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Unsilent Night – Live Sound Sculpture/Xmas Avant Garde Music For 25 Cities

Cody — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:23:58 +0000

Now when I say "winter outdoor group participation experimental Christmas art music"...what comes to mind? Nothing, you say? Well, to the cross section of you who haven't thrown up a little (I admit, I get queasy at the "group participation" part), you should all be alerted to and excited by the concept that is Unsilent Night. The brainchild of Phil Kline, a longstanding NY artist who works most frequently with music. Since 1992, he's lead his own kind of interesting Christmas celebration. Unsilent Night centers around one of Kline's musical compositions: a drone based swirl of chimes and other vaguely Christmas related tones played through a variety participant brought audio sources. It's kind of a chorus line that both Fennez and The Flaming Lips (remember Zaireeka?) would enjoy, as folks snag their copy of the composition from the website and the living sound sculpture begins as the group walks together playing the piece from home brought boom boxes, iPhones, and hopefully some of those lovely bike audio rigs I've seen at Critical Mass. Given that the composition is an abstract one coming from multiple moving sources, the work evolves as the crowd passes through the given city, forming something fluid and unique each time. Ultimately, a unique, weirdo holiday tradition I can get behind. This year has some new cities, including Chicago and if you attend NYC's 18th annual Unsilent Night this Saturday, you'll get to be lead from Washington Square Park to Thompkins Square Park by Kline himself. Last year's reported attendance for the New York event was around 1500, so that's probably the best bet for the most epic scale of holiday drone. Unsilent Night is happening in 25 cities this year: Albuquerque, Asheville, Baltimore, Berlin, Boulder, Cambridge (Ontario), Charleston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, East Lansing, Fredericton (New Brunswick), London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Milledgeville, Missoula, New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Vancouver. Many of the events are happening this weekend. Check out Unsilent Night to find out when and were it's going on in each city. Continue reading →

Portland Social Scene – 03/06 – 03/08 (Foundry Field Recordings, Fujiya Miyagi, Gaslamp Killer)

Cody — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 00:28:49 +0000

Hello! Another Portland Social Scene is here. All via by Leigh Friedman, who keeps you updated on all the fun that Portland, OR has to offer.

Again, I’ll be doing the uncool thing and watching the free screening of Battlestar Galactica at the Baghdad. Maybe there won’t be a line ’cause of the Watchmen opening. Fingers crossed.

I’d like to recommend The Gaslamp Killer at The Crown Room. He’s one of the resident DJ’s at LA’s Low End Theory which I mentioned earlier this week. He always spins a good set.

As well, Foundry Field Recordings will be doing a free show on Sunday at Rontoms will also be a good show.

I’m curious about the 10th Anniversary Tom Waits party, but that could be a little scary for a ton of reasons…

Anyway, remember that this list is a truncated version of the Life Is A Party list, provided weekly

Drop an email here to get the full list!

Enjoy your weekend!

From Leigh:

Friday, March 6th

Hot Mess 2 Year Anniversary @ Tube (hands down PDX’s best dance party – get there early, it fills up before 11)

Ohmega Watts Jeremy Fish @ Kamp Grizzly (dj + live art from a legend)

Japanther, Explode Into Colors, Fist Fite @ Rotture (electro rock)

Tiger Stripes and Bryan Zentz @ 720 (house and electro)

Neon @ Rotture (electro)

Nightclubbing @ Holocene (disco)

Devin Philips @ Cave (jazz)

Melao de Cuba @ Mississippi Pizza (awesome Cuban music)

Fujiya Miyagi @ Doug Fir (lovely electro pop)

STS9, Pnuma, DJ Vadim @ Roseland (this party will show you the difference between hippies and burning man kids)

Gaslamp Killer @ Crown Room (the STS9 after party!)

Blacklight Seduction @ Pala (blacklight body painting and tons of electro music)

East Infection @ East (DJ Izm on the decks – a perfect place to start your night)

First Friday Super Jam @ Goodfoot (funk/soul/hip hop)

Let’s Go Crazy 80’s Dance Party @ Someday Lounge (fun times)

Raphael Saadiq @ Wonder Ballroom (this will surely be an incredible show)

Sat, March 7th

Nonplusultra @ Valentine’s (DJ’s Linoleum and Bonaparte playing nu-wave jams)

Morgan Grace @ Tonic Lounge (indie rock!)

