No Plan B – MARC MARON Live @ the Neptune [Seattle]

Marc Maron

Neptune Theatre

Seattle, WA

11.25.11

So you’re probably thinking, “Jesus Christ, Devon. What the fuck? This goddamn show was, like, two months ago. What the hell took so long?” I know. I understand. I’m a little upset about it all myself. But here’s the thing, see… it’s Marc Maron. I love the guy, I really do, but sometimes he can be a little rough for me. Not him or his material per se, but the thing is that, when I talk about Marc Maron, or when I think about Marc Maron, I can’t help but think about myself. I can’t help but think about how I think about myself, how much I do, and why and when. Once I start getting into self-examination like that, well, it can get a little overwhelming, and it can get a little paralyzing. But at the end of it all, it’s why I love Marc Maron. It’s why I’ve listened to all two-hundred forty-something episodes of his podcast. It’s why I bought all four of his stand-up records, and why I’ve read his book more than once. It’s why I snagged a ticket to 2010’s Bumbershoot festival, just so that I could see a live taping of his podcast. It’s all because I know that I should look inside myself – I want to and I feel like I’m ready to- and it’s not something that I was ever compelled to do before I got into this one stand-up comedian. (more…)

Scratches a Pencil – An Interview with Writer/Musician TIM KINSELLA

You may be familiar with Tim Kinsella through one of his many music projects. It could be from his emo-pioneering band Cap’n Jazz, his ongoing avant-rock project Joan of Arc, or any of a number of other solo efforts, collaborations, or offshoots/incarnations of those groups that he’s been involved in over the years. But, these days, Kinsella has been involving himself in more than just music and focusing his attention heavily on writing.

Aside from releasing 2 separate albums under the JOA moniker in 2011, his first novel, The Karaoke Singer’s Guide to Self Defense, was published last September by Featherproof Books. The 376-page work zips back and forth between a handful of people’s lives, many of which are family members in the fictional town of Stone Claw Grove, Michigan. The characters deal with addiction and aging, struggle with responsibility, and give up on brighter dreams in an attempt to settle for whatever they already have currently. Throughout it all, strippers strip, fights break out in bars, and singers cover all of the karaoke classics.

I recently had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Mr. Kinsella and to discover more about his venture into literature and his overall approach to the creation process. (more…)

PREVIEW: [GALLERY 1988 x ADULT SWIM] Group Art Exhibit (Melrose)

GALLERY 1988: MELROSE

“Gallery 1988 x Adult Swim”

Opening Reception: Friday, Jan. 13, 7-10pm

January 13 – February 4, 2011

When it comes to the pop-culture-themed art exhibits, no gallery has proven more consistent or prolific than the Los Angeles area’s Gallery 1988. Since 2004, G1988 has become one of the foremost destinations to view high quality work from from some of the most talented established and up-and-coming contemporary artists in the game. With popularity and interest growing for their original space (located on the corner of Melrose and Labrea), founders, Katie Cromwell and Jensen Karp, found themselves expanding with a second location in Venice, allowing them to consistently run two separate, but equally impressive, exhibits simultaneously and in different areas of the city. [The Venice location is currently hosting a solo exhibit by Robert Brandenburg]. Perhaps, best known for their themed group art exhibits -a coffee table book based around their annual Crazy4Cult show was just released, featuring a foreward written by yearly host/filmmaker, Kevin Smith- G1998 has become much more than just an underground forum for underground contemporary artists and the nerd culture to express their affinity for film, video games, and TV; they’ve actually received tremendous feedback, praise, and cooperation from the entertainment personalities and corporations behind the inspirations that they are paying tribute to. Actors like Paul Rudd have personally purchased artwork, Funny Or Die co-presented the stand-up comedy-inspired IS This Thing On? exhibit that we previewed last year, and the Wet Hot American Summer-themed exhibit not only featured a screening for the cult film’s 10yr anniversary, but was actually presented with a Q&A with writer/director, David Wain.

Tonight’s [Adult Swim]-themed show is slated to set off the new year with one of the greatest exhibits that the gallery has curated/hosted yet. Officially sponsored by the Cartoon Network‘s infamous late-night programming block, [GALLERY 1988 x ADULT SWIM] will feature more than 100 contributions from upcoming talent, G1988 regulars, and big name artists whose careers the gallery have often helped play an integral role in over the years. (more…)

CAPTAIN AO – A Conversation with Electronic Musician, DJAO

Alex Osuch, who records under the moniker of DJAO, is a member of the Pacific Northwest electronic music label/collective, Dropping Gems. He is a relatively new artist making his way into the Seattle music scene, but with the release of his first solo EP, Wuhn and his more recent collaborative EP in the No Northwest series, he has been getting a lot of attention. A promising up and comer, Osuch creates music that has a distinctive tone and that crosses genres. Though he works with the tools of electronic music, he has a quality that appeals beyond his media.

