An Iron Ball Larger Than Earth - Uhh (USA 2009)

Some homemade experimental guitar music by AN IRON BALL LARGER THAN EARTH, compiled by Doug Holbrook, the man behind the one-man band with the cryptic name from Lexington, Kentucky.

"I'm stylistically all over the map... Can and Faust one minute, then Stooges and Sonny Sharrock the next... then comes Derek Bailey and Keith Rowe... Robert Fripp makes an appearance along side David Torn then it all goes to hell when Merzbow shows his head... And I sometimes use an automatic drummer since I can't get Jaki Liebezeit, Klaus Dinger or Sunny Murray... 

Also, as a caveat, almost everything was extemporised and recorded first take (if overdubbed, one pass for each track...) so the recording quality might be a bit... uhh... variable... 

'Slober, Drool... Repeat' is a tribute to two of my main heroes... Ron Asheton (R.I.P.) and Pete Cosey... 

'Steppes' and 'The Sky Breeds Clouds and Dragons' are in tribute to two other heroes... Robert Fripp and Makoto Kawabata... 

'B-side' reflects my love of Rock instrumentals (Link Wray, Davie Allen, Dick Dale... The list goes on and on...) All tracks were made with an electric guitar and a multieffect unit..." (D. H.)

Pretty good description, I guess. Guitars all over the place...
(B.t.w.: I'd ask for a remix of 'Heavy man' overdubbed with 'Old wood under green water' featured on the Myspace site - that was what I listened to accidentially when opening Doug's Myspace site... sounds brilliant!)
The most obvious comparisons to these ears are indeed DAVID TORN and HELIOS CREED as well as ROBERT FRIPP.
Great homemade guitar psych that any guitar freak will love to check out!

My favourite track: 'The Sky Breeds Clouds and Dragons' (11:18)
Enjoy!

Myspace

AN IRON BALL LARGER THAN EARTH - Uhh (2009)
(mp3 zip, 6 tracks, 38 min, 86,6 MB)
Get it here or here!

Aural Incline - Aural Incline (EP song collection) (USA 2006-9)

"Although our sound isn't immediately psychadelic, (...) I feel that our music has a psychadelic feel with the stream-of-conciousness lyrics, and the textures created by our instrumental songs. We also record our music at home, ourselves." (Russ Carstens)

"AURAL INCLINE is a duo from Middletown, NJ, that formed in 2006. Russ Carstens plays guitar, sings, and drums (playing and programming), with Tom Perrella on bass. We play the open mic circuit as an acoustic duo in Central NJ when we can, and Russ is open to the idea of touring one day and playing live with electric instruments and backing tracks, for more of a "band" feel. All in all, we're simply pleased to share our music through the internet, and are thrilled if people enjoy it.

This is a self-titled compilation featuring songs from each of our 3 EPs, and a song from our new album, currently in the works. These EPs are free - just email us! (mail address in the zip-file - to avoid spam!!! m-f)" (info by R. C.)

Very interesting mixture of rather straight alternative/indie rock songs and more abstract instrumental tracks. Comparable to, hmmm... YO LA TENGO, ELEVENTH DREAM DAY, late SONIC YOUTH, VELVET UNDERGROUND, TRANS AM ... The singing style reminds me sometimes of BRIAN ENO (especially on "Everything Is Connected").

Favourite song: "Vanilla Shake"

http://www.myspace.com/aincline

AURAL INCLINE - Aural Incline (EP song collection)
(mp3 zip, 10 tracks, 26 min, 47,3 MB)
Get it here or here!

Interpretace - The last Danubian session video (CZCH 2009)

INTERPRETACE live jam 2009

Three short videos from an all night jam in Richard's old danube flat that show that INTERPRETACE are still in excellent form in the year 2009!

Get 'em here (mpg)!

1. regionální (= Interpretace) - Ave Legionars (CZCH 199?)

"1. regionální" was another moniker name for another experimental INTERPRETACE recording from the 1990s.

"1.regionální" means "1st regional" and was meant as a joke because after the "Velvet Revolution" in Czechoslovakia it was fashionable to name firms for instance "1st regional building" and thus INTERPRETACE took that name...

