8-17-10 >><< LA Blip-Trip, fall Cartridge recording/tour (round 2)
Sigh, back from NY, and as it looks no NY yet. Funny this, as if when you have a 3 and a half hour interview with someone it would seem that they really want to employ you.
Regardless, pleased to be getting the fuck out of the Bay Area for an LA Blip-Trip. A packed weekend is good, and I'll be joined by the insane composer/cellist iso/2 for a few gigs. Resbox - 19th, DIY Gallery - 20th, Landslide on the 20th. Details on the Dates page. Landslide is apparently some house party in the hills overlooking all of downtown LA. iso/2 and myself are going to try like hell to annihilate the better part of the LA skyline.....
I'll be heading up to Portland again later this fall where Cartridge will attempt another recording with a possible set of gigs, this time minus Diatic Records (which ought to be changed to A Colossal Waste of Time Records).
6-11-10 >><< QUANTUMBUSTER NOW officially released. Digital/vinyl distro, LA tour, new pics, FAQ festival review
BlipVert's devastating 4 track EP is now officially released on Eat Concrete Records and available at a variety of fine digital download and vinyl sites. See the list of all current sites on the Discography page.
An LA Blip-Trip is in the process of being scheduled for the 3rd week in August. Oscillator (Ben Wolcott - ex To Live and Shave in LA) will be joining me on some of the dates in hopes of sinking a good part of LA into the Pacific. Updates will be made on the dates page as things develop. If anyone wants to help out booking wise or has show ideas, send me an email
The pics area has been updated with some sweet new live BlipVert shots @ the FAQ festival in Den Bosch, the second to last gig of the 2010 Quantumbuster Now Euro tour. In addition, a massive review of the entire festival is available for reading. Scroll down on the Reviews page to the Live Reviews section for the BlipVert review, the original Dutch review and the English translation. Amusing to say the least. While you can't dance to BlipVert, you can still enjoy a nice beer :)........................?
New Blip-tracks on the horizon, and live band in Albany at the end of July! Fun.......
5-6-10 >><< Nomadic Transmissions this weekend, Dystopia Gardens extension
This weekend on May 8 there'll be a noise occurrence of epic proportions, featuring my newest mad experiment of electric kalimba/vox and drums. Performance will occur in the Mojave Desert at the Jawbone Canyon campsite, which will host a 2 day festival of experimental music. I played this event as solo BlipVert last October and had a blast. Poster below:
Directions to the campsite can be found here on the Urck Records website. Scroll down a bit to see the directions.
In other news, Dystopia Gardens, a NYC Off-Broadway sketch play about an unpleasant future that features the music of BlipVert, will be making another run of performances throughout May. Dates and all relevant info can be seen at the Dates page. If you happen to be in the NYC area, I highly recommend this.
Cheers!
4-16-10 >><< QUANTUMBUSTER NOW ordering info, THANKS, upcoming 'things'
A truly insane and illuminating time was had by all on the recent BlipVert Quantumbuster Now tour. New friends, new experiences, new airlines, new beer, and most importantly a new record! Mr Elzo Durt is responsible for the new artwork you see at the top of the page, quite possibly the best album artwork that I have ever had for any release. There's nothing like someone representing your ideas artistically exactly how you want them. A monster of an EP that certainly deserved a monster of a design. Here it is again not so scrunched up:
Dig the cool metalistic words in the upper right corner. Aaargghh!
The album will be available as a limited edition vinyl pressing (which I recommend), and as a digital download. Pre-orders can be made at Rush Hour Distribution Netherlands. Digital downloads and all other sites for purchase will be listed here and on the Discography page as they are registered. Official release looks to be June 1st. Order yours now!
Also, it certainly does go without some massive thanks to certain people who helped make this tour and release possible. Without question, the two that have been on the front lines of everything since the inception of this project have been Teun de Reeper, manager and owner of Eat Concrete records; and Ken Davidson, my good friend and lawyer extraordinaire who was instrumental behind the scenes of negotiating and organizing the specifics of this arrangement. Without Teun's knack for making the impossible possible coupled with an immense work ethic, and Ken's integrity as a professional coupled with him being one of the smartest and most honest guys I know this entire endeavor would have never taken place. I feel honored and blessed to have both of these guys in my life, and to have them working as hard as they have been for my artistic pursuits. Cheers to both of you!
Other massive thanks go to (in no specific order) Kim Vernooij; Roland Sauer and Marijn Van Heertum, Morgan Guberman, Gene V Baker; Ivo Bol, Dierek, and everyone at OT301; Coco Bryce; Viktor Vinogradov, Margo, Taavi, and all the guys of Krill Estonia; Fre2k, Sander, and Evan Odd; Marcel, Tein, and all who run and operate Tegendraads Shop; Sascha from WORM; Tineke de Mug; Raphael, Gerri, and Sander from Knalpot; Funckarma; Rikkit and the W2 and FAQ festival crew; Ard Bit............and of course, Mom and Dad! If I'm forgetting anyone, you get a free record....
