“The tragedy and devastation is really overwhelming,” says John Zorn, who has organized and will host the evening. “I’ve always felt a strong personal connection to Japan, and I’m just glad to be able to do my part to help. It should be an amazing night.”

Both the performers and the theater are donating their services, ensuring that 100% of proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit near Sendai on March 11. Funds will be donated to the Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund.

Tickets for the show were sold out shortly after they went on sale, but Miller Theater has created a web page with information on ways to support Japan relief and a list of other benefit concerts in New York. Included among those benefit shows:

Friday, April 8, 6:30 & 9:30pm: Thurston Moore, Matthew Shipp, Ikue Mori and John Zorn, Milford Graves, Mark Feldman and Sylvie Courvoisier&#151awesome line-up!!!&#151Norah Jones, Buke and Gass, and others will perform at the Abrons Arts Center.
Saturday, April 9: The Japan Society will hold a day-long benefit concert, including gala performances at 1pm and 6pm, with performances by Philip Glass, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

More benefit shows will be announced.

Tomorrow, March 23, 8pm: Yo La Tengo will perform at Maxwell’s (1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ). Tickets cost $50, with all proceeds from ticket sales and fees going to Peace Winds Japan. I hope to see you there.

I haven’t had much luck with in-ear headphones.

Kelli’s Etymotic ER-6i earphones ($99) offered a well-balanced sound, with satisfying bass and natural highs, but I found them extremely uncomfortable and I had a difficult time getting them to fit properly in my ear canals. I liked Shure’s SE210 ($149.99) and SE115 ($139.99), but they felt large and heavy in my ears, and friends often balked at their prices. Don’t get me started about the V-MODA Remix Metal in-ears ($99.99); their highs were so pronounced and glaring and bass so completely absent, I wanted to run away from my music&#151never a good sign. (But I’ll take the blame here: I should’ve known what to expect from an earphone with the word “Metal” in its name. I have since steered clear of models designed to look like bullets, arrows, and jet engines or whose product literature uses the words “crisp,” “sharp,” or “edgy.”)

Promises Kept
My first post was an exercise in getting all the bits-and-pieces together to create content. In many ways this is my first real post here ... and I want to keep a promise. For years I've said I would measure the effects of the various headphone pads on Grado headphones; well, I am very glad to say finally: here it is.

The Sennheiser PX 200-IIi (MSRP $149.95) is a general-purpose headset, ideally suited and convenient for kids, students, and casual home, office, and travel use. It’s light and small, very well built, and will easily survive unending rounds between backpack, computer desk, and kitchen junk drawer. Best of all, it packs neatly into a very small size with a unique folding design making it only slightly larger than a pair of sunglasses when stowed.