This collection of short pieces is titled "Ave Legionars" because the brother of Richard Charvat's grandfather was in that legion...

What we get to hear is a selection of avantgarde/experimental tracks, that use various sound snippets from the radio (e. g. JOHN CAGE's voice) for good effect. The last track "Tanyny" is some music that was used for a puppet theatre/ballet; it was a mix of recycled samples from previous recordings from the 80ties with folk song motives (for example "Ta naše písnička česká" - this Czech song is played in weird manner at the beginning and the end of that track on accordeon). The song was assambled from 5 homemade CD-Rs.

My personal favourite track: "nálet na londýn"

Enjoy - and don't forget to check out the older INTERPRETACE-posts!

1. regionální (= Interpretace) - Ave Legionars (CZCH 199?)

(mp3 zip, 13 tracks, 54 min, 51,3 MB, front cover incl.)

Get it here!

PLEASE NOTE: The data concerning the years was corrected (from 70ies to 80ies and from 80ies to 90ies) in the above info text. (m-f; July 2009)

Wonder Wheel - Hello Picture! (USA 2008)

'Hello Picture!' is already the 17th WONDER WHEEL album, and Paul A. Rosales' 30th solo release since June 2003, Recorded October - December 2008 in his home studio in Orange, California, USA. Paul says that "this album is also the first true work of the 21st century".

Paul's work has some similarities with RANGERS' homemade cassette collages (posted earlier), so if you like those, you may also like WONDER WHEEL, though the WONDER WHEEL tracks are probably a little more focused, more in a pop structure with vocals - and also they are much shorter pieces. But just like RANGERS Paul creates in WONDER WHEEL a complete musical cosmos that you will, when you have listened to some of his music before, always recognize in a moment, - for its originality and uniqueness in sound. And that is pretty cool, I think...
Enjoy!
My favourite tracks: Future Home and Reputation

"Future Music is the result of imagination and the anticipated creation within composed works. Highlighted points of musical perpetuation include the atonal development of Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), the compiled sounds of “Poéme Électronique” by Edgard Varèse (1883-1965), the Sonic Signatures and Electronic Pop productions of Joe Meek (1929-1967), and the variation of tape and melody on “Discreet Music” by Brian Eno (1948-Present). (...)

To combine the Future World with the Future Music, the tools and machines used in the documenting process acknowledge both worlds of digital and analog technology.
1. Recorded onto tape machines of the 1980’s and 1990’s
2. Performing with a digital interface of analog equipment
3. Manipulated by tape speed and/or pitch of plug-in
4. Transferred to computers of the mid 2000’s
These primary directives are used to establish unique Sonic Signatures and conclude the composition." (P. R. - Read The Anticipation Proclamation-pdf (included in the zip file) for more information.)

Myspace
Youtube
number5music.org

WONDER WHEEL - HELLO PICTURE! (2008)
(mp3 zip, 9 tracks, 46 min, 53,2 MB)
Get it here or here!

Bird From The Abyss - I (FINL. 2009)

Here is another extraordinary, very promising homemade recording, this time from Finland. BIRD FROM THE ABYSS explores the darker regions and has an almost medival, gothic over all atmosphere.

"Plug 'Bird From The Abyss - I' to your headphones, take a trip to the darkness of your local forbidden forest and experience the unreal. Hailing from Finland, BIRD FROM THE ABYSS is playing music from the unknown depths, according to ancient Gods long forgotten." (Matias Aaltonen, BFTA)

Instruments featured:
Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Concert Zither, Bass, Voice, Flute, Percussions, Chimes etc., Various Synths

Website

BIRD FROM THE ABYSS - I
(mp3 zip, 4 tracks, 13 min, 27,1 MB, @320, artwork incl.)
1. Intro / Beginning At Center Of The Chaos / Azathoth And Fulte 1:54
2. Song To The Great Black Fox 2:12
3. Ways Of Slaughter 3:34
4. Abdul Alhazred's Anxiety 5:22
Get it here!

Polytexte - the words meet the objects 1987 (Movie about 1987 avantgarde festival in Frankfurt a. M.)

