Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2104

Cate Le Bon's Tour Kicks Off Next Week!

LE BON VOYAGEDas right! After a "Wonderful" brief tour of the UK with the experimental collective BANANA and not one, but TWO sold out shows in in New York and Los Angeles, Cate Le Bon is set to cross the US and Canada to bring  Crab Day  to the people!Cate Le Bon has worn many hats, which should serve as a metaphor, huh? Each of her previous records are distinct and anomalous, yet follow a clandestine progression that is mysterious yet ultimately embracing. The spirit of  Crab Day  continues that tradition in dealing out the pop sounds with a mercurial, personal lyric bent. Paroxysmal and schismatic,  Crab Day  glitters with production oddments, showcasing Cate's unbridled talent for bouncy rhythms and stealthily complex guitar figurations. Basically, it's fun to dance to!Catch Cate at the venues below! Stop by to say happy  Crab Day , and stay for the whole show. It's GOTTA be able to pay to sing your songs, after all!

Cate Le Bon US Tour Dates:May 2nd - Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto ON*May 3rd- Brighton Music Hall, Allston MA*May 4th - Fete Lounge, Providence RI*
May 5th-Rough Trade, Brooklyn NYMay 6th - Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia PA*May 7th - Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington DC*May 8th - Big Room Bar, Columbus OH*May 9th - Schubas, Chicago IL*May 10th - Cedar Cultural Center, Minneapolis MN*May 12th - Biltmore Cafe, Vancouver BC*May 13th - Barboza, Seattle WA*May 14th- Dante's, Portland OR*May 16th- The Chapel, San Francisco CA*

*with Mega Bog 

PEACH KELLI POP SHARE "STUCK IN A DREAM"

PEACH KELLI POP SHARE "STUCK IN A DREAM"
KICK OFF U.S. SPRING TOUR NEXT WEEK
HALLOWEEN MASK 7" OUT 4/29 VIA LAUREN RECORDS
 Photo Credit: Julie Pinzur
LISTEN TO "STUCK IN A DREAM"(CLEARED TO POST & SHARE)
Today, Peach Kelli Pop have shared "Stuck In A Dream," the latest track from their new 7",Halloween Mask.  Brooklyn Vegan , who premiered the track today, are calling it a "sugary earworm."Halloween Mask is available for pre-order now and out April 29th on Lauren Records.
Peach Kelli Pop are kicking off their full U.S. tour next week in support of the new 7".  All dates below.
LISTEN TO PREVIOUS SINGLES"HALLOWEEN MASK" & "HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL"(CLEARED TO POST & SHARE)
TOUR DATES:5/1 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
5/2 El Paso, TX  @ The Warszawa
5/3 Austin, TX @ Sidewinder 5/4 Houston, TX @ Walter's
5/5 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
5/6 Tallahassee, FL @ The Shark Tank
5/7 Jacksonville, FL @ The Headlamp 5/8 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
5/9 Raleigh, NC @ Cat's Cradle
5/10 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
5/11 Baltimore, MD @ Windup Space
5/12 Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits
5/13 Brooklyn, NY @ Palisades
5/14 Boston, MA @ Middle East
5/15 Providence, RI @ Aurora5/16 Ottawa, CN @ House of Targ
5/19 Toronto, CN @ Smiling Buddha
5/20 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Roboto
5/21 Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups5/22 Detroit, MI @ UFO Factory
5/23 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle5/24 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club 5/25 Omaha, NB @ Club Reverb
5/26 Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court5/28 Boise, ID @ The Olympic
5/29 Portland, OR @ The Know
5/31 Seattle, WA @ Black Lodge
6/2 San Francisco, CA @ The Hemlock

