I was in a pretty bad mood last night. My lame friends had flaked on me and I was awkward and alone outside of the Silent Movie Theatre. And it was cold too. Despite this, the excitement of the other waiting concertgoers was infectious. Jimmy Rip and Tom Verlaine were going to be playing live with experimental silent films. Neat right? But wait, music at a movie theater? Wha?
The Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax arranged this badass evening. Despite their name, they play a lot of artsy and cult movies. Everything from anime to exploitation flicks. Inside, the walls are covered with old school silver screen stars. The main theatre is cozy and comfortable, they even have pillows and couches in the front. It was a weird setting for a music concert, but a really cool setup. Basically, the theatre plays a collection of rare experimental silent films while Verlaine and Rip performed along with their own original scores.
Verlaine and Rip are not only amazingly talented musicians, they’ve been around for quite sometime. Rip is a producer/guitarist who’s worked with everyone from Debbie Harry to Mick Jagger. Verlaine, of course, also has a very impressive history, first starting as the front man for the legendary punk band Television, he’s been performing solo for almost thirty years. Young and old, he’s got a strong following. The Silent Movie Theatre was very, very sold out.
With just a few casual waves to the audience, Verlaine put the punk showmanship on the back burner. Instead, he and Rip put all energy into their music and the images on screen. The duo have been performing to these films about a dozen times in the last 10 years and you can tell that they are masters of their craft. Not just mere instrumental work, these guys made their axes sound like a seagulls caw or a motorcycle engine depending on the image.
On one hand it was a throwback to older times, on the other it was pretty badass. There was something engaging about their live, moody scores. The films themselves ranged from stereotypically artsy (French phrases saying, “You do not dream. It is a flower made of fire.”) to slapstick. The opening to “The Fall of the House of Usher” caused a collective “Ooooh” out of the audience followed by string sliding and creepy plucking. “The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra” could go from ridiculous to tragic at the whim of a note. And the hands down best was “Ballet Mecanique.” It was a rock-out grand finale of shapes, trains, and dueling guitars.
Despite me being all by lonesome, it was a worthy experience. Punk legends making live music to artsy silent films. I was especially excited to hear that this evening was part of a month-long series. Every Wednesday night in January the Silent Movie Theatre is having live musicians perform with experimental movies. My flakey friends missed out on Tom Verlaine, but I didnt!
Rachel K.
www.loudvine.com
