EPISODE 08 / This Is A Rock and Roll Party Not A Rumble

Of Sound and Fury: The Music Behind the Madness

Apr 10, 2025

The Thursday night performances during my artist residency at Pianos were structured in two parts: a one-hour VJ set followed by a 45-minute live set. The first hour featured curated footage of live performances spanning all genres of 20th-century music. Beyond being entertaining, this segment served to embed a subliminal visual library in the audience’s mind—imagery I would later draw from during my live performance. It aimed for those subtle, satisfying moments of recognition: “Oh, how cool, I know where that clip came from.”

I go deeper into the concept, process, and execution of these video performances in a previous story, We Will Rock You. That piece was composed entirely from video clips and their original audio—treating video as both source and instrument, and the editor as composer.

A Night in NYC expands on that foundation, introducing a narrative thread with added drum loops, live bass, and late-night footage captured during a cab ride through the Lower East Side and across the Brooklyn Bridge. The imagery lends the piece a sense of story and elegance, opening up a broader visual and emotional palette for future work.

I always opened the live set with A Night in NYC. It’s bold and sets the tone, introducing the key elements of these multimedia performances: sourced footage, B-roll, musical composition, video editing, and live execution.

The video begins with Paul Stanley delivering a bit of classic, unmistakable banter—cutting through crowd noise and grabbing attention. It's the perfect setup for the show’s core theme: see the musician, hear the musician. A hard cut takes us to violinist David Oistrakh tearing into a melody over a simple drumbeat. Moments later, we see and hear Ace Frehley’s feedback weaving in with Oistrakh’s playing—layered, unexpected, and in tune.

The three minute and nineteen second journey begins…

SOMETHING OLD

WAR / The World is a Ghetto / 1973

"The World Is a Ghetto," the title track from their 1972 album, is a ten-minute piece blending elements of psychedelic soul, jazz, and progressive soul. The song features a notable tenor saxophone solo by Charles Miller, characterized by its emotional depth and lyrical quality.

The Midnight Special was a popular late-night musical variety show that aired performances by various artists during the 1970s. War's appearance on the show provided a platform to showcase their unique fusion of musical styles to a broader audience.

SOMETHING NEW

BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD / “Sunglasses” / London 2019

Black Country, New Road's performance of "Sunglasses" at The Lexington in London in 2019 was a significant moment in the band's early career. The Lexington, known for hosting emerging artists, provided an intimate setting that complemented the band's dynamic and experimental style. "Sunglasses," a nine-minute track, showcases the band's fusion of post-rock, post-punk, and free-jazz elements, featuring instruments like saxophone and violin alongside traditional rock instrumentation.