Bring on the noise
San Francisco's Noise Pop festival explores rich musical diversity
By Camille Ikalina-Robles
Published: March 4th, 2008 | 10:15am
San Francisco — The Noise Pop music festival returned for its 16th year from February 27 through March 2, 2008, showering San Francisco with a collection of underground and not-so-underground music, film, and art. Taking over about 15 of the city's premier music venues, the acts showcased their skills, style, and onstage antics in unique and sometimes unpredictable ways. The five-day fest featured diverse acts ranging from indie to electronica, to rock and punk and dreamy pop, as well as performances that defied genre-specific descriptions. There’s no way to see every band you want to catch at Noise Pop, but the diverse lineups at least made it possible to get a good sampling of the diversity in today’s music scene. Below are a few of the bands I caught live on Friday and Saturday, each serving up its own dose of Noise Pop musical goodness.
LOCAL FAVES BUILT FOR THE SEA PLAY AN INTENSE, HAUNTING SET
February 29, 2008, at the Independent — Built for the Sea opened the show Friday night at the Independent, warming up the stage for headliner the Helio Sequence. A local favorite, the band drew in a decent early crowd when it took the stage a 9 p.m. Vocalist Lia Rose sat down at the piano and opened the show with three songs, including the haunting “Dive In,” before making her way to the guitar for a lovely, mellow version of “Hypnotist.” But it was “Awake” that really showcased the band’s talent, as the song was lyrically rich and featured an incredible building percussion sequence that mimicked Rose’s intense and building vocals. The band closed with a song from its upcoming record, a follow-up to its 2006 self-titled debut. I’m eager to see what Built for the Sea comes up with next, as I am always surprised when I see the group perform live.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS JOIN THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS FOR A FOLK-ROCK EXTRAVAGANZA
February 29, 2008, at the Independent — Hailing from Portland, the Builders and the Butchers brought a style to Noise Pop that was unlike anyone else. I knew I was in for something strange even before the first note was sung, simply based on the setup: The drum kit wasn’t a kit at all, as the individual drums sat directly on the floor, with half-broken cymbals and cowbells tied to sticks. Plastic toy drums, noise makers, and tambourines littered the stage and a large megahorn sat nearby. I was intrigued. I was scared. I was curious.
When they finally took the stage, I was unprepared for the foot-stomping, folk-rocking extravaganza that followed. The enthusiasm was intense and contagious, and it was hard not to feel a part of it when frontman Ryan Sollee tossed out a random collection of instruments for a bit of audience participation. People played their little instruments as band members on stage swung neon plastic sticks into the air. The percussion section was impressive, as its rousing enthusiasm inspired hoots and hollers and a general feeling of awe.
LIKE A HAZY DREAM, FILM SCHOOL HYPNOTIZES THE CROWD
February 29, 2008, at the Independent — Film School’s set was a hazy dream. This band has a way of pulling the audience in to bear witness to its roaring and soaring dreamy rock. Focusing more on the music than on interacting with the crowd, the band eased into one escalating song after another. The set was hypnotic, as cool blue, green, and purple lights danced across the stage, illuminating instruments so that the musicians appeared like beacons of light in the night. As long as some of the songs were, Film School's set flew by and I was left curious for more. It was like losing a dream as morning creeps in and being left with only a vague inclination of what you just witnessed. I’d watch them again just to repeat the experience.
MONOTONIX FIRES UP THE CROWD WITH A FUSION OF ROCK, PUNK, AND DANCE
March 1, 2008, at Bimbo's 365 Club — So, I heard that Monotonix likes to set its drum kit on fire. With this tidbit of information, I made my way up front, fully aware and with the intention of running, should I catch a glimpse of roaring flames. Although no such event transpired — instead, showers of water bounced off the snare with each hit — to say this band was metaphorically on fire would be an understatement. Hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel, this trio knows how to make some noise. The roaring guitar, thumping kick drum, and sharp snare hits were so loud that much of vocalist Ami Shalev’s words were drowned out — not that it mattered, because it was obvious that this band was here to rock.
Monotronix’s setup also was placed directly on the venue floor, making it easy for Shalev’s antics to be on full display. The singer weaved his way in and out of the crowd, on top of monitors, and across the stage — all the while singing and dancing with audience members while removing pieces of clothing here and there. Not even guitarist Yonatan Gat and drummer Ran Shimoni would stay in one place for too long. Let’s just say that even the drum kit made its way to another part of the dance floor before the show was over.
Monotonix definitely would win the Most Spirited Award if Noise Pop had its own Academy Awards. The group's high energy was a crowd favorite as it managed to get most of the crowd to dance to the fusion of rock, punk, and dance. The band members played like they wanted to be there, and in return, found the audience sad to watch them leave.
THE MOODY TUNES OF GREAT NORTHERN MAKE FOR A SOLID SATURDAY PERFORMANCE
March 1, 2008, at Bimbo's 365 Club — Great Northern’s Trading Twilight For Daylight (Eenie Meenie) is now part of my small-but-precious record collection. It also is the reason I had to give up my nice, little spot I nabbed early in the evening to catch the Gutter Twins show, because all I knew after Great Northern's set was that I had to own the album. It was well worth it and has been spinning in my iPod since Saturday’s show.
Probably my favorite set of the festival, Great Northern combined Rachel Stolte’s ethereal vocals with Solon Bixler’s anthemic, building guitar to create a melodic, moody, and crashing collection of sad, melancholy songs. The performance was solid, and the band members performed like they’ve known one another and have been playing together for years. Catch them on tour with the Gutter Twins through mid-April.
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