From:
http://rvamag.com/articles/full/24602/rva-noise-fest-iv-to-turn-strange-matter-into-a-cacophonous-soundscape-thisPosted by: brad – Apr 29, 2015
“The noise community here in Richmond is one of the most active yet
most under represented local scenes,” said Gary Stevens, organizer of
the fourth annual
RVA Noise Fest, in an email interview. “We feel it's important to give venue to all these wonderfully strange artists to come.”
Like Stevens said, Richmond has a surprisingly large noise scene,
something Noise Fest IV hopes to highlight with its 36+ local acts and
free entry.
Noise Fest is a showcase of underground music curated by the
RVA NOISE collective with a focus on noise music, experimental sound, and outside electronics.
This Saturday, May 2nd, the festival will take over Strange Matter starting at 3 pm for nearly 12 hours of free performances.
“Now in it's fourth year, we continue to host a wide array of artists
working in the realms of harsh noise, power electronics, sound collage,
post-techno, ambient soundscapes, drone, freek jazz, improv and
otherwise challenging and unconventional music and performance styles,”
said Stevens. “This year we highlight the rich and diverse underground
music culture of Richmond, VA that has been bubbling up through the
cracks over the last few years.”
The intention of this year’s festival, according to Stevens, is “to
spread awareness of how lively the local noise scene is and to have a
good time sharing that work.”
Noise is the closest thing to purely underground music currently
being performed here, perennially existing just below the mainstream,
and having an influence which trickles easily into other genres.
“In a contemporary context I believe noise is an underground of the
underground. A free form media for expression that defies easy
classification. Noise as a genre is a very broad term and it's
importance is highly subjective,” said Stevens. “Academics may consider
it a high art while basement venue dwellers believe noise is a more
extreme D.I.Y punk aesthetic. No matter how it's perceived I'd say that
noise is important in the way that it's continually challenged and
innovated music ideas over the years.”
Attendees of Noise Fest IV can expect, as always, an all day marathon
of back to back abbreviated performances “ranging from chaotic harsh
noise to blissful soundscapes.”
If you’ve never been to a noise show before then you’re missing out.
They’re loud, abrasive, transient, incredible, and largely
indescribable. For a taste of what you can expect check out this video
of
Mutwawa-- who will also be performing this year--tearing it up onstage two years ago.
Noise music's versatility and ability to grow and adapt always been
its biggest strength, according to Stevens, something no other genre has
been able to accomplish quite as successfully.
“Noise is constantly changing. It's an amorphous energy by nature and
that makes it hard to quantify,” said Stevens. “More and more projects
are popping up all over the place and I'm seeing many ideas sprouted in
the noise scene are becoming a part of other forms of music.”
The doors for RVA Noise Fest IV open at 3 pm this Saturday at Strange
Matter with performances starting at 4 pm and running until 1 am. There
is no cover and therefore no excuse to miss what is sure to be one of
the best RVA based festivals of the season.
Checkout the line-up below:
Doors 3PM Sounds 4PM
$0.00!!!
04:00 - B.S.K.
04:15 - Alpha Decay
04:30 - France Gall Entity
04:45 - Le Bron
05:00 - Blue Nine
05:15 - Lacanthrope
05:30 - S.A.R.S.
05:45 - War Anus
06:00 - 10-56
06:15 - Thieves Of Shiloh
06:30 - Negative Space
06:45 - The New Loft
07:00 - Toner War
07:15 - Cecelia
07:30 - Ting Ting Jahe
07:45 - ENE
08:00 - Yoga Demon
08:15 - Creeping
08:30 - Fake Object
08:45 - Dyrt
09:00 - Flood Beast
09:15 - Crack Bytch
09:30 - Brown Piss
09:45 - Broadcastatic
10:00 - Golden Retriever
10:15 - Richard Ripper
10:30 - Daggering
10:45 - Cristal
11:00 - Subklinik
11:15 - Yohimbe
11:30 - Flesh Control
11:45 - Scant + I.G.M.
12:00 - SB & C
12:15 - Predation
12:30 - Coteries
12:45 - Mutwawa
*Line up/Schedule subject to change
Words by Tyler Hammel
