Drapeaux Rouges Des Enfants Perdus

Poet's Row

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 20:26:42 -0500

Friends and neighbors who I have great affection and admiration for. Their new self-titled LP is below.

For the curious: Poet’s Row is the block of buildings we all live on in Denver, all of which are named after American poets. I live in Robert Frost, which is a shame.

Poet’s Row by Poet’s Row

Night Beds

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:01:20 -0500

A New Breath

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:59:00 -0500

Due to Tumblr’s “streamlining” and shifting formatting options, this publication will continue to evolve accordingly. I will now be publishing more of other people’s art as stand-alone entries, being the logical continuation of the “gallery” concept I set out to explore; music videos, recordings, paintings, photographs etc. The artist will always be credited, either in the title or the body of the post. This will be intertwined with my own editorial, free-writing, bits of journalism, flashes of fiction, and transcripts of other artists and I conversing. The focus on “literary” music will remain the first priority of this project.

I should plug our ever-forming label/press, as well as my forthcoming book of music photography. Those things will come soon enough.

Saintseneca

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:12:28 -0500

Here’s a band I’ll be watching closely this year. Look to their website for more info.

“In This Forest” by Erika Ryann Eventually This...

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 10:41:00 -0500

“In This Forest” by Erika Ryann

Eventually This Will Be An Album - I Promise… by Erika Ryann

New material from Erika doesn’t come as often as I hunger for it, so it’s a warmth in winter listening to “In This Forest” (UPDATE: as well as “Drunks and Saints”).

We’re still working on organizing Plywood Violins (our label) and Erika’s release is almost ready to go, so get excited.

erikaryannsedmak:

Written and recorded by yours truly

Finally something new…

We had the longest, hottest summer I have seen at least since I was a child. The weather has finally calmed and with these precious overcast days I am finally driven back to my craft. It’s been a hard year and it has brought out some tendencies within me that I’m not proud of. I don’t mean to be so cynical and at times I try to justify it by declaring myself a realist but altogether it’s just another bad habit. I have too many of those…

But the reasons to quit don’t outnumber all the reasons why…

-E.

Photos of Erika Ryann before a show at The Skylark in...

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:23:00 -0500

Photos of Erika Ryann before a show at The Skylark in Denver.

It’s time to accept things and learn to shoot digital…

This Is Another Life

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Villain by Case Studies

I adore Jesse Lortz as a writer, and as a musician. Watching the transition from The Dutchess And The Duke to the truly self-created solo project that is Case Studies was ultimately fascinating. And so it continues.

The World Is Just A Shape To Fill The Night was the beginning of a new movement for him, a step in a more indulgent poetic direction. He could finally write only what he wanted, with no need to satisfy any other members of a project. After The World… came the release of his first chapbook (as Case Studies), You Taught Me What Fire Is For, a collection of poems from the first record as well as two additional pieces. Since then, Jesse told us that he will be recording the next album in December and releasing it next year.

The song featured above is the original version of “Villians”, the first song he wrote as Case Studies, which will be released as a 7” this winter by Sweet Rot Records.

With all of this comes a temporary conclusion, a reason to publish these paragraphs: Case Studies has published all of the poetry from the next record online. You can read them all here.

I wanted to share my favorite, below.

Like The Sea

I had a dream last night
of smashing a stone into another man’s face.
There was nothing of his nose or his eyes or his teeth.
His blood splashed on my chest.
And as I hoisted the stone above my head
with your hand on my shoulder you spoke to me.
But I never did hear what you said.
A telephone rang.

And in Detroit, in an abandoned mansion
a policeman was strolling, he was warning me.
And at the foot of my bed he sat smiling, expectantly.
So I took the birthday belt from my jeans
slashing leather across his cheek.
As I swung and I swung once again
his skin bloomed like a flower hungry for the Spring.

I had a dream last night
I walked the road with my father’s feet
and I could see everything I ever wanted
just floating in space.

I had a dream last night
of you on the floor on your hands and knees
and my fingers were strumming inside of you
and you had a microphone in your face.

I had a dream last night
you were on a train going East.
Over mountains and tunneling into the Earth
you had gone away.
And when you’d traveled as far as you could
you turned and looked back and you waited for me
but I was too fragile and frail to follow you
so I just waved like the sea.

p.s. Interview coming soon(?).

p.p.s. The above collage is by Arturo Medrano.

Whiskeyflowers: An Autumnal Folk Tape

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:31:00 -0500

Thinking I saw Her face in so many choking crowds in so many weather cities; Thinking I knew her eyes in so many half-lit rooms in so many forgotten buildings. To have believed in Her so many times before such an unnoticed, orange-autumn morning. An unswept courtyard, a detuned piano, and a mutual curiosity.

The fall brings a renewed sense of purpose, another beginning before death. So, comes the patience of making a mixtape, albeit a short one.

The mixtape series is once again.

A-Side:

“Small Hands” - Keaton Henson
“My Silver Hand” - Case Studies
“Barbara Anne” - King Dude
“Name In Stone” - Dead Man’s Bones

B-Side:

“Dreamer” - Tiny Vipers
“Holiday” - Julie Byrne
“Sorry With A Song” - Josh T. Pearson
“Bonfire” - Strands of Oak

An Exchange Of Words With TJ Cowgill of King Dude & Actual Pain

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:20:00 -0400

Burning Daylight by King Dude

I’m not sure what to say here.

Every article, interview, or album review featuring King Dude contains all the same elements: The words “dark” and “occult” will appear; An inevitable mention of Death In June (usually paired with a “meets Johnny Cash”) will occur; Something about him being in a metal band will undoubtedly be said. Yet here we are and, fuck, all of those elements fell into the following interview, whether I intended it or not.

So, how do I preface this in an non-regurgitated way? I suppose the only route is personal professed admiration.

I’ve become fixated on King Dude’s music. His writing is as sharp as it is obscured. His voice fights along side such oft-named, gravel voiced unsingers who need not be named again and again. Sonically, he is of the rare variety that sends a rising warmth traveling up your spine with every note, leaving the empty space as a palpable weight sinking behind your breastplate.

The man gets better with every release; Love was, in one writer’s humble opinion, an absolute masterpiece— a very real attempt at creating a “perfect” record. So what does that make Burning Daylight?

What is your song writing process like? What element comes first? Last?

Usually I write the guitar part first, and usually that’s done really quickly without much intention. Sometimes there is a vague intention behind the songs for example on Burning Daylight each song had to have a desperate quality to it but that’s really just more about a feeling. It’s better to get my head completely empty before I try and come up with the guitar parts. Once the song has a bit of a skeleton with the guitar then I sit down and commit to some lyrics. Lyrics can take a few minutes or several months depending on how I feel about the song. You know what, now that I think about it each song is almost a completely different process from one another. I haven’t really figured out the perfect formula for writing songs but I think that’s why it’s still fun.

How does your writing as King Dude differ from your work within Book of Black Earth? (Also, is BoBE finished? Can we expect to hear you on any non-King Dude records anytime soon?)

Well King Dude is all me, no one helps me write the music and I have final say in everything from lyrical content, to song writing. Even down to the artwork, It’s very much my own project. I’d say that’s the major difference, that and Book’s obviously a lot louder. In regards to Book being done for good I don’t really like to say. You never know with these things. The only reason we hung up our hats was our bass player moved to Mississippi and we didn’t want to start again with another member. I suppose if he moved back we might play again but I don’t really see that happening anytime soon.

