Woah, Darker My Love is headed for a new direction, if this track is any indication. Totally cool with me, I like new directions. Whereas the self-titled full length featured Brain Jonestown Massacre / Committee to Keep Music Evil standards – open tuned guitars, tinty textures, reverb washes, shitton of tambourine – “Two Ways Out” brings the Big Muff distortion coupled with melodic vocals. Instead of Dark My Love continuing in the Dead Meadow and Spacemen 3 trajectory, “Two Ways Out” has a Grandaddy meets Beach Boys feel. The new album is called 2 because, well, it’s the second album (you see what they did there), and descends upon the Earth’s surface next week on Dangerbird Records. The opening track is called “Northern Soul,” and if they’re referencing the sick Verve album, I’ll be totally stoked, dudebro.
Fun fact! Darker My Love’s rhythm guitarist is known as “The Sandwich.” I want a nickname like The Sandwich. Leave your suggestion(s) as a comment below. Don’t be a jerk, though.
Oh, junk! I’ve finally been awarded the opportunity to grip some serious Friends grooves. Friends was the project of Peter Howell and John Ferdinando. Both dapper gentlemen were involved in headtrip psych groups Ithaca and Agincourt – two bands that, unfortunately, never widely released any of their music. The best of the crop, though, was their baroque-esque, harmonic psychedelic pop collaboration on the rare gem Fragile, released in 1972.
Howell and Ferdinando, between cutting rollicking folk records, were both members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. As you know, I’m extremely fascinated by the Radiophonic Workshop. Howell himself played a key part in the composition for the Dr. Who and Through the Looking Glass scores. Time Has Told Me has a pretty in-depth bio.
Not only is the Fragile LP difficult to find, it’s also tricky to find information on Friends since they, uh, fuckin’ called their band Friends! Obviously, Lisa Kudrow’s gonna Google rank a little higher than Howell and Ferdinando, whether it’s fair or not. Anyway, enjoy these two jam hives that were ripped straight from the vinyl for full bass explosion, and definitely czech out “One Sweet Day” if you’ve been rocking that Fleet Foxes record as of late. Get shattered.
The world is not just, as oft demonstrated. Music this flawless, gorgeous, and sweeping should be accessible to everyone. Alas, this is not the case. The Left Banke has been defunct since 1967, and since they were never able to cultivate much of a substantial fan base while they were active, not much has been done to resurrect their baroque, complex psych pop that’s been referred to as the American response to the Zombies.
The Left Banke folded after chief song-slinger Michael Brown bounced to form Montage, partly due to the ever present “creative differences,” but primarily because of the Left Banke’s baffling inability to receive much recognition. And as Fortuna is a bitch, Montage didn’t take off either. Though “Walk Away Renee” gained some national attention in ‘67, the group’s small but fervent following was restricted to record store dorks, music majors, and serious longhairs. In 1994, Polygram released a retrospective collection There’s Gonna Be a Storm, featuring pretty much everything they ever recorded. Of course, that disc is now conveniently out of print (being a rare psych rock fan is a pain in the ass sometimes). If you feel like shelling out for a CD copy (not even vinyl) of questionable condition, there’s a few on eBay. Luckily, MP3 blogs like this one are here to correct these wrongs, bringing you the finest in stereophonic sound.
“Desiree” is aerodynamic. The bombastic chorus is beautiful but destructive, like the Alaskan Black Bear or Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill. Proceed with caution. “Desiree” is technically a Left Banke song, written by Brown and banged out by the rest of the band. However, it didn’t see the light of day until Montage’s eponymous record dropped in 1970, and later on the Storm compilation. Brown collects his alimony, for sure. You may notice that Brown’s arrangements sound very reminiscent of Caribou. Well, Caribou’s Andorra album, for all intents and purposes, is basically a fine reinterpretation of the Left Banke – a fair assessment considering that Andorra also features an expansive canticle titled “Desiree.” I can only assume this is an obvious nod to Brown and Company.
