Notes From the Grid is a bi-weekly column about the Columbia County music scene written by Rob. It is featured every other Friday in the "On the Scene" supplement of the Hudson Register Star. See all »

October 17, 2011

Noise

Noise shows. I can’t say it’s all the rage, but the description, the genre comes up pretty often here in Hudson, paralleling what’s been happening in places like Berlin, Tokyo, Brooklyn and Montreal. Some of you have never heard of such a thing and some of you are dismissive of the concept and some of you are dismissive of anyone who has never heard of such a thing.

One of my more perceptive and intelligent friends, Bella Quigley Isaacson is a nine year old “foodie”. She loves concocting recipes, improvising, eating, being surprised by strange combinations and she is usually willing to try any new taste, texture or flavor. But she has a problem that concerns her deeply – she dislikes olives. Black, green , with pimentos, with pits, it doesn’t matter – the taste and the texture and the smell is off-putting. This concerns her, because she knows that olives are good, plenty of people she respects enjoy eating olives alone, with stuffed grape leaves or in salads. Once Bella is comfortable with a new friend she will ask the question, chin down, eyes up, her heart on her sleeve… “Do you like olives?” The answer is usually affirmative and you can see the concern in Bella’s face, a possible hint of a tear welling up as she asks herself the question -

Why am I not able to enjoy this wonderful thing?

Chef Bella at a Seattle burger joint.

A number of people feel the same way about noise music. Usually my friend Bella will interrogate olive friendly people about what they enjoy about olives, is it the saltiness or the texture? Why are the black and green ones different?  What is that red thing in the middle?  Sincere efforts to understand the joy that eludes her palette.

I’ve decided to use the same tactics concerning noise, conceding that I’m pretty clueless about the genre and that I’m not too sure what the criteria is for a good noise concert. I mean really, what’s up with this stuff?  Is it the phenomenon of the pleasurable defiant act or is there a smidge of joy in the polar opposition to the perception of organized music? I dunno.

The Spotty Dog at 440 Warren street is renowned as the area’s premier venue for noise. Occasionally a noise band will be coupled with a more traditional musical act but generally there will be a night of noise. John Doe Books and Records on Park Place and Warren Street is another respected venue for the genre. There is not too much to describe about pieces that are noise – it usually has an organized beginning, body, apex and ending and there are often specific pieces with considerable amounts of improvisation. Some performers are charismatic and genuinely eager to share, others ignore everything but their gadgets and gizmos. This is mostly electronically sonic access and attempts to describe pieces invariably bring up inaccurate words like crunch and bubbles and strident and warmth yadda yadda yadda. I am usually reminded of the way I feel when I see something by Marina Abramovic – I know that something is happening and it is significant, but I don’t really know what it is.

I asked local performers and listeners who are smarter than myself for some guidance. The following opinions do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Register Star or it’s staff or this writer or possibly even the actual view of each person who agreed to opine.

“You are watching a world and you don’t really have a clue as to how it functions so what makes it interesting it to try to find out how to be a part of this circle of floating sounds.”

“Noise shows are almost always depressing cause you can’t really dance. Theatrical noise with people moving around is better and it enables a more interesting dynamic. It’s usually better if the people are wearing wigs. Wigs help.”

What noise music is and what it is not is about is not how it makes people react. You wouldn’t be able to do it alone in your room unless you were considering how people will react when they hear it. A few artists have told me its personal they don’t care if anyone “gets” it or likes it but are vague about why they perform publicly if it’s not about interaction.

I consider it a creative process - if I didn’t feel that way I wouldn’t like it

“Noise music has helped people to come to terms with the fact that the ugly can be beautiful. All art is like that. If you see only paintings of nice flowers you will soon loose interest. You need the abstractions to appreciate the beautiful. Noise music is the same, it works as a contrast. It creates a world of its own, a sort of soundscape that puts the emphasis on atonality.”

“Even when its bad I’d rather listen to it than most of the commercial American music out there.” Peter Aaron – Music writer, Chronogram magazine.

“Life is erratic enough without noise music.” - Meri Avratin, proprietor, Side Show Vintage Clothing

“Noise music is when the musicians prefer to make noise instead of music. “
Sverrir Asmundsson, Hellvar

“Noise music, if used correctly, can eradicate all forms of disease. It is a healing force.” Dan Seward, owner John Doe Books and Records.