[microsound] New York in the 80's (was Rhys Chatham)

[Ken Restivo]

On Wed, Feb 04, 2009 at 06:40:34PM -0500, Dave Seidel wrote:
> Concur on all that (I was there from '78 to '88).  Another point for 
> reference for this music is idea of music for multiples.  See Mary Jane 
> Leach's really comprehensive list here:

M. Doughty described lower Manhattan in the 80's as "looking like it'd been hit with an art bomb", which I think is a pretty accurate description of walking around there in those years (I lived a 20-minute commute away).

He made that analogy by way of comparing New York in the 80's to Berlin a few years ago, though I've never been to Berlin.

I got a similar-- though smaller-scale-- impression of San Francisco when I moved here in the mid-90's. It certainly doesn't seem that way now.

My question is this: where in the world-- if anywhere-- is there such a scene like early-80's New York taking place? i.e. a place where artists and musicians can make a decent-- maybe even good-- living?

-ken
-----------
> 
> http://www.mjleach.com/multiples.htm.
> 
> [Disclosure: I did the first recording and performances of Lois V 
> Vierk's "Go Guitars", which is a great piece for five electric guitars 
> in a quarter-tone-based tuning, and which is on MJ's list.]
> 
> - Dave
> 
> Kim Cascone wrote:
> >> and i should add that Rhys and Glenn were developing their ideas at
> >> the same time, in the highly charged, creative stew that was the NYC
> >> downtown art scene in the late 70's - early 80's. lots of really
> >> interesting musical ideas/bands: DNA, Liquid Liquid, Y Pants,
> >> Contortions, Mars, Lydia Lunch et al. combine that with Philip Glass,
> >> Laurie Anderson, Steve Reich, etc. and BOOM.
> > 
> > some coffee thoughts:
> > I lived and worked in Manhattan around that time and attended the  
> > Noise Fest at the White Columns on Spring St in '81
> > (I even managed to 'find' poster for it and now hangs in my studio)
> > Sonic Youth, Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham all played at the Noise Fest
> > in addition to a lesser known downtown guitar ensemble headed by  
> > Jeffery Lohn and who I auditioned for
> > but I saw Rhys play at the Mudd Club or Club 57 (can't remember  
> > which) where his percussionist played metal poles with ball-peen hammers
> > a very intense concert so say the least and in some ways more  
> > interesting than Glenn's work
> > but I was big fans of both of them
> > a few years later I saw Glenn speak at the Exploritorium in SF so I  
> > chatted with him a little afterwards about the NY scene and why I  
> > moved to SF
> > 
> > I would have to say that some of the context for this was 'New Music'  
> > as mashed up with the 'No Wave' music happening in NY around that time
> > and there was a lot of cultural cross breeding going on then
> > witness the New Music America festivals and Ear Magazine which were  
> > both based in NYC and which helped to stir the 'creative stew' that  
> > Bruce mentioned
> > 
> > I had a friend who played in Glenn's ensemble (before Glenn got  
> > famous) and he told me this story about how Glenn knew almost nothing  
> > about rock music and rock guitar techniques
> > so he continually asked my friend to play him 'historical' rock 'n  
> > roll records and explain to him how certain guitar pedals were used  
> > in making rock guitar sounds
> > 
> > also, I had the pleasure of seeing DNA play at CBGB's several times  
> > and think Arto Lindsay is one of the most original guitarists of his  
> > time
> > his playing in DNA astounds me to this day and totally shifted how I  
> > thought of the 'guitar'
> > only to be further damaged by Keith Rowe and Fred Frith later on
> > my Berklee College of Music education never looked so provincial as  
> > during that time
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> > 
> > 
> 
> -- 
> ~DaveSeidel = [
>    http://mysterybear.net,
>    http://daveseidel.tumblr.com,
>    http://twitter.com/DaveSeidel
> ];
> 
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