For years I've only ever heard secondhand accounts about the Naked Noise
performances in Ithaca. Seeing photos and some short videos circulate online from previous years. Having experienced and participated in experimental audio performances before, my expectations were somewhat grounded in the concept of improvised performance with either traditional instruments or DIY instruments.
Naked Noise was different. It wasn’t a handful of musicians in a room. In the middle of the large reverberant room were three percussionists: one playing a full drum kit, one playing an arrangement of congas, bongos, concert toms and some cymbals, and a third that was manipulating a snare drum, bass drum and chymes with a series of pedals and effects. Surrounding those three percussionists were roughly twelve musicians on the outskirts of the room. Vocalists, string players, brass players, wind instruments, gongs, guitars, shakers and noise makers.
There is a tendency in experimental audio performances to do too much, to get overly excited with what’s happening and to over play. When performing with multiple people, that can quickly get out of control, leaving behind one of the most impactful tools of music: silence.
This was not the case with Naked Noise. The restraint needed to not over play, to listen and interact with what others are doing in the space made this a lasting experience for me. Listeners were encouraged to walk around the room and experience each performer up close. As I made my way through the space, from station to station, my perspective shifting from one instrument to another, I realized that each performer's sound wasn’t not overpowering any of the others. I could hear the subtlety of each instrument.
At one point I heard a very distinctive percussive sound, the sound of wood shells. I realized it was one person simply lifting and dropping wood shells into their hand. I stood in front of this individual for several minutes, in awe of the fact that I could clearly hear this subtle sound in a large room with 12 or more musicians, many playing through amps.
To me, that’s the power of Naked Noise. I was expecting to be assaulted with a cacophony of sounds for 30 plus minutes, so that leaving the room would feel like a relief. Which is, in its own way, something I enjoy. Instead, I got an immersive, interactive experience of sound and light that changed with every footstep I took around the room.
I didn’t leave feeling bombarded, struggling to clear my mind from the sonic assault that I just had. I left remembering so many different sounds and textures, remembering short but impactful moments from individual performers, remembering the individualistic nature of the performances but also the way they slowly grew together and then slowly dissipated at the end. My only regret is waiting this long to experience it.
