Monday, November 24, 2008

AETHER EVERYWHERE PRESENTS: A KRANKY LABEL SHOWCASE



Come join us for a great night of indie & experimental music as Kranky Records recording artists, Tick Tick and Aether Everywhere join forces for the first time!

-------------------------------------------------------------
Aether Everywhere presents:

A Kranky Label Showcase featuring:

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
(http://www.kranky.net/artists/tkapb.html)

Boduf Songs
(http://www.kranky.net/artists/bodufsongs.html)

Ben Vida (Bird Show) & Greg Davis
(http://www.kranky.net/artists/birdshow.html)
(http://www.kranky.net/artists/davisg.html)

Saturday, November 29th 2008
8pm
$8

at The Bakery
(near n. winooski & archibald in the old north end)
Burlington VT


"Kranky Records, based in Chicago, Illinois, has been one of the leading providers of experimental music contributions in the United States since late 1993 (with the release of Labradford's Prazision LP), and ever since, it has united listeners with a community of artists committed to pursuing the ever-evolving left-field musical landscape— far beyond the structural limits of indie rock. Its alumni includes Low, Roy Montgomery, and Montreal's Godspeed You! Black Emperor, while its impressive current roster features challenging forward-thinkers such as Keith Fullerton Whitman, Lichens, Tim Hecker, Benoit Pioulard, Charalambides, Growing, Valet, White Rainbow and numerous other artists and collectives worth discovering" (from Panpot.ca)

-------------------------------------------------


BE THERE!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

WHY I STOPPED MAKING EXPERIMENTAL FILMS

I received this e-mail today concerning my recent posting on Bruce Conner's "Looking For Mushrooms"--

I am writing on behalf of Jean Conner, wife of the late Bruce Conner
and rights holder to all of his art and films. I have just viewed
your blog with Bruce Conner's LOOKING FOR MUSHROOMS available for
download, which must be removed immediately.

I understand this was posted as an homage and an effort to share his
work, however, Bruce Conner was strictly opposed to ever having his
work on the internet. He felt It destroyed his aesthetics, the
image quality, and the experience of the work itself. This is not an
appropriate way to revere Bruce Conner. Due to this clear violation
of copyright, this is an order to cease and desist. If this is not
addressed immediately, the Conner Family will pursue further action to
have this removed. I have informed the Kohn Gallery of the intent
for illegal duplication of the DVD which they have produced of
CROSSROADS and LOOKING FOR MUSHROOMS.

Please remove all contents of this page and any reference to this
material.

Regards,

Michelle Silva, on behalf of Jean Conner
The Conner Family Trust

My first response, as with any request I've received from an artist or representative, was to remove the offending material immediately as requested. In the past I've had no issues with the methods used in bringing the objection to my attention, but the threatening tone of this one along with some idiotic reasoning just made me need to address this.

This is a perfect example of why experimental film is now a dead genre. The egos, greed and uber-formalism of people like Conner, Brakhage and others of their generation resulted in comments like this:

Bruce Conner was strictly opposed to ever having his work on the internet. He felt It destroyed his aesthetics, the image quality, and the experience of the work itself.

Bullshit. You can't experience art in a vacuum, and these idiots destroyed any possibility of future audiences appreciating their work. First it was "oh, my films are meant to be watched on film only, never video". Well, guess what--Kodak isn't even going to be making film stock to make prints pretty soon. Then some gallery throws a bunch of money and faux-prestige their way, and suddenly it's ok to show your work on video. As long as you can charge $40 a copy for two short films.

Oh and, hate to break it to you, but soon EVERYTHING WILL BE DIGITAL AND ON COMPUTERS. Film is dead, video is on its way out. Deal with it, evolve, or the works of people like Bruce Conner will be forgotten.

It's this neophobia and unwillingness to embrace future technologies that killed experimental film as a viable art form and there's no reason for it. Art is about sharing, growing, trying new things (it is called "experimental" film after all....) and attitudes like this are what stiffle and kill creativity and what will make works like "Looking For Mushrooms" eventually obsolete except to the elitists. It's a damn shame.

Friday, August 29, 2008

VON COSEL/SOLAH/GROVEL - SATURDAY SEPT 20TH



Yours truly will be performing in two of my musical projects, Von Cosel and Solah, on Saturday, September 20th at the Radio Bean in Burlington. This will be the second and final performace of the Von Cosel "Songs For Elena" concept EP. Also sharing the bill will be Grovel, a new side-project by Matt Mayer of A Snake In the Garden.

The show starts at midnight and there is no cover. Hope to see you there!

Monday, August 04, 2008

SPITTING OUT TEETH RADIO SHOW - RECENT PLAYLISTS

I haven't been updating the playlists for my radio show very often lately, so here are the last seven shows.


EPISODE 15: 05/24/08

Sea of Bones, "Chapter Four" (from "The Harvest")
Atrax Morgue, "Evisceration" (from "Sickness Report")
Damaar, "Ode To Blasphemhy" (from "Triumph Through Spears of Sacrifice")
Faryus, "Lucid Dream" (from "Lucid Dreams")
Sachiko, "Dmu-Dbud Kam-Po So-Zan" (from "Kunado")
Monos, "Moon Environment" (from "Nightfall Sunshine")

EPISODE 16: 05/31/08

Ascend, "Ample Fire Within" (from "Ample Fire Within")
SPK, "Kaltbruchig Acideath" (from "Information Overload Unit")
Terje Isungset, "Contemplation" (from "Ice Concerts")
Robedoor & Pocahaunted, "Spectral Outpost" (from "Hunted Gathering")
Stefano Pilia, "Untitled" (from "The Suncrows Fall And Tree")
Lustmord, "Dark Companion" (from "The Place Where the Black Stars Hang")

