Performing at the Che Cafe Nov. 17, 1983 (with Hair Theatre and 11 Sons), Noise 292 pays homage to two of its bedrock influences, covering the Velvet Underground’s epic “Sister Ray” and throwing in a few stylings from Joy Division’s version for good measure. (Check out Kristin Martin and me tearing into the “Good night” vocals at the end, à la mode d’Ian Curtis!)
“My first memory of witnessing a Noise 292 show has you screaming your ass off during a performance of ‘Sister Ray,’ incredibly cathartic and tribal,” writes Dave Fleminger. “I’d never seen anything like it … way scarier and more musically violent than Fairmont Hall fare. Ear-punishing.
“I don’t even think I had heard the Velvets at that point, so as far as I was concerned this song was one of yours … It fit right in the set, although the other songs had more chords in them!”
Matthew Rothenberg (rhythm guitar, vocals); Kristin Martin (bass, backing vocals); David Rives (lead guitar); Wendell Kling (trash percussion); Joanne Norris (drums).
Awesomesauce- wish I could have been there. This must have melted many faces.
Yeah, this is pretty cool. I remember having that experience, “couldn’t hit it sideways” and thinking “oh shit, this has got pretty bad.”
There exists another version of Noise 292’s “Sister Ray” — Headquarters, July 1983 — that features Leighton Koizumi on electric violin!
This was a frequent show-closer … I notice we basically excised the F chord from the already-simple G-F-C riff the Velvets laid down … We were trying to get completely primal with this song.
I saw you guys at Headquarters that time with the Pandoras… I must have missed this show though. Thats a pretty driving version of that song!
Noise 292 always blew my mind…I remember seeing you play live numerous times. I think I must have spent a lot of time on the dance floor, shaking things up-especially my booty. Even now, as I listened to your track of Sister Ray, I found myself grinding away, bopping my head!