What is the Noise Pop Festival?
It was an inconspicuous start. Sweat, beer, two chords -- sometimes
three. On a foggy night in the dog-days of February 1993, local
music fiend Kevin Arnold booked five bands in a shoddy rock
club with flagging attendance. He called it Noise Pop.
At the time, that phrase meant something. On one level, it was
the sound of bands like the Fastbacks and Overwhelming Colorfast:
upbeat, melody-driven rock that never met a distortion pedal
it didn't like. On another, it meant independent bands that
created their own audience who stuck around after their sets
to check out their peers. It meant music first, and then beer,
and then music and some more beer.
That night in 1993, the Kennel Club exploded. Beloved local
bands like the Meices found an over-capacity crowd thirsty for
chug-chug chord progressions and nasty feedback. The Fastbacks
hopped around like idiots. Arnold knew immediately that he would
have to bring back the noise next year.
Flash forward 14 years. Noise Pop is another beast. Seven days.
Over 100 bands. Drinking. Independent films. Panels. Art.
What the hell happened? Well, somewhere along the way, Noise
Pop grew up. Each year, Arnold added more bands and more venues.
Band manager Jordan Kurland came on in 1997 to help him keep
track of the logistical nightmare. Local club Bottom of the
Hill signed on early. The space had been the heart of the Fest
since the second year. In turn, every significant club in San
Francisco, from Bimbo's 365 to the Fillmore to the Great American
Music Hall signed on.
The bands kept getting bigger, partly because Noise Pop embraced
music that was Noise Pop in spirit, if not in sound. The finest
bands in America – and now some of the biggest - have
stopped by for showcases. Modest Mouse, the White Stripes, Death
Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Jimmy Eat World, Grandaddy, The
Flaming Lips to name a few.
These days, the most important thing about Noise Pop is what
makes it unique. Long ago, South by Southwest morphed into spring
break for the music industry. And you can't break a guitar string
at CMJ without blinding an A&R scout. Noise Pop is different.
The focus is on the fans. It's a music-lover's celebration:
the shows sell out, people have fun, and every year the event
grows a little bigger. |
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