Tom Waits releases 78 rpm record… and a record player to play it on… and a Frank Lloyd Wright house to listen to it in! (okay, just the first two things)
By Nobodaddy on Oct 13 2010
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or like sports or something, you’re doubtlessly aware of the NPR-ish fact that tortured troubadour Tom “True Love” Waits recently collaborated with the famed icons of New Orleans Jazz known as The Preservation Hall Jazz Band on a benefit album. You probably also know that the aforementioned album, an LP entitled Preservation, was originally inspired by an old 78 rpm recording of Danny Barker’s 1947 Mardi Gras Indian street chant “Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing.” (You probably also know that this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics 2010 was awarded jointly to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov “for groundbreaking experiments regarding the two-dimensional material graphene.” Thanks, NPR.)
Anyway, apparently Waits and the band couldn’t get that old Barker tune out of their heads, as Waits and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band have recently recorded their own take on it (b/w another Barker cover called “Corrine Died on the Battlefield.” That one’s probably sadder). And, in keeping with the vibe of the original, the two songs are going to be released on November 19 as… wait for it… a 78 rpm record on Preservation Hall Recordings! Hey, awesome.
Hey wait… wait, not awesome! You don’t have a record player that plays 78s! WTF! Well, not to worry, my friend, because Preservation Hall has got you covered. They are releasing a limited-edition 78 player just for the occasion. But if you’re itching to listen to this jazzy tune on your very own 78 player while you sit atop an old-timey bicycle and sip postum, you’d better act quickly: only 504 copies of the 78 and 100 players are going to be made, with all proceeds benefiting the Preservation Hall Junior Jazz & Heritage Brass Band. Hey, awesome.
• Tom Waits: http://www.tomwaits.com
•. Preservation Hall: http://www.preservationhall.com
[Photo: Jean-Baptiste Mondino]
Koen Holtkamp recruits army of bees for mini-LP on Thrill Jockey
By Harold Shueberg on Oct 13 2010
Do you remember how entrancing and appropriately multi-textured Field Rituals was? Or how purely amazing Mountain’s Choral was and is? These are the prior masterpieces that you need to bring to mind when I tell you that Koen Holtkamp has plans to release a new mini-LP for Thrill Jockey come November 2.
The work is titled Gravity/Bees and is comprised of two major works that both combine and build off field recordings, but are later enhanced and altered with studio techniques. Yeah, one involves a recording of a hive of bees and includes a lot of sound processing and modulation jargon that will most likely mean absolutely nothing to most folks. Don’t get me wrong though, this thing is gonna be killer without a doubt.
Gravity/Bees tracklist:
01. In the Absence of Gravity Please Note the Position of the Sun
02 Loosely Based on Bees
• Koen Holtkamp: http://www.myspace.com/koenholtkamp
• Thrill Jockey: http://www.thrilljockey.com
[Photo: Jon Leone]
Al Pacino kills, so does Phil Spector — thus Pacino = Spector in new movie
By Erika H on Oct 13 2010
The passage of time is always unfortunate to watch in Hollywood stars — the more intense the face, the worse the transformation into old fogey-dom. You always feel bad whenever someone compares you to an actor/actress who doesn’t look like your idea of a winning date — how do you think Al Pacino feels now that he can pass for this?
News has begun to spread around the internet since The New York Times published an article on a forthcoming HBO film about Phil Spector, featuring the former Tony Montana/Michael Corleone/Lucifer star. There are very few details about the plot of the film thus far, but given the similarity in Spector’s and Pacino’s current age (70), we can only assume that it will detail Spector’s still-recent trial for the murder of Lana Clarkson, rather than his wonder days in the 50s and 60s (much to Spector’s chagrin).
Renowned playwright/director David Mamet has been recruited to write and direct the project, with Barry Levinson as executive producer. There’s no set date for the release of the film, which still has a ways to go in terms of development. But then, Spector’s got 19 years — ha!
