Saturday, December 24, 2022

Guro Skumsnes Moe & Philippe Petit-self titled; Public Eyesore Records #151, 2022

 

To paraphrase Peter Tosh here, Disaster Amnesiac is comin' in hot with an off the cuff review of Guro Skumsnes Moe & Philippe Petits' stunning new self titled CD from Public Eyesore. Just got the dang thing today and I'm just so jazzed on its sounds that the need to wait has been sloughed off like manners during a political debate. Gotta write about it NOW, because this, THIS is what I'm talking about when it comes to Experimental/Industrial/Electro-Acoustic music! 

Three tracks, two long and one short, of a duo that explores the deeper recesses of their respective rigs (basses, analog synths, voices, and turntables) and the explorations reach into deeply satisfying sonic realms. Moe and Petit peel back the niceties and get downright gritty with each other, and it's a treat to listen to them do it. Whirling, twisting sonic hurricanes! LSD trails! Doom Metal bass riffs! Plurp-ey synth burbs! Pealing feedback! Random weird melodic fragments! All of that and more have this duo concocted in a release that is so pleasingly in the pocket of what Disaster Amnesiac currently wants from his Experimental/Industrial/Electro-Acoustic listening time. I'm listening right now, and all that I can do is smile at their astute presentation, one which brings the best and most effective elements of these genres to peak levels of fascination. Clearly Moe and Petit have done a ton of work in the sound art world; they bring it all to their tables, and do it with confidence and poise fitting of their resume. In short, this stuff rocks. 

There have been a few recent releases from the Weirdo Music side of our world that have felt mannered and kind of bland to Disaster Amnesiac, but Guro Skumsnes Moe & Philippe Petit is WAAAAAAAY not that. You guys need to get some kind of cool logo so that Henry Rollins can tattoo it on his left calf.

Sunday, December 18, 2022

This is a rant, brought about by two vinyl records that I received for review.

 

Let's go back three years, shall we, and bring up the specter which was then being floated to the masses. As Disaster Amnesiac recalls it, we were being told that a terrible disease was emerging, and that it would kill millions of people. At first we were told to wash our hands with more diligence. A few months later, we were told that society would have to be shut down for a few weeks "to slow the spread". A year or so later, we were told to have a vaccine injected into our bodies, which would surely save many lives and keep this emergent disease in check. Some of us questioned that dictate, and some of us lost our jobs for having done so. Some of us were no longer able to afford our expensive mortgages, and thereby had to sell our houses and a lot of our property in order to find new places to live, places in which the pressure to conform or be cast out would not be felt as harshly. Mr. and Mrs. Amnesiac soon found ourselves within that newly emerging demographic. After a brief interval in which a leap of faith move occurred, I found myself within a smaller house, in a new state. Within this smaller house, there is just barely room for Disaster Amnesiac to store LPs or even a turntable. This is the situation which I find myself in. I accept it gladly, because ultimately, God's will is greater than mine. Amor Fati suits me just fine. 

All that said, I obviously cannot review LPs, even as I'd really, really like to do so. I just can't listen to them, currently. Perhaps that situation will change someday. Who can say? What I can say is that actions and decisions ALWAYS have unintended consequences. It's Disaster Amnesiac's hope that the masses will, next time, choose a bit more wisely as to these decisions and actions. There are two brand new, unsealed LPs sitting atop a stack of boxes of other LPs, crowding a corner of my house. An insignificant sight by any objective measure. But, still, for me, they are a potent symbol of what can happen when people do not take into consideration the fact that there will never not be unintended consequences from decisions. Next time, people, please try to use your critical thinking skills with a bit more aplomb. 

Merry Christmas.

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Random Photo!

 

Disaster Amnesiac visiting with Casey Sonnabend near Santa Cruz, CA spring 2012. I drove down from Oakland with Brian Lucas, who used this photo along with his text at the City Lights Books blog. Casey passed away in October of this year. He was a tremendously friendly and fascinating guy. Many thanks to Brian for including me in that fantastic day's journey. 


Sunday, December 4, 2022

Live Shot #71!

 

Jazz musicians playing at a Sunday brunch in Albany, CA, ca. 2014. The restaurant didn't have live music for that long, unfortunately. The band did good versions of standards, no surprise there.

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Live Shot #70!

 

Composer/multi-instrumentalist Moe! Staiano conducting his piece Death of a Piano, First Church of Buzzard warehouse, Oakland CA 2019.

Friday, October 28, 2022

Goodbye Jerry Lee Lewis

 

Jerry Lee "The Killer" Lewis has passed on. Disaster Amnesiac is nowhere near an obsessive fan of the man, but I do realize that his musical vision was important to the early evolution of Rock 'n Roll, and his music is always enjoyable when I hear it. More than that almost, it strikes me that with along with the man, a certain attitude towards life and music has also gone. The attitude of take no prisoners, perhaps the original Punk Rock "fuck off and die" stance towards everyone and everything (save some dame dancing atop the rockin' 88), perhaps Dixie Fried country soul, maybe some element that Disaster Amnesiac isn't even aware of. Bull in a china shop types like Lewis are more and more rare, and maybe that's a good, and maybe that's not. But it seems a fact, especially within the music industry. There's just too much at stake, and too long a time of set standards and practices in place. The wild men are off doing something else now, if they're allowed to get past their childhoods with those wild hairs at all intact. Lewis epitomized an approach that has mostly been caged, and the so-called rebels of this era can't replicate the raw authenticity of guys such as him, try as they might. 

Race on, Jerry Lee Lewis, may your spirit find new hot corn mash and sassy jigglin' action up on some other, freer plane.

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Cobrabob-65 Miles from Davis-self released, 2019

 

Much like so many other cities, San Francisco's music scene produces rich layers of musical activity. Some of this music quickly catapults onto stages wider and more far flung, others remain a bit more humble, quietly going about their  activities within smaller circles. Cobrabob are, for the time being, within the latter camp. That said, their 2019 65 Miles from Davis CD should push them out into the wider musical world, if musical vision and creativity is used as any kind of qualifier. This trio, comprised of Chris Lawson on guitar, percussion, and vocals, Scarp Home on drums, vocals, percussion, and cornet, and John Rodgers on guitar, vocals, and percussion, produces a sharp, focused Rock music that benefits greatly from what one hears clearly as a shared vision for their music. Rodger's guitar tones cut through in sober, non-heroic ways as they state the band's melodic statements. Disaster Amnesiac keeps noticing their dry presence within each of the CD's twelve tracks. Check Tonight for his ability to sweetly strum Pop chords as well. He does an exemplary job of playing lead guitar without ever forgetting its role within the overall sound matrix of the Rock band dynamic. The rhythm section of Home and Lawson pushes, pulls, stretches, and pounds out Davis's offerings in original ways, ones which they have clearly developed by working them out on stage and in rehearsal. As I've listened, the unique down-ness of their tandem has struck me again and again. There is nothing generic about their interplay on tunes such as The Champion and Means to and End/Underwater; the latter delves into Jam Band territories in the tastiest of ways. In the lyrics department, Cobrabob present visions of generally personal nature. The lines are delivered in ways that intrigue, and are never too obvious. They leave room for the listener to make impressions of their own, never a bad thing in this blogger's opinion. Rich horn flourishes are astutely added to a few tracks, giving them a Blues-ey sheen and showing the real musicality which exists within the band. Quite musical too is the clean and clear engineering job from Wally McClellan. Wally did a fine job of capturing each of the three points of Cobrabob's triangle. Anyone interested in non-easily classifiable Rock trio music, key word being music, should connect with Cobrabob to cop 65 Miles from Davis. It moves that way.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

Random shot!