“Bartenders and Their Wives” is some Tolkien shit. I can hear Spanish guitar, clean distortion electric guitar, harpsicord, and autoharp. What all do you hear? Again, nothing but epic vocal harmonies, thick textures, highly mobile bass melodies, delicate composition, and a semi-bucolic musical milieu. Majestic and tectonic.
If you don’t know what’s up, and you want to know what’s up, the Left Banke is what’s up. And sweet sassy molassey, Amazon (who I’ve had always had good experiences with) has the Storm compilation available for download on the cheap. Yeah yeah, it’s not the same thing as a physical copy, but unless someone gets all ambitious and starts reprinting this disc (I’m looking at you, Light in the Attic) or releases a new collection of the Left Banke’s singles and 45s, this is the best, most affordable solution for your baroque psychedelic needs.
Yeeeeah, new Koushik joint. Koushik’s Be Withcompilation was amazing, but a little brief (only one track made it over the three minute mark). That issue is fixed with “Lying in the Sun” off the forthcoming Out My Window. “Lying in the Sun” is sunny psychedelia that comes correct and interpreted electronically – kinda like Caribou (Koushik even provided throat duty for some jams on Up in Flames, back in the pre-MySpace days when Danny S was known as Manitboa). However, Koushik remains very distinct, particularly by way of his clam, insanely reverberated vocals. All that was good about Be With is brought to the forefront – the sonically organic, lush, and hazy textures juxtaposed against crashing beats. However, you can tell, with this track alone, that Out My Window is going to showcase a lot more new ideas. Koushik is the latest heir to the Free Design’s throne, as long as that throne has room for some thumpin’ low end.
This… this sweet psych slice is so sickeningly good. It’s an IV drip of technicolor beauty. This groove can heal most terminal illnesses. I’ve got my headphone technology strapped on and am pumpin’ my fist hard to this. Get on it, share it with your friends, and pick up Out My Window when it drops like Chicxulub on Sept. 30 at your favorite local record slinger or at Stones Throw.
There’s no “I” in blogosphere, dood. If you weren’t there for Animal Collective, some serious teamwork will help take you back in time and put you there. My best blog buddy Matt, who runs a tight ship at the helm of YANP, just uploaded the zipped RAR files containing the full bootleg of Animal Collective’s stratospheric Pitchfork performance. I grabbed those files, separated them, pieced together the set list by way of my memory of the show and a swift cross reference of my AC catalog, and sequenced the tracks by, ya know, determining which jams segue the best (as Animal Collective is wont to seamlessly weave each song together when playing live). So yeah, good hustle everyone.
Anyway, this is a particularly good performance, so I’m quite stoked to have this recording available. The sound is decent enough, though there are a few hiccups from the original rip. That shouldn’t distract you too much, however, since Animal Collective brought the pain with new, rearranged, and rarely performed songs not to be missed. Though I never focused much on the lyrics of the Danse Manitee version, the vocal-present live rendition demonstrates that “Essplode”… is like totally filthy! Damn, Avey. Looks like Tare’s gonna up and join Three 6 Mafia before we know it. Okay, I’ll shut up now – enjoy, and somebody, please make a Successory poster out of this entry’s opening sentence.
Live @ Pitchfork Music Festival :: Chicago, IL :: 7.19.08
A lot of small, relevant snippets of information have been appearing on my newsdesk in the past couple of hours, so I figured, why not dump everything in my action items box into one convenient, slammin’ post. So here’s all the news fit to print, in one post. It will help augment my lack of posting over the weekend, as I will be out of town. The timing was a little bad considering…
Ariel Pink Hits the Bottle This Weekend… Hard
Ariel Pink, on his 2008 “Thanks Mom, I’m Dead” tour, is now bringin’ it proper with a lush, full band. I’m interested to hear this, considering the last time I saw Ariel’s twisted AM radio golden pop was his opening spot for Animal Collective during the Sung Tongs tour. They sounded (sonically, not compostionally) like shit, just like on album. I wonder if this same interpretation will happen full band (featuring members of Indian Jewelry, Lilys and Beachwood Sparks). Philadelphia’s singing-at-the-bottom-of-a-well siren Tickley Feather opens the New York, Philly, and Baltimore shows. I know nothing about Tickley Feather’s live show, but the recorded material is sick! As for local action, Ariel Pink hits the Empty Bottle in Chicago this Saturday (totally feelin’ sad panda for missing this). Please see it for me – take photos!
