Imagine this: You walk into a performance art space, a small local theater that would traditionally hold plays or dance recitals. You’re given a program as you walk in. As you sit, waiting for the event to begin, people talk quietly around you. Then the lights dim, the talking stops, and 13 people wearing white enter the space through the same door you did.
What you are treated to next is not a piece of interpretive dance or an evening of spoken word, but more than an hour of bombastic psychedelic rock, mellow indie moments, classical compostions and mind-blowing noise. What is this mysterious event? It’s Oneida, the experimental Brooklyn rock band, playing their 2005 album ‘The Wedding’ in its entirety with a string quintet, back-up singers, a pianist and a pyschedelic light show. And that’s exactly what a small audience witnessed Friday night at The Kitchen, a non-profit experimental performance space in New York City.
If you aren’t familiar with Oneida, they’ve made a reputation as an innovative and challenging band. Constantly reinventing themselves and pushing through boundaries, they’ve released eight albums in their decade-long career, exploring a range of sounds that vary from delicate pop to almost unbearable, repetitive noise rock. While playing their 13-song masterpiece last night, they landed somewhere between Sonic Youth and Sigur Ros, with explosive, percussion-driven rock blending with soaring strings. At times it was quiet enough to hear the violinists plucking their stings. Other moments were as loud and raucous as a Stooges concert. Taken as a whole, it was a powerful, hypnotizing show that blurred the line between a rock concert and an art performance.
You might not get a chance to see such a special performance again, but Oneida is currently touring in support of their new release, ‘Preteen Weaponry,’ which is part one of a triptych of releases recorded on the same day and meant to be listened to in order. You won’t get the string section, but you will get the rock.
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