Norcal NoiseFest via Brian Comnes

Some shots and notes from this year's Norcal NoiseFest via Brian Comnes. Title link takes you to a couple more shots. "OK here is a beat up SH-09 , kinda sad actually .. I guess .those noise boys are tough on their gear. I will say that the acts that had the best "quality" sound had a strong analog presence in their mix , Stimbox (pic also attached) was using a lot of Metasonix gear and a Frostwave Resonator (your favorite)[indeed]. The harmonic variations and sound artifacts he was able to coax out of the din were exceptionally better than the rest of the crowd relying pretty much on gobs of 9VDC guitar pedals. The other act that got a strong rise from the crowd was using an old HP tube-based oscillator for sound sweeps that were "sweet" in a noise fest kind of way. Best visuals goes to the guy in the Mexican Lucha Libre wrestler mask with a piezo contact pickup glued on a number 10 can that he then pushed into a carborundum grinder - hearing that through a large PA with a pair of cranked Mackie 1801 subs in a small room is an earful for sure. Noise fest will definitely push your boundaries for what really is synthesis and sound, I enjoyed it overall in part because it also puts the stuff I do into a clearer context. Hey the show is now 10 years old so it has some legs. Also because they are a city-funded arts event, they are exempt from noise ordinances, I'm sure the neighbors next to the event loved that." Click images for a bigger shot. Check out IDX1274's Lucha Libre mask.