The For Carnation | The Decibel Tolls

Tag Archive for 'the for carnation'

[Photos + Video] The For Carnation – Art After Dark @ The Speed Museum, Louisville – 10.23.09

Published

on October 24, 2009

. 0 Comments

[Photos + Video] The For Carnation - Art After Dark @ The Speed Museum, Louisville - 10.23.09

Though it should’ve been obvious, it didn’t dawn on me that a live performance by Slint/Tortoise/Crain/Shipping News rowdy crowd The For Carnation at a forward-thinking art celebration (The Speed Museum’s Art After Dark) wouldn’t exactly be a traditional band-plays-in-front-of-you type of gig. No dice on that. While it was odd at first, you realized shortly into the set how original and exciting such an unusual show is to experience. It’s what Pink Floyd tried to do with their theatrical five city tour for The Wall, except it wasn’t stupid. Regardless of how you felt about its execution, you’ll definitely remember it. After I reflected a bit on what they were doing, I really got into it.

So yes, The For Carnation performed live. But they did so remotely. The group members were stationed in different locales about the museum. The show that you saw happened in the Antiquity Gallery, and it was a video project of the band performing filtered through a pixelated mosaic.

forcarnation3 [Photos + Video] The For Carnation - Art After Dark @ The Speed Museum, Louisville - 10.23.09

You can’t tell from the photographic evidence, but if you looked closely within the pixels, each was some sort of image, though it was hard to make out what exactly they were. It was quite incredible, actually.

So here we find vocalist Brian McMahan next to the European art collections. Hey. I didn’t find the rest of the band, but I didn’t feel the need to go on an easter egg hunt either.

forcarnation [Photos + Video] The For Carnation - Art After Dark @ The Speed Museum, Louisville - 10.23.09

This show, as well as the entire event, was triumphant and groovy. I noticed other people were videotaping the performance. If anyone has access to other videos (and permission to share), please give me a shout. Have a taste with some video we shot:

The For Carnation plays at the sold-out Ten Years of ATP festival this December in Minehead with Tortoise, Shellac, Fuck Buttons, Deerhoof, The Melvins, Explosions in the Sky, Battles, Lightning Bolt, Sunn 0))), and a slew of other decidedly awesome acts. Get yr. passport notarized, yanks.

MP3 :::
The For Carnation – Emp. Man’s Blues

The For Carnation Quietly Returns… in Two Weeks!

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on October 12, 2009

in News

. 0 Comments

77-1 The For Carnation Quietly Returns... in Two Weeks!

I’m not sure if the Slint/Tortoise/Shipping News supergroup The For Carnation ever officially broke up. Hence, we can’t call their return a “reunion” necessarily. So we’ll referred to this event as their triumphant return. While we haven’t heard new material since 2000’s eponymous record (not counting the 2007 Touch and Go reissue of Promised Works) and there are no rumors that they may be recording again soon, it does seem The For Carnation has been officially reignited when they agreed to make their first public appearance in years at All Tomorrows Parties’ Ten Years of ATP festival this December in the UK. That is, until last week… when it was quietly, almost nonchalantly announced that The For Carnation will be playing Art After Dark at the University of Louisville’s Speed Art Museum on October 23. Like out of nowhere. I just silently mouthed “holy shit” reading that.

The skinny:

Art After Dark: Remix (the first of three museum-wide events held throughout the year, each with a different theme) will tie together a lineup of music, visual spectacle, creating art, and fun. Remix will feature the premiere of a multimedia art collaboration between classically trained American cellist Ben Sollee (an NPR Top 10 Unknown Artist of the Year) and multimedia Louisville artist, Valerie Sullivan Fuchs. Also featured will be the uniquely dynamic, minimalist-informed, yet R&B inspired music of “The For Carnation,” a post rock band from Louisville formed by Brian McMahan (formerly of the legendary band “Slint”), as well as theatrical interpretations of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies created by the wacky minds of LePetomane Theatre Ensemble, and fire dancing performances from The Phoenix Collective on the museum’s front lawn. Visitors will also want to keep an eye out for break dancers, a critic at large, “un-tours” of the collection and films from Louisville Film Society.