I still enjoy heavy metal and play in a little known band here in Seattle called Cross. It’s pretty strange sounding, not quite as straightforward as BoBE. I don’t think of it as experimental or anything, but that band has the tendency to be very “non-musical” at times if you know what I mean. We released a demo tape last year and a split 12” with Whitehorse from Australia on Blind Date Records from Germany. In that band I sing and play guitar but the three of us collectively write the songs, with each part being scrutinized over and over again until we all like it. It’s a harrowing process.

I’ve just started another project with Demian Johnston here in Seattle too but that’s a recording project only. It’s called Candle Holder. I think it will end up sounding a bit more on the soundscape/experimental/drone side of things. I sing, play guitar and play some hand drums in that project. Expect a 12” record of it out on Handmade Birds someday.

There is a definite step forward, in terms of sounds used and the way they’re presented on the You Can Break My Heart 7” and Burning Daylight. How, in your mind, has the project progressed in the making of Burning Daylight? How have you, as King Dude, evolved since My Beloved Ghost?

I think the most major step I’ve made is in recording. For Burning Daylight I shelled out $175 for a ribbon mic that I used on the whole record. My Beloved Ghost was recorded straight into the computer with the built in microphone that comes with it. MBG also contains some of the first songs I had ever written in that style and was heavily influenced by Death in June and the Kinks. Since then I’ve expanded my influences with a lot of early Country Blues, Doo-Wop, and Rock and Roll. It’s mostly stuff I’ve already heard of and knew that I liked but I began to really listen to how it was written and recorded and applied a lot of what I learned to the songs on Burning Daylight.

Did you imagine Burning Daylight as a whole, or is it moreso a collection of songs written separately?

Burning Daylight came about as a whole for sure. I had the title last summer already and knew that I wanted to write a record with the running theme of desperation. And at the time I was so deeply inspired by American history around the turn of the century and knew that I wanted to make a record about it or moreover with elements of it. America in that era was a time and place where there was a feeling that anything was possible and that people were measured by the strength of their will - That’s a concept that is a great place to get your head into when writing songs with a lot of different characters that are doing a lot of bad things to survive. Conversely, when those same characters happen to do something out of love or act selflessly in some way it strikes me as far more powerful than anything that happens in a modern setting.

Was the album recorded using digital or analog equipment (or both)? Why?

I recorded with all digital equipment. I used Garageband to track everything and a midi interface to run the mics into the computer. For the electric guitars I used a 74 Fender Twin with a Gretsch G5120 Elecromatic Hollowbody guitar. For the acoustic guitar songs I used my wife’s Takamine which sounds beautiful. The drums were all really cheap pawn shop things I just picked up here and there to fuck around with. I think the most expensive drum I used was this red sunburst 16” floor tom for $100. I would just tune it to wherever I thought sounded best but really have no idea how to play drums. I also would record the drums last after everything else which was mostly a pain in my ass but that’s how the process went down. Most everything was either mic’d with an Apex ribbon mic, the one I bought for $175. I actually really like the way the record sounds.

Did you record it alone, or did you have contributions from other artists?

I always have my wife Emily sing on my records. She’s great. She sang back ups on You Can Break My Heart and the whole vocal part on My Mother Was The Moon. In the past I’ve worked with some other folks too, one in particular is Ben Chisolm from Chelsea Wolfe’s band. He wrote and recorded the intro song on Love which in my opinion was absolutely perfect. He’s really a great musician and totally easy to work with.

Can you tell me about the upcoming split with Chelsea Wolfe? How did that come about? Will you be appearing on eachother’s tracks?

Yeah well, we were introduced to one another through my friend Todd Pendu who at the time was putting out Chelsea’s records. I think he felt like we both were doing something interesting and wanted us to do a split together so he could put out the record. It was a really funny sort of awkward moment when he introduced us. We had literally just met and were about to play an in-store together at Vacation Vinyl when Todd sort of suddenly said, “Hey you guys should do a split together” which is sort of like, rushing it I suppose. I didn’t even know if I wanted to spend five minutes in the same room with Chelsea yet let alone record and release a record with her! I’m sure she felt the same way.

We got along great though and shortly there after Emily and I took a trip to LA to record a couple songs with Chelsea and Ben. We became fast friends actually, I am really thankful that Todd introduced us.

I sang on Cheslea’s song she wrote for her side and she sings on the song I wrote for my side. Ben played bass and some other instruments on both songs and Emily played drums on both our songs. Ben recorded the drum tracks in their practice studio in LA and then we finished guitars and vocals at their house. It was a totally rewarding and fun process.

On the cover of the You Can Break My Heart 7” (as well as on the record itself) is the phrase “NOT JUST RE-LI-GIOUS MUSIC”. What is the significance of this phrase within the King Dude project?

Believe it or not, I saw something similar on an old record from the 30s or something. It’s such an awesome thing to proclaim. I also like the idea of saying what the music isn’t and is at the same time. “Not Just Re-li-gious Music” implies that it is and is not at the same time.

Also, that 7” came with a poster. Where did that black and white image come from?

I can’t remember. I think it was a screen shot of some house fires I was watching on the internet. If you’re ever bored, look up raw footage of house fires on the internet. Boredom cured.

I really enjoy checking out the album art that you compose— to me it’s as much a part of a record as the the sound itself. What tools/mediums do you use to create images? Do you compose imagery for King Dude differently than you would for Actual Pain?

I use Photoshop to do just about everything these days. I rarely do any work by hand anymore at all. When it comes down to creating it, it’s usually a fast process mostly because I am too busy with a million other things. Also I don’t like to spend too much time composing the imagery anyways and besides, it should be fairly natural looking to the eye and direct.

I think that I probably spend more time on Actual Pain artwork because it has the potential to keep my lights on and stomach full. But the process are the same more or less.

Any insight into the image on the cover of Burning Daylight?

Yeah that’s the Denny Regrade that happened here in Seattle in 1910 or so I think. They carved out thousands of tons of earth from Denny hill and moved it down towards the Puget Sound to do two things, level the steep hill and fill in the marshlands to build structures on it. That’s a picture of my neighborhood basically when shit was real intense.

How did Actual Pain start, and how much of the art is composed by you?

I started it out of my bedroom in 2006 and now we have a warehouse and office! It’s still crazy when I think about sometimes. I just knew I was going to get fired from every job I ever had in life unless I thought of something else to do with my life and quick. I was driving a forklift at a warehouse at the time. I wonder what they thought when I quit to start my own clothing company.

I make 99% of the artwork these days. In the past I would occasionally have some friends contribute artwork but it’s just so much easier to do it myself. Basically, I am a control freak and no one makes art the way I want it to look.

It recently came up that Awake Snowboards (I refuse to say “allegedly”) ripped off one of your designs. How do you feel about inspiration v.s. theft, or rather, how do you respond to Picasso saying “Bad artists imitate, great artists steal”? Also, anything you’d like to say to John Sommers [Founder of Awake]?

That guy wrote us back and was really apologetic then he took the shirt off his site. He says he didn’t know about our brand but whatever really, I’m just glad it’s down. I don’t think it’s so hard to have an original thought but most people are lazy and just look at what other people are doing and decide to imitate it or worse outright steal it. I am influenced by all kinds of things all the time, none of which are ever other clothing companies. Basically I don’t pay attention to anyone else’s brand unless I have to.

