ANNOUNCING WORDS AND PICTURES
The works of twenty-three writers and twenty-three visual artists have been
paired up and will be exhibited together beginning with this Friday’s opening reception.

Friday, November 21st
5:00 - 7:00 PM

MTS Gallery
3142 Mountain View Drive

Admission Free
Catering by Tap Root Cafe
Music by REVERSE RETRO!!

For More information: http://mtsgallery.wordpress.com/

Also at the Friday opening:

Book Signing Nov. 21, 5-7pm, MTS Gallery
Now available: the recently published book by Hal Gage:
“Ice: a passage through time”

Just in time for Christmas Hal Gage will be on hand to sign books at the MTS Gallery one night only.
Full color reproductions of Gage’s split toned B&W photographs from his Ice series that toured Alaska 2004-2006.
76 pages, softcover, with introduction by Bruce Farnsworth
$38.95 (checks or cash only please).

 

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“I had no choice, but to hear you”
“you’ve already won me over in spite of me” -Alanis Morissete

How do you make something counter culture when popular culture has assumed counter culture? Arguably the most interesting and or inspiring works of counter culture music and art are realized after they are produced. They are created without the intent of bringing down any sort of established culture, maybe just as a reaction to it.

Soloing over Alanis Morissetteis the project of Illinois/Chicago/Woodridge area David Gerhard, Jessica Ebarb, and Ed Byla.

It’s hard to tell whether or not SOAM has any relevance in this sort of discussion. It’s a Steven Colbert type of serious approach to sound making, and it’s funny. Without going into a lengthy discussion of why, let’s just say it’s interesting and has been gaining attention from people who seem to “get it”.

SOAM performs with HEALTH and oakeater in Chicago on November 12th, 2008

Here is my interview with David

T: Who are you?
DG: I am David Gerhard, I am 165 lbs. blue eyes blonde hair, student, want face pix?

T: Please describe where you live.

DG: Woodridge illinois, we had really nice pool (they just knocked it down) and we have one of the IMAX theaters.

T: Brian Blomerth recommended I interview you. How do you know Brian?

DG:Kennel Club Of America

T: You met Brian at Kennel Club? Seriously? It could happen, but did you meet on myspace? or in person?

DG: We met through funspace!

T: What do you do for work? Hobbies?

DG:mooch of my parents, i also go to an art school, art school is really hard..

T: What is your favorite art?

DG: don’t really know. every time were forced to go to the museums during class i cant stand looking at paintings, so definitely not paintings.

T: Why are you in art school if you don’t like art?

DG: i should of been more specific, I’m going to school for “audio arts &acoustic.” I like that type of art.

T: What is soloing over alanis morrisette? what are the concepts behind it?

DG: Its really just a vehicle for my thoughts and ideas. i basically sat down and said, how can i bring this kids something new? and bam! i thought, disguise it with something old. So i took my ideas(the solos) ad combined it with something old(alanis morissette), that they liked: and viola!

T: If you go to your myspace page you can see that a lot of people making music seem to be entertained by this project. Why do you think this is? Like besides the new vs. old aspects?

DG:You Know It really didn’t surprise me that this band has got the attention it has. We don’t fuck around. You get what you see. Were not going to lie to you. we don’t put are vocals through auto-tune. and we play our instruments live.
thats all kids want these days, honest musicians.

T:Who are the other two in your band? What do they do? Where did you meet them?

DG: Jessica Ebarb- she is 16, 190 lb. brown hair and hazel eyes
she is in choir at school, Fav. movie- titanic
Jessica handles all our interactions in public and stuff. (Im really awkward to talk to) and she handles backing vocals and helps Ed with music stuff.

Ed Byla- he is 18, 170 lb. brown hair and brown eyes.
he was born in Lithuania. he is homosexual.
Ed handles music live.

Me and jessica met at an AA club in 2003. our mothers had problems.
I don’t really remember how i met ed.

T: When was the first time you heard Alanis Morisette? How did you feel about her music?

DG: I think the time she came out with the video of her walking naked was like the Kennedy assassination or 9/11. every one remembers where they were. i was getting ready for school with my backpack on and the video came on in the kitchen.

T: Do you play music besides SOAM?

DG:I play a lot of music all the time. The first band i was ever in was a death metal band called “Gothedral” in 8th grade, its been downhill since then. Right now though i really want to focus on SOAM cause i know if i try hard enough this sound could explode onto the scene.

* David is also part of the bands Kill us on TV and Girl Factory.