Neil Young To Release New Album- Earth- On June 17th Via Reprise Records

NEIL YOUNG TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM -  EARTH - ON JUNE 17 TH VIA REPRISE RECORDS  ALBUM FEATURES A NEW TAKE ON SOME OF YOUNG'S MOST BELOVED SONGS THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM LOS ANGELES COUNTY'S "THE FIRST FRIDAYS" EVENT SERIES PRESENTS  AN EVENING WITH NEIL YOUNG, ON MAY 6TH   April 28, 2016 - (Burbank, CA) -  Neil Young  will release a new album, entitled  EARTH , on June 17th via Reprise Records. The album features performances of songs from a range of Young's albums, including last year's  The Monsanto Years , 1990's  Ragged Glory , and 1970's  After the Gold Rush . The audio was captured during Young's 2015 tour with The Promise of the Real, fronted by Lukas Nelson (vocals/guitar) andMicah Nelson (guitar, vocals) - Willie Nelson's sons. The tour included Young performing solo and with the band for a full electric show. A new take on some of Young's most beloved songs,  EARTH  features the live recordings, along with added musical overdubs, as well as sounds of the earth, such as city sounds like car horns, sounds of insects, and animal sounds from bears, birds, crickets, bees, horses, cows - creating a very strange, yet beautiful atmosphere. "Ninety-eight uninterrupted minutes long,  EARTH flows as a collection of 13 songs from throughout my life, songs I have written about living here on our planet together,"  says Young. "Our animal kingdom is well represented in the audience as well, and the animals, insects, birds, and mammals actually take over the performances of the songs at times."   On Friday, May 6th, in Los Angeles between 7:00pm - 9:00pm,  The Natural History Museum Los Angeles County   will present "An Evening With Neil Young", as part of their  "First Fridays"  event series. "First Fridays" is a monthly event at the Natural History Museum that includes live music, DJ sets, and scientific discussions/presentations.  For this event, Young will present the first public playback of his upcoming release,  EARTH  in its entirety in  Pono  high definition fidelity audio. Young will deliver the opening portion of the program with his insights and explanation of the making of  EARTH , and its contents. This will be the first-ever public album preview by Young in his career and the first event of its kind for NHM. For tickets and further details, go to:  "First Fridays" . Coming out one week prior on June 10th are two rare films - the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic musical comedy  Human Highway  and the concert feature  Rust Never Sleeps - for the first time on DVD and Blu Ray via Reprise Records. Neither film has been available or viewed in years.  Human Highway  is Young's 1982 comedy starring Russ Tamblyn, Charlotte Stewart, Dean Stockwell, Dennis Hopper, and Devo, which has been digitally restored for the DVD and Blu Ray release.  Rust Never Sleeps isthe full-length feature about Young's 1978 concert tour and includes such classic young Young's most popular songs, showcasing classic hits such as "I Am a Child,"featuring Crazy Horse, "Cinnamon Girl," "Like A Hurricane" and both the acoustic and electric versions of his landmark song "Hey Hey, My My." Both are currently available for pre-order through  Neil Young Store  and Amazon.com. Special bundles are available exclusively through Neil Young Store only. The track-listing for  EARTH  is as follows: "People Want to Hear About Love" (from The Monsanto Years)"Big Box" (from The Monsanto Years)"Mother Earth" (from Ragged Glory)"The Monsanto Years" (from The Monsanto Years)"I Won't Quit" (previously unreleased)"Western Hero" (from Sleeps With Angels)"Vampire Blues" (from On The Beach)"Hippie Dream" (from Landing On Water)"After The Gold Rush" (from After The Gold Rush)"Wolf Moon" (from The Monsanto Years)"Love & Only Love" (from Ragged Glory)

José González Announces Additional Tour Dates

JOSÉ GONZALEZ ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL TOUR DATES
Photo Credit: Malin JohanssonOn the heels of his warmly received North American tour with the acclaimed chamber sextet yMusic, José González is happy to announce a handful of special performances and festival engagements this summer.

José will perform at a trio of Canadian festivals including Calgary Folk Festival, Edmonton’s Interstellar Rodeo and Whistler’s Wanderlust. He will also return to Denver for a headline performance at the Botanic Gardens before heading to Chicago for a free performance at the city’s celebrated Millennium Park. Additionally, José will embark on a short jaunt south of the border for headline sets in Monterrey and Mexico City.

For further touring information and ticket purchasing options, visit http://jose-gonzalez.com/tour-dates/. See below for a full itinerary of performances.

José González Tour Dates
05/03/16 – Lima, Peru – Museum of Contemporary Art (outdoors)
05/04/16 – Bogota, Colombia – Teatro Julio Mario Santodomingo
05/06/16 – Rio De Janeiro, Brazil – Circo Voador
05/08/16 – Sao Paulo, Brazil – Audio
05/10/16 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Teatro Coliseo
05/11/16 – Montevideo, Uraguay – La Trastienda
05/13/16 – Santiago, Chile – Teatro La Cupula
05/15/16 – Mendoza, Argentina – Teatro Independencia
07/23/16 – Calgary, AB – Calgary Folk Festival
07/24/16 – Edmonton, BC – Interstellar Rodeo @ Heritage Amphitheatre
07/25/16 – Denver, CO – Denver Botanic Garden (York Street)
07/27/16 – Monterrey, Mexico – Rio 70
07/28/16 – Mexico City, Mexico – Plaza Condesa
07/30/16 – Whistler, BC – Wanderlust
08/01/16 – Chicago, IL – Downtown Sound @ Millennium Park

