Dancing About Architecture 04.28.09

Posted by Ian Wright on 04.28.2009

Sonic Youth gear stolen guitar back, Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, Experimental music comp, Nirvana DVD the possible return of Lee Mavers and more.

The bit at the start

I obviously know very little about the human condition. Chatting to people prior to Casiotone For The Painfully Alone's set last Sunday night the conclusion was reached that CFTPA are a band/is a person who's music is easy to like but perhaps not to love, or at least I'd be surprised to meet someone who told me that CFTPA was their favourite band. So unsurprisingly, as it had to happen, midway through the gig someone shouted "I want to have your babies" and blew my whole thesis out of the water.

Such declarations maybe be motivated by the fact that Owen Ashworth seems to be such a likable sort of sod. Throughout the set, which mostly featured songs from his 2 most recent records, almost all of his comments from the stage came the form of "thank yous"'. "Thank you" to the crowd for their applause, and "thank you" to them for making the effort to even show up, "thank you" to Foggy Notions and Whelan's for having him back and of course "thank you" to more than impressive opening act Fiasco Fiesta, "or is it Fiesta Fiasco" for supporting. And every "thank you" never sounded less than completely genuine.

Ashworth opened his set solo with "New Year's Kiss" from 2006's Etiquette and then promptly declared that he was happy to take requests for songs, earlier than you might expect but the reason for it was that midway the by a 3-piece band, including his brother who had also played support under the moniker Concern. With the band Casiotone For The Painfully Alone becomes a wholly different proposition to the monotonic vocals and cheap sounding synths outfit that a gig and a half's previous experience had led me to think of it as. It's not just that the extra musicians gave things a more pleasing "real instrument" sound but they afford Ashworth more opportunities to work with the dynamics of his tunes. And it' not just on songs from recent album vs. Children that advantage is taken of this, new life was breathed into Etiquette's "Bobby Malone moves home" and overall Ashworth + lil' bro + some pals are able to put a bit more swing into things, I even think I saw some people dancing to them. Not quite so sure about the rhythm section's predilection for Country n' Western licks though I have to say.

Beg, borrow, buy, steal or download this album.

Daniel Johnston – Hi How Are You?



Behind all the hiss there's evidence of a giant talent.

You news, you lose

Oh that's good news.

Way back in 1999 Sonic Youth's gear truck was robbed from a Ramada Inn car park in California and the band lost numerous guitars and amps. The kicker for the bastards who stole the gear was of course that so customised/fucked up (delete depending on whether or not you think Sonic Youth are awesome or not) were the guitars that the only people to which the guitars would be any use to, get this, are Sonic Youth.

Over the course of the last decade bits and pieces of the gear have shown up but one of the outstanding missing items was a red Fender Mustang belonging to Lee Ranaldo. That is, until now. A dutch SY fan bought a guitar on eBay and then identified it as one of Ranaldo's missing axes thanks to the very comprehensive Sonic Youth gear archive, for a gear geek like me I have to admit that I've spent far too much time wasting time on that site. The guitar is currently still, making it's way to the purchaser of the guitar, who is only known as "Saurkraut" on the offset guitars message board (link to thread about guitar here) but he did go to the band's gig in Düsseldorf, Germany last week and recounts what happened …

After the gig was over I pushed my way up to the front row and called the guitar tech, Eric Baecht, he came up to us, gave me a mastery bridge (from one of Lee's guitars, he even included the allen wrench keys!) on which Lee had written a thank you note. Eric told us we can get on the guest list for any SY gig in the future (!!!)." Pretty sweet deal.

So a happy ending. Now if only the rest of the missing gear showed up. "The Drifter" was badass.

Wierdo comp.

Tinymixtapes have announced a compilation album in aid of the International Rescue Committee which aids refugees in crisis zones such as Darfur. It's on sale now and for the comp, entitled Tiny Mix Tapes, Vol 1: Darfur features contributions from the likes of Dan Deacon, Jim O'Rourke, Why? and Xiu Xiu and others who have all contributed exclusive tracks.

