A Long Slow Screw, by Eugene S. Robinson; Robotic Boot, 2010

Thirty years post Hardcore and it feels safe to say that it was a Revolution that won. So many of its perspectives have seeped into the broader society, and this, in Disaster Amnesiac's mind, is a mixed blessing.
One downside of the mental conversion ushered in with Hardcore's Historical Triumph is the lack of story telling ability. So much post-Punk writing, while ostensibly packing the punch of "the Real", takes on a hectoring tone.
In smaller doses, fine.
Ultimately, however, there's only so much "I AM REAL" that can be dished out before the lack of other imaginary aspects becomes an impediment. 
Eugene S. Robinson's Hardcore bona fides are undeniable. Do seek out the twisted recordings of Whipping Boy and Oxbow, or make time to see and hear the latter live for the visceral proof of that.
What's great about A Long Slow Screw is that, along with the sought after and attained physical impact that simplified writing can approximate when paired with attentive reading, Robinson, unlike many of his Hardcore peers, tells one hell of a powerful STORY.
Using 1970's Brooklyn as its gritty backdrop, A Long Slow Screw tells the tale of a heist gone wrong, with thorough attention given to illuminating the shit stained piston which drives the Hustle behind said heist.
Robinson uses a noir tone with which to tell the dark back stories of the novel's characters, who are roughly divided into those getting fucked and those doing the fucking. A more fundamental trait of Hardcore's narrative focus you'd be hard-pressed to find, and in that, the author remains true to his creative roots. It is within his character development and dialogue that he moves away from many of his peers' one dimensionality. As one reads the book, these characters and their intertwined stories come to life within the reader's imagination. It seems clear that Robinson spent a lot of time thinking about them.  The complexity of these characters and the richness of the book's  narrative voice and dialogue are way more compelling than the "right/wrong", "left/right", "I/them" of so much post-Punk aesthetics. Robinson is a writer, not a ranter, and this novel is well worth the time spent reading it. An attentive reader will find him or herself savoring many a passage, many a sharp turn of phrase.
Bonus coolness: as a physical object, A Long Slow Screw, with its sleek black cover and solid paper stock, has a weight not unlike the weights that Mr. Blue,  one of Robinson's more intriguing characters, hefts with such ease.
My only question is, is A Long Slow Screw to be followed by further descriptions of Jake and Easys' ice fueled plight?

Hello America, or How Two Brits Sent a Love Letter to the American West

Just got home from seeing the movie Paul. It was a great comedy, referencing tons of classic Sci-fi, celluloid and print. The writers spared no one in their parodying, yet despite this there was never a sense of the identity-based approval or disapproval of selected sociological subcultures that one often senses coming from the film Class.
A very honest and, ultimately, loving portrait of  a kooky aspect of the American West by British writers Nick Frost and Simon Pegg.
Well done. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way...........................

The Skull Defekts-Peer Amid (Thrill Jockey)

Life is full of surprises. Some good, some bad. The prolific output of Daniel Higgs is hardly a surprise anymore, but a new release in which he fronts an electric band? Indeed, that is a fine, fine surprise for Disaster Amnesiac.
After several years of listening to Higgs play banjo, mouth harp, small/toy percussion, etc. to accompany his mystical/meta-physical lyrics., along with visually feasting upon his many poetry and art books, it's a joy to hear him fronting a full band again. The former expressions are great and lasting, mind you; that said, Higgs has been such a riveting Rock front man, a unique vocalist and lyricist; his absence has been noted and felt within that sphere.
Daniel's vocal development of recent years is fully on display here. His alto registers have become more reedy in some sense, more weathered and aged. Think perhaps of Billy Holiday's later recordings. The qualities of Higg's voice have begun to take on the same sorts of qualities that Lady Day had toward the end: less physically strong, but all the more powerful for their necessary restraint. Along with these apparent qualities comes his recent characteristic evangelical-styled delivery. Lungfish lyrics always hinted at a religious aspect, and Higg's delivery likewise hinted thus. As also displayed on 2010's Say God, on Peer Amid Higgs goes there. Disaster Amnesiac lived for many years in an apartment in which his Grandma would warble old hymns as she accompanied herself on an out of tune piano; the overtly religious tone of some of Higg's lyrics are no bother to me. That said, in a post-Modern world, people may find this kind of earnestness quaint or even unsettling. That response is up to the individual, of course. For those who are repelled by overt evangelical tone of delivery, fear not, as for the most part the lyrics on Peer Amid, while being delivered with a preacher's urgency, remain ecumenical in their meta-physical/mystical subject matters.
It would be tough for a band to reach the high levels of focused minimalism that Lungfish did without ceasing to play altogether. To their credit, Skull Defekts provide great musical accompaniment  to Higgs. Their sound retains a lot of their earlier aesthetic, a big, post-1990's guitar band approach, but one can hear a significant pairing down, a la Lungfish. Whether this is due to Higg's presence or developments within Skull Defekts will have to be conjectured, but it's a welcome development either way. In comparison to Lungfish, the guitars of Joachim Nordwall and Daniel Fagerstroem are less locked-groove in approach, and more garage-ey in tone and style. The drumming of Henrik Rylander  has a more "big beat" feel, which seems to be in keeping with so many Scandinavian Rock drummers' rhythmic style. All comparisons aside, Skull Defekts sound on equal terms with Higgs, whether on more conventional tunes like No More Always and Gospel of the Skull or signature percussive experiments such as In Majestic Drag. This is, after all, Rock music, and at no time is there a feeling of "Daniel Higgs backed by the Skull Defekts". Even the appearance of Higgs on solo banjo and noise on the last track, Hidden Hymn, can not diminish this full band feel.
Peer Amid's mix is live and even, and in keeping with the collaborative Rock feel, the vocals never overpower the instrumental mix. Engineer Stefan Brainstrum did a fine job.
In the liner notes to his great CD collection, Monster, David Thomas recounts how Pere Ubu's Song of the Bailing Man was pressed to 45 rpm, in order to obtain higher fidelity from the vinyl. Peer Amid's vinyl edition shares that aspect of said Ubu LP, and this is an aspect noted at the Thrill Jockey web site. The sound is great. Another victory for the vinyl comeback, one would hope.
With great cover art by Swedish artist Frederik Söderberg, added to it's heavy sound, Peer Amid would undoubtedly make a great addition to any sound collector's archive. Now, if only this group would add some West Coast U.S. dates to their upcoming tour!

