WFMU's Beware of the Blog

The Necks live at WFMU (MP3)

In honor of the return of this Australian trio to New York, here's the full MP3 of their transcendent performance from my radio show back almost exactly one year ago (why do they keep leaving the warmth of the southern hemisphere?). For the uninitiated, the Necks hail fron Sydney, and since 1987 have utilized the piano/bass/drums format in a singular, unorthodox fashion that has left them uncategorizable, yet critically-acclaimed and in high demand from jazz, ambient, and avant-rock festivals. The trio of Chris Abrahams (piano) Tony Buck (drums, percussion) and Lloyd Swanton (stand-up bass) have performed their sprawling, dense, and tranced-out pieces in art spaces, clubs, the Sydney Opera House, and last week at Issue Project Room (where I caught the first night of a two-night stand). Issue's recording of night #1 set #2 has also been uploaded to the Free Music Archive, and is stunning; at one point it was somewhat like witnessing and hearing the ocean at work. Gentle, seashell-like percussion mixing in with sheets of other acoustic strings and keys. New Age? Someone mentioned that before the set, not sure what to expect, and in a sense there is a certain harnessing of organic, natural elements. Nature itself does seem to sit in with these guys. Overtones emerge as repetitions pick up ever-so-slowly (a normal "piece" can take an hour or more), individuals listening can hone in on certain phrases that maybe others don't concentrate on, the template the Necks present is precise, but open, and always hypnotic as any Spacemen 3 or Kompakt release. Their 2009 visit to WFMU, engineered by Irene Trudel, was a huge honor for me; getting to watch up close as the ideas rolled out and gather mass. Hope you enjoy it as well. Special thanks to Irene and Regina Greene.

La Düsseldorf - Rheinita (video)

This is a very weird version of La Düsseldorf's hit "Rheinita", apparently a rehearsal for the German TV show "Szene 79" with host Thomas Gottschalk (who seems weirdly out of place introducing a bunch of tripping Electro-Krautrockers.) I am not sure if this was ever broadcast.

YouTube: [link]

There is a Quicktime version of this clip on La Düsseldorf's website, but the quality is not much better: [link]

In a Perfect World

If I had a regular show on WFMU again, and if the American government would let us play curses over the air, then I would play this song by Die Antwoord for you. And if I had been paying attention when they explained how to embed video in the Typepad thingie, I would do that, too. Except that this song doesn't have any video. In a perfect world, I guess it would. 

Thanks for reading my blogpost this time, and may God bless.

Alvin and the... Squirrels (MP3's)

Here's one of the oddest attempts to cash in on the success of David Seville and the Chipmunks that I've seen. It's a release on the Modern Sound label by Alvin & the Squirrels. The A side, "A Fella in a White Coat", is yet another riff on subjects that were all the rage in humor in the late '50's, psychiatry and insanity. The B side does away with any attempts to sound like the Chipmunks at all. In another tie in to a then-current area of fascination, it's a little slice of science fiction called "The Fliff". I think both sides are enjoyable bits of nonsense, and much more interesting than I'd have guessed they'd be, for what was essentially an attempt at a knock-off of a current fad.

Alvin and the Squirrels - A Fella in a White Coat (MP3)

Alvin and the Squirrels -  The Fliff (MP3)

Single A Side (JPG) - Single B Side (JPG)

NBC vs. BCO as refereed by Mindwrecker

The Mindwrecker, aka DJ Freshstep (I know-- there are more than one of both of these already, but when you've been using a nickname for more than ten years ya kinda get attached to it) is as known for his bizarre freestyle live sets as his in-studio joints, and today we present a little slice of the latter: two cuts from the 2003 (barely released) Meat for Mohammed.

The first, Mohammed Receives the Word
features some original music by Mindwrecker and a piece called Transforma, by Jon Arnold.

The second mp3 of two is the 31'58" set
 N.B.C. vs. B.C.O. / Types of Energy
and it sports a whole laundry list of elements:
some Big City Orchestra (BCO) as mixed by Monte Cazzaza, an NBC (Neighborhood Bass Coalition) cut, a sequence from Tom Glazer and Dottie Evans' Energy and Motion Songs, some more Mindwrecker solo stuff, Walter Brennan, Burl Ives, Winnie the Pooh with Louie Prima, and an unknown-title Japanese kid's show theme.

Just some strange, noisey entertainment for a winter day. Play it loud, of course!
 