Buy Burning Daylight. Listen to his entire discography.

— Z. Saint James

“Silent From Above” by Mirrorring from 2012’s...

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:15:00 -0400

“Silent From Above” by Mirrorring

from 2012’s Foreign Body, released on Kranky

In the cold of the morning before the sun, wandering a worn roadside path broken glass and punched out cigarettes, wondering where the bodies in the sparsely-set yet ever-passing passing cars are going.

To be honest, I’ve really been looking for a way to re-feature Jesy Fortino; I feel relieved to have such a gorgeous way to do so. Mirrorring finds Jesy (Tiny Vipers) collaborating with Liz Harris (Grouper), recording the album together live, allowing the juxtaposition of their two cohesively different sounds merge seamlessly.

I don’t want the following (or preceding) article to take away from Liz Harris in any way. She is an absolutely incredible artist, within several forms. I simply need to take a moment and shine light on an artist that, for various reasons, has meant so much to me these last couple years.

Tiny Vipers was one of the first musicians I interviewed after forming the zine that would eventually become Red Flags of Lost Children. On June 4th, 2010, sitting in a shared apartment in a foreign city, I called Jesy in Seattle and recorded the following piece. Being that we had never met, along with her relative shyness and my relative youth within the form (as well as the fact that I never write questions down before live interviews (I make notes, or form skeleton questions to direct the narrative)), our discussion began slowly. Fortunately, after the first few minutes we both began to ease ourselves into something genuinely interesting. Jesy is an incredibly sweet person, one whose work I admire intensely; I hold this interview, regardless of it’s vague weakness and lack of journalistic depth, dear to me, just as I do her music.

Being that the interview was conducted in response to Sub Pop releasing her last LP, Life on Earth, I’ve decided to feature the album below. Please, if you haven’t, take time to listen through this record a few times in your life.

Continue:

Life on Earth by Tiny Vipers

Where did the name Tiny Vipers come from?

Honestly, I just thought it sounded cool (laughs). I mean, it was like 6 years ago, and I need to come up with a name because I didn’t want to use my own. I had just sort of packed that away a long time ago in case I ever needed a name for something.

How long had you played guitar before you felt you needed the name?

Well, I had played on and off for a while. I had played for a little bit when I was a teenager, and then I played again when I was maybe 20. I started playing shows when I was 22, so, its been on and off for a while

At what point did you begin adding vocals?

When I was about 20 I started singing, but, you know, just really quietly to myself.

Did you sing or write poetry before Tiny Vipers?

Yeah, I did before I had a name. But, I didn’t perform before Tiny Vipers. Before that I kind of wrote it at home.

So you just did home recordings?

I didn’t even really do real recordings. I kind of did, but mostly just to remember the parts. I don’t know, it took a long time for me to show people it.

Do you enjoy playing live, or do you sometimes wish you could just go back to the bedroom with it?

(laughs) No, I enjoy it. it’s fun, for sure.

Live, you often play additional guitar parts between songs. Is this a comfort thing or an aesthetic decision?

I don’t really know. I just started doing it one day.

Are they planned or improvised?

It depends. Some are planned, but others I just make up.

Would you ever like to do that kind of thing on a record?

Yeah, maybe. I’ve been thinking about doing more guitar stuff on records; just instrumental guitar songs.

You’ve gotten a lot of praise for your guitar work, but I was curious if you feel as comfortable as a singer?

Yeah, I’m pretty comfortable with singing. It takes me a me a long time to write vocal parts though. I want to make sure the lyrics are OK before I record. So, the songs where I sing usually take a really long time to write, whereas I have a lot of just guitar songs, but, I don’t usually do anything with them. I have so many of them. So, yeah, I’m pretty comfortable but it takes a long time.

When it comes to vocals, do you usually start with lyrics or melody?

I usually try to find a melody that makes sense. Usually when you’re developing a melody it goes hand in hand with developing the right sounding words. So, they kind of go together.

You didn’t use as many stacked vocals on the second album, Life on Earth. Was that a conscious decision, or just what came naturally out of recording them?

I just wanted to keep it simple. I was tempted to make it sound bigger, because you can these days. But, then I decided I didn’t want to. I mean, the whole record was almost done in one take, in one day. I was like, “let’s just record these”, and then just sat and played through them. Then, anything added to them just didn’t sound right, so I left it out. Just tried to keep it simple.

The other big difference between the two albums is that the first album has… is that a synth?

It’s the Oberheim two-voice synthesizer.

Where did you get that?

Actually I found it. One day I was walking and I thought I saw an amp or something in a bush. So, I peeked in and saw this giant thing. It was in a box so I pulled it out and saw this keyboard thing. I thought it was pretty cool so I dragged it into my friend’s bar and kept it in the back room. I had to come back for it later because it was so heavy. Then, when I got it home I found out its actually a pretty special synthesizer; its one of the first sequencers ever made, by that company Oberheim.

Someone had just left that in a bush?

Yeah, I don’t know. I went on craigslist to see if anyone had one stolen or missing. I don’t know, its one of those rare collectors’ items. You think someone would say something because it’s so rare. There’s only so many of them.

That’s incredible.

Yeah, and it still worked, so, I was pretty impressed. I didn’t even know what it was, really. I showed some of my friends when I dragged it into work, and they couldn’t believe I found it. They thought I had stolen it or something; they were like, “no way you found that” (laughs). But, I did. It was weird. I always peek in the same bushes now. But, it’s a part of town where people hang out constantly, so it’s weird that it was just hidden there like that.

That’s crazy. Did you find it around the same time that you were recording Hands Across the Void?

Yeah, it was right before I went in the studio. It’s pretty funny. I just sat at home and played with it; it was just so much fun. I mean, I didn’t even know what it did. It looks like a piece of scientific equipment. It was made in the early 70’s, and it just looks like an object you’d see in a lab or something. It was very weird.

So that’s you playing on the album?

Yep.

Had you ever played synth or piano before?

No, but, playing this isn’t like playing a piano at all. There’s a lot of knobs and stuff. I mean, there’s a keyboard, but, it’s mostly, like, a switchboard. You just manipulate the current. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s very hard to use, and you definitely can’t play it like a piano; it’s too old. You can’t even hit two keys at the same time. (laughs) It’s pretty funny. so, you just make a noise and then manipulate the waves, modulate it and… I don’t even know how to talk about it because I’m so ignorant when it comes to synthesizers. But, its pretty awesome.

That’s so cool.

Yeah, it’s really cool. I had never played a synthesizer before that, so I was pretty mystified by it. I’d just sit there at my house, because you can make it sound like anything you want. Like, you can make it sound like trickling water, if you know how. But I can’t make it make the same noise twice.

Oh, really?

It’s too hard. There are just too many possibilities.

So, were all the synth parts on Hands Across the Void done in one take?

Yeah, they were just added, like, “oh, we should add a synthesizer”. So I just hooked it up and did it. There’s just no way you can really control it, so once it was there it was like, “OK, that’s good” (laughs).

That is fucking awesome.

Yeah. I haven’t really used it much since. I mean, I play with it still, but I decided I’m not going to use it until it’s completely fixed. I don’t want it to melt or anything. My boyfriend has been researching it and he made me too paranoid to use it. He kept saying, like, “it’s a collectors item, don’t melt it”, because it was sitting in the rain in a bush. There’s a guy up here in Seattle who can fix it completely, just to make sure nothing’s chewed away. Like, the power supply looks like its going to mess up. So, I haven’t really messed with it since. But, I definitely want to do something with it in the future.

