Originally posted 8/9/07

In and Out

Well.......... both Pitchfork and Lolla have occured and aside from all the music I wanted to see, a bonus for going is the people-watching.  Trends come and go, but never are they more embraced (badly or not) than at music festivals.

I'm not dismissing and ESPECIALLY not condoning any of these, but here's a little heads up about what the art undergrads and coffeeshop workers near you will be sporting and/or name-dropping over the next few months:

1.

Out: Aviators

In: White/plastic-framed sun-glasses,  and the glasses David Duchovney's wore in Zoolander

2.

Out: The Baumer  

In: The Smooth Sailor

3. 

Out: Truckers Caps

In: Painters Caps

4.

Out: Iceland

In: Sweeden

5.

Out: Vespas   

In: low-cc pedal-start motorbikes

6.

Out: Dance-Punk

In: Prog

7.

Out: Soccer jerseys

In: old-school soccer / tennis / basketball shorts

8.

 Out: the urban cowboy

In: the urban lumberjack

9.

Out: useless terms like "electroclash"

In: useless terms like "futureshock"

10.

Out: headbands

In: kerchiefs

After more than a year, it appears the details, relationships, logistics and, most importantly, the bands have been hashed out. The first ads have appeared in publications like The Onion and the event is on.

The event was announced on June 18, and is dedicated to assembling "... national acts with roots in the Midwest and molding local and regional talent onto existing bills."

Neko Case appears to be the biggest name with Bob Mould and Killdozer also headlining, but here's the poster with all the information...

Kudos to all involved. What extremely little I was able to witness was difficult enough. I'm sure it was tough going for all, but we appreciate all of your hardwork and are excited for the event. And for only $25! That's a great price for that much music.

Well... don't just sit there... get your tickets here.

From SITI Company to My Barbarian to Marissa Nadler, Whitney Live's 2007-08 season started off with a serious bang. My Barbarian's Malik, Jade, and Alex brought their hilarious nautical musical spectacle Voyage of the White Widow to Whitney Live during Performa 07. Dan Deacon wasn't the first to offer up an audience dance-off....here's My Barbarian's version.

The lovely Ryan Kelly and Brennan Gerard from Moving Theater brought us Impermanent Collection, an ambitious collaboration with An Films and the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) that made us think about performance in the context of a museum and "the fundamental instability of live art."

John Hollenbeck, Andy Biskin, and J.G. Thirlwell came by and offered us new work mixed with robots and cappuccino frothers.

In the Spring, Nick Didkovsky and Tristan Perich offered up their takes on the Composers' Showcase format. That's Nick's son checking out Tristan's piano piece Asynchronous.

The man, the brand, the legend, Dan Deacon (and his friend Balloon-Head-Guy) hosted our 2nd audience dance-off of the year and people got seriously down.

Helga Davis was here with Pyrolater and Lukas Ligeti, sharing aural musings on the Whitney's Kara Walker exhibition.

Incredibly, Ede Thurrell and our other friends from Chez Bushwick embraced our concrete floors....

And the Biennial. Who could forget Kembra and her Karen Black girls!

It was quite a year... What's next??? Stay tuned for more about upcoming performances very very soon!

Headbands were popular last year (as seen in the above photo)

Here is the line up.

THURSDAY: CHARLES THEATER, 1711 N Charles Street
6:00 Missoula Oblongata (Baltimore + CT)
7:00 Rick Royer (Baltimore)
7:30 Ben Heresey (New York)
8:00 Blue Leader (Baltimore)
8:20 Teeth Mountain (Baltimore)
8:40 INTERMISSION
9:00 Leprechaun Catering (Baltimore)
9:20 Mark Hosler (of negativland) (Asheville, NC)
10:20 Ultimate Reality (Baltimore)
10:55 Nautical Almanac (Baltimore)
11:20 Matmos (Baltimore)

FRIDAY: 2640 SPACE, 2640 Saint Paul Street
6:00 A Murmered Tale (Baltimore)
6:45 Eagle Ager (Brooklyn)
7:05 Andy Abelow (Baltimore)
7:25 Matteah Baim (New York)
7:55 Santa Dads (Baltimore)
8:15 Wheatie Mattiasich (Baltimore)
8:35 Lesser Gonzalez (Baltimore)
8:55 Arbouretum (Baltimore)
9:25 Golden Age (x-more dogs)(Baltimore)
9:55 Jana Hunter (Baltimore)
10:25 Beach House (Baltimore)