Faust live at WFMU Fest in Brooklyn 10/1/09 (MP3's)

(Poster left Henry Owings, photo right Greg Cristman) We were honored to have Teutonic titans Faust headline the first night of WFMU Fest (which ran October 1-3 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg and also included the likes of TV Ghost, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Talk Normal, VeeDee, Pissed Jeans, Drunkdriver, Sightings, Aluk Todolo, Cold Cave, and the Guinea Worms); it's a rare occassion for these living legends to hit American shores. They without doubt had a healthy hand in shaping modern experimental, industrial, electronic and even pop music; in Julian Cope's words, "there is no group more mythical."

For those who were hesitant to see what a nearly 40 year old band held near and dear to their hearts could be up to, doubts were instantly dispelled as the crowd was treated to a heavy dose of Faust IV-heavy classics and crazed improvisations that  seized the moment (coupled with live painting and cement mixer  action). A few weeks back Faust OK'd a broadcast of the set, and I had an opportunity to chat at length with Jean-Herve Peron and his dog (streaming archive from my January 19th show is here, and you can go right to the interview segment here), and now we're happy to say you can grab the entire October 1st WFMU Fest show on MP3! Severe thanks to Regina Greene, Jean-Herve, and Scott Williams for the fantastic mix. By the way, a few other of that weekend's artists (namely Talk Normal and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks) have all posted some Mp3s from WFMU Fest on the Free Music Archive. Enjoy!

Faust, live at WFMU Fest, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY Oct 1, 2009. Lineup: Jean-Herve Peron, Zappi Diermaier, James Johnston and Geraldine Swayne.

Dustbin Delights

 Tony Coulter here, with a new batch of vinyl finds -- all acquired since moving to Portland, OR almost six months ago. While previous posts were focused on records from the Northwest, this time 'round I've thrown aside geographical constraints -- i.e., I found 'em here, mostly in thrift stores and dollar bins, but they're from all over. After presenting my favorite tracks from seven of these LPs, I'll finish up with two imaginary record covers.

Enjoy....

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 53 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
6 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

You just gotta love the ironic touch of naming a nightspot in the the middle of landlocked Iowa the Surf Ballroom. No wild guffaws, though, as we doff fedoras in quiet contemplation of the tragedy, 51 years ago today, that put the Surf on the map.

(1) Thirty years after making the experimental film New York Eye and Ear Control, filmmaker/painter/sculptor/writer/musician Michael Snow recorded this compelling piano/drum duet with fellow Canadian Jack Vorvis. ••• (2) Hammond B-3 demon Clifford Coulter first gained wider recognition playing in John Lee Hooker's backing band. Bay-area guitarist Mel Brown was in that group, too, and he joins Cliff on this rollicking funkfest. (His "Big Fat Funky Shirley" is one of my favorite talkover tracks on the radio.) ••• (3) One of the greatest of all American balladeers, Granny Riddle was as much a living, breathing encyclopedia as she was folk singer. With her clarion voice and cavernous knowledge, this griot of the Arkansas outback was in her mid-fifties when she was "discovered," by folklorist John Quincy Wolf and folk-song hunter Alan Lomax. She's a national treasure in perpetuity. ••• (4) Infectious Ethiopian pop bands Ethio Stars and Tukul Band started out as session crews backing singers like Mahmoud Ahmed in the '80s before breaking out with Amhartic hits of electronified reggae- and soul-infused rock. Well worth hearing even if you have all 24 volumes of the brilliant Ethiopiques series. ••• (5) The late, great Bo Diddley knew a thing or two about the guitar, but his extensive legend doesn't reveal whether or not he ever actually wielded the famed one-string diddley bow (Speaking of legend, Bo's gravestone bares the legend: "Pioneer • Icon • Pharoah • Originator • Legend." Um, Pharoah?!) One infamous gentleman known to have played the diddley bow is Eddie "One String" Jones, who—if the liner notes are to be believed—was a beggar recorded playing his contraption on L.A.'s skid row in 1960. ••• (6) Not to be confused with the late-'60s California-based orchestral psych/pop band The David, this late-'60s orchestral psych/pop band was a septet, named merely David, that hailed from Ontario.

(1)

Snow Job
Jack and Mike  ~  "Incredible Drums and Piano Duets/Hear There"
(Blog: Any Genre Goes)
From the album: Blues in the Clocktower (mp3)

(2)

Big Phat Funky Clifford
Clifford Coulter  ~  "East Side San Jose"
(Blog: Do You Hear What I Hear?)

