Last Tuesday, there was an experimental noise show at a small art space off Whalley Ave. in the Westville section of New Haven. I have been an outside observer of this scene and am aware of the devoted following that this music inspires at several locations in the state (most notably "The Weird Diner" shows in Bloomfield, CT - http://www.weirddiner.com/index.php and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdmnrmdeCAM). Bethany and I arrived several minutes late for the scheduled start time of 7 P.M. and ran into the members of HEAVEN PEOPLE outside, who stated that the show would be unfortunately delayed awaiting the arrival of AVARUS (who, presumably, were coming from out of town but not directly from Finland). In the interim, we headed over the Delaney's Taproom for an hour, whose tap selection of quality craft beers is unparalleled in CT. I was not disappointed by my Brooklyn Keller Helles and Bethany took advantage of their $2 bartender pick of Stoudt's Pale Ale.
We returned at around 8 P.M. and, as the venue (more on this to follow) does not serve alcohol, we picked up a 6-pack of Smuttynose's excellent Pumpkin Ale to keep us occupied between sets. Locals HEAVEN PEOPLE (http://www.myspace.com/heavenpeople) took the stage first and proceeded to play two songs. The first was a mostly instrumental piece punctuated by Danny Moore's tribal-style percussion. However, the highlight was Krystina Battalene's modified acoustic guitar. She strings the acoustic like a cello and plays with a bow. She then loops these sounds into a dizzying array of pedals and distortion boxes that swirled in and out. The second song that they played was more ambient/less dissonant than the first yet was also effects-laden. On this one, Ms. Battalene looped distorted vocals into the mix that were the perfect accompaniment to the ambient drones that percolated throughout. Albeit their set was short, it was the most impressive of the evening and left all experimental noise fans in attendance eagerly anticipating the release of their first LP on Ectstatic Peace. Additionally, both band members were very cordial on approach before and after the show, which was most welcoming as an outsider off this close-knit CT scene. I would encourage you to check them at their next CT show for Manic Productions: Saturday, 20 September @ The People's Center, 37 Howe St., New Haven, CT @ 7 P.M. with John Wiesse and Sickness.
DUCKTAILS (http://www.myspace.com/ducktailss), on the other hand, were not what I had expected. I read about a "tropical psychedelic" experience, and, although the latter was firm in his sound, I didn't hear much of a tropical tinge. Again, DUCKTAILS played two instrumental pieces. The second featured some excellent electric guitar noodlings that led to an astral plane if you closed your eyes and allowed it to wash over you. In all, it was impressively cohesive set from one gentleman from NJ.
Finally, AVARUS (http://www.secreteye.org/se/avarus.html) took the stage at around 10:30 P.M. I had read that the band typically comprises 10-20 members and is a staple of the Finnish psych folk scene, so I was admittedly anticipating something closer to Swedish psych rockers DUNGEN than what was received. They played as a three-piece with guitar, bass and samples/noise, and, like the two preceding bands, also played two extended instrumental pieces. Both songs were very similar in structure, as they featured bass as the primary instrument driving the melody and keeping time. At times, unfortunately, the bass sounded sloppy and distracting. The guitar, in my estimation, was the highlight of this experimental set, which featured lots of distortion and screeching with the assistance of metal picks placed strategically throughout the fretboard. To be frank, I could hear very little coming from the noise/sample end with the exception of occasional percolations once the bass and guitar's dynamic decrescendo-ed.
In all, I really enjoyed this show, which is not the typical style of music that I gravitate towards in a live setting. I also appreciated the space, ArLow (838 Whalley Ave., on the corner of West Rock), which also the doubles as the home of a local art aficionado, Adam. Suffice it to say, I will be paying more attention to this scene in the future!
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