User:Matloaf/The Schoolhouse

The Schoolhouse was a performance space located at 30 West St. in Hadley, Massachusetts, a small farm town in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, from 2001-2005. While in operation, The Schoolhouse hosted a variety of experimental and avant-garde music events featuring local, national, and international artists. Over this period, The Schoolhouse became a major player in the noise, freak folk, and New Weird America scenes of the mid-aughties.

Notable Performances

On Sunday, May 23rd, 2004, a veritable avant-garde supergroup performed at The Schoolhouse when Brooklyn drone-artists Double Leopards were joined by Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, noted indepedent producer and Wilco/Sonic Youth collaborator Jim O’Rourke, and free jazz duo Paul Flaherty & Chris Corsano all performed together under the name Double Dream/Action Leopards Unit. Openers that night included then up-and-coming noise band Yellow Swans from Portland, Oregon, Scott Foust’s Idea Fire Company, and western Massachusetts’ avant-pop trio Yonk Yonk.

Other performers at The Schoolhouse include: Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Neon Hunk, Cass McCombs, Fat Worm of Error, Extreme Animals, Dr. Doo, John Wiese, Vampire Belt (Bill Nace & Chris Corsano) w/ Thurston Moore, Dredd Foole, Joshua Burkett, Red Favorite, Dreamhouse, Chiara Giovando, Kites, Can't, Lazy Magnet, USA Is A Monster, Animental and Defneg.

Breaking World Records

In addition to hosting noise and experimental music shows, The Schoolhouse served as headquarters for the Breaking World Records label. Originally conceived as a cassette tape and cd-r label, Breaking World Records grew to eventually releasing LP and 7” vinyl records (in addition to still putting out cassettes). Breaking World Records became a significant vehicle for documenting the noise music scene in western Massachusetts during the period by putting out releases by BenGeorge7, Noise Nomads, Yonk Yonk, Diagram A, Tumblecat Poof Poofy Poof, and Grey Skull.

Other notable Breaking World Record’s releases include the first Ducktails 7" (side project of Real Estate (band) guitar player Matt Mondanile), Paperrad musical project Dr. Doo In Fucland CD-r/DVD-r, and Fat Worm of Error side projects’ Bromp Treb Twins 7” and Schwurt Kwitters s/t cdr.

Western Mass

The Schoolhouse existed during a particularly fruitful period in the independent, do-it-yourself music and art scene in western Massachusetts. In addition to the Schoolhouse being the center of the noise music scene in the region, underground and left-of-center shows were also regularly being booked at the Flywheel Arts Collective (a non-profit performing arts space) in Easthampton, Massachusetts, The Shed (a “punkspot” literally housed in a backyard toolshed) in Palmer, Massachusetts , as well as the formation the Autonomous Battleship Collective (a psych/folk collective) operating mainly out of the Montague Bookmill in Montague, Massachusetts.

In an interview with Blastitude webzine in 2004, Fat Worm of Error’s Neil “Kayleen” Young said, “Western Mass benefits from being far enough away from NYC & Boston that some of the more fashionable elements overlook us, plus we don't have either of their wretched regional accents… However, we do benefit from being in close enough proximity for touring folks to pass on through, and a nice little circuit has been from Boston - Providence - Western Mass - Brattleboro, VT - Albany/Troy, NY - New Haven, CT - NYC.”

In a 2010 interview with Pitchfork, when asked by Pitchfork contributor Marc Masters about why so much interesting stuff goes on in Western Mass, Tim Sheldon of Fat Worm of Error responded, “It’s confusing to us sometimes.”