7/19 San Francisco, CA Cell Space
7/21 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
7/22 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
7/24 Omaha, NE Slowdown
7/25 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
7/26 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
7/27 Toronto, ONT TBA
7/28 Montreal, QC Zoobizarre
7/29 Boston, MA TT The Bears
7/30 New York, NY Knitting Factory
7/31 New Haven, CT People’s Center
8/1 Philadelphia, PA M Room
8/2 Baltimore, MD Sonar
8/4 Atlanta, GA Eyedrum
8/5 Tallahassee, FL Beta Bar
8/6 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
8/7 Houston, TX Walter’s on Washington
8/8 Denton, TX Hailey’s
8/9 Austin, TX Mohawk
8/11 Tucson, AZ Plush
8/12 Los Angeles, CA Echo
Lightning Bolt and Wooden Shjips Do ATP’s Release the Bats
Halloween is the only holiday I really celebrate, and if I can locate a few extra thousand dollars (plus exchange rate fund) lying aruond, I may just take a hajj to London’s Forum on October 31 for ATP’s Release the Bats. No, I probably won’t make it, but you Britons should take the trip to see Lightning Bolt and Wooden Shjips, then tell me how it was. Lightning Bolt, who refuse to play on a stage, is worth traveling any distance to see, for their energy, face melting performance, and sheer unadulterated volume. Wooden Shjips will be fun to see live, as well, since they will be testing lots of new material for the follow up to their airborne self-titled. ATP is encouraging people to dress spooky. Considering LB is booked – shouldn’t be a problem.
Watch Anton Newcombe Woo His Peers and Neighbors in DIG!
DIG is an amazing documentary by Ondi Timoner outlining the seven year trajectory of two very aesthetically different groups, starting from the same place, but creating two vastly incongruent story arcs (with the Brian Jonestown Massacre acting as the undeniable central force, the immovable object, like the Joker in the Dark Knight). Totally fascinating – sometimes you just can’t make this stuff up. Of course, a lot has been written and discussed concerning the general insanity provoked by Anton and company (which I think is kinda cool in a psychotic way). What really matters is the music, ultimately, and this film holds true to this ideal.
Now, thanks to SnagFilm, you can watch this riveting piece of human drama – for free. Way rad. Czech out DIG here, or go on and watch it all up in that lil’ widget dude above! Technology is fucking aces.
Personally, I love every Brian Jonestown Massacre record. But even if you’re not into the music, the movie is more than entertaining. If you do love the BJM, there’s tons of great music throughout. You should definitely buy the DVD if you like the flick, since the DVD is packed with tons of great deleted footage, extras, and BJM performances. In a later post, I have quite a story concerning my epic run-in with Mr. Newcombe. Look out for that, but in the meantime, enjoy a lil’ guy from the We are the Radio EP.
Continuing the Decibel Tolls’ celebration of Mr. David Madson, a.k.a. Odd Nosdam (featured below, lookin’ mighty handsome), finally collecting all of his sludgegaze-hop non-LP jams together on one priced-to-own, triumphant double disc collection, Pretty Swell Explode, it’s time to celebrate… with a super fun history lesson, complete with classroom activity ideas. Take a seat, kids.
One of the obvious standout tracks from the compilation, and his most standout collaboration in my opinion, is “Untitled Sketch” featuring Jessica Bailiff. This song originally appeared on his 2005 EP also titled Untitled Sketch, which I rocked religiously that summer. Jessica also contributed throat duty on the similarly titled but totally different “Untitled Three.” “Three” is slightly better than “Untitled Sketch,” but unfortunately didn’t make it on Pretty Swell Explode. Both are more than worthy for serious late night headphone listening. “Untitled Sketch” has some takeoff time, so be patient as it fades in. Let it envelope you, drop some science on ya’ dome.