(3)

Arkansas Griot
Almeda Riddle  ~  "How Firm a Foundation"
(Blog: Times Ain't Like They Used to Be)
From the album:  Worldwide Peace (mp3)

(4)

Too Cool Indeed
Ethio Stars & Tukul Band  ~  "Amharic Hits & Experimental
Traditions From Ethiopia"
(Blog: Bravo Juju)

(5)

Does Mean Diddley
Eddie "One String" Jones & Edward Hazelton  ~   "One String Blues"
(Blog: On Muddy Sava Riverbank)
From the album: It's Raining Here (mp3)

(6)

Popadelic Canadians
David  ~  "David"
(Blog: Red Telephone 66)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Icky Boyfriends: Making Me Proud to Be American

From Seeamanaboutahorse's You Tube page, the late 80's/early 90's San Francisco ambassadors of primitive party music. The mere line ""You keep on talking to me / just like the McLaughlin Group / you're about as interesting as Campbell's Soup" still speaks volumes to me. Check their 2CD anthology on Menlo Park, A Love Obscene. Film shot in Super 8 by Robert Arnold at 18 Sycamore (former residence of Snakefinger).

Soum Bill et Côte d'Ivoire

One of my favorite live music shows last year was Ivorian singer Soum Bill performing at San Francisco's Baobab Village.  He is a very talented showman, at times rocking solo with an acoustic guitar, and at others dancing along with adoring female fans to bass heavy beats.  One of the stars of Ivory Coast's music scene, he started as part of the Zouglou movement and is now one of the leaders of the Coupe Decale phenomenon.  The above picture taken from this website, is him performing in Harlem in 2006, to a very excited diaspora crowd.

Soum Bill - Respect

Coupe Decale to me is the most exciting music out of West Africa right now.  It's influence can be heard across Africa, reaching Europe through mainstream French Electro Pop, while at the same time birthing new, underground sound aesthetics.  It's been a staple in my life as a DJ and as a young African in the diaspora identifying with its global view, and nu-whirled production aesthetic.  Soum Bill represents a higher production value and more mainstream sound aesthetic, but as Coupe Decale splinters off into several sub genres, look for more posts of this exciting music.

CBC Radio 3 on the Free Music Archive (mp3)

Please welcome CBC Radio 3 to the Free Music Archive!

CBC Radio 3 is a service of the Canadian Broadcast Corporation with a focus on emerging Canadian music. Alongside their pioneering efforts in webcasting, podcasting, and satellite broadcasting, CBC Radio 3's website offers a free on-demand library of streaming music from over 20,000 Canadian artists. With a unique curatorial focus, CBC Radio 3 is expanding the definition of radio. We're proud to welcome them to the Free Music Archive alongside WFMU and fellow radio innovators like KEXP and dublab.

CBC Radio 3 kicks things off with a great batch of live tracks from Caribou, Destroyer, Arcade Fire, New Pornographers, Feist, K'naan, Neko Case, Islands, Thunderheist, Do Make Say Think, The Sadies, Sloan, and many more. Check out their "Additive Free Canadian Blend" mix after the jump, and dig in to CBC Radio 3's FMA portal for more, or subscribe to their RSS feed to keep up w/ new adds.

Devo - Private Secretary (video)

Another rare musical treasure, brought to you by the Internet via some bad VHS tape... Early Devo playing "Private Secretary" at Kent State in 1973.

YouTube: [link]

Free jazz funk from Philly: Sounds of Liberation and Byard Lancaster

Recently, I was listening to a reissue of Sounds of Liberation's self-titled 1972 LP, due out on Feb. 16; I have an advance copy for purposes of review (set for print in Signal to Noise, #57).  Porter Records has unearthed what was long the province of only the most dedicated collectors.  The septet included Dwight James (drums), Khan Jamal (vibraphone), Byard Lancaster (alto sax), Rashid Salim (conga), Monnette Sudler (electric guitar), Omar Hill (percussion), and Billy Mills (electric bass).  It occurred to me while writing that not only was I unfamiliar with all of these musicians, but I was completely ignorant of the fact that Philadelphia had its own fertile jazz scene in the 1970s.  What appealed to me in Sounds of Liberation was the combination of funk and Ayler-like mysticism, so I took the time to find out if its contributors had any other recording history; to my surprise, many of them were quite accomplished players who had led numerous sessions from the seventies on.  For those who were less successful or ambitious, well, at least they got to play a bill with Kool & the Gang for the 6th Annual Miss Black America Pageant.

