August Noise JP: A Performer's Perspective

Talk Listen Door’s August 9^th appearance at the Loring-Greenough House was complete with wild dogs, dancers, and eager fans running up to embrace the band after the show.

Of course, the wild dog was really a friend’s excited puppy, and the dancers were group of kids, but they seemed to follow our every musical gesture. One of them, a four year-old named Laura, became our biggest fan, and rewarded Andy and Dave (Andy Fordyce, drums and Dave Cordes, bass) with hugs and kisses after the show.  I’m not a Jamaica Plain resident, but the Farmers Market that night held a distinctly homey appeal.

As a recent graduate of music school (New England Conservatory), I’ve noticed that there is so much dialogue within that community about how to break music out of the concert hall. Certainly, this is an easier task for some styles than others; however, with August Noise JP, Beth McDonald and Anne Gregory have gone right to the issue by presenting a widely varied series that is free and accessible to the public. More than that, it brings the music directly to the people by creating pop-up concerts in spaces that are frequented by all ages of people in the JP community.   

Our (Talk Listen Door) sets are by turns pop, then jazz, with elements of free improvisation.  We’ve covered Nina Simone and the BeeGees, John Lennon, and Albert Ayler. Sure, it’s accessible, but not always the easiest music upon first listen. The audience at August Noise JP was free to listen and engage themselves for as long as they liked, and I certainly speak for the whole band when I say that we felt welcomed with open arms.

I’ll be performing with another group Faces, featuring members of local bands Guerilla Toss and Cowboy Band, later this month. For this show, Simon Hanes, Frank Ojeda, Ethan T. Parcell and I will be improvising a full set of songs. It’s a kind of experiment, and I thank Beth and Anne for letting us bring it to you. Talk Listen Door will be performing again soon, and are releasing an EP of songs this fall. Join us at http://talklistendoor.bandcamp.com!

There are only three concerts left! Check out our season's calendar to see when and where they'll be.