SATURDAY: NORTH AVE LOT, 131 W North Ave
12:00 DOORS
12:40 King Cloud (Baltimore)
1:00 Smarts (Baltimore)
1:20 Benny Stoofy (Scrummage University)(Detroit)
1:40 Air Waves (Brooklyn)
2:00 Ed Schrader (Baltimore)
2:20 Facts (Baltimore)
2:40 Perm Hurdeler (Glasgow)
3:10 Food For Animals (Baltimore+DC)
3:30 Wzt Hearts (Baltimore)
4:00 The Creepers (Baltimore)
4:30 Lexie Mountain Boys (Baltimore)
5:00 Ecstatic Sunshine (Baltimore)
5:30 Bird Names (Baltimore)
6:00 Eyeball Skeleton (Baltimore)
6:30 DD/MM/YYYY (Toronto)
7:00 Mae Shi (Los Angeles)
7:30 The Deathset (Baltimore)
8:00 Killer Whales (Chicago)
8:30 Thank You (Baltimore)
9:00 Oxes (Baltimore)

SONAR, 407 E Saratoga St
11:00 Human Host (Baltimore)
11:25 Blood Baby (Baltimore)
11:55 Nuclear Power Pants (Baltimore)
12:15 Videohippos (Baltimore)
12:45 Celebration (Baltimore)

SUNDAY NORTH AVE LOT, 131 W North Ave
12:00 DOORS
12:30 Moss of Aura (Baltimore)
1:00 Jones (Baltimore)
1:20 Witch Hat (Baltimore)
1:40 Hearts of Darknesses (New York)
2:00 Teenage Souls (Baltimore)
2:20 Thrust Lab (Baltimore)
2:40 Ear Pwr (Asheville)
3:00 Kyle Mabson+Mincemeat or 10 Speed+Narwals (LA, Philly, Richmond)
3:40 White Williams (New York)
4:00 Adventure (Baltimore)
4:30 Club Lifestyles (Baltimore)
4:55 Future Islands (Baltimore)
5:25 Height (Baltimore)
5:55 Dan Deacon (Baltimore)
6:40 Trey Told 'Em (Gregg Gillis + HOD) (Pittsburgh + New York)
7:00 Grand Buffet (Pittsburgh)
7:30 Double Dagger (Baltimore)
8:00 Parts & Labor (Brooklyn)
8:30 Ponytail (Baltimore)
9:00 Black Dice (Brooklyn)

ANNEX THEATER>
11:00 Shams (Richmond)
11:20 Smart Growth (Baltimore)
11:40 Ninjasonik (Brooklyn)
12:00 Mark Brown (Baltimore)
12:20 Teengirl Fantasy (Oakland)
12:40 Egyptrixx + Alias (Toronto)
1:00 Wet Hair (Iowa City)
1:20 Sewn Leather (1980's)
1:40 DJ Dog Dick (Baltimore)
2:00 Who Is The Tunafish Man? (Dan Deacon + Girl Talk + Spank Rock)
Dawn: Cex (Baltimore)

Earlier in the week I ended up heading down to Baltimore to shoot a music video for Future Islands, also met other Baltimore artists that I'm psyched on. The shoot was pretty awesome and fun I'd say. Also went out to a diner later in the night.

And now I'm here. Back in the suburbs at my workspace. For some reason I rose at 6 in the morning and decided to start my day heading out to buy supplies for the video. Since then I've been tabulating how much water I need to freeze for the minimal ice sculpturing in the video. I also just finished watching "Ravenous" with Guy Pearce.

Now I'm writing in this blog drinking pepsi mixed with coffee out of a giant "Space Jam" mug that reads SLAM DUNK on the brim with every sip. Unfortunatly, I don't own this one . . .

I'll be working on the music video all weekend, sadly missing the free Boyz II Men concert tonight.
Most Importantly . . .

LIVE, Blues Traveler, and Collective Soul are playing Philadelphia August 8th. If anyones interested in going let me know. It's going to be better then when Better then Ezra toured with Jesus Lizard.