Yeah, you really need to fix it and then put it on the next album.

Yeah, its definitely beautiful. The tones it makes are pretty unique.

Seriously. I wasn’t even sure what it was most of the time. Sometimes it sounds like a cello, and other times a modern synth or something. It has such a unique sound.

Yeah, it’s just really full. Like, you can make it make the deepest, craziest notes that you can’t even hardly hear, that rumble the wall. And, you can modulate it to make beats and all sorts of strange sounds. It’s a two-voice synthesizer, so you can tune them together or away from each other. There’s a lot of weird stuff you can do. You can make extremely high frequencies too, that are almost inaudible. Its strange.

It just seems like there’s too much potential there to not use it.

Yeah, for sure. I’m definitely going to use it again.

Speaking of the future, is there anything you’d like to do differently with the next record?

Um… I’m not sure. I’ve just been messing around at my apartment. I just have to see, I guess. I always kind of work on stuff, and if there is a record to be made, like, if someone wants to release a record then I look back at all the things I have and try to decide what would sound good together. I don’t usually sit down to write a record, like, “ope, I guess I need to write a record now”. I just compile material that’s already there. So, it’s a matter of how it was released, and what type of release it would be. I don’t know. I’ve been doing a lot of instrumental stuff, but I’m not sure if ill release any of it or not. I have to think about it, I guess.

As for the instrumentals, are they mostly single guitar?

Yeah, mostly. Like, a lot of them are songs I’ve written but haven’t recorded, so there’s no overdubbing or anything like that. But, I might just keep them like that. I don’t know.

Do you think you’ll go back into the studio anytime soon?

I doubt it.

So, what are you up to these days?

I just finished a west coast tour, and now I’m heading to do one on the east coast. So, I’ve just been busy with travel logistics and stuff.

How did the west coast tour go?

It was fun. Me and my boyfriend went to Disneyland. (laughs) Very strange.

Yeah, its kind of a creepy place after your like 7.

Seriously. I also didn’t remember how many people were there. You know, when I was a kid it never seemed like there were that many people. This time I was like “holy…oh my gosh.” it just seemed like so many people were everywhere, it kind of blew my mind. It was fun though.

Its funny how you perceive things so differently at different ages.

Yeah! But maybe there really is just more people. (laughs.) Because I was thinking about it when I was there, like, the people with kids are my age. You know? I’m getting up there. But ten years ago or so, none of them had kids. Maybe the population really has increased (laughs). I don’t know, I was probably over thinking it.

No, the population is definitely increasing.

Yeah, I guess that’s a scientific fact.

As verified by Disneyland.

(laughs) Yep. Disneyland: population steadily rising.

So, do you still 9 to 5 it between tours?

I try to. Its hard to keep a job, for me. I had a really cool job for a while but I left for too long, so they hired someone else. I was like, “oh man, can you guys take me back?” and they were like, “uh…yeah… We’ll call you.” (laughs) I still work at the burrito restaurant. I’ve worked there for 6 or 7 years, and they always take me back. It’s funny, I can’t believe how long I’ve worked there. I’m always keeping my eye out for another job.

After that long it’s almost a career.

(laughs) Yeah, a fast-food career. Its kind of funny, because you know when you’re little and your parents or your school try to scare you like, “you’re going to be flipping burgers for the rest of your life”. It’s weird when you reach a certain age, and you’re like “oh, they might be right”.

“Oh fuck, I still make tacos”

(laughs) Yep, still making tacos. It’s OK though, I don’t work there that often. I try to save money, so I work there when I can. It’s just hard to depend on music; I get too anxious if I don’t have a job. I’ve just worked for too long, so I can’t let it go. You never know, in a year or so people might not be interested in you. It’s just a fact of the art-world. It’s a very fleeting, temporary thing, so I definitely try to keep my foot in the door with any job I can.

How did you hook up with Sub Pop?

They kind of just asked me to do the record. I’ve done two records with them now, and, yeah, they just came at me and asked me to do it. When I first started playing shows, maybe a year after I first started, people were really supportive around town. You know, like, “ oh cool, play this show, bring your CD if you have any”. Things just kind of moved in my favor. It was weird. So then Sub Pop was like “oh, can we release your record if you decide to make one?” and I was like “ uh…yeah…(laughs), I don’t see why not. That’s crazy”. It was funny, I sort of got pushed into doing music. I didn’t start out like, “I’m going to be a performer”. I never even thought about that. I mean, I like music, but I had never aspired to be on a label or anything. I didn’t even understand what a label was or did, I just kind of fell into it.

Wow, so now that time has passed, and you’ve put out a few records, are you happy you pursued it?

Um….yeah, I mean, I feel like a lot of the stuff that I’ve gotten out of music I’ve just gotten really lucky with. But there’s a lot of superstition that comes with it to; I feel like I can’t depend on it, and it’s just something I have to appreciate while it’s there but not get used to. It’s funny. It’s a funny process that a lot of the people I know who play music go through the same thing. You know what I mean? It doesn’t matter how hard you work, its just a bunch of random factors that decide if people like your music. I mean, I’m definitely happy that I make music, I really enjoy playing it and I love listening to other people’s music. It’s a fun experience, but there’s a lot of things to think about, being a performer. I guess I appreciate that too. Its an interesting thing to do.

Yeah. And quality isn’t judged by mass appeal. It really is a luck thing. Just look at someone like Vampire Weekend, who blew up before their first record was released, when, in one reporter’s humble opinion, there are thousands of bands more talented and interesting than them.

Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, I feel pretty lucky all the time. I’m pretty happy. Like, when I play a show I’m just happy if people come at all. Every time I’m like “oh!”, even if there have been people at every show along the tour, the next show I’m still so happy that people are there to watch, and they seem to like it. I’m just happy to be a part of anything (laughs).

You’re listed as “producer” on both your records. Did you record everything yourself?

No. I mean, I came up with the concept, especially more so on the second record. I knew what sounds I wanted, and what techniques I wanted to use. I knew the vibe, the direction, the way I wanted to record it. But there was definitely an engineer there to help me. He was a really good engineer actually. Andrew Hernandez. He really helped a lot. He was really receptive to what I was saying, because sometimes people don’t know what I’m saying because I don’t know the technical terms. I mean, I know more than I did a year ago, but he was just really good about like, “oh, do you mean like this? Lets try this.” And if I had a wacky idea he would just go with it and not be like, “ oh…that’s technically not going to work.” (laughs) It was nice. He really helped out. And then, there were a few tracks I recorded myself.

Which ones in particular?

“Twilight Property” and “Young God”. And then, on the vinyl version there’s a bonus track named “Audrey’s Well”.

And those are home recordings?

Yeah. I was actually going to do the whole record at home, but I couldn’t get the sound I need in my apartment. I had bought some equipment, thinking it would be good enough, but you know, at the end of the day bigger tape is just going to sound better. Plus, I just can’t afford a nice mic. (laughs) It’s just not going to happen. It doesn’t matter how much money I borrow from everybody (laughs). I just can’t afford it. But, the studio I picked out, I had gone there to sing on my friend’s record, and I liked it so much I knew its where I wanted to record. So, I went to the engineer and was like “are you available?” and he was laughing like, “heck ya I’m available”. Which is great. It was a great studio. Instead of synthetic effects they used chamber reverb. And that’s kind of exactly what I was looking for. Synthetic reverb just sounds too digital, and I just didn’t want anything to sound digital on the record, I just wanted it to be an analog recording. I thought it would just do good with acoustic guitar and singing, with the analog quality of it. But it was really kind of stumping me, because I didn’t know it existed, I didn’t know that there was such a thing as chamber reverb. So when I went there I was like, “wow, this reverb you’re using is beautiful, what is it?” and he was like, “oh, it’s actually a chamber”. It’s a room in the back that has ceramic walls. It’s mic’d, and then there are speakers in there that play whatever it is you want reverb on. Then, it rerecords everything. It kind of blew my mind. He was just like “yeah, you can turn it up or down or anything you want”. So there’s nothing synthetic. I mean, the tracks I do at home do, obviously, there’s all kinds of weird stuff going on. But the ones that are just the songs are just me playing straight onto 2” tape.

That’s awesome.

Yeah, it’ pretty cool. It’s actually easier to work that way, because sometimes the computer has too many options. With a 2” tape you’re limited to however many tracks you have, and you can’t just rerecord it if you mess up. It can be difficult. You’ve actually got to get the performance down beforehand. But not in a high-pressure way, it just helps… I feel like the second album sounds like one recording, whereas the first record sounds kind of, I don’t know, it doesn’t feel like one solid record to me.

In what way?

It’s hard to explain. I mean, the songs each sound solid. But, I don’t know, its been so long since I listened to it. I just remember thinking “man, I’m going to have to do this a different way next time.”

Did you record on analog for both LPs, or just Life on Earth?

Just the second one.

Do you think you’ll continue to record on analog?

Yeah, definitely, as long as I can afford to. I have a set recorder at my apartment, but tape just doesn’t sound as good unless it’s big. I don’t have one of those, but I have friends who do, so, I’m definitely going to try to use it any chance I get. I assume tape is going to get pretty expensive though. Who knows, maybe someone will start manufacturing it again.

Yeah, its getting popular again. Apparently, and I may be wrong, but as far as I understand when you record on analog you are capturing the entire sound wave, whereas with digital you are just catching the low, mid and high. That’s why digital sounds crisp, yet when you pull an old vinyl out it just has such richness to it.

Yeah, that’s totally true. I think it also has something to do with how the signals are curved, they’re not fragmented. They’re not digital fractals. Its like when you look at a photograph shot with film, as opposed to on a digital camera; if you zoom in on the photo from the digital camera, it looks like little squares, pixels, but when you zoom in on the one from the film camera its just the natural, organic color.

So, are there any other types of art you enjoy doing?

Ya, I do some video stuff. Me and my boyfriend eventually want to do video installations, but we haven’t really followed through with it. We don’t have a projector or anything yet, so we’re just getting footage for now. I was thinking of doing a video for one of the songs, but nothing really popped in my mind that would work. I draw too. I try to do other kinds of stuff.

You had brushed upon it earlier, and I was just kind of curious, if, maybe, you ever reached a point where you couldn’t do it professionally anymore, do you think you’ll continue to make and record music?

I don’t know, probably. The lines are blurred for me; it’s hard to tell where the beginning and the end of stuff is. A career can begin and end with people’s interest in you. It’s really hard to navigate. So, I just keep doing what I’m doing and as long as people ask me to make records then I’ll probably keep going. And, if they stop, I probably wouldn’t notice for years (laughs).

This interview was original published here. Thank you, Jesy.

“Name In Stone” by Dead Man’s Bones A...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:07:00 -0400

“Name In Stone” by Dead Man’s Bones

A lovebled wandering song through a cemetery; Only a choir could fill these lungs.

…

Ryan fucking Gosling (under the name “Baby Goose”) and a very talented (and, unfortunately, oft-overshadowed) man name Zach Shields. This particular song was recorded live in a cemetery with help from The L.A. Inner Mass Choir and The Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir.

“Flatlands” by Chelsea Wolfefrom Unknown Rooms: A...

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:05:00 -0400

“Flatlands” by Chelsea Wolfe

from Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs

A piece for evenings upon the death of summer. The first brisk eve, wandering to or from your apartment. At least and at last there is a sense of movement in me.

Many of the artists featured this month will have branched from one completely unknowing and mostly-unrelated seed: Jesse Lortz. I recently acquired a copy of his poetry/lyric book This Is What Fire Is For, which contained 2 pieces I had never heard in song form. Jesse told me one of them was going to be on his next Case Studies record (“Driving East, And Through Her”), and the other (“A Beast Have Yet To Find”) I tracked down to Cairo’s (fantastic) “LIVE at EXPO 89” cassette. Said tape opened with King Dude (a very recent feature). In December, Sargent House will release a split 7” between King Dude and Chelsea Wolfe. It’s really that simple. Our next feature(s) will inevitably branch from here, somehow.

Apokalypsis:

Apokalypsis by CHELSEA WOLFE

The Grime And The Glow:

The Grime And The Glow by CHELSEA WOLFE

“You Can Break My Heart” by King Dude from the You...

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:56:00 -0400

“You Can Break My Heart” by King Dude

from the You Can Break My Heart 7”, out (but sold out) on Dias Records

The b-side, “Devil’s Tail”:

A song between autumn vespers and the eulogy of winter; a red moon and the lonesome set of footsteps spreading frozen mud across your street. Night continues through your bedroom window. Here I am, lovingly, longingly awake in your sight.

I became aware of this project because of the fantastic people over at Ciaro in Seattle, after they featured KD as the opening track of their Live At Expo 89 cassette. I’d rather not say anything more than that; if you enjoy the music above and below this paragraph (which includes his debut LP), then take the time to read about King Dude, buy everything you can from him, go to his shows, and then go ahead and pre-order his 2nd LP from Dias Records.

Love LP:

Love by King Dude

Tonight’s Special Death:

Tonight’s Special Death (Remastered Plus Bonus Tracks) by King Dude

My Beloved Ghost EP:

My Beloved Ghost EP (Plus Bonus Tracks) by King Dude

“Even If We Try” by Night Bedsfrom the Even If We...

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:45:00 -0400

“Even If We Try” by Night Beds

from the Even If We Try 7”, out now on Dead Oceans

A fragile piece embodying the whispering sight of these yellow-white morning windows. An emptiness in memory, how long it took us to finally close our eyes. How sparse the sound of our beating hearts can be, here in darkness of of this room.

The newest member(s) of the Dead Oceans family, further cementing our admiration for the label.

My Love, On The Anniversary Of Your Birth (and an attempt to promote other photographers (while still glorifying ourselves))

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:28:00 -0400

Another UMS has come to pass. It’ll be some time before I can afford to develop those rolls of film, but in the meantime we have the ever-stunning work of Gary Isaacs. I highly recommend checking out his website, and following him on Facebook for a body of work not published anywhere else.

The frame above is a gift. It is a frame to celebrate my muse, Erika Ryann Sedmak’s 22nd birthday. Happy birthday, darling. We love you very, very, very, very, very, very, very much.

I recently wrote something about another of Gary’s frames that I think applies here as well:

“Another incredible piece by a very benevolent and kind-hearted man, who, as an artist, contends to be my favorite living photographer. I consider him both a friend and (whether or not he knows it) a teacher; studying his art and watching him work constantly pushes me to progress within the form (if only to some day show him frames that I am truly proud of). Thank you, Gary.”

Needless to say, it is more than an honor for Gary to take your portrait. Amazingly, this is the second time (LOOK). Thanks again, Gary.

Part Deux:

Erika recently played a show at the lovely Stephanie Dorman’s house, along side Stephanie herself, our dear friends, Poet’s Row, and traveling Austin-native, Picardy III. The show was fantastic and, luckily, documented beautifully by a very sweet man named Lance Ferguson. Being that this is the vanity article that it is, and being that I’d like to start featuring other photographers, I thought it would be appropriate to share some of his frames (specifically ones feature our narcissistic selves).

Thanks again, Lance! We love you, and we think your work is gorgeous.

More photos from far less-talented photographers (who are not my friends) can be found after the jump. They are mostly shit (sorry, Reverb) but I didn’t know where else to put them:

As a bonus round, because I didn’t know where else to put this stuff, here are some of our random appearances at this and last years UMS. All of these photographers published the featured frames through The Denver Posts’ Reverb.

Photos by Seth A. McConnell for Reverb, UMS 2012:

Photos by Lisa Higginbotham for Reverb, UMS 2012:

Photos by Quoleena Sbrocca for Reverb, UMS 2011:

An Exchange Of Words With Josh Arnoudse of You Won't

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 09:33:00 -0400

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://youwont.bandcamp.com/album/skeptic-goodbye” data-mce-href=”http://youwont.bandcamp.com/album/skeptic-goodbye”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Skeptic Goodbye by You Won’t&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Josh Arnoudse and Raky Sastri have quickly established themselves, in my eyes, as important figures in this next wave of artists currently emerging. They are (obviously) overwhelmingly talented, and, fortunately, seem to possess an awareness of sound and meaning that is completely unique to them.

I employ a vague criteria when curating this gallery; the only prerequisite of consideration is, quite simply, that at least one member of every organization possesses the ability to write. I have always leaned towards such figures, taken comfort in their speech. It is (unfortunately) rare these days for me to find young poets in print, yet I’m lucky enough to find new writers everyday within music. Josh Arnoudse is yet another of this breed.

Thank you, Josh, for answering a few questions, and for answering them with the same fiercely playful wit that I enjoyed so entirely on Skeptic Goodbye. Next time, perhaps, we can speak face to face, as opposed to the clumsy call and response format of e-mail interviews.

[Editor’s Note: This opening seems to imply that Josh is, somehow, more important to this project than Raky. I do not, in any way, believe this to be the case. Raky Sastri is, in one writer’s humble, crude, and poorly phrased opinion, absolutely fucking incredible (and I could still confidently say so if he was only ever the drummer (see video below)). This gallery was formed to showcase notable literary figures within music, and this intro reflects that. But don’t be fooled: You Won’t is very much the project of two men.]

How long have you and Raky been collaborating artistically?

13 years.

What is your song writing process like? What element comes first? Last?

Typically the chord progression comes first, then the melody, then the words. But once I get going it all gets mixed up and tumbled around like a little kid in a tire rolling down the side of a mountain, ricocheting off the occasional tree or boulder or moose.

Who was involved in the recording process (of Skeptic Goodbye)? How long did the recording process take?

It was just the two of us. There was no one else around to so much as fiddle with a volume knob. Raky engineered everything, I did all the vocal parts, and we both played a wide variety of instruments.

Was the album recorded using digital or analog equipment (or both)? Why?

Both, but primarily digital. The magic glowing fodder box as my friend Billy used to call it. We tracked some songs on quarter-inch tape before mixing them in the fodder box, but we maintained no illusion that we were using anything less than utterly contemporary techniques. I’ve always recorded digitally from my very first demos so I’m accustomed to the cold unforgiving sound of the magic fodder box anyways.

As for the release, do you have any interest in releasing the album on analog forms, such as vinyl or cassette? Why or why not?

We’re looking into vinyl. It’s pricey but we’ve gotten a lot of requests so we’d like to make it happen. I don’t think we’re hip enough for cassettes.

What’s next? Any new material forming? Can we look forward to another album?

Yes you can, but please don’t spend too much time on it.

Will you continue to tour this album, or do you think you’d like to get back to writing/recording sooner than later?

Both? We want to stay on the road fairly consistently since we’re a new band and still in the “Hello, what do you do? You’re a plumber? What on earth is that?” phase of our existence and it’s important to get out there and kiss the indie rock babies and show people what you’re all about. On the other hand, it would be nice to have some time to devote entirely to the new stuff. I don’t know, haven’t figured that one out yet.

Will you continue to write all of the poems?

The poems will only grow more and more devastatingly poetic.

Are you satisfied with the instrumentation or are you two already imagining something else for the next record?

We’re ever-evolving in that respect…we recently added wind chimes- and it’s hard to strike a good rock pose playing wind chimes.

I think that all writers will inevitably inject their prose or poem with bits of their own life, but to varying degrees. Some writers do so consciously, choosing to tell “true” stories; others simply imagine situations and, in retrospect, might see familiar faces. Where do you think you stand as a writer within this spectrum?

I try to write what I know without writing what ONLY I know. You know?

As the traditional major-label structure that dominated music for the past hundred years continues to crumble, and a truly independent approach is being seen as the better approach by some artists, I have to ask: How you you feel about the increasingly-widespread DIY movement, and where do you think You Won’t should stand? Why?

I suppose we are DIY in most respects. We recorded our album completely independently and now we’re cramming our gear into a Subaru and sleeping on floors and couches. We are also fortunate at this point to have some great people helping us get our stuff out there. I think our music is fundamentally too pop-oriented to thrive in the DIY venue culture. Those places can be really welcoming and fun to play. They can also be maddeningly disorganized. Ultimately I think we are better suited to work within the system to subvert it rather than secede and establish our own set of rules.

Despite poetry (sadly) becoming less and less popular with every passing generation, this sentiment (fortunately) has never really made it’s way into music. Do you think that poetry is aided by melody and musical backing? Do you think that songwriters deserve to be praised as poets and, eventually, approached academically in the same way? (In other words, is there any difference between Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan, between Charles Bukowski and Tom Waits?)

I think music often suffers when put into an academic context because so much of its power exists on a very visceral, purely emotional level. However, it can be really interesting to delve into the history and political context surrounding a given work. I don’t know what the best approach is here.

As a continuation of the last question, do you see yourself more prominently as a writer, or as a musician?

I see myself primarily as a performer.

Do you think that art is more powerful to the creator as its being inspired, constructed, and presented, or rather is it more powerful to the audience as its being received, interpreted and, possibly, stirring inspiration within them?

Totally depends on the context.

Bonus Round:

Any artists to recommend?

Bombadil, Lucius, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Pearl & The Beard, Dolfish, The Suitcase Junket, Julia Read

Being that things can exist permanently on the internet, is their any sentiment about art/music that you’d like to notify your future-self of, so that someday you can look back on this and be reminded of what it was like earlier in your career?

Actually, I would like to ask my future self a question- Hey Future Self, how’s that whole artist thing workin’ out for ya? Does it just feel like any old job now? I’m worried about you - I hear that’s what happened to the Ramones. Do me a favor and stop using pictures of me to attract attention on your holographic life-size online dating profile.

