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Forums - Live / PA / gigging
Subject: crash worship
Original Message Date: 12-Apr-02 @ 04:20 PM Edit: 12-Apr-02 | 04:30 PM - crash worship
whew! here's a story i can get well fed up of telling over and over again, and a place to put it for good!
late eighties, early nineties called 'crash worship.' they seem to have a (mobile) net-presence, so do a search, might find some recordings if you like. whereas they weren't midi, they're worth a mention due to their interpretation of 'live.'
afaik, their roots are in association with zendik farm. musically consisting of several drummers (sticks, various drums, usu. worn for portability) and a 'guitarist' who usually played the strings BETWEEN THE FINGERBOARD AND THE PEGS. yes. occasionally he'd fire up a sine wave pitch generator (button, knob for pitch) used to bring a climactic rise. on one occasion, a guy wearing a giant bubble head costume used an air raid siren to 'herd' the audience. chants consisted of english and contrived 'words of power.'
after the first show, people knew what to expect.. many participants would come dressed for the occasion in CLAY. fire handlers were a constant part of the show, which was of course, never the same, but always had one common element; at some point in mid-show (after everything had been brought to a climax of tribal drumming several times) members would move through the audience dragging people down to the ground, until the entire audience is lying down, for a good five minutes of groping and squirming. (course, except for me, since i'm no sheep.. they had fire workers surrounding me and a 'devil' aping my nonconformity..)
one show midway thru a troupe prances in bearing a huge platter (like a 4'x8' board or such) with a whole roasted pig piled high with melons and fruit. hope you're not wearing anything nice..
..at that same show, i was accosted by an 'inquisitor,' wearing one of those beaked harlequin masks, a cloak and a broad brimmed hat who thrusted a metal rod into my face and.. everything goes white (makes dissapearance.) sprayed me down with vegetable fat. it went clear after a second, but there's no way you can get it off.. well, they hated psychic t.v. because of some crap so i guess that explains my clothes. dancing greased is just diff'rent, folks.
and yes, fuckers, i'm the guy who tossed that watermelon at your guitar rack. fuck you because my skin's all fucked up. and fuck your friends too :p
other points of interest: ropes were often wound into the throng.. various spirits would seek to pull an dtwist groups of people together.. watch out.. a 6' block of chewed up styrofoam they got from somewhere hurled over head.. head's up!
and this HUGE pipe! like a briar, only about 18" and packed with... ????
extremely 'violent,' though of course, with a community vibe.. so in several shows over four or five years i never saw a punch thrown or anything. participation required constant alertness and motion.. don't step on the zonked out people on the floor in the middle of the 'mosh..'
we had a cool 'promoter' in town at the time who made sure that these little miracles would happen w/o the fire marshall and such. imho this show completely redefined the role of live band as a ritual experience (life, danger, crash..)
none of us who participated will forget crash worship. big thumbs up to these guys for creating an event we will remember more as participating in as opposed to witnessing.. very important thing there!
excellent promotion: first show at the end they showered us with plastic beads - instant publicity eh.
these shows were very well planned/executed. it's worth stressing that (considering their background at zendik - a youth commune sorta thing) there was a definate sense that the experience was expertly contrived and led, from point a to z, not just a set of songs and assortment of fire tricks et c.
late eighties, early nineties called 'crash worship.' they seem to have a (mobile) net-presence, so do a search, might find some recordings if you like. whereas they weren't midi, they're worth a mention due to their interpretation of 'live.'
afaik, their roots are in association with zendik farm. musically consisting of several drummers (sticks, various drums, usu. worn for portability) and a 'guitarist' who usually played the strings BETWEEN THE FINGERBOARD AND THE PEGS. yes. occasionally he'd fire up a sine wave pitch generator (button, knob for pitch) used to bring a climactic rise. on one occasion, a guy wearing a giant bubble head costume used an air raid siren to 'herd' the audience. chants consisted of english and contrived 'words of power.'
after the first show, people knew what to expect.. many participants would come dressed for the occasion in CLAY. fire handlers were a constant part of the show, which was of course, never the same, but always had one common element; at some point in mid-show (after everything had been brought to a climax of tribal drumming several times) members would move through the audience dragging people down to the ground, until the entire audience is lying down, for a good five minutes of groping and squirming. (course, except for me, since i'm no sheep.. they had fire workers surrounding me and a 'devil' aping my nonconformity..)
one show midway thru a troupe prances in bearing a huge platter (like a 4'x8' board or such) with a whole roasted pig piled high with melons and fruit. hope you're not wearing anything nice..
..at that same show, i was accosted by an 'inquisitor,' wearing one of those beaked harlequin masks, a cloak and a broad brimmed hat who thrusted a metal rod into my face and.. everything goes white (makes dissapearance.) sprayed me down with vegetable fat. it went clear after a second, but there's no way you can get it off.. well, they hated psychic t.v. because of some crap so i guess that explains my clothes. dancing greased is just diff'rent, folks.
and yes, fuckers, i'm the guy who tossed that watermelon at your guitar rack. fuck you because my skin's all fucked up. and fuck your friends too :p
other points of interest: ropes were often wound into the throng.. various spirits would seek to pull an dtwist groups of people together.. watch out.. a 6' block of chewed up styrofoam they got from somewhere hurled over head.. head's up!
and this HUGE pipe! like a briar, only about 18" and packed with... ????
extremely 'violent,' though of course, with a community vibe.. so in several shows over four or five years i never saw a punch thrown or anything. participation required constant alertness and motion.. don't step on the zonked out people on the floor in the middle of the 'mosh..'
we had a cool 'promoter' in town at the time who made sure that these little miracles would happen w/o the fire marshall and such. imho this show completely redefined the role of live band as a ritual experience (life, danger, crash..)
none of us who participated will forget crash worship. big thumbs up to these guys for creating an event we will remember more as participating in as opposed to witnessing.. very important thing there!
excellent promotion: first show at the end they showered us with plastic beads - instant publicity eh.
these shows were very well planned/executed. it's worth stressing that (considering their background at zendik - a youth commune sorta thing) there was a definate sense that the experience was expertly contrived and led, from point a to z, not just a set of songs and assortment of fire tricks et c.
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