Millenarian Rock from Pleadian Youth-Fancy Space People EP (StarTone Records)

As American society crashes and careens through History, we often seem to find ourselves at points of spiritual crisis. Winter of 2011 seems like a particularly trying time to be an American. The Hope and Change that was promised in 2008 has hit the walls of harsher, harder world realities. People seem pensive at best, bitter at worst. In Disaster Amnesiac's opinion, the current mood in America is one perfect for cult leaders' opportunistic entree into the lives of those who may feel particularly let down and/or lost.
Thankfully, there's a cult in existence that will only ask for a few bucks towards purchase of an eponymous  white-vinyl three song release. That cult's name is Fancy Space People.
All cults need some kind of Revelation, some Knowledge to impart to the seekers who find them. Fancy Space Peoples' Revelation comes in the form of a glorious mixture of Rock and Pop styles, primarily mid-1960's-the present, all mixed together to Blissful  Perfection. The three tunes on this EP are seriously well written and arranged. One hears echoes of early Psychedelia, Glitter, Avant-Garage, obscure Soundtracks, 1990's Big Guitar, Art Punk, etc, etc. The kind of ambitiousness on display here would in less Adept hands result in an ugly mash-up of "eclecticism". The presence Space People Mainman Don Bolles, a decades long veteran of creative music making, assures that the tunes are expertly arranged. Every twist and turn sounds spot-on, occurring at the exact right time.  Do you think that Father Divine or Rael had bad timing? Their messages depended upon hitting the right note at the right time, and the music of Fancy Space People is no different.
All of this aural deliciousness supports the Mystical and Loving lyrics of Nora Keyes. As she's credited on the jacket, No-Ra's distinctive, unselfconscious warble sends messages of Love to greater Humanity from Fancy Space People. The main messages seem to be: Fear Not! Create! Have Fun! Love! How can one really argue, especially at such a psychically delicate time for the New Age?
As for the overall sound of the EP, it's big and booming. While it has been released on the independent Star Tone Records, it benefits from the seemingly substantial resources available to the label's founder, Billy Corgan. Disaster Amnesiac read a Rolling Stone interview with Corgan last year, in which he lamented his treatment at the hands of the New Media Wing of the Music Industry. To Billy, I say, Fear Not, Brother. Your Good Works within the Fancy Space People camp are more than enough to redeem you, as if you ever needed redemption from the likes of Pitchfork et al. Perhaps a 7" release of Fancy Space Peoples' 2007  Spectacle Electric would assuage your hurt feelings even further? Just suggesting, one Member to another.
Millenarian-ism is nothing new in the world. In America, it has been honed and refined to a fine point. Fancy Space Peoples' Millenarian Pleadian Scriptures, well within this continuum, should come as welcome messages to any Rocker who may feel distressed in these psychically trying times.

