BILLY JAM PRESENTS: Finding Sweet Music In The Jackhammer Construction Noises Of WTC
If you checked out Irene Trudel's engrossing Jan 21 show show , you would have had the pleasure of hearing her guest David Hykes not only perform his beautiful tonal music but also talk with Irene about such things as the healing power of tones and various other sounds in music. Something that is so true. Music heals. Music moves. But these sounds don't always have to be sweet and soft. They can be loud bombastic noises that, at first, appear offensive to the senses but soon become hypnotically seductive. Case in point; one of Mike Lupica's favorite places - the PATH station at WTC (World Trade Center) downtown Manhattan as in the scene of "ground zero" as in 9/11 - where some form of construction has been dragging on, it seems, ever since that infamous September date back in 2001.
In recent weeks however as I traipsed through the large open space that links the MTA subway side of WTC with PATH side, en route to WFMU, I noticed a new construction sound - the sound of jackhammers pounding away at all hours right below as you come up the steps on the PATH side. "Wow that is like some good industrial music!" was the first thought that popped into my head, with "I gotta record that sound" being the second so I whipped out my small digital audio device and hit "Record." (mp3, 3.4 megs) several times over the past couple of weeks.
This Friday on WFMU, in a totally unrehearsed session, along with Bryce and Scott Williams I will be playing back a variety of these sounds recorded exclusively at WTC - some repeated and/or layered with occasional in-studio effects added into the improvised mix. Meanwhile Bryce will add sounds generated by hand from "found percussion items" (all found in the WFMU kitchen) while Scott will play various guitars. Also thrown into some part of this improv mix will be bits of an interview I conducted with Danny Hoch about the sad state of gentrification in New York City - the theme of his new play "Taking Over" - which just opened, not in New York City, but in Berkeley California.
This is going to be exciting! Looking forward to Friday!!
Posted by: Friday Jones | January 23, 2008 at 04:33 PM
I think you could do some pretty cool shit with the found stuff if you slow it down by half.
Posted by: Rufus | January 23, 2008 at 09:54 PM