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WHY ARE YOU MAKING ALL THAT NOISE
A Nihilist Spasm Band documentary by NAC Member Don Alexander
Wednesday 13 May 2015 at 9PM

A screening of Don Alexander’s half hour doc on the Nihilist Spasm Band (NSB) will be screened at NAC Wednesday 13 May at 9PM.

The screening of “Why Are You Making All That Noise” is also an advance promotion for the appearance by the NSB Band coming up this summer on NAC’s Rooftop Terrace!  The Nihilist Spasm Band is on its “50th ANNIVERSARY TOUR”

There is a parallel of Canadian Nationalism and Regionalism in the founding influences of both the noise band and the Niagara Artists co-op.

The band formed in London at about the same time NAC was being gestated here in Niagara.

In the documentary the noise-music  and lyrics are punctuated by interview and work of artists in the band.  NAC founder John Boyle who plays kazoo, thumb-piano and some percussion, was also in the founding group of the band —inspired by London artist Greg Curnoe.

The documentary has a re-enactment of a famous St. Catharines concert in the late 90s when the band played at a child-care centre. (No children were actually deafened by the concert, but were confused). On that same tour the band played at Rodman Hall, shocking staid patrons who had been attracted by the Nihilist Spasm Band promotion piece that cited “world capitals” on their tour.

Actually London, Paris, etc were the Ontario versions.  NAC later shamelessly adopted the “world capitals” theme for the NAC Miniature Show and Ego Exposition tour of similar Ontario namesake communities.

NAC founder John Boyle discusses a lot of the linkages between the Nihilist sense and the 1970’s NACsense.

Some of the interview footage was shot here in conjunction with an NSB concert at NAC at the turn of the century.

Documentary maker Don Alexander will introduce the video and its making as well as fleshing-out the apparent NAC and NSB ties.