End with an old favorite.

Oh man, never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined The DeathSet, Dan Deacon and Matt & Kim touring together.

This isn't because they are on completely different planets musically but because whenever I had tried to imagine it, I would get get all worked up and pass out after a overwhelmingly joyous giggle-fit. But, no longer...it's happening!

Unfortunately, for all you Boston/Allston/Brighton/Cambridge party animals, F Yeah! mean F No. unless you hop on the nearest Lucky Star to the city for F Yeah! THREE SCHEDULED SHOWS on the weekend of July 12th!

The weekend of the 12th is going to be crazy for other reasons as well and has been dubbed "The Best Show Weekend Ever in Brooklyn" on Facebook. Check out BrooklynVegan's recent coverage of F Yeah! here.

"Big Big Big Big Big" - Dan Deacon (2006 Psycho-Path Records) Acorn Master

Opener "A Magic" is a thesis statement for the album - the acoustic guitar is relaxed and breezy and Alvarez serves up quirky and unexpected lyrics with his satiny voice. Though the album is fairly consistent (and consistently good), there are a few standouts and breakaways.

"All With Golden Locks" features fable-like lyrics, while the next track goes out a little farther on the limb with lines like "boy are you a sight for my pinecone eyes." Said track ("Pinecone Eyes") also has some lovely and slightly off-kilter picking at the end that is the musical equivalent of throwing your arms out and spinning til you fall in a sun-drenched field.

"Love for Longer" gets a little deeper in sound, but the timbre of "The Letter B" transports listeners to a bongo-filled beat coffeehouse. Another destination on Alvarez's musical trip is the Spanish-tinged guitar and punchy claps of "Mostly A Friend".

A magical romp, Why Is Bear Billowing? manages to be fantastic without becoming precious or silly. For fans of Mason Jennings or Fionn Regan, this is the perfect soundtrack for soaking up the summer sun.

--

Why Is Bear Billowing? drops 08/19/08.
Click to download "Mostly A Friend".
Check out Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez's MySpace page here.

thursday proved to be more interesting than thursdays usual tend to be with performances by devo, tom tom club, and dan deacon.  well, maybe not tom tom club.

after paying a whopping $58 (!) dollars at the door, I arrived at a nearly empty mccarren pool.  it is a mammoth area, larger than most community pools I've experienced, and of course dilapidated, as most abandoned structures are.  paint peeled from the bottom of the pool (which never dipped below six feet deep), graffiti warmed the oddly-placed cylindrical structures jutting out from the sides.  in essence, your typical LiveNation venue.

dan deacon was just starting off his incredibly short set with "the crystal cat."  the crowd surrounding dan's table was an odd mix:  devo dads who seemed disinterested; hipsters trying their damnest to have a good time; photojournalists; toddlers.  dan didn't seem to notice the mixed audience--he was too busy fucking killing it, despite the raw deal he was getting from the sound guys (half his sound was from his front speakers, half from the stage--gave the sound a weird echo).

the highlight of the set for me came about halfway through with "snake mistakes."  dan cleared everybody back into a large circle and pulled out one hipster who was dancing incredibly hard and had this exchange.

dan: how's it going?
hipster:  great, man.
dan:  okay, here's what's happening:  we're all dying from a terrible poison--
hipster:  okay.
dan:  we don't have long to live.  and you, you have come running back with the sole antidote.
hipster:  cool.
dan:  so you need to reach out your hand and high-five everyone here--everyone, stick out your arms--in order to give them the antidote.  but you need help handing it out, so you need to grab one person and have them run with you.  and then they'll grab someone, and they'll grab someone, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, until we're all running.

so we all went for a brisk run.  personally, I got a bit overzealous and snatched up five or six people, but it was the same effect.  some dickhead kept holding out his hand and raising it before someone could grab it, so somebody grabbed him by the waist and pulled him along.  I have never seen a person so legitimately shocked to be touched by another human.

dan deacon's appeal is not his music, but in the interaction of people enjoying the sounds that he's making.  the music is secondary (although still fabulous) to the experience of listening to music with other people and expressing it through various outlets.  in this case, it was going for a group run, or building a human tunnel throughout mccarren pool.  it was not just a concert, but an experience; not just a performance, but a mood enhancer.