 

Old Art Deco hotel, prepped for demolition. Miami Beach, FL 10/18/22. The newer construction on the beach obliterates the Deco buildings, one can't even really notice them. Any uniqueness seems to be fading fast at this classic spot. Goodbye 20th Century I guess.

Friday, October 7, 2022

Live Shot #69!

 

World Winds, Tucson Meet Yourself Festival, 10/7/2022. Psychedelic liftoff via Sami Folk Music. They overcame a crappy monitor mix and found a loosely shambolic jamming that suited this listener just fine!

Friday, September 30, 2022

Live Shot #68!

 

Headhunt, The Edge Bar, Tucson AZ 9/29/22. Powerful young Grind-ers.

Sunday, September 25, 2022

Goodbye Pharoah Sanders

 

It must have been in about 1990 when Disaster Amnesiac first got hip to the sounds of Pharoah Sanders via an LP picked up cheap at the Ohlone College flea market. I'd read about him in Val Wilmer's As Serious As Your Life, and as such would have been aware of his name. Pharoah's sounds hit this listener, as I'm sure they've done for millions of others, in some deeply spiritual spot. Seeing him a few years later at Yoshi's in Oakland confirmed to me that the man was putting out some deep vibes, ones which broke through the psychic gunk of daily postmodern life and into ones of a bit purer nature. John Coltrane, seeker of the sublime no matter what the consequences, surely heard same from young Pharoah. It strikes me that with his passing, the last of the 'Trane era woodwinds men have now shuffled off from this realm and into wherever it is that their spirits abscond to. In simpler terms, it's definitely a Goodbye 20th Century Event, as least for this wayward soul. During the insanity of 2020 and beyond, I found his LP Promises, done with  Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra, to be of tremendous help as I was imprisoned by government mandates. His tenor saxophone cries, somewhat weak from age and disease, matched the anguish that I felt as I watched my culture and the society in which it was contained crumble into.....something else. They fit that mood like a well worn coolie hat, blocking the hot tropical sun. Something else, yeah, that's what Pharoah Sanders was. This place may not even have deserved him, but he showed up anyway. The Creator still has a master plan.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Random photo!

 

Cattle roping competition.

Santa Cruz County Fair, Sonoita AZ, 9/17/2022.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Live Shot #67!

 

Black Baptist, Hotel Congress 9/7/2022. Micro-tones from drones. Great fun to find real underground music in Tucson.

Saturday, September 3, 2022

Live Shot #66!

 

War Hippy, Luggage Store Gallery, San Francisco. 12/2018. Bass guitar improvisor Paul Winstanley down in the front row.

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

David Boykin-Transolo; Sonic Healing Ministries #026, 2022

 

Midwest-based practitioner of improvisational izzness David Boykin first came across Disaster Amnesiac's perceptual radar about a decade ago through Dusty Groove, the Chicago based record store. Boykin gets lots of love there, plus distribution of his Sonic Healing Ministries label's releases. Deservedly so, as David makes great Jazz music that bridges the gaps between Bop, New Thing, and later improvised modes, all from aesthetics that are clear and relatable. 

Boykin's recent CD, Transolo, draws from the Improvised Music side of his musical world. Over five tracks, he plays either unaccompanied bass clarinet or drum set, in a very live setting. Disaster Amnesiac can't figure out if there's an actual physical audience in attendance, but I can clearly hear him put down the horn, move over to his drums, and vice versa. 

David's bass clarinet style is characterized by ample use of multiphonic lines, which gives the listener plenty of voices to hear within many played movements and phrases. His being a Jazz player of the post-Ayler continuum also allows room for plenty of "talking" notes, growls, squeals, squalling, and smears, along with more traditional melodic statements. All of these moves blend in pretty seamlessly; his adeptness with the bass clarinet comes across. It's been tough for Disaster Amnesiac to not compare Boykin's playing herein with Eric Dolphy, and to a lesser extent Anthony Braxton, for those two have made such definitive statements with the bass clarinet. That said, Boykin's tones are not as other worldly as Dolphy's, a bit lower in their elemental timbres; his Blues feel is a bit more audible than Braxton's. He's got his own voice going with it. 

The pieces on Transolo in which Boykin plays the drums are particularly fascinating. At times he utilizes an "all over" approach, skittering around on the skins and metals. At others, he seems to focus intently onto one particular aspect, cymbal bells or side head cracks on the snare. He shows real prowess with a full set of drums throughout, pulling out great tom tom tones and pairing them with ride cymbal drones. Extra points for cowbell hits as well! Drummers interested or involved with Free Improvisation will want to take note of how a player who usually takes on the melodic/harmonic roles within a group uses the drums, these examples could prove useful to them. 

All told, Transolo is a cool, intimate glimpse into the solo workings of a committed instrumental player of deep pedigree within the Jazz scene. No doubt, David Boykin will continue pushing his muses with releases such as it. Can you keep up?

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Brasilia Laptop Orchestra-10 yEars aLive; Public Eyesore Records #150, 2022

 

Ten years is a pretty long spell in which to do anything, and as such seems deserving of some kind of acknowledgement. So it has been done for Brasilia Laptop Orchestra by way of Public Eyesore's release of 10 yEars aLive, a compilation of tracks culled from the years 2013-2021( if you're reading this in the year 2022, don't worry, their first performance was in 2012).

Across eleven tracks of what can be lazily called Electronic Music, BSBLOrk as they call themselves, journey into varied zones of sound. These sounds, and the parameters in which they are generated, are subject to initiatory sources such as large dice being thrown, cameras as input/control devices, and audience participation. These sources fuel the primary concerns of BSBLOrk's aesthetic: physicality, play, and political engagement. The sense that Disaster Amnesiac gets is that the ensemble are concerned with not evolving into a dry exercise in academic music, but instead of morphing into a more living entity. Another sense that I get is that it's important to see this group, for the listener to inhabit the same space in which they are producing their music. Not existing within a vacuum would serve to prop up all three of their stated goals, that's for sure.

Back to the sounds. They are varied and wide-ranging, I'd imagine in large part due to the non-fixed nature of the personnel. On yEars, I have heard DNA sequences floating within the ethers of protoplasm, primitive 1960's synthesizer blooping and bleeping, disembodied voices howling up and down from their respective spatial coordinates, Cosey Fanni Tutti's pocket trumpet, Bryan Day's junkyard gamelan, fizzing squalls of dying circuitry, spaceship docking instructions, crazed beings preaching their cosmologies, etc. etc. Returning to that idea of having a morphology, BSBLOrk certainly does seem to have that characteristic, at least for this listener. The music that is documented on yEars is juicy and breathing, nowhere staid. I imagine that this is the desired effect, so kudos to Brasilia Laptop Orchestra for their achievement. 