10th Annual Tom Waits Tribute Night @ Secret Society Ballroom (I imagine there will be tons of whisky consumed at this)

Sol Invictus @ 2410 (music, dancing, audio/visual installations … this will go all night)

Various @ Branx (dubstep)

Writers Block: 10 recording artists @ Holocene (a sweet line up of indie rock and indie folk)

Eye Candy Ass Shake @ Fez Ballroom (music video dance party)

STS9, Pnuma, DJ Vadim @ Roseland (this party will show you the difference between hippies and burning man kids)

DJ Wicked @ Crown Room (hip hop)

Paradise Disco @ Saucebox (solid dance grooves that is perfect for this space)

Tom Fodery Beasty Beats @ Mt. Tabor Legacy (electro and breaks)

Purple Rhine Stone Eagle CD Release Show @ Dekum Manor (house party)

Off the Wall @ Pala (80’s vs 90’s party)

Erotic City @ Thirsty Lion (Prince cover band)

Cana Son @ Jimmy Mak’s (fantastic Cuban jazz)

STS9 After Party @ Berbati’s (a late night party of beats, bass and dub)

The Zoo @ Dunes (house, electro, techno)

Val the Variety Show @ Twin Americana (gothic Americana music and performances)

Portland Int’l Women’s Day @ Backspace (art and music)

Sunday, March 8th

Joe McMurrian Quartet @ Alberta St. Pub (jazzy times)

Pop Tart @ Holocene (Automaton and Equestrian kill this girls party)

Hip Hop Cabaret @ IFCC (hip hop performers and performances)

Ninja Sundays @ Tube (cheap drinks, good music)

Pendulum @ Roseland (live band drum n bass)

Grey Anne and Pwrfil Power @ Worksound Sudios (indie folk)

Y La Bamba @ Mississippi Studios (sexy gypsy folk)

Return of the Boat Drinks @ East End (yacht rock!)

Atole and Boy Eats Drum Machine @ Someday Lounge (electro rock)

Low End Theory has a Podcast!

Cody — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:01:15 +0000

Quite possibly one of the most fun things I did while in LA was to attend Low End Theory, a gathering of local and visiting electro-glitch-hop performers that was worth every penny.

Given the schedule, I held down while in LA I rarely did much of anything, but managed to hit up Low End Theory a few times…which says a lot. I got to see Daedelus do an amazing and varied set on his magical Monome, as well I got to see Jel (a member of both Subtle and Themselves) destroy on the MPC. It’s a chill atmosphere, with the wide back porch stage and additional upstairs DJ space. Plus, the outside sound system is one of the heaviest I’ve ever had the joy to experience. During Jel’s set, I was standing at the center of the stage and the bass dug in deep…every article of clothing I had on was buzzing. One of the friends I was at the show with got quite sick from the vibrations. Serious business.

Just today, they’ve released the first of what will hopefully be many podcasts. They’re waiting for approval from Apple to get the thing listed up on iTunes, but for now you can grab it directly from their site:

Low End Theory Podcast Vol. 1

This month, resident DJ Daddy Kev and the always excellent SAMIYAM split the 50 minute set. The whole thing is a fantastic blur of patented LA glitch and spacey post-Dilla hip-hop.

Since you just missed the awesomeness of Daedelus & already TTM.com loved Nosaj Thing on the 25th, here’s two upcoming at Low End Theory nights noting:

3/11: DJ NOBODY BIRTHDAY DRINKING CONTEST – with Free The Robots

4/23: LAZER SWORD

I enjoyed both of them alot last year. Santa Ana’s Free The Robots is probably one of the best beat smiths to hit my ears in a long while. He’s got the same brilliant ability to craft real songs, the same that pulled me in when I first heard DJ Shadow all those years ago. His Free The Robots EP (iTunes link) is a fantastic piece of work that easily outshines a lot of his contemporaries. He’ll be hitting Portland on May 1st at the Crown Room

Free The Robots – Diary

Finally, grab this free download of Lazer Sword’s Blap to the Future mix:

Free downloadable mixtapes are my favorite things lately. What mixtape do you love the best?

Portland Social Scene – 2/20 – 2/22 (Kool Keith, Andrew Bird, Broken Spindles )

Cody — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 02:13:48 +0000

Another edition of Portland Social Scene, something I’ll try to be putting up on Thursday or Friday, sometime after I get the Lifeisaparty list. Man, coding all the links was a bit task intensive, so this week, I’ll leave it up to you, the good readers of Taking Tiger Mountain to google it yourself…or just know where it is.

As for me, I’ll be doing the uncool thing and watching the free screening of Battlestar Galactica at the Baghdad. Nerdy and free.