The group had no "leader", but I think the obvious standout is Byard Lancaster.  At times my enjoyment was tempered by what I felt to be the band's endlessly repetitive rhythms and chordal patterns, but the altoist's solos always gave me something to look forward to.  In my review, I wrote the following: "He flutters gently and trills like a machine-gun, soars over the rest of the group and sings himself hoarse.  He is like the bird described by Jules Michelet, so poorly adapted to captivity that he kills himself trying to escape the cage."  Greedily I began digging into his solo career, looking for tracks which he graced with his presence.  Aside from his usual Philly cohorts, Lancaster has played on classic LPs by Sunny Murray, Burton Greene and Marzette Watts, moving between New York, France, and his hometown.  In an excellent interview with Clifford Allen, he spoke of Philadelphia in a spiritual vein reminiscent of his music: "Philadelphia is a tribal city... it is the spiritual capital of the United States and rivals Mecca. The laws of the country and its culture were born there, and we are the root of all culture in the world because we're running the world culture now and the root of America is Philadelphia."  Try as he might, he always ended up back home, cutting his records for tiny labels like the now-defunct Vortex and Palm--part of the reason he almost lapsed into total obscurity.

What follows are a few tracks from the Sounds of Liberation release and highlights from Lancaster's discography.  As one can see, Porter is doing much to rehabilitate his reputation.  The saxman (who also plays flute), born 1942, is still full of restless energy; his website opens with an amusing Nov. 2000 court incident, in which Lancaster was arrested for playing the streets of Philadelphia: something he's been doing practically his whole life. 

 

From Sounds of Liberation (Dogtown, 1972; Porter, 2010)  

Sounds of Liberation - New Horizons II

Sounds of Liberation - We'll Tell You Later

From Personal Testimony (Concert Artists, 1979; Porter, 2008) -- perhaps my favorite for variety and sheer weirdness

Byard Lancaster - Brotherman

Byard Lancaster - Mind Exercise

Byard Lancaster - Prayer Cry (voice, flute & tape collage)

From Funny Funky Rib Crib (Palm, 1974; Kindred Spirit, 2008)

Byard Lancaster - Dogtown

From Live at Macalester College (Dogtown, 1972; Porter, 2008)

Byard Lancaster - Thought

From Exactement (Palm, 1975)

Byard Lancaster & Keno Speller - Palm Sunday

From It's Not Up to Us (Vortex, 1968; Water, 2003)

Byard Lancaster - Over the Rainbow

Next week I'll be taking a look at some of the group's other members, namely Khan Jamal and Dwight James, so be sure to check back. And feel free to school me on the topic, as what I've written here is truly the extent of my knowledge in this arena.

Miami is So Raw!

Miami. It's beautiful, perfect weather, and is the home of the best drugs and Cuban food a person could ever want. Sadly, it's isolation makes it hard for music fans. Bands don't want to drive all the way down to Miami on their tour when they can only get a few shows. Life must be hard for all the record collecting teens in Miami.

Well right now the punks are taking back Miami and the stuff that's happening is super exciting. I went down last June for the first ever Miami Is So Raw festival and had maybe the best time of my life. Jacuzzi Boys brought the jumpin' garage rock, Melted Sunglasses punched the crowd in the face with haunting psychy punk, TeePee killed the ladies with soulful lo-fi jams, and Brian's Dirty Busines" was the most perfectly executed joke band I had ever seen. But the band that most stands out in this happening scene is The Electric Bunnies.



The Electric Bunnies have released a handful of singles, and have just released their debut LP, Through The Magical Door on Florida's Dying. The LP is beautiful from start to finish, the psychedelic magical grooves seem to try to tear apart what you already know of garage rock at the seams and sew it back together into something insanely awesome... and most importantly, the sleeve of the record folds out into an Electric Bunnies board game that you can play with all your friends! Totally worth it!

Electric Bunnies - The Green Octopus
Electric Bunnies - Cross The Street

International Harvester

First footage I've seen of this amazing Swedish psych powerhouse, a group that was founded around 1967 by Pärson Sound/Träd, Gräs och Stenar's Bo Anders Persson. Johan Kugelberg's recent Swedish Underground exhibit at the Kasher Gallery in Soho brought a lot of photo images of this era to life, and the sound of these three bands has had a big impact on me through the years so the new visuals are very welcome. It makes perfect sense that Persson started Parson Sound (which morphed into International Harvester upon opening for a Swedish Doors gig) after experiencing Terry Riley's residency in Sweden; the heavy trance element, flowing ethno-vibe and rock-riffery heaviness are well documented on the Silence label's Sov Gott Rose Marie reissue (still in print). It's a monster. Seeing TGoS some years ago at Tonic was also transcendent, despite the fact members were getting into their 70's (via Exdoomorbedoomed's YT page).