tom tom club was boring and a huge let down and that's all I'll say about tom tom club.

devo started their show with a gigantic video display showing the history of devo.  they graced the stage wearing their yellow jumpsuits and red power ziggurats with grand aplomb, strapping on their instruments and instantly launching into music.  it was a big mess (I mean a really big mess); hit laid way to b-side, b-side belied hit.  "whip it" was the third song, "freedom of choice" and "gut feeling," the closers.  it was a mix of expected and surprising, angsty and joyous.

the shocking part of the entire performance was that they sounded exactly as they did in the 80s--vibrant, youthful, coy, raw.  although "satisfaction" was just a hair slower than it was on the SNL video way back in the long, long ago, devo still played it was flawless voice and timing.  they moved in unison, with mark jutting around from guitar to keys to pom poms to boojie boy costume to back again.  even though these guys are like, what, fifty?  they're still outclassing and of higher stamina than most of the bands they've influence--so much for de-evolution.

also interesting was the crowd's intense mixture:  dads, moms, grandmothers, son, hipsters, preps, punks, cowboy hat guys (maybe just hipsters-double-irony?), nerds, muscleshirt clad frat guys--they all came to give the past a slip.  kids were jumping up and down with their parents.  it speaks of the universal qualities of devo's music.  the themes of disillusion with the present and the uncertainty one might feel about the future speak intergenerationally and thus each generation discovers devo with different yet similar ears and experiences.  and this is all possible because devo refuses to be placed on the shelf that popular music has always tried to place it on--the kitschy and the unnecessary.

but in doing so, the idea of de-evolution has failed--music has evolved and can't move backwards.

http://www.myspace.com/dandeacon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnC1Xzm5uKM
http://www.myspace.com/devo 

With that early June heat wave monstrosity finally dissipated, we can all think straight and should carefully proceed to take a look at the latest musical offerings gracing the sunny season’s fine airwaves. This summer is certainly not much more interesting or exciting than previous summers, but it is not completely disappointing either: while your regular assortment of tonal foul-ups are available at your local music store, there are a few sparkling exceptions that once in a while might actually make it onto your MP3 player’s play list. Every aficionado should be aware of these few highlights, because believe it or not, if you stop playing the Beach Boys for all your friends, life will go on. Play these during your community Obama barbeque, or on your way to the Mass, and you’ll likely get some nods from that coworker who never cared about your opinion, or from that significant other who has hated your taste in music since the second date, or from that potential greater-than-friend who has been waiting to be pushed over the edge by way of aural ecstasy.

For those of you out there who like to get your groove on in as many ways as possible, check out Girl Talk’s third major release, the long-awaited Feed the Animals. DJ Gregg Gillis, the man who is Girl Talk, has outdone himself this time, trumping his last spectacular mash-up mix Night Ripper with a new selection of party lubricating hits. A handful of the countless artists Gillis has sampled include Nine Inch Nails, Kelly Clarkson, Birdman, Lil Wayne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Queen. If you can imagine the most magically schizophrenic dance beat sequence melded into the backdrop of spitfire melodies and rearranged vocals, then you can start practicing your dance moves. If you can’t, download the album for free on Illegal Art and start taking notes. Your future as a party host depends on it.

If you want to ride with your top down (or your windows cranked into the lowest position they can physically go), you should start looking into the latest mainstream hip hop that has graced (see dictionary.com for A) defiled, and B) evolution) our wonderful nation. From the Dirty South, aforementioned Lil Wayne has released his newest full length, the eccentric Tha Carter 3. Many refer to Weezy as the most popular American hip hop artist, and with C3 rivaling Kanye West’s Graduation from last year, as well as the album going platinum within a week (even though it was leaked on the Internet a week before hitting the shelves!), it is hard to deny that our culture is obsessed with including Wayne on the bill. The question you have to ask yourself is “why?” I’m sure many were surprised that Lil Wayne’s newest is his strangest. The album features songs where Lil Wayne’s rasping (though enticingly nonsensical) voice spits about being a Martian from Outer Space, being attracted to and having sex with a female police officer, and being a hip hop doctor who is trained in saving emcees from poor flow. If he and a million other people think he is the greatest rapper alive, maybe it’s something you should check out. You can come to your own conclusions.

