Seattle, September 21-22, 1996

Date: Sun, 06 Oct 1996

To save time and space, to tell the Seattle story, I'll use an e-dialog between K. Atchley and Barb Golden.

Anyway, first ... stay away from Hamburger Mary's in Seattle ... especially if you know how good the original S.F. one is. The Seattle one sucks! For good food for every meal, Julia's in Wallingford is solid. The Best Western Continental Motel is comfortable (although I couldn't sleep, missing my adjustable bed!).

Now that we got the important touring info out of way ...

Saturday we showed my video at 911 MEDIA ARTS. It is a very nice video theater with a giant screen and great sound. When Peter of 911 booked us, he warned us nobody comes to the screenings. So we weren't expecting loads of people (never expect!). Even if nobody came, at least Leslie (who was our guide in Seattle and who had seen a video of a rehearsal of the live (unfulfilling) production of OUT OF ISOLATION) would see the full-strength version. That would have been worth the trip. But a handful of people came. I sat in the back so I could watch their reactions. When the video was over, I asked them to move back to where I was so we could talk ... which is always a risk because often people come to just sit in the passive dark, wanting to be entertained. But these people were eager to get intimate. We talked for over an hour. At one point, a woman said she used to sing, so I invited her to sing with me at the next night jam. Two other people (Brian, whose account follows, and Leslie) asked if they could sing too! So at the jam, I had a mike for people to get up and sing/dance with me when the spirit moved them. More about the jam in a minute. Lob/Virgil, Brian came because of your e-listings. Anyway, everyone at the screening was warm and cozy.

Here I'll start using the e-dialog between K. Atchley and Barb Golden ... and put my two-cents where ever!

e-dialog between K. Atchley and Barb Golden:

BARB:
>so how was it? how was Seattle?
>....

K.ATCHLEY:
Fun weekend. Really liked Seattle. I enjoyed the reading. I like Frank's/Linda's reading performance: Frank calling shots on which pieces to read; Linda giving very nice readings of same; the "theatre" of Frank>Linda communicating with the audience; Mike taking photos and, as usual, offering general openness and good humor to the room ... Nice group assembled (15 or so?) and were really into it. I enjoyed doing the electronics. Don't think I took anything away from the texts or covered the vocals and in places I felt very "sync-ed" with the texts. Would love to do more of this (like I say, BG, get a booking, pick some of texts, and let's have at it. Would love to accompany your reading).

FRANK:
I'm available also, Barb ... I'd love to back you! I would love to be a part of other people's performances.

Anyway, K.A., your music (live harmonica with noise tapes) added a whole other dimension to the reading. I think it was a main reason why my poem TORTURES (a list of horror stories from my life to shut up all of these professional victims walking around whining) became a black comedy, with people rolling on the floor laughing.

I hardly ever make an entrance ... just sitting talking with PISTIL BOOKS' owners, Ami and Sean ... sweethearts, although Sean thinks he is a bad ass. I told him I liked how, after we sent them T.C.(r)#5, he said he wasn't impressed! We brought them a box of our whole line for their consideration of carrying. All through the reading, I asked the audience to put pressure on Sean to carry my stuff. Sean was hiding under his desk, loving it! At one point, he corrected me ... they do carry the FRANK MOORE LINE!

K.A.:
The jam featured (mostly, but not all) noise-jock guys playing through git-amps in timbral and dynamic range of loud club rock. Very old and tedious playing techniques to my ear. Stuff a few of us ("voice of the `old man talkin' `bout the good ol' days"?) were doing over 20 years ago and very current `mungst the Japanese noise bands 10 years ago and more.

Anyway, supposedly Frank can be heard on tape (made of performance) but could hardly hear him and then for only moments in the performance. I'm probably just getting old and cranky. Would love to see/hear him in a very wild noise jam with artists good enough/sure enough to listen and include Frank's instrument. However, the space was nice and comfortable, the people were into it, visually it was cool Frank dancing in dim red light and strobe a-go-go. I discussed this a bit after performance and Frank said that a "pre-jam jam" would be nice. Again, jam was fun enough, I'm just more demanding/cranky. I'll be 42 in two weeks, I'm just getting old.

Gave Moore Cult your love/greetings. Gave Frank smooch on forehead as we parted. Very glad I went.

FRANK:
Well, K.A., I am 50! I consider myself lucky to be playing at such an underground place as ANOMALOUS after doing art/music for 30+ years. The multi-colored haired sound gal Danielle saved the day after Davey, who was supposed to produce the show, just didn't show. She got the musicians for me and busted her ass all night. Except for one guy, Bill, the Seattle musicians didn't show for the 6:30pm sound check. So five minutes before the gig, we balanced everything. But when gig started, the musicians cranked their amps up full, and wouldn't turn down. Davey didn't bring an amp for K.A., so both K.A. and me were using the p.a. So the p.a. was no match for the killer amps. But I didn't know I couldn't be heard, so I was enjoying jamming, enjoyed people coming up singing with me, enjoyed dancing with Leslie. But with the exception of Bill, the musicians didn't look at me or one another. They were isolated in individualism, focused on what was coming out of their own amp. The basic problem was they didn't know how to jam improv listen respond melt flow. I don't think a pre-jam jam would have done anything. For musicians who know how to jam, a pre-jam is just a fun excuse to get more jamming in.

BRIAN CARPENTER:
Howdy!--
Just wanted to thank you once again for one of the most well-spent weekends I had this summer. Ah yes, who am I. I'm the youngun in Seattle with the black headband. The jam on that Saturday (last week was it?) was distinctly soothing for me in a way that has nothing to do with psychophysical comfort--lack of a sound check and temporary fuckup of my vocal chords notwithstanding. (And there was the screening.) It was, for lack of a better word, an "aesthetic" I had not previously experienced, at least not in that immediacy nor at that volume. Participation from the supposed audience is generally discouraged in most similar "performances" that I have come across, but it was the very thing that topped-off the night for me, if not the summer--a distinctly unprecedented summer in my life. So, thats my spout, just wanted to "voice" that out. Hope the flight back was entertaining and everyone is well. I will be sure to pleasantly prod the folks at Pistil Books to carry your material.
Best,
Brian Carpenter