I would like to invite you to the film premiere of "Polytexte - the words meet the objects 1987" at the Frankfurt Filmfestival "Lichter Filmtage", Saturday, March 21st., 2009, 24:00 h at the Turm cinema 4, Bleichstr. 57, 60313 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It's historical video material of a Frankfurt avantgarde-event in 1987, restaurated and compiled.
I will be there. - Eick Hoemann

Featured are John Cage, Albert Oehlen, Martin Kippenberger, Oskar Pastior, Jürgen Ploog, Kathy Acker, Anton Bruhin, FSK, Achim Wollscheid/Grether, David Garland und Sven Ake Johannsson: all together one evening in Frankfurt in 1987. An avantgarde event between performance, music and literature.
http://www.filmtage-frankfurt.de/index.php?article_id=88

para!helion - 3 Miles from Mecca (USA 1999)

"This is the first para!helion release that I (= John Thorne) played on (Dave & Jeff had released some earlier work with a different drummer). The bulk of these were recorded live at Mecca coffeehouse in Albuquerque to entertain the troops as Basement Films projected and archived a massive donation of educational films. We played with films projecting on every available piece of wall space. The first and last track were recorded in Dave's living room." (J. T.)

Released in very limited quantities in 1999

Style: Opium Den Ambiance
Players: Dave - Trumpet, effects; Jeff - Electric Balilaika, effects; John - African Kettle Drums, Dumbek, Clay Djemba

para!helion - 3 Miles from Mecca (USA 1999)
(mp3 zip, 7 tracks, 74 min, 168,6 MB, @320)
Get it here or (in two parts) here and here!

ephemeroL live in Frankfurt a. M. (GER), 19th March 2009

kin-et ffm presents:

ephemeroL

- minimal drone rock -

Donnerstag/Thursday 19.3.2009, 22:00/10:00 p.m., Clubkeller,
Textorstr. 26, Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen (http://www.clubkeller.com)

Read more about ephemeroL here,
listen to some live stuff here!

para!helion: Midaq Alley (USA 1999)

JOHN THORNE (aka: icastico) runs a blog by the name of Pen & Mallet, that "will share music that I have been involved in creating over the last 3 decades. I will only post out-of-print works that I had a direct hand in creating..."
The first two things he posted were from PARA!HELION. Here is "Midaq Alley", released in very limited quantities in 1999 and featuring: Dave - Trumpet, effects; Jeff - Electric Balilaika, effects; John - percussion, loops, and acoustic bass. All songs were improvised and recorded live to two track.

So what do we get? Hmmmm... Difficult... let's say: Imagine the late 60s (US) KALEIDOSCOPE jamming with the mid-seventies MILES DAVIS in an opium den in Egypt in the 90s... Middle Eastern influenced improvisations with a very cool trumpet to the front - how would ya call that? Ethnic jazz? Amateur fake exotica?
You may read a complete, very good review of "Midaq Alley" here.
Anyway, however one will call it - it's very good music! Quite trippy! Enjoy!

para!helion: Midaq Alley (USA 1999)
(mp3 zip, 12 tracks, 77 min, 143,8 MB, @320)
Get it here or (in two parts) here and here!

Damo Suzuki & The Whole - Live @ KJK Sandgasse, Offenbach 09.12.2008

Already the 3rd post with live material by DAMO SUZUKI & THE WHOLE (find the other 2 live sets in the archives). Again in excellent sound quality, directly from the "masters", in fact recorded on 8 track with laptop and remixed by Member himself. This time the ex-THE CAN singer and MEMBER and STOLLE were supported by special guest Matthias Vatter on guitar.

Check out more recordings by MEMBER & STOLLE in various incarnations here! Enjoy!

Damo Suzuki & The Whole - Live @ KJK Sandgasse, Offenbach 09.12.2008
(mp3 zip, 8 tracks, 143 min, 272,1 MB, artwork incl.)
Get it here!

