No New York: A Retrospective

By Jake Caserta

When Brian Eno walked into the venue “Artists Space” in NYC in May of 1978, there’s no telling what he was expecting. It’s unknown what he thought he was getting himself into,but what he found was a contained and unique group of musicians who went on to impact rock music through a sheer lack of care. Eno had come to the city to produce The Talking Heads album “More Songs About Buildings and Food” and heard about this festival going on in the area.

For 5 nights in a row, musicians gathered in Artists Space to show off 10 of the biggest bands in this short-lived scene. Performing on the last 2 nights were the 4 most important, DNA, Mars, James Chance and the Contortions, and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. These 4 bands all had their own unique and chaotic takes on the punk coming out of New York at the time. After attending the last 2 nights of the festival, Eno decided to produce an album where the 4 bands would get their chance to document their sounds on a record that would be heard all over.

The No-Wave scene was fueled by anger and was the amalgamation of the creatives living in the city at the time. In 1975 New York City had run out of money and the budget fell apart, leaving important services useless and nonexistent. It was riddled with crime, disgusting smells, grime, poverty and hopelessness. Artists of all disciplines got together and created art that represented the feelings they had. While they had some success playing the big clubs like Max’s and CBGB, it was in art installations that the scene took off.

The Ramones and other punk innovators had gained national fame, and the people who showed up to witness its creation had moved on to something new that represented their feelings. Even if they had 0 musical skill, bands formed to play shows that saw a good turnout. What you’ll find when listening to Eno’s compilation, No-New York, is anger in response to its Manhattan backdrop. A response to Punk’s commodification which left its original audience wanting something new.

You’ll find chaos in James Chance’s Saxophone, Lydia Lunch’s poetry, and the others. It is a masterpiece that finds groove and energy in the avant-garde, something that had a lasting influence on New York. It wasn’t just Eno who had been inspired by the five-day festival, but countless others. Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Michael Gira of Swans were there, and the effect it had on them can be seen in their early music.

Many had witnessed this little blip in New York City’s long musical history and adopted it as their own. If you look at interviews with many rock groups, they or their inspirations have roots in No Wave, which only lasted 3 years. It’s amazing that a scene like this was preserved by the legendary Brian Eno.