Oberhofer Streams 'Chronovision' Deluxe via Noisey | New Double LP (12 Bonus Tracks) via Glassnote 4.29

Oberhofer Streams 'Chronovision' Deluxe via Noisey

New Double LP (12 Bonus Tracks) via Glassnote 4.29
 LISTEN & SHARE: Oberhofer - "Walked to Your Grave" Track
https://soundcloud.com/oberhofermusic/11-walked-to-your-grave-deluxe-master-1

WATCH & SHARE: Oberhofer - "Someone Take Me Home" Video (ft. Marnie the Dog)
http://vevo.ly/DX07PK
 LISTEN & SHARE: Oberhofer - "Alone Man" Track
https://soundcloud.com/oberhofermusic/alone-man

"Lovely lonely pop song... like a lost gem from 1960-something discovered in your uncle's attic."  -- Noisey
 WATCH & SHARE: Oberhofer - "Hey Man" Video
http://vevo.ly/yU155J
LISTEN & SHARE: Oberhofer - "Hey Man" Track
https://soundcloud.com/glassnotemusic/hey-man"“This song is about just being a guy about town and saying ‘hey’ to the people you know, the people you don't know, the people who like you, and the people who don't want to like you."
– OberhoferMemories can be inspiring or stifling, alluring or ugly, wistful, joyous or flat. But what if they all come rushing back in a moment of quiet? You're in headphones, zoned out, and your entire life flashes before your eyes, floods your ears, sounds like a screaming orchestra, feels like a bounding sack of lead, and looks like an unholy filmic mashup of David Cronenberg and Ken Burns. This is "chronovision," a high-concentration dose of pure memory. And on the album of the same newly minted name, Brad Oberhofer distills his own total recall into beautiful, bittersweet song.

When it came time to make his second proper album under the Oberhofer name, the Tacoma-raised, New York-based artist had a great deal to draw from. His almost idyllic youth — mom sang opera; dad sailed boats; family lived on a gulch; deer and fox munched blueberries outside — had recently smashed up against harsh reality. One day while home for a brief respite from touring his 2012 debut Time Capsules II, Oberhofer woke to find his roommate dead, in the bathroom, of a heroin overdose. He had to call his friend's boyfriend and break the news. Then, a mere three days later, he had to clear out all of his belongings and drive his band to Lollapalooza.

Such events seem to cast all else in a severe light, so while you'll hear Oberhofer's familiar sound — amped psych-pop with orchestral flourish, New Wave flare, and grungy fuzz — the intensity has been ratcheted up. The brighter moments are more brilliant, almost manically so, and the darker hues have deepened in kind. Certain samples, keyboard runs, and piano figures evoke calliope — circus music, conjuring innocence and madness in turn. And our host is as apt to channel the bliss of Brian Wilson's SMiLE ("Sun Halo") as he is the blooming melancholia of early Grandaddy ("What You Know"). The ghosts of Lou Reed and Del Shannon lurk these halls, too.

Much of this is also to do with Oberhofer's resolve to produce the LP himself. The road toChronovision was winding. He first rented a spot in the Catskills, set up all of his instruments (piano, keyboards, guitars, drums, clarinet, violin, Theramin), and made a song a day for two weeks. But that version of the record would be scrapped, as would the next, recorded in Seattle with Phil Ek (the Shins, Modest Mouse) on the boards. Two more album's worth of songs were recorded in a pair of overnight solo jags, but those only exist today in the annals of SoundCloud. A final spurt took him to a Tacoma studio, two NYC facilities (Strange Weather, Electric Lady), and the former Sound City in Los Angeles. Lastly: Atlanta to mix with Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Washed Out). Exactly 106 demos later, Oberhofer emerged with these 12 songs.

That process isn't altogether surprising. When he's not playing or recording with Oberhofer the band — Oberhofer the man is constantly creating. His Instagram feed is full of bite-sized video loops. His Bandcamp offers a free collection of "daily meditations." Via a second SoundCloud account, he's recording 1,000-plus custom piano pieces for fans and friends (each composition bearing the person's name). It's possible he developed the practice while studying music at NYU (before he dropped out), after touring with the likes of Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, or Matt & Kim, or in recording his last album with Grammy-stacking producer Steve Lillywhite. But one gets the feeling Oberhofer's been this way.