If you’re interested in other hip hop directions, Bun B’s new II Trill is a long compilation of club tracks that perfect the mainstream misogynistic gangsta attitude. Even as a poor white kid I can feel the money being shoved in my hand and the girls taking their clothes off as I turn up the bass boost on my Creative Zen and accelerate my Kia Sephia to forty miles an hour. While most contemporary southern rap is interchangeable, one track that might change your mind is the innovative “Swang On Em,” which features Chicago’s Lupe Fiasco melding his Chi-town ferocity with southern spice.

If you enjoy the more traditional rap that harkens back to the old school days through the focus of intelligent word play and intricate beats, check out Prolyphic’s new full-length release from Strange Famous, The Ugly Truth. “Survive Another Winter” (featuring slam poet and comedian Bernard Dolan, as well as hip hop legend Sage Francis, and California’s Alias) will probably fire up your morality with some philosophic jaw-clenching.

Interested in laying around on some romantic beach so you can catch some rays, groove to some music, and contribute absolutely nothing to society? Who doesn’t? If chilling is your idea of a good time, then Youth Novels, the debut album from Swedish group Lykke Li will impress. The album starts off through a strangely obscure poetic chant backed by a mysterious beat; the second song, “Dance Dance Dance,” is probably the most accessible and directly entertaining, as the female singer provides a nascent assortment of memorably unforgiving child-like glee. From there on, the songs melt into one another, from one groove to the next, becoming just what you need to progress through that romance novel, or to write that love sonnet for your one-night-stand.

Similarly, you might check out Animal Collective’s smooth and aquatic Water Curses EP if you missed it from the end of spring. Probably my favorite Animal Collective release, Water Curses combines the new psycho-electro pop insanity of their latest LP, Strawberry Jam, with a throw-back to the more organic arrangements of their earlier work—something die-hard fans thought was lost. Key member, singer, and composer Avey Tare bubbles up a myriad of passionate only-half-insane verses with irregular pitch change and frantic rhythm. Even at its most active and strange moments, the EP dominates the pleasure centers of the ears. Bring it to the volleyball court and watch the other team fall apart in confusion.

For indie rock kids, the new Wolf Parade, the new Cloud Cult, and the new Spiritualized are albums that will be put on repeat. Unless you like the Grateful Dead, avoid the new Bonnie “Prince” Billy. The new Shy Child is great for fans of Justice and LCD Soundsytem. Fleet Foxes and Shearwater hit the folk and folk-rock off without any hitches, and the new Erykah Badu will please R & B fans. Nine Inch Nails now have their newest album on the Internet for free, so if you’re a fan of new stuff and old stuff, it would be a mistake to not entertain that album.

Hopefully Dan Deacon and Of Montreal’s new disks will be out before the weather turns cold again. And hopefully I will have more to say about some harder stuff. The biggest problem is hearing the new Disturbed on the radio and realizing that the band has not changed at all in several years. Plus I am distracted by all those new Guns ‘n’ Roses leaks. But maybe the hot weather will make me angry enough to go back to some serious metal, for a change. Look for those insights, some more record reviews, a Fourth of July special, and some comments on the present-day importance of some older albums throughout the next few weeks—and Christ, please branch out and listen to something new for a change. I’ll see you on the streets of Newport, or on the Wood—that’s Wood Street in Bristol, if you didn’t know. Peace.

pic: The Cobra Snake

Team Robespierre have been making noise since last week.
They're like if Dan Deacon started a whole band.
How much do you love them?

Dance punk gets weird: Team Robespierre - 88th Precinct

]]> http://pinkcloudevents.wordpress.com/?p=103 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:45:23 +0000 pinkcloudevents http://pinkcloudevents.wordpress.com/?p=103

An evening of visions burning bright. Unseen music videos, documentaries, comedy clips, out-there animation, short films, eye melting magic, and special surprises!

