Alexander Laurence's Blog, page 2554
October 29, 2013
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA RELEASES BLUE RECORD
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA RELEASES BLUE RECORD
STREAM THE ACOUSTIC EP VIA KCRW NOW
After recently announcing their Blue Record, a companion-piece EP to this year's full length II, Unknown Mortal Orchestra is back today sharing a full stream of the EP via KCRW. Due as a limited edition vinyl-only EP, the release's tracks are also available as part of II's deluxe digital release, available now. The EP comes at the end of a big year for the band, which saw them release the acclaimed II, sell out tours across the world with appearances at major summer festivals, make their TV debut on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and, finally, release Blue Record. Stream the entire EP and check out what the press has been saying about Unknown Mortal Orchestra below.
"The Portland trio make decaying states of consciousness seem like heaven with psychedelic guitar-pop that's alluringly out of focus." - Rolling Stone
"handsomely scuffed vocals and inventive melodies, and a rhythmic vocabulary that draws equally and naturally from psych rock, hard funk, and soul" - Pitchfork
"shape-shifts frequently through the worlds of brittle indie-pop, Nuggets-era retro psych-rock, vintage soul and something more alien altogether" - NPR
"A modern, beat-heavy take on '60s psych, with plenty of hooks and fuzz to get you hooked and feeling fuzzy." - Paste
"Nielson is, undoubtedly, a time-lagged child of the psychedelic era; a mind-alteration lifer." - The Guardian
"Far out, fascinating, fantastic--just plain F-ing good." - The Fly
""Perpetual outsider Ruban Nielson hones his dark tales of druggy isolation into works of warm, fuzzy beauty" - NME
STREAM: Blue Record - http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/ap/ap131028unknown_mortal_orche UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA BLUE RECORD (JAGJAGUWAR)Oct 29, 2013 1. Swim & Sleep (Like A Shark) (Acoustic Version)2. Faded In The Morning (Acoustic Version)
3. So Good at Being in Trouble (Acoustic Version)
4. Swing Lo Magellan
5. Puttin' It Down TOUR DATES Nov-7 London, England - Electric BallroomNov-8 Manchester, England - Academy 2Nov-10 Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne Nov-11 Paris, France - Point Ephemere Nov-12 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Oudegracht Nov-13 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club Nov-15 Prague, Czech Republic - Chapeau Rouge Nov-16 Vienna, Austria - B72 Nov-18 Budapest, Hungary - A38 Ship Nov-20 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik Nov-21 Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn Nov-22 Carpi, Italy - Mattatoio Nov-23 Rome, Italy - Blackout Nov-25 Montpellier, France - Rockstore Nov-26 Barcelona, Spain - La 2 Nov-27 Madrid, Spain - El SolNov-30 Porto, Portugal - Casa da MusicaJan-15 Shanghai, China - YuyintangJan-16 Beijing, China - Mao LivehouseJan-18 Seoul, South Korea - Rolling HallJan-19 Busan, South Korea - Vinyl UndergroundJan-21 Hong Kong - Grappas CellarJan-22 Bangkok, Thailand - SonicJan-23 Taipei, Taiwan - The WallJan-25 Singapore - Laneway FestivalJan-27 Auckland, New Zealand - Laneway Festival Jan-31 Brisbane, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-01 Melbourne, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-02 Sydney, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-05 Tas, Australia - Republic BarFeb-07 Adelaide, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-08 Fremantle, Australia - Laneway Festival
STREAM THE ACOUSTIC EP VIA KCRW NOW
After recently announcing their Blue Record, a companion-piece EP to this year's full length II, Unknown Mortal Orchestra is back today sharing a full stream of the EP via KCRW. Due as a limited edition vinyl-only EP, the release's tracks are also available as part of II's deluxe digital release, available now. The EP comes at the end of a big year for the band, which saw them release the acclaimed II, sell out tours across the world with appearances at major summer festivals, make their TV debut on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and, finally, release Blue Record. Stream the entire EP and check out what the press has been saying about Unknown Mortal Orchestra below.