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 52 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
6 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

Here, friends, is another sextet of sonorous delights to add to your to-burn list. Get clicking:

(1) In 1968 Louis Armstrong had a private audience with Pope Paul VI. One wonders if Pops brought the Pontiff this sweet long-player as a house gift. ••• (2) After disbanding their pscyh combo Aguaturbia, the married duo of Carlos and Denise Corales formed the softfunk group Panal. At least they kept their clothes on for this record jacket. (Here, not so much.) ••• (3) Located near Colombia's Atlantic coast, Palenque de San Basilio was founded in the 17th century by escaped African slaves. Descendants of those fugitives make up a majority of the town's 3,500 residents—including members of the legendary drum troupe Sexteto Tabalá. ••• (4) Spaced-out vocals and fuzzed-out guitars are the hallmark of this sole effort from the Tropicália-era outfit Os Brazões. Gal Costa tapped them to be the backing band for her live shows back int he late '60s. ••• (5) The '70s rock band from Papua New Guinea Black Brothers, a beloved inspiration to adherents of the Free Papua Movement (and the band behind the nationalist anthem "Judgment Day"), sought refuge on Vanuatu in 1988 when things got to hot for them at home. ••• (6) I don't know much about the singer Bryony James, though an hour of obsessive Googling finally uncovered this line of text from an 1969 issue of the British music mag Gramaphone: "Bryony James is a promising American-born newcomer with a stylish sound midway between Cleo Laine and Marian Montgomery...well supported by the Laurie Holloway Quartet, augmented by bongos." Now I ask you, just how bad could any record be that is "augmented by bongos"?

(1)

Let Us Pray
Louis Armstrong  ~  "Louis and the Good Book"
(Blog: Mec Fais Tourner les Skeuds)
[Password = fucksarko]

 

(2)

Chile Today, Hot Tamale
Panal  ~  "Panal"
(Blog: Lost in Tyme)
From the album: El Humahuaqueño (mp3)

(3)

Roll On, Colombia, Roll On
Sexteto Tabalá  ~  "Los Reyes del Son Palenquero"
(Blog: Black Star Liners)

(4)

Gal Costa's Funky Crew
Os Brazões  ~  "Os Brazões"
(Blog: FM Shades)
From the album: Espiral (mp3)

(5)

Papua's Got a Brand New Bag
Black Brothers  ~  "Kaum Benalu"
(Blog: Madrotter)

(6)

Shirley Bassey-esque
Bryony James  ~  "Feeling Good"
(Blog: Quimsy's Mumbo Jumbo)
From the album: Our Day Will Come (mp3)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

High Heels But No Soul (MP3s)

 
Lonzo & Oscar  -  High Heels  (3:07)

Billy Brown  (The Country Gentleman)  -  High Heels But No Soul  (2:49)

Paul Harper And His Westerners  -  High Heels And No Soul  (2:53)

       

Explosive Improvised Device, My Castle of Quiet session 20thJan2010

What sets Anthony Saunders' sonic creations apart from the hundreds of other performers using a table of pedals and mic'd-up metal accoutrements? For one, an intense performer's energy (which almost burst when I tried to make a few gig announcements—sorry, man, I still feel terrible about that!) Add to this a lifelong obsession with brutal sounds (including being one-half of Dataclast), combined with a true musician's meticulousness and finesse. The tentative, delicate passages in Explosive Improvised Device make the crashes and clusters that much more arresting. Power electronics to be sure, but informed by Bayle, Parmegiani and Varèse.

EID's My Castle of Quiet session will likely be released on tape or vinyl in the near future, but with Anthony's obsessive cutting, layering and EQing, there's almost no chance of the final release sounding quite like it does here ---

Terrify the Holy Hearts

The Woman Took Me To Her World and Blessed Me With Her Tongue

Thanks to Glenn L for making it all sound extra-purty for the airwaves.

Thanks to Tracy for making my crap photo of Anthony look like a still from Begotten.

EID's performance on WFMU-FM's My Castle of Quiet is shared by way of a creative commons attribution-non commercial-no derivatives license.

Ugly Kid Joe, No Longer an Influence in the Burbs, It Seems

Via Metal Inquisition
:

Trude Herr - Ich will keine Schokolade (video)

Here is a great clip from 1965, German actress and singer Trude Herr singing her 1960 hit "Ich will keine Schokolade" (I don't want chocolate).

YouTube: [link]