Posts

FORM Arcosanti :: 2017

It’s a Sunday afternoon at the FORM festival at Arcosanati. Mother’s Day, actually. I’m watching Phil Elverum of Mt. Eerie sing the most pained songs about the mother of his daughter, his late wife, the artist Geneviî¨ve Castrée.

“Death is real,” he sings over casual strums of his acoustic guitar, from a small stage under a gorgeous half-dome, one of the structural features favored by artist and architect Paolo Soleri. Founded in 1970, Soleri built Arcosanti in the Arizona desert atop the concept of “arcology” – architecture in alignment with ecology.

In many ways, this scene typifies what people might think about FORM from the outside. There’s a cool breeze sweeping in from across the canyon. The desert sun shines over us, and there are dozens of clusters of artfully dressed and composed young people – the kind who might, without any affectation, refer to themselves as “influencers" or "creatives.” But in this moment, none of the cynical jokes you might make about flighty millennials gathering in the desert for transformative, transcendent experiences could possible take root. Tears are welled up in my eyes; the moment's real.

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Trummors :: Headlands

Consider your cosmic country rock needs met for the summer. Trummors'  Headlands  is a gorgeous sonic road trip through the beauty, sadness and mystery of the American west (or what's left of it), packed with sunburnt pedal steel, close harmonies and sneakily sophisticated songwriting. Think New Riders of the Purple Sage,  American Beauty-era Dead, Neil's  . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Roky Erickson :: All That May Do My Rhyme/Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye

In the 1990s, Roky Erickson was rediscovered. Psychedelia's forgotten man, a cult hero for decades, got a new lease on his creative life.

In the mid-1960s, his legendary 13th Floor Elevators roared out of Austin, establishing the template for rock psychedelia. Their garage punk squall was so propulsive, so “out there,” it spooked even the Grateful Dead and their San Francisco cohort. But years of struggle followed, during which Erickson’s schizophrenia was exacerbated by drug use and dubious medical "treatment," including sessions of electro-shock . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Mary Timony (Helium, Ex-Hex) :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Led by Mary Timony, Helium was one of the great '90s guitar bands. On records like 1995's The Dirt of Luck and 1997's Magic City, Timony and co. created deeply personal and catchy indie rock, blending in progressive textures and expressive guitar work as the band went on.

This week, Matador Records reissues both records, pairing the latter with the No Guitars ep. Additionally, the label's prepared a double lp collection of b-sides, demos, and rarities called Ends With And. Taken together, the discography helps make a case for Helium as one of the most idiosyncratic bands in '90s indie rock, whose work sounds fresh and engaging in modern context, and positions Timony as a true guitar hero, "the only human being to make a Paul Reed Smith seem cool," Gerard Cosloy writes in the liner notes of Ends With And.

This summer, Timony presses pause on her phenomenal band Ex-Hex to tour as "Mary Timony Plays Helium." We spoke to the guitarist and singer about reevaluating the work of her former band, re-learning her own songs, and what the creative spirit of the '90s was like.

Aquarium Drunkard: How has returning to Helium’s music been for you?

Mary Timony: It was cool. It was a real treasure hunt. I spent a month or so just kind of going through stuff I’d saved in tupperware bins in this basement and attic. I was looking for stuff I remembered I might have. It was a combination of racking my memory and searching things I’d saved. It was pretty fun; you always feel like you are hopefully saving things for a reason, that it’s not just junk. [Laughs]

AD: What kind of person do you hear playing and singing on those records?

Mary Timony: It’s always hard to hear yourself. I’ve never liked listening to stuff I’ve done, especially stuff that was done quickly... it’s never pleasant. [Laughs] But so much time has gone by, I’m on the other side now. I’m able to be a little more objective. It’s almost like listening to another person. The early Helium stuff I’ve always been embarrassed of, because my singing was not that great. But around The Dirt of Luck I start to feel okay about it.

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

GospelbeacH :: Another Summer Of Love

What do Gram Parsons, Tom Petty and Brent Rademaker all share in common? You guessed it — the Sunshine State that is Florida coupled with a deep fascination of country rock. All three soon jettisoned to the West Coast where they soaked up the better sun/bigger waves. While Gram haunts the desert of Joshua Tree and Tom continues to explore his Byrdsian jingle-jangle obsession — Brent has reinvented himself time and time again with album after album of cult classics with his groups Further, Beachwood Sparks, The Tyde and his most recent GospelbeacH whose sophomore album Another Summer of Love comes out this June on Alive Records.

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Whitney :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

It had been a weird two days for Whitney. Coming off of the first weekend of Coachella, the band was feeling kinda bummed over the experience. Or at least, that’s what they told the crowd the next night, at the first of three sold-out nights in San Francisco. The first night of the run was a tour-highlight for the band, and the excitement from the quick-turnaround was palpable.

AD sat down with principal members Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek the next afternoon, and went deep on their continuing inspiration and partnership, what to expect next from the band, and how they’ve maintained their love of the music in spite of playing it non-stop for over two years.

Whitney :: Red Moon

Aquarium Drunkard: Where are you at right now for your second record, and how is it going?

