Wordless Music Series [Metropolis Ensemble/Deerhoof]

by Steven in Concert Reviews, Musician Reviews, Reviews

This past Saturday marked another great concert in the Wordless Music Series that has been going on full-force this season. This event featured the Metropolis Ensemble under the direction of Andrew Cyr and the ever-entertaining band from San Francisco, Deerhoof.

All right. I will admit it: I missed the first song of the Metropolis Ensemble. Apparently they performed an original composition with voice. I’m sorry, but it’s hard to leave lab early, grab a NJT train, then find “the bandshell” in Prospect Park. In any case, I arrived in time to listen to the second piece-The Rite: Remixed-which is what I was looking forward to ["The Rite," of course, referring to Stravinsky's epic orchestral work: The Rite of Spring]. So…as I scrambled to get to the seat that my friends had saved for me, the orchestra started up. I was pretty happy: I had managed to find the venue, paid the suggested $3 donation, gotten a great seat, made it for some of Metropolis, and my heart rate was finally starting to go down after running around Prospect Park for about 10 minutes. Umm, then the heavy beats of The Rite came in, and my heart rate went right back up. The savage electronics and instrumentation bolstered the energy in the piece, and the sound was deafeningly loud and full. It was one of the more exciting re-imaginings I had seen of the piece (okay, let’s be honest…it’s the only re-imaging I’ve heard of the piece).

Deerhoof took the stage shortly thereafter, and it soon became clear to me how great this Wordless Music Series is. So, their whole deal is to try and break down the artificial constrains between traditional classical music and the “indie rock music” of today, etc; well, as soon as Deerhoof started to play, the same crowd that had been calmly seated and listening to the Metropolis Ensemble suddenly came to life (i.e.-they stood up from their chairs, much to the chagrin of fellow concert-goers in the back rows). And rightfully so, the band was amazing. Greg Saunier was an utter beast behind the drum set…I swear, I have never heard so much noise come from a 3-piece drum set. Satomi was cute as ever, hopping around stage, running in place, and just singing in a voice that seemed too “big” to be coming from such a little woman. The band was tight, as always, and energetic –> not to mention, they played a lot of new songs from the upcoming album, and they sounded greaaaaat.

Also, the demographic of the crowd was the strangest I’ve seen in a while. The crowd was made up of people ranging from teenage hipsters to 75-year-olds, all of whom were having the time of their life. It was an amazing way for people to be exposed to a band on the more experimental end of today’s spectrum of independent music. I actually heard a dad say to his wife behind me, “Man, these guys are weird…but I think I like them!” And really, what more could any [independent experimental rock] band ask for?