• Phil Spector: http://www.philspector.com
• Al Pacino: http://x17online.com/al_pacino/AlPacinoItaly.jpg
Earth aren’t afraid of the past, reissue original recordings
By Harold Shueberg on Oct 13 2010
This video has been floating around the TMT forum for a little bit. The song itself I could take or leave, and like one TMT scribbler said: Kurt Cobain playing and recording a song with Earth is really only worthwhile in novelty form. The actual result is, well, I suppose you should hear it for yourself.
The unearthing (sorry) of this snippet from Earth’s far-reaching past does prove something, though: just how much influence Dylan Carlson and his rotating crew have had on rock music in the past 20+ years, blowing SUNN® amps and ear drums the whole way. I mean, these dudes were playing with Cobain back when he was basically a nobody. They’ve been around the proverbial block more than once and innovated at least one musical style while doing it. Earth have some serious street cred.
So the fact that all the original Earth recording sessions are being remastered and reissued is something that should not go unnoticed, and thankfully it hasn’t. The band are collecting all the recordings from the Smegma Studios sessions back in 1990 and releasing it under the title A Bureaucratic Desire for Extra-Capsular Extraction. Some of the tracks can be found on the Extra-Capsular Extraction EP and the Sunn Amps and Smashed Guitars CD, but never before in one tangible collection. Like all current-day Earth efforts, it’s going to be released via Southern Lord with artwork by Simon Fowler and package design by who other than sunn 0))) wizard Stephen O’Malley. No word on a release date yet, but I for one will be sure to keep you updated.
A Bureaucratic Desire for Extra-Capsular Extraction tracklist:
01. A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge, part 1
02. A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge, part 2
03. Ouroboros Is Broken
04. Geometry of Murder
05. German Dental Work
06. Divine and Bright
07. Dissolution 1
• Earth: http://www.myspace.com/earthofficial
• Southern Lord: http://www.southernlord.com
The Sword’s drummer departs amicably, forcing cancellation of tourdates and marking the first time a metal band has ever used the word “amicable.”
By Nobodaddy on Oct 12 2010
I sympathize with Austin, TX metal dudes The Sword: It’s always a huge pain in the ass when a drummer leaves the band. I know its not a glamorous job, and the drummer typically gets hassled, joked-about, and shit-kicked around the most out of anyone. But here’s the thing: just try rehearsing your band without one. Yeah, exactly. When the drummer leaves, those gears stop. And that’s what makes formerly-cool people do crazy things like “go solo” or “try to be a good dad.” Eww.
So again, major bummer that The Sword’s drummer Trivett Wingo (awesome drummer name, by the way) has officially split ways with his mates. The good news is that the split seems completely amicable, with Wingo stating simply that “after nearly seven years and some of the most amazing adventures of a lifetime, I have arrived at a place where I am physically and emotionally unable to continue on as part of the Sword. If I could go any further, I would, as I love the music — and JD, Bryan and Kyle are people that I deeply respect — but I have reached a point where I just can’t do this anymore.” The bad news, however, is that the band has been forced to cancel all their current tour dates as they begin the arduous search for a new drummer. And keep in mind that they aren’t in need of just just any old good drummer; these guys need a good METAL drummer. This could take a while.
Meanwhile, the band’s official statement reads something like this:
We wish Trivett nothing but the best, and it is with heavy hearts that we bid him farewell. He is a phenomenal musician and has been an integral part of this band’s success. He helped to lay the foundation that we will continue to build upon, and we wouldn’t be where we are without him. We wish he could continue the adventure with us, but we understand that the life of a touring musician is not for everyone. It’s been a hell of a ride, and we’re sad to see this part of the journey end. The show must go on, though, and will be back on the road as soon as humanly possible.
I’d also like to go ahead and point out that all of this emotional and eloquent official statement nonsense and “amicable split” bullshit isn’t very metal. There, I said it.
• The Sword: http://www.swordofdoom.com
[Photo: Sandy Carson]
