Event: Handmade Music Night at 3rd Ward

When things are “handmade,” they tend to be overpriced, underappreciated and largely unknown. The Handmade Music Night, held on the third Thursday of every month at Brooklyn artist facility 3rd Ward, fits two of those designations – and overpriced is certainly not one of them. The event is not only free, but the organizers also hand out free Pabst Blue Ribbon all night!

According to the 3rd Ward Web site and fliers, the event is “part party, part mixer, part Science Fair, and part performance,” and it is “an informal chance for geeksters and the geek-curious to come together, relax, and discover new sounds.”

Eric Beug and Peter Kirn, of handmade product market site Etsy and www.createdigitalmusic.com, respectively, were there to run the show. The event began when the companies combined the idea of handmade items with new musical possibilities, and opened up a forum for others who had done the same to showcase their work.

“Whether it’s flower pots or computer software, it’s important for the musicians to shape what music they’re making,” Kirn said. “This is just kind of a sharing space for anyone interested in making their own music.”

And for this monthly night of handicraft harmonies, Kirn and Beug have seen just about every kind of instrument you can imagine, from a musical ironing board to mannequins, from a giant wall of light switches to a man with musical crutches, which he made the day of the event.

“People just come out of the woodwork with this amazing stuff,” Beug said.

On Feb. 19, a band called Electric Junkyard Gamelan performed its Indonesian-inspired “new Gamelan” music. (Gamelan music is traditionally an ensemble of musicians where the instruments take more focus than the performers.) Terry Dame is one of the leading members (as singer, organizer, and multi-strange-instrument builder and player), and she said playing the show was worth it.

“New York is tough,” she said. “I’ve lived here so long and it’s always hard to draw a crowd. It’s nice to play events with a built-in crowd [such as Handmade Music].”

Though the band doesn’t get paid, Dame said that the group sold some CDs and filled their email list, which is all they could ask for.

And her display of instruments are, indeed, fascinating, from a drum set made of pots, pans and other metal objects to a xylophone-like set-up created entirely from flower pots.

Two musicians from Electric Junkyard Gamelan playing clay pots.

“I find rusty metal things beautiful,” she said. “I just have things lying around that I turn into instruments.”

She even told a story between songs about somebody once emailing her saying that she was “the Pete Townshend of clay pots.”

Dame has gadgets that looked so refined and professional, like her sitello, a string instrument based off of a plank of wood that lies in the musician’s lap. Knobs jut out from on top, balancing delicate strings that play sound at even the slightest touch. And the band members play each tune with delicacy and precision.

Made-up instruments galore for Electric Junkyard Gamelan.

The wondrous appearance and sound of these tools fascinated the audience members, including Simo Vassinen, a native of Finland living in New York for a few months. The handcrafted contraptions were interesting, Vassinen said, but he was really captivated by the band’s talent and knowledge.

“You could tell that they were pro musicians as opposed to random hipsters picking up shit and playing around, making goofy sounds,” he said. “I was surprised by how melodic it was, instead of just being noise.”

And how did Vassinen find out about it? Through a friend.

So let’s get the motors to your mouths running, because this homemade event deserves to be known, shared and appreciated – just like the musicians it exhibits.


Video of Electric Junkyard Gamelan playing:

###

Ninjasonik – Art School Girls