"The Portland trio make decaying states of consciousness seem like heaven with psychedelic guitar-pop that's alluringly out of focus." - Rolling Stone
"handsomely scuffed vocals and inventive melodies, and a rhythmic vocabulary that draws equally and naturally from psych rock, hard funk, and soul" - Pitchfork
"shape-shifts frequently through the worlds of brittle indie-pop, Nuggets-era retro psych-rock, vintage soul and something more alien altogether" - NPR
"A modern, beat-heavy take on '60s psych, with plenty of hooks and fuzz to get you hooked and feeling fuzzy." - Paste
"Nielson is, undoubtedly, a time-lagged child of the psychedelic era; a mind-alteration lifer." - The Guardian
"Far out, fascinating, fantastic--just plain F-ing good." - The Fly
""Perpetual outsider Ruban Nielson hones his dark tales of druggy isolation into works of warm, fuzzy beauty" - NME
STREAM: Blue Record - http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/ap/ap131028unknown_mortal_orche UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA BLUE RECORD (JAGJAGUWAR)Oct 29, 2013 1. Swim & Sleep (Like A Shark) (Acoustic Version)2. Faded In The Morning (Acoustic Version)
3. So Good at Being in Trouble (Acoustic Version)
4. Swing Lo Magellan
5. Puttin' It Down TOUR DATES Nov-7 London, England - Electric BallroomNov-8 Manchester, England - Academy 2Nov-10 Poitiers, France - Le Confort Moderne Nov-11 Paris, France - Point Ephemere Nov-12 Utrecht, Netherlands - Tivoli Oudegracht Nov-13 Brussels, Belgium - AB Club Nov-15 Prague, Czech Republic - Chapeau Rouge Nov-16 Vienna, Austria - B72 Nov-18 Budapest, Hungary - A38 Ship Nov-20 Zurich, Switzerland - Rote Fabrik Nov-21 Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn Nov-22 Carpi, Italy - Mattatoio Nov-23 Rome, Italy - Blackout Nov-25 Montpellier, France - Rockstore Nov-26 Barcelona, Spain - La 2 Nov-27 Madrid, Spain - El SolNov-30 Porto, Portugal - Casa da MusicaJan-15 Shanghai, China - YuyintangJan-16 Beijing, China - Mao LivehouseJan-18 Seoul, South Korea - Rolling HallJan-19 Busan, South Korea - Vinyl UndergroundJan-21 Hong Kong - Grappas CellarJan-22 Bangkok, Thailand - SonicJan-23 Taipei, Taiwan - The WallJan-25 Singapore - Laneway FestivalJan-27 Auckland, New Zealand - Laneway Festival Jan-31 Brisbane, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-01 Melbourne, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-02 Sydney, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-05 Tas, Australia - Republic BarFeb-07 Adelaide, Australia - Laneway FestivalFeb-08 Fremantle, Australia - Laneway Festival
VIOLET CLARK DEBUT SOLO ALBUM "KILLJOY"
VIOLET CLARK'S "KILLJOY" ALBUM RELEASED NOVEMBER 19TH THROUGH THE BUREAU RECORDS UPCOMING SHOWCASES: THE PARLOR ROOM - NORTHAMPTON, MA - NOVEMBER 1STTHE ELEVENS - NORTHAMPTON, MA - NOVEMBER 11TH MORE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED 
VIOLET CLARK charges out from under the shadow of her legendary husband (and ex- Grand Duchy band-mate) Black Francis (The Pixies) with the release of her unabashedly defiant solo debut KILLJOY - out November 19th on the couple's label THE BUREAU RECORDS.
Violet’s solo debut album KILLJOY seethes with frustration. There is a perfectly good reason for that impression, and it's that she’s f*cking mad about some shit. The effects of childhood neglect, along with the weight of feeling creatively hobbled by a culture Violet perceives as fickle, shallow, and mysogynistic, had given rise to a deeply cynical world-view.
When Violet began to realize that harnessing her pent-up anger was the key to more dynamic songwriting, she began to look at stuff that she'd previously worked hard to avoid. Themes of disgust, pedophilia, underachievement, power, powerlessness, drugs and self-medicating properties thereof, sexual longing, exploitation, neglect, obsessions, and a fuming intolerance toward societal programming, are all well-documented on KILLJOY.
The album opens with "A MOMENT OF SILENCE," an impromptu dorky white instrumental hip-hop track with dissonant, idiot-savant guitar and a stream of consciousness verbal assault on an emotionally crippled ex-boyfriend, making it into something au courant. The second track, “PURE O,” (the first single off the record) is Violet’s ode to her weird insatiable brain. Songs "POP ROCKS" and "SHAKE AND BAKE" are meaty, earthy vintage-sounding rockers propelled by some savagely naive guitar playing. "MR. SHIFTY," a re-examination of a childhood gut hunch, and the title track "KILLJOY," were given a more haunting, ethereal treatment lent in part by a layered keyboard arrangement and darker subject matter. She really lets it all hang out on the sassy track "POSITIONS" and on "BELIEVER," combining driving guitars and a bright synth element with raw, feisty vocals, into a hybrid variety of punk she likes to call "quirk rock." Violet is currently playing and setting up shows to promote KILLJOY, aided by her backing band of Western Massachusetts musicians, and she is also planning a tour of the East Coast. · Featuring hubby Black Francis on acoustic guitar/bass on “PURE O”
VIOLET CLARK charges out from under the shadow of her legendary husband (and ex- Grand Duchy band-mate) Black Francis (The Pixies) with the release of her unabashedly defiant solo debut KILLJOY - out November 19th on the couple's label THE BUREAU RECORDS.Violet’s solo debut album KILLJOY seethes with frustration. There is a perfectly good reason for that impression, and it's that she’s f*cking mad about some shit. The effects of childhood neglect, along with the weight of feeling creatively hobbled by a culture Violet perceives as fickle, shallow, and mysogynistic, had given rise to a deeply cynical world-view.
When Violet began to realize that harnessing her pent-up anger was the key to more dynamic songwriting, she began to look at stuff that she'd previously worked hard to avoid. Themes of disgust, pedophilia, underachievement, power, powerlessness, drugs and self-medicating properties thereof, sexual longing, exploitation, neglect, obsessions, and a fuming intolerance toward societal programming, are all well-documented on KILLJOY.