Chronovision bears the mark of that dedication, even if the perspective is often far more cloistered. "I spent my life inside a hole/I don't have any place to go," he coos through a forced grin on "Nevena," while on "Someone Take Me Home," he imagines a future in which his muse has left him for dead — set to cheery fuzz-pop, naturally. And sweet though they may be, "Sea of Dreams" and "White Horse, Black River" are respective dedications to Oberhofer's two grandmothers, who passed recently. Still, the LP's coda finds him looking outward, with optimism: "Listen to everyone/They too have songs in their eyes." The line implies that "chronovision" — the heady sum of one's memory — can be shared, and why not? That's what Oberhofer's just done.
 

LINKS
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
GlassnoteChronovision Deluxe LP TRACKLISTING

01.Chronovision
02. Nevena
03. Together Never
04. Memory Remains
05. Someone Take Me Home
06. Sea of Dreams
07. Ballroom Floor
08. White Horse Black River
09. Me 4 Me
10. Sun Halo
11. What You Know
12. Listen To Everyone

Bonus Tracks:
13. Chronoluxe Intro
14. Alone Man
15. Someone Take Me Home
16. Hey Man
17. White Horse, Black River
18. Lost Your Love
19. Winter Has Come and Gone Again
20. Organist
21. Alone After Life
22. Best Friends for Life
23. Walked To Your Grave
24. Flowers, Sunlight, Aurora Florealis

Public Service Broadcasting Announce Shows At NYC's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum This July!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING ANNOUNCE  SHOWS AT NEW YORK CITY'STHE INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM BAND PERFORMING JULY 15 & 16, 2016 THE RACE FOR SPACE / REMIXES ALBUM OUT JUNE 17, 2016Public Service Broadcasting are pleased to announce two very special shows in New York City at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum's annual Space & Science Festival.  The band will be performing at the museum on July 15 and 16, 2016. The show will take place in the Museum's Space Shuttle Pavilion, underneath the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the original NASA orbiter. Public Service Broadcasting will be the first band to stage a concert beneath the historic spacecraft. "We're absolutely thrilled to be coming back to New York, and especially so to play underneath a space shuttle on board this historic aircraft carrier! It's an absolute dream show for us and we can't wait," said the band's J. Willgoose, Esq. 
"We're so excited for Public Service Broadcasting to bring their creative, unforgettable sound to the Space and Science Festival this year," stated Ellen Silbermann, Director of Public Programming at the Intrepid Museum. "Whether performing fan favorite Spitfire, or songs from their album The Race for Space, I can't imagine a more perfect setting than the Space Shuttle Pavilion on the flight deck of Intrepid. This is sure to be a show to remember." Tickets are $30 for general admission and $25 for Intrepid Museum members, and will go on sale Monday May 9 from the Intrepid's website here. The Race For Space, Public Service Broadcasting's second album, was unveiled in February 2015 at two special shows at the National Space Centre and went on to become one of the outstanding success stories of the UK independent record industry in 2015 - reaching #11 in the UK album charts in its first week and selling over 80k records worldwide since its release just over a year ago. On June 17 PSB will be releasing The Race For Space / Remixes, twelve tracks - seven of which have yet to be heard - that tell the story of the USA and USSR's battle for supremacy in space, this time remixed by and through the lens of PSB's talented musical contemporaries.  The album includes brand new mixes fromField Music, Boxed In, Vessels, Dutch Uncles, Robert Babicz, Maps andCopy Paste Soul plus Psychemagik, Blond:Ish, Petar Dundov and Kauf. J. Willgoose Esq. points out, "Even back when I was still writing this album, I was imagining the kind of remixes we could get and the artists who we'd ask. I couldn't be happier with how it's turned out; I think this is a really interesting and fresh (and in some cases mildly bonkers, a good thing in my book) reinterpretation of our songs and I'm looking forward to sharing it with our fans."
PSB have unveiled the first remix from the new record by Vessels on their Soundcloud- listen here.
 

SERATONES Stream Debut Album Get Gone via NPR First Listen!

