boy

As we revisit the very best of Asia Society's in-person programs via the Encore Series, enjoy Julian Saporiti's stripped-down, acoustic performance of "Boat People" from No-No Boy's album "1942," presented at Asia Society Texas Center.

About No-No Boy

No-No Boy is an immersive concert experience that illuminates hidden Asian American histories through folk songs, sound pieces, live projections, and storytelling. NPR Music has hailed it as "one of the most insurgent pieces of music you'll ever hear which re-examines americana with devastating effect... An act of revisionist subversion" Taking inspiration from his own family’s history living through the Vietnam War as well as many other stories of Asian American experience, Nashville-born songwriter and scholar Julian Saporiti has transformed his years of doctoral study into an innovative project that bridges a divide between art and scholarship. This performance will celebrate No-No Boy's second full-length LP Empire Electric released by the Smithsonian Folkways label.

Sounds contain histories and prophecies. If you listen closely, there are winding tales to be found in a string brushed by a handmade bow, worlds to be uncovered in the trill of a bird about to take flight, and truths to be reckoned with in the grain of an unknown voice. This is the revelation at the core of Empire Electric, the third album by No-No Boy, and its songs that examine narratives of imperialism, identity, and spirituality. It tells stories rooted in years of research and relationship-building, made vibrant and profound through a rich congregation of instrumental, environmental, and electronically manipulated sounds from Asia and America. Every single sound, from the gracious swell of a pedal steel to the warbling pluck of a koto, becomes a part of the poetic recasting of shared post-colonial trauma and the startling joys that can be wrung out of that hardship.

Website

Performing Arts and Culture programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Syamal and Susmita Poddar. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, The Brown Foundation, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, The Clayton Fund, Houston Endowment Inc. Generous funding also provided by The Anchorage Foundation of Texas, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Wortham Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming to Asia Society Texas.

Performing Arts and Culture Presenting Sponsors

Syamal and Susmita Poddar

Performing Arts and Culture Program Sponsors

About APAH Month at Asia Society Texas

Beginning in 2021, Asia Society Texas has celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with the Houston community and beyond through a curated calendar of events for 31 ways to celebrate over the 31 days of May. Spotlighting the traditions, talents, and contributions of Asians and Asian Americans, the calendar highlights the month's key Asia Society programming, providing a platform to showcase local artists, performers, educators, and leaders who contribute to the vibrant, multicultural tapestry of Houston while also featuring staff recommendations for our favorite music, books, movies, and more by Asian and Asian American creatives.

At Asia Society Texas, APAH Month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor Asians and Asian Americans and to uplift their stories to a broader audience as part of our goal to inspire our larger community to better understand one another through culture, conversation, and connection. For information about sponsoring APAH Month and other projects like this one, please contact Saleena Jafry at [email protected] or 713.496.9939.

Presenting Sponsor of APAH Month at Asia Society Texas

Sponsors of APAH Month
Comcast
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Media Sponsor

APAH Month 2024 Calendar

Digital Calendar Interactive/Printable PDF

Past APAH Month Calendars

2023: Highlights | Details
2022: Highlights | Details
2021: Details

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.