This EP was, more or less, a teaser to his statement to the world, Burner, a much more focused follow up to his No More Wig for Ohio album and his work with Clouddead. Burner featured a dissonant, frantic instrumental piece called “Flying Saucer Attack.” This was no ode to sci-fi, this was a nod to Jessica’s work with David Pearce (who she later formed Clear Horizon with) and Rachel Brook (of Movietone), who were Flying Saucer Attack from 1992 to 2000 (or thereabouts).
Flying Saucer Attack is probably my favorite shoegazing group ever. And it makes me sad how under-appreciated FSA was then, and well, now too. Of course, there’s the paradox in the injustice one feels when a band isn’t recognized for their innovation yet annoyed when everyone’s bumpin’ their favorite tunes from said artist. Regardless, it’s time for their due props. Flying Saucer Attack wrote the loudest, fuzziest, most gorgeous, most embryonic sounding shimmering space rock ever laid to analog tape. Despite the fact that the production wonderfully sounds like shit, David Pearce’s crystalline voice is smooth and trenchant, paradoxically complimenting the swells and washes of Flying Saucer Attack’s intense rural psychedelia. “Make Me a Dream,” from their eponymous record, is dangerously loud, and as such, you should respect this arc of covenant jam hive by rotating your volume dial clockwise.
Flying Saucer Attack and Clear Horizon eventually split ways, and Jessica Bailiff took that time to pump out some excellent solo work for local heroes Kranky Records. Her last album, Feels Like Home, couples light touches of psych folk and slowcore for a heady, beautiful listening experience. “Evidence,” like, fuckin’ brings total damage around the 1:33 mark, so be prepared.
Did ya follow all that? Very good. So there you go, the man who brought you Clouddead’s syrupy, disintegrating beats blew the dust off of some amazingly innovative, distinctive, but terribly underrated shoegaze. And on his journey to tonal divinity, Odd Nosdam brought along the amazing talents of Jessica Bailiff with him. And for that, among other reasons, I will forever love Odd Nosdam.
Paperrad is what happens when your brain pukes inside your skull. The Pittsburgh and Providence-based collective specializes in video art, doom drone, and head lozenges. When on tour, they perform in three parts: two different groups including Extreme Animals and Fortress of Amplitude (both of which have that great Load Records style spazz psych free-for-all), and their collections of unequivocally, deliciously deranged music videos / cartoons / installation art. There’s no real way to describe a Paperrad video installation other than what it would be like to watch children’s shows while frozen in carbonite. Or how it would feel to have a fatwa issued on your peepers. Their excellent website gives some insight about where they’re comin’ from.
I mean, just look at their ballistic visual interp of Lightning Bolt’s “13 Monsters”!
Czech the video, and you will be converted. Hightail a hajj over to their nearest rockshow, longhair. You won’t regret it. Plus, most of the spot they’re playing are art galleries or small, non-profit co-op venues, so they should all be all ages and really cheap. Don’t sleep on this.
7.24: Carnegie Museum of Art — Pittsburgh, Pa
7.26: Silent Barn — New York, NY
7.27: Secret Project Robot — New York, NY
7.30: The Rendezvous — Turners Falls, MA
8.1: Pageant Gallery — Philadelphia, PA
8.2: The Bank — Baltimore, MD
8.4: Nightlife — Carborro, NC
8.6: Gypsy Hut Bar — Cincinnati, OH
8.7: The Herrot — Muncie, IN
8.8: Enemy — Chicago, IL
8.9: Borg Ward — Milwaukee, WI
8.10: The Eagle — Detroit, MI
The King of Amazing Drug and God Songs (and also the King of Pitchfork Music Festival, as you may have read earlier) has some serious Nina Totenberg hang time scheduled. In what I thought at first was spam was actually a rather exciting alert notifying me that Spiritualized’s performance this Friday at DC’s 930 Club will be broadcast live online, courtesy of NPR. When I think of NPR, I certainly don’t think of J Spaceman’s Martian redemption grooves, but I definitely applaud NPR trying to broaden their pallets, givin’ a nod to what us weird kids like.
