by Samantha Scott
Daily Lobo
It was not your average Friday night show in Albuquerque.
Musician Scott Nobody began his set at The Curio by cooking and serving seitan to the audience while reciting stream-of-consciousness poetry. Later, audience members set off firecrackers indoors.
Nobody, formerly of the band Psychic TV, is not your typical musician, either. Although he is concerned about the American political landscape, he still has hope for the future.
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"That we, as humans, are still able to exist gives me plenty reason to look ahead," he said. "For the most part, though, when I visit other planets, I tend not to say I'm from Earth. It's just too embarrassing."
Psychic TV released 11 records in one year during Nobody's tenure. This got the band into the Guinness Book of World Records for releasing more albums in one year than any band; runners-up included Frank Zappa with nine records and James Brown with seven.
Nobody said the logic behind his unusual moniker comes from the Zen concept of emptying the mind. He said that for him, statements such as "nobody can do that" exemplify a desire to challenge the impossible.
Opening act Ken Cornell, performing as Alchemical Burn, played his trademark style of synthesizer noise. Cornell uses the knobs on his keyboard and mixers to manipulate sound. As Cornell chatted about his methodology, he revealed he is working with The Curio in a bookings and promotion capacity. He said it is of utmost importance to have venues where art, music, poetry and performance are given opportunity.
"It is imperative that the art-conscious citizens of Albuquerque support spaces like The Curio, because current trends in public education and even local political policy discourage youth - the artists to come - from placing much value in creative endeavors outside of commerce and industry," he said. "This attitude endangers the creative spirit and threatens to bring only art officiated by and for state or commercial purposes."
On its 14-day U.S. tour, Projexorcism, of North Carolina, performed a belated commentary about Independence Day. Projexorcism's triple-projector setup was used to maximum effect on the bareback wall of The Curio. The projected visuals created a powerful audiovisual experience when coupled with soundscapes. The groups's homage to patriotism combined vintage footage of nature, orchestral performances, political campaigns and Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy. The performance seemed to ask the question: What is a patriot? It also seemed to examine the difference between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, the common man and the elite.
Before its set, a Projexorcism member passed out Black Cat firecrackers to the audience.
"You'll know what to do when the time comes," he said while handing out the firecrackers.
And the audience ignited its firecrackers in a sonic improvisation as the performance reached its crescendo. There was definitely a dash of Survival Research Laboratories' danger and sentimentality in Projexorcism's performance.
The Curio
1451 12th St. N.W.
Myspace.com/thecuriocity
Grade: A+