Electronic music is not my genre of expertise, so it came as a surprise to me when I heard AO’s soothing and ambient tones on his solo release. I had the good fortune of then, seeing him live at the Dropping Gems Showcase at Decibel Festival, where he was joined by friend and frequent collaborator, Zuri Biringer, whose lilting guitar riffs added a grounded sense of nature, invoking images of sky and water. It’s impossible to listen to the Seattle native’s sound without being drawn to the beats. However, while they ultimately drive the music forward, they aren’t the primary focus of the songs, which create a vivid mood through crooning vocals, guitar, and keyboard. In combination with some incredible imagery that accompanied the performance, the set was nearly transcendent.

Not long after his show that night, I was able to sit down with Alex to discuss his development as a DJ and find out where he draws his inspiration from. His ambient sound was a divergence from the sounds that I had heard from him previously and I had many questions. Eloquently and in fascinating detail, he was able to give me answers to questions that I didn’t even know that I had. To an electronic media newbie, like myself, I found him to be incredibly informative and insightful; even providing hints on where to start my own exploration of the vast genre. In the end, he was even so helpful as to give a demonstration of how he creates his unique style.

The following is the transcript from that conversation. (more…)

Muddy Waters and Mozart

lareviewofbooks:

ARETHA SILLS

on the Late Great Townes Van Zandt.
Photograph by Julie Cline

What I remember most about the AP obituary that ran fifteen years ago tomorrow was its brevity — given that it was written for one of the most influential songwriters of our time — and a quote from Katie Belle, Townes Van Zandt’s five-year-old daughter who was with him: “Daddy’s having a fight with his heart.”

When he died at age 52 on New Year’s Day 1997, fans of the legendary Texas singer-songwriter were saddened but not surprised. He had, after all, named his 1972 album The Late Great Townes Van Zandt — possibly a joke about his perpetual obscurity, or possibly because he and everyone who knew him thought he would die young like Hank Williams (who also died on January 1st). As his friend Guy Clark said at the memorial, “I booked this gig thirty-something years ago.” Townes’s seemingly brief turn on this plane was characterized by staggeringly self-annihilating behavior — behavior that had in many ways defined that turn, and has often overshadowed the powerful and transcendent body of work he left behind.
If I had a nickel I’d find a game. 
If I won a dollar I’d make it rain. 
If it rained an ocean I’d drink it dry 
And lay me down dissatisfied.  

— from “Rex’s Blues”
Townes’s obituary offered just enough room to recap a few basic facts: that his songs were recorded by singers more famous than he would ever be, including Emmylou Harris, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson; that though he sang about prostitutes and bums and emulated Lightnin’ Hopkins, he was the scion of a prominent Texas oil family; and, the often-told tale, that Steve Earle once threatened to jump on Bob Dylan’s coffee table to proclaim just who was the better songwriter. The obituary politely left it to Van Zandt’s lyrics (from “A Song For”) to hint at his lifelong struggles with mental illness and addiction: “There’s nowhere left in this world where to go. My arms, my legs they’re a tremblin’. Thoughts both clouded and blue as the sky, not even worth the rememberin’.”

The day after New Year’s 1997, I was working at Streetlight Records in San Francisco. A co-worker gingerly handed me the newspaper, fearing I’d be crushed. He knew that I had interviewed Townes a few years back. One of the last things I’d heard Townes say was, “I wish you could help me, Aretha” — a line I withheld from publication, as well as a few other sections of our conversation, including a part about how many rehab facilities and mental institutions Townes had visited over the years. I’ve been mystified by my reticence to print these moments ever since. I have no excuse other than that I was in my early 20s and more of a fan than a journalist.

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WIN Tix to live podcast of Uhh Yeah Dude @ The Neptune Theatre [Seattle]

(Source: uyd4l)

FOUR TET Releases Exclusive Track For Upcoming Japan Benefit Compilation

In the world of electronic music, Kieran Hebden (aka: Four Tet) is one of the good ones. Timeless, incredibly consistent, and impervious to trends, it’s always worth looking into anything new that is released with the Four Tet name stamped onto it. Highly respected as an innovator in his field since the late 1990s, albums like 2001‘s PAUSE -his breakthrough sophomore release under the Four Tet moniker- showcased Hedben‘s continued reimagining of the genre through the incorporation of acoustic instrumentation and such unorthodox samples as clicking typewriter keys. It also resulted in the media pinning Hebden as the posterboy for another catchphrase movement that was being referred to as “Folktronica.” A decade later, he is still the one to watch. Even when the musician/producer isn’t releasing his own solo material or working with Fridge (his pre-Four Tet post-rock outfit) he’s remixing music by everyone from Aphex Twin, Madvillain, and Battles to Beth Orton, Explosions in the Sky, and Black Sabbath, or collaborating with the likes of Burial and Thom Yorke.

His latest work, “MOMA” [posted below] is an exclusive track created for an upcoming Japan benefit compilation curated by Blonde Redhead‘s Kazu Makino. (more…)