Strange Maine: Big Blood (mp3s)

A good sign that a band is in the full embrace of creative possession is revealed in its choice and handling of cover material.  The "phantom 4-piece" Big Blood boldly and beautifully tackles a Sumatran pop song (streaming mp3, expires Xmas; here's realaudio) from the indomitable Sublime Frequencies series of musical Asian mysteries; and their take on Can's "Vitamin C" (streaming realaudio) is completely revealing not just of Big Blood, but of Can.  And they do it with acoustic instruments.  Hearing it is truly like hearing Can with somebody else's ears, and it is fucking thrilling. (both links take you to the WFMU  archives, and original versions of both those songs)

Big Blood is clearly in full thrall to whatever demon god of creativity squirrels around under the dirt up there in South Portland, Maine among the loons and the decrepit oil tanks. Rhythmically hypnotic, with a lot of melody and instrumental density; broadly considered a "psych-folk" band (fair enough), it has been suggested that Big Blood have actually tripped over some long hidden threads of indigenous Americana to discover a trove of musical and folkloric delights that somehow fossilized and disappeared, centuries ago.  It sounds so "Evil Dead", doesn't it?  It can be -- but it can also be intensely and heartbreakingly warm and moving.  Now would be a good time to watch this video; if watching it doesn't make you want to watch it again, and then perhaps even again, then skedaddle. You and I will agree to disagree.

That's "Oh Country", performed by Big Blood with their pal Kelly Nesbitt, live on the Pipeline local live music radio show on WMBR out of Cambridge MA. Lots more Pipeline vids here; download a podcast of the entire 40 minute Big Blood set via iTunes, or here.

Jump the flip to learn more, and for lotsa treats, including links and exclusive mp3 downloads.

Big Blood evolved from Cerberus Shoal, the prolific Maine collective of large-ensemble art rock weirdos.  Concerning Maine, CS founder Caleb Mulkerin says "We all have access to the same raw materials in this day & age, but it's sure nice to be allowed the space to stay focused on what it is you would like to accomplish."  (oh new york, up yours! --ed.)

Cerberus Shoal did a series of collaborations with others, including Herman Dune and The Magic Carpathians Project.  Their collab w/ Alan Bishop called "The Vim & Vigour of Alvarius B and Cerberus Shoal" is one of my fave recordings ever.  To my ears, Cerberus Shoal's secret weapon is / was multi-instrumentalist / singer Colleen Kinsella.  (Hear her singing an 18 minute piece of offhand devastation called "Ding", here).  Colleen's a trained an untrained-but-got-her-start-in-a-4th-grade-production-of-Music-Man singer who often tends toward a distant, laconic and very dry delivery, but other times she favors a sarcastic banshee mode, which oddly has the effect of being empathetic.  At times there's a little bit of that Joanna Newsome / Coco Rosie thing, if they took the pacifiers out of their mouths.  Also, she digs Creedence.

Colleen and Caleb had a baby together, effectively putting Cerberus Shoal on hiatus, and Big Blood became their outlet for musical, artistic and familial activities.  In the past year, they've released 5 full-length CDRs, each one reflecting the set list from a live show they've played.  Each CD is unique, and none shows even a glimmer of rot, predictability, or filler.  Additionally, they've released solo stuff (check the Asian Mae CDR! - you can download it here) and CDs by friends (Garm is the dude from Visitations), and formed a band with their housemates called Fire on Fire, who just last week released a CD on Michael Gira's Young God label.

"An intimately willing team walking blind through each other's songs presenting one of a kind recordings tailor-made to the night's performance."

Filling out the foursome are Asian Mae and Rose Philistine, alter egos to express the alter impulses of Colleen and Caleb, respectively.  For the release "Strange Maine 11.04.06", a set that validates all that "Evil Dead" talk above, these phantoms come to the fore.  Listen to "A Quiet Lousy Roar".

When pressed to compare Big Blood to others, I sense conceptual ties to the broadway paganism of the UK - your Wicker Mans and your Comuses (both of whom own my immortal soul, by the way).  On the American side, there's the Art of Flying / Lords of Howling camp out of New Mexico, exploring the same sort of freedom-thru-isolation questions.  Of course, you can't miss the impact of their avowed king of all bands Sun City Girls; otherwise, there's surface similarities to bands like Danielson, the Family of Apostolic, Donovan, Brigitte Fontaine, Faun Fables, Aphrodite's Child, and others.

2008 promises at least 3 more full-length Big Blood CDRs, and if the good lord wills it and the baby Quinnisa Rose approves some travel, a visit to these middle atlantic states (and this radio station, if we're really blessed). Meanwhile, we've got the following stash of strange, thanks to our generous and prolific friends, Big Blood; which, incidentally, falls for a thousand thousand years.  Just sayin'.

