Flyer designs by Carrie Siegel
“You are correct. None of us is making a living doing Non-Event.
We do it because we love doing it.”
When acts like Infected Mushroom or Avicii come through town, it is an event. But amidst our thriving nightlife scene, there is one non-profit music series that brings something dramatically different every time.
Think Hong Chulki, Bryan Eubanks, Judy Dunaway, Leif Elggren & C.M. von Hausswolff.
Never heard of them? They are world-wide legends—sound artists, mostly—who flip normal perceptions of music upside-down. The last two will be performing this Spring at the beautiful Swedenborg Chapel in Harvard Square.
Swedenborg Chapel, Photo from Penelope's Loom
These are the type of shows that live longer than one performance; they inspire.
These are Non-Events.
Judy Dunaway
“This is no rage-aholic party music, but rather the opposite: Seriously accomplished ambient, experimental and noise artists,”
says Susanna Bolle of the non-profit music series, Non-Event, which has presented over 140 concerts at non-traditional spaces in and around Boston for the past 13 years, thanks to a community of people and volunteers who value bringing innovative music, art, and film events to Boston. (See FULL INTERVIEW below.)
“None of us is making a living doing Non-Event. We do it because we love doing it.”
Throughout the years, Non-Event has worked closely with spaces like the Goethe-Institut Boston, Mobius, NEC, SMFA and other establishments to ensure intimate settings with high sound quality. Bolle is currently studying at the Goethe-Institut Berlin while working on a large-scale project for the Spring.
NEC: "Today, tomorrow, reputation, leadership, craft, performance, music evolves through you."
“With non-traditional spaces, we have the luxury of working with people who are enthusiastic about what we do, which makes all the difference.”
Do sound works made with latex balloons sound intrigue you? How about music made with open circuits, radios, and unstable systems? Or famous silent films screened with soundtracks made live by internationally-renowned multimedia artists?
Then sit back, open your mind, and get deep into some of the best experimental music in the world, right here in Boston.
HERE’S THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SUSANNA, FROM BERLIN:
Design by Carrie Siegel
Why are you in Berlin?
For two reasons: to hear a lot of great music and to learn German.
I’m taking intensive German lessons at the Goethe-Institut Berlin, [thanks to] the support of the Goethe-Institut Boston, with whom Non-Event has partnered for the last six years or so to bring German and German-based experimental musicians to Boston.
It’s an amazing opportunity and I plan on making the most of it. The amount of great music that’s happening here is inspiring.
When did Non-Event start and how did it come about?
Non-Event started in 2001. I am not one of the founding members, although I did go to the almost all of the early concerts (and covered many of them for the Dig).
Actually, the first Non-Event concert with Poire_Z and Filament remains one of my favorite all-time live show. It was a life-changer.
How big is the non-profit?
It is very small. There are three official Non-Event staff members: Myself, Benjamin Nelson, and Ernst Karel. Benny and I curate the series, while Ernst handles the technical aspects, such as running live sound, recording the shows, etc. You can hear a recent recording that Ernst made of a killer set by Lasse Marhaug this past year at Studio Soto on TouchRadio.
Lasse Marhaug Live at Non-Event Boston, 3/31/2012
We also have numerous people who help us out on a regular, volunteer basis. Without this community of supporters, Non-Event could not exist.
I’d like to single out two volunteers in particular: Carrie Siegel, who has designed most of our posters over the last eight years, and Shaun Gummere, who does our web and email design, and more recently has started doing print design for us as well. Carrie and Shaun make us look like we have a substantial design and web budget. We don’t. Trust me.
You book events at many non-traditional spaces, like coffee houses, such as your monthly Coffee House at Cafe Fixe in Brookline. What do you like about non-traditional spaces?
From the outset, I don’t think any us ever wanted to book shows in non-traditional spaces, but we felt we had no choice.
But what we initially thought was a serious liability—the lack of a permanent performance space—has, in many ways, turned into a strength.
Bill Nace performed at Cafe Fixe, Dec 2012
Because of our itinerant nature, we’ve had to build relationships with a number of disparate venues, artists, and organizations around the city. The adversity of our venuelessness has forced us to experiment with different venues and make connections that we never would have made otherwise. Plus, we reach a slightly different audience with each venue and we reach them in a different way. There is an intimacy at a coffee house show or a library show that you might not have at a bar or a club.
With non-traditional spaces, like Fixe or the Goethe-Institut or Studio Soto or the SMFA library, we also have the luxury of working with people who are enthusiastic about what we do, which makes all the difference.
Zs performing Non-Event @ Studio Soto 12/5/2012
Can you give us any hints of who you’re hoping to bring to Boston in 2013?
Our first non-coffee house Non-Event is a really doozy. It features three really exciting improvisers, including a musician from Seoul named Hong Chulki, who works with turntables (sans cartridges), CD players, and other playback devices; Bryan Eubanks, who works with open circuits, radios, and unstable systems; and Judy Dunaway, who creates sound works using latex balloons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWpqZckpsUY
Leif Elggren & C.M. von Hausswolff, two legendary sound artists from Sweden, are all much confirmed for late April. The plan is have them perform at the Swedenborg Chapel in Harvard Square, which is a beautiful space and one that has particular meaning to the two artists, because of its connection to the writings of the Swedish mystic, Emanuel Swedenborg. This will be very special.
We’re also working on a large scale project for the Spring that, if it comes together, will be one of the most ambitious thing we’ve done. My Berlin visit is related to this project.
This is your second time using Kickstarter. What do you like about crowd-funding?
The best thing about crowd-funding is that it works. It’s as simple as that. It’s not only an effective way to raise money, but it also enables us to reach a new audience—we get a surprising number of donations from people who hear about the series through Kickstarter. It’s really quite amazing.
I assume you don’t make a terrible amount of money doing this, so why do you do it? Why did you make Non-Event a nonprofit?
You are correct. None of us is making a living doing Non-Event. We do it, because we love doing it.
It’s wonderful to organize concerts by musicians you admire, especially when you allow them to present their work in a really nice space with really good sound and an appreciative audience. It’s a lot of work, but it’s immensely gratifying work.
As for why we became a nonprofit, it was really a no-brainer for us, although it did require a lot of work. There’s the financial rationale, of course, but more importantly it recognizes the charitable purpose of Non-Event and the value that it brings to the community.
What’s the most rewarding thing you’ve experienced by doing Non-Event?
There have been way too many to list. I’ve been able to hear fantastic, inspiring concerts over the years by artists whose work. It’s a pleasure to be able to help make these shows happen here in Boston.
It can be difficult work as well, but the most important lesson I’ve learned in my years with Non-Event is that often, it is when you encounter obstacles that you discover opportunities.
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