Changes in the City-The Chatterbox by way of KUSF

In mid-January of 2011, the University of San Francisco sold off the rights to the broadcast band on which its radio station, KUSF, had been located. In a rather ham fisted move, the USF administration did not tell any of the KUSF staff about the sale. Subsequently, a corporate Classical station began broadcasting on frequency 90.3 FM minutes after locking the doors on any KUSF staff that happened to be on site.
KUSF DJ's and their supporters have vowed to fight the change, going so far as to petition the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to initiate legal maneuvers in order to halt the sale. Disaster Amnesiac has followed the story with interest, and while saddened by the loss of a station with pleasingly diverse aesthetics, can't help but wonder if the the disgruntled staff and fans realize that USF is a private institution, and that KUSF's physical and band space were donated to their users. Maybe that's a simpleton's explanation, but it seems undeniable.
A HARD fact, especially within cities: there is a constant battle for space, money, and the time needed to fill and make them. As long as people choose to participate in a city's evolution, they risk being steam rolled within this dynamic. Friendships are wonderful, and communities do arise from friendship networks within cities. Sadly, cities change. People change. Circumstances change. Again, a hard fact of life, but stubbornly and, for the most part, irreversibly true. As a city's life evolves, institutions are born, grow, and end. These are all direct results of the the commerce that occurs in a city. One wonders what pressing economic needs USF was addressing by the sale of 90.3. In this writer's opinion, the university needed money for capital projects, and the sale of KUSF helped raise that money. Again, the University of San Francisco is a private institution, and their mission is primarily to educate students, not primarily to provide space for a volunteer-based radio station. While some critics of the sale have described USF's profits from it as a pittance, the fact remains that times are very tough in all financial sectors, and institutions need cash to advance their missions. It seems logical to assume that the money raised from the sale will be put towards that end by USF.  Any political action initiated to reverse a sale on the open market strikes me to be as ham-fisted as USF's PR bungling of the change in owner occupation.
Watching this political/economic drama unfold had Disaster Amnesiac thinking a lot about changes in the City (SF; DA's current city of choice, Oakland, features changes that are, sadly, much less publicly bandied about and WAY below the perceptive radar of most everyone in the U.S.)
These ruminations brought me to Chatterbox-Biography of a Bar, San Francisco 1986-1990, by Alfie Kulzick.

Alfie owned and operated the Chatterbox, located on Valencia St. in San Francisco's Mission District. In this great coffee table style book, filled with hundreds of photographs of the bands, staff, and patrons of the bar, one gets a clear and fascinating snapshot of a particular era of San Francisco's 20th Century history. Along with all of the photos is Alfie's chronological recounting of the Chatterbox's evolution: from her initial decision to leave a position at Aquarius Records in order to start the bar, to the middling years of packed houses and great shows and on up to the waning sales and  disastrous IRS audit that lead her to give up the ghost. Her style is frank, blunt, and unsentimental. Her passion for Rock-n-Roll as a vehicle for fun is made clear and unquestionable as the Chatterbox's story unfolds. If there is any justice in the world, Biography of a Bar would be included in any decent historical library of San Francisco, let alone that of any rocker with a book collection. So much of the swagger and grit of SF's underground Rock culture is revealed within the photos. Absent are the political activists that loomed so large out of the City on the national stage. Alfie's bar seemed to host a looser, more decadent crowd. Some people pictured have gone on to prominence. Most have not. One wonders "what are these folks up to now?"
As for Alfie, she's still in San Francisco, working at Lennon Rehearsal Studios in SOMA. Her dry humor and frankness are bulwarks within the high strung low stakes world of hourly music rehearsal studios.

KUSF and the Chatterbox share similar stories and probably many of the same people. That they were both victims of the Historical churn of a "World City" is a tragic inevitability. Who knows, maybe the SF Board of Supervisors will figure out a way to nullify the deal that the University made with the Classical Conglomerate. That seems like a long shot, but surely there are some who have girded for a long fight, casting themselves as Punk Davids against the Goliath that USF has become in their minds. All that said, nothing lasts forever. The Chatterbox sure didn't, but Disaster Amnesiac is sure glad that Alfie Kulzick had the prescience to document and share the record of her dream gig.
Order Chatterbox: Biography of a Bar, San Francisco 1986-1990 here:
http://www.chatterboxbar.com/Chatterbox_Bar_Documentary.html

Thrift Score!

It started when I saw the sock. You know the one. It's on the cover of the first Henry Cow LP. There it was, among the Hugo Winterhaller and Boots Randolph and Joni Mitchell LP's. I saw it, and KNEW. "There's more here...I can feel it...keep digging".

The scene: a nondescript building on Mission Blvd. in Hayward, CA. I had accompanied my wife as she went to find shoes and boots, generally bought cheap and sold for profit on eBay.
I'd perused the record section of this store before, only to find said Winterhaller et al. Today, it was different. Magical.
A few inches down the row of dusty LP's: wait, what's that there? The demon? The red demon with green eyes? Hello, there, Black Sabbath's Born Again, a Ian Gillan's great lone recording with Iommi and the gang!