The album opens with "A MOMENT OF SILENCE," an impromptu dorky white instrumental hip-hop track with dissonant, idiot-savant guitar and a stream of consciousness verbal assault on an emotionally crippled ex-boyfriend, making it into something au courant. The second track, “PURE O,” (the first single off the record) is Violet’s ode to her weird insatiable brain. Songs "POP ROCKS" and "SHAKE AND BAKE" are meaty, earthy vintage-sounding rockers propelled by some savagely naive guitar playing. "MR. SHIFTY," a re-examination of a childhood gut hunch, and the title track "KILLJOY," were given a more haunting, ethereal treatment lent in part by a layered keyboard arrangement and darker subject matter. She really lets it all hang out on the sassy track "POSITIONS" and on "BELIEVER," combining driving guitars and a bright synth element with raw, feisty vocals, into a hybrid variety of punk she likes to call "quirk rock." Violet is currently playing and setting up shows to promote KILLJOY, aided by her backing band of Western Massachusetts musicians, and she is also planning a tour of the East Coast. · Featuring hubby Black Francis on acoustic guitar/bass on “PURE O”
Download "Polly," 1st MP3 from Gem Club's In Roses
LISTEN TO "POLLY" FROM GEM CLUB'S IN ROSES; SOPHOMORE FULL-LENGTH OUT JANUARY 28th
MP3 - "Polly"
ALBUM TEASER
Today, Pitchfork shares "Polly," the first mp3 single from In Roses, Gem Club's highly-anticipated follow up to 2011's Breakers. You can stream or download the track at the link above. The Boston band recorded the album to tape at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studios with arranger/conductor Minna Choi and The Magik*Magik Orchestra (How to Dress Well, Zola Jesus). Advance copies of In Roses for are available upon request. See below for more on this January 28, 2014 release.
About the record:
There are times when beauty and sadness are inextricably linked. Massachusetts-based Gem Club understands this fragile symmetry. The band—singer/pianist Christopher Barnes and his collaborators, cellist Kristen Drymala and vocalist Ieva Berberian—create music that is intimate, graceful, and filled with melancholy.
Breakers, their 2011 debut, paired plaintive piano melodies with impressionistic lyrics. Made primarily in Barnes’s bedroom, the album displayed how music, even at its most minimal and hushed, could be cathartic, even transcendent.
For the new In Roses, arriving January 2014 from Hardly Art, Gem Club have ventured beyond the isolation of the bedroom to record in San Francisco at John Vanderslice’s analog studio Tiny Telephone, choosing to record entirely to tape. Barnes worked closely with arranger and conductor Minna Choi of The Magik*Magik Orchestra, who, Barnes says, “helped reshape the new songs in fresh and unimagined ways,” The resulting album is more expansive, more majestic, than prior Gem Club releases. There are spacious, grand flourishes—the church-choir voices on “Idea for Strings”; the reverberating drumbeats that propel the melody of “Braid”—yet the music retains the intimacy of previous works.
Barnes is quick to note that In Roses takes a different approach to the landscapes of his world than before. “Whereas Breakers was more about the body and inward-gazing, the new album is about me looking out, relationships I’ve had or wish I've had.” Many lyrics address “the crashing realization that lives are no longer happening the way we want.” Other songs are elegies for those Barnes has idolized or loved, but has lost: “Soft Season” is inspired by the life and death of early-'90s gay adult film actor Joey Stefano (“I’m a boy on my back,” Barnes sings, “and I’m more of a man”); the harrowing closer “Polly” is a song he wrote about his relationship with his late aunt.
Beauty and Sadness is the title of a 1964 novel by the late Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata, but the name could also serve to describe the music of Gem Club. During one scene of the book, Kawabata writes, “He heard a sound that only a magnificent old bell could produce, a sound that seemed to roar forth with all the latent power of a distant world.” With In Roses, the beautiful and sad sounds of Gem Club come roaring forth with increasing power.
-Scott Heim
MP3 - "Polly"
ALBUM TEASER
Today, Pitchfork shares "Polly," the first mp3 single from In Roses, Gem Club's highly-anticipated follow up to 2011's Breakers. You can stream or download the track at the link above. The Boston band recorded the album to tape at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studios with arranger/conductor Minna Choi and The Magik*Magik Orchestra (How to Dress Well, Zola Jesus). Advance copies of In Roses for are available upon request. See below for more on this January 28, 2014 release.
About the record:
There are times when beauty and sadness are inextricably linked. Massachusetts-based Gem Club understands this fragile symmetry. The band—singer/pianist Christopher Barnes and his collaborators, cellist Kristen Drymala and vocalist Ieva Berberian—create music that is intimate, graceful, and filled with melancholy.
Breakers, their 2011 debut, paired plaintive piano melodies with impressionistic lyrics. Made primarily in Barnes’s bedroom, the album displayed how music, even at its most minimal and hushed, could be cathartic, even transcendent.
For the new In Roses, arriving January 2014 from Hardly Art, Gem Club have ventured beyond the isolation of the bedroom to record in San Francisco at John Vanderslice’s analog studio Tiny Telephone, choosing to record entirely to tape. Barnes worked closely with arranger and conductor Minna Choi of The Magik*Magik Orchestra, who, Barnes says, “helped reshape the new songs in fresh and unimagined ways,” The resulting album is more expansive, more majestic, than prior Gem Club releases. There are spacious, grand flourishes—the church-choir voices on “Idea for Strings”; the reverberating drumbeats that propel the melody of “Braid”—yet the music retains the intimacy of previous works.
Barnes is quick to note that In Roses takes a different approach to the landscapes of his world than before. “Whereas Breakers was more about the body and inward-gazing, the new album is about me looking out, relationships I’ve had or wish I've had.” Many lyrics address “the crashing realization that lives are no longer happening the way we want.” Other songs are elegies for those Barnes has idolized or loved, but has lost: “Soft Season” is inspired by the life and death of early-'90s gay adult film actor Joey Stefano (“I’m a boy on my back,” Barnes sings, “and I’m more of a man”); the harrowing closer “Polly” is a song he wrote about his relationship with his late aunt.