I don’t think you can hear it on your local soft-spoken news affiliate, but it will be webcast in its entirety at 10 p.m. Eastern / 9 p.m. Central at NPR.org. Go forth!
For full disclosure, I’ve known these guys for years now. I first met (from left to right) Trevor Tremaine, Robert Beatty, and Mike Connelly my freshman year in college at our campus radio station. Though I thought they were totally rad dudes, I was fairly intimidated by them at first, in part due to the fact they were older, yet certainly exacerbated by the fact they were in an absolutely terrifying band called Hair Police.
At first, I didn’t like noise music too much because I didn’t “get” it, and wasn’t sure what I thought about Hair Police. I learned later that noise is, like many forms of art, performance based – you really have to see it live to let it take hold of you. And that’s all it took for me to convert. The live show usurps all paradigms of traditional rock music. Noise itself certainly isn’t as simple as the title suggests, as noise has structure and acts as an expressive, fringe genre, much like punk circa 25 years ago. It isn’t just a complete destruction of musical norms – it’s more akin to an altering of the listener’s aural perception. Harmony and melody is simply replaced with rhythm and intensity. The typical audience reaction of swaying in unison and applauding each song is replaced with fist pumping, erratic spazzing, and sarcastic jeering. The result is powerful. Noise inverts everything about rock, which is exactly what punk did in the ’70s. Robert Beatty even told me once that Lightning Bolt is as relevant today as the Sex Pistols were in the the heyday of punk, but the world is too different now to embrace LB like they did with Johnny and Sid. I think I can agree with this sentiment.
After seeing my first noise show, I also realized that there’s nothing to “get” with noise. You either find it interesting and fun, or you don’t. No matter your opinion, its influence is undeniable. Stereolab and Broadcast were simply noise-influenced bands with a penchant for vocal pop. Sonic Youth are simply a group of noise and punk dorks who also had enough pop structure sensibility to expand their audience. To further this point, Hair Police spent their summer a couple of years ago opening for Sonic Youth throughout North America, handpicked by Thurston. And of course, noise has been a crux influence for the psychedelic movement for decades – everyone from United States of America, Silver Apples, and the Red Krayola in the ’60s; to Can, Brian Eno, and Faust in the ’70s; to Ruins, Swans, This Heat, and My Bloody Valentine in the ’80s; to the excellent, genre-pushing work of Indian Jewelry, Boredoms, No Age, Animal Collective and more today. Shoegazing owes a lot to noise, as does this blog. And, ya know, lest we forget its affect on neo-classical works by Cage, Branca, Basinski, and Reich.
But enough about the tenets of noise and avant psych – this is what you need to know. Hair Police are three righteous dudes who like to hang tough and bring the funk live. They’ve been shattering sine waves and giving sound engineers something to scratch their chin about all over the globe since 2001. Hair Police’s live show is exhilarating and otherworldly. The band and crowd shout mantras between songs. Apologies for sounding dumbtarded with what I’m about to say, but ya know, this is real rock and fucking roll. While their live show often subscribes to a certain aesthetic (*ahem* controlled insanity), Hair Police’s recorded repertoire maintains a surprising diversity – from zone out dronescapes, to full on aural assaults, to foreboding caravan treks across the astral plane. This isn’t just Merzbow bangin’ on pots and pans, Hair Police have a vision (and I totally invite you to hypothesize what that might be).
As with many experimental groups, Hair Police often mechanically alter their instruments and utilize traditionally “functional” equipment as musical divining rods. One of Robert’s weapons of choice is the Qualiton Acoustic Appraise… it’s used to test hearing. The members of Hair Police are in a zillion other projects as well, including a orchestral chamber collective, pop-rock groups, and more. The influences of the band are a lot wider than one might think, as they cite everything from jazz, to psych, to the Beach Boys, and more as co-sculptors in their face grinding canticles. Last time I spoke with Mike, during their 2006 summer tour, that he was all up all on that Sean Paul “Temperature” joint. Trevor has drummed with the Coup. Dudes love jams.
