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Out Demos Out! Tony Coulter's 2013 Marathon Premium!

Hello, dear eyeballs — Tony Coulter here. For this year's marathon, I've compiled a collection of great unreleased tracks, dubbed Out Demos Out!

One of the contributors, Doyle Dean of Utility Project, whipped up a video to go with his track and I thought I'd share it with you today. Out Demos Out! will automatically be yours for a donation of $75 to my show, which airs on WFMU's Give the Drummer Radio stream, Tuesdays, 12 – 3pm (ET).

Artists on the comp include the following musical greats: Anode, Bene Gesserit, Sebastian Bradt, Charlene Darling, Dymaxion, Fantastic Palace (Alexander Ross), Larry Mondello Band, K. Leimer, Look de Bouk, People Like Us, Rascal Reporters, Tom Recchion, Toupidek Limonade, Utility Project, Walls of Genius, and Yximalloo.

Have a look:

Way-Out Ideas for FMU-ers

Tony Coulter here, with some fun activity suggestions for WFMU listeners, taken from the book Way-Out Ideas for Youth Groups, published by Zondervan in 1968. Why not get started right away by studying the photos beyond the fold? These illustrate some of the many exciting games you and your friends could be enjoying right now. And be sure not to miss the groovy bonus pics at the end of the post!

Songs from a Random House: The 1986 Demo

Tony Coulter here, eager to share a long-treasured cassette: a 1986 demo from the New York City band Songs from a Random House. Formed in 1985 by Steven Swartz and Alan Drogin, Songs from a Random House -- which features material written by Swartz, a student of Morton Feldman -- was very low-profile for the first 15 years of its existence: Its first official release, the CD Random Numbers, didn't appear until 2000. Barring a track on the otherwise mediocre 1988 compilation LP Downtown NYC, nothing commercially available documents their early years. So, with Steven Swartz's permission, I've decided to give you their wonderful five-track 1986 demo in its entirety.

At the time the demo was recorded, the band consisted of Alan Drogin (soprano ukulele, charanga, chord organ, lap steel guitar, backing vocals, percussion), Don Peyton (viola, backing vocals), and Steven Swartz (lead vocals, baritone ukulele, chord organ drone, percussion). Three songs -- "Water," "Born in a Barn," and "White Trees" -- appear on the CD Random Numbers in very different versions and performed by a different line-up; the other two songs are unreleased.

I've really liked the cassette ever since being given it back in 1986; here's hoping you enjoy it too.

1.  Can I Get You Something?

2.  Talking with a Giant

3.  Water

4.  Born in a Barn

5.  White Trees

R.I.P. Cyril Lefebvre

Tony Coulter here. This past Tuesday, on FMU's Give the Drummer Radio stream, I aired a tribute to the wonderful French slide guitarist and ukulele player Cyril Lefebvre, who passed away recently at the age of 64. To augment that broadcast, which you can listen to here, I thought I'd share with you a charming little film on Lefebvre from 1979, titled Gomina et Whap dou Whap. Non--French speakers may want to know that the live music kicks in around the three-minute mark. The amazing drummer is Guigou Chenevier, of Etron Fou Leloublan (should-be) fame. Please to enjoy.

KinkZoid

Tony Coulter here, hoping to shine a light on a fine but little-known duo dubbed KinkZoid. Formed in 2005, KinkZoid consists of Steve De Chiara -- formerly of Chicago's great Blitzoids -- and Greg Chapman. Like the Blitzoids, echos of whose sound are very much in evidence, KinkZoid records avant-outsider songs that blend Rock in Opposition--style prog with Residential goofiness, and mix humour with anger and despair. Below the fold, you'll find my favorite tracks from their five releases to date. Give a listen and help keep true, inspired weirdness alive.

Tree People + Folks on Fire + Larry Mondello Band = The Update

Tony Coulter here, with a critical audiovisual update for your mental operating system. Click your way past the fold, and you will find music and videos by three groups I've already blogged about here on BotB. This is the stuff I should have/ would have/ could have included the first time around. Better Nate than lever, no?

You may continue to use your computer during this essential update.

My Favorite Thrift-Store Demos

Tony Coulter here, with another stack of cassettes. This time 'round, I've sampled my favorite thrift-store demos -- or more accurately, I suppose, my favorite demo cassettes found in thrift stores. I didn't know what any of them were when I bought them, over the years, but each has something special. As an added bonus, I've also given you a few favorite thrift-store LP jackets at the end of the post.

Cassette Power !!!!

Tony Coulter here, ready to share my favorite tracks from four wonderful, if sadly unknown cassettes. On the count of three, let's all fast-forward past the fold....

Welcome to the Fold

Tony Coulter here, hoping to share a small batch of LPs with you -- some for the music, others for their covers. Why not meet in the great by-and-by, on the other side of the fold?

The Legend of the Larry Mondello Band

Tony Coulter here, bringing you a special follow-up post. Last year -- on tax day, no less -- I posted a few tracks on BotB by the mysterious cassette underground outfit known as The Larry Mondello Band (these can be heard here). At the time I had little to say about the group, because, frankly, I knew nothing --  despite owning and treasuring five of their cassettes. In the interim I managed to track down one of the group's two founders and mainstays, Steve Defoe, and with his generous help I now bring you the definitive Larry Mondello Band post. I've decided to simply let him tell the story, which you'll find in his words after the jump, along with tracks from each of their releases, photos, and artwork.

