Published on Saturday, November 7, 2020 by Agitator Co-operative

Pandemic Experiments in Agitator Magazine: A Chat with Tina Lefauve

An interview with Tina Lefauve, Chicago sound artist, gorilla event organizer, and motorcycle bad ass.

by Luna Rail, Agitator member and co-founder

Luna: Hi Tina. Where should we start ? How’s Pandemic Experiments in Mozart and later Ken-Well Park as a place to start? Tell us about the inspiration for this.

Tina: A couple years before that we started doing something we called Noise Busking. It pretty much entailed getting battery-powered gear. Me and a few others would get battery power amps and synthesizers and effects and go play outside. We played underneath the Ike at the skate park. We played at the Logan Square Monument. The inspiration for Noise Busking came from when I was in bands in the past. We’d invariably start out as an experimental noise band and gradually solidify into a smaller number of players. We’d start to write songs and turn into something like a regular punk band. So in the 90’s I quit the bands and started racing motorcycles for a while. Bla, bra. Bra.
But about 5 years ago I started turning my synthesizers on again and with the help of some friends who were experimental musicians I started getting the bug again. I really didn’t want to get back into the same process where we’d practice, write songs, record, release, play out again and again, and get into the commerce cycle. Subconsciously or not, that’s where everyone who gets into a band ends up going. I wanted to break that cycle. So, with the Noise Busking experiment I wanted to make music that was outside of that structure. With the Noise Busking we never had any intention of making money. We never got permits.

Luna: Very gorilla. Wasn’t it ?

Tina: Oh yeah. There were fascinating and unpredictable things that would happen when we’d show up. Toddlers would walk up to us and want to play with our setups. The adults they were attached to would always be concerned they’d harm our electrical instruments or break something which never seemed to happened. I loved interacting with people on that level.

Luna: Yeah. I remember on at least a couple of occasions very young children doing about as well as we did on our gear, maybe even better.

Tina: (Laughs) Yeah. The Noise Busking was always pretty small. Usually you and me and a few other people. Not that many people had battery-powered gear. But when we started to realize that nobody could play out with the Covid-19 shut downs I thought why don’t we just do this in a park. So I asked a couple friends who did music and Amber Marsh who does Jabberwocky Marionettes. She was immediately enthusiastic. Mozart Park was 3 blocks from me and 2 blocks from her. We just wanted interaction even just with each other. That’s where it got started.

Luna: I thought that was really so inspired. I showed up late for that gig. I remember you had timed it so that we started with the trains. Everything was set up just below the train tracks.

Tina: That was Dave (Miller’s) idea. I’d picked the spot. I thought the trains and the embankment with the fence and foliage made a good backdrop. Besides, trains are universally enjoyed. One of the people who came with their young child let me know later that the only thing their child would talk about that weekend was trains and puppets. It’s good to know we imprinted something on a young mind.

Luna: That’s so worth the price of admission. I go back to your story about wanting more to start an art movement or just collaborative than starting a commercial venture like a band and I remember reading an interview with Iggy Pop where he talked about the early days with the Stooges where they just made noise and were so much happier and just had more fun than before someone asked them to write and record 3-minute songs.

Tina: Yeah. The salad days. - and then people start to set their expectations and you have to decide if you’re going to pay attention to them or not.

Luna: I remember for these shows, the crowd that showed up was so happy and excited to just show up and have a place to see live music - and puppetry.

Tina: Yeah. We’d been locked down long enough that when people showed up they were so happy to be safe and masked and still be outside and with people they liked or were at least like-minded. The bands that hadn’t been able to play out since the beginning of Covid were just euphoric. Everybody was just like “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.”

Luna: That’s the perfect word for it. I’m not quite sure how to spell it, but I’ll figure something out.

Tina: This was a really special setting though. It’s so different from being at a club or even a DIY space because people are on edge. The bands are like we gotta get on. We gotta perform. We gotta clear out for the next band. All the things. It can start to feel like a competition for who or what is the coolest and here that was completely absent.

