Noise Pop is having it’s 20th birthday this year, and it’s bigger than ever! What started out as a small, one night mini-festival at The Kennel Club (now The Independent), has evolved into a week long event that takes over nearly every venue in San Francisco. In addition, it’s organizers have also created Treasure Island Music Festival (aka The Best Music Fest in America in my opinion) and opened do415, a site to help music fans find shows. SpinningPlatters got the opportunity to talk with Noise Pop’s Marketing Director, Dawson Ludwig, to learn a bit about this year’s festival and his own evolution as a music listener.
Tell me about do415. How does it benefit local music fans?
Do415 is the latest venture for Noise Pop; it’s a local event listing site that lists and organizes local events. It’s been a great success for us. By offering music fans a one-stop shop place to see what events are going on around town, we’re connecting more fans to more music which is fantastic for everyone on both sides – venues and attendees.
Who are the three noise pop bands you are most excited about?
The Mallard, opening for !!! at GAMH – I’m a big fan of these guys.
Young Magic – they’re playing Scene Unseen II on March 1st.
Toro Y Moi – oddly, I’ve never seen him live. I missed them at Treasure Island this year.
Who is left on the dream list for Noise Pop?
Oh, man. That’s a long list – Jeff Magnum, tUnE-yArDs, The Men, Animal Collective, and more.
What was your first show?
Dave Matthews! HA!
Dave Grohl recently said that he doesn’t believe one should ever feel guilty about listening to certain records. That being said, name a record that you listen to with some regularity that you never admitted to before today?
Well, I’m pretty vocal about my appreciation for Dave Matthews Band. I haven’t listened to them in years (they got pretty cheesy) but Under The Table and Dreaming was pivotal in my musical growth. They were that band that was introduced to me in high school by this older, cooler guy in college and it opened me up to obsessing over an album and picking it apart. Not the coolest origin story, but I’m glad (it happened).
With the success of both Noise Pop and Treasure Island, what is the next step for Noise Pop?
We are working on expanding our next big event, Noiseette, which is a food and music event we introduced last year at Public Works, with local chefs serving dishes and indie acts performing.
What band should I know that I don’t?
An older band I recently discovered, Cleaners of Venus, are fantastic. New bands that I like: Levek, Cayucas & Super Wild Horses.
On a scale of 1-10, how excited should we be about Treasure Island Music Festival this year?
10, always.
If somebody had only 6 hours to spend in San Francisco, where do you take them?
Mission Chinese, show at Great American, ice cream at Three Twins.
Since this is the first Noise Pop in years that doesn’t conflict with Oscar Night, who will win for best costume design?
Lincoln – sweep!