Hair Police has collaborated on record with the likes of Viki, Kites, and Wolf Eyes (of which Mike Connelly is their newest member and the first guy I know personally to be signed to Sub Pop), and have performed with countless others. They do not ask for adoration, only acknowledgement. Their Facebook fan group is, aptly, titled “Hair Police Acknowledgement Club,” wherein one anonymous person started a group under the premise that “nobody likes Hair Police” but “Mike Connelly IS in Wolf Eyes, so let’s acknowledge this band exists.” The band has since taken over this chunk of cyber snuff and welcome you to, in the non-existential sense, acknowledge their mighty presence. Trevor Tremaine, who indeed exists and can be acknowledged, was nice enough to take some time out to discuss their forthcoming release Certainty of Swarms (out Aug. 11), the recording process, and cracking skulls.
::: ::: :::
KB: Beside slap bass and touches of Upper West Side Soweto, what can people expect with Certainty of Swarms that’s different from previous albums?
TT: It’s the only Hair Police album to start with a countoff.
It’s really varied, like ‘Obedience Cuts.’ ‘Constantly Terrified’ was more of an exercise in tedium. It was a record made out of necessity. Other than that, I think the mix on the new one makes it feel more “live.” The drums are really present and there weren’t really any overdubs or much in the way of post-production at all. Also, whenever the vocals come in, they overwhelm everything else on the track, which is a pretty hilarious effect. It’s a really garagey record.
KB: Hair Police and a few choice other acts in the genre have made the leap from playing in people’s basements to playing renowned music venues. Which do you like better?
TT: As long as it’s really loud and people are having a good time, I don’t care. Basements are good for intimacy, but a place like The Bottle can have much the same energy, with a killer PA and free beer to boot.
KB: Without bothering you with the obligatory biography, what was your entrance into both being interested in and performing such evil, scalp scalding scorchers?
TT: To be honest, Hair Police is just kinda what happens when you put the three of us together. We all have really broad tastes in music, with, of course, a lot of overlap. I personally discovered free jazz really early on, some punk rock, 60s counterculture stuff, Dada, etc. After high school I first heard noise, mainly Japanese stuff, which still slays me. Seeing the Incapacitants at No Fun Fest last year was revelatory. Mike is a noise/black metal guy, Robert’s a weird electronics guy, and I’m kind of a pop/rock guy. We all share each other’s taste, and all love psych, jazz, noise, punk, avant composition, I don’t even know. Everything rules. It all goes into the Hair Police cauldron.
KB: What’s the songwriting process like? Do songs evolve from sessions, Robert tinkering around with his toys; does one person record an idea for the group to expand on, or something else entirely?
TT: It all comes from jams, but we never say “let’s try and do that one again.” It’s more about conjuring a really specific atmosphere or emotion. Our arrangements are just sets of textures. We rarely play a song the same way twice. I take that back, “Strict” is pretty rigidly structured. It’s kind of like a folk song.
KB: What about your righteous song titles? Is it like a Joy Division thing where you keep a running list?
TT: I don’t really know how it comes about. Mike did all the song titles for the last few, going back to ‘Constantly.’ I did most of the ones on ‘Certainty.’ It’s kinda just up to whoever. If you have a good idea, throw it out there. We all know what Hair Police is about by now. Most bands operate by dictatorship or democracy, but we’re pretty anarchic. We trust each other enough to do it that way, I think.
KB: I sorta remember the origin of the “gnarly times” mantra, but pretty please recite that again for the highly literate readers of this blog dude.
TT: To be honest, I can’t remember. It stemmed from several conversations about the way civilization is headed, how things seem to be getting more and more precarious by the day. The mantra sorta summed up both the situation and how we had it in our heads. Actually, I don’t even know who came up with it. Mike, Robert, our friend Greh, who knows. Anyway, now the mantra is “Choke on your elders.” That should be pretty self-explanatory.
