Bride and Groom

... is the story of 2 broken hearts and their journey to find eachother again.
Sounds like every other love song. But this one is dedicated to draw the attention not only to stereotypical loops of relating and couple life, but to the core of war and peace. War and peace as polarities that start not on the frontline between 2 countries but within us. In the smallest unit of human existance. The „me“. Then it grows between two people in the next stage and spreads to the we and the devision or unity of regions, nations, planets …. in the end.
The song and video talk about a cliché that could be the story of each one of us and yet carries the possibility we all have to contribute to more war or more peace on this planet. Bride and Groom is also dedicated to question sterereotypes of traditional, conservative couple life, supproted by church and governments. And it stands up against the war of prejudice in order to celebrate rediscovering each other every day new. Long live the beauty of gender fluidity and the diversity of relating!


BAND: Rising Halfmoon

Rising Halfmoon is a group that has been playing together for 10 years. The group was formed at the international festival “SPIEL” in Upper Austria. The group is distinguished not only by its distinctive approach to sound design – a blend of conventional instrumentation, sound objects, ambient sounds and field recordings – but also by its unique live performances. The distinctiveness of their music also lies in the breadth of their influences, language and appeal to audiences. From dialect to made-up languages to English. From Balkan to folk, singer-songwriter and experimental, yet coherent and with a common thread. The absolute uniqueness lies in the performance of the songs. As Simon Mayer is not only a musician/composer but also a performer/choreographer, and the band consists of hybrids (performers/musicians), both the music and the videos and live shows possess a special performative power, creativity and dramatic strength. The music becomes dance through Simon’s simultaneous playing of several instruments. After its formation, the group performed mainly in Belgium, Austria and Germany. Simon Mayer’s solo concerts can also be seen internationally. His music is produced by David Haider (Manuel Normal) at the Audiogarten studio in Upper Austria.

COMPOSER

Simon Mayer is a composer, choreographer, musician, performer, lecturer and curator. He has worked as a composer and musician/performer in productions by Lukas Kranzlbinder/Shake Stew, the well-known Belgian band Zita Swoon, and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker/Rosas. Simon plays piano, violin, guitar and bass; he studied singing with Prof. Ingrid Doll (MDW) and dance/choreography at the Vienna State Opera and at P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels.