06 March 2024

Alan Courtis & David Grubbs "Braintrust of Fiends and Werewolves" (LP/CD, Husky Pants Records, 2023)


2 guitar players on this 2023 LP/CD. I'll talk about each track in order.  '
Hinterhalt', one guitarist is playing in the lower register and the other one plucking and picking.  Toward the end of the opening track it gets pretty heavy like the strongest tracks on the Tokyo Flashbacks comps. 'Braintrust Of Fiends And Werewolves' gives me a forlorn feeling.  Drowsy.  This speaks to me. On 'Braintrust Of Fiends And Werewolves', the finger picking is prominent.  This is sounding sorrowful.  'Song Of A Fence Grown Through A Tree': Heavy psych jam drones.  Hearing an experimental psych/folk sounding duo without a drummer allows the listener to appreciate the interplay of these decidedly contrasting guitar styles.  'Airborne Particles Of The California Central Valley'; reminds me of the stuff Ptolemaic Terrascope Zine is genrerally known for.  English guitar psych.  Gentle sounding.  Minstrel sounding.  Minimal and slow tempo. 'Airborne Particles Of The California Central Valley' (CD only) is a more experimental jam.  Prepared guitar.  Brings to mind Keiji Haino solo.  One guitar is low registered, and other one is doing rapid picking & bending.   Got some Jack Rose vibes.  I don't think I've knowingly heard David Grubbs before.  Glad I have now. Alan always brings thoughtful & alien playing to the table. This guitar duo made a very enjoyable album, totally worth checking out.  Looking forward to more.

18 February 2024

Twilight Memories of the 3 Suns 'Dogs' (Audial Dowry Label)

 

Side A
This tape starts things off with some excellent sounding droning & whining multi-tracked sax.  There's a plucked and strangely played winding bass guitar under the mix. Bagpipe is listed in the liners but I'm not sure if I've heard it yet.  Next it moves into ghostly waves of electronics and a unsettling shimmering.  Small dogs are doing 'vocals'. There is literally barking at this point. Then into a Sci-fi space ritual.

Side B
Continued howling, whining and droning wind instruments & electronics.   Bag pipes audible now, and have the sound for which they are traditionally known but are not playing anything that resembles traditional music.  Something very alien here.  Dog yipping under the mix.  This side wobbles from an enveloping tension-creating drone to a kind of wailing, slow & whining  scuzz-jazz.   Theres an unexpected and possibly humorous musical passage  that fades in and out at one point.  The mix on this is incredible.  The art work/notes are cryptic & fitting.  My only complaint is that this isn't a 120 min tape.

Get the tape from the band on insta: @fleshcontrol or @null_disclosure


09 January 2024

Do You Like RocknRoll?


 Sunday 2.25.24.  Arllight (NYC) / West Jersey Airport (NJ) / Phil Spector's Gun (Philly) @ Flemington D.I.Y., Flemington, NJ

...experimental rock, psych rock & hard rock...

All ages.  Support sub underground and sub genre music.

27 August 2023

PSYCH, HEAVY, IMPROV & ELECTRONICS

MAGIC MONDAY II: OCT 9TH 2023, 7PM: JEFFREY ALEXSANDER & THE HEAVY LIDDERS, BHAJAN BHOYS (AMSTERDAM), HUMAN ADULT BAND (20TH ANNIVERSARY SET) & PLUTONIAN BURRITO @ FLEMINGTON D.I.Y., 26 STANGLE RD, FLEMINGTON, NJ


Also, ASPS in Queens, NY.  See below..



07 July 2023

Tri-state area shows Summer '23




Wed July 19 2023: REYNOLS MOVIE SCREENING & EXHIBITION @ Flemington D.I.Y., Flemington, NJ.
***
Wed July 26, 2023
NOISE NOMADS, BILL NACE, ASPS, NEIL BURKE, SPREADERS and INLET TERROR 
@ In The West, NB, NJ
Flyer by K.P.G.
***


Sat July 29 2023
MOUNTAIN MOVERS, GLUE BAG and HUMAN ADULT BAND @ In The West, New Brunswick, NJ.

***
Fri Aug 25, 2023: BITTER WISH, DANCE SATAN DANCE (Robb & Feehan), SHIRESE and HUMAN ADULT BAND @ Cousin Dannys, Philly, PA
***
Mon Oct 9th 2023: HEAVY LIDDERS, BHAJAN BHOY and HUMAN ADULT BAND @ Flemington D.I.Y., Flemington, NJ.

04 July 2023

Big Blood 'First Aid Kit' LP (Feeding Tube Recs/ BaDaBing Recs)

Elements of the production, some vocal melodies, bass lines, 1-2 drum beats (digging those bass and drums tones) have a real 80s pop dance floor  sound.    Madonna / Talking heads / 'You Could Be Right' PIL.  Which is fitting esp for Colleens' lyrics 'who ever told u, u can have anything u want'.   Said 80s dance floor pop sound was big on the radio/MTV when our gen was being told that kinda stuff.  Brilliant bc ppl our age will get the sound and love it, and younger folks might not get it, but it will sound fresh and they will love it.


I can't place the musical references on 'Ring Telephone Ring' and that's on me.  Dulled & aging brain. It has a swamp R&B feel.   Maybe a new, less explored sonic territory for Big Blood.  In terms of slow moody ones, it goes beyond Big Blood's more Twin Peaks soundtrack sounding jams on previous LPs. Think less road house band and more collector's gem.  Regarding the lyrics, it could be any number of things.  Maybe the 'rents are waiting for a call from the kid when she's out?  But, during my listening experience, it reminded me of wating for a call from an old friend when feeling hopeless and down.

Wow, there's also some 'Hounds of Love' backing vox on the B side's 'Makes Me Wonder.'    Plus, Quinn's songs 'In My Head' and '1,000 Times' are total rippers.  Gives me hope for the next generation of sound explorers.  Like 'Hounds of Love' I think this LP should be a 2x hit, but just the same if it's a series of friendly jabs.  Big Blood rule, ok?


16 May 2023

Outdoor Volk & Noise Sets

 

Highland Park, NJ Porch Fest Outdoor Jams

Sunday May 21 @ 1pm: Alice Fawn, Ankylosaurus, Half A House, Pabli Galesi.