EPISODE 17: 06/07/08

Grails, "Clean Living" (from "Take Refuge in Clean Living")
Stravm Terror, "Human Afflictions" (from "Pariah Demise")
Markus Guentner, "Chrom" (from "Regensburg Remix")
Cloama, "Tuhkajumala" (from "Neuroscan Organization")
Oren Ambarchi, "Highway of Diamonds" (from "Destinationless Desire")
Blacksand, "U1195" (from "Barn")
Slow Listener, "Polarity Magnetics" (from "Snow Falling From a Blue Clear Sky")

EPISODE 18: 06/14/08

Pentemple, "Pazuzu II" (from "Presents")
The Body, "Final Words" (from "The Body")
Nadja, "Sandskin" (from "Bodycage")
Martin Hannett, "Lift Recording I & II" (from "Martin Hannett Personal Mixes")
Sujo, "Observer" (from "Sujo")

EPISODE 19: 06/21/08

David Jackman, "Edge of Nothing", "Povera 1", "Povera 2" (from "Compilation")
David Jackman, "Untitled A", "Untitled B" (from "Eisen")
David Jackman, "Ember Hollow", "Dawn Plaza" (from "Ember Hollow/Dawn Plaza")
David Jackman, "Flag of Surrender", "Fracture" (from "Flag of Surrender")
David Jackman, "Flak", "Wietzendorf" (from "Flak")
David Jackman, "Laus A", "Laus B", (from "Laus)
David Jackman, "Machine Gun (A)", "Machine Gun (B)" (from "Machine Guns")

EPISODE 20: 07/19/08

Brian Eno, "The Secret Place" (from "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks")
Lustmord, "Of Eons" (from "Other")
NON, "The Underground Stream" (from "Children of the Black Sun")
Mort Art, "Sewage Dreams" (from "Green Death")
The Caretaker, "On the Edge of Breakdown" (from "A Stairway to the Stars")
Wolfskin feat. Objekt4, "Bleeding Suns" (from "The Hidden Fortress: A Revisitation")
Nordvargr, "Stripped Of All But My Loyalty I Serve" (from "Pyrrhula")
Mrtyu, "Pyre" (from "Blood Tantra")
Koeff, "I Can Hear You" (from "Performance Anthology")
Ophir, "Ar-Si-Za 5" (from "Eiserne Ernte: Werkschau II")
Black Seas of Infinity, "Porta Vox Umbra" (from "AMRITA - The Quintessence")
Northaunt, "Lost Days" (from "Barren Land")
Zdzis Beks, "Namtilliak" (from "Sub Figura")
Deathprod, "Nebulizer" (from "6-Track")
Dead City Rituals, "III" (from "I-VI")
David Lynch & Jocelyn Montgomery, "Battle and Aftermath" (from "Lux Vivens")
Jeff Greinke, "Crevice" (from "Cities in Fog")

EPISODE 21: 07/26/08


Nanohex, "Alpha Decay" (from "Compilation")
Propergol, "La Vie en Rose" (from "Renegade")
The Skull Defekts, "Drone Drug" (from "Drone Drug")
Black Seas of Infinity, "Bornless, I Have Become" (from "The Wordless Aeon...")
Lawrence English, "Lone By Power Station" (from "Kiri No Oto")
AEP, "II" (from "Noir Voyage Ostrue de Rencontres Difformes")

EPISODE 22: 08/02/08

P.Children, "Altercation" (from "P.Children 4")
Ahtapkhea, "Kohbon Clopepa" (from "Basa 211")
Odal, "W.Tax Is Not a Psychokiller" (from "Against Humanity")
Whitehouse, "Boston Strangler" (from "Psychopathia Sexualis")
Ramleh, "Prossneck" (from "The Hand of Glory")
Illusion of Safety, "Theme from Belfast Street Riot" (from "In 70 Countries")
Subhuman, "Untitled" (from "Untitled II")
Droin, "Marching East" (from "Time to Reconsider")
Hunok, "End of the Great Migration" (from "Gesta Hungarorum")
Musterion, "Tannhauser Gate" (from "The Black Lodge")
Symbiosis, "The Coldness Inside" (from "Passages")
Necrophorous, "Lost Land Part 2" (from "Drifting in Motion")

Thursday, July 10, 2008

AETHER EVERYWHERE LAUNCH PARTY - THIS SATURDAY



I'll be playing a solo Von Cosel set, performing in the live debut of Solah with JB & participating in the le duo ensemble....a busy night of music making for yours truly. Come out and support me, Burlington experimental music & Aether Everywhere!

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

DYLAN - THE DUETS

"Deportee" (with Joan Baez, 1976)



"If Not For You" (with George Harrison duet)


"Dark Eyes" (with Patti Smith)



"Girl From the North Country" (with Johnny Cash)



"Pancho and Lefty" (with Willie Nelson)



"Street Rock" (with Kurtis Blow)



"My Back Pages" (with freakin' everybody)

Monday, June 16, 2008

RYAN TRECARTIN



Apparently the video art war is finished & the formalists have lost to the the Pipilotti Rists of the world, so
we have a lot of deeply saturated, poorly lit versions of this to look forward to--


http://www.ubu.com/film/trecartin_family.html


Yet a further bastardization of Warhol by the Animal Collective generation.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

THE DEATH OF VERMONT MUSIC BLOGS?



You may have noticed that this site has crawled to a near-comatose state & The Le Duo blog has been all but pronounced dead. Highgate is a rotting corpse at this point.