TREATS:

Super High Quality Exclusive mp3s!!

The Grove (14 megs) |  Oh Country (12 megs) (with the Bleeding Hearts)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Big Blood on myspace
Big Blood interview #1; interview #2
Here's a great (brief) profile from Cleveland Scene

Hear Big Blood on WFMU

Where to buy:
Time-Lag Records
North east Indie

Thanks to Caleb and Colleen for their enthusiastic cooperation, and for the mp3s; also to Jeff from Pipeline, and echoplanar for permission to repost the vid.  And Mike Lupica.

Comments

[seanh]

Just this morning, I was checking out the samples for that new Fire on Fire release, and was shocked by how much it reminded me of Big Blood. This pretty much explains it. Now I feel obligated to buy that YG release. I really adored their Strange Maine release (played a track of theirs on one of my podcasts months ago), so it seems like a pretty safe bet.

Oddly enough, coincidence keeps guiding me towards Colleen and Caleb's work. I first received Strange Maine as consolation for a botched order at the normally spectacular Tomentosa Records. Now, when encountering a sample reminiscent of their Big Blood project via an AnimalPsi posting, leaving me curious, I come to check out the WFMU blog and find an unintentional cure for my curiosity.

I really appreciate the detailed overview of their career. I haven't had time to dig into their work, and so knew nothing about their previous work and solo output. The video is especially appreciated, and obviously the new tracks as well. Definitely keep my eyes on AnimalPsi for news of their upcoming releases.

[BrianTurner]

Great band, Scott. We owe a bucketload of gratitude to Mr. Thurston Hunger at KFJC who steered those kidz into WFMU's mailbox several months ago.

[craig]

was that can ref s'posed to link us to a big blood cover of said song? cuz if it does, colleen is a japanese guy.

[craig]

ding is awesome - somewhere, peter jefferies is muttering to himself...

[Matthew Bass Little-Farmer]

I am from Maine and live in South Portland. Thank you so much for the great post and beautiful video. These people are just as wonderful as they seem. I am often wary about people from away finding out about our state. The NY Times' "The City To Good To Be True"(about Portland) type articles are a good example of what I'm talking about, also people who move here because they love Steve King's books. But these guys deserve to be known everywhere.

[Scott M]

This stuff is fantastic. Thanks for posting, Scott. Worth checking out this ILM thread for some good info on Visitations & Garm.

[Tom]

God I love Maine. Nothing like this in Ireland. Althought there is at least one Snack and Sandwich Reenactment Society, which is what it says and not a band. Thanks!

[Chance From That Third World Country Maine]

> I am from Maine and live in South Portland. Thank you so much for the great post and beautiful video. These people are
> just as wonderful as they seem. I am often wary about people from away finding out about our state. The NY Times' "The
> City To Good To Be True"(about Portland) type articles are a good example of what I'm talking about, also people who move > here because they love Steve King's books. But these guys deserve to be known everywhere.

Let people move here. Maine sucks so much, that the mayor of South Portland is proposing secession.

http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/019241.html

[pamela]

Thanks so much Scott. I tracked down Big Blood and bought two CDs, and they are great, though my favorite is Strange Maine.

[HalfSpeed]

I just received the Fire On Fire cd from YGR. What a gorgeous piece of "breathing" music. Like Big Blood, every moment, every spontaneous note shares an
understated importance. The production is amazing on the Young God release, yet I am still fond of the four track, self production quality on the Asian Mae
and Big Blood releases. There is something interesting about the various levels, room volumes...and a police siren driving by outside the house during a
recording seems to fit in so perfectly. Thanks for the link to the live Pipeline gig! I burned it to cd and have been playing it constantly in the car. Sorry! I've
been dissing WFMU! Besides the long, cold winters, what's in the water in Portland that could make a group of people so prolific at creating such diverse, great
music? Some sort of psycho-tropic glacial ice melt feed...

[Patrick W. Nelson]

Beautiful music!! Hope to find your CD sometime to play at my Hippie vintage shop/book-music store. This is my first time tuning into WFMU, you are great. Obscuriosities Retro, 720 East 4th St., Duluth MN 55805

[ammy100]

please for that new Fire on Fire release, and was shocked by how much it reminded me of Big Blood. This pretty much explains it. Now I feel obligated to buy that YG release. I really adored their Strange Maine release it good....
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ammy
Maine Treatment Centers

[Mike Ferrucci]

After years of living in Los Angeles reminded me what true "artists" really are. Inspirational,brilliant, dense, beautiful, hypnotic, hearbreaking music. Miles and miles beyond what so called pop and rock stars are spewing out on a daily basis. The world needs Big Blood, whether they are ready for them or not

Rooch