KB: I don’t know if people realize how many non-HP type projects you all are a part of. Let’s see, there’s the complex pop group Attempt, the chamber-oriented Eyes and Arms of Smoke… I’m probably leaving out a few… but regardless, with these projects, on top of Mike being an official member of Wolf Eyes and living hundreds of miles away, how do you all practice and stay tight?
TT: It’s not Rush. Our rehearsals aren’t very rigorous. We’re more likely to record new material than practice old shit, whenever we have a chance to play.
Other non-Hair Police projects you’re omitting are Three Legged Race, Failing Lights, Coptic Nausea, Sick Hour, S.M.E.L.L., ARA, Birth Refusal, Gate to Gate, and The Haunting. And actually I might be leaving some out. Note that if you include John Olson [of Wolf Eyes] as a member of Hair Police, which he was for much of 2006, this list would expand indefinitely like Pi.
KB: Saying noise shows are insane is both stupid and redundant. But with that said, what are the most insane show memories you have?
TT: Lots, but here’s a good one. One time at Club Seal, the hallowed, no defunct house venue in Lexington operated by Irene Moon, an audience member whose identity I shall conceal – let’s call him “Walter C” – took Mike’s guitar and commenced shredding. Mike just grabbed the mic and did his vocal thing, thrashing around. Well, at one point, Mike is bringing his head down really hard and the guy in the crowd is bringing the guitar up with the same force, and the two inevitably collide, with a tuning peg going into Mike’s nostril. In one quick yank, half of Mike’s nose is split. Mid-show, he’s rushed outta there, and I didn’t even realize what had happened, Robert and I finished the set while triage was going on in the next room. He had to go the the ER, but our van wouldn’t fit through the parking garage entrance.
Actually, there’s a good show memory from Chicago from this place called the Mutiny that involves Robert, but I’ll let him tell that one if he wants to. Gigs have been getting tamer lately. The whole crew is getting older. Now you go to noise shows and people are sitting down. Either way is cool.
Hair Police kick off their tour in Chicago this Friday night (July 25) at the Empty Bottle with Bloodyminded and more. The rest of the jaunt looks like this:
July 26th–Cincinatti, OH– Art Damage Lodge w/ Wretched Worst, Wasteland Jazz Unit
July 27th–Columbus, OH– Skylab w/ Mike Shiflet, Envenomist/Jason Zeh duo.
July 28th–Cleveland, OH– Tusco Embassy w/ Aaron Dilloway, Emeralds, Tusco Terror
July 29th–Pittsburgh, PA– Belvedere’s w/ Ryan Jewell, Cock Scene Investigator
July 30th–Rochester, NY–Bug Jar w/ Pengo
July 31st–Albany, NY– UAG Gallery w/ Rise Set Twilight, Century Plants
Aug 1st–Florence, MAFlorence American Legion Hall w/ Sunburned, Thurson Moore/Kate Village duo, Paul Flaherty/Jeff Hartford Duo
Aug 2nd–New York, NY– Rehab w/ Carlos Giffoni, Sixes, FFH.
Aug 3rd–New Haven, CT– BAR w/ Sickness
Aug 5th–Boston, MA– Middle East w/ Heathen Shame
Aug 6th–Montreal, QC– Zoobizarre w/ Yomul Yuk, Selfish Implosions, Antinferno
Aug 7th–Toronto, ON– Savage Garden w/ Disgues, Bottom Feeder, Flatline Construct
Aug 8th–Ypsilanti, MI– Pleasure Dome w/ Awkward Squad, Uneven Universe, Regression (Nate Young solo)
For full disclosure, I’ve known these guys for years now. I first met (from left to right) Trevor Tremaine, Robert Beatty, and Mike Connelly my freshman year in college at our campus radio station. Though I thought they were totally rad dudes, I was fairly intimidated by them at first, in part due to the fact they were older, yet certainly exacerbated by the fact they were in an absolutely terrifying band called 
