Noise Pop Festival

Last year, I skipped a year of Noise Pop and it made me sad. I always look forward to the line up. Unfortunately, we were a little late on the ball this year too and most of the shows for bands I’ve wanted to see ended up being sold out by the time we got around to making decisions. Discovered a lot of good new bands in the process of finding a new show to go to, but those shows also all ended up being sold out. It was okay, though, because we ended up checking out the Culture Club and that turned out to be a lot of fun.
Well, I guess I’ve always been in somewhat of a hipster denial, but I don’t think I can ever deny it after I attended that event. Hipsters galore. It wasn’t too bad though. In fact, the whole event was kind of like a Chuck E Cheese for hipsters. Local wine tasting, a table to make art, live scoring of classic movies, vegan food… Yup all there. All of the things we saw were fantastic. My only real complaint about the event was that there was some poor organization going on. The bottom show events were running late, so we ended up missing the live scoring of A Trip to the Moon (sad). Also missed the memo that the Jamaica Dyer event was being moved so we almost completely missed that. Otherwise, the event was a lot of fun and I’m sure everyone here is tired of hearing me talk it.
Now that Noise Pop 2012 is over, I’ll have to eagerly wait next year’s festival.

Okay, so we did the Treasure Island Music Festival scavenger hunt with Noise Pop. The actual hunt was really fun and we walked all over Haight and Divis, but the final hours were far from fun. After the hunt, we had to wait for over 2 hours for them to announce the winners. This was super annoying because the «show» that was happening was pretty awful music and it was a horrible sound system. The costume contest was unfairly won by friends of the Noise Pop woman who was announcing the contest who had totally not gotten the most applause, and had actually probably gotten the least applause. The VIP tickets were also won by friends of the Noise Pop staff, friends who had cheated on the written portion in the bar.
I know this sounds petty. We honestly had fun and didn’t really care about winning, but the Noise Pop staff really left us with a negative feeling. BOO.

Noise Pop knows the fastest way to a person’s heart isn’t food — it’s music! So, why not buy your guy or gal a badge to Noise Pop. You two can share Ben Gibbard, Yo La Tengo, Dan Deacon, Best Coast and more singing soft sweet lullabies in your ears. Or if your beloved is a creative type, share a weekend at Noise Pop’s Culture Club doing DIY projects and workshops alongside artists like Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Nick Zinner, No Age, John Wesley Harding, Isotope Comics, and more.

Noise Pop has a great selection of independent rock artists. I like Noise Pop a lot, but it’s still not that widely known. They have bands that get bigger after playing events like Noise Pop.

I love live music. I love performing it. I love listening to it. I love watching it. Contrary to what San Franciscans are supposed to say, I don’t love Noise Pop. Actually, I hate it. Let me explain.
Music lovers go to see local bands, smaller-​to-​mid-​sized touring acts, and other branches of «underground» music tend to do so because they love music. They love the emotional thrill only music can give them. When you have a crowd of these people, generally that weird thing humans do where they amplify others’ experience happens. A good show with people that appreciate it for the same reasons is a wonderful thing to be a part of.
So what happens when a show stops being a show and starts being an event? No longer is the crowd simply music lovers. One sees people that only want to see and be seen. One sees people that may have a passing affection for music, but don’t appreciate it on a deep level. These folks tend to dress more stylishly, order more lite beer and other brews distributed by MillerCoors at the bar. For the kind of music that’s played on the radio, this is fine. More power to them for fueling an industry that employs bartenders, waitresses (unfortunately, it’s always a feminine title), soundmen (unfortunately, it’s always a masculine title), bouncers, etc.
But for the kind of music that music lovers go to see, it means the music lovers now have to deal with these people that, at best, are there for superficial reasons. Moreover, the music lover had to pay a higher ticket price due to increased demand. (S)he also has to wait in longer lines for the bar and john. More noise pollution is in between the speakers and the music lover. (S)he has to listen to their superficial conversations because they stand next to her/​him and their friends. (S)he has to smell them and their lite beer. (S)he has to hear about their favorite sports team. (S)he sees them hug from behind for a quasi-​metal band on the bill.
Noise Pop is an event. Noise Pop _​intentionally_​creates a brand. For a music that, originally though no longer, stood firmly against brand-​identification, crass consumerism, and superficiality. And it’s not even that original about it; it’s crassly based on the SXSW formula. Noise Pop bastardizes all the great things about smaller performances. It bastardizes everything that was great about independent rock.
I can’t stand Noise Pop. If a festival of this size is this bad, I firmly understand why my friends in Austin loathe SXSW. This is why I look forward to March every February.

Noise Pop time of year has always been a period of discovery for me. Amongst my audiohead friends, links to band pages and shows fly, we spread sound like a virus, hungrily downloading and awaiting the thunderous 3D experience.
These folks have succeeded in bringing indie music to the forefront, reeling in talented performers, facilitating unique collaborations and breaking new artists, and providing top venues in which to showcase this music. The crowds come out in droves. Sure, you’re going to get your fair share of scenesters clogging up the bar and restroom arteries, but if a substantial portion of my ticket price is going into the pockets of the performers, I am happy to stand in line. My only real gripe is that the passes aren’t all-​inclusive.
For the most part, it’s the sound that binds, and the appreciation and energy has been high at every show I’ve attended thus far. The results are commendable. Kudos, NP, and thank you.

Noise Pop is a great festival to go to and volunteer for!
I worked some great shows and the film festival this year. Great bands, super nice people and a good time had by all.
Stay tuned for Noise Pop 2010…