Victo exceeded my expectations as a first-timer. I thought several concert-packed days in a row might be overwhelming. Not the case. In fact I was bummed about missing 2 concerts (Mruta Mertsi and I8U). It was a challenge to digest all the music, especially with little sleep, but overall the festival was a blast.
The people of Victoriaville were quite pleasant. I was shocked when a kind local storeowner ran after me down the street because he forgot to offer his extra concert ticket. Doubtful that would happen in NY. My only complaint about Victoriaville, beyond the general lack of stuff to do, is the inattentive waitresses. But at least they were friendly.
It was a pleasure to meet other Zorn listers there and to discuss our sometimes contrasting views on the music. Basically I agree with the Mighty Kurt G's bite size Victo reviews, except my ears could not get into Polwechsel.
Festival highlights for me, in order of appearance:
Peggy Lee/Marilyn Lerner - Surprisingly out! An unbelievable cello/piano duo; both players were amazing. I bought their CD immediately after the concert.
Text of light: Lee Ranaldo/William Hooker/Alan Licht/Ulrich Krieger/DJ Olive - Krieger produced interesting sounds with his extended sax, which he used as a percussion instrument for most of the concert. DJ Olive seemed to be the only ensemble member following the film literally. He included baby cries when a baby appeared on screen, for instance.
Melt Banana!!! - I was psyched to see them again. I stood in a premium spot to watch the guitarist. Giant thumbs up to his slide technique (he literally has a big cup of guitar slides on stage) and use of various gadgets.
Hamid Drake/Gerry Hemingway - A great way to start the Saturday schedule! I wish drum set duos were more common.
Satoko Fujii/Tatsuya Yoshida - I LOVED this set! Admittedly I'm a fan of Yoshida, yelping, and aggressive music. Fujii and Yoshida played full force from the start, which was refreshing after hearing set after set of the typical formula: slow introduction, development, conclusion. The duo seemed pleased with the performance; when Yoshida spoke on stage, Fujii noted that he must be happy because she had not seen him address the audience before. The concert gets my vote for CD release of the festival.
The Necks - Speaking of slow intros...The Necks have a special way of gradually building up tension in a controlled manner. I think they are best experienced live. I had only heard one Necks album before the concert and was not especially intrigued. The live show turned me into a fangirl.
Peter Kowald/William Parker - Wow, my first time seeing Kowald. I'm thrilled he lives in NY now. The pair was interesting to watch. Parker used multiple bows (up to 3 at one point) and dropped them on the stage/picked them up throughout the set. Meanwhile Kowald observed Parker intently.
Eugene Chadbourne/Rene Lussier - A stellar departure from the rest of the festival. Lussier and Chadbourne have serious chops.
Bob Ostertag/Pierre Hebert - Kurt described it well. The music and visuals kept me on the edge of my seat. Ostertag's use of mechanical toys, in addition to soda cans and food, is also worth mentioning.
Wetfish - Fun! It's a shame so many people skipped the last day of the festival; it turned out to be one of the best in my opinion. Wetfish creatively combined some of my favorite things: funky vocals, strings, percussion, electronics, and film. I'm anxious to hear more of this group! I couldn't find a copy of their Nosferatu CD for sale at Victo.
Merzbow/Pan Sonic - My first live Merzbow experience. The music was so intense and powerful that my insides shook. Lesson learned: do not sit in the front row at a Merzbow show if you are sensitive to sound. Merzbow sat on stage like a statue, making no facial expressions whatsoever, while he moved his computer mouse like mad. From what I could tell Pan Sonic seemed to follow Merzbow's lead for the most part. Honestly I would have preferred to see Merzbow solo.
Jeni
ps Reminder to NYers - Zorn's Chimeras at Merkin Hall this Saturday!