A Need To Say Something Despite Being Speechless

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 14:04:00 -0400

[Non-Editor’s Note: This piece was written in one vomitous outburst in a span of 30 or so half-conscious minutes. I refuse to edit it, to repair its failing mechanisms. It is imperfect, exactly as my memory and perception of the day was. It is poorly written, and thus feels more honest. It is as it was.]

I was jogged back into conscious existence this morning with my ears still ringing, sweat still lingering on my ragged scalp. Flashes of lights burned behind my eyes, the breeze of the ceiling fan twisted about and echoed, distorted with feedback as it reached my sodden face. I can feel my heart expanding and contracting again.

I am fed by experience, by transformation. I have witnessed a series of artists that have left me shaken and sick with life.

I have woken on July 22nd, 2012, Day 4 of Denver’s Underground Music Showcase. My inarticulate excitement is born of our Day 3 gallery, curated to perfection by blind luck and a wandering spirit.

Despite starting with such gorgeous wind-worn throats and eyes that is the Fellow Creatures/Kill Your Friends collective, the shedding of my skin began properly with the novel, specifically with Sole. Watching such an experienced and vocal poet blurring cadences and declaring such honesty to a sun-razed, asphalt-hosted crowd of 15 people was personally inspiring in terms of my back-and-forth struggles with “Creator v. Audience”. Plus, he was a genuinely kind person who introduced himself by his birthname (“Tim”) and hung out with us for several other sets that evening. Thank you for your hospitality, Tim.

Next came Gauntlet Hair, locals who have outgrown their scene and who began their set by announcing that “This may be our last show in Denver.” I don’t have much to say about these guys (a two-piece playing as a very talented 4) because the experience was such an intangibly joyous one. They, quite simply, conjured up a piece of art so perfect for that very moment that I was left in a daze, unaware of the bodies around me, as they piled up for near an hour. I’m sure that I clapped at some point.

The next chunk of time is lost to memory, but I awoke on a soft plot of tree-veiled blades of grass, watching my friend roll another spliff, so carefully sprinkling in a dry hash that stung the air sweetly. I opened another beer and re-acclimated myself to existence.

I hadn’t given A Place To Bury Strangers an honest chance before that moment in time (though, it should be noted, their signing to Dead Oceans (a label I admire more than most) had made me, admittedly, want to like them). Even in retrospect, I admit that I might not find too many moments in life with which to pair their recordings [a sentiment that, as I’ve been listening to them while writing this, I should probably retract. These guys are fucking incredible.]. But, with that said, APTBS put on one of the most overwhelming spectacles of live performance art that I’ve yet to witness. Their sound is made to be heard live, and they heightened that experience by how they conducted themselves in that setting. I was still laying in the grass when they started playing, and they’d made it 5 or 6 minutes into their set before I saw, between a mob of unsure listeners, a decaying white guitar being shoved into the air and balanced on the palm of one Oliver Ackermann, and was thus intrigued. We vacated our plot and drifted towards the stage, never breaking our stares. I was 50 feet away when he unstrapped his guitar again and began swinging it as violently as the sound itself (and, it should be noted, creating the sound itself by swinging such a machine so violently). I don’t remember walking, but I was 30 feet away when the bassist (one Dion Lunadon) began smashing his bass against the amp to create a shattering piece of feedback. When he turned around, he took 3 steps towards the edge of the stage and, in one ungodly upswing, snapped the top string of his bass. I was 20 feet away when he began climbing on top of the speaker tower. By the time he returned to the stage, I was almost out of film, and Oliver was on his knees creating a wall of distorted noise so abrasive that crowd members began covering their ears and looking back at the sound guy for help (the only time I noticed their being). I was now front and center, leaning over the guard rails only a foot or two from the stage. I could see the sweat bouncing back off of their drummer (one Robi Gonzalez)’s floor tom. Oliver continued creating this wall of deathly, abusive sound as Dion ran off stage and grabbed another bass, another machine as decayed-looking as the rest of their aforementioned equipment. He returned to full form immediately, as Oliver (whose wall was still ringing), began dragging all of the amps on stage as far to the edge as possible. He placed mics and other amps as close to one another to build a senseless air of unwritten and unrepeatable chaos. This was the climax, as all 3 tore into their instruments with every blood-soaked instinct they had. I had lost awareness of myself, and was shattered back towards my own body as they finally threw their instruments up, letting them collapse carelessly on the stage. I regained feeling in my limbs on as the drumset was being stomped into uselessness. I was a changed man as I walked back to find my friend. I had been chasing live sounds for over a decade, searching endlessly for what I had just found. Fuck.

Cue aforementioned spliff and more beer. I needed to return to this world via intoxication, a paradoxical truth that, in that moment left the effects of substance somewhat reversed; I felt far more clear-headed and sharp-witted afterwards. I smoked and drank myself back to sobriety, only so I could turn around and enjoy getting fucked-up while watching Shabazz Palaces.

To put it simply and slightly ambiguously, Shabazz Palaces shifted our experience towards the night. The sun laid itself to rest as they soundchecked, and with that, our day was buried while the mood was cooled with the earth below. SP is comprised of two very talented people, one (Tendai ‘Baba’ Maraire) upon congas and mic, the other, Ishmael Butler aka Palaceer Lazaro, also known to me as Butterfly of Digable Planets, holding down a drum machine, laptop and mic (complete with voice modulation pad, for full effect). They played confidently and continuously, the entire set a medley and unbroken chain of prayer and praise. They were joined briefly by the ever-lovely (and Sub Pop label-mate) THEESatisfaction (who would help close out our night), but needed no support to achieve what they did. This was not live hip-hop as I’ve seen by some recording geniuses who can’t maintain their breath on stage. There was no crew on stage yelling the last words of every line. There was no pre-recorded vocal track over which Ishmael screamed. There was only the sounds the produced right then and there, so genuine and pure, swaying in real time with the breeze off the moon. Shabazz quickly became, in one writer’s humble opinion, one the premier live hip-hop acts on this earth.

As I’m writing this I’m begging to feeling sickly hungry and ready for some water and a shower, but because I wish to write this as fast as possible and with no additional editing, I’m going to muscles through.

I wasn’t sure how else to follow SP than to watch the aforementioned THEESatisfaction in the sweat-soaked crowd of The Hi-Dive (my favorite little venue in Colorado). To describe them lazily, they are similar to what would happen if you split Lauren Hill into two people so that the separate halves could both rap and sing simultaneously. And they were as incredible as one could have expected. By this point we were thoroughly drunk and dehydrated, gasping for air in that noise-choked, waterless room. Despite this, I couldn’t help but rock along and cheer every chance I got. Halfway through their set I noticed Shabazz themselves dancing up in the front row, ultimately preparing to join in on the final song. Those two groups (SP and THEE) have honestly regained my trust and love for the form. I love hip-hop so honestly, but have become so overwhelmingly disappointed by the devolution over my lifetime that I’d begun to question my own passion. I promise myself right now that I will begin to write and record poems again, begging today.

As we poured back out onto the sidewalk we were met by our second sighting of New Orleans’ Hokum High Rollers, a 5-piece southern folk-punk outfit with a gimmick that worked. They are incredibly talented musicians, and lace their live set with outburst in hokey 1800’s, O Brother, preacher accents (“Thank ya kind sirs and madams! Your donations keep us out of the poorhouse and our washboard player out of your house!”). Their set was made even better by the fact that they played on the sidewalk in front of an abandoned storefront. As I watched them play, I noticed that the “leader” looked and sounded unquestionably familiar. I had seen this before, but yet I hadn’t. I realized just now as I was writing that I had seen him before, playing with a different band known as Yes Ma’am at last years UMS, in front of the same goddamn storefront (before it closed). Look At This Frame I Took Last Year.