Music Videos Featuring:
American Music Club, Animal Collective, Ariel Pink, Awesome Color, Battles, Beach House, Bon Iver, Caribou, Daedelus, Dan Deacon, Devendra Banhart, Dntel, Entrance, Excepter, Flight of the Conchords, MGMT, My Robot Friend, Nobody presents: Blank Blue, Okkervil River, Sebastien Tellier, The Dodos, Trans Am, and more…

Films By:
Ace Norton, Andy Cahill, Ben Barnes, Clay Lipsky, Dean Fernando, Fernando Cardenas, Damon Jones, Dave Hughes, Derek Waters, Eric Fensler, Erik Barnes, Ghost Town, Hashim Bharoocha, Jimmy Joe Roche, JFR/Fingered, John Leone, Josh Forbes, Julia Croon, Lana Kim, Matt Amato, Maximilla Lukacs, Miranda July, Nima Nourizadeh, No Domain, Ray Tintori, Roel Wonter, Saul Levitz, Skizz Cyzyk, The Masses, The Wilderness, Timothy Saccenti, Tim & Eric, Travis Peterson, Video Marsh, and more…

+ the debut of DUBLAB VISION VERSION

+ a live performance by TRS-80

films: 8-11pm
TRS-80 & dublab djs: 11-Mid

$10 general or $6 members / All Ages

Cinefamily
at the Silent Movie Theatre
611 N Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, 90036
323.655.2510

silentmovietheatre.com
dublab.com

I want to thank Honest Tea and IZZE for donating some product for this event... you guys are rad!

Jape is great.  I mean grape.

Today is recovery day after a full on day yesterday, making it to three out of four gigs in a number of venues around Dublin.

The Kate Bush/Bloomsday do in Howth was lovely, involving pints of Guinness, fish and chips, and Mumblin' Deaf Ro. Also heard Carol Keogh and Ewa Gigon, the latter being joined by the girl from Thinguma*jigsaw and her saw. Ro finished his set with Bright Eyes from Watership Down and had the whole room singing at the top of our rabbit loving lungs. Pretty hilarious.

Headed back into the city and walked into Vicar Street just as Dan Deacon started his set with Crystal Cat. It was great to have him back. I think that's the last time we'll see him play in his one man and an iPod format, so it was a performance to be relished. It was so much fun. Of course. Hugged UnaRocks and Thrill Pier in the giant circle of high fives, and got hugs from Darragh and Loreana too. It was a hugging kind of atmosphere you see. Dan Deacon for president. Of the world.

Jape did amazingly well to follow Dan, because we were all wrecked! He played a great set and kept the energy buzz going.

To my delight, I met someone who also went to Fleet Foxes in Whelans and made it down for Dan Deacon. He was called Dezzy and he said Fleet Foxes were great. I also bumped in to Dezzy at McGruders for RedRum #4, so between the two of us we made it to all four of Saturday's recommended gigs. Kid 606 was great, and afterwards I drunkenly gave him a hug thanking him for introducing me to live electronic music five years ago when I saw him in London. He was very polite but after the third hug from me, he made his excuses and moved on. *cringe*

After chatting to Ste from EgoEccentric and his love of Anticon, it seemed it was finally time to go home, where a few bottles of wine were opened and Alopecia played on til the morning light.

I am in bits today. I did a headstand in the kitchen last night and hurt my elbow on the way down.

Such fun.

While browsing the magazine area of my hometown bookstore today I came across "Mean Magazine." I couldn't distinguish really what kind of magazine it was at first. However I was legitimately pumped on every article. The subculture is probably, "All the people your psyched on."

This issue was Dennis Hopper, awesome. Errol Morris, Awesome. Chuck Palahniuk, I hear he's awesome but I can't read so good. Harmony Korine. Dan Deacon. Tim and Eric. Matt Furie!!

I am excited to see such a diverse magazine . It would seem to be publishing a "League of extraordinary Gentleman"(and women) in its issues.

One of the most exciting things I think about finishing the documentary feature i've been doing is to work at getting articles in magazines. Gosh that'd be awesome.

---Keep on Keepin on Cowboy

"Right now, my favourite place to make music is this large closet in my basement that I've turned into a studio. It's big enough for three people to fit into, with a large makeshift table made out of a broken door and some milk crates. It gets a nice sound, not much room sound, just as I like it. It's about 7ft x 10ft. The walls are covered with thick fabric (green and blue) as well as some old childhood blankets. There is also a wall of shelves that hold my records, books, tools and other items you'd find in a nerd's studio. It smells of cheap incense and dirty man.