Beauty and Sadness is the title of a 1964 novel by the late Japanese writer Yasunari Kawabata, but the name could also serve to describe the music of Gem Club. During one scene of the book, Kawabata writes, “He heard a sound that only a magnificent old bell could produce, a sound that seemed to roar forth with all the latent power of a distant world.” With In Roses, the beautiful and sad sounds of Gem Club come roaring forth with increasing power.
-Scott Heim
4th Annual Moog Circuit Bending Challenge
Moogfest and Moog Music Announce 4th Annual Moog Circuit Bending ChallengeSome Soldering Required* ASHEVILLE, NC – October 28, 2013 – Moog Music was born when a young Bob Moog, started tinkering with electronic circuitry. As a boy, Moog built small radios, amps, and theremins in his basement workshop with his father and the rest is history. This experimentation with the inner workings of electronic devices to create new sounds and effects has been developed into an art form known as circuit bending. Circuit bending is a creative medium that combines technology, sonic artistry and creativity. By altering the internal circuitry of electronic devices such as keyboards, drum machines, and children's toys, circuit benders are able to produce new sounds not intended in the original design.In celebration of this creative curiosity that fueled a young Bob Moog and all of those that follow in his footsteps, Moog is sponsoring its 4th annual circuit bending challenge. This year, Moog’s circuit bending contest is challenging entrants to take a battery powered device and circuit bend it into an instrument capable of creating new and unique sounds for a total budget of $70 or less. Entrants will create and post videos on YouTube featuring their completed instruments and documenting the process of their creation. Moog will select three finalists and invite them to showcase their creations at Moogfest in April of 2014 where Moog’s judges and the general public will decide a winner of the contest. Grand Prize: Moog Sub Phatty & Two Passes to Moogfest 20142nd Place: Moog Slim Phatty & Two Passes to Moogfest 20143rd Place: Moog Minitaur & Two Passes to Moogfest 2014 More information on the contest and a full list of rules for entries can be found atwww.moogfest.com/circuit-bending. Stay updated on Moogfest through www.moogfest.com and on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/moogfest. *Actually, soldering isn’t required. You can use any medium you wish in order to bend your device including (but not limited to) bubble gum, bottle caps, foreign currency, used chopsticks, unicorn hair, or a really cool hat. About Moogfest:Since 2004, Moogfest has been a gathering for the musicians that worked closely with Bob and his instruments. In 2014, Moogfest is amplifying its vision and becoming a 5-Day event dedicated to the synthesis of technology, art and music. Moogfest honors the inventiveness of Bob Moog and the legacy of the analog synth with an experimental line up of daytime conference programming and landmark nightly performances. Moogfest takes place April 23-27th, 2014 in downtown Asheville, NC. To learn more, visit www.moogfest.com About Moog Music:Moog Music is the leading producer of analog synthesizers in the world. The company and its customers carry on the legacy of its founder, electronic musical instrument pioneer, Dr. Bob Moog. The company hosts Moogfest, a five-day festival celebrating the intersection of music and technology in honor of Moog's innovative spirit. All of Moog's instruments are hand built in its factory on the edge of downtown Asheville, NC. To learn more, visit www.moogmusic.com
MUSE – LIVE AT ROME OLYMPIC STADIUM
MUSE – LIVE AT ROME OLYMPIC STADIUM, JULY 2013
SCREENING IN 4K (ULTRA HIGH DEFINITION)AT THELAEMMLE CLAREMONT - CLAREMONT,CALAEMMLE NOHO - NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALAEMMLE PLAYHOUSE - LOS ANGELESVINTAGE VISTA - LOS FELIZ, CAONNOVEMBER 6, 10, AND 11, 2013
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READ THE STORY IN THE WASHINGTON POST HERE: Watch the trailer HERE For ticket information, please go to: http://film.muse.mu/
The first concert film in 4K Ultra High Definition The greatest, most ridiculously enjoyable rock band in the world. - NMEThe rock concert equivalent of a blockbuster movie. - The Times The Muse boys are out of this world. - The SunBritish Rockers Muse Offer next-level technology that's 'almost unsettling' in concert film. - Associated Press
Muse - Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, July 2013 is the first concert film ever to be presented in 4K, a format soon to be adopted by Hollywood as standard for all blockbuster films. Now becoming widely known as Ultra High Definition, 4K means more pixels - to be precise 8.8 million of them - bursting off the screen in every frame, 4 times more than we’re used to seeing in the cinema. For fans of the band, more pixels mean an unrivalled opportunity to experience the full visual spectrum of their Rome stadium show shot in July this year. The Ultra High Definition format gives the cinema audience astonishing detail combining jaw-dropping shots of the Stadio Olimpico with views from 'spider' cameras darting above the surging crowd and on stage close-ups that expose the musical mastery and showmanship of the trio. On 5th November 2013, 20 cinemas in 20 cities worldwide will host a special advance screening of Muse – Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, July 2013 exclusively in 4K. The unique screenings will start in Sydney and finish in Los Angeles, taking in other capital cities throughout the day including Tokyo, Paris, London and Rio. Following the advance screenings, the film will be released in over 700 cinemas in 40 countries for limited screenings from 6th November For an exclusive preview of the cinema trailer along with a full list of cinemas with links to buy tickets visit: http://film.muse.mu/
READ THE STORY IN THE WASHINGTON POST HERE: Watch the trailer HERE For ticket information, please go to: http://film.muse.mu/
The first concert film in 4K Ultra High Definition The greatest, most ridiculously enjoyable rock band in the world. - NMEThe rock concert equivalent of a blockbuster movie. - The Times The Muse boys are out of this world. - The SunBritish Rockers Muse Offer next-level technology that's 'almost unsettling' in concert film. - Associated Press
Muse - Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, July 2013 is the first concert film ever to be presented in 4K, a format soon to be adopted by Hollywood as standard for all blockbuster films. Now becoming widely known as Ultra High Definition, 4K means more pixels - to be precise 8.8 million of them - bursting off the screen in every frame, 4 times more than we’re used to seeing in the cinema. For fans of the band, more pixels mean an unrivalled opportunity to experience the full visual spectrum of their Rome stadium show shot in July this year. The Ultra High Definition format gives the cinema audience astonishing detail combining jaw-dropping shots of the Stadio Olimpico with views from 'spider' cameras darting above the surging crowd and on stage close-ups that expose the musical mastery and showmanship of the trio. On 5th November 2013, 20 cinemas in 20 cities worldwide will host a special advance screening of Muse – Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, July 2013 exclusively in 4K. The unique screenings will start in Sydney and finish in Los Angeles, taking in other capital cities throughout the day including Tokyo, Paris, London and Rio. Following the advance screenings, the film will be released in over 700 cinemas in 40 countries for limited screenings from 6th November For an exclusive preview of the cinema trailer along with a full list of cinemas with links to buy tickets visit: http://film.muse.mu/
Rickey Vincent "Party Music"
Here is the brand new book from Rickey Vincent, the Award Winning author of
Funk: The Music, the People and the Rhythm of The One...