As I crouched on the floor, the small of my back beginning to ache, there appeared before my eyes a veritable Kluster of Kraut!

At that point, I considered stopping my dig, and being content with the kick-ass scores that I'd dug up. However, I hadn't gone through the entire rack, and, hey, I was hot, right? I continued, and managed to find this weird New Age epiphany:

The dig ended with some classic (in my opinion) ECM Jazzbo A-R-T from down to earth dude Keith Jarrett, accompanied by the probably very nice Mr. Jack DeJohnette.

 Total cost? $7.00 and change. Total fun? Need you even ask?  Now excuse me, I've got listening to do.

Aboombong Interview

Winter is officially here, and in Disaster Amnesiac's home base of Northern California, this means rain. Rain in turn means long bus rides during commute hours. Thankfully, the old iPod is loaded with great music, which makes the longer slogs bearable.

One recording that has filled up tons of commute time has been Amnemonic, by Aboombong. The music of Aboombong is a great mixture of Industrial aesthetic, "World" percussion, and Psychedelic abandon. The tracks on Amnemonic sprawl out within these parameters, giving an air of the mysterious to the otherwise mundane chore of the day's commute.

Curious about what makes this cool project tick, I emailed Aboombong some questions, and he was kind enough to reply.

What was the genesis of Aboombong?

Aboombong started as a way to release detritus from my archive of half-finished projects that had never seen the light of day. The first album is pretty much just a collection of outtakes (recorded primarily from 1999 to about 2003). By the end of putting together the first release, I had a couple of loops and one percussion track that didn't feel finished enough to put out as is...these became the genesis for "asynchronic". Once I started working on these (Daymare and Never Been to Konono), I recorded some new material, mixed it with some older snippets and found myself with another album's worth of material.

I get the sense that Aboombong is a one-man project, but a lot of the music has the rich sound of an entire group's effort. Do you have a cast of musicians? 

It is a one-man project...although some of the tape archives used on the first two releases include other players. Most notably David Chapman from !Para!helion on trumpet (Jericho) and the members of Waltz Bop Shop on Aboom. Everything else is me.

There is a definite, for lack of a better term, Third World feel in Aboombong, particularly in the various percussive approaches and instrumentation. Can yo explain where this approach comes from? What sparks it?

I listen to lots of music from around the world. That gets filtered through my American brain when I compose. Not much more to it than that. I don't every try to mimic specific genres or rhythms...but I do feel like I abstract elements or approaches I hear in music from other cultures and apply those to my own work. For instance, a lot of non-western musical traditions will use incessant unchanging rhythms underneath a more fluid foreground. I don't use those rhythms in any of my pieces, but the basic approach is one that resonates with me when I am composing.

In light of the mentioned "world percussion" approach, do you have formal training in any non-Western systems (eg Balinese Gamelan, Filipino Kulintang, Korean Samulnori, etc)?


Nope. Just lots of listening. I was briefly a member of a traditional Javanese Gamelan, buth other than the handful of lessons done to get parts down for that, I have no formal training outside of the standard American school-based music education. I did a fair amount of course work in college in experimental music, but none in non-Western traditions. More than anything, I'm just an old Punk Rock drummer who likes to experiment.


The recordings sound as if they were done with a lot of care, yet they retain a great, raw feel. What kind of recording set ups are used for Aboombong releases?


One microphone, a stand alone CD-r burner and a mixer. [The recordings] (R)ecorded one track at a time, mixed with Audacity.


How about individual instruments? As I listen to the rich bell tones, guitar tones, and drum tones, I envision a warehouse full of exotic percussion worthy of Martin Denny's studio. Is this the case?


Every toy is listed on the bandcamp page. That pretty much exhausts my collection. I live on a houseboat, so there isn't much room for storage. If I had space and money...it would be much larger.

Along with the excellent percussion, there are also great "junk electronic" sounds within Aboombong's music. What sorts of instruments are being used, and how much electronic manipulation is being made to their initial sounds?

That's a secret.

Amnemonic's tracks have a very "ritual" feel; as one listens, one can feel transported to imaginary worlds, filled with wild street festivals or austere temples. Please speak to the creation of these soundscapes.

All I can say to that is...thanks. I have always felt like each piece of music should create it's own unique environment.

What lies in store for Aboombong? Any great projects looming on the horizon? 

The next album will be based around some spoken word and field recordings. None of the musical elements have been recorded yet, but it should be quite different from the other three releases. I am also working with DUSTdevil & Crow on another release. Tracks are just starting to get bounced around the planet for that one.

 So there you have the mysterious Aboombong in his own words. Do your mind a favor and click on his bandcamp link, where you can buy his music at good prices. And then float away.................