I have a lot of equipment in there at the moment because I'm recording. Right in front of me are a bunch of bells and music boxes, several delay pedals, a few Oscillators, a couple of pitch shift pedals, Mbox, microphone, vocoder, talkbox, my computer, and a ghost in the dark ghost. What I need most when I'm in there is water and oranges. I've been down here everyday for the past two weeks from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to bed. I only leave to shit or to empty the bottles of piss.

This record has been a mixture of isolation and group work. Most of the tracks are for a percussion ensemble with electronics and voice, so the first month of recording was done with my friend Chester who recorded all the mallet percussion and the kits. The last week was just me, doing vocoders, Oscillators and voice by myself but yesterday and today I recorded the choir. When it comes to recording, the pieces are composed months prior. The recording process starts with me trying to recreate what I do live, but I normally change it and build upon it. It's fun to try out new things in a controlled enviroment. I also try to record at least one improvisation every few days.

This space is just really cosy. Sadly, I'm moving in two weeks and I'm really going to miss it. It has a charm like few of the rooms I've had in my life. I grew up in the basement so maybe thats why I like it so much. The subway rolls by all the time and rumbles up the room, which sounds like it makes recording quite hard, but it adds to its' charm. It will be fun to pack everything up and try to recreate it somewhere else."

****************************************************************
Hailting from Baltimore, Dan Deacon is a key player in the Wham City underground arts collective. At his legendary shows, Deacon creates riotous party tunes from what looks like a table of taped-up junk in the middle of the dancefloor - never on the stage. He plays the Future Days Festival this Saturday June 14th at Vicar Street, Dublin with Jape, Deerhunter, White Williams and High Places. According to the promoters, expect "plenty of new tunes, favourites from the Spiderman of the Rings LP, and plenty of singalongs, dance-offs and god knows what else." For more information, visit www.myspace.com/dandeacon.

About Musical Rooms
Musical Rooms Full Index

Free EP do loucão Dan Deacon. Nada que vá mudar sua vida pra sempre (como o Spiderman of The Rings) mas é de graça, então pega aí. E tem a clássica Ohio.

Download: Dan Deacon - Twacky Cats 2004

track listing: 1. woody woodpecker 2. crystal cat 3. wham city
4. big milk 5. okie dokie 6. trippy green skull 7. snake mistakes
8. pink batman 9. jimmy joe roche

valoración: higgins (8/10).
dan deacon: web, te regala sus discos anteriores, myspace, wikipedia.
spiderman of the rings (2007): crítica en pitchfork media.
a tener en cuenta: wham city, big milk, wooody wooodpecker, snake mistakes ...

]]> http://soundslikeaustin.wordpress.com/?p=23 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 05:26:56 +0000 Matt http://soundslikeaustin.wordpress.com/?p=23

1-11-08:  I originally thought that a Dan Deacon show at Emo’s was a bizarre idea.  It just seems like the crowd inside would not really vibe with the music.  What I didn’t know was that the show would be so far beyond capacity they would move it outside.  The show was so great, though Mr. Deacon took his time to kick it off he made up for it by playing until 2:03 AM.  The stage was packed, the floor was packed.  There was dancing, but not quite enough dancing.  One would have to put the blame on the crowd for that though, since Deacon started a dance contest halfway through the set.  Many of the kids were there just to see the spectacle, thwarted by the fact that Deacon plants himself on the floor with the crowd, with only his green skull to stand in as celebrity above him.  The show was good, but don’t take my word for it, the photos speak for themselves.

Random story, but I was 'browsing' (looking for Daft Punk photos I think) Flickr when I accidentally stumbled onto Caesar Sebastian's photostream, and discovered these awesome shots from a Check Yo Ponytail show a while back. Apparently it was a massive gig with Erol Alkan, Le Castle Vania, Acid Girls... and, Dan Deacon (myspace).

So finally we can get to the point of this story.