I really have nothing to blame but the wonderful Aether Everywhere site. While I didn't develop it, I am responsible for nearly 1/3 of the total site lifetime posts and probably started half of the threads, so I feel pretty close to it. More importantly, all of my friends in the local music scene post there, so it definitely feels like more of a community discourse, rather than here where I'm just preaching to you in a monologue.

So is Spitting Out Teeth dead? Well, in the form that you knew it before, yes. I probably won't be updating the site regularly, maybe just to cross-post my blog entries from Aether Everywhere.

But who knows, maybe I'll reimagine this site a bit. For now, I might just dedicate it to listing playlists and podcasts from the Spitting Out Teeth Radio show on The Radiator (every Saturday from 7-8pm; tune in!). I've also thought about transitioning it into an album download site a la Blood is Truth or Deleted Scenes, Forgotten Dreams. Or maybe even go back to my first love & just offer direct downloads of art-house & experimental cinema.

The possibilities are endless, and I could really use your help in deciding what to do. If you have an opinion, feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at spittingoutteeth@gmail.com if you don't want it made public. The decision is yours people (well, it's really mine, but obviously I'll take your opinion into consideration).

Thanks again for your loyal readership over the past couple of years. Help determine the future of Spitting Out Teeth!

Saturday, June 07, 2008

EXPERIMENTAL CAT MUSICIAN


Awesome....I think I might have to recruit my cats to make some music.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

VOICE CRACK







Lots o' downloads here....

http://experimentaletc.blogspot.com/2008/05/voice-crack.html

Monday, May 12, 2008

FA-FA-FA-FA-FA-FA-FA-FA-FUNKY

NO DEE-DEE, NO!



Don't do drugs kids.

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

AETHER EVERWHERE


Superblog. Record Label. Your New Best Friend.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

SYMPHONIES OF GRASS


It's one of those cloudy, quiet Saturday afternoons that feels more like a Sunday. I'm just lounging around the house, killing time before my radio show tonight. I'm in one of those frazzled mindsets where I can't decide what I want to do. I start watching a movie, then discover I don't have the attention span to watch it & I turn it off. Pick up my guitar, play a couple riffs, think about hooking up my gear to do some recording, but don't have the initiative. Oh well, I deserve a day to be lazy.

Just got in from outside; it's a bit cold & dismal, but I kind of like days like that. Sat on my porch, smoked a cigar, watched the birds & squirrels chase each other around in the woods. No thoughts in my head; just enjoying the cool air & the free, wonderful ambient sounds of nature. Really makes me want to buy a nice field recorder; maybe I can do a solo project for Tanner and Josh's new label.

Now, now; don't get too ambitious. It's a Sunday-like Saturday; just kick back and enjoy it.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

MEGAFAUN - GREG DAVIS -OAK @ MONKEY HOUSE 5.2.08

Greg Davis has organized a show at the Monkey House on Friday, May 2nd featuring Megafaun (whom you'll remember from the Akron/Family show at Metronome), Oak and a set by Greg himself. I will definitely be there and you should too.


Oh, and while you're at it, contact Greg about purchasing a copy of the Eleh/Sun Circle split (180g vinyl 12" from Important Records). It's fantastic and it won't be around much longer, so get it now.

Friday, April 18, 2008

HELP ME WITH AN EGO DRIVEN GOOGLE BOMB

In a fit of boredom this evening, I decided to perform the most pathetically insecure & post-modern of narcissistic acts: I Googled my own name.

Ok, so maybe this isn't the first time I've done this...and every time, I get a page full of Jay Blanchard, Senator of Arizona (like I couldn't do that job...) and some geek who apparently posts a lot on a site called "evolt". Oh yeah,and just recently, I've even been upstaged by a registered sex offender in Florida who shares my date de naissance...

(Do I sense a family resemblance....?
Uhhhh....no. No I do not.)

So, I plead with you....

I'm not that bad of a guy. Sure, I'm a pretty lousy DJ and piss-poor blogger. But I'm certainly not a sex offender, or worse, an Arizona politician ((shudder)). So help me Google bomb my name into the Google top ten. Just post a comment that includes my name. Jay Blanchard. Jay Blanchard. Musician, gentleman, scholar, non-sexual offender, anti-politician Jay Blanchard.

We shall prevail. :)


(EDIT: Just realized after posting that, with the help of my sketchy, potentially currently-incarcerated Florida name-brother, I've now forever solidly linked the terms "jay blanchard" and "sex offender" on the internet. I...am...the stupid....)

Sunday, April 13, 2008

SPITTING OUT TEETH RADIO SHOW - EPISODE 10 - 04.12.08

Wolf Eyes, "Time of Clearing" (from the album "Time of Clearing")
Univers Zero, "Jack the Ripper" (from the album "Heresie")
Oxyd Meets Sumad, "Land of Pain" (from the album "Mysterious Places of Dead Souls")
Exotoendo, "Inner Picture I" (from the album "Endorcism Process")
Andrew Chalk, "Untitled III" (from the album "Harvest")
7 From Life, "Withdrwl" (from the album "Coral Assault")
Nadja, "Skin Turns to Glass" (from the album "Skin Turns to Glass")

Background music: Birchville Cat Motel, "Seventh Ruined Hex"

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

THE TRANSITION FROM A GLOOMY, DOOMY WINTER...


The weather is starting to get nice & I'm getting in a gradually more upbeat mood. Don't expecting Spitting Out Teeth radio to go all twee pop or anything over the summer, but I do have to warn you that it may be hard to keep up the oppressive doom on the nice summer days. I've been searching for a nice middle ground, and I think I found it in the Univers Zero's classic "Heresie". Still dark and creepy, but with a campy "Mahler meets the Ringling Bros." vibe. If that doesn't sum up VT spring mud season, I don't know what does.

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

YES, I'M NEGLECTING THIS BLOG

Ok, yes, I'll admit it--the Spitting Out Teeth blog has not been my top priority lately. But I think I have some good excuses:

1) I'm getting married August 16th. I never had any idea how much work was involved in planning a wedding....
2) I'm trying to finish a full-length album. Solah. Eternal Humm. Coming soon.
3) I'm just coming back to reality after a long, severe seasonal depression. Boo hoo emo crap.
4) I have an awesome new radio show. On 105.9 The Radiator. The name sake of this blog. Tune in.

Otherwise, I'm just lazy. I haven't seen many shows lately & my radio show has been the best outlet to express my current musical interests. So.....what am I saying? Am I pulling a "Tanner"? Or am I playing Web Catholic performing a virtual guilt-catalyzed confession? Or am I just filling space and wasting bandwidth?

A little of all of them I guess. But I feel guilty obviously, considering I'm writing this post. So I intend to try to make this blog a priority again, so expect some interesting, well-considered posts over the next few months. Well, better than this one at least...

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

BIG DOG

Ok, maybe this is just the absolute proof that I'm a complete geek for anything new & techy....but everyone else I have shown this to thinks it's cool as well. DARPA is currently working in collaboration with Boston Dynamics to develop a robotic "pack mule". Wow, big deal, right? It gets better.

The robot, nicknamed "Big Dog" uses a series of gyros (think Segway) to help it maintain its balance in any type of environment. It reacts to stimuli in the same any animal would--action & reaction--and as a result, it constitutes by far the most organic robotics that I have ever seen.

Keep in mind this is genuine, unaltered video--not a 3D generation. Check it out:



Cool, huh? For some reason, it really reminds me of the ED-209 from Robocop, especially the scene in Robocop 2 (I think...) where it gets blown apart and only the legs are left walking around.


Speaking of Robocop, there's this thing too...



It's an amazing age in which we live.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

SPITTING OUT TEETH RADIO TONIGHT...


Sorry for the late notice on this one, but if you tune in to 105.9 The Radiator tonight at 7pm you can catch a special installment of Spitting Out Teeth Radio called "Piles of Dirt: The Sounds of David Lynch". The show will feature dark & doomy tracks from a couple of Lynch's recent films, as well as the entire soundtrack for his early masterpiece "Eraserhead"....enjoy!

Friday, March 21, 2008

THE CINEMA OF DOOM


As anyone who reads this blog somewhat regularly knows, my music tastes tend to gravitate towards the "doomy"--doom metal, dark ambient, harsh noise, Schubert, etc. I'm not sure what speaks to me so much in melancholy music (maybe close to 30 years of long VT winters?), but I've always been a sucker for minor chords, droning bass & dark lyrical content.

However, music is not the only art form where doom appeals to me--I've always liked visual artists like Francis Bacon, Robert Motherwell, Picasso's blue period, etc. But most of all, I like really dark cinema.

With the help of my friends over at the Doom Forever, Forever Doomed forums, I've created a list of some of the best in "Doom Cinema". The criteria for inclusion on the list is as follows: heavily atmosphere, dark content, sparse imagery, and it MUST be in black and white. Even with such severe limitations, we were able to generate quite a list--here it is:

"Eraserhead"/"The Amputee"/"Lumiere" (David Lynch)
"Begotten" (E. Elias Merhige)
"Decasia" (Bill Morrison)
"Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (Shinya Tsukamoto)
"Shame"/"Hour of the Wolf"/"The Seventh Seal"/”The Virgin Spring” (Ingmar Bergman)
"Damnation"/”Satantango”/”Werkmeister Harmonies” (Bela Tarr)
"Andrei Rublev" (Andrei Tarkovsky)
“Vampyr”/"Ordet"/"The Passion of Joan of Arc" (Carl T. Dreyer)
"Nosferatu"/”Faust” (F.W. Murnau)
"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (Robert Wiene)
"L'Eclisse" (Michaelangelo Antonioni)
“The Exterminating Angel”/"Un Chien Andalou (Luis Bunuel)
"Meshes of the Afternoon" (Maya Deren)
"Anticipation of the Night"/"Desistfilm" (Stan Brakhage)
"Stranger Than Paradise" (Jim Jarmusch)
"Man Bites Dog" (Remy Belvaux)
"Freaks" (Tod Browning)
"Blood of the Poet" (Jean Cocteau)
"Tales from the Gimli Hospital" (Guy Madden)
“Le Dernier Combat” (Luc Besson)
“Night Of The Eagle (Sydney Hayers)
“Night Of The Demon (Jacques Tourneur)
“Whistle And Ill Come To You (Jonathan Miller)
“I am Cuba” (Mikhail Kalatazov)
“Mother and Son” (Aleksandr Sokurov)
“Europa” (Lars Von Trier)
“Tokyo Story”/”Late Spring” (Yasujiro Ozu)
“47 Ronin”/”Street of Shame” (Kenji Mizoguchi)
“Ikiru/Seven Samurai”/“Throne of Blood” (Akira Kurosawa)
“The Addiction” (Abel Ferrara)
“Titticut Follies” (Frederick Wiseman)
“Haxan” (Benjamin Christensen)
“La Jetée” (Chris Marker)
“The Devil Bat” (Jean Yarbrough)
“Fires on the Plain” (Kon Ichikawa)
"Nadja" (Michael Almereyda)
“Onibaba” (Kaneto Shindo)
“The American Astronaut” (Cory McAbee)
“Diary of a Country Priest” (Robert Bresson)
“The Cremator” (Juraj Herz)
“Repulsion” (Roman Polanski)
“Night of the Hunter” (Charles Laughton)
“M” (Fritz Lang)
"Woman Of The Dunes" (Hiroshi Teshigahara)
"The Red Badge of Courage" (John Huston)
“Ashes and Diamonds”/"Kanal" (Andrej Wajda)
“Alexander Nevsky” (Eisenstein)
"Pandora's Box" (G.W. Pabst)
“Carnival of Souls” (Herk Harvey)
“The State of Things” (Wim Wenders)
“Harakiri” (Masaki Kobayashi)
“Sword of Doom” (Kihachi Okamoto)
“The Bicycle Thieves” (Roberto Rosselini)
“Ugetsu”/Sansho The Bailiff” (Kenji Mizoguchi)
“Pig” (Rozz Williams)
“Night of the Living Dead” (George A. Romero)
“Hiroshima, Mon Amour” (Alain Renais)
“The Wages of Fear” (Henri-Georges Clouzot)
“The Gospel According to St. Matthew” (Pier Paolo Passolini)
“Suture” (Scott McGhee & David Siegel)
“Pi” (Darren Aronofsky)
“Vincent”/”Frankenweenie”/”Ed Wood” (Tim Burton)

