Interview: Pete Gershon, editor, Signal to Noise

How did the name Signal to Noise come about?

The magazine was originally called Soundboard, but I had to change the name after about a year because of a conflict with another publication in another part of the country. It was hard to find a new name hat everyone liked, but eventually a friend suggested I call it Signal to Noise, which seemed to resonate with what we were doing. We’ve operated under that name since 1998.

Why a print magazine in the age of the Internet?

I firmly believe there are a lot of people who spend their day in front of a computer at work, and when they get home, they'll want to kick off their shoes, sprawl on the couch, and actually enjoy the tactile experience of turning some pages. I guess it's the same way some of us will always dig shopping for CDs in a brick and mortar store and putting records on the turntable as opposed to downloading MP3s. I love the Web, but it seems like something is always lost in the digital transaction.

Who are some local artists/musicians that you find inspiring?

Houston has always been home to great blues and jazz music. Artists like Kenny Dorham and Arnett Cobb come to mind, but of course it goes back even further than that. The tradition extends from artists like Pauline Oliveros, Mayo Thompson and the Red Krayola, the 13th Floor Elevators, to Charalambides, outsider singer-multi-instrumentalist-enigma Jandek, DJ Screw, Linus Pauling Quartet and Rusted Shut. Devendra Banhart, he of the unfortunately-named “freak-folk” movement, is going to be on the cover of our next issue, and he was born right here in Houston. But I should stress that I’m still new in town, and I’ve got a lot to learn about the local scene, past and present. I’ve just barely scratched the surface, and now that I have kids, it’s tough to get out at night and check it all out.

Are there enough outlets for experimental music?

Well, there are some. KPFT and especially Rice University’s KTRU play artists that you will rarely hear anywhere else. I especially like Dave Dove’s show on KTRU. Dave also heads up Nameless Sound, a non-profit organization that teaches kids, for free, to express themselves through musical improvisation. What he and the members of his Youth Ensemble do is absolutely amazing. The clubs seem to do a really good job of bringing interesting music through town, and the proximity to Austin is also helpful in this regard.

Tell me about the writers.

They’re spread all throughout the U.S. – many of them in New York, Chicago, the west coast – even in Europe; in fact, I’m met very few of them face to face. They range from some of the most accomplished veteran writers in the field to talented upstarts that have never had their work published before. I really don’t go searching for writers; most of them contact me, because they love the magazine and they love the music.

How do you differentiate yourself from other music magazines?

We are probably the only magazine in the US that offers this particular mix of musical styles. The music we are dealing with is so on the fringe that I don’t think anyone else is crazy enough to want to cover it. For years, it was kind of a money pit, but we’re finally gaining some traction. I think it’s pretty obvious that it’s a pretty non-commercial venue, and consequently people can really trust our writers’ opinions about the music they’re writing about.

Will there ever be a Signal to Noise festival?

Funny that you mention that. We’ve had some preliminary discussions about a Signal to Noise showcase at SXSW next March. It’s all still in the works, though, but the idea is to host a night of Houston-based talent. We used to hold concerts at our office up in Burlington. It was a dusty old warehouse, and musicians would play for tips, but for a lot of them it was a fun stop-over between Boston and Montreal. I don’t know if we ever drew more than 30 people, but some of these concerts wound up being issued on CD.

If you could be a Houston landmark, what would it be?

I would say the River Oaks Theater, except that I wouldn’t want to be bulldozed by a heartless realty company. So instead I’ll be content to be the Cy Twombly Gallery at the Menil Collection.

You can find Signal to Noise at most local music retail stores.