What do you think music production will be like in 2032? Disaster Amnesiac imagines that most of the members of Brasilia Laptop Orchestra have pondered that question. Until that time, I'll try to figure out how to say "cool set dude" in Portuguese as I (hopefully) see them play via some streaming platform. I'm glad to have a copy of 10 yEars aLive to jam in the interim.

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Live Shot #65!

 

Harpist Rebecca Reinhard Foreman. Interpreter of Baroque, Romantic, Folk, and other forms. Historian of harp production. Public library, Oro Valley AZ, 8/17/22.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Live Shot #64!

 

Musician, poet, visual artist, scholar Brian Strang. 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco 8/18.

Friday, August 12, 2022

Live Shot #63!

 

Old Million Eye, house party, Oakland CA 8/12/2018.

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Ypsmael+Eloine-Lost Teeth; Chocolate Monk Records #552; 2022

 

Bryan Day has Public Eyesore/eh? Records churning again, after what seemed to be a pause of sorts. Before Disaster Amnesiac gets to some of that output, a quick stop is needed over at Chocolate Monk Records for Lost Teeth, a cool collaboration between Ypsmael and Eloine, the latter of which is a performance name which Day uses at certain times, while the former Day has documented on his labels. 

Lost Teeth features eight tracks of Electro-Acoustic invesigations, all of which strike this listener as some kind of through composed vision, very visually stimulating in its movements. Disaster Amnesiac has seen it more than once as a city, one that is virtually constructed within the perceptions, one that exists within some other mental sphere or dimension. This on account of the spaciousness of the instrumental interactions knitted together by Ypsmael and Eloine especially.

Across its roughly forty minutes duration, these two sound artists coax strange, cool tones from instruments, voices processed and/or not processed, field recordings, and found objects. It all hangs together less as a maelstrom and more as a meditation. Picture it if you will as a walk through those virtual streets painted by the tones that emanate from the creativity of these two practitioners. Disaster Amnesiac has especially enjoyed trying to identify Eloine/Day's inventions, as time was I was familiar with them as objects seen on the 3D plane. These days, I have to see them within different dimensions, but that's fine, as they sound as cool to me therein, popping and scraping like some junkyard gamelan.

Ypsmael brings a bit of darkness to the proceedings, throwing disembodied voices out at random intervals, which make Disaster Amnesiac feel like I'm walking along fogged in, cobbled streets way after sundown, slight tremors of fear tingling down my central nervous system. His drums processing is nervy, too, as he makes their sounds smear and wobble along with his baritone guitar tones and other objects. 

Lost Teeth sees the sounds from Ypsmael and Eloine mixed into a clearly heard field of intrigue and sonic adventure for those who desire a bit more than verse/chorus/verse etc. from their listening time. If one finds oneself in that camp, Disaster Amnesiac advises to steer on over to Chocolate Monk's web page, because this record is limited to sixty copies, and I'm aware that Seymour Glass has one along with me. Surely, there must be fifty-eight adventurous weirdos still out there among the living......

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Live Shot #62!

 

Tucson band Bat Population. Great songs in the pre-Hardcore style of Punk Rock. Hotel Congress, Tucson 7/27/22.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Live Shot #61!

 

Woodwinds player, composer, improvisor, community organizer Rent Romus, doing publicity for Outsound Summit 2017 at KFJC studio, July 2017. This weekend, the Summit returns, with ROVA Saxophone Quartet headlining, among others.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Flipper-1982 Unreleased Studio Recordings; Das Boots Tapes 2021

 

Goodness gracious, where to start with THIS one? Das Boot Tapes continues to do a fine service to fans and seekers of obscure recordings by some of the bigger names on the Punk Rock wave, and Flipper 1982 Unreleased Studio Recordings may be a crowning achievement for this very necessary label.

What you get for under ten clams from Flipper 1982 is a monster slab of sixteen tracks, all studio recorded as stated, but pretty much feeling very demo-ish, if you know what I mean. Long time listeners to Gone Fishin' will find new aspects to tunes such as First the Heart, where the tenor sax has not been added, or The Light, The Sound, The Rhythm, which lacks a lot of the overdub action here. Disaster Amnesiac found new interpretations abounding from these different mixes. When Will intones "...it's all yours!" before the erstwhile sax section, I find myself realizing that it just might not be the command to "blow baby!" that I always thought is was, but instead could be dedicated to whomever the lyrics might be about. On The Light, the absence of overdubbed percussion gives it a much more raw, grungy feel, something that most of us probably turned to Flipper for once we were able to hear their sound, so it's entirely a good thing despite the slight differences with certain tones.

It's also endearing to hear Bruce barking orders to the rest of the band, with predictably ambiguous results. Flipper's dour public image, perhaps scary to many, seems oddly sweet at this late date. Hell, at least they were being honest, right? Loose tries to get Steve and Will and Ted to stop, they just keep jamming, brevity be damned. And why not? If you could make a racket the way that Flipper did, would you want to stop the train? Disaster Amnesiac certainly would not want to!  And what a racket it is. Case in point is Ted Falconi's guitar onslaught. As far as I can hear, this tape may have the best sound capture of his aural assault, outside of the live arena. The demo quality benefits him. Fans of noisy guitar will have a lot to work with on Flipper 1982

Additionally, the tape has songs that are new to me: Flipper Blues, I Want To Talk, Now Is the Time, and Kali. It's funny to hear Bruce piss and moan about not having cigarette money on Blues, and I can't help but wonder if Will was talking to Gary Floyd a lot about esoteric Hinduism while hearing Kali. If you saw Flipper live during this time, you must still want to talk about it as well I'd imagine. 

Such a powerful rhythm section, such stunning tones, such a deep wall of Noise! They're all here, and all can be heard quite deliciously clearly.

As you're probably aware, Flipper continues with different members, and that's a fine thing. Still, if you've not grabbed it, Disaster Amnesiac highly recommends that you find Flipper 1982 Unreleased Studio Recordings for a deep glimpse into the band as they were hitting incredibly high aesthetic levels. It's an essential document of the Rock Music Process by one of its essential bands.


Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Rent Romus' Actual/Actual-Baptismal; Edgetone Records 4225, 2022

 

Richmond California-based woodwinds player, composer, bandleader, and community organizer Rent Romus has a new CD out, and the Jazz world really should stand up and pay attention. Featuring a group of Columbus Ohio cats, Baptismal has Romus adding substantial gains to his sprawling discography. Actual/Actual's blending of Rent's very distinctive alto and soprano saxophone sounds with the trumpet and vibraphone of Josh Strange, Troy Kunkler's drumming, and Gerard Cox's electric and acoustic keyboards yields one mighty pleasurable CD. Disaster Amnesiac has noted the ways in which this release's five tracks sound as if they're if not all improvised, then at the most generated from brief sketches. The quartet moves with admirable quickness, and one can tell that not one of them was slacking while the tape rolled. The music of Actual/Actual is quite Harmelodic, with each member taking leads or supporting positions depending on which of those roles is required of him in the moment. It's clear that these musicians are familiar with the canon, as I've noted emanations of Dolphy, Monk, Ra, and Coltrane on Baptismal. SF Bay Area peeps would also note a nod by Romus to the great Josh Allen at one point, too. That being said, everyone here holds their own here. In a word, Actual/Actual is fantastic. Hopefully Rent makes further stops in Columbus on his way back to Finland and Detroit, places wherein he also taps into his rich musical vision. As stated: Jazz world, take note of Rent!

