Legendary Krautrock Pioneers Faust Get Twitter, Let Everyone Know “Faust Entdecken U.S.A. und Kanada Tour Termine” (Translation: Holy Shit! Faust Is Coming to the U.S. of A. and Canada!)
By Jon Lorenz on 08-18-2009
As Julian Cope once said, "There is no group more mythical than Faust." Don't even try to argue with that! Julian Cope will come knockin' on your door and give you a 46-hour history lesson on all things Krautrock. He will draw you diagrams, pie charts, spreadsheets, and family trees. He will sit you down and make you watch every single music video that contains anything remotely considered "Krautrock." He will play every Krautrock record in existence while you sleep, eat, shower, go to school, watch TV... even while you look at those porno mags under your bed. Worst of all, he will hang out with your parents and make fun of them for not knowing who Guru Guru is. Oh, the tragedy!
Well, unless you want Julian Cope hassling you for the rest of your lives you'd better catch Faust while they are on this continent. On September 25, they will set out on a two-week venture through the east side of the U.S., plus two dates in Canada. Yeah that's right, fuck you West Coast, you ain't getting this one! The band has only been to the States twice in their existence -- once in 1994 and another in 1999 -- and not once have they been to Canada. This time around, the group will be made up of original members Jean-Hervé Peron and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, along with James Johnston (Gallon Drunk, Lydia Lunch, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) and visual/video artist, painter, and musician Geraldine Swayne. Along the way, Faust will also be headlining a number of festivals, including the Sonic Circuits Festival in DC, WFMU Fest in Brooklyn, Pop Montreal in... Montreal, and WRFL's Boomslang Festival in Lexington.
Don't be surprised when you see Julian Cope at every show telling the members of Faust that he knows more about Krautrock than they do.
Here's the dates:
09.25.09 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel *
09.27.09 - Washington, DC - Black Cat (Sonic Circuits Fest) +
09.28.09 - Philadelphia, PA - International House Philadelphia (workshop)
09.29.09 - Philadelphia, PA - International House Philadelphia
09.30.09 - Schenectady, NY - GE Theatre
10.01.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg (WFMU Fest)
10.03.09 - Montreal, QC - Pop Montreal Festival (daytime workshop/night show) $
10.04.09 - Toronto, ON - The Polish Combatants Hall
10.05.09 - Detroit, MI - Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art (workshop)
10.06.09 - Detroit, MI - Detroit Museum of Contemporary Art
10.07.09 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
10.08.09 - Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts
10.09.09 - Lexington, KY - Buster's (Boomslang Fest) @
10.10.09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club
10.11.09 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club (workshop)
$ Butthole Surfers, Jay Reatard, Yo La Tengo, Diamanda Galas, Os Mutantes, Sufjan Stevens, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, The Homosexuals, Thee Oh Sees
* sunn O)))
+ Jandek, Evan Parker/Ned Rothenberg, Tim Hecker, David Daniel, HEALTH
@ Os Mutantes, The Black Angels, Atlas Sound, Bardo Pond, Burning Star Core, Hair Police, Psychedelic Horseshit
Row over Music Royalties Again; U.S. Regulators Open Probe
By Brom on 08-18-2009
The Performance Rights Act, introduced into Congress earlier this year, is certainly causing much consternation across the music industry. The legislation aims to compensate artists whose music is played on AM and FM radio stations. A music coalition known as "musicFIRST" sent a petition to Congress claiming that broadcasters were “refusing to air the music of artists who demand to be paid when their songs are played on the radio.” The group also says radio stations are declining to air advertisements that support the Act.
MusicFIRST want the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to look into whether broadcasters are "engaging in a pattern of threats and intimidation against artists to chill their speech and participation in the political process." This coalition includes the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), so somehow I doubt they have too many problems making their voices heard.
The FCC has said it will look into whether broadcasters are “threatening” artists who support the legislation. Surely, however, it’s up to radio stations to choose what artists they play. As the National Association of Broadcasters’ Executive Vice President, Dennis Wharton, says, "broadcasters are under no obligation to carry everything that is offered or suggested to them."
