Tom Verlaine RIP

 

As Disaster Amnesiac has pondered the passing of Tom Verlaine, I've mostly thought about how he was, much like Leslie West, more of an influence than many people recognize. Those players that developed the "Indie" sound, pretty much all of 'em have to list Verlaine as one, that's for sure. I don't know too many of those types of people, so I can't say if they're aware of it, but it's undeniable. 

From a more subjective point of view, I just have loved Marquee Moon for many years now.  I have distinct, lovely memories of listening to that album at various points within the past 35 year time line, along with one particular memory of seeing him play as a sideman with the Patti Smith Group. He seemed like such an unassuming guy, almost off the stage of the Warfield Theater; when Smith gave him a shout out, he seemed very gracious about it all, which seemed pretty cool to this audience member. 

Can't say much more than that, really. I would just like to give a tip of the cap to a dude who always did things his way artistically. RIP Tom Verlaine.

Live shot #73!

 

Bass player/composer Eli Pontecorvo sound checks at the Stork Club, Oakland CA, 2015

Random/Live shot!

 

From Dry Cleaning at the Hotel Congress. Two road crew people setting up. I just really like the way that this photo came out, what with the ethereal look of the standing guy.

Live Shot #72!

 

Dry Cleaning, Hotel Congress Tucson AZ. A great live band with psychedelicized Rock and a genius lyricist. Go and see them if you get a chance!

Nubdug Ensemble/Amanda Chaudhary-Split E.P.; Pest Colors Music/Catsynth Records, 2022

 

Another year begins, and Disaster Amnesiac has found himself lucky enough to be the recipient of the annual Jason Berry/Amanda Chaudhary card/CD! 

As is always the case, this dynamic duo fills a release with visionary and creative sounds. Berry continues his quest of blending twisty rhythms with harmonic sophistication, aided by a stellar cast of SF Bay Area musicians. It's been stated at this blog before, but it bears repeating that the bigger musical world should be noticing Jason's work more. He's building a very unique body of work, one that blends Jazz, Art Music, Funk, Rock, Prog and whatever other elements that fit into his vision. These and more are to be heard on 52 Pickup and A Chip and A Chair. And oh, how these pieces are performed! Fans of through-composed, highly refined music should take note, if they've not already. Berry's elegant work bears up to repeated listening, a dynamic that said fans seem to crave. It's there y'all, grasp it! Disaster Amnesiac was especially delighted by Chaudhary's contribution Sam Sam's Theme. She conjures a very specific Klezmer vibe; I find myself mentally strolling along some Bowery street with a graceful cat (Sam Sam is a resident of Amanda's domicile) and loving it. That, plus deep Ambient on For Luna (RIP) and heavy urban Funk plus wild horn charts and screaming guitar on Merp Friend, the latter pushed by G. Calvin Weston on the drums! Chaudhary's aesthetic vision also continues to grow apace. 

The reader may or may not be acquainted with Jason Berry and/or Amanda Chaudhary. If they are, then they've probably already received this short split EP and its foretaste of longer releases to come. If not, they can pretty easily find them within the interwebs. Either way, Disaster Amnesiac would urge that they listen, and listen well, as it's a fun ride, showcasing two very distinct and refined musical modalities as they emerge. Varese said that the modern day composer refuses to die. Berry and Chaudhary are living exemplars of this dynamic.

Galactapus-The Rainbows Of Wrong-self released, 2022

 

A couple of years down the line, and here we have brand new sonic insanity from Galactapus! The Rainbows Of Wrong continues and expands upon the Galactapus aesthetic: take a plethora of musical influences, blend them within the ever-fertile Galactapus brain, and produce highly listenable music. Now, Disaster Amnesiac will not assume that if you're a "normie" you'll "get it", but, speaking to the fringe elements of musical culture, y'all most definitely gonna "get it", and that you most definitely should, like, right now.

The listenable quality comes from Galactapus's clear genius for song writing. Each tune of the disc, from the Post Punk Surf pulp mashup of Turning Into A Boob to the operatic and Classical elements of Anal and the surreal metallic drama of Giftworm and the towering, mighty heights of Radio Kolossos (which Disaster Amnesiac hears as the centerpiece of the entire album), is just that: a song that one can and will sing or hung along to as they listen. The fact that Galactapus seems to using a fair amount of junk shop grade instruments within these musical matrices makes The Rainbows Of Wrong that much more impressive of a feat, at least from a musician/technician aspect of appreciation. Still, on a more simplified and basic tip, I feel as that anyone who really takes the time to listen to the album will agree that it contains a ton of great music, something which can't be faked whether one is playing a $2 children's glockenspiel or a $10,000 electric guitar. One either has it or they don't, and Galactapus most obviously does. There are no futile, time filling exercises here, only killer tracks that blend seamlessly into one and other in musically thought out ways and manners, ones which you can dance or thought-bliss out to. There's room for all of that and more on these rainbows.

The entire world is going insane and out in Minneapolis Galactapus is offering up a perfect soundtrack for the insanity. As stated in 2021, you just really ought to get with Galactapus. Find the debut on vinyl from that year or the CD of The Rainbows Of Wrong from last year, you'll hear what I'm sayin'.

Oh, and dude, what kind of mics did you use? It's OK if that's your trade secret. Once can still delight in the mysteries of Galactapus.

Charles LaReau-Stasis; eh? Records #121 cassette

 

Judging from the tones that he gets on this eh? Records cassette, the sense that Disaster Amnesiac gets is that Hangzhou-based Charles LaReau is a no nonsense kind of guy. He uses tapes and electronics in order to build up long form, granular drone pieces on Stasis, ones that eschew exercises in fanfare. This entire cassette has a mellow, and certainly contemplative feel to it, one that's perfect for use as background to reading or thought processing. It's been rainy and cloudy for the past few days where I sit, and the sounds from Stasis have served as a suitable soundtrack for staring out the window at clouds and puddles and the drops therein. One wonders what electronic devices were utilized for these tracks; whatever they were, they must have been spare, as everything here has a sleek simplicity that would evince an almost complete lack of bells and whistles. No Jazz Hands happening, just a lot of dreamy washes and trills that scroll by within the attentive musical head. Asian Ambient must be a thing already, and Charles LaReau is doing solid work within that presumptive micro-genre.