Tag Archive for 'live'

Phoning It In — BSR’s Call-In Live Performance Radio Program

Published
by
sean
on September 12, 2008
in internet listening
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Phoning It In is BSR/88.1FM’s (Providence, RI) quaint live performance call-in radio program — broadcasting for nearly three and a half years.  The programs’s 345 shows have featured an exhausting lineup of artists, from resptected genre luminaries like John Darnielle – The Mountain Goat’s affinity for lo-fidelity music (ala Nine Black Poppies or the The Coroner’s Gambit) is the allegedly the impetus for the program’s very existence — to microrelease cd and cassette experimental artists like (VxPxC) and Steven R. Smith.

“lo-fi is the right fi: dj talksonthephone calls up all your favorite musicians for live over-the-phone performances and awkward conversation.”

Phoning It In is a radio program whose flagship show is broadcast on 88.1fm BSR in Providence, RI (where it’s hosted by Gabe) and whose satellite show is broadcast on 88.1fm WMBR in Cambridge, MA (where it’s hosted by Nadav). You can listen to every single past show from both stations in the Archives. — about it

More interesting than the actual music performed, in many cases, are the awkward exchanges between host and guest.  For obvious reasons, the artist is in a difficult situation, juggling the phone for performances and scrambling after a set into playful banter.  Phone conversations between strangers are often awkward to begin with, but the circumstances magnify that effect. It’s this unexpected element that really captures the spirit of the lo-fidelity aesthetic, better than simple phone crackle or chopped sound-levels ever could.  Diane Cluck (myspace), the show’s latest guest, is the best example of that unexpected, disarming nature of the concept.

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Cluck’s performance is also notable for the new, developing material she shared.  Since her releases on Important Records (Oh Vanille/Ova Nil and Macy’s Day Bird / Black With Green Leaves), and 2006’s Monarcana, we’ve heard nothing new from Cluck.  I’ve only had a chance to listen to a few other shows, but have been throughly impressed thusfar.

Considering the show’s longevity, I expect plenty of my peers have been enjoying this show for some time.  Still, there may be people out there who don’t know about this show yet, and would could managed to get excited about Diane Cluck or Avarus exclusives.

recommendations – Diane Cluck, Micah Blue Smaldone, (VxPxC), Ilya Monosov, Turner Cody, Mudboy & Yomul Yuk, Caethua, Larkin Grimm, Natural Snow Buildings, Dialing In, Matt Valentine & Erika Elder, Marissa Nadler, Tara Jane ONeil, Excepter, Jana Hunter, Daniel Higgs (Lungfish), Avarus, Elephant Micah, Jacob Smigel, Fursaxa, Davenport, Mike Tamburo, Castanets, Steven R. Smith (Hala Strana), Daniel Johnston, Thanksgiving (Adrian Orange), Mount Eerie, The Mountain Goats

Daniel Higgs live @ heliogàbal (Barcelona)

Published
by
sean
on September 9, 2008
in filler
. 0 Comments

Nearly finished with my breathtaking review of Lungfish guitarist Asa Osbourne’s solo album, but in the meantime, some more youtube filler is in order.

Included above is Lungfish vocalist Daniel Higgs performing at heliogàbal, a venue outside of Barcelona.  I saw Higgs myself last spring at the Knitting Factory.  The performance was nearly identical to the video above, except he was performing with a mouthharp and what looked like a dulcimer in place of his banjo.

Terrastock Seven delights

Published
by
sean
on July 23, 2008
in filler and live
. 0 Comments

The continued vitality of microlabel experimental, psych, drone and folk is perhaps best witnessed in the continued success of live festivals like Terrastock 7 or Bottled Smoke.  Both festivals, unfortunately, were outside my reach.  Thankfully, Terrastock and BS event hosts have been thoughtful enough, with the festival chaos and crowds dispersed, to remember their most geographically challenged followers, sharing the musical spoils with photos and videos aplenty.