T: What is SOAM like live?
DG: I know its cliché to say but you really have to SEE TO BE=LIVE

T: Can music have genre? If so what genre does SOAM fit into?

DG: I don’t really know. i think SOAM would be more of easy listening/adult alternative/classic rock

T: What are you listening to right now?

DG: I think an even mixture of the pixies, and HEALTH

T: What’s your dream?
DG: want to work for steve albini

T: Steve Albini is a pretty approachable and accesible figure. What do you want to do for him? Why especially Steve Albini?

DG: It would be ideal to record things with him or in is studio. I would just like to witness some of his sessions. His got a crazy way of capturing things. Why A? The breeders, Pod album.

T: Movies?

DG: jessica just saw pirates of the Caribbean. “it was good, orlando bloom looks a lot older and sexier then before”

ORLANDO BLOOM cir. 1998

ORLANDO BLOOM cir. 2008

YOU DECIDE!

This month is the 2 year anniversary of the very first Reverse Retro show ever. Hawnay Troof w/ Katie Salas and High Places played at the Wilda Marston Theater at the library and the Brown Bear Saloon in Indian. (Let’s face it, the Brown Bear IS Indian)

video document

For me, this was a life changing experience. I think right now a lot of people have a newfound hope for America, but I felt the same hope on that November weekend. Both Hawnay Troof and High Places have released full-length albums this fall and both of them are amazing. If you don’t have them buy them here and here.

And then there was this:

From the HT website:
When Islands Of Ayle came out in September 2008 Hawnay Troof put out an open call encouraging the people who listen to his music, regardless of “skill”, to remix three of the songs for his next record, Remix Projection. The idea was creating an instant collaboration between listener and the composer, merging the two, to form this amazing, exciting, and free album for everyone to own.

Much respect and thanks to everyone involved.

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE!

Tracklisting for Remix Projection
1. Front My Hope (Lady Jess Remix)
2. Connection (Geocash Remix)
3. Connection (The Wolfblitzer Twice In 2:26 Remix)
4. The Gods Are Crazy (Sex With Robots/ Magical Teri Remix)
5. Connection (HW/ GM Remix)
6. The Gods Are Crazy (The Wastland RMX by Lester And The Hoax)
7. Reconnect (Tonfang Remix)
8. The Gods Are Crazy (Simo Soo Remix)
9. Connection (Nathan Rich Remix)
10. Front My Hope (Lisa Ling Remix)
11. Connection (Paraffins Remix)
12. Connection (Drew Swinburne Remix)
13. The Gods Are Crazy (Scid Find Remix)
14. Connection (Sex With Robots/ Magical Teri Remix)
15. The Gods Are Crazy (The Population of Penelouxx Remix)

That’s right! Lester and the Hoax take a doomy turn on The Gods Are Crazy, while The Wolfblitzer bring the mediocre heat to Connection!

I think I’m going to a better place…

After the downtown art gallery openings are closed…

where do artists and art lovers go to mingle and experience
one-time-only performance art?

MTS Gallery OPEN/CLOSE First Friday after hours salon,
that’s where.

Friday, November 7th
MTS Gallery
3142 Mountain View Drive

See B. Hutton and Collaborator Sally Jungreis perform
“20th Century Man: Part Deux”

Doors open at 7:00 PM

Performance at 8:00 PM Sharp! (NOTE: new winter hours)

Admission Free

Beer, Wine, & Refreshments by Tap Root Cafe

Music by REVERSE RETRO!!!!

When I was eight years old I had cartoon version of 20,000 leagues under the sea (or maybe it was called Adventures of the Nautilus?) in a blue hard plastic VHS case. It was always the video I would watch when I was home from school with the flu. It made being sick inviting and fun. I started to get excited about getting sick, so I could skip school and stare at our orange and brown carpet in the basement looking for patterns that might resemble a face. In between looking at the carpet and feeling sick I would catch bits of the video and think things thoughts like, “I wonder if Captain Eo was based on Captain Nemo?”

vs.

but what I especially learned from that cartoon was about Narwhalz, I think I even went to the library to find out if they were real.

I later came to find Narwhals are real, but unless you live at latitude 70°N or furrrrrther north your chances of seeing one in person are slim…..

unless you are lucky enough to live in Richmond, VA anywhere near the church of crystal light or exist in a city that is on the tour route of Brian Blomerth’s narwhals of sound.

Here is my interview with Brian…

T: Kyle Mabson recommended I interview you, how do you know Kyle?