“If this well-detailed book accurately chronicles the funky black power groove of the Panther band, it truly succeeds in recapturing the mood of that turbulent time when Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver and the Black Panther Party stole national attention with their bravado and purpose. Comprehensive, complex, and revealing, Vincent’s nostalgic journey provides an insider’s look at a remarkable band and a piercing snapshot of black history.” —Publishers Weekly
“Rickey Vincent, The Funk Master of the radio air waves has merged together in his book Party Music a wealth of comprehensive knowledge and insights about Panther Party Music and the history from which it evolved. Rickey masters the art of interviewing and writing about the revolutionaries in Party Music with the same will power and self determination as the Funk Masters he writes about, an amazing achievement.” —Emory Douglas, Former Minister of Culture & Revolutionary Artist, Black Panther Party, 1967-1981
Soul music surged in popularity in America in the 1950s and ’60s, eventually becoming an indispensable vehicle for the black power movement to reach out to its community and promote its message of radical social change.
Largely forgotten today, the Black Panthers had their own funk outfit called the Lumpen, which played classic soul songs parodied and reworked to fit the party line. Party Music: The Inside Story of the Black Panthers’ Band and How Black Power Transformed Soul Music (Lawrence Hill Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, October 2013) by Rickey Vincent explores the black cultural revolution through an examination of the movement’s music and the revolutionaries who danced and fought for their rights.
The product of exhaustive research, including exclusive interviews with Party and band members, Party Music is a political and cultural history offering an insider’s narrative of the Black Panther Party during its crucial transformative phase. It also explores the motives of the great artists and the songs they wrote and performed during that time. Vincent persuasively argues that soul music lends itself perfectly to the cause of freedom. Lumpen live shows were high energy, call-and-response interplays between lead singer and chorus that invited audience interaction, and the music of the streets blended with the political ideology of the Panthers.
Party Music traces the history of soul from its beginning as a combination of African American gospel with rhythm & blues to its creation of a distinctly black American identity and culture, and illuminates the black power movement in a completely new way, using the radical evolution of music as a framework for understanding.
About the Author:
Rickey Vincent, PhD, is the award-winning author of Funk: The Music, the People and the Rhythm of The One. He has written for Vibe, American Legacy, the Los Angeles Review of Books and the Washington Post. He teaches at the University of California–Berkeley, San Francisco State, and elsewhere in the Bay Area. He lives in Berkeley with his wife and two sons.
Funk: The Music, the People and the Rhythm of The One...
“If this well-detailed book accurately chronicles the funky black power groove of the Panther band, it truly succeeds in recapturing the mood of that turbulent time when Huey Newton, Bobby Seale, and Eldridge Cleaver and the Black Panther Party stole national attention with their bravado and purpose. Comprehensive, complex, and revealing, Vincent’s nostalgic journey provides an insider’s look at a remarkable band and a piercing snapshot of black history.” —Publishers Weekly
“Rickey Vincent, The Funk Master of the radio air waves has merged together in his book Party Music a wealth of comprehensive knowledge and insights about Panther Party Music and the history from which it evolved. Rickey masters the art of interviewing and writing about the revolutionaries in Party Music with the same will power and self determination as the Funk Masters he writes about, an amazing achievement.” —Emory Douglas, Former Minister of Culture & Revolutionary Artist, Black Panther Party, 1967-1981
Soul music surged in popularity in America in the 1950s and ’60s, eventually becoming an indispensable vehicle for the black power movement to reach out to its community and promote its message of radical social change.
Largely forgotten today, the Black Panthers had their own funk outfit called the Lumpen, which played classic soul songs parodied and reworked to fit the party line. Party Music: The Inside Story of the Black Panthers’ Band and How Black Power Transformed Soul Music (Lawrence Hill Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, October 2013) by Rickey Vincent explores the black cultural revolution through an examination of the movement’s music and the revolutionaries who danced and fought for their rights.