Thus, after a brief rest, I'm ready to go again, and this time with a skeleton of a new project involving vox, drums, and the immense (yet small) electric kalimba. I'll be taking a percussionist down to the Mojave Desert again as part of the Hop-Frog Collective's Nomadic Transmissions series. More info on the Dates page. Look also for a possible collaborative release with Belgian artist Deleete at some point in the near future.
3-8-10 >><< BLIPVERT EP RELEASE ON EAT CONCRETE RECORDS + EUROPE TOUR; BlipVert music for Dystopia Gardens; Fun.
Well, it's finally settled. After about a million emails, skype chats, phone calls, and bottles of wine (consumed solely by myself), A new BlipVert EP will be released on the amazing Dutch label Eat Concrete Records, home of some of Europe (and beyond)'s most devastating acts such as Knalpot, Aardvarck, Daedelus, Funckarma, and Enemy Earth.
A full length album was originally intended for release, which is what I spent most of 2009 working on alone in a small room. However, after some thought and conversations, some select tracks were chosen for this project and viola! The title of the release will be called 'Quantumbuster NOW,' a nod to one of the most amazing sci-fi authors of our time, Peter F. Hamilton (to find out what a quantumbuster is, I suggest reading Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga books, Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained). There will be digital downloads and a vinyl pressing. Release date is still undetermined, but look for downloads and relevant info 'round the end of March, beginning of April.
Which leads to the next point of relevant info, which is an 8 concert tour in which BlipVert and a host of Eat Concrete partners in crime will be launching Quantumbusters all over greater Holland and *gasp* Estonia. Concert dates are listed on the dates page.
A massive amount of thanks and kudos goes to one man who has a knack for turning the impossible into the possible, Teun de Reeper (aka Pete Concrete). I'm sure the guy was ready to strangle me at many different points along this journey thus far, but I sincerely thank and recognize him as the driving force behind Eat Concrete and new, forward thinking music.
In other odd yet way cool news, a selection of BlipVert material will be used for a new NYC based off-Broadway sketch play about an 'unpleasant future' called 'Dystopia Gardens' (find out more here). Written and performed entirely by actors/comedians Jerry Miller and Will Nunziata, the first show begins this Thursday March 11, with other show dates and locations listed on the dates page. Unfortunately, I won't be at the premiere, but this is one I recommend.
And last but certainly not least, if you happen to be in Oakland this Friday, March 12 at 8 pm c'mon down to the Totally Intense Fractal Mindgaze Hut (or Jordan Glenn's loft), to see Fun. and Jordan's new project, Mama Long Legs. This'll be one helluva show, and everyone's sure to be ripping it up. Gig info on dates page and flyer below:
I think that about does it! Lotsa fun, lotsa tunes, lotsa lotsa!
1-30-10 >><< New Fun. Dates + Cool Tigerbar Flyer
Fun. @ Bluesix and others in February/March. Check the Dates page.
Great flyer for upcoming BlipVert/Realicide concert @ Tigerbar, Portland:
C'mon down!
1-17-10 >><< New Year, New Release, New Gigs, What Else is New?
Sorry to those that might have been expecting an update, when my last one was in fucking August of 08. *Sigh*, too long. I love life, if it just wouldn't keep getting in the way of things....
Bullet point recap/update of aforementioned 'things' that matter (in no chronological order whatsoever):
- New BlipVert record finished in August of 08. Since then, working out details for a release of some kind with an amazing label (name and details to be announced at a later time). Release and tour planned for March/April of 2010.
- New Dates page.
- Great show last October with the LA based Hop Frog Collective in the Mojave Desert! Short vid of BlipVert performance here.
- New remix 'My Whole Fish is a Tree' for master Belgian electronician Deleete (otherwise known as Kozak Serge) as part of his new Catharsis LP. January CD, vinyl, digital release on Marasm/Toolbox Records. Hear this remix on the BlipVert myspace page.
- Trying to get the hell out of the Bay Area.
- Cartridge/BlipVert PAC NW concerts beginning of February, including another ridiculous evening with Reactionary!. See Dates page for info and cool as hell Reactionary flyer.
- Trying to get the hell out of Oakland.
- Upcoming concerts with Fun., a duet consisting of myself on guitar and Gene Baker on electric piano.
- In rehearsal with new live band. Most likely, the basic skeleton of this band will be sketched here in the Bay - along with possible gigs - with a full on version occurring back east when the eventual move actually does occur.
- Lotsa private guitar instruction, which is nice.
Wanted to thank everyone who has offered support, encouragement, lodging, cash, advice, legal counsel, and good vibes over the last 1.5 years. A helluva ride to say the least, it always makes a lone avant-electro-composer feel good to find a kind heart in a world that seems to be getting worse by the minute. You are not forgotten....
Further bulletins as events warrant.....