Kyle H. Mabson rules…complete legend. I met Kyle through playing at the Il Corral. Then we went on tour together with Mincemeat or Tenspeed last november. I see him every couple of month’s even though he lives in L.A. and I live in a real shitty small town on the East Coast. We have similar style’s. Both of us can appreciate the fine wine of a good shitty band. Both of us drink heavily from the shitty band cup. We’re in a couple of band’s together actually, Violence and Negativity (True Hardcore), NO HOMO THE BAND (with Rob from Big Nurse, Dischord Style Scatting, it’s an honest look at where Fugazi should be right now. One dood playing bass. Another dood playing drums. And another dood pretending to play bass with his mouth.), THE BOSTON TERRIER CONNECTION, (a band where we write girls from this really amazing myspace profile)…www.myspace.com/bostonterrierconnection, Dj Dewiesto, and Narwhalz (of Mabson).

BB: Who are you? What do you do for a job, hobbies etc.?

I do music as Narwhalz (of Sound) and make art about Pomeranians.

T:Describe where you are right now. Where do you live?

BB: I live in Richmond, VA in a complete shit-hole. It’s a gallery but I don’t own a shower. www.churchofcrystallight.com

T: What is delay-pedal culture? What are your thoughts on it/ feelings about it?

BB: Delay-pedal culture has some ties to knee-noise but also to flowy shirts and hot girls. Owls feature strongly. So i mean personally, i’m too thug for that shit…but I would date a girl that was down.
I would move to L.A. and wear a strange floppy hat and dj’ greatful dead at parties through an Echo-Park Delay Pedal. Kyle can’t get down with it…but most people that live in L.A., and i know they do this cuz it rules, go out to Joshua Tree and do Acid. Out there in the desert they get instructions on the aesthetics of delay-pedal culture. It’s chill. The girls in Double Leopards are attractive. Aerial Pink has an entourage…all that shit rules. So you could say I’m getting into it.

T: What is the most amazing live show you’ve ever seen?

BB: Honestly? Adult Moan. They’re some of my crew in Richmond. It basically is a band that centers around two guys who lay on the floor and do baby noises into Casio-Sk1’s. The samples loop and they just stare at each other and giggle and fight and get close to having real baby style sex. Check out some of these track titles, ‘I see a fireman’ ‘Uh Oh, Daddie’s Home’ and ‘Dad Milk.’ An amazing, amazing track is…’Do You Have One Too?’ One member pulls out his dick. Both Gasp. Freak out. Then start giggiling. Next member asks ‘Do Have One Too?’ and loops it. Stops. Nodding. Awkward Silence. Giggles. Out comes second Dick. They fight. Dicks get spat on. Calm Down. Recently they’ve been doing a segment of Protest songs where both just make gun noises at each other and exploding noises with their mouths for a really really long time. Last time I saw them I puked but that’s really because Max Eisenberg pee’d in my drink.

T: What do you think about T.I. ?

BB:T.I. is chill. Livin your Life with Rihanna is sooooooooo amazing. The Numa Numa Dance sample blows my mind every time i hear it on the radio. Trance rap is so incredible…i’m hoping in the next year all the tempo’s get faster and all rap tracks are just old-school trance anthems. You know what i’m really, really waiting for? Skeeter’s ‘I’m Planning on Raving’ which is just a sample of that Blue Seude Shoe’s song….fuck that would be a sick T.I. track. The other thing that would be amazing is when rappers start sampling sick Adult Contemporary from the late 90’s. I want the New Radical’s ‘You only get what you give.’ to be sampled by someone so fucking bad. Think about Bow Wow on top of that shit. WOAH.

T: What are your influences?

BB: William Wegman. (my dad), Outsider Hardcore, Beach Week, Pomeranian Poetry, Misty Cigarette’s, Stabbing People. High School Gabber, The Apple II, Cock E.S.P., Classic Adult Contemporary 98-2002′, Fluxus Art, Virginia.

T: What is the greatest youtube video?

BB:

T: If you were in space and had a chance to enter a black hole would you do it?

BB: Fuck no.

T: What are your thoughts on Alaska?

BB: GURL. I heard you set up shows fur people there. That’s my thoughts. I’d be down.

T: What’s in your closet?

BB: Kyle H. Mabson.

T: What’s your favorite art?

BB: I’m a huge Andrew Jeffery Wright fan. But I mean i gotta hold strong for my dad too.,,and Al Hansen.

T: What’s your dream?