SERATONES STREAM DEBUT ALBUMGET GONE VIA NPR FIRST LISTEN*PRESS HERE to listen now*(Credit: Pooneh Ghana )"Shreveport, La.'s Seratones is a kick-ass rock band that has all the stage presence in the world." - NPR Music
"While there was more than enough great music [at SXSW]  - among those who excelled were...Seratones" -Wall Street Journal  "...right in the Southern rock wheelhouse...equal parts swagger and aggression." - Stereogum   "...['Take It Easy'] feels like a bold move. It's closer to a ballad than some might expect from the band, but it's one that tears at the soul with sharp teeth." - Consequence of Sound    "Chandelier' is a southern gothic garage rock jam that will have you buying a leather jacket and dreaming of the summer...Everything's coming up Seratones." - Noisey  Seratones will release their debut album Get Gone on May 6th via Fat Possum, but the record is streaming early exclusively via NPR First Listen. PRESS HERE to listen to the album and dig into the garage rock ferocity, gospel-trained vocals and general badassery that only this four-piece from Shreveport, Louisiana can deliver.   Fresh off of a SXSW run praised by New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and cross-country tours with Houndmouth, St. Paul & the Broken Bones and The Dandy Warhols,Seratones are currently on the road with Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. See below to find a show near you. To get an idea of what to expect from a Seratones gig, PRESS HEREto watch the band's NPR Tiny Desk.     Led by powerhouse frontwoman A.J. Haynes whose thunderous vocals recall the grit of Janis Joplin and gospel of Mavis Staples, Seratones recorded each track of Get Gone as a live take in Mississippi's Dial Back Sound studios. The influences of their hometown of Shreveport combined and Haynes' powerful singing voice, first honed at Brownsville Baptist Church in Columbia, Louisiana at age 6, ring across every track. "Don't Need It," which opens with a muscular swing and tight guitar lines, builds into a monster finish with a nasty corkscrew of a guitar line. "Sun," a brawny thrasher, courses with huge, raw voltage riffs. "Chandelier," a mid-tempo burner and vocal workout by Haynes, goes from croon to a crescendo that would shake any crystals hanging from the rafters. Shared history in Shreveport's music scene brought the Seratones together a few years ago. All four had played together with one or another in various local punk bands, bonding through all-ages basement shows, gigs at skate parks and BBQ joints, and late nights listening to jazz and blues records. In a city of multiple genres, no fixed musical identity and a flood of cover bands, these adventurous musicians carved out their own path, personifying the do-it-yourself ethos. The band's unwavering dedication to staying true to themselves is echoed throughout their debut; however you try to describe it, Get Gone is unexpected and unbowed, a head-snapping showcase of the twin pillars of Southern music, restlessness and resourcefulness.    PRESS HERE to pre-order a physical copy of Get Gone now, and HERE to pre-order a digital copy.   Tour Dates- North American Dates in BOLD4/28/16     Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern *4/29/16     Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent Theater *4/30/16     San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *5/2/16       Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios5/3/16       Seattle, WA @ Barboza5/6/16       St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club5/7/16       Chicago, IL @ Hideout5/8/16       Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR Pub5/10/16     Detroit, MI @ Marble Bar5/11/16     Columbus, OH @ Big Room Bar5/13/16     Nashville, TN @ The Basement5/14/16     Little Rock AR @ White Water Tavern6/3/16       Richmond VA @ Friday Cheers+7/15-7/16  Louisville, KY @ Forecastle Festival7/15-7/16  Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Music & Arts Festival8/22/16     Hamburg, Germany @ Molotow8/23/16     Berlin, Germany @ Berghain Kantine8/24/16     Cologne, Germany @ Blue Shell8/25/16     Charleville-Mézières, France @ Cabaret Vert8/26/16     Leeds, UK @ Leeds Festival8/28/16     Reading, UK @ Reading Festival9/1/16       London, UK @ Lexington9/3/16       Dorset, UK @ End Of The Road Festival* w/ Thao and the Get Down Stay Down^ w/ The Dandy Warhols+ w/The Revivalists

