Re: Locatons for looping.

[The Man Himself <altruist@shoko.calarts.edu>]

On Sat, 19 Oct 1996, studio seventeen productions wrote:

> but for other venues, my next logical step is to approach art galleries,
> restaurants....office parks...anywhere where an "installation" style
> "performance" would be more suitable.
> 
> you will never be able to loop in a crowded smoky bar.  no one will 
>listen.
> you can't open for the local prog band...no one will listen.

The first looping gig I ever played was a pretty bizarre one, about a week
after I got my Echoplex; I was set up next to the beer line at the Cal
Arts Halloween party last year.  This wasn't some git-together in the dorm
basement type thing; the school approves a $15,000 to $20,000 budget each
year, a sizable amount of which goes towards alcohol procurement.  (They
purchased 25 kegs for the five-hour party and had to get more in the
middle when they ran out prematurely). 

My gig was basically setting up at the side of the room where the kegs 
were and making a lot of noise.  Given my location, I had what you might 
call a captive audience, as there was a *long* line for the kegs.

The funny thing was that people were actually very much into the music.  
At one point I saw some folks (albiet in states of less than complete 
sobriety) doing some sort of wierd interpretive dance to a particularly 
ambient loop that was set up.  Another guy kneeled down between the 
stereo speakers and just blissed out for a couple of minutes.  One or two 
people came up and asked to play a few notes.  (They did not find 
consummation for these wishes).

It was an interesting gig, because I could get away with soloing over a
one-bar percussion loop and drone line for half an hour with no problems
(every guitarist's secret dream, right?  ;} ), or put the thing down and
check out the rest of the party while the music went on.  One guy actually
felt that the sort of abstract music I was playing was good music for
people in a line to listen to, since it didn't reinforce the sense of "Oh
Hell, I've been waiting in line for fifteen minutes!" sense that a
conventional series of tunes might instill. 

I had a great time -- up until somebody sloshed beer on the mixing
console.  And to this day, I *still* run into people who'll say, "Oh,
yeah, man, I saw you at the Halloween party last year!"  A lot of people
assumed that I was playing to some tapes, but that's almost more of a
compliment than anything else. 

So there's an example of a noisy, beer-soaked, rowdy performance 
environment where looping can work.  I just hope I can get some plastic 
bags to cover the mixer next time...

--Andre