The For Carnation is R&B inspired? Eh, I buy that. They’re dynamic dudes. I’m totally there, brah.

The For Carnation @ Art After Dark
Friday, October 23 @ 7 p.m.
The Speed Art Museum
2035 S. 2nd St., Louisville (map that shizz)
All Ages

MP3 :::
The For Carnation – Tales

Phantom Family Halo is Awesome

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on July 16, 2009

in Rockshows

. 0 Comments

phantom Phantom Family Halo is Awesome

I halfway feel like no further elaboration outside the title of this entry is needed. But whatever, this is a music blog, so let me sHaRe mY feeLinGs.

I’ve heard for a couple of years that I need to see Phantom Family Halo. Like, everyone I know has told me I need to see them. So, instead of doing either Forecastle or Lebowski Fest last weekend, I opted to spend my money at Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge with the yokel locals to catch Phantom Family Halo’s opening set Saturday night for new Temporary Residence signing and stalwart Louisville boys Young Widows.

Is it cool to describe a show as trenchant? Phantom Family Halo were trenchant. For the uninitiated, Phantom Family Halo formed from the mighty and mysterious local freak folk collective Sapat and The For Carnation. Obviously, these guys are heavy hitters.

A large projection of, for the most part, some visual pastiche of anthropology films illuminated the stage and the band, which included two drummers and a guy whose sole function was to create insane noise from his keyboard and Boss SP-303. PFH were extremely loud, and while listening to their recorded stuff right now, are still extremely uncategorizable. Loosely speaking, Phantom Family Halo function as a psychedelic band. However, their live show is anything but navel gazing. The group becomes a breathing, menacing behemoth purveying nasty, swampy, ultra-distorted acid rock with a rhythm and vocal section closer to the urgency of a punk tent revival, like 154-era Wire informed by Six Organs of Admittance (or perhaps its the other way around).

Phantom Family Halo is awesome. I mean, if Julian Cope is stoked on the record, you know it’s good:

I’m also right blown away by the catchy and compelling all-purpose psychedelia of THE LEGEND OF BLACK SIX by power trio The Phantom Family Halo. I say ‘all purpose’ because this stuff is useful and should be available by the vat on prescription, because it’s good for the mental health. I say power trio, but this lot are greedy motherfuckers with a hefty set of auxiliary members. The sound is totally reminiscent of that 1970 period when no fucker could control the number of overdubs, and these guys pass through every stage from The Youngbloods and Kalackakra to a kind of Amon Duul PARADIESWARTS DUUL-informed take on David Voorhaus’ White Noise project via early (very early) Chrome on their way to the proto metal of ‘Electric God In Your Galaxy’.

If they come to your neck of the woods, make haste to see them. Their web presence is at good ol’ MySpazz.

MP3 :::
Phantom Family Halo – Child of Love
Phantom Family Halo – Black River

News Roundup: Brought to You By the Letter “B”

Published

Kenny Bloggins

on September 23, 2008

in News and Super Swingin' Mix

. 0 Comments

letter_b_bigbird News Roundup: Brought to You By the Letter B

This is the, what, third time I’ve referenced Sesame Street on this blog. I love Sesame Street. If I wasn’t a lame 9-to-5er, I would still watch it. So today’s news roundup is brought to you by the letter B – Boredoms, Benoit Pioulard, Boduf Songs, Bedhead, the /b/ board, baseball, booters, and the Bear Market Bailout. Botta bing!

Anyway, there are so many songs (11 MP3s to be exact), and so much content here, that I have no idea what to categorize this entry as. So consider this your News and Super Swingin’ Mix for the day. I’m not posting again today, this post is epic and I’m tired.

Let’s do this like Buddhists… Continue reading ‘News Roundup: Brought to You By the Letter “B”’