Charles Gatewood interview

My Life with a Thrill Kill PhotographerSan Francisco Photographer comes to New YorkCharles Gatewood Interviewby Alexander LaurencePhotography by Terrence Miele
I met Charles Gatewood early this summer when I was in San Francisco. I went to his studio and his house to watch him in action. When I arrived he spent an hour shooting some photos of Ivy, a model, who is featured in many of his videos. He was preparing for a retrospective in September at Williamsburg Art Center. Gatewood's photography documents the sexual underground, the bizarre, and fetishes. His recent photography involves the taboo subjects of cutting flesh and drinking blood. He has also produced several video for Flash Video about these subjects as well as about piercing and tattooing. His work is distinct as is bound to disturb.
Alexander Laurence: You have a new book, True Blood, which is more graphic and harder than your past work. It is mainly concerned with people who are into cutting and blood play. How did this book come together?
Charles Gatewood: Most of my work is about body modification, body art, and body play. Cutting is the latest thing in body modification. A lot of people are playing with blood and doing blood rituals. A lot of this is going on in San Francisco right now.
AL: Is San Francisco the center of cutting flesh and blood rituals?
CG: To my knowledge. Ron Athey is in LA. There's a big radical sex community here in San Francisco and they cut themselves. There's a big Goth scene, Goth people and vampires, who play with blood and drink blood. The lesbians have been into S/M and may be the first who were cutting themselves. The Goth people have always been into blood on a fantasy level, or an Anne Rice or Poppy Z. Brite level, or a Dracula or Hollywood level. It's only natural for some of those kids to do cutting real. Danielle Willis, the writer and performer, invited me to video and photograph her and her friends who really are real-life vampires. They played with blood and drank each other's blood. That got me involved in the blood scene. The pictures and the video were really good I thought and I knew that there was a book here. There's a story here to be told.
AL: You submitted the movie "Bloodbath" to the San Francisco Film Festival, but they rejected it for some reason. Do you think that they were chickenshit to play something that controversial?
CG: They have a board of reviewers who decide what gets in. They make notes on their cards when they vote. You can ask them to send the cards to see their comments. I asked them, and their comments were "Ugh, disgusting," "revolting," "pornographic," "yuck," and needless to say it didn't get in to that film festival. But it has been shown at many underground film festivals. It rocked the house at the New York Underground Film Festival and Chicago Underground Film Festival. It's showing now in LA. It does have an audience.
Original publication Cups Magazine 1998