Dan Deacon is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in Purchase, New York, and he is renowned for his eclectic, electronic compositions. Evidently the kids just love it. But I'm in love with his setup, and thankfully, Caesar took some awesome shots of it:

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So there it is, in all its glory, a mess of wires, circuit-bent gear and random lights and bric-a-brac all gaffa taped together. But if you look at it from another angle, it gets even better:

[Credit]

Yeah, zoom in on that and you might notice a tiny little iPod in there as part of Dan's setup (it's between the mixer and that blue rack thing). Now that is cool. And it got me thinking, why haven't the potential creative uses for an iPod been more properly explored? I mean, aside from some third-party devices (Belkin TuneStudio) and some kids on YouTube (iBand), is Apple even getting in on this?

I have to say, I can appreciate why Dan would go an iPod over, say, an iBook running Ableton. Just look at what he does to his setup -- it's strapped to some table which gets moved, jumped on, shoved and shaken -- no laptop could take that abuse. Plus, the iPod has extreme ease of use, it's practically only one button and no screen. How could you go wrong?

Further perusal has revealed that Dan isn't the only one harnessing the creative potential of an iPod, check out these two kids with Korg Kaosspads:

Cool.

One lucky winner will score the following:

* 2 Tickets to TAXLO featuring DIPLO, DAN DEACON, and DD/MM/YYYY on May 30
* CUT COPY tote bag
* TAXLO 6-Year Anniversary Screenprinted Poster by Kevin Sherry
* BONDE DO ROLE sticker
* CUT COPY 3-D glasses
* DAN DEACON t-shirt
* 2 TAXLO buttons
* BONDE DO ROLE sticker
* DIPLO “AEIOU” CD
* CUT COPY “In Ghost Colours” CD
* BLAQSTARR “Shake It to the Ground” 12” featuring RYE RYE
* BLAQSTARR “Shake It to the Ground” remix CD single feat DROP THE LIME, Santogold, Switch

As the saviour of dancing concert-goers everywhere, Dan Deacon’s live shows are all about leaving self-awareness at the door. Beginning what initially feels like an awkward drama workshop, Deacon will typically coax the surrounding crowd into joining him for some warm-up exercises. Yet what follows in the next hour is a transformation so pronounced that no one hesitates to grab a lyric sheet for a sing along or to participate in a free-for-all dance contest.

“It’s all the crowd’s decision,” insists Deacon. “All I try to do is talk to them and make them feel comfortable with letting loose. I try to create an atmosphere that will make it easier to do things that they would normally feel embarrassed to do.”

Key to this is Deacon’s unconventional use of the venue. He avoids the stage, instead setting up shop amongst the audience with only the dim glow of a plastic neon skull for lighting. “A lot of venues are socially awkward and people often feel trapped in them,” says Deacon. “The presentation of the equipment and where I perform in the room help to shape and change the setting of the performance. I try to create a zone where they feel like they’re part of what’s going on and thus controlling the room themselves, rather then observing someone else do it for them.”

With his non-stop touring schedule leaving behind a cyber trail of blurred snapshots, exhilarated YouTube clips and salivating bloggers, word of Dan Deacon’s theatre of electro-pop absurdity is most definitely out. So it should be of little surprise that when he attempts to haul his table of noise generators toward the centre of the floor these days, a melee quickly breaks out. Everyone wants to be that little bit closer to the conductor, mauling each other for just the slightest peek over a shoulder.

In many ways, what they’re glimpsing is a cartoonish sight: wrapped in a tangle of cables, Deacon stands over a veritable melting pot of sound, feverishly trying to keep it all from overflowing. Despite having little breathing room, he body-pops between gadgets, his glasses taped to his flailing head like a mad scientist who has lost one too many pairs to his own enthusiasm.

To be able to do it night after night is something that Deacon looks to the crowd to help him with. “While it is hard being away from friends and family,” says Deacon, “the audience really carries me through. Seeing people so excited gets me pumped and sometimes they’re the only thing that makes me feel at home. It’s totally feeding off the collective rush.”

Ultimately, it’s a rush that leaves the crowd itself feeling nothing short of euphoric; an invigorating exchange between artist and audience that breaks down inhibitions and allows you to rejoice in the magic of shared experience.

Dan Deacon plays Vicar St. on June 14th as part of the Future Days festival, with the incredible support billing of Jape, White Williams, High Places and Deerhunter.