Luna: Yeah. That’s completely true. I loved Minnie (Scully) from Lobster Friend dancing with someone’s toddler through her set. That was so just the opposite of angsty and cool.

Tina: That same kid went up to the drum kit and picked up the drum sticks to play along. It looked like his mom was going to put the kibosh on it until PT Bell who’s kit it was said it was fine. Let him go. It occurred to me, this would never happen - at a bar or our usual venues. A 2-year-old wouldn’t waddle over to the drum kit and start playing.

Luna: I think there’s something so wonderful about being able to fuck up the next generation. Just encouraging that curiosity and letting them know it’s okay to pick that thing up and bang on it and see what kind of noise it makes is awesome.

Tina: One of the things that really inspired me was when my mom who had a degree in art ed teamed up with a CEDA (Cooperative Economic Development Agreement) worker. They went to rural areas and small towns around Cleveland and set up art camps. She and her friends were really good at leaning into local business owners for chairs and tables and tents. I loved being in tow for the planning and execution of the camps. Even as a young kid I picked up on how cool it was to see children and others who’d never likely have a chance to get into art do so. Maybe that’s how it dawned on me that we can just go to the park and do pretty much whatever we wanted. When we first started, we just used battery-powered gear. Eventually, someone offered to lend us a 120-volt AC power supply. Then I realized any band that would go to a club could do this. It sort of became from there I was the person who was uniquely positioned to be the organizer. I sort of became the Power Ranger.

Luna: Yeah. You pull off Power Ranger well.

Tina: With the Pandemic Experiments in the Park until the live venues open back up, it’s something we’ll continue to do. How much permission do we really want from the city.

Luna: Ha! It seems gorilla may be the way to go - or it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission.

Tina: Well. There’s moving from one park to the next and the individuals I’ve talked to from the park districts have been pretty cool even if we don’t have all the permits.

Luna: And in truth, what you’re doing is at a very reasonable volume. You’re doing it before sun set. You’re really doing something of a public service. I think all the acts have a good realization that they’re there for the public - in the park and neighborhood, not just their gig.

Tina: Yeah. From the discussion I had with the park supervisor who told us we’re not welcome - in a nice way, I gathered he was expressing official and unofficial fears the alleys would be used as latrines and teenagers would hang out and smoke weed and drink beer - in the park.

Luna: Let’s finish up with your title: Live from Dead Stick Pond. We’re moving into Winter and crappier Chicago weather.

Tina: The idea with that is “We’re getting chased out of the parks.” So I thought “Lets go find something no-one else is looking for.” I’d found that spot years ago when I was wandering around the southeast side. I went back and figured this would make an interesting coin of reference or geographic meeting spot.

Luna: Ha. It’s a dead-end road with all the sights and sounds and smells of the Chicago Water Reclamation District. It’s quite wonderful actually.

Tina: I talked to someone I know who works at the Water Reclamation District and they don’t have any operations down there. So. Whatever we were smelling wasn’t them.

Luna: Aw man and it contributed so much to the story.

Tina: They do have a treatment plant in the general area. So maybe . . . We were smelling something.
I’m just into seeing what we can do as the weather gets awful, the smell, whatever it is doesn’t go away, and Live from Dead Stick Pond is just catchy. I’d really love to get as many artists down there to do a performance and get something loaded up to YouTube and get whatever kind of audience we can get - safely to show up. Any recordings would go to the artists. Anyone who wants to come to the area of 128th and Stoney Island is welcome to come.

Luna: I’m sure we can provide geo-coordinates to anyone who wants them. It’s a curious area.

Tina: I’ve heard the area is famous for drag racing. There’s no one around there for miles and miles and there’s only two ways out.

Luna: Ha! Come for the noise. Stay for the drag racing.

Tina: I’d like to make friends with the drag racers and record some of the runs.

Luna: That reminds me of an old Dick Dale album - one he hated, but still, it could work. Have I missed anything?

Tina: Only that I’m talking to some people who are interested in going down already. Thanks Luna and Agitator for the support and keep your eyes and ears open for Live from Dead Stick Pond - or maybe a park near you.

More information about Dead Stick Pond can be found here.