Attending an Eric Hnatow show is like placing a quarter into one of those toy-dispensing supermarket vending machines: you never know what plastic egg might come spilling out—a spider ring, a super-bouncy ball, a temporary rub-on dinosaur tattoo.
While Hnatow—a one-man noisemaking tour de force based in Northampton—certainly offers up more quality than your average grocery store prize, he does deliver diversity and the unexpected in everything he creates. His live sets feature a solitary and possessed figure, stalking and dancing about the stage, banging out synth lines on a Casio or tweaking an amplifier, all while wearing a rubber mask, draped in a string of Christmas lights, releasing garbage bags filled with helium balloons, or adorned in his "blinking hoodie"—an electrified multicolored sweatshirt.
He has been performing electronic music and rock for many years in different incarnations, beginning with a partnership with his brother Tim, who set up instruments in their family's basement and encouraged young Eric to jam along. One of their incarnations, HNATIW, inspired a loyal following at the nascent Flywheel, the (now-defunct) Shed in Palmer, and beyond.
Hnatow's energy and enthusiasm is infectious, clearly evident on his copious self-released CDRs and tapes and in his rapt, head-bobbing audiences. On recordings, he layers samples and self-made sounds over tasty beats, at times going so far as to use his bare feet to properly manipulate the equipment. The resulting music, best expressed on his recent Heart Music, is the perfect soundtrack for a long drive up north through hills and foliage. Bouncy, inspired grooves and well-placed bleeps and bloops fill the album's uplifting, danceable tracks.
As for venues, Hnatow does not discriminate, and has plied his trade at cafes, house parties, art galleries, warehouses and colleges across the country. He will play virtually anytime, day or night, on one occasion commencing his set before the frightfully un-rock hour of 8 a.m.
You can catch Eric Hnatow's musical grab bag in person, along with alliterative bands San Serac and Sunrise Swords, at Earthfoods Cafe on the UMass campus Oct. 17 at 8 pm. For songs and shows, visit myspace.com/erichnatow.