The product of exhaustive research, including exclusive interviews with Party and band members, Party Music is a political and cultural history offering an insider’s narrative of the Black Panther Party during its crucial transformative phase. It also explores the motives of the great artists and the songs they wrote and performed during that time. Vincent persuasively argues that soul music lends itself perfectly to the cause of freedom. Lumpen live shows were high energy, call-and-response interplays between lead singer and chorus that invited audience interaction, and the music of the streets blended with the political ideology of the Panthers.
Party Music traces the history of soul from its beginning as a combination of African American gospel with rhythm & blues to its creation of a distinctly black American identity and culture, and illuminates the black power movement in a completely new way, using the radical evolution of music as a framework for understanding.
About the Author:
Rickey Vincent, PhD, is the award-winning author of Funk: The Music, the People and the Rhythm of The One. He has written for Vibe, American Legacy, the Los Angeles Review of Books and the Washington Post. He teaches at the University of California–Berkeley, San Francisco State, and elsewhere in the Bay Area. He lives in Berkeley with his wife and two sons.
October 28, 2013
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES ANNOUNCE TOUR
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES HIT THE ROAD FOR FALL 2013 TOUR DATES!
LEGENDARY BAND WILL BE ROAD-TESTING NEW SONGS FROM THEIR FORTHCOMING EP (DUE EARLY 2014) AS PART OF THEIR FALL TOUR!
Having just completed a successful tour of Japan and Australia this year, and then dates in June and July in London, NYC, San Francisco and LA, THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES have returned in full force. The Cyril Jordan,Chris Wilson, George Alexander line-up that rocked the UK, Europe and the US from 1971 - 1980 are BACK IN ACTION. With the addition of Victor Penalosa on drums, they continue to present their own unique and infectious style of rock n roll with such cult classics as "Slow Death," "Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down." THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES FALL 2013 TOUR DATES: Wed. Nov. 6 Lee’s Palace – Toronto, Canada Tickets: http://ticketf.ly/18v85k1
Fri. Nov. 8 Magic Stick – Detroit, MI Tickets: http://tktwb.tw/1f1cSPz
Sat. Nov. 9 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH Tickets: http://tktwb.tw/18QFgPQ
Tue. Nov. 12 U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC (w/ The Young Sinclairs) Tickets: http://ticketf.ly/19yvSgj
Thu. Nov. 14 8pm at Radio – Boston, MA (w/ The Connection & Andy Shernoff)
Fri. Nov. 15 Norton Records bash @ Warsaw – Brooklyn, NY (w/ THE SONICS)Tickets: http://tktwb.tw/170K94k Wed. Nov. 20 The New Parish - Oakland, CA
(additional dates to be announced soon)
The Flamin' Groovies story goes all the way back to 1965 when the band began as the Chosen Few in their hometown of San Francisco. After a name change and a self-released 10 inch album called Sneakers , which sold amazingly well, the band caught the attention of Columbia who signed them up and sent them into the studio with a big budget to record their first real album, Supersnazz, on the Epic label. Their next two albums were on Kama Sutra (home of their heroes, The Lovin' Spoonful): Flamingo and the now revered classic Teenage Head. Lead singer Roy Loney left the band right after that and lead guitarist Cyril Jordan moved the group to England with Chris Wilson (formerly of Loose Gravel) taking over as front man. They continued their style of straight ahead guitar driven rock n' roll but this time with a more '60s rather than '50s influence. A few singles on United Artists, recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales with Dave Edmunds producing, followed in the early '70s. In '76 they signed to Sire Records, who released three true gems of power pop: Shake Some Action , Flamin' Groovies Now and Jumpin' In The Night . Another lineup change ensued in the next decade with Wilson moving to England and joining the Barracudas. The Groovies continued on thru the '80s and into the early '90s touring Australia and Europe, putting out a fine but overlooked album called Rock Juice and then finally calling it quits. Jordan formed a new band called Magic Christian while Wilson released solo albums in Europe. Now in 2013, Jordan, Wilson and original founding member and bass player George Alexander, have reunited for the first time since 1981. They're joined by drummer Victor Penalosa, a fine musician in his own right who faithfully recreates the style heard on the classic recordings while at the same time adding his own flavor. The foursome has gone back into the studio to finish up long lost recordings as well as cutting brand new material. They recently toured Japan and Australia, returning home to San Francisco to do a show that sold out in less than 24 hours. Fans have been delighted with what is being called "a dream set list", including original songs the band has never performed before onstage. Newcomers are asking, "Why haven't I ever heard of this group?" It's hard to say just why the group hasn't gotten the attention they deserve (at least in the USA) but they're back to give everyone another chance at hearing and seeing just why those in the know consider them one of the greatest rock n' roll bands ever.
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES (left to right: Cyril Jordan, George Alexander, Victor Penalosa, Chris Wilson) photo credit: Anne Laurent "The Groovies' recent return sees their quest to keep the spirit of beat music alive continuing." - MOJO Magazine (Nov. 2013)
"The Flamin' Groovies uniquely straddled the garage rock and new wave periods with equally classic output during both, becoming a peerless and legendary San Francisco band." - SF WEEKLY
"Badass rock 'n' roll that predated punk rock by a good decade. The Flamin' Groovies are about as classic a rock band as it gets. And to die-hard fans of rock 'n' roll, they are classic rock legends." - CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
"One of San Francisco's best, if somewhat overlooked, bands. - MOTHER JONES FOR MORE INFO ON THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES:https://www.facebook.com/TheFlaminGroovies
Twitter (brand spankin' new): https://twitter.com/FlaminGroovies
LEGENDARY BAND WILL BE ROAD-TESTING NEW SONGS FROM THEIR FORTHCOMING EP (DUE EARLY 2014) AS PART OF THEIR FALL TOUR!
