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Yuppies and Loops, was Re: Looping show tonight, Friday in Portland, OR



93

I apologize to all for the incorrect date in the
message. Obviously, I really meant April 10th.
Slap on the temporal wrist for me!

On the other hand, the gig has raised a few
questions for me that I'd like to share with all
and sundry.

To give an idea of the setting for last nights
gig, NW 23rd in Portland, OR is yuppie central.
It's a shopping district, full of little fru-fru
shops and restraunts. Starbucks is a chain
coffee house and suffers from the sterile
interior of all such chains.

Into this little world set down 2 musicians with
piles of electronic gear full of little blinking
lights, strange 10-string insturments, wild
whammies and machines that go !ping! Have them
play strange drones and dissonant loops,
interspersed with pop songs influenced by the
likes of Bill Nelson and King Crimson, set to
medium volume and then stir vigorously for 2
hours.

The result? Instant coffee house clearing! The
Yuppies couldn't seem to understand what we were
playing, the kid's either didn't understand the
loops or were bored by the lack of a constant
beat, and the old folks thought it was too loud!
When we stopped playing, the place quickly
filled up.

My impression of the night was that we were too
weird for everyone who came through, with maybe
four or five exceptions. I have new appreciation
for what David Torn and Robert Fripp face when
they do this stuff.

The questions I have are:

1. Is it possible to play in a non-club setting
with a mixture of ambient, illbient and pop and
have an audience that will understand?

2. Does the music listening public really only
want to hear remakes of what they are used to? 
I play in a standards jazz band as well, and I
know we would have had an audience in the same
setting.

3. To what extent should the setting determine
the performers actions? i.e. is it appropriate
to play chamber music in a rock club and
noise/performance art in the opera house?

4. To what extent should the audience reactions
have an impact on what the performer performs?

5. What are the roles of the performer and
audience? Should there even *be* roles?

6. etc. etc. etc.

Of course, I have my own ideas about the above
questions, so I would like to hear everyone
else's opinions!  As loopists, I think these
questions are one's we should be asking
ourselves everytime we perform in a public
setting.

93

Rev. Doubt-Goat (Aethetics for all!)

---"Rev. Doubt-Goat" <dgoat@rocketmail.com> wrote:
>
> 93
> 
> The Ascension Conspiracy will be playing a 2
> hour show at the Starbucks at NW23rd and NW Hoyt
> in Portland Oregon tonight, Friday April 23rd
> from 8pm to 10pm.  Sorry for the late notice. 
> Dammit Jim, I'm a musician, not a publicist!
> 
> The Ascension Conspiracy consists of:
> 
> 1. The Grand Conspirator Orpheus on Stick, bass,
> vocals and loops, and
> 
> 2. The Rev. Doubt-Goat on electric guitar, lap
> steel and loops, and
> 
> 3. The Right Honourable Alesis SR-16 on
> electronic drums and drum loops.
> 
> Loops provided by JamMan.
> 
> 93
> 
> Rev. Doubt-Goat (Loops for all!  A loop in every
> pot!) 
>
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> 

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