All great films too! And not a surprise the Ingmar Bergman seems to be the reigning king of cinematic doom. Check out a few that you haven't seen before spring rolls around and everything is all bright & technicolor cheerful again :)

Sunday, March 16, 2008

SOT RADIO SHOW - 3.15.08

Burning Witch, "Sacred Predictions" (from the album "Crippled Lucifer")
Akitsa, "Haine et Vengeance" (from the album "Goetie")
Avsolutized, "My Veins Are Open" (from the album "Den Svarta Vendans Genealogi")
I Shalt Become, "In The Falling Snow" (from the album "In The Falling Snow"
Nekrasov, "Freedom From Self Joy" (from the album "Into the No-Mans Sphere of Ancient Days")
Kammarheit, "The Poignant" (from the album "Asleep and Well Hidden")
Half Makeshift, "The First and Second Passing" (from the album "Final")

COSMOS


Enjoying a nice mellow Sunday morning here at home....sipping a latte, working on the new Solah blog & listening to a copy of Murcof's "Cosmos" that Pure Pop scored for me on 45rpm vinyl. JB is making breakfast sandwiches (VT eggs & sausage; Myers' bagels....drool) and we're going to watch a cheesy action flick or comedy. Perfect kinda day.

What's your favorite thing to do on a lazy Sunday?

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

DAVY LAUTERBACH

A co-worker of mine turned me on to this article about Davy Lauterbach, a former artist for "The Simpsons" who now paints photo-realistic Olan Mills style portraits of children. With, um, mental challenges. Apparently they're becoming incredibly popular amongst the Hollywood crowd (Bill Murray and Luke Wilson both own one).

I have to admit that they're fairly intriguing. I don't usually care for photo-realism, but the semi-surreal quality make them somehow cute, compassionate, offensive and revolting at the same time.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

INTRODUCING THE SOLAH WEBSITE....


As most of you know (and if not, I haven't been hyping it enough), JB and I started an experimental metal/ambient/noise collective called Solah. We've released one ep and we're currently working on our first full-length album, "Eternal Humm".

Short of actually doing some live shows (which I promise we will be doing soon), I figured the best way to promote the group would be to set up a band webpage. So I did...

Check out the Solah site at SOLAHTHEBAND.BLOGSPOT.COM

Enjoy!
THE MORNING AFTER....

Just wanted to send out a quick thank you to all of you who came to see the le duo make some crazy cosmic jazz tones last night. It was a lot of fun (despite hauling gear through the slushy muck that was Burlington) and I'm looking forward to playing more shows once spring rolls around...

Also, a big thank you to Toby, Sara-Paule, Chris, Matt and Emily for joining us in the le duo jam, and for what were probably the best Oak and A Snake in the Garden performances I have ever seen. Which is saying a lot, as I've seen both acts at least a half-dozen times each in the past year.

Biggest thanks goes out to JB for organizing everything and to the Radio Bean for being one of the few venues left in this area where we could actually play this kind of music live and not be served with a restraining order afterwards.

Friday, March 07, 2008

THE LE DUO/OAK/A SNAKE IN THE GARDEN - TOMORROW/MIDNIGHT/RADIOBEAN

Yours truly will have the honor of performing as 1/6th of the le duo; hope to see you there!

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

REJECTED

Sunday, March 02, 2008

HMMM....

Not a single comment in the past fifteen posts...might be about time to abandon this blog.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

CRASH WORSHIP

THE VIDEO WORKS OF SAM-TAYLOR WOOD

I first encountered Sam-Taylor Wood's installation video work at an exhibit at the Hirshhorn Gallery in 1999. Along with Bill Viola, her work was a huge influence on my decision to do video installation art during my college years.

While they're not quite as powerful outside of their intended context, Taylor-Wood's videos still hold up very well on their own. Ubuweb has posted ten of them on their site; check them out HERE.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

NEW TOY...


Yes, a discontinued Boss HM-2 "Heavy Metal" pedal, the choice stompbox for dirtbag trash-metal wannabees, harsh noise musicians....and now me!