Sunday, July 3, 2022

Live Shot #60!

 

Los Lobos, Marin County Civic Center Fair Grounds, July 2018. Always a fun live band. During this set they played a great version of the Grateful Dead song West L.A. Fade Away. Kind of perfect.

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Live Shot #59!

 

The Midnight Snackers at LiPo Lounge, San Francisco ca. 2009. Led by the handsome and talented Dylan Haas!

Monday, June 20, 2022

RIP Tom Nunn

 

Instrument designer, improvisor, composer. A generous, soulful guy.

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Live shot #58!

 

Composer, electronic musician, series curator Matt Davignon. Luggage Store Gallery, ca. 2014. Matt makes the coolest music with old drum machines.

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Some Record Stores That Disaster Amnesiac Has Loved

 

Record stores really are like cockroaches. Despite the best efforts of beings that want them gone, they simply rise up from calamity anew. Sure, one's favorite record shop may close, and one will lament this sad passing, it happens. Still, there always seem to be new shops that arise from the ashes of the destruction of whichever old ones that has occurred. Total roach action here, to be sure. 

Disaster Amnesiac spent many years and probably far too much dough on my own collecting jones. What follows is a list of some well-loved shops from the period 1980-2020, by no means complete.

Post Exchange Record Shop, Heidelberg West Germany The first record shop in which Disaster Amnesiac really began collecting LPs. The Heidelberg Army Post Exchange (PX) was a pretty big complex as I recall, with the actual exchange, commissary, and cafeteria taking up the larger buildings. The record shop was in a smaller facility on the northwest side of the complex (?). Thanks to the generosity of my parents, and the flexibility of the store's management, I was able to put albums on layaway; it usually took about three weeks to save up and score the desired platter. My tastes at that time tended towards Heavy Rock and Metal. This store stocked lots of the former and not too much of the latter. I recall copping vinyl from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Judas Priest, Journey, acts like that. Meat and potatoes stuff, I guess. I still listen to most of those bands to varying degrees, on car radio and at home. Funny story about military base life: once with a friend whose name I no longer remember, we opted to hop the fence of the PX instead of going back to the entry gate and having our ID's checked. Wouldn't you know it, but a couple of military police caught us; these guys must have had a laugh riot as they recalled making me practically crap my pants while they enumerated the charges that could be held against me. Thankfully, they just played with me and my pal's minds before letting us go "with a warning", but, again, I'm sure that they laughed all afternoon as they recounted their "catch" to pals at the NCO Club later that day!

LP This was the shop wherein Disaster Amnesiac discovered Punk Rock, Hardcore, New Wave and all kinds of weirdo stuff. I recall grabbing albums from Black Flag, DOA, Dead Kennedys, Simple Minds, Husker Du, along with more underground Metal stuff like Battle Axe and Metallica. One really Punk Rock pal, who was serving in the Army at the time, scored original Zoviet France albums there, too. LP was located at the outskirts of the downtown/University area of Heidelberg, in a neat, rounded building that was off of Romerstrasse, a very old street. Turntables were set up for shoppers to be able to sample records before they purchased them, always cool. The owner was a guy, probably in his thirties, who affected a kind of John Lennon look, with scraggly hair and wire rimmed specs.  In hindsight, I really wish that I'd picked his brains about German underground music, because I have no doubts that he was well versed in that deep world, or knew people that would have been. Years later, I was visiting Heidelberg, and he'd moved his shop to the Hauptstrasse (walking street), which surely got him a ton more foot traffic. I tried to engage him, to enthuse to him about my teenage shopping trips at his old original location, but he just sighed and in a very Teutonic way, muttered "it was a long time ago" and shuffled off to help another customer! A great store that lasted well into the 2000's. 

Plan 9 After Disaster Amnesiac's parents decided that they'd had enough of life in West Germany, our family relocated to Northern Virginia. In that location, I was able to peruse classic record stores such as Yesterday & Today in Rockville, Smash and Orpheus in Georgetown, and Penguin Feathers in Woodbridge, but Plan 9 in Richmond quickly became my favorite record store in the Eastern Seaboard. I guess a lot of this had to do with its environment. I would often ride a Greyhound bus for the 80 or so miles from my little suburb to the capital, itself a delightful experience. Once in Richmond, the vibes were much looser than in The District. It always seemed to me as if the weirdos in Richmond were way more weird, their verbal challenges, delivered in that very distinct Richmond accent odder, and so forth. Richmond just felt a hell of a lot more loose in some vital way. That, and no one looked askance at you for taking a toke or a drank. As for Plan 9, its two floors were stuffed with all kinds of great music, including albums by local bands, of course. I recall seeing older Punk Rockers that I greatly admired there, which was a thrill, too. There were a wide range of styles of music to be found there; my curiosity about various genres was really piqued inside of Plan 9, that's for sure. Most definitely the type of record store that one could visit, say, four times a week. Plus, I scored an original copy of the Monitor LP there in 2009 for cheap. Plan 9 has just always had that feel which most collectors know, the feel of a magic, personalized music score just waiting there inside of the bins. Last time that I was in Richmond, I found a neat little shop catering to Crust Punk up around Oregon Hill. Richmond, man.......

Reckless Records Located at the corner of Haight Street and Masonic Avenue in San Francisco, Reckless was the sort of store that bought anything and everything, new and used, and its bins were always crammed with stuff. There were other shops such as this on Haight Street, but for Disaster Amnesiac, Reckless was the most fun. The vibe there was loose, and the store was big enough that during digs, one didn't have to listen to the staff talk about what struck them as good or bad or whatever else was on their minds that day. That, and they kept the music cranked up nice and loud. It strikes me now that they did a lot of their buying from people that may have needed cash for the more lurid of urban recreational activities, because I found plenty of by then rare Post Punk and Punk stuff at decent prices. Reckless was into selling their stock, that's for sure. I was quite intrigued by the more Avant Garde side of Jazz and Improvised music then, as I am now still, and Reckless had that stuff too, without the headier vibes of Aquarius (then located in Noe Valley, I took the 24 MUNI bus there, too, of course) making for bouts of insecurity at the check out counter. Reckless's staff didn't give a fuck what you bought, as long as your cash was real or your charge card had a balance. All that, and those bins of theirs had a nice, two tier, jet black appearance that wafted paint smells, along with the dusty vinyl scent. 

