06-23-08 >><< Summer gigs, Aposasis release, Cartridge CD release, DTrash Fest!
First of all, much thanks to those who came out to the Transistor Festival in Denver, CO. 'Twas a pleasure meeting many new faces and seeing old ones. A weekend of great noise, just how I like it. There'll probably be some video and/or pics a plenty at some point, and some of the more choice ones will be added here.
Thanks also to all those who've downloaded and pre-ordered stop:skronk:explode! Its flattering to know people are actually listening to this stuff. The printed copies came out better than I expected (kinda look like old vinyl sleeves, only CD size). The artwork has been getting great responses (see below) and I can't thanks my good bud Gavin Wilson for devoting his time to this project. Want a copy? Email blipvertmusic@gmail.com and we'll set it up (PayPal is easiest).
Upcoming, on the concertizing front, I'll be spending a month in Portland, Oregon and the following will be occurring at a dark depressing, underground establishment near you:
August 8th - Cartridge CD Release - 'Field Recordings' @ Design Council
Portland, OR
August 9th - BlipVert @ Adventureland
Portland, OR
(email blipvertmusic@gmail.com for more info)
August 12th - BlipVert @ Le Voyeur
404 E 4th Ave, Olympia, WA
August 13th - BlipVert @ Mercury Lounge - Backwards Records Threat Series
1009 E Union St, Seattle, WA
August TBA - BlipVert @ Reactionary (check myspace page for date)
Portland, OR
More are in the works and I'll try to post em here as they come through. The rest of the time will be spent working on new Cartridge material with my very tall and devastating reed-ist John Savage and wandering around Portland in a coffee and beer induced haze. And then:
September 6th, 2008 DTrash Festival @ White Orchid
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I'll be sharing the night with such great DTrash acts as Hansel, Nwodtlem, The Phoeron, and Mr. J Schizoid himself. There have been loose discussions of other gigs to accompany this one in such places as Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois, but this remains to be seen.
And on the release front, a whole batch of new stuff cominatcha. First off as mentioned, the Cartridge release on Diatic Records - which was supposed to have been finished last year - will finally (I'm praying) be presented, released, and available on the open market. I sincerely apologize to all who've been waiting for this to happen, and getting the proverbial egg off my face after having announced this over and over again has been, needless to say, an embarrassment. Anyway, August 8th in Portland is the final date. For directions and any other pertinent info, drop an email to blipvertmusic@gmail.com. I'll be announcing pre-orders soon....
In addition to this, a very cool Polish label called Apogsasis will be releasing a compilation with the new BlipVert track "Insect Bleach in 4 Parts." This new, massive 7 minute plus track - complete with guitar shredding and as many schizo freakouts as you can imagine - will join tracks of other fine local (meaning Poland) and international electronic music artists. If you wanna hear it, go to the BlipVert myspace page.
Further bulletins as events warrant. Cheers!
04-01-08 >><< NEW BLIPVERT DISC "STOP:SKRONK:EXPLODE" RELEASED!!
Digital Downloads available from DTrash Records/pre-orders available for pressed CD's
I've been keeping this under wraps for awhile, and now the date has finally arrived for the official release.....
My new disc, 'stop:skronk:explode,' has been released on DTrash Records. A 10 tune workout chock full of messed up glitch - thrash anthems. Artwork is represented below:
Yee - haw!! Pretty, eh?
First off, great big ups go to THE MAN, Jason Smith (otherwise known as J. Schizoid), the man behind the DTrash madness, who has been nothing but a beacon of support and professionalism throughout this whole process. I can't thank J. enough for taking a chance on my insanity, and I can assure y'all I'll be posting a bunch more about Schiz, DTrash, and events regarding DTrash in the future. I look forward to being a part of the DTrash family for a long time to come. Additional thanks go to Gavin Wilson for the amazing artwork, Teun de Reeper of Eat Concrete Records, Michael Fossenkemper, Isaac Peachin, and of course, maw and paw!
