NorCal NoiseFest is an annual Sacramento festival dedicated to the sound-art genres of noise and experimental music, drawing performers from across the country and abroad.[1][2] First held in 1995, it is described as one of the oldest and most established "noise" festivals in existence.[2][3] The inaugural 1995 event was reviewed by Heckler Magazine and drew performers from Los Angeles, Arizona, Oregon, Canada, and the San Francisco Bay Area; it ran concurrently with CSUS's Festival of New American Music (featuring Philip Glass) and a Fugazi show in Sacramento that same stretch.[4]
At a glance
- Annual Sacramento festival spotlighting noise and experimental "sound art."[1][2]
- Founded in 1995, originally as a two-day jam-session-style gathering.[3]
- Evolved into a multi-day festival (typically three days) across multiple Sacramento venues.[1][3]
- Organized by a collective known as the "Secret Masters of Noise."[2]
- Two acts have reportedly performed every year since inception: Instagon and Uberkunst, both local.[2]
- Draws performers nationally and internationally; the 2017 edition featured more than 50 artists.[5][6]
- The 2024 edition was cancelled, placing the festival into hibernation after approximately 27 years of events.[7]
What it is
NorCal NoiseFest spotlights noise and experimental music, framed as "sound art."[1][6] One 2013 contributor characterized the genre as sound intentionally void of rhythm, melody and structure, where dissonance and chaos are sought, calling the festival "the outsider experience."[2] The 2013 edition was promoted as marking a "century of noise," tied to the 1913 Futurist manifesto "L'arte dei Rumori" ("The Art of Noises") by Italian artist Luigi Russolo.[2] Programming spans a range of related styles — described as a "mixed bag" including doom, noise, trance and experimentation.[8]
According to organizer William Berg (Bill Burg), the festival inspired noise festivals in other cities: attendees came to Sacramento, were inspired, and returned home to start their own festivals, making Sacramento the origin point of a broader scene expansion.[9]
History
The festival began in 1995 as a two-day, jam-session-style gathering and grew into a multi-day event attracting musicians and noisemakers from around the country.[3] Coverage tracks its anniversary editions: the 16th in 2012, the 17th in 2013, and the 20th in 2016.[1][2][3] By 2014 it was referenced as having an "18-season running" history.[8] The 21st edition (NoiseFest XXI) took place in 2017, and the 22nd in 2018.[5][6]
The organizing collective behind the festival is known as the "Secret Masters of Noise"; Lob (of Instagon) and William Burg (of Uberkunst) were described in 2013 as highly involved members since the early 2000s.[2]
The 27th annual edition (2023) opened Friday and Saturday at Cafe Colonial, with Sunday acts streamed online and a watch party held at There and Back Cafe in Sacramento.[9]
The 2024 edition was officially cancelled, ending approximately 27 years of festival activity and placing NorCal NoiseFest into hibernation.[7] The three core organizers of the festival's later era — Bill Burg, LOB, and Andrew Wayne — cited exhaustion and logistical strain as reasons, including LOB's 2021 relocation to Arizona, which made hands-on involvement difficult.[7] According to the 2024 announcement, a new group of Sacramento-area noise and sound artists was forming to continue the festival's legacy under a new name and concept, with LOB offering advisory support.[7]
Venues
The festival has been hosted across multiple Sacramento venues, varying by year. Recurring and notable locations cited in coverage include:
- Luna's Cafe (1414 16th Street) — a recurring opening-night venue across multiple years.[1][2][3][6]
- Sol Collective (2574 21st Street).[1][2]
- Bows and Arrows (1815 19th Street), which in 2012 hosted a Sunday session with brunch.[1][2]
- Witch Room (2014).[3]
- Cafe Colonial / The Colony (3520 Stockton Boulevard) (2016, 2017, 2023).[5][6][9]
- Naked Lounge (2013).[2]
The 2016 edition also included two satellite shows outside the core Sacramento program: one at The Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, and a post-fest "decompression" gig back at Luna's.[6]
Format and admission
Programming typically runs across three days at multiple venues.[1][3] Pricing cited over the years includes a 2012 all-weekend pass at $40 (with a T-shirt, compilation CD, button and Sunday brunch) and individual shows at $10 at the door with free earplugs.[1] In 2014, daily cover was $10 cash.[3] By 2018, three-day passes were $50.[6] The 2016 edition was all ages.[6] Tickets have been sold online (including via Brown Paper Tickets) and historically in person at Sacramento shops Phono Select and Midikat Boutique.[1][6]
Recurring and notable performers
Instagon and Uberkunst are described as the only two acts to have performed every NoiseFest since its 1995 inception, both local.[2] Uberkunst is the project of William Burg, characterized as a large-ensemble spectacle (10-plus performers) employing power tools, masks, screaming and elaborate costuming; Instagon, led by Lob, performs with a different ensemble each show, feeding multiple performers' sounds into a mixer.[2] Both appeared again on the 2016 lineup.[6]
Other acts documented across editions include Crank Sturgeon (a Maine-origin piscine-themed noise/performance artist who played in 2018), +DOG+ (a Los Angeles act run by Steve Davis of Love Earth Music), Dental Work, Beast Nest (the solo project of Mills College student Sharmi Basu), W00dy, Big City Orchestra, Liver Cancer, Lords of Outland, Xome, and the local noise/jazz trio Faults (L.H. Shimanek, Kevin Corcoran, Chad Stockdale).[2][6][10] The 2017 lineup featured Kylie Jackson performing as Ustam, among more than 50 artists.[5]
The festival also served as a formative home for the Sacramento psychedelic doom metal band (waning), which emerged from the noise scene around 2007 and performed noise-oriented sets at NoiseFest before moving primarily into the metal scene.[8]