Noise Pop! Kevin Arnold (again)

What we said in 2007:
Back in the day, SFist arrived fresh from college to work in the valley and join in the booming. Before long we had the realization that real life was not nearly as much fun as school. Staring at our computer screen for endless hours we dreamed of weekends and our measly vacation days. Then February came and light shone in on our cubicle dwelling existence. Noise Pop and more bands that we had dreamed of seeing packed into a five day spree. We stopped sleeping for a week and soaked up the music, deciding that at least working allowed us to buy all those tickets.

Noise Pop is here again! Rainy days working for the man mean nothing knowing you are going to be seeing so many awesome bands. This year’s line up includes Cake, Lyrics Born, Aqueduct, The Ponys, Josh Ritter, Spinto Band, Extra Action Marching Band, and so so so so many others. Load up on Red Bulls, hit craigslist for tickets to sold out shows, and spend the rest of the week happy. Oh, and who do you have to thank for all this great music? Kevin Arnold is the founder of Noise Pop. In addition to launching the festival this week he made time for an SFist interview. Read on for tales of Noise Pop past, present and future.

What led you to start Noise Pop?
It all happened pretty serendipitously. In the early nineties after college, where I had started promoting shows on campus at Cal, I was booking bands and tour managing, and had been talking to the booker at the Kennel club (what is now the Independent) about putting together a show there for a while. So when there was an open date at the end of January I went for it and booked 5 of my favorite local bands for 5 bucks: Overwhelming Colorfast, The Meices, Carlos!, Corduroy, and Bitchcraft, and the Fastbacks who were playing across town came in for a surprise set as well. At the time these bands were all part of a small local scene, and would sometimes play together but never all at the same time, so the goal was to put them on the same bill and make it a bit of a special event to shine some attention on the scene. Noise Pop was just a name I came up with to describe the sound (poppy and noisy, duh) that was catchy, and everyone loves a festival, so there you have it.

It was never designed from the beginning to be what is today; it just sorta evolved organically over the years.

What are the biggest changes to Noisepop over the 15 years?
Oh geez, I don't even know where to start. The size of the festival, the diverse genres we now encompass, the team of people that work on it instead of just myself for starters.

Best Noisepop show of all time?
Not a very easy question to answer, but the first one would have to take that honor as it's where it all started.

Tips for up and coming bands to check out this year?
I'd check out Annuals, The Ponys, Matt & Kim, Autolux, and Willie Mason for the headliners, So Many Dynamos, Malajube, Minmae, Georgie James, and The Submarines for out-of-towners, and Thao Nguyen, The Botticellis, Wooden Shjips, Scrabbel, Howlin Rain, and The Old-Fashioned Way on the local front.

Any hope for getting in to some of the bigger name, sold out shows?
Hmm, well you might be able to still buy a badge...

Advice for aspiring musicians here?
Just the basics: work hard, write great songs, be true to yourself and all that stuff.

Name
Kevin Arnold

Introduce yourself in one sentence
Hi, I'm Kevin, nice to meet you.

Age and Occupation
37, founder/CEO of IODA, the Independent Online Distribution Alliance, and founder of the Noise Pop Festival.

Home Town
Mostly grew up in San Antonio, TX.

How long have you lived in the Bay Area and Where
Since 1987, when I came to Berkeley to go to Cal. Moved to the city in 1993, first at the corner of Haight and Ashbury, then the Mission, Glen Park, and now Mt. Davidson. The moves pretty much tell the story of growing up, getting a job, getting married and starting a family...

Favorite place to spend time online
Wish I had more time to waste online, but mostly try to keep up with news I care about via Google alerts and my Google page which sends me everywhere. For music Pitchfork and a couple of the typical blog suspects. And I have a closet Drudge Report habit (good to see what the other half thinks).

Favorite local business
Guess I can't say Noise Pop? 826 Valencia.

What I'm currently Reading
Murakami's After the Quake

Best Deal in San Francisco
I think Cancun's veggie burrito is still it.

Favorite mode of transportation
Prius

Best Band or Musician to come out of the Bay Area
Abstain; I could debate that with myself all night, too hard. But not the Grateful Dead.

Favorite Bay Area Stereotype and whether or not you buy into it
That it's the best city in America, and yep.

Favorite local hangout
The Latin

SF has the BEST
Sushi. and Burritos.

You've never lived in SF until
You've been to Noise Pop. :)

Favorite Bay area politician of past or present
People have favorite politicians?

Now that Mayor Gavin is single, who are you going to set him up with?
Anna Nicole

You can tell someone is a local here IF
They dress well in layers.

SF would be soooo much better if only
There was more parking. or less cars.

Best Burrito
Cancun

Best Restaurant
Boulevard

Best movie scene filmed in or about SF
Bullet car chase.

Favorite artist to come out of the bay area
Evan Hecox

Favorite author to come out of the bay area
Eggers

Place you always tell visitors to check out
Valencia Street

Favorite Bridge in the area
Golden Gate

You have two hours and $15 bucks to kill in SF, what are you going to do?
Go see a band.

I have found/sold/bought the following on craigslist
Employees for IODA

I want all the SFists out there to know
That you are lucky to list in SF.

Tell us a San Francisco Story
I just heard a really good one about the mayor but probably shouldn't repeat it...

Question you'd ask if you were doing this interview
Do you find it hard to pick "Bests" when there are so many good things out there?