Having just completed a successful tour of Japan and Australia this year, and then dates in June and July in London, NYC, San Francisco and LA, THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES have returned in full force. The Cyril Jordan,Chris Wilson, George Alexander line-up that rocked the UK, Europe and the US from 1971 - 1980 are BACK IN ACTION. With the addition of Victor Penalosa on drums, they continue to present their own unique and infectious style of rock n roll with such cult classics as "Slow Death," "Shake Some Action" and "You Tore Me Down." THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES FALL 2013 TOUR DATES: Wed. Nov. 6 Lee’s Palace – Toronto, Canada Tickets: http://ticketf.ly/18v85k1
Fri. Nov. 8 Magic Stick – Detroit, MI Tickets: http://tktwb.tw/1f1cSPz
Sat. Nov. 9 Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH Tickets: http://tktwb.tw/18QFgPQ
Tue. Nov. 12 U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC (w/ The Young Sinclairs) Tickets: http://ticketf.ly/19yvSgj
Thu. Nov. 14 8pm at Radio – Boston, MA (w/ The Connection & Andy Shernoff)
Fri. Nov. 15 Norton Records bash @ Warsaw – Brooklyn, NY (w/ THE SONICS)Tickets: http://tktwb.tw/170K94k Wed. Nov. 20 The New Parish - Oakland, CA
(additional dates to be announced soon)
The Flamin' Groovies story goes all the way back to 1965 when the band began as the Chosen Few in their hometown of San Francisco. After a name change and a self-released 10 inch album called Sneakers , which sold amazingly well, the band caught the attention of Columbia who signed them up and sent them into the studio with a big budget to record their first real album, Supersnazz, on the Epic label. Their next two albums were on Kama Sutra (home of their heroes, The Lovin' Spoonful): Flamingo and the now revered classic Teenage Head. Lead singer Roy Loney left the band right after that and lead guitarist Cyril Jordan moved the group to England with Chris Wilson (formerly of Loose Gravel) taking over as front man. They continued their style of straight ahead guitar driven rock n' roll but this time with a more '60s rather than '50s influence. A few singles on United Artists, recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales with Dave Edmunds producing, followed in the early '70s. In '76 they signed to Sire Records, who released three true gems of power pop: Shake Some Action , Flamin' Groovies Now and Jumpin' In The Night . Another lineup change ensued in the next decade with Wilson moving to England and joining the Barracudas. The Groovies continued on thru the '80s and into the early '90s touring Australia and Europe, putting out a fine but overlooked album called Rock Juice and then finally calling it quits. Jordan formed a new band called Magic Christian while Wilson released solo albums in Europe. Now in 2013, Jordan, Wilson and original founding member and bass player George Alexander, have reunited for the first time since 1981. They're joined by drummer Victor Penalosa, a fine musician in his own right who faithfully recreates the style heard on the classic recordings while at the same time adding his own flavor. The foursome has gone back into the studio to finish up long lost recordings as well as cutting brand new material. They recently toured Japan and Australia, returning home to San Francisco to do a show that sold out in less than 24 hours. Fans have been delighted with what is being called "a dream set list", including original songs the band has never performed before onstage. Newcomers are asking, "Why haven't I ever heard of this group?" It's hard to say just why the group hasn't gotten the attention they deserve (at least in the USA) but they're back to give everyone another chance at hearing and seeing just why those in the know consider them one of the greatest rock n' roll bands ever.
THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES (left to right: Cyril Jordan, George Alexander, Victor Penalosa, Chris Wilson) photo credit: Anne Laurent "The Groovies' recent return sees their quest to keep the spirit of beat music alive continuing." - MOJO Magazine (Nov. 2013) "The Flamin' Groovies uniquely straddled the garage rock and new wave periods with equally classic output during both, becoming a peerless and legendary San Francisco band." - SF WEEKLY
"Badass rock 'n' roll that predated punk rock by a good decade. The Flamin' Groovies are about as classic a rock band as it gets. And to die-hard fans of rock 'n' roll, they are classic rock legends." - CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER
"One of San Francisco's best, if somewhat overlooked, bands. - MOTHER JONES FOR MORE INFO ON THE FLAMIN' GROOVIES:https://www.facebook.com/TheFlaminGroovies
Twitter (brand spankin' new): https://twitter.com/FlaminGroovies
NPR streams Bryce Dessner and Kronos Quartet
photo credit Andrew Paynter NPR MUSIC’S FIRST LISTEN STREAMSBRYCE DESSNER AND KRONOS QUARTET’S AHEYMALBUM OUT NOVEMBER 5 ON ANTI- RECORDSFEATURING BROOKLYN YOUTH CHORUS
“[Dessner is a] deft guitarist-composer.”—The New York Times “Kronos proved that the string quartet, long the most self-consciously ‘classical’ of classical ensembles, could become a kind of all-terrain vehicle in contemporary culture. Early on, they made a near-total commitment to living composers…Kronos is notable for its global vision.”—The New Yorker
NPR Music is streaming Aheym , the upcoming collaboration between critically acclaimed composer and guitarist from The National Bryce Dessner and Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet, in its entirety at http://n.pr/17qYdZU.
