From Brooklyn to Beijing: An Interview with These Are Powers

The beauty of experimental noise rock is in the ear of the beholder. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Especially when you dig yourself, which is what These Are Powers seem to do. Before the Brooklynites drop their strange sounds on Beijing, founder Pat Noecker explains the powers that be.

the Beijinger: These are powers of … ?
Pat Noecker: Anna Barie, Pat Noecker, Bill Salas.

tbj: For those who’ve never heard you play, describe your music.
PN: A live electronic art-inspired hip-hop dance dub club banger love-a-thon.

tbj: Describe your definition of an experimental musician.
PN: I think every musician is engaging in music experimentally if they are trying to create something without knowing the outcome. In terms of a genre, experimental connotes non-standard or creative.

tbj: In your latest album All Aboard Future, you collaborated with 12 young artists, including Shouwang (the frontman of Carsick Cars). How did that come about?
PN: We met Shouwang and [founder of D-22 and Maybe Mars] Michael Pettis two years ago in NYC. Shouwang and White were already our MySpace friends, and we came to learn about Carsick Cars after that. Shouwang and Michael saw us play at a ballroom in Manhattan and liked it enough to invite us to China.

tbj: Have any of you been to China before?
PN: No, but we are super-jazzed to come and explore, play and learn about life in China.

tbj: Will you try singing in Chinese?
PN: Perhaps we could pick that up while we're there.

tbj: Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Shanghai and Wuhan – that’s a lot of traveling. How do you guys kill time in between?
PN: By talking, listening to music, reading, writing, drawing, trying to be funny and sleeping. It's the boring moments that sometimes are your most creative, but I hardly doubt any of us will be bored in China.

Check out These Are Powers at www.myspace.com/thesearepowers

These Are Powers performs at D-22 on July 10 (with Snapline, Birdstriking and Speak Chinese or Die. RMB 40, RMB 30 for students. 10pm) and July 25 (with Hot & Cold. RMB 40, RMB 30 for students. 10pm), with a stop at Yugong Yishan on Jul 24, supported by P.K.14 (RMB 70, RMB 50 for students. 9pm), all as part of their China tour. Meanwhile band members will jam in for some improvising sessions on July 14 and 21 at D-22.