1. "cwalk" - Rob Funkhouser
2. "TV Room" - Teen Brigade
3. "Disconnect Your Shit" - MIAMI MICE II
4. "Long Nap (for Mel Gibson)" - Duncan Kissinger 
5. "(She Would Make a Good) Tatto" - Jorma Whittaker
6. "King of the Suits" - S.M. Wolf
7. "Love with Razors Involved" - Ben Traub
8. "Fear" - Video Grave
9. "Born to Ride" - Raw McCartney
10. "Peak Performance" - Shame Thugs
11. "Rarer Days, Pt. 1" - John Flannelly

Three days worth of something is burbling at Listen Hear as I type. Maybe you've heard about it already. Maybe you read John Dawson's great (GREAT!) piece in NUVO the other day. Maybe you ran in to me somewhere in the last few weeks and heard me ramble about how John Wiese is kind of my hero. Maybe your dad accidentally picked up a Whitehouse 12" in the 80s and got in to power electronics and has ever since been trying to get you to start a noise project with him and he has further, as such, been pestering you to for some quality time this Thursday/Friday/Saturday. Maybe!

What I'm saying is there are a whole bunch of ways you could've already heard about what I'm here to tell you about (i.e. three days worth of very cool experimental shows at Listen Hear). But, by the same token, there are a whole lot of ways that you maybe haven't already heard about it (e.g., what if your dad listened to that Whitehouse 12" and was like "Eh, I mean these dudes seem kinda racist?" and trashed it and then never got in to power electronics in the first place) and so I figured I'd convey the message the only way I know how: with a playlist. 

The first track--"cwalk" from Rob Funkhouser--on the above playlist is dedicated to the first of the three shows which is taking place tonight, May 7 at 7pm. Holding down the local angle will be Rob Funkhouser alongside John Collins McCormick's Sky Thing project. Funkhouser has been working on a new set lately, integrating amplified thumb piano and synth sounds and all manner of other sounds into a remarkable glistening pile. I don't know exactly what he'll do tonight, but I can guarantee it'll be great. McCormick's approach to sound is unparalleled, amping, re-amping, looping, loping, and blowing out sounds from the minimal to the maximal (last time I saw him he finished his set by blowing out a match). These two will be followed by the guy who I already referred to as a "hero" in this blog post: John Wiese. Wiese makes music that I feel guilty playing loudly when my roommates are home. One time my cat got really upset when I was playing one of his Sissy Spacek records. Both of these things are ringing endorsements. $7 gets you in.  

Friday night, May 8, will host the 2nd annual MFT Noise-a-Thon(g). If you've heard whispers about last year's Noise-a-Thon, or if you were one of the powerful few who made it through the whole 12 hour haul, you know things definitely won't get strange or loud or confusing at all. Over 20 performers will spread themselves over three stages from 8pm until 3am (or, let's be honest, probably later). Tracks two through nine on the above playlist are dedicated to an assortment of folks who will be performing at some point throughout the night (peep the full schedule here), though not everything actually gives you a good picture of what sets will sound like. The whole point of this night is for people to track and hunt down sounds they might not usually pursue. It's exciting. Entrance is by donation, and all proceeds go to support Big Car and MFT. 

Finally, on Saturday night, things will chill out a little starting at 9pm with John Flannelly, Shame Thugs, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, and Bitchin' Bajas. Smith plays the modular synth game like no one else and Bitchin' Bajas are in with smooth back rubs of throwback quasi-kraut hypnotism, both of which will compliment the slap back tape hiss of Shame Thugs and the outer space keyboard journey from Flannelly. Nine bucks well spent. I promise.