There are musicians who write "songs" and then there are artists who design sound into sculpture, layering this note over that scrape between this tap and that groan. The latter musician doesn't work to continue preconceived ideas of making music, but rather, tries to expand the way we experience it, turning what sounds completely random into something that must be understood and practiced before it can go breaking all the rules.

On May 16, Reuben Radding (Seattle) and Damon Smith (Oakland)--an avant-garde duo of standup-bass players--bent, warped, and deconstructed jazz as they performed very unconventional music. They set up inside Polestar, a new nonprofit, all-ages space in the Central District (1412 18th Ave) offering both local and international musicians a place to perform. Everything about the space whispers that you're in for some stimulating music--from the copies of Wire in the bathroom to the stark décor (or lack thereof). Polestar looks like a narrow white storefront, with rows of folding chairs and a small black stage.

When Radding and Smith performed, the only real light came from a single overhead lamp casting soft white light on the stage. Minimalism is the key at Polestar, as is the fact that it's so quiet, aside from the musicians, that your own cough can make you feel uncomfortable.

Radding and Smith took the stage and proceeded to treat their instruments like uncharted journeys into the fringes of noise. Using gentle hands, the men made their basses creak like rusty doors, wail like sirens, bellow slow moans, and ping, zing, and flit around notes like anxious insects. Their techniques were just as interesting as the sounds they produced-- Smith would rub his bow on the bass (as opposed to the strings), or Radding would stagger and force out his breathing patterns, adding small background textures. They ran their fingers all over their instruments, sometimes picking at the strings, other times tapping the wood, and then shifting to add deep, dark notes to the choppy sonic fabric.

The overall sound was chaotically cool, as the duo's unique talents instantly expanded the confines of jazz.