THE GOLDEN DAWN performing their 1968 album ‘Power Plant’ from start to finish at PSYCH FEST 2 in AUSTIN, TX March 13th-15th

According to the Psychedelic Music Blog legendary former International Artists band THE GOLDEN DAWN will perform their classic 1968 Texas-psych album ‘Power Plant’ from start to finish at PSYCH FEST 2 in AUSTIN, TX, March 13th-15th!!! And another legend will also perform: SKY SUNLIGHT SAXON of the legendary garage rockers THE SEEDS.

Complete Lineup (date info Feb. 21)

Friday the 13th
The Black Angels - The Golden Dawn - Lower Heaven - Woven Bones
Saturday the 14th
Sky Sunlight Saxon of The Seeds - Dead Meadow - the wooden shjips - Golden Animals - Indian Jewelry - Daughters of the Sun - Shapes Have Fangs - The Shine Brothers - The Astronaut Suit - The Tunnels - Smoke and Feathers - PJ and the Bear
Sunday the 15th

A Place to Bury Strangers - The Warlocks - The Strange Boys - Asteroid #4 - Forever Changes - The Vandelles - The Upsidedown - Miranda Lee Richards - Christian Bland & The Revelators - Cavedweller - Cartright

So what are you waiting for (that is: when you live in Texas, USA, or nearby)? Get your ticket - online on www.livemusiccapitol.com or at Austin record stores (all days: $45 or one day doses for $15). Read more here!

The Medicine Man - Reverberations For Baby/Forever Brother (USA 2007/2008)

For those of you, who did not like the latest posts (with spaced-out improvisations and the like): fear not! Here is something for you: two real records with REAL SONGS on them... Grab them fast - they both are excellent!

(On homemade-lofi-psych there is and ALWAYS WILL BE room enough for many different styles of many different colours - the improvised free-form-freak-outs and the well-structered pop/rock/folk songs!!! It's up to you to taste of both... Enjoy and have fun while discovering new sounds!)

From Brooklyn, New York, comes THE very talented MEDICINE MAN, with two very interesting records on offer. The music is difficult to describe; it ranges from dark alternative roots rock and freak-folk to more experimental pieces delving one time even into free-jazz/free-form-rock (on the opening track ("For other Brothers") of the 2nd album, before gliding into deep shining space). Most of the songs are in a more reflective, or even dark mood, and occasionally there are some space psych moments to be found.
Comparisons: hmmm..., JEFF BUCKLEY, maybe a more folk based NICK CAVE or perhaps the more hypnotic pieces of GUN CLUB.

Dylan Ewing, the man behind THE MEDICINE MAN, already started making sound collages on his dad's 4-track tape machine sometime in high school. He had begun playing the drum kit, when he was eight... He grew up in Cincinnati, OH.

"The Medicine Man started around 2005 as a home recording project after my band 'Forty-One Ninety-Two' split up. Played a bunch of solo shows using guitar, vocals, tape machines and a lot of delay. In April 2006 I moved to New York. Didn't know where to play out here so I stayed home and wrote about a hundred songs my first year in New York.

Recorded 'Reverberations For Baby' at home on a Yamaha 8 track cassette machine in 2007. These were the first Medicine Man recordings I put out (self released CD-R).

In early 2008 I contacted Greg Ashley about recording an album. In March I went to Oakland, and we made 'Forever Brother' in his home studio on 16 track one inch tape. 'Forever Brother' will be released this spring on LP by Dent Records (500 copies). - I'm currently writing a third Medicine Man album to be recorded later this year." (D. E.)

Enjoy!

Myspace

THE MEDICINE MAN - Reverberations For Baby/Forever Brother (USA 2007/2008)
(m4a-zip, 19 tracks, 79 min, 72,3 MB + 89,3 MB)
Get it here (megaupload both albums) or
here (Reverberations ...) and here (Forever Brother) (both on easyshare)

I also converted the m4a's for non Mac-users to mp3's.
(mp3-zip, 19 tracks, 79 min, 55,2 MB + 54,3 MB)
Get it here (megaupload both albums) or
here (Reverberations...) and here (Forever Brother) (both on easyshare)

Next New York live gigs:

- 08. March 2009 9:00 p.m.
GLASSLANDS w/Mirror Mirror & Illuminations Brooklyn, New York
- 20. March 2009 9:00 p.m.
ZEBULON w/ Moon High Brooklyn, New York
- 04. Apr. 2009 9:00 p.m.
MATCHLESS w/Von Haze + TBA Brooklyn, New York

BY REQUEST: ephemeroL - Live Performance, Das Bett, 04-11-2006 (GER)

One of the rare live recordings of EPHEMEROL, the German avantgarde/noise/experimental band from Frankfurt a. M. from April 11th 2006.
This live performance from "Das Bett" sounds very different to the more post rock/drone oriented tracks from the EP I posted some time ago and also to the very noisy track from the HLFP 02-Sampler "EMBRYO THOUGHTS".
It starts rather silently in a meditative mood and then slowly builds up to get a little louder (but never too loud) and more weird as the journey travels on - improvised from start til end. Reminds me somehow of the title track of the first GURU GURU LP "UFO". Around the 21st minute they shortly even sound like PINK FLOYD doing a 1970 version of "Interstellar Overdrive" (middle section). If you liked the far out improvised music of INTERPRETACE I posted recently, you surely will also like this rather abstract ephemeroL performance. Nothing for rock purists though...
Enjoy!

ephemeroL are:
MAXIM ENGL: guitar, electronics; ROGER ECKHARDT: bass, electronics; PETER PROCHIR: drums, electronics.
Read more here.

Myspace

EPHEMEROL - Live Performance, Das Bett, 04-11-2006
(1 mp3 track, zipped, 63,1 MB, 46 min)
Get it here!

Next German gigs will be:
March 19 2009, 20:00 = 08:00 PM - Clubkeller
Textorstrasse, Frankfurt a. M., Hessen -
----
April 03 2009, 15:30 = 03:30 PM - Musikmesse
Halle 12, Bühne 2, Frankfurt a. M., Hessen -
Short, but sweet!!!

Brodio Nuncia (Interpretace) - Fara/Vzorek (CZCH, 198?, exact date unknown)

"I don't remember exact time, but 'fara' was recorded live sometimes in the middle of the eighties. Instruments used here was bass, quitar, keyboard, analog echo, gramophone, magnetophone, radio plus some voices. Four persons (me, karel, martin and julius). It was recorded directly onto tape from homemade mix.
I haven't any pictures from this private concert, but in attachment there's (a) photo how fara looks today."

"'fara' was recorded in temple of Hussite church in middle of the eighties and 'vzorek' is homemade sample with loop..." (Richard Charvat)

This is probably my favourite INTERPRETACE (BRODIO NUNCIA) recording so far. Again it's great improvised music reminding of some mid-seventies krautrock bands - very relaxed, ideal music for late night listening... I'd recommend to load 'fara' into the VLC-player and start the "Goom" visual effects function (or start the visual effects on iTunes for that matter) and drift away into coloured space for the next 47 minutes... That's exactly what I did last night... Wow, what a trip...

'vzorek' is a different affair altogether - much more in an industrial mood, and also a great track, though for different reasons. Enjoy!

BRODIO NUNCIA (INTERPRETACE) - Fara/Vzorek
(mp3-zip, 2 tracks, 51 min, 90, 5 MB)

Old links are dead - repost if requested.

Free mp3 track from "War Tapes" EP: Dreaming Of You (USA 2009)

"Sarathan proudly announces the release of War Tapes' debut eponymous EP. This Los Angeles 4-piece successfully creates epic anthems of angst, blending the attitude and edge of today's post-hard-core scene with an appealing nod to 80's new-wave and post-punk. All the while, War Tapes demonstrates a knack for creating huge hooks and sing along choruses." (Promo info from Sarathan Records)

"Dreaming of You" makes clear, why WAR TAPES are frequently compared to THE CURE - their music is dark and melodic, though probably a little bit more pop orientated. Not bad for a start. Enjoy!

Myspace

WAR TAPES - Dreaming of You (mp3)
Get it here or here!

Buy the complete EP here (amazon)!

IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR, PLEASE SUPPORT THE ARTISTS!