New Monuments – Noise Supergroup – Kick Off U.S. Tour
By Kenny Bloggins on Sep 8 2008
Minimalist psych overlord, violin ripper, darling of The Wire magazine,
and owner of Tony Conrad's entire catalog C Spencer Yeh (of Cincinnati's Burning Star Core) is teaming up with Borbetomagus-founder/Wolf Eyes-buddy Don Dietrich and snare-shredder Ben Hall of Graveyards for a scalp-scalding noise supergroup called New Monuments. For the group, Dietrich provides the gnarly sax textures, while Hall brings the rhythm tip -- Yeh, as always, comes correct with his mighty orchestral strings fed through myriad effects processors.
New Monuments kick off their inaugural tour this week in Brooklyn for a brief but nonetheless, um, monumental tour. As with most noise tours, the majority of the venues are untraditional (yet intimate) stops -- book shops, community centers, et al. -- and colleges. Unlike noise's most popular acts right now, New Monuments dabble more in improv and free jazz than straight power electronics, challenging your conception of music more than challenging your tympanic fortitude.
% Oa, Carlos Giffoni-Okkyung Lee, Nancy Garcia-Biba Bell, DJ Steve Loewenthal
@ Howie Stelzer, Heathen Shame, Jason Lescalleet/Bhob Rainey
^ Joe McPhee, Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano Trio
* Herons
! John Wiese, Kudler/Fraser Duo, Morally Gray
$ Emeralds
( Chris Riggs
& Spykes, Uneven Universe
Lightning Bolt Tour the World, But Inevitably Discover What They Were Searching For Was Right There Sitting Next To Them Jerking Off
By Mango Starr on Sep 8 2008
Why is there so much secrecy about masturbation? Everyone does it, but most people keep their techniques a closely guarded secret. Here, for the first time, you have access to hundreds of men and women, candidly sharing their first-hand stories. Learn their styles, techniques, hints, and tips.
But first! Quotes about Lightning Bolt from the press:
- "They’re viciously technical and brilliantly retarded and they’ve made my ears bleed on no less than three occasions." --Stylus
- "What blessed bastardry is this? It's bloody brilliant, that's what it is." --Playlouder
- "So it seems that Lightning Bolt have managed to do what many would have deemed impossible: They've created a hard rock album centered around the bass that doesn't suck." --Pitchfork
- "If what this drums-and-bass duo does with infernal noise is your thing, you're a pretty happy camper." --Entertainment Weekly
- "Stellar noise pollution." --Mojo
- "Underneath all the scuzz and spasm, though, they're a groove band, hustling a hard-edged experimentalism you don't have to work hard to enjoy." --Village Voice
- "When I play this behemoth of a record, all of my relativistic critical bullshit goes bye-bye." --Tiny Mix Tapes
No new album, yet. Sorry:
* USAISAMONSTER
$ Shellac and Pissed Jeans
Atmosphere’s Slug and Ant Hit the Road to Paint the Nation Gold… With Their Lemons?
By Jenn on Sep 8 2008
Atmosphere, made up of frontman Slug and DJ Ant, will hit the road September 10 in support of their newest LP, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold. Joining the group on the "Paint The Nation" tour are special guests Abstract Rude, Blueprint, and DJ Rare Groove.
The tour will probably hit a city near you -- just be sure to stay tuned for the second leg of tourdates.
Get a Room, You Two! Another Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid Collaboration Is on Its Way
By David Nadelle on Sep 8 2008
September is always a month full of strange changes. With the anxiousness and/or ambivalence that the end of summer and beginning of a new school year brings (as opposed to just another fall season at your dead-end, suicide-contemplating job), it's comforting to be able to count on a couple of upcoming certainties that will indubitably ease the mind. Mere minutes ago, it would have seemed doubly silly to assume that:
(a) the Bratz Design Academy reality show would actually come to fruition. And that...
(b) Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid would be putting out another collaborative affair.
But, alas, for lovers of tween tart self-esteem destruction (or empowerment, as the Bratz brass would like you to believe) and inspired musical adventures, both momentous events will soon be upon us!
Reid and Hebden will release their fourth album through Domino Records November 18. Entitled NYC, it is an ardent ode to the Big Apple, Reid’s long-standing home and Hebden’s frequent flight destination. “Everything we did when making the record from choosing the studio to the food we ate to mixing the sounds to the order of tracks was done with New York in mind,” states Hebden. Rumors that the two ate at Happy Taco everyday, cussed each other out constantly, and littered the storied Avatar studio in Manhattan with piss-stained newspaper to give the recording that authentic New York feel are unsubstantiated at post time.
NYC F.Y.I.:
1. Lyman Place
2. 1st and 1st
3. 25th Street
4. Arrival
5. Between B & C
6. Departure
The duo will be playing two rare dates in December. Look here (not here... below here):
12.12.08 - New York, NY - (Le) Poisson Rouge
12.14.08 - Philadelphia, PA - International House
Citay Announce Tourdates, Appear On New WFMU Compilation, Are Further Proof That San Francisco Is The New Baltimore
By Annapocalypse on Sep 8 2008
I hate it when rock critics proclaim a different city each month as the new musical hot spot. Yes, there are great bands in Omaha, Montreal, Seattle, and Baltimore, but there are great bands all over this country. Take, for example, San Francisco, a city that hasn’t been on the rock critic radar much lately but is, of course, still producing some amazing bands. Citay, signed to Dead Oceans, are one of those bands. And do you know what's cool? This past spring, Citay visited WFMU for their second session and performed the song “On The Wings,” which has been included on a FREE WFMU compilation, Selected Sounds From The Free Music Archive Vol. 1.
Citay are touring this fall, so if you live in one of the seven states they’re playing in, do yourself a favor and check them out.