Tracklisting:

01 Jim O'Rourke: "Seven Stars"
02 Balroynigress: "Dress the Ship in Black"
03 Why?: "Eskimo Snow (Sock Hop Version)"
04 Frog Eyes: "Bushels (Acoustic Version)"
05 Burning Star Core: "Incurable Beauty of the Master's Demise"
06 Xiu Xiu: "Farther On (Traditional)"
07 Mount Eerie: "Calf in Pasture"
08 Wooden Wand: "No Stranger"
09 The Flying Luttenbachers With Henry Kaiser: "Trapped in Ice"
10 nmperign: "Remote Sensing"
11 Dan Deacon: "I Have So Much to Donald"

Here he comes.

It's been 19 years since The La's released their self titled debut album (you know, the one with "There She Goes" and some other tunes) but according to the NME main man Lee Mavers could be getting back into the whole putting out music thing again and he might be doing so with the help of the brit-press' favourite useless junkie Pete (oh sorry, it's "Peter" now) Doherty and Babyshambles. Mavers recently met Babyshambles drummer Adam Ficek recently and recounts things, "Lee said he's got loads of songs written and he'd like us to get involved. I'm not sure where it'll go from here, but it's enough to get excited about. He said how much he loved what we do, how we play, how we look. Then Peter said Lee wants us to be his backing band."

The famously reclusive Mavers does have some previous form with Doherty having appeared with him on a YouTube video (below) last year and a few weeks ago Mavers joined Doherty on stage at a gig but considering how well known both are for their unreliability I wouldn't hold my breath.

Nirvana DVD

Nirvana's 1992 Reading Festival performance is widely thought to be one of the definitive Nirvana gigs. The set is much bootlegged and the rumoured to be ill Kurt Cobain took to the stage in a wheelchair before proceeding to tear into a blistering performance.

The gig will be released on DVD in November and according to the NME it will contain some never seen before footage and has been "officially sanctioned by the remaining members of the band."

The YouTube video of the week

Mavers and Doherty



If you can you should go to these gigs.

Sonic Youth

05-16 Brooklyn, NY - No Fun Fest
05-27 Malmo, Sweden - Kulturebolaget
05-28 Hassleholm, Sweden - Siesta Festival
05-30 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
05-31 Dudingen, Switzerland - Kilbi Festival
06-28 Chicago, IL - Vic Theater
06-29 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
07-02 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
07-03 New York, NY - United Palace Theatre
07-06 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
07-08 Richmond, VA - The National
07-10 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theter
07-11 Nashville, TN - War Memorial
07-12 Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnaces
07-13 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
07-15 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
07-16 Tulsa, OK - Cain's
07-18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
07-20 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
07-21 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
07-23 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
07-25 Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
07-28 Portland, OR - Roseland Ballroom
07-30 Salt Lake City, UT - Twilight Music Fest
07-31 Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
08-02 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
12-04-06 Minhead, England - ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas

Wilco with Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

07-08 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
07-10 Wilmington, DE - Frawley Stadium
07-11 Lowell, MA - LeLacheur Park
07-17 Portland, ME - Maine State Pier
07-18 Wappingers Falls, NY - Dutchess County Stadium
07-19 Lewiston, NY - Art Park

Wilco

04-23 Oxford, MS - Lyric Oxford #
04-25 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
05-23 Tenerife, Spain - Tenerife Auditorium
05-25 Malaga, Spain - Teatro Cervantes !
05-26 Madrid, Spain - Teatro Calderon !
05-29 Seville, Spain - Territorios Festival, La Cartuja
05-30 Oporto-Braga, Portugal - Teatro Circo
05-31 Lisbon, Portugal - Lisbon Coliseu
06-01 Santiago de Compostela-Galicia, Spain - Palacio de Congresos, Sala Braque
06-03 San Sebastian, Spain - Kursaal
06-04 Barcelona, Spain - Auditori Barcelona
06-12 Cincinnati, OH - Aronoff Center
06-13 Manchester, TN - Bonaroo Festival
06-15 Oklahoma City, OK - Bricktown EventsCenter
06-17 El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
06-18 Tucson, AZ - Centennial Hall **
06-19 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
06-20 Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre
06-22 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-23 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-27 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater
06-28 Stateline, NV - Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
06-30 Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
07-03 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks
07-23 Detroit Lakes, MN - 10,000 Lakes Festival
08-13 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-14 Gothenberg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08-21 Erfurt-Hohenfelden, Germany - Highfield Festival
08-23 Brecon Beacons, Wales - Green Man Festival
08-25 London, England - Troxy
08-27 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street

