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KVT – Music Night with Scott Ezell and VNTG

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Rock City didn’t rock

I’m a big fan of Vu Nhat Tan’s noise compositions and I like reading Scott Ezell’s poetry. So I was full of heightened anticipation when I went to Rock City to catch Ezell’s ‘Migration’ read by the poet to an improvised score by The ‘Vu Nhat Tan Group’.

Dunno really….It was a brave concept but unfortunately the words sort of got swallowed up by music and all we sort of got was NOISE. Would love to migrate towards it again, perhaps in a different venue….outdoors? with a more user friendly amplification for the poet.
If I squinted a bit I could have imagined I was in an updated, Hanoian reincarnation of the Beat generation. The Beats in the 1940’s and 50’s sort of embraced originality and individuality in the way people thought and acted….they chucked out the old rules of literature, music etc etc and promoted liberations of all sorts and types and awoke an environmental consciousness (how’s that for a beat up in a nut shell?). But I suppose it’s a bit of a hard ask to expect the gen Xers or Yers or whatever letter is generationally applied to give themselves over to the listening intensity that the little group in Hanoi demanded. Rock City’s coolly sophisticated clientele sort of obviated the mood as soon as the early Bob Dylanish style of the first set of song/poems gave way to the headlined work. Migration was what sort of happened from the auditorium to the alfresco.

It all got under way about an hour and a half after the scheduled starting time so I had to miss the last set by the Group to catch the tail end of a gathering of Baby Boomers which could certainly have done with a bit of Beat philosophy emphasis.

Anyway If I was writing this for the New Hanoian I’d give ‘Migration’ five stars for originality. I’d also give Rock City’s outdoor bar a fiver too …though I’m glad I’m not a residential neighbour.

Not a reviewer, not a critic, “Kiếm Văn Tìm” is an interested, impartial and informed observer and connoisseur of the Hanoi art scene who offers highly opinionated remarks and is part of the long and venerable tradition of anonymous correspondents. Please add your thoughts in the comment field below.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Last Saturday was the first time I went to Hanoi Rock City, and I have
    to say that it was very nice, both the venue, the guys who run it, and
    the show. What I especially liked about the venue was that I didn’t feel
    smothered in smoke, even though the place was fairly crowded. I guess
    they have a properly working ventilation system! And I loved the wooden
    floor. It was really nice to be able to sit or lie down on nice hard
    wood and enjoy the show. So much nicer than sitting on a chair or
    standing.

    And the show was excellent in every way! It exceeded both my
    expectations and desires. Scott started things off by playing a few of
    his songs. It is always a pleasure to watch and listen to him play
    because his songs are real, they have depth, they come from a space
    where real music resides, waiting for a channel to open and allow it to
    flow. His music comes naturally, it is profound, and he plays every inch
    of his guitar like the master he is, both in ways one might expect and
    in ways one might never imagine possible.

    The second set was just as good. Hung, Martin, Paul, Tan and Ted joined
    Scott as he read one of his beautiful poems. Together they made
    incredibly beautiful music, the kind of music almost never seen in
    Hanoi, the kind of music that makes you wish it would it would never
    end. They called it noise, and it was wonderful.

    Tan and Hung (and a boy on the drums whose name I don’t know) played
    during the third set, and it too was incredibly beautiful, captivating,
    addictive.

    Yes, the show started late, but that is because the audience arrived
    late, and it is no fun playing to an empty space. Well, actually that
    can be fun too, but you know what I mean. I hope to see Tan and Scott
    and their friends make more of this excellent noise. Perhaps even at the
    opera house!

  3. Thanks for posting the podcasts on your website.
    I have listened to it all. The show sounds magical!

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