11-06-08 >><< Life in the Apple, New Reviews, Future tours/concerts
Almost forgot the pleasant, charming life of NYC, occasionally ornamented by a melodious 'MOVE YOUR FUCKING TRUCK!' Sigh....
Thanks to all who schlepped out in all kinds of cold and rain to any gig during October last, many a great set, many a great experience, and many a great people. The Northeast Power Exchange was especially amazing, and it was great to finally see and meet all the great acts I've never seen or met before, including the amazing Mark of Broketronica (great set!), Chris Ianuzzi (I,Synthesist), and vectorzero. High point of the month had to be the Halloween blowout at the Danger Danger Gallery with Thrill Jockey's own Pit Er Pat who blew me away. If you missed it, well.....
Some minor short and long term thingamagigs. Some cool new reviews for stop:skronk:explode! at the Reviews page. Check 'em out, and if they don't make you wanna run out and buy a disc, I'll eat my hat. In massive news, I'll be returning to the amazing country of Holland at the end of Janurary for another tour sponsered by my amazing label Eat Concrete. Concerts are currently scheduled in Amsterdam, Arhem, Rotterdam, and Den Bosch with possible others to be scheduled.
I'll also be returning to the Bay at the end of the month for work on a new album - hopefully to be finished by the summer - a possible gig with my good friend and the inventer of the Octamasher Matt Moldover, and then I'll be leaving the Bay shortly thereafter. Its been a fun stay, but time to move on. Further bulletins of course when I know more.....
09-28-08 >><< BlipTrip Euro recap, East Coast gigs, Nada Cartridge, Blip-Cast
Amazingly, I didn't have time to update this damn site before I left for my first solo Blip-Trip to Europe. A feat that was not accomplished without an amazing amount of patience, perseverance, pissed-offedness, and personal financing. From Wroclaw, Poland to Tilburg, Holland I went; with one gig in either city. Both shows were a complete success, with massive turnouts at each and lessons learned as well. Thanks to Enay and the folks of Apogsasis Records in Poland and mostly to the massive ZXZW festival of Tilburg. Below are flyers and websites for each:
Wroclaw was a helluva town, and the Wagon Club was outfitted with a wall of speakers that would have put Eddie Van Halen's amp rig to shame. Great sets by Enay, Rekombinacja, Trippmatic, and of course yours truly. An evening of ear shattering electronic madness, non-stop dancing, and a near equipment meltdown on my part. Rock and roll! Thanks Apogsasis for a great evening!
In addition, I must say it was quite flattering to be involved in a similar event with the Sun Ra Arkestra, which not only performed every single night of the festival, but put on an amazing 3 hour concert on Saturday evening. Damn, they've still got it. A festival with 287 other acts, I was constantly in a quandary about where to go and who to see next. So much great music from around the globe encompassing free jazz, metal, punk, industrial, and even the completely uncategorizable. My good friends from Germany, Kera and Andre - otherwise known as Incite/ - put on a devastating performance involving Autechre style IDM with synchronized visuals. I performed with them once in LA, and their show blew me away completely. A powerful as hell set on my part at the charming Kafee 't Buitenbeentje was videotaped, and I should post something soon. Special - and I do mean special - thanks go out to Tineke, Frank, Vince, Chris, and the entire ZXZW staff for housing me and making the entire experience so amazing. I hope to return next year.
A special mention has to be made in regards to the impossibly amazing, lovely, and hospitable folks in Den Bosch - most notably associated with Eat Concrete records - that hosted me for my stay in Holland. Massive thanks go out to Teun de Reeper and his girlfriend Kim, who not only gave me my own room for my stay, but made me feel right at home in the giant Hekellaan 4 residence. I gotta say, in this world of meeting people and doing business through myspace and other online conduits meeting Teun for the first time was like meeting an old friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. Teun and Kim are impossibly cool and courteous people, and I miss them like hell already. And speaking of impossibly cool, meeting fellow music lovers and Eat Concrete label mates Ro Lee and his girlfriend Marijn made my trip to Holland doubly enjoyable. Much thanks to Ro for videotaping my set in Tilburg. A great time was had by all, and I sincerely hope to return back to Holland very soon (which might be a possibility after the new year) to see my, now, 4 amazing friends. To Teun, Kim, Ro, and Marijn, I salute you, and wish you all the best for the future. Cheers!
So I have now settled in New York, and plan to be here for about a month and a half until Thanksgiving or so. A slew of BlipVert gigs occurring this month at the following locations:
October 11 - Northeast Power Exchange Collective @ Chashama
217 E. 42nd St., NYC, $10, 9PM
(flyer below)
October 23 - Supreme Trading - Warper Party!
213 N 8th St., Brooklyn, NY, 8 PM
October 31 - Danger Danger Gallery - Halloween Party
5013 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 9 PM
For more info on these gigs, drop an email to blipvertmusic@gmail.com. These might be the last of 2008 before a trip back to the Bay for work on a new album and massive sleep, so get your Blip-fix while you can (whatever that is).
Finally, a statement that I've been regretting to make for awhile. The much planned, much talked about, much discussed, much doubt ridden Cartridge release on - the more or less defunct - Diatic Records will not be happening. I apologize to all of those who kept emailing and inquiring about what exactly was going on with the release, something I had no idea about myself after awhile. While I could waste a bunch of time and energy angrily writing about the circumstances behind this complete fiasco and the people involved, enough time and energy has been wasted already with it and I prefer to leave it alone. Keeping optimistic, John and I will be looking to release our amazing disc of world inspired compositions through other channels. I will post more about this release when there's more to post.
One more small piece of news, a new podcast for pandora.com focusing on BlipVert and elements of IDM and glitch music. Fun! Check it out on the Audio Interviews page.
Cheers to all!
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!