Remember, his list is a truncated version of the Life Is A Party list, provided weekly by Leigh Friedman, which keeps you updated on all the weekend madness that Portland, OR has to offer.

Drop an email here to get the full list!

Enjoy your weekend!

From Leigh:

Friday

Townbombing w/ Dr. Adam & Automaton @ Tube

Ludachrist w/ Tyler Tastemaker and J Roby @ Crown Room (mashup, bass and live electro party)

Decadence Debauchery @ Hawthorne Theater (burlesque dancers and cabaret show)

Rock Box @ Holocene (dance party!)

East Infection @ East (a great place to start or end the night)

Fuckbadmusic Party @ Branx (tech house dance party)

R9 @ Groove Suite (minimal techno and electro with a live visual artist)

Visions of Venice Masquerade Ball @ Rose Room in the Rose Garden (cocktails, costumes, dancing and a Frank Sinatra tribute group)

Fall of the House @ Theater! Theater! (it’s theater!)

Padam Padam @ Dharma Rain Center (cabaret of Edith Piaf and Tom Waits songs)

Hard Times @ Rotture (a dance party for the working stiff)

Ben Darwish Album Release Party @ Jimmy Mak’s (awesome jazz and recreations of popular songs)

Portland Int’l Film Fest @ NW Film Center (movies!)

Mt. Hood Ski Bowl 80′s Party @ Mt. Hood (free gifts for people on the mountain in 80′s outfits)

Me, Chi & Bruce Lee @ Powell’s on Hawthorne (a book reading about martial arts and then a viewing of Kung Fu Panda)

Roots Reggae Dancehall @ Calabash (roots, reggae and dancehall – the title kinda says it all)

Panther @ Backspace (electro dance funk)

Ralphie May @ Crystal Ballroom (holy shit this dude is hilarious – you’ve probably seen him on Comedy Central)

Hip Hop Fest w/ Cool Nutz, Mikey Vegaz and Luck1 @ Ash Street (local hip hop)

Melao de Cuba @ Mississippi Pizza (cool Cuban jazz)

Jackie-O Mutherfucker and E*Rock @ Slabtown (this will be a party rock show)

Saturday

Andrew Bird @ The Roseland

PDX Jazz Fest @ Crystal Ballroom (Afro Cuban All-stars, Lou Donaldson and Bobby Hutcherson… bring a date and impress her/him with your seductive dance moves)

Sweet FA Rock & Roll Fashion Show @ Fez (awesome event with some awesome local designers)

Electric Feel @ Fez (a fun dance party immediately after the fashion show)

Kool Keith @ Berbati’s (I am 100% sure that this will be an interesting show)

DJ Wicked @ Bar XV (this place always gets crowded on Saturday’s)

Tin House Book Event @ Disjecta (live bands and books! … that actually doesn’t sound anywhere near as fun as this will actually be)

Nicolle Shops PDX Party @ NW 21st & Wilson (for the uber fashionable of PDX)

Harlem Globetrotters @ Rose Garden (ahh, such memories of being a kid and wishing I could dunk)

Love Sick @ Branx (a crazy costume party with dancing)

Broadway Affair Party @ Escape (live cabaret show)

Saturday Night Heat @ Crown Room (hip hop, dub, dancehall and funk dj’s)

Polar Bear Plunge @ Clumbia River (you’re kidding right? You want me to jump in the river?)

Dinocore Dance Party @ Lucky’s on 28th and Glisan (a dinosaur themed electro dance party .. only in PDX, or ok, maybe in Brooklyn too)

Erotic City @ Tiger Bar (Prince cover band)

Drum Club @ Dunes (cool minimal electro in this cool little space)

White Light Dance Party @ Valentines (fun dance party with brother/sister dj duo)

Icarus Comedy Group @ Brody Theater (live improv comedy)

Fall of the House @ Theater! Theater! (it’s theater!)

Roots Reggae Dancehall @ Calabash (roots, reggae and dancehall – the title kinda says it all)

Night of 1000 Masks @ Rotture (one big Mardi Gras party)

Portland Int’l Film Fest @ NW Film Center (movies!)

Fujinami-Kai Dance Performance @ NW Library (a performance of the traditional dance Buyo)

Balkan Mardi Gras @ Paradise (Eastern European folk music and vodka!)

Pop Rocks: A Bite Sized Festival @ Someday (5 awesome bands, 1 awesome venue)

The Music Tapes w/ Julian from Neutral Milk Hotel @ Backspace (indie rock madness)

Antiques Improv Show @ Brody Theater (bring in an antique, they will make up a funny story)

80′s vs 90′s Party @ Pala (4 dj’s playing classics from both decades)

Beaux Arts Ball @ Portland Art Museum (dinner, dancing and costumes)

Johnny Cash Tribute Band @ Ash St. (I imagine 90% of the people here will be drinking whiskey)

Twilight Rummage Sale @ Eagles Lodge (tons of goods!)

