Music Performance
Saturdays @ Wild Chestnut Cafe in Florence. 11am-2pm. Piano Music.
Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Come hear me play sax w/ Pajama Slave Dancers (their last show). Also on the bill: Raymond & The Circle, Tim Eriksen & Friends. 8pm. At JJs. Florence, MA
Please contact me at 413 588-1040 if you are looking for background piano or saxophone music for an event.
Music instruction available as well. Music Theory, Improvisation, Composition, Song Writing, Saxophone, Piano.
2023 Woodstar Cafe Artworks
For 2023 I am focusing on making art of the Woodstar Cafe in Northampton–drawings, paintings, prints and more. Selected artworks on display at the Woodstar Cafe.
click here to view Woodstar Jan-Feb 2023 artworks in Birds of Mars Digest #18 (pdf)
10% of all sales will be donated to the Northampton Survival Center.
To schedule a visit to my studio to view artworks not on display please contact me.
Local Artists Create Postcards for (Northampton Survival Center) Donors click for link to more info
I am feeling very honored to be part of this project. These are small watercolors. If you are interested in purchasing the originals or a print, please contact me. 10% donated to the Northampton Survival Center.
Birds of Mars Video Show
Scenes and Music for Films. These are various videos which document various facets of my artistic process. Filmmaking, music, painting, writing, animation and acting.
Birds of Mars Video Show #17 click here to view … “Song Seeds”. Eight song ideas I recorded in the spring of 2022.
Birds of Mars Video Show #16 click here to view … Birds of Mars at Iconica Social Club, Northampton, MA. October 8, 2022: Sir Cecil–drums, Michael Suter–bass, Chris Gentes–sax, Tommy Twilite–vocals.
Birds of Mars Video Show #15 click here to view … Birds of Mars Trio at Wild Chestnut Cafe, Florence, MA. September 24, 2022: Sir Cecil–drums, Michael Suter–bass, Chris Gentes–Sax.
Birds of Mars Video Show #14 click here to view … In this video show I sit in with the “Vox Pop Family Tribe” at the Liberal Arts Pop Up Shop, Northampton, Ma. 9/17/22.
Birds of Mars Video Show #13 click here to view … “George of Florence and the Chalk Fest”. Music: Piano sketches of forms for Birds of Mars Set One.
Birds of Mars Video Show #12 click here to view …The Plague Doctor (2019). Featuring Lynn Meixler & Tommy. Art Director: Sage Meadow. Written & Directed by Chris Gentes. Piano soundtrack with improvisations on original theme, and variations on compositions by Beethoven, Bach and Satie performed by Chris Gentes.
Birds of Mars Video Show #11 click here to view …All 92 paintings from the “8 by 10 Series” [2021-2011] are shown in this video. Piano music by Chris Gentes.
Birds of Mars Video Show #10 click here to view …Billy McNally & “Oklahoma Sue” sing a few.
Birds of Mars Video Show #9 click here to view …Scenes from the graffiti wall at Hampshire College. First cartoons in the Noho Pop style. Music by the Noho Pop Jazz Band.
Birds of Mars Video Show #8 click here to view …Three shows I saw.
Birds of Mars Video Show #7 click to view … A soundtrack of relaxing piano improvisations. No talking. Video of the moon, an old organ photo essay, animations, light experiments, nohopop color mixing study, & creative writing.
Birds of Mars Video Show #6 click to view … First Animation * Theme Song (version 6) * Amazing Sunset* Found a Piano * Girafa Update (Street Art) * Cosmic Gas Station Ensemble (Florence June 2019) * Atco Records (1970) * Piano Improvisations *
Birds of Mars Video Show #5 click to watch … featuring A Robin’s Nest, The History of Birds of Mars Digest (#1-5), piano improvisations, Spontaneous Musical Performance photo montage from the Wurst Haus, 6/22/22. Kaylita-vocals, Sir Cecil-guitar, Conga Bob-percussion, Chris Gentes-tenor sax. Cameo appearances by Ryan and Lucas.
Birds of Mars Video Show #4 click to watch… featuring *** Sam Gas Can performing at Feeding Tube Records, King Street (2011). *** “Video Diaries” — spontaneous improvisational acting with Kaylita and Lucas. *** Painting [84 Vivace] in progress. *** Reading comments from Digest Number Seven about 04 Used Books. *** Nature footage–Red-winged Blackbird & Herons. Videography, Editing & Music by Chris Gentes.
Birds of Mars Video Show #3 click to watch …* Woodland swamp animals * [03 Pearl street] a painting from the “8 by 10 Series”. Comments read from the Birds of Mars Digest Number Seven. * A painting in progress [83 Notes]. *From the video vault–“Birds of Earth–Owl in flight” (2021) * “TagoVid-3” photo journal of street art.
Birds of Mars Video Show #2 click to watch …Bee and clover, Spoken Word Sound Montage – A quote by Michalangelo Antonioni, Moon Footage, [82 Bach], From the Vault–Birds of Mars at the Parlor Room–December 2018, “TagoVid-2” photo journal of street art. Soundtrack music, video & editing by Chris Gentes.
Birds of Mars Video Show #1 click to watch …Heron Nest, Spontaneous acting with Kaylita and Joe, [81 Allegro Impetuoso], TagoVid1. Videography, editing & original music by Chris Gentes.
Birds of Mars Digest
(2020-present): A usually monthly digital publication documenting my arts, music and film related activity. Occasional interviews about music and other topics are included. I started making these digests to document my process and archive creations.
Number Eighteen (January-February 2023)
–Woodstar Cafe Art [01-15]
–Drawings [1-5]
Number Seventeen (November-December 2022)
–Drawings [256-265]
–Video Show #16-17
“Song Seeds” Comments
Number Sixteen (September-October 2022)
—Noho Pop Paintings [53-69]
—Drawings [200-255]
–Video Show #13-15
Number Fifteen (August 2022)
—The “8 by 10 Series” Concludes
—All Noho Pop through August 31, 2022
—Video Show #10-12
Number Fourteen (June-July 2022)
—Cruella Paintings
—Video Show #2-9
Number Thirteeen (May 2022)
—Music Paintings [75-81]
—Video Show #1
Number Twelve (March & April 2022)
—Sternum Boxes, Music Paintings & Poe & Hemmingway [62-73]
Number Eleven (February 2022)
—“Colorcubes” [50-61] with comments by Chris Gentes
—Lighting Tests
Number Ten (January 2022)
—The 8 by 10 Series of paintings [41-49] with comments by Chris Gentes
Number Nine (December 2021)
—The 8 by 10 Series of paintings [33-40] with comments by Chris Gentes
—Conversations about music with Daniel Wininger and Kat Alexander.
Number Eight (November 2021)
—The 8 by 10 Series of paintings [19, 25-32] with comments by Chris Gentes
—Conversations about music with Tommy Twilite and Sam Gas Can.
Number Seven (Apr-Oct 2021) (first digital issue)
—The History of the Birds of Mars Digest
—The 8 by 10 Series of paintings [01-24] with comments by Chris Gentes
—The 12×12″ series of paintings [01-37] with comments by Chris Gentes
—City Collaboration (2013) with Sam Gas Can
Birds of Mars Digest #1 through 6 were printed in low numbers. Very rare.
Other Writing
The Birds of Mars Reader (2019). Documents the creation of a series of paintings and various activities related to a 2019 Birds of Mars performance.
The “Alt Lit Library” (2020): Seven Books Written in Seven Months.
The Two Week Book, Alt Lit Now!, The Door in the Woods, Ghost Town, Coffee Coffee, Movieland, and Seven Movie Scripts.
Chris Gentes 