Due November 5 on Anti- Records, Aheym features four original compositions by Dessner—who has previously collaborated with Steve Reich, Philip Glass, David Lang, Sufjan Stevens and many others—performed by Kronos as well as an appearance by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. Dessner and the quartet first crossed paths when Kronos founder David Harrington approachedDessner about writing a piece for the quartet’s performance at the Celebrate Brooklyn! festival at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in 2009. The ensuing piece, “Aheym” (meaning “homeward” in Yiddish), was informed by the stories of Dessner’s Jewish immigrant grandparents who settled near the park and, as the pair’s collaboration grew, became the album’s title track.
Aheym also includes a performance dedicated to Laurence Neff, Kronos Quartet’s lighting designer of 25 years (“Tenebre”); a composition influenced by obscure Czech viola da gamba performers Irena and Vojtěch Havel (“Little Blue Something”); and “Tour Eiffel,” a setting of a poem by Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro that was originally commissioned by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (which perform the track on Aheym alongside Kronos Quartet) at the suggestion of Dessner’s close friend, composer Nico Muhly.Best known for his work with Brooklyn-based rock group The National, Bryce Dessner is also a founding member of the group Clogs and founder/curator of Cincinnati’s acclaimed MusicNOW Festival. Graduating from Yale University with a master’s degree in music, Dessner serves as a composer-in-residence at Muziekgebouw Frits Philips in Eindhoven, Netherlands, produced the Red Hot AIDS charity compilation Dark Was the Night with his brother and The National bandmate Aaron, curated the Crossing Brooklyn Ferry music festival for the Brooklyn Academy of Music (also with Aaron) and has performed alongside Steve Reich, Nico Muhly, Sufjan Stevens, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and many others.
The San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet has made a name for themselves across multiple genres, performing alongside artists including Tom Waits, Asha Bhosle, Paul McCartney, Allen Ginsberg, David Bowie and Wu Man. They have also collaborated with a long list of composers including Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, John Adams, Steve Reich, Meredith Monk and Terry Riley. The group is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary with coast-to-coast birthday concerts, a host of premieres, a Nonesuch CD boxed set and performances around the globe. The non-profit Kronos Performing Arts Association manages all aspects of Kronos’ work, including the commissioning of new works, concert tours and home-season performances and education programs.
BRYCE DESSNER/KRONOS QUARTET, AHEYM1. Aheym2. Little Blue Something3. Tenebre4. Tour Eiffel
Merchandise touring with Chelsea Light Moving
MERCHANDISE KICKING OFF TOUR
WITH CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING TOMORROW
ANNOUNCES TOUR-ONLY SPLIT CASSETTE
photo courtesy of Aldo Padaldo
Merchandise have been insanely busy all year and still can't seem to sit still. They are set to hit the road again tomorrow with Chelsea Light Moving for a string of dates down to Fun Fun Fun Festival. Available only on this specific tour will be a very limited cassette featuring a new song from Merchandise as well as new a track from Chelsea Light Moving. The new Merchandise track is entitled "Begging For Your Life Again" and is the first recording to feature their new drummer Elsner Nino. If you have the chance to see them on this tour don't miss out on grabbing one of these cassettes.
Check out the recent video for "Totale Nite" as well as the tour dates below!
WATCH: "Totale Nite" music video -
ORDER: Totale Nite -
TOUR DATES
10/29 - Augusta, GA @ Sky City †10/30 - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree †10/31 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl †11/1 - Tallahasse, FL @ Club Downunder †11/2 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum †11/4 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks †11/6 - Houston, TX @ Walter's ≈ 11/7 - Dallas,TX @ Tree's †11/8 - Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Festival †11/9 - Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Festival11/11 - Monterrey, Mexico @ Sergios11/12 - McAllen, TX @ Simon Sez † w/ Chelsea Light Moving
≈ w/ Kurt Vile & The Violators, Beach Fossils
MERCHANDISE
TOTALE NITE
NIGHT-PEOPLE
OUT NOW
1. Who Are You?
2. Anxiety's Door
3. I'll Be Gone
4. Totale Nite
5. Winter's Dream
WITH CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING TOMORROW
ANNOUNCES TOUR-ONLY SPLIT CASSETTE
photo courtesy of Aldo PadaldoMerchandise have been insanely busy all year and still can't seem to sit still. They are set to hit the road again tomorrow with Chelsea Light Moving for a string of dates down to Fun Fun Fun Festival. Available only on this specific tour will be a very limited cassette featuring a new song from Merchandise as well as new a track from Chelsea Light Moving. The new Merchandise track is entitled "Begging For Your Life Again" and is the first recording to feature their new drummer Elsner Nino. If you have the chance to see them on this tour don't miss out on grabbing one of these cassettes.
Check out the recent video for "Totale Nite" as well as the tour dates below!
WATCH: "Totale Nite" music video -
ORDER: Totale Nite -
TOUR DATES
10/29 - Augusta, GA @ Sky City †10/30 - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree †10/31 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl †11/1 - Tallahasse, FL @ Club Downunder †11/2 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum †11/4 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks †11/6 - Houston, TX @ Walter's ≈ 11/7 - Dallas,TX @ Tree's †11/8 - Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Festival †11/9 - Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Festival11/11 - Monterrey, Mexico @ Sergios11/12 - McAllen, TX @ Simon Sez † w/ Chelsea Light Moving
≈ w/ Kurt Vile & The Violators, Beach Fossils
MERCHANDISE
TOTALE NITE
NIGHT-PEOPLE
OUT NOW
1. Who Are You?
2. Anxiety's Door
3. I'll Be Gone
4. Totale Nite
5. Winter's Dream