Hillsdale Brew Fest @ Hillsdale Public House (20 brewers, 20 new beers)

Sunday

Sapient of Sandpeople, Illmaculate, Diezel P, Dain and DJ Flip Flop @ Berbati’s (local hip hop showcase and freestyle battle)

Nealie Neal @ Moloko Plus (rare funk and soul)

Fall of the House @ Theater! Theater! (it’s theater!)

Local 4 @ Secret Society (poetry)

Sinferno Cabaret @ Dante’s (fire dancing!)

Bryan Wolfe Photo Exhibit @ Blue Sky Gallery (a showcase of each piece the artist made each day for a full year)

Virginia Café 95th Anniversary Party @ Virginia Café (beer prices from the ’80′s!!)

Dent May @ Doug Fir (this guy is awesome, really fun and creative songs … oh, and there is a guy from the New Pornographers)

Cuba Ache @ Mississippi Pizza (Cuban jazz)

Broken Spindles @ Rotture (hey, it’s the dude from The Faint making cool music)

Jules Boykoff Poetry Reading @ Powell’s on Hawthorne (poetry in big in Portland)

Autopilot is For Lovers @ Valentines (sweet and soft folk, a good way to prepare for Monday)

Dub & Doom @ Tube (ridiculous drink specials and two ridiculous dj’s)

PDX Poetry Slam @ Hawthorne Theater (poems and maybe people snapping after other people’s poems)

Portland Social Scene – 2/13 – 2/15 (Talkdemonic, Explode Into Colors, Albino & more!)

Cody — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 01:23:44 +0000

In an effort to get better settled in my new home of Portland, I’m going to start publishing some more local-centric articles. It helps me get better acquainted with some of the many bands and venues around the city. There’s always something going on in this city

So, here’s a selection of what’s going on this weekend in Portland:

Friday

Vagabond Opera and Chervona @ Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Avenue

Fall of the House @ Theatre! Theatre! – 3430 SE Belmont.

Shake Speake, Best Supporting Actress and New Centruy Schoolbook @ Dunes – 1905 NE MLK

Atole & Breakfast Mountain @ Dekum Manor – 422 NE Dekum St

Livewire! w/ Talkdemomic & Point Juncture, WA @ Aladdin Theater – 3017 SE Milwaukee Ave.

Potluck & House Show w/ Autopilot Is For Lovers @ NE 80th & Couch

Zoobombers Mini Bike Winter Fest @ various locations (check out http://zoobomb.net/minibikewinter/ for info

Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ Roseland – 8 NW 6th Ave

That 1 Guy @ Doug Fir – 830 E. Burnside

Saturday

Atlas @ Holocene – 1001 SE Morrison

Cover Your Hearts Benefit Party w/ Charmparticles, Jonah, Crosstides, Derby and Tango Alpha Tango @ Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Avenue

P:ear Benefit Party featuring Strength, Explode Into Colors, and The Dirty Mittens @ Wonder Ballroom – 128 NE Russell St

Zoobombers Mini Bike Winter Fest @ various locations (check out http://zoobomb.net/minibikewinter/ for info

Free Vegan Desserts @ Hungry Tiger Too – 207 SE 12th Portland

Albino @ Goodfoot Lounge – 2845 SE Stark St.

Fleshtone and Fist Fite @ Rotture – 315 SE 3rd Ave

Sunday

Verb: A Dance Party Action Benefit Event @ Zaytoon – 2236 NE Alberta

Queens Girl @ Someday Lounge – 125 NW 5th Avenue

Alela Diane (CD Release Show) @ Holocene – 1001 SE Morrison
Horse Feathers @ Doug Fir (beautiful folk music from local stars)

Greyboy Allstars @ Crystal Ballroom – 1332 W. Burnside

Zoobombers Mini Bike Winter Fest @ various locations (check out http://zoobomb.net/minibikewinter/ for info

This list is a truncated version of the Life Is A Party list, provided weekly by Leigh Friedman, which keeps you updated on all the weekend madness that Portland, OR has to offer.

Drop an email to get the full list!

