the microphonemask noise rock experimental

As many of you know, there is more than one young wetzel in my family, and all of them play one instrument or another. The newest instrumental addition to the family repertoire is the "Microphone Mask," something my brother James and his friend Eric invented for their new noise experiment. From what I understand, the mask is a t-shirt affixed with a rotary phone speaker/microphone that can be draped over the head, thereby freeing the arms for drumming. Eye-holes and feathers give the masks a decorative flair. A classmate at their college in Galesburg, Illinois apparently found it interesting enough to turn into an art project of her own, enlarging a solarized photo of the drum duo, printing it out on several hundred sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper and taping it to the wall near the admissions office. When I had my mom forward this photo to me, she said she hesitated to even title it a photo of James, because they looked too much like guerilla fighters. I told her that experimental noise rock outfits weren't necessarily formed with moms in mind. But I'm sure even my folks would like to wish James and Eric the best of luck with their first gig this weekend. It looks to me like it could be a lot of fun.