[early TECH] PAPER MAGAZINE: Musical Barber

Paper Magazine, 1996, New York City.

There aren’t too many places where it’s possible to get a “messy” haircut without having to be cajoled, and certainly no other salons we know of that invite their more musically inclined clients in for a free cut or dve job in exchange for an afternoon’s entertainment. Fortunately, the folks at Mudhoney want to share their hirsute brand of rock ‘n’ roll with the world.

Enlisting the help of their good friends at Sensory Networks, chief choppers Michael Matula and Alicia Trani have been recording biweekly shows in their tin space at 148 Sullivan Street, and broadcasting this mix of hair and punk rock on the Web.

“There’s some kid in Kentuckv who needs to see this. says Martin Belk, whose Sensory Networks team also broadcasts from Squeezebox at Don Hill’s every Friday. “MTV is crap and VH1 has sold out; we don’t want to give people ‘what they want’ we want to give them variety.”

He’s the first to admit that the Web is still in its technological infancy as a broadcast medium, but figures that the opportunity for independents to capture a global audience is well worth the computer crashes and seemingly endless download times.

“The way you start something,” he grins, “is you start.”

Sensory Networks is hardly a money-making venture — Belk and his cameraman, Matt Vor, rely on intrigued computer companies to provide equipment--but thev’re genuinelv fired up by the community spirit that the guitar-powered hair-stvling sessions generate.

Dropping in on a recent Monday afternoon, we found the members of Itchy Trigger Finger newly coiffed and center stage, while Miss Guy of Miss Guy and the Toilet Boys got a root job and filmmaker Andrea Slade plotted her new documen-tary. L7, Nada Surf, Psychotica and Bay of Pigs have also dropped by for a session and a ‘do.

Mudhoney is a regular stop for touring bands, so it’s not hard to recruit musicians for each show “It’s great,” says Matula. “We get to pick and choose our clients and nobodv has to pay anyone.” With dye and drinks flowing, it’s more like a party than work, and has even played host to a honeymoon: newlywed Yasu cut the cake as Toilet Boy Adam Vomit got leopard spots added to his mohawk in celebration of their wedding day. Check out the happy occasion at www.sensory.net.