Portland Post-Folk-Electro-Rock-ish – Talkdemonic

Cody — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:35:33 +0000

I'm a sucker for anything that puts the focus on stringed instruments. Just like how I discovered Dirty Three years too late, I don't know how Talkdemonic slipped by me for as long as they did. The music the Portland duo creates is a brooding, deep-woods symphony, reflecting well the terrain of the Northwest. Without lyrics, the instruments do the job of emoting, with Lisa Molinaro's violin and cello playing working to convey the heart of the music. Kevin O’Connor handles the drums and electronics sequencing and the result is something that broodingly straddles the genres of indie rock, electronica, and post rock to a pleasant end. The duo released their third album, Eyes At Half Mast in late 2008 and will be playing a show this Saturday February 5th at Portland's Doug Fir Lounge. Lucky Madison labelmates Ah Holly Fam'ly and local dark folkies Nurses and will be opening up the evening.

Talkdemonic - March Movement

Continue reading →

Why? MEGATOUR (LA’s ECHOPLEX TONIGHT & RAFTER MP3s!)

Cody — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Why? stands as the most blogged about band here on Taking Tiger Mountain in its short little life, but I do unabashedly love them. Yoni is one of few people I’ve had the pleasure of doing an in-person interview with back in ’06; I talked with him at Chicago’s Double Door before their opening slot for The Silver Jews. I’ve seen them quite a bit in my free time and also reviewed their shows on more than one occasion (The Double Door show and later opening for Yo La Tengo at Chicago’s Vic Theater). They’re starting a long few months of touring, hitting Los Angeles’s Echoplex tomorrow.

That show will include DJ’s from Dublab and Asmatic Kitty’s Rafter as openers.

After tonight’s LA date, Why? heads out for a long jaunt that stretches into a European tour. Dates below:

09-04 – Los Angeles, CA Echoplex
09-05 – Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse
09-06 – Tucson, AZ Solar Culture
09-08 – Austin, TX Mohawk*
09-09 – Dallas, TX Granada Theater*
09-11 – Pensacola, FL Sluggo’s*
09-12 – Gainseville, FL Common Grounds*
09-13 – Miami, FL White Room*
09-14 – Orlando, FL The Social*
09-16 – Asheville, NC Grey Eagle*
09-17 – Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church*
09-18 – New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
09-19 – Boston, MA Museum of Fine Arts
09-20 – Portland, ME Space Gallery
09-21 – Providence, RI Club Hell
09-22 – Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa
09-25 – Cincinnati, OH Midpoint Music Festival
09-26 – Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge#
09-27 – Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock#
09-29 – Denver, CO Hi- Dive
09-30 – Salt Lake City UT Kilby Court
10-02 – Vancouver, BC Richard’s On Richard
10-03 – Seattle, WA Vera Project
10-04 – Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
10-22 – Confort Moderne – Poitiers
10-23 – Le Fil – Saint Etienne
10-24 – La Vapeur – Dijon
10-25 – BB Mix Festival – Paris
10-27 – Pirates Cabaret – Amiens
10-28 – Electrique – La Havre
10-29 – L’Antipode – Rennes
10-30 – Festival Yamoy – Nantes
10-31 – Rockomotives – Vendôme
11-01 – Andrew Lane Theatre – Dublin
11-03 – TBA – London
11-06 – Centre Culturel – Massy
11-07 – Musique Volante – Metz
11-08 – Super Sound Festival – Colmar
11-11 – Maria Am Ufer – Berlin
11-12 – Ut Connewitz – Leipzig

% = w/ Tussle
* = w/ Mount Eerie
# = w/ Tobacco

I’ll be at the Echoplex tonight, jealous of all the folks who get to see the shows with Mount Eerie. That’ll be something special.

In honor of the Rafter’s new EP which drops September 9th, here’s a few insane tracks that Asthmatic Kitty has released:

‘Salt’ from 2008′s Sweaty Magic
Download

‘Juicy’ from 2008′s Sweaty Magic
Download

‘Sweat’ from 2008′s Sweaty Magic
Download

BUY IT

New Genre Awesomeness “Recap Rock” – Previously On Lost (Exclusive Download!)

Cody — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:09:29 +0000

The birth of a genre is a rare thing. In this day and age, most new concepts are simply a bridge of two pre-existing ideas with a teeny little hyphen. With Brooklyn’s Previously On Lost, an epic and original genre is born: Recap Rock.

And Taking Tiger Mountain has an exclusive download courtesy of the band.

Previously On Lost spent the 4th season of Lost writing tunes inspired by each episode after they aired. Now that the show is done for the season, they’ve taken the full set of songs, which veer wildly all over the musical map, on tour. The music itself is a weird concoction: spastic indie rock with a definite Frank Zappa haze of weird. The vocals are an odd layered falsetto and have a kitchen sink approach to the instrumentation. There’s a definite feeling that reminds me of the beautiful chaos of The Unicorns, except, you know, all the lyrics are about Lost.