Windy & Carl @ Terrastock 7 (Ned Raggett)

Terrastock is not just a festival, it’s a family. There’s a feeling of community that you won’t get anywhere else and you can’t help but feel caught up in it all. This isn’t Boneroo, Lollapalooza, or Austin City Limits. People aren’t here for spectacle or to be seen - they are here for the music and the community that surrounds the psych genre whose umbrella is the zine Ptolemaic Terrascope. That sense of community extends from the biggest acts to the smallest. This is, when you get down to it, nothing more than a big house party at (founding editor of PT) Phil McMullen’s pad. The pad this year just happened to be in lovely Louisville, Kentucky in the Mellwood Arts and Entertainment Center - a former factory turned multi-use facility. — Ramon Medina, TX

Wooden Shjips (alt)

Windy & Carl (1/2) (2/2)

Mike Tamburo

Kinski, Sharron Kraus w/ United Bible Studies, Mono (pt.1, pt.2), Grails, Tara Jane O’Neil (pt.1, pt.2, pt.3), Ignatz, Pelt, The Black Twig Pickers (alt), Paik, Makoto Kawabata (pt.1, pt.2), Sleeping Pill (Yo La Tengo), Black Forest/Black Sea (pt.1, pt.2), Terrastock 7 @ flickr & Terrastock 7 flickr group (yahoo ID required)

Windy & Carl live photo courtesy of Ned Raggett, used under Creative Commons license

(h/t narikiri, greatest youtube user ever)

Ignatz live session at WFMU

Published
by
sean
on June 16, 2008
in internet listening
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Brian Turner broadcast a short eight minute Ignatz live session last week, recorded in the WFMU studios.  Tragically, I missed Ignatz playing live just last weekend in NYC.  Celebrate Psi’s Ignatz release, I Will Soothe My Eye To Feast It With A Sight of Beauty, is a favorite of mine.  Last year’s Quiet as Mice, though I haven’t been able to enjoy is as thoroughly, was certainly a highlight of 2007. Turner’s fellow WFMU dj Fabio (my favorite at the station) even selected the cassette release for his year-end best-of list.

Oddly enough, this FMU performance sounds unlike most of what I’ve heard from Ignatz.  Last year’s album, II, released on Kraak, is the best example of the sound Bram Devens developed for Ignatz (stream II & Ignatz @ last.fm).  Steven R. Smith and Stefan Neville/Pumice obsessives like myself likely found themselves instantly enamored with the dingy lo-fi Ignatz ditties.  This latest recording, completely instrumental, sounds to be a bit of a departure.  The long, speculative drone piece sounds more like a Peter Wright recording than what I expect from Ignatz.  Devens’ rubbery lo-fi vocals were always a highlight of his work, but are completely absent on this FMU session.

Of course, there’s no better place to experiment and modify your sound than on the road and during radio live sessions.  Svarte Greiner, Elegi and Peter Wright are the best comparisons to this live recording I can conjure at the moment.  Ambient leanings, and creepy atmospherics could be an exciting addition to Devens formula.  I look forward to seeing whether his experimentation here is featured on a future proper release.


WFMU’s Brian Turner from 6/10/2008 (popup/8min)

photo courtesy of flickr user wsogmm, used under CC license

(h/t kraak)

Brief glimpse into the latest Digitalis cdr subscription series, ‘Arroyo’

Published
by
sean
on December 5, 2007
in feature, podcast and review
. 2 Comments

Bottling Smoke was Digitalis Industry and Phantom Limb’s first experimental, field-folk festival, featuring the many of the best acts contemporary ambient/experimental music has to offer. Festivals are a dime a dozen these days, some good, some not so good. Bottling Smoke, though, was something special. From an outsider’s perspective, the numerous collaborative performances were the highlight of the festival and a fitting reflection of the communal backbone vital to the contemporary micro-label culture. One glimpse at the Brad Rose or Grant Capes (festival co-curators and Digitalis/Phantom Limb masterminds, respectively) discography is evidence enough of this empowering, internet enabled, globalization of independent, self-produced music. As explained by Sir. Rose, Bottling Smoke was a chance to bring these artists together for the first time, who had previously only been able to collaborate remotely. Tragically, I was unable to attend, so my take on all this can’t be terribly insightful.

Fortunately for me though, Digitalis has produced and recently released the first slew of disks in their new ‘Arroyo’ cdr subscription series. ‘Arroyo‘ is apparently intended to capture and communicate some of BS’s wonder and magic for the rest of us, the geographically deprived.

Continue reading ‘Brief glimpse into the latest Digitalis cdr subscription series, ‘Arroyo’’

 
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