Record Finder This shop was on Sanchez Street in San Francisco, sort of between the Lower Haight and the Castro Districts. In keeping with the feel of this quaint little 'Frisco 'hood, the floor of Record Finder was a bright, well lit space. It had long bins that ran along the walls and the middle of the room. One could find a fair amount of good stuff at this shop. Disaster Amnesiac always liked to pop in for the peculiar pleasure of observing its proprietor. I recall him as a middle aged guy, sort of affecting that crusty Record Store Owner persona. You know: very opinionated about what's good and what's dog shit, and very willing to articulate those distinctions. Along with the owner, there was at least one employee, who was equally fascinating. This latter guy had a greaser look, with attendant tattoos and tight, lean threads. It was really funny to hear him answer the phone, as he would intone in a sort of faux official voice, "THANKS FOR CALLING THE RECORD FINDER......HOW....CAN....I....HELP...YOU....", and then continue with that accent for the entire call. Dude also sang for a band called Fracas, denizens of the Punk Rock club circuit nation-wide and possibly upon other shores as well. He once sort of complimented me for the purchase of a Steppenwolf LP, major props! I'd imagine that his boss would not have been so effusive. There were quite a few record shops in that area, but Record Finder was my go-to spot around Upper Market Street. 

Open Mind Disaster Amnesiac may have been one of the first customers to darken the doors of this cool spot on Divisadero near Fell. I lived a short distance west from their location, and watched them as they went through the process of setting up and opening. Open Mind started out as a boutique that sold clothing and albums. That lasted for a bit, but co-owner Henry quickly made the transition to just selling albums. Still, it always maintained that small, boutique-ey feel. I recall him stocking a lot of the bands that were currently making waves within the underground music scene, lots of great Jazz albums, and Jam Band stuff. I scored tons of great Hard Rock recordings there, because Henry priced them to move. At that time, those types of albums by bands like Blue Oyster Cult and Bloodrock were not much desired by too many folks in the city. One fond memory of digging and scoring at Open Mind: one of its employees marked an original press of Sun City Girls Grotto Of Miracles incorrectly, for $1.95. Disaster Amnesiac scooped it out of one of the lower bins on the floor, promptly carrying it to the register counter, where Henry was standing. When I plopped it down onto the counter, he gave me an exasperated look,  then raised his eyebrows archly, then shrugged with a kind of "man, you got me" look, and rang it up as priced. I was sure he felt a bit burned, but, being a good dude, he did not fight me about the price. In 2019, I was walking down College Avenue near the Cal campus, and noticed that he'd reopened Open Mind there. It's my hope that its still going strong in that location. As stated, Henry is a cool dude.

Half Price Books Fremont Half Price Books is a chain with national reach, I think. When Disaster Amnesiac was ignominiously bounced out of San Francisco in mid-1999, I ended up back in the 'burbs. Social death! In that situation, I was happy to find that the Fremont, California branch of this chain was stocking all kinds of stuff, and for cheap, too. Their buyers did not seem to have a handle on some of the great items which they were getting, so they priced them accordingly. I found a mint copy of Funhouse that still had that new LP smell, all kinds of great Jazz and interesting Metal and Hardcore, Hard Rock, any and all manner of music for cheap. This was the era in which entities like eBay and Discogs were not being utilized by stores such as this, so really cool things were flying under their radar, their worth to the nerds unrealized. Their location, near the Fremont BART station, was perfect for post train ride trips up to SF for various reasons; I'd stop in after such trips, usually finding more cool stuff that they had shoved into their racks. As the years went on, Half Price Books staff have gotten way more savvy about what's coming in to their shops, but at that time, one could score any manner of cool music for the kind of prices that make collectors salivate.

Amoeba Los Angeles The Big Cheese of California record stores! Disaster Amnesiac has seen more than a few Amoeba stickers affixed to cars in Tucson, so, yeah, their reach is wide, their reputation golden. I have never lived in Southern California, but have always loved to go there. These trips are never complete without a visit to Amoeba. There are differences between the people of NorCal and SoCal, and I always felt that these differences extended to tastes in music listening. In that sense, going to Amoeba in Los Angeles was sort of like an anthropological event for me. Fascinating to see what people were digging into in the area! I loved the Jazz section, which is massively stocked with incredible nuggets, along with the Avant Garde/Weird Music bins. In those latter bins, one can find some incredibly deep scores, ones that would probably be a bit less likely had up north at the San Francisco or Berkeley locations of Marc Weinstein's creation. Along with all that, people watching at Amoeba Los Angeles was a hoot. Folks are just oddly unique in that town. I hope that Amoeba still has some presence there! 

Down Home Music Store Disaster Amnesiac lived for close to five years in El Cerrito, my wife and I's apartment about a five minute walk from Down Home Music Store. It's been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area music world for close to fifty years, and it most definitely has that vibe about it. Walls and floors stuffed with LPs and 7 inch vinyl, much of it seemingly rare and really aged. There's a layer of that magical dust that gives off puffs of collector heaven as you peruse the side room of this venerable shop's floor. Every time that I went in there, which was pretty often, their new arrivals bin would be filled with totally different items than the last time; clearly, people know where to take their collections for culling or cashing in. During one period of unemployment, I walked a resume over there to see about gaining a job. The guy at the cash register suggested that they might have had a warehouse position open, but nothing came of it. Disaster Amnesiac was in Down Home about a week before the government closure of small businesses in March of 2020, and I still regret not grabbing certain LPs that I listened to at their listening stations. Not that I can remember their titles........

VAMP Music and Art VAMP is a really cool, classy shop just on the outskirts of Downtown Oakland. The owner, Fernando, seems to specialize in Soul, Jazz, and Rhythm and Blues music, and has a deep connect to collectors that want to move their stuff. This small shop is crammed with those LPs, along with smaller caches of Punk and Metal, much of it from local to Oakland bands. Fernando is a great supporter of the local music scene, of which is son plays a role as a drummer. If you take your recordings to VAMP, he'll likely stock it for a while. Fernando graciously lets local players perform at his shop on occasion, and he also displays the visual art of local artists on the walls as well. He's done a great, admirable, and necessary job of boosting creative people in Oakland and its environs. The last time that I had a chance to speak with him, outside of a JFA show at the Uptown Bar on Telegraph Avenue, he had gotten a gig facilitating the sale of the collection of a very famous collector of weird albums. Hopefully his cut was solid. 

As Disaster Amnesiac sits here in June of 2022, I feel as though my time of browsing the bins at favorite record spots has come to an end. It's a sad feeling, but at the same time, I'm changing as a person, and those activities are less and less likely to be included within those changes. It's fine, I have tons of stuff to listen to, after all those years of record shopping. I wonder where those clerks and owners have ended up, what their fates were. They made life interesting for me, or at least they got me out of the house and into some kind of world. What a groovy world it was.

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Live Shot #57!

 

Stephanie Neumann at Berkeley Arts Festival Building in May of 2015. Mills College music program graduate.

