Drones not Drones is 28 hours of drone music at the Cedar Cultural Center. This is the ninth anniversary; founder Luke Heiken has turned an outrageous idea into local favorite and a nice benefit for Doctors without Borders. People come like they were going camping with sleeping bags, books and slippers. I was there from 7:20pm on Friday (just missing the opening band, which made me so sad) until 3am. At midnight I thought they might have to start turning people away but, as it usually does, the crowd thinned a bit as the night got later.
The goal for performers is to keep the drone going without pause. It can come in any form but the sound must go on. So, imagine the shock when a technical difficult caused a hiccup before 9pm. Alone-A was on the stage and didn’t miss a beat; she began singing and invited the audience to help fill the space. One of those times where the hiccup brings everyone together and builds community. And now I can say I was there when…
I won’t detail the dozen or so acts that I saw but will highlight a couple. First, there were some favorites: Paul Metzger, Alan Sparkhawk and IE. No one has more (or better) ways to play a modified 12-string banjo than Paul. IE brought in a vocal aspect that was refreshing. Alan and his crew were soothing and engaging.
Also, there were also a few new standouts such as Joe Rainey and IOSIS. I’ve seen Joe Rainey before but his experimental Pow Wow style was a perfect fit for Drone. It brought a story to the moment. Mila Vocal Ensemble was entirely new to me. Reminded me of Prairie Fire but with a focus on harmonic traditions of Eastern Europe and Russia. Their music was beautiful. There were delights all around but these were just a few of my most memorable performers.
I always have high hopes that I’ll go back to Drones on day two. Sometimes I do. Today I had to check out the Art Shanties on their debut day because with this crazy non-winter weather I’m afraid their run may be truncated. But there were many bands I wish I could have seen.
Mostly Minnesota 