The Year in Northwest Creative
Music:
A Tentacle Retrospective
The penultimate year of the century has undoubtedly been one of growth
and mutation for the Northwest's community of musical explorers, experimenters,
and improvisers. To get a measure of how the scene has evolved over the
past year, the Tentacle asked a sampling of adventurous Northwest musicians
and connoisseurs to look back on 1998 and comment on both the positive
and negative aspects of local creative music. Our respondents included
electronic music composer Christopher DeLaurenti; composer and
Long String Instrument designer Ellen Fullman; improvising percussionist
Jeph Jerman; Anomalous Records owner Eric Lanzillotta; and
Portland guitar experimenter/concert organizer Doug Theriault.
In addition, we've culled some comments from correspondence received from
musician Bill Nehl and radio programmer Omar Willey.
The consensus among our respondents is that the Northwest creative music
scene, though not without its problems, is in better shape than ever before.
There are more musicians and presenters actively involved in exploratory
music, and significantly, an apparent increase in listeners as well. "The
health of the scene is so much better," says Eric Lanzillotta, echoing
the feelings of most of those we interviewed. Doug Theriault, commenting
on the Portland scene in particular, noted that "The circle of musicians
and audience is growing wider. We have been averaging no less than 30
audience members at the weekly 3rd Pyramid/Aural Fixation series.
The monthly electronic music gigs draw an average of 60-65 people. And
we're beginning to see local clubs start to book more adventurous music,
in addition to these series." Thirty or even sixty people at a music event
may seem like a box-office disaster to some; but compared to what was
previously the norm for a performance of "difficult" music, the numbers
indicate that more and more listeners are stretching their ears and their
definition of what is music.
Other observers such as Omar Willey aren't convinced that the influx of
new listeners is anything more than a passing fad. "Pundits and musicians
apparently think the contemporary new music scene is a sign that Seattle
has come to be a truly musical town, and that suddenly there is an 'audience'
for experiment and innovation... What seems more the case is that new
music has a patina of respect that is unstable at best and certain to
blow away in the wind like so much dust." Jeph Jerman voiced similar concerns:
"I hope the scene continues to grow and includes more and more people
both playing and listening. My fear is that a downswing will occur and
the past trend of a roller-coaster effect will mean a drop-off in interest
in adventurous music." Willey characterized many of the newer listeners
as mere trend-followers, "faux bohemians... sporting a beret and goatee
over a Value Village recycled shirt and Nehru jacket." We're not sure
which concerts Omar attended, but it's safe to say that precious few of
these folks put in an appearance at presentations of radical music like
the Resonant/Circuit and Other Sounds series, where attendance
still is rarely commensurate with the quality of the performances.
Another danger cited was the "brain drain" of Northwest musicians to more
enticing pastures like Manhattan, where a cabal of former Seattle musos
now populates the vaunted Knitting Factory scene. The past year has seen
the loss of at least one integral member of the community to the NYC pressure
cooker. Many locals no doubt will agree with Eric Lanzillotta when he
says, "I hope no one else from the scene moves away from town!"
One of the most encouraging developments of the past few years has been
the growing sense of community among Northwest creative musicians - a
rising tide of collaboration and mutual support that crosses genre and
generation lines. Says Jeph Jerman, "There is so much less negativity
and backbiting amongst the musical community." Christopher DeLaurenti
agrees: "I think the increasing collegiality among Seattle's creative
musicians and composers is heartening. The [artists' cooperative] sonicabal
is just one of many instances of musicians sharing ideas and opening their
ears to each other's work without - so far - succumbing to aesthetic conformity.
Knowing that you are not alone in the trenches of making creative music
is a morale booster." Doug Theriault adds that "a healthy crossover among
experimenters and their audiences exists - everyone involved embraces
the different approaches to experimental music."
Several respondents celebrated the appearance of new, nontraditional venues
that offer musicians and listeners an alternative to the standard bar
format that is so often anathema to music that demands focused listening.
In Seattle, all-ages venues such as Mr. Spot's Chai House, the
Zeitgeist Cafe, and the Parlour Room have blossomed into
hotbeds of creative music, minus the bar noise, loud conversation, and
smoke that mar many similar events at clubs and taverns. Eric Lanzillotta
welcomed the new venues while applauding the persistence of existing creative
music showcases: "The longevity of the Other Sounds series, and new venues
like Mr. Spot's, not to mention the Resonant/Circuit series, are all positive
developments." But is it enough? "It would be nice to see more venues
presenting out music, as I feel the scene is not quite at the level it
was a few years ago with regular events at Moe (Acceleration Couch series),
Anomalous Records, Uncle Rocky's, and Other Sounds," says Eric.
How do performance opportunities for creative musicians in Seattle compare
with those in cities of similar size? Ellen Fullman was highly appreciative
of the wealth of new-music activity in Seattle compared to her former
base of Austin, Texas, a city noted for its music scene. "I have been
counting my blessings on the large number of concerts that are interesting
to me. In Austin, there were maybe eight concerts per year that fit into
the category of what would be listed in the Tentacle. Three or four of
these happened in my studio, the Candy Factory, and were presented by
myself and ND Magazine. It is a real relief to have such an active community
of experimentalists to be amongst."