As far as I can tell, the settings are: crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, DESTROYYYY

Sunday, February 17, 2008

THE WORLD'S GREATEST MUSIC COLLECTION


Anyone have three million dollars they can loan me? Up for auction on eBay right now is the largest music collection I have ever seen--three million records and 300,000 CDs.

OK, HERE IT IS...

Unless you know me personally, DO NOT e-mail me or post comments asking me to re-upload albums, films, etc. that are no longer available. I won't do it. Sorry to rant, but I feel the need to post this as I'm getting a ridiculous number of requests, especially for "Lost Book Found". If you want the movie, have someone send you an invite to join Karagarga or even better, go to the Video Data Bank and BUY a copy for $30; it's well worth it.

That is all.

Friday, February 15, 2008

JUST IN...ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW!


The mighty Oak will be performing tomorrow night at UVM's Slade Hall along with Gondwanalande and Zach Cooper. The show is from 8pm-11pm and as far as I can tell...it's free!

An evening of exmperimental music featuring Burlington's best:

Gondwanalande: www.myspace.com/gondewanalande
experimental rock

Oak: www.myspace.com/oaksounds
dronal ambassadors of the nu age

Zach Cooper
10 sting tink-toy samurai
BAD FLIRT @ 242 MAIN - SATURDAY NIGHT


Haven't solidified your Saturday night plans yet? Then stop by Vermont's premiere venue for hardcore to see Bad Flirt perform at 7pm.

They just finished work on their new record with producer Howard Bilerman ( Arcade Fire , Wolf Parade, Godspeed You Black Emperor)

Davey Von Bohlen (from Capn Jazz & The Promise Ring) sings a duet on the album.

The band has toured and played shows with Paramore, The Kills, Lightning Bolt, The Thermals, The Slip, Rogue Wave, The Unicorns, The Grates, The Life & Times, These Arms Are Snakes, VHS or BETA, One Line Drawing...

www.myspace.com/badflirt
www.badflirt.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kpuYm7drRI

Cover is $7 and four other bands are scheduled to play.
SPITTING OUT TEETH RADIO TOMORROW - TRIBUTE TO TONY IOMMI

A change of plans...instead of the lineup of new, cutting-edge avant-garde metal I had planned for tomorrow night, we'll instead take a trip back in time to the guys who started it all--Black Sabbath!

Tuesday is guitarist Tony Iommi's 60th birthday, so we'll be celebrating early by listening to some of his greatest riffs in classic Sabbath tunes of the Ozzy era. Tune in at 7pm tomorrow night to let the Granddaddies of Doom take you on the ultimate sonic downer trip!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

SPITTING OUT (BABY) TEETH


Yes indeed, that is your's truly circa 1985; obviously Ralph Macchio's blistering performance in "The Karate Kid" had quite the influence on me. It was just the start of a prosperous career of kicking ass and taking names.

Feeling a bit nostalgic as the winter keeps dragging on. I used to enjoy this season when I was a kid, with the associated sledding and snowmen and ice hockey games. Seems the older I get, however, the worse the season gets for me. Maybe I'm just especially dismal right not because I have a nasty cold, my car is all smashed up from a recent accident & my job really sucks right now. Regardless, I have no ambition to leave the house or do anything creative lately & it's really starting to get to me. I can't wait for sunshine & green grass & sitting out front of the Radio Bean on a 70 degree day with a glass of peppermint iced tea...

I know I haven't done a write-up on the Spice Girls concert yet, but I will try to get one out soon. It was a really bizarre experience, before, during and after the show & the tale should be told. Otherwise, tune in Saturday night at 7pm to 105.9 FM The Radiator for the next installment of the Spitting Out Teeth radio hour. This week I'm going to feature some newer and more obscure artists, so check it out.

That's it for now; going to take some NyQuil, watch a few episodes from season two of Criminal Minds and get to bed early. Yes, it is a non-stop thrill ride, this life I lead... :)

Friday, February 08, 2008

NO RADIO SHOW THIS WEEK

Spitting Out Teeth Radio on 105.9 WOMM-LP The Radiator will be on hiatus this weekend due to my trip to New Jersey to see The Spice Girls live at the Prudential Center (no, I'm not kidding...I will be sure to post a review). I'll be ready with a great new show next Saturday however, so please tune in at 7pm!
WITCH - "PARALYZED"


The follow-up to Witch's wonderful eponymous debut is due to be released on CD & vinyl March 18th on Teepee Records. The name of the album is "Paralyzed" and the questionable cover art is above (WTF is up with that typeface?)

I'm also not sure if I'm sold on the music either, judging from the first track posted on Teepee called "Eye". It has a good beat and is somewhat radio-friendly...but doesn't have the same sludgey, Sabbath-y charm the first album did that appealed to me so much. Oh well, it's only one song; maybe the rest of the album will impress. And you gotta love that Teepee referred to them as a "Vermont based band"!

Sunday, February 03, 2008

SPITTING OUT TEETH RADIO SHOW #2

Another installment of classic black metal, droney post-metal & the smothering fog of heavy ambient tones...here's the playlist from Saturday night, along with a link to download all of the tracks.

1) Sunn O))), "Hell-O)))-Ween" (from White 2)
2) Darkthrone, "A Blaze In the Northern Sky" (from A Blaze In the Northern Sky)
3) Burzum, "Erblicket Die Tochter Des Firm" (from Filosofem)
4) Gnaw Their Tongues, "Destroying Is Creating" from (Reeking, Pained and Shuddering)
5) Wolf Eyes, "Leper War" from (Human Animal)
6) The Lotus Eaters, "Untitled" from (Wormwulv)


If you like it, buy it, blah blah blah.....tune in next Saturday night for more heavy tones!
THE NY GIANTS WON THE SUPER BOWL

Who f*@&ing cares?
SCORE!

