tim perkis SPAMOGRAM july
2007
CORRECTION!!!
Oh man, did I screw up!! all the dates in the spamogram I just sent you should
be JULY, JULY, JULY!! ... bleary eyed proof-reading... anyway, what follows
is identical to what I just sent, but with the right dates... sorry for the double serving of spam...
Hello again... Last month had a few opportunities to make an ass of oneself (see photo above). This was the house band The Hogs at the glamorous 'Extreme Insecurity Forces' show at 21 Grand. And July has lined up to offer more chances for mortification and embarrassment!
For example, there's the annual summer Skronkathon (July 15 at 21 grand). an all day picnic and noise fest, with plenty of room around the grill in the alley to avoid the all day noise inside if you like. (I'll be playing with a great bunch at the end of the day, at 10pm.) And there will be two, no, three screenings of Noisy People: one on July 25 in Berkeley at the lovely Hillside Club, and two on July 26th at the Red Vic in SF, with live action of various kinds at each show (see below.)
I've been very surprised and gratified at the response to Noisy People from people wholly unconnected and essentially uninterested in our peculiar brand of music. I certainly hoped to make a film that has some appeal beyond interest in the music itself -- and it's great that it seems to be working that way! I've found the people that the film is built around to be smart, funny and inspiring in their creativity and dedication, and apparently that comes across even to those who aren't necessarily big fans of their particular forms of expression.
One guy at the premiere bought 10 copies to give to all his employees in a design firm in SF... just because he dug it and figured they would find the film inspiring. Wow! Maybe this film has a big future in corporate training, and in the future the dictum to "be more like Plonsey" will be firing up salesmen all over America as they sit down to make their morning cold calls.
So I ask that you consider spreading the word about the film to friends and family who may not know or care anything about the music! Its effect may be unpredictable.
By the way, the film website has been expanded and, one hopes, improved, and you can now catch several extended clips from the film, as well as the trailer there: at noisypeople.com
And as always, please let me know if this spam is unnecessary, unwanted or unloved. (there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the page).
T
SUN July 15, 12:30 PM - 11:00PM; that is, all day!
In conjunction with 21 Grand's 7th anniversary celebration, the 7th annual Transbay Skronkathon BBQ is an all-day marathon music and BBQ extravaganza. Admission is free, but we'll pass the hat for the benefit of the Transbay Creative Music Calendar. We'll have a couple of charcoal grills out in the alleyway for your gustatory pleasure (BRING STUFF TO GRILL!) and a double load of the Bay Area's best creative musicians inside for your listening pleasure.
See the full schedule for the day's events here. I'll be playing at 10pm with the Whassuptet: Gino Robair(perc/electronics), Matt Ingalls(clarinets), John Shiurba(guitar), Tim Perkis(electronics), Tom Djll(trumpet)+ maybe one Very Special Guest, whatever that means.
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WED July 25, 7:30pm
NOISY PEOPLE at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar Street, Berkeley, CA
screening followed by Q&A with filmmaker and film subjects Gino Robair and Phillip Greenlief.
In case you haven't yet heard the spiel:
NOISY PEOPLE is my feature length video documentary that opens a window into a tightly-knit group of unusual sound artists and musicians from the San Francisco improvisational music community.
FEATURING: George Cremaschi, Tom Djll, Greg Goodman, Phillip Greenlief, Cheryl Leonard, Dan Plonsey, Gino Robair, Damon Smith. Also includes dozens of other creative musicians from the improvisational sound community, including Anthony Braxton, Fred Frith and Jack Wright.
I followed my subjects for a year, filming them in their homes and studios, rehearsals and performances. What emerges is a set of funny and lively portraits of some very creative and quirky people -- and a portrait of a way of life outside the commercial musical mainstream of America.
I'll be there, along with film subjects Gino Robair, Phillip Greenlief and perhaps more to talk about the scene, the film, and answer anyone's questions. DVD's of the film will also be for sale. (and they're always available at the NOISY PEOPLE website, which also has the trailer, audio clips, musician bios, etc etc)
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THU July 26, two screenings at 7:15pm and 9:30pm
San Francisco Premiere!
NOISY PEOPLE at the Red Vic Movie House, 1727 Haight Street, San Francisco.
NOISY PEOPLE finally makes it out of Berkeley! We'll have two screenings at the legendary Red Vic with live music in-between, featuring a quartet made up of myself and film subjects Tom Dill, Phillip Greenlief and Gino Robair. We should also have NOISY PEOPLE T-shirts by that time, too!
What people are saying about Noisy People:
Made by an insider in this scene of outsiders, Noisy People beautifully captures one of the most vibrant and unusual music communities in America. Through his series of affectionate portraits, Tim Perkis illuminates the glimmers and glitches of true invention. This film belongs in the canon of brilliant movies about artistic innovation. Funny, profound, and deeply inspiring.
-- Beth Lisick, author of Everybody Into the Pool
What a trip! ...a curiously refreshing musical tour through one of the East Bay's least understood (but hella deep) pools of creativity.
-- Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
[A] vivid portrayal of the San Francisco Bay Area's improvised music scene. The movie delivers its message through interviews, concert performances, revealing footage of the musicians' living spaces and backyards and evocative shots of less-than-fashionable Bay Area neighborhoods…. The appearances of certain high-profile musicians, including saxophonist Anthony Braxton and guitarist Fred Frith, indicate how the local improv scene's borders blur both geographically and artistically…. The Bay Area improv scene may be a serially homeless and occasionally ephemeral entity, but thanks to Perkis, it now has a good, permanent, slice-of-life document of its quirky creativity…. Noisy People nails a niche that, as Down Beat used to say, deserves wider attention.
--Derk Richardson, SF Gate
Noisy People, as well as being the “love letter to the Bay Area music community” that Tim Perkis envisioned, is an uplifting tribute to musicians and sound artists everywhere who are intently exploring the edges of sonic reality.
--Henry Kuntz, metropolis.com
Please drop me a line at tim at perkis dot com if you have any comments or suggestions. Thanks, and hope to see y'all at one of these events.
-- Tim