Which makes it ten times more awesome.

Songs like “Be My Constant”, “We’re Goin’ Home” and “The Island Won’t Let You Die” might give a clue to the episodes they correlate to. The lyrics are funny and sometimes just beautifully tic through the events of an episode in an almost linear manner with cheeky commentary. This, as a massive fan of the show, often just puts a big old smile on my face. You can’t beat the cop-show opening bongos and sappy keyboard on “The Ballad of Sayid Jarrah” tied with the lyrics:

“There he is on the back nine / with a 7 iron in his fist / money in the bank and a smile on his face, just hope that you’re not on his list / he’s armed to the teeth and a gun and effective hair spray / you may have picked the right club / but you’ve stumbled into murder on the fairway”

And that’s right before the sax comes in. If you’ve seen the episode in question (S04, E03 – The Economist, air date 02.14.08), it’s a pretty concise encapsulation of the show in question. Except when they get to the breakdancing bit at the end of the song. Trust me, just give a listen.

For those in the Los Angeles area, they’re in the midst of their mini-California tour with a show tonight at Spaceland, taking the stage at 8:30pm. Thursday 8/21 is the night I’d suggest you catch, as they’re playing the entirety of their Season 4 show at the Knitting Factory.

If you can’t make the shows, please take a listen to the exclusive download that the guys in Previously On Lost were kind enough to give me:

Previously On Lost – Gotta Take Your Meds

This song was written for episode 10 of season 4: “Something Nice Back Home” and features some amazing campy synth action and cowbell.

What more could you ask for?

If you do love it, you can buy their album The Tale of Season 4 and the Oceanic 6 from iTunes:

SHOWS

08/20 – Spaceland – 2906 Sunset Blvd at the intersection of Sunset and Parkman Ave.
Cover – $8
Set time – 8:30, opening for The Atma 9:30pm, Venus Illuminato 10:30p, Olin and the Moon 11:30p

08/21 – The Knitting Factory – 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
Cover $10
Show starts at 7:30

We’re Goin Home

Be My Constant

This Thursday, I Am 8-Bit Returns

Cody — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:41:16 +0000

This Thursday, August 14th the 4th annual I Am 8-Bit show returns to Los Angeles. Y'all know my unbridled love for all that is 8-bit, and this collective is a fine showcase of art inspired by the vintage aesthetic. Last year's show was an event I planned to hit up, but only saw it in photos afterward. It looked like an event worth attending. This year, it'll be hosted at the World of Wonder Storefront Gallery, which is at 6500 Sunset Blvd (map here). The fantastic Computer Jay and the previously-unknown-to-me DJ R Rated will be performing and booze will be provided. Opening night festivities will run from 8 pm to midnight, Thursday August 14th. Should you miss the event, the show will run through September 8th. For the show, they commissioned a fantastic set of 4 spot gloss flyers by one of my all-time favorite artists Scott C. Should you feel, you can cut them up and make your own vintage cardboard arcade. Wonderful. Click each for a full view of the fliers:

Continue reading →

88 Drummers Wearing Nike Shoes! – 88Boadrum This Friday

Cody — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:13:53 +0000

Following up on last year’s 77Boadrum, the even has expanded and gone bi-costal. This year, you’ll get live drumming in both NYC and Los Angeles. The LA venue will be at the La Brea Tar Pits, nestled in the heart of the city. For NYC, the everyone will be gathering at the Williamsburg Waterfront. The west coast event will be conducted by Soft Circle contributor and 88BoaDrum artistic director Hisham Bharoocha; east coast duties will be handled by local act Gang Gang Dance. Both cities will be performing an 88 minute piece that will begin this Friday 8/8/08 at, yep, you guessed it…8:08pm. Personally, LA wins for the simple fact that they have Hella’s Zach Hill. I doubt they’ll let him solo, but one can dream.

I had the chance to catch The Boredoms a few years ago at 2006′s Intonation festival, where Eye conducted a mini version of the past two years events. Leading a circle of 6 drummers on the outdoor Chicago stage, the whole event was surreal and hypnotic. Amongst an lineup that smashed stoned hip-hop up against Robert Pollard’s tequila fueled antics, The Boredoms brief but electric set was the peak of an otherwise wonky festival.