I'm having pretty good luck at record shops lately. First, while on a trip to Charlotte, NC last week, I picked up a brand new copy of Burial Chamber Trio's first LP. Today I had an even bigger score...

A gem-mint promo copy of Lou Reed's (in)famous harsh noise masterpiece, "Metal Machine Music" on vinyl for only $12! This album is ridiculously hard-to-find and the copies I could find online were going anywhere from $75-300.

I'd love to just keep the album for my own personal enjoyment, but I could buy my cats a lot of Friskies with that kind of money, so I'm probably going to put it up on eBay.

Friday, February 01, 2008

MY GREAT GREAT GREAT GRANDPA FED DINOSAURS

Earlier this week I was in Charlotte, NC for a business trip. While in the office, one of my co-workers handed me a thin, hardcover children's book and began to tell me a story about its history.

Apparently my co-worker's son is a big fan of dinosaurs and wants to become a paleontologist when he grows up. Their fundamentalist Christian neighbor found out about this and gave my co-workers son this book:

It seemed like a pretty thoughtful gift for a budding young scientific mind. At least that's what my co-worker thought until he opened the book....

Part of the "Wonders of Creation" book series, "The Fossil Book" is a Creationist explanation of where dinosaur fossils come from. While it might seem damn well impossible to reconcile dinosaur fossils with the idea that all life started 5,000 years ago, this book tries to take the biggest leap of reason I've ever seen to do it.

Check out this chart (click to enlarge):


Wow. You'd think the sane way for Christians to deal with the dinosaur issue would be to simply say that the Creation theory was developed at a primitive time in human history, and that God created Evolution which we're only now finding out about. It's at least believable, reinforces the idea of an all-knowing creator, doesn't go against the major tenets of the faith and (most importantly) doesn't make the religion look like a bunch of moronic hillbillies who can't see reality.

Conveniently, there is no mention of that pesky "carbon dating" thing in the book....

Oh, and I saved my favorite picture for last....a man feeding hay to a baby brachiosaurus!


I laugh to keep from crying. Remember, there are enough braindead Jesus Freaks out there to elect a president who actually believes in this crap. This country is absolutely screwed.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

BLACK SABBATH - "N.I.B." LIVE 1970

Perfection.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

SPITTING OUT TEETH RADIO - EPISODE 1

Thanks to everyone who tuned in to 105.9 The Radiator last night at 7pm to listen to the first installment of Spitting Out Teeth Radio. Below is a link to download all of the songs that were played on last night's show. Here's the setlist:

1) Sunn O))) & Boris, "Etna" (from Altar)
2) Skullflower, "Can You Feel It?" (from IIIrd Gatekeeper)
3) Disembowelment, "Excoriate" (from Transcendence Into the Peripheral)
4) Deathspell Omega, "Sola Fide I" (from Si Monumentum Requiris Circumspice)
5) Wolves In the Throne Room, "Vastness & Sorrow" (from Two Hunters)
6) Mayhem, "Freezing Moon" (from De Mysteriis De Sathanas)
7) Death Ambient, "Demon Within" (from Synaesthesia)
8) Bohren & Der Club of Gore, "Midnight Black Earth" (from Black Earth)


If you heard something you really liked, go buy the album!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

SPITTING OUT TEETH RADIO: TONIGHT 7-8 PM 105.9 THE RADIATOR


(Please excuse the half-assed poster design; only had 15mins. to make up a graphic...)

Tonight is the premiere broadcast of the Spitting Out Teeth radio show, broadcast to the greater Burlington area on 105.9 WOMM-LP The Radiator. The show will feature avant and extreme metal, as well as heavy ambient music; expect everything from classic Norweigian BM to Southern Lord style doom drone to abstract noise and lush ambient tones. If you're by a radio tonight between 7-8, please tune in!

I will be posting the playlist and a download of the tracks played on the show tomorrow.

Friday, January 25, 2008

FURTHER PROOF (AS IF YOU NEEDED IT) THAT VINCENT GALLO IS AN ARROGANT PRICK



I was doing my daily rounds of music forum browsing, and I happened upon an interesting post at the Travis Bean guitars forum. The thread was started by someone named "Vincent Gallo", who I assumed was just a fan of the filmmaker/musician/egomaniac. Turned out it was actually Vincent himself.

Gallo was looking for a coveted Travis Bean wedge, an extremely rare guitar that he was offering up to $15,000 for. I still had my doubts that this was actually Vincent, until I saw on his website that under his "wanted" list were Travis Bean guitars.

Somehow, Gallo's mere presence and unfailing arrogance resulted in the thread going from a simple "item wanted request" to a complete flamewar of Gallo vs. the world. While I'd say the forum community got in the quantity of the zingers, Gallo definitely scored some quality hits, such as this gem towards the bottom:

Yes a very diverse group here on the forum. From rich handsome famous well hung talented movie stars to Boulderbean. A broad spectrum indeed

Ah yes, always a model example of class, dignity and modesty that Mr. Gallo...

Saturday, January 19, 2008

REAL-LIFE "METALOCALYPSE"



I think I may have found the inspiration for the show....check out this hilarious drunken interview with Fenriz from Darkthrone. Proof that black metal isn't always corpse paint & solemn stares.