For all you anxious folks, go directly to the DTrash page to download the album. Downloads are available currently through rapidshare.com, megaupload.com, badongo.com, and zshare.net. Go either to the MP3 link on the DTrash page or click the link on the front page. Additional online distributors (e.g. Itunes, Caroline), reviews, and events regarding this release will be listed here as they come about. In addition, there's a BlipVert track up on the DTrash myspace page as well as an MP3 podcast of the most recent 2008 releases. Some pretty sick stuff, all the artists are worth checking out!
For pressed CD's - in addition to distributor stock - I'm doing a special pre-order for anyone who wants one of the limited pressed discs. Drop an email to blipvertmusic@gmail.com and indicate how many you want and your mailing address. When the discs are ready, you'll be notified and given payment options. Each disc will be $10. All I can say folks, is that this is one of the craziest collections of stuff I've released in awhile. Buy one and scare your neighbors....or yourself....
Also, check out a great interview recently undertaken between myself and the aforementioned J. Schizoid for DTrash and the new disc. You can read a text version of that on the Text Interviews page. Might coerce those who remain undecided.....
More Blip gigs are also in the works for the future, including an appearance at the Transistor Festival in Denver, Colorado. Yep, Denver. Apparently a hotbed of electronic music, a whole slew of artists from all over the world will converge on Denver June 13 and 14. There oughta be more gigs round this time I'm hoping, and all info will be posted here.
On a final note, I wish to thank all of you who expressed your kind condolences about my grandmother. It made a guy feel a little less alone in this world. Much good vibes to all of you.
Pre-order a CD, download it, make your life a little more..........BlipVertized!
03-02-08 >><< Post Blip-Trip, the loss of a great woman
After a grueling two weeks on the East Coast BlipVert has returned back to O-town. I'd like to thank everyone who listened on the radio, came out to a gig, or helped out this last time around, in particular Isaac Peachin, Gavin Wilson, Christina Bouza, Owen Molloy, John Romeri, Katie Northlich and Jerry Miller, Laura Napier, Charles Blass, James Amoeba, all the guys at the Danger Danger Gallery and Red Rocket, the 14 Karat Cabaret, and of course the NYC Splice crew. Must say there were some massive turn-outs with lots of great people who were there to actually listen. A tour complete with no sleep, weird food, sub-zero temperatures, and a lotta memorable acts as well, especially the gig in Providence, RI, which produced some of the most amazing noise music I've ever experienced. One thing I did happen to learn.....don't drive a Ford Focus in the snow.
I want to also apologize to those who were expecting to see me in Baltimore and Philadelphia. Upon my arrival in New York, I was informed of the deteriorating state of my dear 96 year old grandmother. She passed away midway through the week, and I had to fly back to Arizona for her memorial service. As a result, I had to cancel these two concerts.
My grandmother was one of the most inspirational people I have ever known. Once a budding, young extraordinarily talented musician and pianist who attended Oberlin College, my grandmother and I shared a special bond through music and the arts. She had a passion and zest for living and was one of the major forces of our family. I remember our conversations about music and how the generation gap between us never seemed to be issue. I remember jamming with my grandmother on guitar and piano and how the music seemed to flow effortlessly. I also remember composing a set of 11 piano etudes for my grandmother as part of my Masters' composition recital at NYU. Its nice to know that wherever that piece goes, her spirit will go with it. My grandmother devoted her life to her family and her grandchildren, and had more energy than I did most days. The last of my grandparents to leave this earth, I'll miss her everyday for the rest of my life.
And so, with ups and downs, this tour has come to an end. And now its time to sleep.....for a month.