Available at the show will be first-come, first-served hand screened “Nike Sportswear 88BoaDrum NSW Tee.” Woo Nike sponsorship! Each of the event shits will be hand screened on site, featuring designs by Boredom’s lead noisician Eye. Supposedly, the performers may be getting some custom kicks too.

While the event is free, it looks like most all the tickets from the website have been distributed. There may still be tickets at the physical distribution centers for each event:

LA:

Amoeba Music
6400 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Ca 90028
323.245.6400

LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6000

NYC:

Sound Fix Records-Brooklyn
110 Bedford Ave @ N.11th St. , Brooklyn NY 11211
(718) 388-8090

Other Music-Manhattan
15 East 4th Street, NY NY 10003
(212) 477-8150

Volunteering is also an option; one I may be engaging in just to make sure I can participate in what will be an undoubtedly amazing event. Drop a line to volunteers88BoaDrum@gmail.com to see if there’s still slots open.

If all else fails, there’s always the Craigslist vultures of NY and LA

L.A.:

Hisham A. Bharoocha (Soft Circle)
Zach Hill (Hella)
Butchy Fuego (Pit Er Pat)
Kid Millions (Oneida)
Dave Nuss (No-Neck Blues Band / Under Satan’s Sun)
Christopher Powell (Icy Demons / Man Man)
Aaron Moore (Volcano the Bear)
Warren Huegel (Tussle)
Dustin Donaldson (Freelance Session, I Am Spoonbender, Link Wray, Thought Industry)
Derek James (Entrance)
Joe Plummer (Modest Mouse, All Smiles, Black Heart Procession)
Tim Soete (The Fucking Champs)
Michael Tapper (We Are Scientists)
Adam Pfahler (Jawbreaker)
Claude Collins-Stracensky
Sara Lund (Unwound)
Matthew Hartman (Sic Alps)
Chris Moore (Negative Approach)
Abby Ball
Ryan Huber
Geoff Soule (FUCK, Tara Jane O’neil)
John Dwyer (Thee Oh Sees)
Shahin Motia (Oneida / Ex Models / Knyfe Hyts)
Alexis Garapulos (Arp / Expanding Headband)
Katelyn Hall (Mika Miko)
David Janik (Company)
Michael Henrickson (Smegma / Jackie-O-Motherfucker)
Tom Recchion
Michael Bulington
Trent Moorman (Like a Kite/The Saturday Knights)
Brian Dwyer
Damon Eliza Palermo (Mi Ami)
Michael Catano
Vice Cooler (xbxrx / Hawnay Troof)
Andy Connors (ex-A Minor Forest / Lumen)
Weasel Walter (xbxrx)
Adam Baz (Evangelista, Ohioan, Nightwonds)
Dave Aron (Koi Pond)
Pete Vogl (Koi Pond)
Robin Easton
Alianna Kalaba (We Ragazzi)
Gregory Rogove (Priestbird)
Jonathan Holland (Tussle)
Brendan Fowler (BARR / Car Clutch)
Adam Autry
Anthony Petrovic (Ezeetiger / The Drums)
Rob Barber (High Places)
Dan Rowan
Grace Lee (Foot Village)
Jason Adam Baker (Necking)
Andrew Neuhues
Sandra Vu (Midnight Movies)
Than Luu (Black Gold / M. Ward / Adam Franklin)
Jaiko Suzuki (Electro Putas)
Brian Miller (Foot Villlage)
Ryan Pritts (Paik / Bolmongani)
Gabie Strong
Jessica Espeleta
Patty Schemel (Hole, Juliette Lewis, Pink)
Roy Tatum (Wives)
London May (Samhain / Dag Nasty)
Wendy Shuey
Paul Quattrone (!!!, Modey Lemon, Midnite Snake)
Josh Taylor (Foot Village / Friends Forever)
Sarah Anderson (Lucky Dragons)
James Jolliff (Brother Reade)
Brian Girgus (lowercase / Track Star)
Yoshi Nakamoto (The Aislers Set)
Nora Brank
Chris Hathwell (Moving Units)
Kevin Stuart (Crystal Antlers)
Damian Edwards (Crystal Antlers)
Bianca Sparta (Erase Errata)
Michael La Franchi (Giant Drag / Let’s Go Sailing)
Taylor Richardson (Sunburned Hand of the Man)
Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus)
Diva Dompe (Black Black)
Tennessee Thomas (The Like)
Erin Garcia (Brother Reade)
Steven McCarty (Dead Meadow)
Joachim Cooder
Mike Sord Gard (M. Sord)
Aaron Sperske (Beachwood Sparks)
Sara Diaz
Wendy Farina
Greg Fox (Pink Mountain / Family of Love)

