Jisu Sheen photos
Corn chowder, for you!
Mike Nowotarski of Aesop's Sound Fables.
For fans of the cozy and enemies of the conventional, Friday night was an evening of tunes, nosh, and acoustic soundtracks to old silent films at Upper State’s Volume II. It was one of the first out-of-town shows for Aesop’s Sound Fables, an ambient chamber music ensemble based in Brooklyn.
The group alternates between silent film sets like Friday’s, called “Strange Animations,” and “Soup Shows,” which are accompanied by readings and, yes, soup.
Though Friday was not officially a Soup Show, New Haven soupheads found a way to bring in a steamy chowder anyway. Aesop’s Sound Fables’s local-talent openers included soft-spoken singer Melanie Champagne, indie band Old Milk Mooney, and pop-up chef Soup Pauper, who’s been slinging broth in New Britain and New Haven since the beginning of last year. Let me lay out the scene for you, one sense at a time.
Smell
You’ve heard of spidey sense. What about soupy sense?
Right before the start of the main act, audience member Aliyah Efotte wanted more soup. She walked up to John Fullington, the Soup Pauper, to ask if that was OK, only to see he had already ladled out a bowl, anticipating that someone would want one soon. He gave it to Effotte as if it had belonged to her all along.
The soup was a sweet and smoky corn chowder, with a rich, nutty aroma like coming home. (Worry not, nut allergy sufferers. The earthy quality was not from peanuts or tree nuts, but just a hint of coconut. The soup was also vegan and gluten-free, an offering to as many soup-lovers as possible.) In the Volume II audience, you could measure how many people had gotten up to get soup by the strength of the scent of chowder wafting through the room.
Taste
Not only did Fullington offer soup to the masses, but he also came ready with a tray of soft bread and a little bowl of butter. The butter spread easily, perfect for a chowder-enjoyer with one hand already occupied with hearty soup. Together, the soup and buttered bread teamed up to fill the palate with nutritious, delicious carbs and the healing power of a warm-toned meal.
Sound
In the middle of Old Milk Mooney’s set, someone from the audience sneezed.
“Bless you,” said Dan Onorato, Old Milk Mooney’s frontman, interrupting his own song. Then he continued with his self-described “honky-tonk” tunes.
In his soundtrack to the strange animations, Aesop’s Sound Fables’ Mike Nowotarski picked up right where Old Milk Mooney left off, serenading the crowd with sweet, rambling folksy guitar timed to the on-screen silent antics. The group usually includes cello and bassoon as well, but because the New Haven show was something of a test run, only Nowotarski came to play Friday.
Nowotarski matched the tone of his tunes to the projected ‘toons, getting dramatic or peaceful along with the scenes and following their comedic switches back and forth. When he opened his mouth to add vocals for the last silent film of the night, it came as a welcome surprise.
Sight
The silent film selection of the night featured the 1927 Disney short Trolley Troubles and the 1912 Russian The Cameraman’s Revenge, plus others. The audience chuckled and cheered in the blue glow of the projector as old-timey cartoons danced across the screen.
In The Cameraman’s Revenge, stop-motion insects (played by real insect specimens) fell in and out of love, launched themselves through the set furniture, and even had a meta-moment where the movie itself played to a tiny audience of bugs.
Trolley Troubles.
Touch
I could tell you about the feeling of sitting on Volume II’s rows of folding chairs, or maybe the thick paper of the zines Nowotarski distributed to the night’s attendees. But perhaps the most touching part of the night was the knowledge that the artists were practicing dreams they hoped to continue for years to come.
Perhaps the next time Aesop’s Sound Fables comes by New Haven, Nowotarski will bring along with him the full band. In the not-too-distant future, the Soup Pauper might be a household name around town. Whatever comes next, New Haven’s DIY artsy folks are sure to keep their eyes and ears — and noses and mouths and hands — open.
You can sign up for Aesop’s Sound Fables’ newsletter here to learn about upcoming shows.
