This is tangentially related...possibly interesting. I did a
loopy improv set w/my tape decks last night in Chicago, at a very
open-minded establishment called Ronny's. One of the other acts
playing, called Sunglasses, had a fascinating approach. They had a
couple of cheap Yamaha keyboards, plus two or three pedals each, mainly
delays and some fuzz. Their set started with both of them playing a few
massive notes on the keys, then twiddling knobs for a moment, then they
simply stepped back from their gear, grabbed their beers and simply let
the echoes die down, listening along with the crowd. Not only was it
interesting musically, hearing different things emerge as the delays
overlapped and faded away at different rates, but somehow it was
fascinating to watch them...listen. I can't quite explain it, but there
was something great about these two guys simply drinking some beer and
being totally absorbed in the sound they'd created. They nodded their
heads a bit, even chatted for a second about what was going on, then
simply closed their eyes and waited along with the rest of us for the
ten minutes or so until all sound had disappeared.
Definitely made me think about what makes a good performance, because
this went against most rules that I know. Unlikely as it sounds, their
shtick totally worked for me, on many levels, I think because they
clearly knew what they were going for, and were intently involved in
it, even if more as listener than performer.
For a longer description, here's my tour diary (the earlier dates have
yet to be filled in)..
http://www.swanwelder.com/tour/spring10.htm
Daryl Shawn
www.swanwelder.com
www.chinapaintingmusic.com