* with Pronto
# with A Hawk and a Hacksaw
! with Akron/Family
** with Grizzly Bear

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

06-17 Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
06-18 Telluride, CO - Telluride Bluegrass Festival
06-19 Moab, UT - Star Hall
06-20 Salt Lake City, UT - Library Square
06-21 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
06-22 Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater
06-24 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave
06-25 Milwaukee, WI - Summer Fest
06-26 Omaha, NE - Anchor Inn
06-28 Kansas City, MO - Beaumont
06-29 Columbia, MO - Blue Note
06-30 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
07-01 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
07-02 Bearsville, NY - Bearsville Theater
07-03 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
07-04 New York, NY - The Lawn at Battery Park *

* with Jenny Lewis

John Parish and PJ Harvey

05-01 Murcia, Spain - Festival Estrella Levante SOS
05-02 Porto, Portugal - Casa Da Musica
05-04 Milan, Italy - Auditorium
05-06 Stuttgart, Germany - Theaterhaus
05-07 Berlin, Germany - Passionskirche
05-09 Stockholm, Sweden - Nalen
05-10 Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
05-11 Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
05-13 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
05-14 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique
05-17 Paris, France - Bataclan
05-18 Paris, France - Bataclan
06-02 Atlanta, GA - Centre Stage
06-03 Covington, KY - Madison Theatre
06-05 Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
06-06 Boston, MA - House of Blues
06-07 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
06-09 New York, NY - The Beacon Theatre
06-12 Chicago, IL - The Riviera Theatre
06-13 Apple Valley, MN - Weesner Amphitheatre
06-19 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield Theatre
06-20 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
07-25 Dorset, England - Camp Bestival (PJ Harvey solo)

Wilco

04-21 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium #
04-22 Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnaces #
04-23 Oxford, MS - Lyric Oxford #
04-25 New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
05-23 Tenerife, Spain - Tenerife Auditorium
05-25 Malaga, Spain - Teatro Cervantes !
05-26 Madrid, Spain - Teatro Calderon !
05-29 Seville, Spain - Territorios Festival, La Cartuja
05-30 Oporto-Braga, Portugal - Teatro Circo
05-31 Lisbon, Portugal - Lisbon Coliseu
06-01 Santiago de Compostela-Galicia, Spain - Palacio de Congresos, Sala Braque
06-03 San Sebastian, Spain - Kursaal
06-04 Barcelona, Spain - Auditori Barcelona
06-12 Cincinnati, OH - Aronoff Center
06-13 Manchester, TN - Bonaroo Festival
06-15 Oklahoma City, OK - Bricktown EventsCenter
06-17 El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
06-18 Tucson, AZ - Centennial Hall **
06-19 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
06-20 Pomona, CA - Fox Theatre
06-22 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-23 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
06-27 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater
06-28 Stateline, NV - Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
06-30 Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
07-03 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks
07-08 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
07-10 Wilmington, DE - Frawley Stadium
07-11 Lowell, MA - LeLacheur Park
07-13 Brooklyn, NY - Keyspan Park
07-17 Portland, ME - Maine State Pier
07-18 Wappingers Falls, NY - Dutchess County Stadium
07-19 Lewiston, NY - Art Park
07-23 Detroit Lakes, MN - 10,000 Lakes Festival
08-13 Oslo, Norway - Oya Festival
08-14 Gothenberg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08-21 Erfurt-Hohenfelden, Germany - Highfield Festival
08-23 Brecon Beacons, Wales - Green Man Festival
08-25 London, England - Troxy
08-27 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street

* with Pronto
# with A Hawk and a Hacksaw
! with Akron/Family
** with Grizzly Bear

Writing under the influence

Without which this column would not have been possible:

Talk Radio
Subplots - Nightcycles

The bit at the end

That's all from me. Probably see you guys next week.

Semi permanent plug for my blog.