Thursday, May 19, 2022

Cyber Bullies-Leather and Lazers; More Power Tapes 2018

 


 More audio fun for Disaster Amnesiac via Feral Kid tapes, this time in the form of Cyber Bullies and their blink and you'll miss it duration tape, Leather and Lazers. Paraphrasing from Frontier Records and their tag line for Circle Jerks Group Sex print ad, it's five chow blowing tunes in six minutes. Like I said, blink and you'll miss it. Featuring songs such as March 30, '81 and You Don't Care About New Wave, this release seems to mark Cyber Bullies as a band somewhat obsessed with the era in which groups such as Circle Jerks and their Los Angeles peers were putting out some of the greatest music in Rock history. These Bullies do a good job of shaping their take on that music, too, with cool organ sounds framing the quickly picked guitar riffs and tight drumming. It all hangs together well, with a fast-paced rhythmic focus. The singer sounds pretty crazed as he intones stories about being Born In the Mid To Late 60's and how Gorbachev was right. Is it currently not correct to express such an opinion about a Russian statesman, comrades? Judging from the looks of the guys on the cover, they probably couldn't really give a crap about that question, and Punk 'innit? This tape is certainly Punk Rock and Roll (is Disaster Amnesiac dating myself with phrase?), so, yeah, even if you do care a lot about New Wave in whatever its current form, you can also be a dude and care about aural blitzkriegs such as Leather and Lazers. Just remember to pay attention, because it's over in a flash. I bet that these guys are a stone hoot, live.

Saturday, May 14, 2022

My Dream Machine

 

It must have been in about 1990 or so when Disaster Amnesiac, through the Temple Ov Psychic Youth (T.O.P.Y.), acquired a set of plans for a Brion Gysin Dream Machine. I'd been familiar with the Dream Machine for about a year or so, due to RE/Search's Throbbing Gristle/William S. Burroughs/Gysin issue, which I'd read pretty obsessively since acquiring it in Georgetown, D.C. before moving to California. Naturally, you'll recall that T.O.P.Y. had some kind of program in which its members would somehow send a sample of their blood or jizz, to be entered into some kind of catalog. Disaster Amnesiac can't recall the reason given for this type of initiatory move, but I can most definitely imagine Genesis P-Orridge laughing as he realized that there would be people out in the wilds that would assent to doing such an odd thing. 

As for me, there was NO WAY that I'd be sending my precious bodily fluids to some P.O. Box in Colorado, but when I saw that one could order the Dream Machine plans........that was an entirely different story. The plans could not have been that expensive, for 19 year old Disaster Amnesiac was not the greatest earner in Alameda County, so I was able to send off for them. 

A few weeks later, said plans arrived, and I got down to the business of making my Dream Machine. Along with the cut-out plan, printed upon a rather large sheet of paper, all that was needed was a turntable that rotated at 78 RPM, a light bulb, and a way to hang the bulb into the cone that the sheet of paper, with the cuts from the plan having been made into it. Easy, right? Perhaps for most young Post-Punkers, but I must admit that I struggled with the design. Having made the cut outs from the plan onto my sheet of paper, it turned out that I'd not cut the sheet to its exact proper length. This lead to me having to put weird staples into it as its cone form took shape; although it eventually hung together reasonably well, it was certainly not pretty. The bulb apparatus was threaded through a chain that hung from a plant hook on the ceiling of my bedroom. Disaster Amnesiac moved a desk underneath it, placed the cheap turntable that I'd acquired from a thrift shop off of Fremont Blvd. in Fremont upon it, and presto! Dream Machine activated. 

Having read so much about the altered states that could be accessed from use of the Dream Machine, I was excited to get to reaching them, that much is certain. The flaw in my design gave my Dream Machine a kind of swishing sound that occurred with each of its rotations, which made it annoying right off of the bat. It made for a kind of dragging effect as well. Still, I was able to sit in front of it, with Heathen Earth or Boyd Rice music going, and trance out reasonably well. I recall seeing colored, vertical stripes, perhaps some amorphous blobs, within my close-eyed perceptions as the Dream Machine spun. Never really got into the deep hallucinatory states promised by Gysin, Burroughs, Sommerville et al, sadly. Still, if memory serves correctly, my sessions with it were definitely relaxing in some way. 

Sadly, for some reason, in a fit of anger, one afternoon Disaster Amnesiac smashed the Dream Machine. I'm guessing the reason was some silly girl-related depression or some such nonsense. It was immediately obvious what a dumb move I'd made, and the regret was equally immediate. Stupid kids gonna stupid kid. Soon, I chalked it all up to being an "interesting experience", and moved on to my next foolhardy scheme. As said, stupid kids......

A bit further into the 1990's, I made friends with a young woman with whom I talked about art, and Gysin, and the Dream Machine. She was very kind and bought me a copy of another book about the artist, one which contained a plan for the Dream Machine, similar to the one that T.O.P.Y had been selling. I still have it. I wonder if the "intelligence agencies" that raided T.O.P.Y. headquarters still have their lists of all those people that sent their cash and spooge that Colorado P.O. box. 

Who knows, maybe this year I will bust out that second Dream Machine plan, head over to the swap meet, grab a 78 RPM turntable, and get to blissing out on the cheap again. Pretty sure the temper that smashed that first Dream Machine has been quelled enough, even if I get those measurements slightly incorrect again.

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise and Fall of SST Records, Jim Ruland; Hachette Press, 2022

 

Attention all SST personnel, former and current: Jim Ruland, in his excellent, newly published book about the history of your incredible record (and other media) label, Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise and Fall of SST Records has put forth a proposition that could very likely right a slew of wrongs that occurred as it grew (and grew and grew and grew....and then began to shrink)! Let's be real, most of you dudes and dudettes, you survivors of a very specific culture war (would that society could go back to that particular one, as opposed to the one we are currently embroiled in), are now reaching retirement or even, sadly, end of life stages. Wouldn't it be wonderful to set some problems right? Wouldn't it be great to shift some negative karma towards the positive? For you, noble and righteous staff of the greatest record label of all time, that have not read the book, as well as anyone else that has not, Disaster Amnesiac will say: find it, read it to the end, and then consider Ruland's proposed solution. I'm telling you, it could work

Dear Jim Ruland: Corporate Rock Sucks is a great book! As Disaster Amnesiac delved into its pages, I was fondly reminded of the many interactions I've had over the years with SST. Having my musical perceptions permanently changed upon hearing Damaged. Discovering the strangely intense bands on The Blasting Concept, both I and II ("we don't need freedom!"). Delving into the highly creative worlds of so many of the late 1980's bands.  Saint Vitus and Chandler's buzzsaw soloing,  Meat Puppets cosmic Country, SWA, early and late. Everything Ginn does, to this day (yes, I know.....) Jim, you have written the definitive document of SST, and I thank you for the minutes spent marveling at the complete discography and newly published photos that you've provided. Truly excellent work

SST Record's story strikes Disaster Amnesiac as a music-based drama the likes of which the world hadn't seen since the Wagner/Nietsche flap. As Jim Ruland shows in Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise and Fall of SST Records, it's a messy, oftentimes ugly story, but one that is highly compelling for any interested party. Ruland nails it. Seriously, though: I hope that all the injured parties (i.e. everyone involved in any way with SST) would consider the author's proposition. It's time to let bygones by bygones, it's time to get it happening, and it's time to fucking rock.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Nervous Tick and the Zipper Lips-Something's Gotta Bleed; Kafadan Kontak Records, 2020

 

A totally nice surprise came Disaster Amnesiac's way via Feral Kid Records, who kindly included the Something's Gotta Bleed tape by Nervous Tick and the Zipper Lips with a recent order. As I'd not expected it, and have really enjoyed hearing its sounds, a review felt appropriate! 