I have to recover and get ready for Day 4. I cannot waste any more time spewing such inarticulate nonsense. I have to go.

As a sort of ironic epilogue, I think it would be fitting to mention what (in terms of overwhelming quality and effect) prefaced the revelations of this whole day. All I need to say is this: Black Moth Super Rainbow. Black Mother Super Rainbow. Day 2, UMS, 2012. Black Moth Super fucking Rainbow.

Fuck.

—Z. Saint James, July 22nd 2012, UMS Day 4, 2:04 PM

“Godforsaken World” by Jonah Tolchin from Criminal...

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:31:57 -0400

“Godforsaken World” by Jonah Tolchin

from Criminal Man (2012)

&amp;lt;a href=”http://jonahtolchin.bandcamp.com/album/criminal-man” data-mce-href=”http://jonahtolchin.bandcamp.com/album/criminal-man”&amp;gt;Criminal Man by Jonah Tolchin&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

I’ve been struggling for several weeks now in my attempt to articulate Jonah’s absolute brilliance. Why have I wasted such time chasing something so obvious?

Just listen and decide for yourself. Think about everywhere these songs have come from. Think about everywhere this man will go; Here is an album so saturated with talent, a writer so vivid and visceral, that you can’t help but be excited for his entire career.

Then realize that today, July 13th 2012, is Jonah’s 20th birthday, and imagine the lifetime of creation already overflowing.

I don’t mean to take away from the strength of this album, or to overemphasize Jonah’s age. In fact, I mean the exact opposite. This is a gem edging on a goddamn masterpiece, and despite the fact that age is mostly meaningless within art, is a piece created by a (then-)19 year old kid with more skill and lyrical wit than most of his contemporaries, regardless of age. You just cant help be excited for what he’ll be creating in 5 years. 10 years. The pieces he’ll be constructing on a wind-strung, time-clawed porch in 60 years.

Happy Birthday, Jonah! We love you.

Well I asked my babe to walk with me
Her mother would not let her daughter be.

Well I asked the lord for the reason why
He’s too drunk to come down from the sky

Well lord I said I’m a simple man
And mama well I’m doing the best I can
If I follow my heart and speak my mind
Don’t get nothing back but blood and crying

City’s on fire, run to the woods, there ain’t no left
Don’t you remember what you could,
Could have done, times run out, flames creeping up,
No water in the well to put it out.

Honest man, Honest man come walk with me
Tell me how do you live so peacefully
Well he took out a needle and a sack of cocaine
and said these things help me to stay sane.

I said lord well if this is sanity
Then I’ll go wild I’ll be insane for free
Policeman, he walked up to me
He said boy, come with me.

Well they threw me, in the county jail
He said don’t ask questions, son don’t rebel
If we let you leave, son well you better walk right
And he handed me the plans to the rest of my life

Well I looked at the paper in my hand
White-picket fence, two kids, a handyman
Well it had the day I was to leave this old world
Then he handed me a ring and told me the name of a girl.

City’s on fire, run to the woods, there ain’t no left
Don’t you remember what you could,
Could have done, times run out, flames creeping up,
No water in the well to put it out.

Well I contemplated suicide,
They said that’s illegal but good try
I grabbed the pistol from policeman’s belt
pulled the trigger down the officer fell.

I laughed, felt better than a man could tell
Said looks like the place for me is hell
It couldn’t be worse than this godforsaken world
Couldn’t be worse than this godforsaken world.

City’s on fire, run to the woods, there ain’t no left
Don’t you remember what you could,
Could have done, times run out, flames creeping up,
No water in the well to put it out.

Trains gone loose, thousand miles out
Stuck in the desert times run out
Throat’s so dry whiskeys all we got
No cure on board, Oh waters all run out

We are also proud to present Jonah Tolchin’s last 2 EPs (as if Criminal Man wasn’t enough):

<a href=”http://jonahtolchin.bandcamp.com/album/blair-arch-ep” data-mce-href=”http://jonahtolchin.bandcamp.com/album/blair-arch-ep”>Blair Arch (EP) by Jonah Tolchin</a>

<a href=”http://jonahtolchin.bandcamp.com/album/eldawise” data-mce-href=”http://jonahtolchin.bandcamp.com/album/eldawise”>Eldawise by Jonah Tolchin</a>

“Bullshit Love” by Scott Rudd from Lonely Life,...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:17:00 -0400

“Bullshit Love” by Scott Rudd

from Lonely Life, self-released in 2010

&amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://scottrudd.bandcamp.com/album/lonely-life” data-mce-href=”http://scottrudd.bandcamp.com/album/lonely-life”&amp;amp;gt;Lonely Life by Scott Rudd&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

I chose “Bullshit Love” because it stuck out so prominently as the single track most noticeably different from the rest of the album. Singles of this nature are often the most fun to present as introductions to a new artist, purely because they direct the mind in one direction, only to be more significantly shifted upon experiencing the entire record; it’s a misdirection, a (slightly-misleading) fragment removed from context, which creates expectations that are often defied. In this particular case, the “payoff” from the record as a whole is incredible; Lonely Life is a gorgeous piece, one that deserves patience and solitary listening. Scott Rudd is a New York musician (often boxed into that city’s anti-folk movement), and its exactly there that I imagine myself when I listen to this record: in Alphabet City, wandering on a grey, delving day, alone in search of something intangible; lonely in a crowd of millions.

When asked about the song, Scott answered with what felt like common sense: “At the time I had just gotten out of a long term relationship and I had a lot of things floating around in my head. I think that song is really just about my frustrations with looking for love, finding love and losing love.”

Scott Rudd is also a photographer whose work I admire (LOOK).

Here’s a collection of demos he recorded in 2011:

&amp;lt;a href=”http://scottrudd.bandcamp.com/album/demos” data-mce-href=”http://scottrudd.bandcamp.com/album/demos”&amp;gt;Demos by Scott Rudd&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

He also emerged for the first time this year to release a new single last month:

&lt;a href=”http://scottrudd.bandcamp.com/track/probably-lied” data-mce-href=”http://scottrudd.bandcamp.com/track/probably-lied”&gt;Probably Lied by Scott Rudd&lt;/a&gt;

“Buckling” by Those Lavender Whales from Tomahawk...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:09:00 -0400

“Buckling” by Those Lavender Whales

from Tomahawk of Praise, released by Fork & Spoon Records

<a href=”http://thoselavenderwhales.bandcamp.com/album/tomahawk-of-praise” data-mce-href=”http://thoselavenderwhales.bandcamp.com/album/tomahawk-of-praise”>Tomahawk Of Praise by Those Lavender Whales</a>

The PORTALS family just released their (well-curated) Summer Mixtape, which will see cassette release by Chill Mega Chill (“Limited edition coconut-flavored cassettes with sea breeze artwork”). The fourth track features (a band who I’d never heard, but who instantly felt familiar) Those Lavender Whales, a 3-piece that reminds me of the playful softfolk/folkpunk bands I was part of and surrounded by in Florida.

That’s really the entirety of the story.