"If you remember, Elvis Presley had on his belt bucket here letters T.C.B.-- That means...Taking...Care...of Business"

Friday, January 18, 2008

SUNN O))) @ DOMINO FESTIVAL 2006

Here's a nicely done interview/performance video on Sunn O))), performing at a Moog festival in Brussels with Boris and Julian Cope.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

WHY I LOVE THIS AGE IN WHICH WE LIVE



A bit of backstory on this video...there are two things you should know about before watching this:

1) CES - Consumer Electronics Show, one of the largest tradeshows in the world, which showcases the most up and coming consumer electronics in the world. Large companies such as Sony, Toshiba, Motorola, and thousands of others spend 10's & 100's of thousands of dollars for a modest-sized exhibit both for just a couple days.

2) TV B Gone - A simple, cheap (less than $20) plastic device that has one simple, cheap purpose: to turn off a TV set. Not just a particular TV set but any and all TV sets known to man that has remote control capability. It simply scans through all possible remote codes (which you're well aware of if you've ever programmed a universal remotes) until it finds the right one & then turns off the TV.

So....with that knowledge in place, the video speaks for itself. A couple tricksters from the online gadget website Gizmodo armed themselves with a few TV B Gones and wreaked havoc on the showroom floor. And apparently, a lot of people are now pissed off...

Here's the big question I'll pose to you for the comment board: Was this a) a simple, funny geek joke b) a righteous political act of anti-corporate sabotage c) sheer vandalism that should be treated (as many have suggested) like graffiti "tagging". Or maybe a mix of all three? Discuss amongst yourselves...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM - VASTNESS AND SORROW (LIVE)

NEKO CASE ON AQUA TEEN

Go Carl, you dog!

According to Pitchfork, songstress Neko Case has been rendered in cartoon form for an upcoming episode of my favorite cartoon sitcom about fast food, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Neko will play, not surprisingly, a siren.


Neko will be also be appearing (this time in her corporeal form) at Higher Ground next Sunday. Amazingly (or sadly), tickets are still available, so definitely pick one up--it should be an incredible night of music.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

CURRENT SONIC PLEASURES
Amocoma - Go To Hell

San Francisco ambient black metal, available only on a damn near impossible to find CD-R. One of the creepiest albums I've ever listened to.

Moss - Cthonic Rites

Brutal doom; reminds me a lot of Grimrobe-era Sunn O))), when they kept things simple and heavy as a November fog.
Download Via Megaupload

Nordvargr - Awaken


Heavy, compressive ambient, like a thunderstorm locked inside of a silo. Turn up the bass loud and feel your bones turn to gelatin.

Wold - Screech Owl


Harsh noise meets black metal....and then rips your face off. Don't let the children's book cover art fool you--this is the soundtrack to Hell.
Download via Rapidshare

KTL - KTL 3


The third installment of Stephen O'Malley's side project (well, one of them...). The whole album clocks in at under 18 minutes, but it's a beautiful 18 minutes.
Download PW=bloodistruth

Gnaw Their Tongues - ...Spasming and Howling, Bowels Loosening and Bladders Emptying, Vomiting Helplessly....


Heavy ambient, not even close to as disturbing as the album title implies.

Spektr - The Near-Death Experience


It's like being executed in an electric chair while listening to ambient metal on an iPod. I'm usually turned off by screechy, high-treble music but this album is interesting enough that I can look past it.

Elegi - Sistereis


It's like the Unicorn Chaser album after all the aforementioned brutality. Soft, haunting compositions of minimalist droning strings. Gorgeous music for a road trip.

(NOTE: The albums available for download were uploaded by other websites. Please do not e-mail me asking me to re-up albums, because the only albums I upload are Solah and other local bands)

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

BRUCE CONNER & TERRY RILEY - "LOOKING FOR MUSHROOMS"

sorry all--due to greedy, misguided individuals, this post has been removed.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

MISTER LONELY


Harmony Korine's first new film since "Julien Donkey-Boy" (one of my personal favs) should be hitting theaters this spring. It is called "Mister Lonely", and in Korine's usual misfit-kitsch fetish fashion, it will tell a story of a lonely Michael Jackson impersonator who finds happiness in a European commune of American pop-culture impersonators.

Not surprisingly, a film featuring lookalikes of M.J., Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Charlie Chaplin, etc. is shaping up to be a big hit in the American pop-culture obsessed nation of Japan. So, it wasn't a surprise that I was able to find a copy of the trailer on a Japanese site for the film. Check it out HERE.

Surprisingly, the film has been receiving a warm reception at early screenings, and a lot of online critics (Korine fans or not) have been praising the film's humanism and originality. Oh yeah, and Werner Herzog is in it--isn't that justification enough to buy a ticket?

Thursday, January 03, 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM SPITTING OUT TEETH!

So the hectic holiday season is finally over. Despite the usual headaches caused by long lines at stores, delayed packages, trying to visit dozens of family members in one afternoon, etc. it was a damn nice holiday.

My New Year's resolution? Try to post more on this blog! I've been pretty bad about it lately, but I've been pretty busy. Here's what I've been up to over the past couple of weeks:
  1. Enjoying a 17-day break from work
  2. Fighting a nasty cold that still hasn't gone away.
  3. Filming the first Grace Potter & The Nocturnals show at Higher Ground.
  4. Recording tracks for the first Solah full-length album.
  5. Preparing playlists for my post-metal/heavy ambient radio show on 105.9 The Radiator.
So, yeah, that's my list of excuses. I don't have anything to exciting to report, so instead here's an album download link. It's for two unreleased demos and two official studio albums by one of my favorite bands of last year, Wolves in the Throne Room. I would recommend downloading the demos and buying the studio albums, but it's up to you. Either way, enjoy!