Starting off with the short instrumental Tying Up Loose Ends, Nervous Tick introduces his self-penned, self-played, self-produced project as one that seems to pull from the Golden Era of American Punk Rock, let's say 1979-1983. Power chords are allowed to ring out to a full physical effect while underneath it a  steady rhythm section chugs along at a quick pace. Things don't so much thrash as they jump, and the energy compressed within the track's 40 seconds set the stage for the rest of Gotta Bleed

Paranoia abounds on the next track, Haunting and Taunting. High pitched guitar riffs scream underneath the lyrics' frightened visions, shouted out by Nervous Tick in his gruff Punk Rock manner. More of that astute, moving drumming, more 4/4 than 2/4, pushes its energies toward a screaming concluding riff, once more with that scream, and quickly out. 

Fluid Exchange follows, introduced by kool Cold Wave synthesizer sounds, which embellish the tight guitar/bass/drums riffing throughout. The resultant atmosphere takes Disaster Amnesiac's perceptions to dark, Goth places, ones that tinged so much of said Golden Era, particularly in California. As those winds rage, the lyrics would seem to deal with the seamier side of things, but, as they're somewhat buried in the mix, it can be tough to tell. Sounds as if someone is washing away something.....sticky.....there at the end. 

The pace quickens a bit with What a Spooky Evening. Is this a tale of a person stranded at home underneath a clock, or trapped within some space that he doesn't want to be in? No matter which, it would seem that its chorus would make even a political prisoner smile a bit as they tapped their toes (assuming that they hadn't been lobbed off) to very crisp hi-hat tapping at the drums. Cool screams from Tick as well.

Twinned guitar riffing launches Shoot the Moon off into its quickly paced zone; they unite into a huge riff before devolving into skittering noise.  This song has the kind of energetic harmonies which would surely start people 'a pitting, as, indeed, their sounds are exciting without fail. That solidly simple drumming doesn't hurt with this. Like, one minute later, and it's all over, man! 

As Disaster Amnesiac has listened to I Don't Make the Rules (I Just Love 'Em), I can't help but feel that Nervous Tick has written the Official Anthem of Society post 2020. Y'all know why. As Nervous Tick says here, "feels nice and cozy in my little place", yeah, ain't that just about everyone's steze now and (God help us) in the future? Well, at least we get the message wrapped into more of that speeded up physicality that is evinced all over Something's Gotta Bleed. One could presumably take solace in that as they jack into Meta, I guess. 

The tape finishes on a rumbling, tom-tom pounded note with Wake Up Grumbling. It feels as though any person over the age of 40-ish that has taken the inevitable lumps dished out by society will be able to resonate with Nervous Tick's lyrics here. "I know I'm not essential/that comes as no surprise/got nothing important to offer/I know how I look through your eyes". Highly relatable, man. All this pushed by some jangling Street Punk guitar and a cool solo into a fade at the end, nice.

Disaster Amnesiac would love to see Nervous Tick and the Zipper Lips become a full band. There's a dive bar about two miles from my house in north western Tucson where they'd fit in fucking grandly. Hit the road, dudes! 

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Live shot #56!

 

Anthrax, Pima County Fairgrounds, Tucson AZ 4/22/22. Blurry, but I love the surreal energy of this shot more than the full band photos, which seemed tame in comparison. 

"...it's so nice to see your smiling faces......"--Scott Ian from the stage mid-set.

Friday, April 22, 2022

Live shot #55!

 

Tom Djill, Jacob Felix-Heule, Jack Wright. Temescal Arts Center, Oakland 2018. 

First the set up, then The Sound.

Monday, April 18, 2022

Everything Everywhere All at Once-Dir. by Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, 2022

 

These times are begging for deeper truths to be told, colorful yarns to be spun, and heaps more love and understanding to be shared between human beings. Of course, these are tall orders, especially as forces that feed off of the opposite qualities of truth, color, love, and understanding are so broadly spread throughout creation. Despite this, people can still try. People such as directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who have brought the incredible Everything Everywhere All at Once into this world. This film has a fascinating and brilliant and FRESH vision. It blends Surrealistic, psychedelic scenes with incredible performances from Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis in a multi-universe saga of the battle between ontological forces that shape beings and elements within their respective realms. Every one of these great actors brings their absolute A Game to this production. They all shine as their characters move into various zones of various "realities", just so  convincing in each and every one.

Simple, yet very well done sets are utilized incredibly well, as are extras within the cast. The soundtrack absolutely kicks ass. Every damn piece of Everything is just fit perfectly, and Disaster Amnesiac is pleased as punch to have had it be the first movie that I've seen in a theater for over two goddamn years! Seriouly, if you like martial arts movies, or Surrealism, or good storytelling, or multiple-time stream theories, or Sci-Fi, you're going to want to run out and see this one on the big screen! 

No shit, go and see it!

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Live pic #54!

 

Fairfax, CA, 2/14/2016, at an organic tea shop. I don't recall the names of these two musicians, but do recall that the one playing the sarod has deep roots in in SF Bay Area Jazz and Improvised Music scenes.

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Live Pic #53!

 

Birds and Arrows, Tucson Folk Festival, 4/2/2022. 

Great songs and a drummer that plays with much musicality. Tucson-based, Richmond VA bred. Relatable.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliche; Dir. by Celeste Bell and Paul Sng, 2021

 

The thing about Punk Rock is that the hot take is imperative. Disaster Amnesiac mentions this, because as I sit here pondering my viewing experience of Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliche from last night, the thoughts are weighted down by my having neglected to go and post straight away, as opposed to waiting some several hours. A potential hot take on my part is blunted by even that short duration. 

It seems to as though the hot take weighed down upon Marion Elliott-Said, aka Poly Styrene, as well. 

As the history of Punk has shown, and as the film I Am a Cliche reiterates, Marion was swept up into the initial cultural explosion of Britain's 1976 youth movement, and quickly found a somewhat exalted place within it. As Poly Styrene, she used her extensive creative vision in order to put X-Ray Spex together, assemble the band's graphics and image, find decent management, and have the entire package rolling towards music industry success very quickly. 

Marion was clearly gifted with what appeared to this viewer to be innate skills with graphic design, fashion assembly, and musical talent. Scene by scene within the film, Disaster Amnesiac marveled at just how cool her designs were: clean and legible, yet bursting with flair. Ditto that for her outfits, which were adventurous yet not sloppy. One scene shows her at a piano, and I can't help but wonder if she wrote the lion's share of the music for Spex. 