BB:

I decided to start this Interview Journey by interviewing Kyle H. Mabson. I first heard about Kyle from his project beach balls. I got the Fruit Will Rot compilation 3 from Death Bomb arc in the mail and the beach balls track that drew me in was case sensitivity. A David banner acapella lands a minute into this 5 minute low feedback fuzz track with gongs. Amazingness.

As well as performing solo Kyle is in an enormous amount of bands and projects in L.A. and does sound regularly at the smell. He seems to find this really amazing way of embracing tons of themes and maximizing fun in his music and performance.

T:Describe where you are right now?

KHM: i’m in los angeles, california.

T: What do you do? What are your hobbies? what do you do for a job etc?

KHM: i do dumb shit. watch tv, play in dumb bands. i do sound at different venues in la and work for a moving company.

T.  Where can you be found? Where would you like to be found? On the Internet and in real life?

HERE

in real life you can hopefully find me in alaska real soon. EH EH !?

T: Have you seen the kid rock/army video that plays at the beginning of movies? what’s your take on that?

KHM: dude! i never go to movies but last night i saw a band play that took all the cardboard cutouts of kid rock and nascar shit and set them up when they played. it ruled!

T: What do you think about Animal Collective?

KHM: i think animal collective is the most influential bands of the 00s on like bands i do sound for and play with. i hate animal collective. delay pedal culture sucks way bad

T: What do you think is a dumb band as opposed to a not dumb band?

KHM: dumb band = animal collective. not dumb band= municipal waste haha

T: Why do you live in L.A.?

KHM: LA is the greatest city in the country. i love the weather. love what i do here. greatest food anywhere.its awesome.

T: What’s your dream?

KHM: to be even richer than i am now and to be on Daisy of Love

*vote for kyle here

T: What’s the craziest shit you’ve ever had to move?

KHM: its funny when i like take a drawer out of a dresser and theres like a pipe with weed or you move someones like sex toys. always rad

T: Why do you want to visit Alaska?

KHM: it’s somewhere ive never been. it seems so mysterious to me. i know like nothing about alaska or what happens there. i just know stereotypes of like coldness and palin.

T: I’ve heard you do sound at the smell, where else do you do sound in L.A.?

KHM: i do sound at pehrspace. i used to do sound at a place called il corral until it closed down like a year and a half ago.

T: What is the most epic band in L.A. right now?

KHM: in la? probably captain ahab. they are amazing.

T: What is your favorite T.V. Show?

KHM: i love reality dating shows. any shows in the “I LOVE…” series on vh1. oh! and wrestling rules way hard

T: What does the H. stand for?

KHM: H stands for Harringer which is my mom’s last name

T: What is the future going to be like?

KHM hopefully sik and like not wastelandish

T: Tell me one childhood memory.

KHM: one time i dared my friend in junior high to slap this one girls ass. he did and he got in huge trouble and i didnt. was kinda sik.

T: What’s better negativity or positivity?

KHM: i hate negativity. i’m usually never bummed. life is good. nothing to be negative about!

Kyle Performing at the Smell

The Fifth Calypso

Oh, a sleeping drunkard
Up in Central Park,
And a lion-hunter
In the jungle dark,
And a Chinese dentist,
And a British queen–
All fit together
In the same machine.
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice;
Nice, nice, very nice–
So many different people
In the same device.

-Kurt Vonnegut from Cat’s Cradle

One of the greatest books I have ever read in my life was Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle:Ice 9.  I read that book several years ago and ideas from it still waft in and out of my head all the time. Today I was thinking about a part in the book where one of the character’s says you  can meet anyone in the world through 3 proper introductions. I was looking for this part of the book via google and instead found the quote above.
My friend Tomoe had an amazing insight that she shared with me, she said if you only meet 10 new people in a week that’s about 7000 people in your entire life that you can really know, if you think about that in respect to the population of your city, or town, and then the world. How many people have you met? How many more do you have to go before you meet everyone you possibly can in your life? How do you treat these people and what kind of effects do we have on each other?
SO HERE IS THE PROJECT

I am going to set out on an interview journey.  I will start with one person that I know and at the end of the interview they will introduce me to the person that I will interview next.  There will be no context or necessary premise to the interview other than It’s a journey to meet people and explore how people are connected and the effects they have on each other.

Stay Tuned for Interview One!

Here are some pictures from the super awesome POWDERED WIGS show at the Kodiak last Friday.

Heavy Metal

Altar

Creeping

Sermon

Destroy

Destroy