THESE ARE POWERS

Anna Barie, Bill Salas and Pat Noecker
May I present, THESE ARE POWERS, the second band interview of four to prepare everyone for the Freewilliamsburg set during the Northside Festival. I’ll admit I chose to interview this trio since they struck me as the most likely to get the dance party started (I’ve been aching for one big time). Besides making me want to be part in a sweaty mass at a show, THESE ARE POWERS are engaging in some forward looking art collaborations, bringing visual art to previously only audio shows. In fact, they will be premiering the video for their song “Easy Answer” during the show. Check them out on Friday along with Real Estate, Javelin, Organs, and Air Waves.

a still from ‘Easy Answers,’ directed by Jacqueline Castel
Can you tell me about this Secret Project Robot you wrote about on your blog?
ANNA: Secret Project Robot’s whole point is to make art fun and community based. So what they’ve done is opened up their space to a bunch of a different events that they curate but also curate with other people. We had an art opening and cd release party for our new album this past Feburary and for that album we asked 12 different artists and a writer to contribute work to our album so that was on display in addition to about 40 other pieces from other artists. Because of that show, some of our friends and others bands have told us they that inspired to have similar events, our friends band had a similar cd release party where they screened a bunch of different films.
PAT: Our friend Paul ended up selling his painting that night for a whole of money and our friend Javelin got offered another show. The idea is to create community around ideas. I feel like you can’t really have a full experience with one form of expression, you should really try and create a group state and by group I mean everyone from the community. It’s limited to think that music is the only art form that you can incorporate into shows.

Do you think this is a more holistic approach to what you are trying to do?
PAT: It’s more interesting. That’s what it boils down to-What’s interesting and fun at the same time? Playing at a club and just setting up and doing sound check and selling your merchandise afterward isn’t nearly as interesting as really making an event out of every show.

Do you have more shows like this coming up?
BILL: August 6th we are playing the X Initiative which is a gallery in Chelsea that is having a set of curators every season put on multimedia shows and we got invited. They’re screening some Bruce Nauman and we are going to perform in front of this film “City Slivers” and a film called “Stations of the Elevated,” which is a grafitti film from the late 70′s. It’s just one more example of cross pollination between “art” and music. It’s just about not drawing distinctions and a lot of it comes down to playing much more interesting events.
What are you looking most forward to doing in Brooklyn?
ANNA: Summer in New York is an awesome time because of all the free outdoors films and concerts. I want to check out the High Line and check out Femi Cutin in Prospect Park. I Just riding your bikes around and hanging out.
BILL: Skateboarding for me, personally. The only summer month we are here for August.
PAT: We were gone last summer so every summer moment we get in the city we’re cherishing.
Get them while you can, THESE ARE POWERS head to Canada on Saturday and then China next month and you won’t get a chance to see them until they play at the Whitney with Vivian Girls on July 31st.
Check out their Myspace and Blog for more musing and jams.
More stills from their new video, which the band will debut on Friday, after the jump:

stills from ‘Easy Answers’ directed by Jacqueline Castel

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