All of this creativity was put forth within the societal hot take of Punk, 1976, and this seems to be when the weight of it encroached upon the consciousness of Marion Elliott-Said in ways that would have lasting, and, in many ways, negative effects upon her. Director Celeste Bell, in a parallel narrative stream to that of the excitement of showbiz Poly Styrene's path, presents the harrowing, heartbreaking events of her mother Marion's real world journey. This aspect of the story presents a woman weighted down by expectations societal, familial, and personal. Disaster Amnesiac got the sense that Elliot-Said was a person who desired much more of an introspectively lived life, a person that truly needed quiet and reflection, yet who, because of the persona that she'd invented, and the need for hot takes on and from it in all realms (can you imagine Kathleen Hanna NOT kicking guys who bum rushed her at CBGB's in the nyuts?), got her perceptions crushed by impossible expectations. The fire of the hot take singed the sensitivities of Marion Elliott-Said in ways that I suspect Bell only hints at in I Am a Cliche. And this was heartbreaking to see and feel as Disaster Amnesiac watched it. Shots of Celeste's face as she strolls the Hastings pier and disperses Marion's ashes into a river in India show the residual pain (and perhaps more complicated emotions, surely) that she dealt with in making the film. Not easy to watch, nor was it to hear her recounting of Marion's post-Punk Rock years as she attempted to find the solace she needed within a world "gone Punk". I wonder what her years spent in a krsna ashram were like on a day-to-day basis, you know? Clips of her singing and spinning around therein made me at times uncomfortable, for I couldn't help but wonder if anything rather less enlightened was brewing behind and around them. Similar musing apply for Disaster Amnesiac to the comeback music. Was Marion in thrall to hot take dream that Poly Styrene so easily navigated again? Some of the photos from that time seem to show someone struggling, at least they do for me. Elliot-Said was aware of her cancer diagnosis at that time, so obviously she was dealing with a lot. Still, the question arose in my mind. Hopefully she got the time to reflect that she needed, before her passing at age 53. 

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliche goes way beyond the hot take. In so many ways, Marion Elliot-Said did as well. The film is a fine exposition of complex, complicated artist and the profound human being that she so clearly was. Rock on Poly Styrene, and Godspeed, Marion.



Monday, March 21, 2022

Live shot #52!

 

Multi-instrumentalist, composer, visual artist Tony Passarell. Sacramento music scene stalwart. Luna's Cafe, Sacramento 2018.

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Live Shot #51!

 

Kentucky Sky, Bluegrass with tight harmonies and great picking. Marana, AZ, 3/2022.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Live Shot #50!

 

Woodwinds player, composer, poet Elliot Levin, Berkeley CA 3/8/2019.

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Faust-"Daumenbruch"; Erototox Decodings, 2022

 

That cover art though, right? Disaster Amnesiac feels that it absolutely sums up the Faust modus operandi vis a vis just about everything and everyone. If you know anything about Faust, you know that they have always been a middle finger salute towards the world. Not that I'm sure they're not really nice guys, mind you; Disaster Amnesiac has a really nice memory of bumping into Zappi Diermaier on Valenica St. in San Francisco before a Faust show, dude was friendly and pleasant enough. Still, Faust were, are, and (seemingly) shall remain a bastion of free thought and free action within a world of conformity. 

Speaking of Zappi, here on "Daumenbruch", he is the last man standing from the original gruppe. Where has Jean Harve Peron gone? Hopefully he's OK! Hopefully he and Zappi have not had some weird falling out. That said, Herr Deirmaier seems to have used the opportunity well, and taken firm hold of Faust's direction. This direction is one that is sehr gehmutlich for listeners such as myself, as the group, expanded to an octet of seasoned German musicians and sound artists, boils up three tracks of long form Teutonic Dub, all of which roil and broil with heavy moods and atmospheres. 

"Daumenbruch" kicks off with Weisse Schockolade, twenty two minutes of primal klang that is lead by the initial recording trio of Diermaier, Dirk Dresselhaus on guitar and bass, and Elke Drapatz on percussion and electronics. These three recorded live, and this track, along with the other two, have the characteristic organic feel of a group of people melding their rhythms in the same room. Zappi's heavy, simple beats reign supreme for this kind of action, going all the way back fifty years now. Somehow, Disaster Amnesiac figures he's never going to name checked within the Great Drummer Pantheon, but I doubt that he cares about those kinds of things, especially as he's pounding away. Dresselhaus locks in with Diermaier all the way through, guiding the ears as the piece slides languidly by. Drapatz, along with Gunther Wusthof as Spieluhr, Andrew Unruh on metal percussion, Uwe Bastiansen on guitars and samples, Joachin Arbeit on gutiar and loops, and Sonja Kosche on self-made instruments, harp, and ventilator, all add various sonic textures, riffs, melodic fragments, clicks, clanks, burrs, and buzzes to the mix. Immersive sonic therapy that rewards attentive listening as the drums and bass keep the focus up. Every player seems to place their accents just so within this matrix, leaving plenty of space for their partners. Yeah, just keep that ventilator away from my lungs, and it's all good here on Weisse Schockolade

The journey continues with Default Mood. Sparse percussion and electronics set the stage for dissonant guitar chords and loops. The Neubauten guys (Unruh and Arbeit) make their band's presence felt here more than anywhere else on "Daumenbruch", with their excellent use of dramatic silences and spaces. Somehow, Disaster Amnesiac doubts that this was any bother to Zappi. I can't know how he feels about them, but I've often felt that Einsturzende were the natural successors to Faust. It's cool that they've joined forces! About half-way through, the pace quickens, more players throw their sounds into it, and Zappi is marching Default Mood into that great Faust place: all intense, serious German Psychedelic vibes. This form is quite unique, and has had many years to develop. It has done so with a high minded grace that has, thankfully, stuck to its initial aesthetic vision. One could imagine oneself hearing this as a new release in 1972, let alone 2022. This is entirely a good thing! 

"Daumenbruch" concludes with Border River. This piece seems to tie its two predecessors together, in that it has all of the brooding atmospheric action of Schockolade and the pensive feels of Mood. Zappi, as is his way, leads the action with more of that sublime, powerful drumming as the other percussionists accent in syncopation with his advance. Guitars buzz and trill, vaguely Classical bits emerge, drills whinge. Disaster Amnesiac first heard River on KFJC on one recent afternoon, and, before I knew that it was by Faust, it perked up my ears something fierce. Now that it's known to me as a piece by Faust, and I've digested it more, I feel that it may be the the best Faust track ever! All of the elements that make Faust such a special band, all of the sounds that congeal into that singular Faust feel are there, big time, with non-showy electronics and brooding, moody voices pushing the listener into zones of abstraction, possibly uncomfortable, but ultimately mind expanding and radically creative. A unique brand of Heavy Metal, really. 

Many bands these days are going into their fifth decade, but, seriously, how many of them can claim to still be pushing their creative envelope within a really existing voice? Faust can, most certainly. "Daumenbruch" shows that Faust is an unstoppable creative force, even as it takes on an entirely new form. Just, please, someone tell me that Jean Harve Peron is doing fine?