If 3 Was 6

Some purty pictures for ya, behind the curtain. All taken from record jackets -- 'cepting one iron-on. Why not have a look-see?

Desert Pinafore

Tony Coulter here, bringing you some fine LP jacket art, plus one hand-embellished inner sleeve.

Turn the page, won't you?

Déficit des Années Antérieures

Tony Coulter here, after a somewhat lengthy absence. Today I will be focusing on the ineffable and uncategorizable French band/art collective known as Déficit des années antérieures (or D.D.A.A.). D.D.A.A. have been huge favorites of mine for more than 25 years, and during that span of time I've acquired a certain amount of artwork by the band, as well as posters and photos, and I thought it would be a good idea to share some of that here on BotB. With D.D.A.A.'s permission, I've also given you tracks from each of their 7" releases (singles and EPs), barring one that has been reissued on CD. You'll find those tracks after the jump, along with photos of some of the wonderful inserts that accompanied each release. All but the last 7" was released by D.D.A.A. themselves on their own Illusion Production label; one is a collaboration with visual artist/vocalist Joel Hubaut and guitarist Manou.

I'm not going to try to convince you how unique and original D.D.A.A. are through describing them or giving a run-down of their history; instead, I will simply let the music and images speak for themselves.

Your Hand in My Ear Canal

Greetings, fellow eyeballs -- Tony Coulter here. I'm sorry to report that there has been a major equipment breakdown in Coulterville: Both my receiver and my trusty stand-alone burner have crapped out on me. Thus, I bring you no sounds this time, just pictures.  But what pictures they are....

Have a look, won't you?

Belgian Gold

Art: Colos

Tony Coulter here, filing a second report on the audio spoils of a recent trip to Belgium. Last time, the focus was on old favorites and their confreres; this time, I present the happy results of a shot in the dark. (Fortunately, no record store clerks were injured.)  It's my habit to pick up interesting-looking private/small-label LPs whenever possible, and I figured I might as well do the same while in Brussels. Thus I acquired an unknown-to-me LP by Dominique Delvaulx, which turned out to be quite stellar, and led me to another fabulous album, recorded by Luc Henrion. Beyond the jump, you'll find tracks from both, along with a bit of background info -- and, as usual, following that there lurks a small collection of choice record jackets.

Belle Jhum

Tony Coulter here, once again, after a seven-week blog-free siesta. What was I doing during my time off, you (didn't) ask? Among other things, I traveled to Belgium, where you get two countries for the price of one: almost-France and almost-Holland. While there, I did a guest show on Antwerp's freeform radio station Radio Centraal (thanks to Gerardo Sanchez and Peter Smets, hosts of Tabasco TV, for the invite). If you're curious, you can listen to the show here. I also, predictably enough, bought lots of records, many of which got played on my most recent Give the Drummer Radio show (hearable here). Finally, along with the usual touristic trips to dungeons and cathedrals, I was able to visit with one of my favorite musicians, Alain Neffe; to meet with Eriek Van Havere, proprietor of one my favorite labels, EE Tapes; and to see the Logos Foundation's wonderful robot orchestra play itself. For more on Neffe, EE Tapes, and robot orchestras, meet me on the other side of the jump.

Looping Back

Art: Barbara Hatch

Tony Coulter here, with another audio-visualization exercise for you. I want you to close your eyes, concentrate, and focus hard on imagining what the music of Daniel Malempré and the music of Tom Recchion might sound like.

Now, open your eyes, stretch, and click below to find out if you were right.

Blog Bathing

Tony Coulter here, back again with square sights and round sounds -- LPs and their jackets, that is. Before we dive in (careful not to cut yourself on the vinyl shards), let me just briefly toot-toot my own horn: my new three-hour program on WFMU's alternate Web stream Give the Drummer Radio is running and up -- running, as in hearable every other Tuesday at noon o'clock EST, with a rebroadcast the following week; up, as in archived. Tune in for the Tony tunes, won't you?

For now, though, focus your attention on what lies within and beyond: music by Don Muro and Abner Burnett.

The Dust Blows Back

Art: ??

Tony Coulter here, bringing you not just sights and sounds, but an announcement as well: Next Tuesday, January 18th, at noon EST, I shall return to WFMU's almost-airwaves, beaming myself to you from my home here in Portland, OR.  Be there, won't you, for the launching of my new weekly Web-only show on Give the Drummer Radio, one of the station's nifty new alternate streams. (All hail Doug Schulkind for creating the stream, and for the invitation.) The shows will be three hours long, brewed fresh every other Tuesday, then rebroadcast the following week. You'll be able to tune in live by clicking on the Give the Drummer Stream link on the station's homepage -- or you can just listen to archives of the shows at your languorous leisure. I'll be doing a live playlist as always -- hope to see you there.

With that bit of news out of the way, let's turn to the real meat of the post: music released and unreleased from two should-be-famous gents: Val Rogolino (of Kath and Badge) and Jim Curnutte (of Assassin of Silence). Plus, of course, the pictures. 

Company, forward!

In with the Out

Tony Coulter here, rendered somewhat sluggish by the seasonal admixture of egg nog and champagne.  I'll keep it sweet and short this time, and simply share with you two fine releases from 2010.  Plus, of course, I've festooned the place with a smattering of LP jackets to help keep your holiday spirits high.

And now, please step into THE FUTURE...