AL: Why do you think that this sort of film makes people queasy when they see blood or cutting or piercings? Is this the edge of film?
CG: Some people faint. Yeah, they're queasy. It is a scene that is growing and booming. There's a lot of interest in blood these days but no one has connected all the dots. I think that it's an extension of the Modern Primitive movement. The bottom line is that people are exploring their bodies and trying to wake up their numb bodies back to life. A lot of young people feel numb, and cutting yourself is one way to feel something.
AL: David Aaron Clark is a very well-known writer. He wrote several novels, and wrote for Screw and now writes for The Spectator. He wrote the introduction to the new book. What was it like working with him?
CG: He's a great writer. Some people think he's the new Burroughs. He's an amazing guy. I think he's a genius. We have worked together for a long time. We strike some hot sparks when we work together. I was working on a book called Players about two years ago about the S/M scene and the radical sex community. The book wasn't focused enough. The strongest pictures I was getting were the ones about blood play and blood ritual. After a while I said to myself that the real book here was about blood. I've only been shooting the blood ritual stuff for about three years.
AL: Do you encourage people to push the envelope and go further into what we haven't seen?
CG: I encourage people to play with their bodies and take control of their bodies. In one sense this is to tell Big Brother on Madison Avenue to get lost, and saying "My body belongs to me, and I can do whatever I want to do with it." I did the video "True Blood" with Dharma where she cuts her wrist and her throat and it goes on from there. Dharma basically directed the video. I just turned on the camera. Same with Danielle Willis. They claim that they have all been tested but who knows what is in blood these days. Maybe there's things in blood that we don't know about. One of my models passed out in a taxi from shock I guess. Another woman who I was photographing was drawing blood from her hand and her hand swelled up like a grapefruit, and we almost had to go to the hospital.
AL: A lot of people who used to be into tattoos, piercing, S/M and other things are now getting into cutting flesh and blood play. Where do you think it will be going from there?
CG: I have been hearing a lot about implants. You can get titanium balls implanted in your penis, to make a nice bumpy decorative surface. Some people have been getting horns implanted into their heads. I've talked to some guy in LA who wants to get marbles implanted into his arms, connected to a pacemaker battery, so they will light up at night. I think that Stellarc makes the connection between the Cyber and the body, because he's doing interactive work now with robots. He has a mechanical arm that's programmed to be independent of him while still attached to him. He has a little robot that he swallows and that runs around in his stomach and does things. He's a really smart conscious person, and he's really taking that union of man and machine to new places. I'm really interested in Stellarc's work. Fakir and Stellarc are the two main players in this field. Fakir is doing his work in a more ritual context and Stellarc more in a performance context.
AL: How did you meet Fakir Mustafar?
CG: Annie Sprinkle introduced me to him in New York around 1980. I heard about him before because he was associated with PFIQ and Jim Ward. I read a number of articles about him and I knew that I had to meet him. At the time he was still in the closet about his Modern Primitive rituals. He ran an advertising agency in Silicon Valley. He was very private about his activities because he thought that it might affect his business. Mark and Dan Jury made a film about my work called Dances Sacred and Profane. Fakir decided to be in that film. During the making of that film, I introduced Fakir to the editors of RE/Search Magazine, and that was the spark for the Modern Primitives book. So between this film and that book, these underground ideas started to go out into the mainstream, and changed the thinking and behavior of people all over the world. That's probably been the most significant thing my work has ever done.
AL: Can you talk about your relation to Marco Vassi and R. Mutt Press?
CG: I lived in Woodstock in the late 1970s. We had a group based in Woodstock and New York called R. Mutt Press. It was me, Annie Sprinkle, Marco Vassi, Spider Webb, Michael Perkins, Mam'selle Victoire. We influenced each other, and worked together, and helped each other. I was hugely influenced by Marco Vassi. It was an exciting group and an exciting time because all these ideas were about to explode into the straight world. I wrote a novel at that time that was very influenced by Vassi, Michael Perkins, but also by Bukowski. In the writing in Forbidden Photographs you can see a very strong Bukowski influence.
AL: There this show in Williamsburg during September and October. What's that going to be like?
CG: It's at the Williamsburg Art Center which is right under the Williamsburg Bridge. It's a new and exciting art center. They are giving me a whole floor of building for a retrospective of my favorite photographs of body play. It's called "Charles Gatewood: The Body and Beyond." It will be fifty master prints, both black & white and color, plus some big silk screens. It will run for five weeks. The opening will be a scene. It will be a zoo. I have had shows of eight silk screens at Morphos Gallery and a thousand people came to the opening.
AL: How do you describe your own photography style?
CG: Elegant perversion. Classical decadence. I like to do portraits. My early work is mostly candid shots. These days I do mostly portraits. I do a little street photography, but not as much as I used to. I like working closely with people, one to one, like we just did. I don't use any lights. I use natural lights and like to take pictures of people with window light. I shoot in the day. I like working with models, like Ivy, again and again over time.
AL: What do you think of some other photographers whose work may be compared with you?
CG: Ken Miller is a good photographer. He photographs dancers and junkies and street people. He gets out there and lives with the people who he's photographing. He not a dilettante. He's the opposite of that. He's out there for hours and days. When he was photographing people living in Golden Gate Park he was living in his van. Eric Kroll does nice pictures of the fetish world. His work has its own style and he's probably documenting the fetish world as well as anyone. I've known Ralph Gibson for twenty-five years or more. His work is cold and dry for my taste. It's very formal. It's fine for what it is. But I prefer work that has life and soul. The work of Elmer Bathers doesn't move me like the work of Joel-Peter Witkin or Andre Serrano. Richard Kern is good. His work is original, sexy, fresh. Kern made a film of Kembra Pfahler sewing her pussy shut. I'm jealous. I wish that I made that film. We have a friendly rivalry. We photograph the same models. Kroll did a book called Fetish Girls. Kern did New York Girls. So I have to do a book called West Coast Girls. This week's title is Hungry Women. I have been working on such a book and it's almost done.

Write to Charles Gatewood to get a catalogue about his films:Flash VideoPO Box 410052
San Francisco CA 94141

Fruit Bats Unveil Music Video - Album Out May 13 - Listen Here

Fruit Bats Unveil Music Video For "Humbug Mountain Song"
New Album - Absolute Loser - Out May 13U.S. TOUR STARTS NEXT WEEK!  Today, Fruit Bats is happy to unveil their music video  for "Humbug Mountain Song" off their forthcoming album  Absolute Loser,  coming May 13th via Easy Sound Recording Co. Conan O'Brien's TeamCoCo gave fans a first look at the video featuring Fruit Bats singer-songwriter Eric D. Johnson, battling a bear, tripping out and being buried alive. 
Watch here (cleared to post):


