SIGNUM: Experimental Festival

Thimbletronic cutup, walls o’ noise, and far-out improv are all considered "experimental music" – and so are some examples of modern classical, avant-garde jazz, drone, free, ambient, noise, electronic, industrial, and post-rock, not to mention highfalutin’ mathematical compositions. Clearly, we’re dealing with a slippery genre. What exactly is experimental music? James Boring, who performed at the festival with Portland group A Nat Hema, describes it as "music which is open to its own evolution in the process. Experimental musicians are not entirely sure of the outcome of their efforts... It's kind of like exploring, or being a scientist."

There's a crossover between the 'experimental' festival and the Olympia Strange Music Society, and those involved differentiate between the two labels. "'Strange music' I think encompasses a little more, including unintentionally weird stuff that you find in thrift stores, lounge stuff, and exotica," explains McAdams. "Experimental music is more an approach than a genre (to me anyway), where you do something to see what will happen with results that aren't predetermined."

Dionyso maintains that there is "never a fixed definition. Like when you go into a record store and look for the experimental section – probably a lot of electronic stuff, some post-Cage 20th century classical composers, some really twisted jazz or noisy stuff. But ‘strange music’ includes all of that, and also includes somebody's retarded uncle who lives in a tree doing jaw harp solos or humming through a comb or whatever."

Bleepy-Bloopy Noises

Steve Fisk is headlining for a reason: he is a legendary figure in the Northwest. He’s been creating pastiche and playing keyboards for years, releasing solo work and playing with Pigeonhed and Pell Mell. His production credits span two decades of prime indie material, including Beat Happening, Nirvana, Low, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Unwound, and Boss Hog. He’s basically a rock star, one who happens to be into cutup, Optigans, and bleepy-bloopy noises.

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