One Aux: An Open Mic for the Sonically Curious
Heirloom Rustic Ales
Sept. 13, 2023
Tulsa’s experimental music scene has grown steadily over the last decade, becoming a fertile ground for boundary-pushing music. One Aux, a monthly open mic night for outsider sound, has filled an important void in the six months since its inception, creating space for new artists to get their start and experienced artists to push themselves. Co-hosts Carl Antonowicz and Todd Woodlan have fostered a supportive environment and positive community through these events. Performers at Heirloom Rustic Ales on this night included first-time participants as well as Antonowicz and Woodlan, who jumped in after three acts dropped out on the day of the show.
One Aux can be chaotic like that — listed start times were flexible and the event began about 20 minutes late — but that’s part of the nature of the event: anything experimental is about trying, testing, working at the edges of what’s possible.
One Aux’s name refers to the “Aux In” jack on a PA system, an invitation to artists to bring their equipment and plug in for 20 minutes. While most performers tend toward experimental, electronic, noise, and free improvisation genres, artists are encouraged to perform whatever they want. Decay as Beauty opened the evening by playing material from her new album, Trapped in the Space Between Dreams. Slowcore rhythms built a languid, snaking cadence that wound through the sonic environment. This smoky production created a foundation for her spirited vocals to glide on top. Her range is solid, though her voice would benefit by being more surrounded by the mix. The snarling intensity of this music stood in stark contrast to Heirloom’s beautiful space — a recurring theme for the night.
Carl Antonowicz’s Open Casket Sound System performed next, and in the beginning, the audience felt less engaged. But his focused, caustic drones and junkyard percussion loops pulled everybody’s attention forward. Using an array of oscillators, effects pedals, and pieces of scrap metal, Antonowicz walked the audience through the inner workings of a subterranean metallic graveyard. Bowed metal swells from an odd brass instrument called a Horror Noise Generator accented moments of piercing feedback.
Between sets, audience members voiced encouragement, with past One Aux participants showing up to support these artists and build community. I heard authentic enthusiasm, not posturing, in the crowd’s conversations around gear setups and sonic choices. Woodlan, who performed next as A Thousand Plateaus, talked of creating a space for artists who may be inexperienced to come and learn — even be shown basics like how to plug into a PA or check levels using monitors — without being judged or mocked.
A Thousand Plateaus has played many shows in recent years, but One Aux offers a space for him, and other artists, to experiment and further push their craft. On this night, Woodlan worked saxophone into his set — a first for him. Technical issues threatened to mar the first half, but he pushed forward, building rhythm into a full-on 4/4 techno romp. It was a surprise, outside the usual realm I associate with Woodlan’s project. Modular synth melodies sparkled and danced through effervescent arpeggios: hypnotic and catchy, fluorescent pop weirdness at its best.
The audience began to thin as the clock pushed toward nine, but those who remained stayed engaged. I Digress, a first-time One Aux participant, brought a simple setup of guitar and a few effects pedals. Angular guitar and blues-adjacent honk skittered from his amp, following an underlying rhythmic pomp. Mid-set he offered audience members homemade Deborah Gist stickers, encouraging us to take them and put them up around town in support. He closed with his most memorable piece, a ghostly exploration that embodied a moment of reflection on a crisp, dew-laden morning.
With the late start, by the time Teeth Like Glass started the last set of the night, it was edging near Heirloom’s normal closing time. In keeping with the supportive nature of the event, though, those who had stuck around stayed until the end. Teeth Like Glass used synthesizers and drum machines, moving from aqueous, ambient drifts into an oscillating, electronic storm, casting sharp, cold tones against the space’s warm lighting and cozy atmosphere. It was a memorable end to a night that transformed this tranquil section of Kendall Whittier into an auditory playground.
One Aux returns on Oct. 13 at Park Grove Community Center at 7 p.m. Sign-ups open on Oct. 2 via One Aux’s Instagram.
Next at Heirloom Rustic Ales: Live Lit Night with the Center for Poets and Writers, Sept. 21.