N.Y.:

Ryan Sawyer (Tall Firs / Stars Like Fleas / Thurston Moore / Eye Contact / Lone Wolf and Cub)
Chris Brokaw (Come/ ffffflashlights/ Thurston Moore’s New Wave Bandits)
Will Shmee (Knox Dad)
Suzanne Rogaleski (Lone Wolf and Cub / Badmittons)
Alex Holden (Big Numbers)
Brian Mcleod (Modest Mouse / Lights / Love as Laughter)
Torbitt Schwartz (Chin Chin / Reverend Vince Anderson)
Jaleel Bunton (TV on the Radio / Reverend Vince Anderson)
Brian Tamborello (Psychic Ills)
Jim Siegel (Ning Nong Radio)
Greg Anderson (Oakley Hall / Windsor for the Derby)
Dreiky Caprice (Crash Worship)
Matt Heyner (Malkuth / No-Neck Blues Band)
Joseph Stickney (Bear In Heaven / Rhys Chatham / Paul Duncan)
Matt Sweeney (Chavez / Zwan / Neil Diamond)
Samara Lubelski (Hall of Fame / Thurston Moore’s New Wave Bandits)
Pete Nolan (Magik Markers / Spectre Folk)
Abby Portner (Rings / Hex Message)
Tom Peyton (Fakers / KGB)
John Moloney (Sunburned Hand of the Man)
Andrya Ambro (Talk Normal)
David Sparks
Spencer Herbst (Matta Llama)
Timothy Monaghan (J.A.C.K.)
Andrew Barker (Gold Sparkle Band)
Joseph Noll (My Best Fiend)
Dave Witte (Municipal Waste)
Nick Lesley (Necking / Gunung Sari)
Jim Sykes (Parts and Labor)
Michael Evans (God Is My Co-Pilot)
Dong-Ping Wong (Necking)
Spencer Sweeney
Nondor Nevai (Aborted Christ Child)
Jonathan Lockie (Sightings)
Dave Bergander (Celebration)
Jules Scott Key (Metric / Bang Lime)
Yuval Lion (Pink Noise)
Ronnie Seward (Whooping Crane)
Corinne Jones (Effi Briest)
Adam Lee (Let’s Go Bowling)
Nancy Garcia (Monotract / Thurston Moore)
Ben McConnell (Phosphorescent)
Pascal Spengemann (Hex Message)
Speck Brown (Orphan)
Laura Rogers (The Rogers Sisters)
Rupert Clervaux (Sian Alice Group)
Kyle Warren (Dinowalrus)
Adam Marnie (The Mess of New Mexico)
Alex Epton (Spank Rock / XXXchange)
Otto Hauser (Espers / Bert Jansch / Vashti Bunyan)
Nick DeCarmine (Slow Dynamte)
Frank Haines (Blanko and Noiry)
Brian Deran
Marcus Burrowes (Rockersnyc)
Avi Cohen (Soiled Mattress and the Springs / Silk Flowers
Emmy Miller (Xtreme Violence / The Peppermints)
Ryan Tozzi
Oran Canfield (Child Abuse)
Erik Rappin (A.R.E. Weapons)
Matt McCauley (A.R.E. Weapons)
Brian McPeck (A.R.E. Weapons)
Brian Weitz (Animal Collective)
Kyle Simon (Baby Talk)
Danny Tunick (Arnold Dreyblatt / Fakers)
Leah Moskowitz (Bloody for Me)
Joe Wong (Parts and Labor)
Nathan Corbin (Excepter)
Hamish Kilgour (Clean and the Great Unwashed / Samara Lubelski)
Linnea Vedder Shults (LIGHTS)
Lacy Lancaster (Durty Nanas)
Kathleen Cholewka (Les Sans Culottes / Discovery)
Noah Lennox (Panda Bear / Animal Collective)
James Buonantuono (Other Passengers / Ruby Glass)
Sadie Laska (I.U.D. / Extreme Violence)
Keith Connolly (No-Neck Blues Band)
Jason Mills
James Corrigan (ON?OFF / Wool, Rivers)
Miles Levy (Malcolm Mooney / No Doctors)
Tommy Rouse (Entrance)
Eric Cohen (Caroliner Rainbow)
Christopher Weingarten (ex-Parts and Labor)
Tim Evans (Bogan Dust
Ian Vanek (Japanther)
Chris Millstein (Jah Division)
Nick Ray (Golden Triangle)
Travis Chance (Usurp Synapse)
Michael Colin (Aa)