02-15-08 >><< East Coast Blip-Trip final dates
To the east coast again we go! Catch a Blip gig at the following locations this February:
Feb 17 2008 WKCR 89.9 FM New York - Live Constructions New York, New York
Feb 20 2008 Galapagos Brooklyn, New York
Feb 21 2008 109 Mathewson St Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 22 2008 14 Karat Cabaret Baltimore, Maryland
Feb 23 2008 Danger Danger Gallery Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 24 2008 Splice New York, New York
01-10-08 >><< A brand new year, the end of the il Corral, gigs/tours/releases...
Alohaw and well wishes to all. Hope your new years celebration was a good one, and that at least, for one night, you partied avant-BlipVert style! I for one sorta did, and two have no idea what that even means....or what I even did.
Gotta coupla announcements for y'all, and I'll try to refrain from editorializing (a new year's resolution I guess).
First of all, it is with a heavy heart that I mention the end of one of LA's most lovable and truly independent underground music venues, the il Corral. The il had its final show ever on December 29, 2007. I was invited to fill the halls of the il with music only 3 times, and I must say that I came to to call it home. A place where true experimentation and musical collaboration could take place, and all who attended could feel free to simply be themselves (and read great books!). Great big ups and thanks go to Stane and Christie Scott for their belief in and enthusiasm for new music, and their perseverance in keeping the il Corral running all these years despite many challenges. Many great acts graced the il that night (Slow Poisoner, Bavab Bavab, the Hop Frog Collective, etc.) including a massive chain link collaboration - performers set up in separate rooms and improvised together all while being consecutively 'linked' through a series of amplifiers - conceived by the great Stane. The noise, people, and good vibes reached epic proportions, and my final BlipVert set to a packed room was one of the best sets I've ever done, complete with great audience participation. A huge thanks to Jeremy of the Hop-Frog Collective for filming my entire set! Videos of the show can be found at the Interviews/Media page. So long il Corral, you will be missed.
In happier news, Stane and Christie will soon be opening another venue across town called Zero-point. Sure to be just as good as the original, I look forward to visiting and to many more great nights of music in LA. Cheers to Stane and Christie Scott and all of the great performers and composers who are associated with true underground music in LA!
Two tours occurring in the next two months, and I've been looking forward to them for awhile. First off, a Cartridge jaunt up north to Portland for a few gigs and a radio spot. Info as follows:
Cartridge on Radio KBOO, Portland
Saturday, January 19, 12 AM
In Portland, tune to 90.7 FM
Anywhere else, stream live on the internet at http://www.kboo.fm/listen
Cartridge @ Design Council
Saturday, January 19, 8 PM, $10
1001 SE Water #360
Portland, OR
Catridge @ Someday Lounge
Sunday, January 20, 7 PM, $6
125 NW 5th
Portland, OR
Later on in February, another Blip-trip back east with performances all over the tri-state area. Info as follows:
BlipVert on WKCR 89.9 FM, NYC, Columbia University Radio
Sunday, February 17, 10-11 PM
In New York, tune to 89.9 FM
Anywhere else, stream live on the internet at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/wkcr/
BlipVert @ Galapagos (still pending)
Wednesday, February 20th, 9 PM
70 N 6th, Brooklyn, NYC
BlipVert @ 14 Karat Cabaret
Friday, February 22, 9 PM
218 West Saratoga St., Baltimore, MD
BlipVert @ Danger Danger Gallery
Saturday February 23, 9 PM
5013 Baltimore Ave., Philadelphia, PA
BlipVert w/ Splice (location TBA)
Sunday, February 24, 9 PM
Hope to see y'all at a show. C'mon out and say 'hi.'
The debut Cartridge release 'Field Recordings' on Diatic Records (which was supposed to happen this month) has had to be put on the back burner for awhile. Regardless, the outlook appears optimistic for the future for a full release and CD release party in Oregon.
Look as well hopefully for a new full-length BlipVert release in 2008. Gotta find a nice label and nice people who will want to invest first. Anyone who is interested, please check out the tracks on the BlipVert myspace page. If interested, drop an email to blipvertmusic@gmail.com
Cheers!