Compiling the Tentacle calendar has made us acutely aware of the abundance
of adventurous music on offer in the Northwest these days. There's no
doubt that Seattle hosts one of the healthier creative music communities
outside the obvious centers like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco,
and that ever greater numbers of notable innovators like Fred Frith, Han
Bennink, and John Butcher are making the city a tour stop. Yet it is important
to resist the impulse toward self-congratulation, to take a step back
and ask some hard, objective questions about our community. For one thing,
let's not mistake quantity for quality. For all the talk of the proliferation
of non-mainstream musical activity in the Northwest, the fact remains
that most of this activity is centered on user-friendly varieties of creative
music such as dance-oriented electronica, while more rarefied genres like
free improvisation remain in precarious health at best. Doug Theriault
reports that "There is less out jazz and free improvisation than electronic
music at our series and elsewhere, and it would be nice to see more of
that kind of experimentation happen." Our experience with the Tentacle
certainly bears this out-the number of incoming calendar listings for
truly adventurous music is dwarfed by the number of listings for music
that is good, even great, but by no means radical. Determining what to
include or not to include in our "creative music" calendar is a source
of continuing consternation for those who produce the Tentacle.
As many veteran creative musicians can attest, pursuing hardcore experimental
music can be a lonesome business, far less gratifying than taking the
path of least resistance and a hell of a lot less profitable. Indeed,
a recurring complaint concerns the continuing financial travails of creative
musicians and presenters. When asked what could be improved upon in local
creative music, Ellen Fullman said, "Funding! Wouldn't it be great if
more national and international touring artists would be able to make
a stop in Seattle? Alas, the consequences of being on the fringe." Others,
like Bill Nehl, felt that non-mainstream musicians should take responsibility
for their choices and stop expecting handouts: "Be realistic, and get
used to it! This is a market system, and unless we produce something a
mass audience wants to buy... My personal response is to continue to work
a day job to make the rent and bills and continue to play when and where
I can for whatever I can get."
There may be a lot of new-music activity in the Northwest, but you wouldn't
know it to read the dailies and weeklies. Several musicians we spoke with
expressed frustration at the near-total lack of coverage of creative music
in both the establishment and alternative press. Christopher DeLaurenti
decried "paltry publicity in the mainstream media... I wish the Seattle
press would cough up some ink for the Other Sounds and Resonant/Circuit
series." Jeph Jerman agreed that "more exposure of creative musicians
by the mainstream media would be good. The lack of exposure is an outgrowth
of people's tendency to box things into categories, to encapsulate and
label music. If only people would broaden their scope of things and see
it all as just music."
Of course this is the very reason why the Tentacle was founded in the
first place - to address the continuing neglect of creative music by existing
media outlets. After many years of seeing great music ignored by the press,
our small collective of musicians and enthusiasts decided to take matters
into hand and launch the first publication in the area devoted solely
to the more adventurous fringes of local music. Much to our gratification,
several respondents affirmed that the Tentacle has made a difference.
Eric Lanzillotta proposed that the scene has improved "thanks in large
part to the Tentacle," while Christopher DeLaurenti stated that "The Tentacle's
survival and its article-friendly format is a definite boon [for the NW
creative music scene]." One player who's experiencing a personal renaissance
even told us that "If it weren't for the Tentacle, I may never have left
my basement." Whether or not these statements are accurate, they do seem
borne out by the Tentacle's subscriber base of nearly 500 creative music
lovers and its Ink edition of 2,500 distributed monthly to five Northwest
cities.
How can the Northwest creative music scene be further strengthened and
improved? Our respondents gave us a number of excellent suggestions. Ellen
Fullman would like to see "touring improvisers (those that are interested)
performing in the Other Sounds series with a wider variety of the local
personnel." Doug Theriault hopes that "we can develop a strong West Coast
network of adventurous musicians so that we could coordinate tours between
San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver for musicians. We'd like
to expand the performer roster to include musicians from outside of Portland
- have Seattle and Vancouver musicians come through town more often."
Christopher DeLaurenti advocates "More missionary work: I envision increasing
convergence among musicians for sharing resources, know-how, and music.
I fervently desire more places to play, specifically a warehouse space
(with electricity!) for an open jam session where each participant could
briefly serve as a 'conductor' and experiment with the ensemble. Imagine
a Scratch Orchestra for Seattle!"
This may not be the Knitting Factory
(thank god!), or the Bay Area, or Chicago. But the Northwest creative
music scene has clearly evolved to the point where it can stand on its
own feet and take satisfaction in its depth and variety. Our corner
of the country is no longer an outpost or "farm system" for players
bound for bigger and better things - it is a living, breathing community
of forward-thinking musicians with their own unique characteristics
and agendas. If we all continue to hone our craft, learn from the innovators,
and not take our community for granted, there'll be some interesting
currents ahead. As Ellen Fullman says, "We're really lucky. There is
potential for this to keep growing and for spectacular music to be made
and heard. A rare and lovely scene - I plan to do what I can to contribute
to it."
|
January
1999 