Absolute Loser  is the first album that Eric D. Johnson has recorded under the Fruit Bats name since 2011's  Tripper  and it represents a triumphant return to name, form, and self. Despite implications, its title refers to the furthest depths of loss itself, rather than the state of those who have lost something. It's the most honest, most confessional album of Fruit Bats' career.  The album was recorded by Thom Monahan who has a long relationship with Johnson. 
LISTEN TO ABSOLUTE LOSER HEREPASSWORD: ghosttown
Fruit Bats will be touring in support of  Absolute Loser  and the dates kick off next week, May 5 in Northampton, MA and include a show on May 12 in Brooklyn, NY at Rough Trade and in Los Angeles on May 20 at the Roxy.  The tour concludes at the Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, OH June 3-5.  Fruit Bats are also confirmed for this year's Pickathon Festvial in Happy Valley, OR August 5-7.  All the tour dates are listed below.     photo by Annie Beedy
TOUR DATES:May 5 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse  May 6 - Burlington VT - Signal Kitchen May 7 - Somerville, MA - ONCE BallroomMay 8 - Hudson, NY - Club HelsinkiMay 11 - Asbury Park, NJ - House of Independents May 12 - Brooklyn, NY- Rough Trade SOLD OUTMay 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & SaddleMay 14 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll HotelMay 19 - San Francisco, CA - The IndependentMay 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The RoxyMay 21 - San Diego, CA - CasbahMay 22 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley BarMay 24 - Austin, TX - The ParishMay 25 - Dallas, TX - Three LinksMay 27 - Colorado Springs, CO - MeadowGrass Music Festival 2016May 28 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre (with My Morning Jacket) SOLD OUTMay 29 - Denver, CO - Larimer LoungeMay 31 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly'sJune 1 - Indianapolis, IN - The Hi-FiJune 2 - Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen June 3-4 - Nelsonville, OH - Nelsonville Music FestivalJune 5 - Chicago, IL - Do DivisionJun 10-11 - Sonoma, CA - HuichicaJuly 22 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk FestivalAugust 5-7 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Music Festival

Find Fruit Bats here: http://www.fruitbatsmusic.com/FacebookTwitterInstagramEasy Sound Artist Page

WINTERSLEEP Premieres Music Video for "Amerika" via Mic.com

WINTERSLEEP Premieres Music Video for "Amerika" viaMic.com May US Tour Dates Announced Video Still
"Wintersleep evokes a blank, ominous sense of foreboding in their video for 'Amerika,'" -  Mic.com  "['Territory' is] a muscular, hard-driving track that builds to a bright, yearning chorus." -  Rolling Stone  "['Santa Fe'] feels like a trip to the beach...It's short, sweet, and full of moments." -  Noisey  "['Amerika' is] a big, bold song, revolving like a slow-motion tornado around huge guitars, a booming rhythm and singer Paul Murphy's plangent vocals that take on a chant-like quality on the chorus." -  The Wall Street Journal  "It's an atmospheric return, with the introspective yet spacious songwriting matched against some wonderful arrangements." -  Clash Music 
Alt-rock band Wintersleep has unveiled their powerful music video for single "Amerika."The song delves into the juxtaposition of a society composed of individuals facing intense struggle and oppression, while being part of a nation founded on optimism and hope.  PRESS HERE  to watch the video, directed by Scott Cudmore, via  Mic.com . "The song made me think of civilizations that have come and gone in a way. Nations that have fallen from a kind of 'golden age,'" said Cudmore. "But to me the video isn't explicitly political - it's about people and how we connect with one another, especially if we recognize that our time is finite." "Amerika" has held on to the No. 1 spot on the Canadian Rock chart for six weeks,and has topped the Canadian Alternative chart for three weeks, which earning some major play on  BBC Radio 2 in the UK, and impacting in the US now. The band has been busy supporting the single and new album The Great Detachment (Dine Alone Records) on a month-long Canadian tour and SXSW. In May Wintersleep will return to the US for a select run of Northeast dates with co-headliner Plants & Animals. See full routing below, and  PRESS HERE  for more information. Two years in the making,  The Great Detachment  marks a return to the organic approach of the band's earlier works that simultaneously sees them reaching new pinnacles of songwriting and production. The album was recorded at Halifax's Sonic Temple (the birthplace of Welcome ToThe Night Sky and its preceding 2003 self-titled and 2005 untitled efforts) with producer Tony Doogan (Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai). The collection delivers a welcome dose of the atmospheric, entrancing alt-rock for which the band has become known, with beautifully orchestrated arrangements anchored by haunting, almost hypnotic melodies. Wintersleep US Tour Dates: 5/10       Washington DC @ DC95/11       Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas5/13       Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade5/14       Boston, MA @ Great Scott