Julien Ehrlich: It’s good. Whenever we’re home it takes a few days but then we usually get an idea up and running — we’re just essentially making the same record… because you know, we have all the Light Upon the Lake demos, we initially thought we were going to release them all in that demo form — we’re kinda just doing it the same way. I imagine we’ll wind up re-recording it — we’re a few songs in.

AD: You played a new one last night — and you played live shows several times before you ever released any of that original material — do you like work-shopping material in front of an audience?

Max Kakacek: I think the way we play songs live versus the way they’re recorded is we have to rearrange things. The recording of the new song right now is super-string heavy, and obviously we don’t have those live, so a lot of playing it live is figuring out how to shuffle around, as musicians, to arrange it has a dynamic arc, that strings would have provided. So we’re learning, every time we play we’re learning how to make it a little denser in certain parts, and where to back off.

AD: For the rest of the band, having them in on it, for a full cycle, is that changing your process with how you’re writing? You’ve been effusive about your trust for the other members of the group and their contributions — is that a trust that continues to grow as you record this, or is is the same strong bond that’s always been there?

Julien Ehrlich: We still definitely need the songs to come from us two, but we spend so much more time with these dudes now — maybe we’ll write half their part, teach it to them, and ask what they think they should do there. Whereas the first one was entirely written by us. We’re still conscious that the songs need to come from our two brains, and only our two brains probably…

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Big Thief :: Breathe In My Lungs

Big Thief’s debut lp,  Masterpiece, was one of the more subtly arresting releases of last year. Its gauzy, vaporous air, the songs’ swooning and drifting colors - and Adrienne Lenker’s hushed and heartfelt vocals - all coalesced into the essence of the record’s understated effect.

At the center of that album is the wistful “Paul.” A simple love song at its core, its quietly expansive center evokes a dark and absolute sentiment, an ode to starry-eyed lovers, hurricane riders and moonshiners alike, none of them going unheard, as Lenker’s voice stands its ground amongst a swirling sonic wonder. An album highlight, the tune only hints at this band’s ability to transport its listeners, leaving behind something overpowering, yet just out of grasp.

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Ought :: Concert à Emporter / October 2014

Ought frontman Tim Darcy’s solo debut Saturday Night has been on heavy rotation (our interview with Darcy forthcoming). In the meantime, Ought's Concert à Emporter.

La Blogoteque gets deserved credit for their direction and cinematography — but holy shit, that sound. It’s so crisp. You’d think recording outdoors would decrease fidelity but Chryde (La Blogoteque founder) and co. prove . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

SIRIUS/XMU :: Aquarium Drunkard Show (Noon EST, Channel 35)

Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can be heard twice every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST.

SIRIUS 479: Jean Michel Bernard — Générique Stephane ++ Jean Michel Bernard — Générique Stephane ++ Iggy Pop - New Values ++ The Bellys - Chow Chow ++ The Babies - Meet Me In The City ++ The Non Travelin’ Band - Two Hands Full of Fingers ++ Thee Oh Sees - Mincing Around The Frocks ++ Sonny & The Sunsets - Death Cream . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Transmissions Podcast :: Weyes Blood

Welcome to Aquarium Drunkard’s recurring Transmissions podcast. Today, we continue our mini-series in collaboration with the folks at Mexican Summer. In March, AD’s Jason P. Woodbury headed out to Marfa Texas to attend Mexican Summer’s Marfa Myths Festival, a four-day, multi-disciplinary celebration of art and music in West Texas, which resulted in his essay, “There’s No Such Thing As Nowhere.”

For this episode, he sat down with Natalie Mering, who records as Weyes Blood. We've long been fans of her sounds -- our own Chad Depasquale said her most recent record, Front Row Seat to Earth, "evokes an atmosphere reminiscent of private press psych-folk and progressive exploration."

This talk dives deep into her religious upbringing and explores the apocalyptic tone that pervades much of her work.

Transmission Podcast :: Weyes Blood

Subscribe to the Aquarium Drunkard podcast on  iTunes  or via  RSS feed.

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Van Morrison :: Live At The Orphanage – July 29, 1974

A year before his passing in 1975, famed Bay Area radio DJ Tom Donahue sat down with Van Morrison. At the time Morrison was coming off an all-time string of records, coming off a relentless tour-de-force-tour, and coming down from a few other things. That afternoon, Donahue filmed their talk, tugging away at cigarettes the whole time — and then filmed the ensuing show, one of Morrison’s first post-Caledonia Soul Orchestra. He then . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Ekseption :: The ‘70s Broadcasts (Remastered)

Layers of kaas, jazz, classical, psych, and virtuositeit  piled up and played out as Ekseption. Between 1969 and 1972, pianist Rick van der Linden was ostensibly the center-piece of the human/Muppet-hybrid band, but the rotating door of members (aside from life-long member, trompetter Rein van den Broek) were nothing to slouch at.

“Ekseption — The ‘70s Broadcasts (Remastered)” can either be put on in the background as an hour-plus introductory mixtape to the group, or watched for the group performing amongst farm animals, eating matzah in Israel and . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Michael Nesmith :: Infinite Tuesday

Since the announcement of his autobiography several months back, anticipation has been high from Michael Nesmith fans. In terms of his prose, Nesmith's intelligence and warmth have always shined through his words, and the idea of a entire volume containing his life story, from his own perspective, is a true gift -- one that goes deep into his incredible history as a musician, video innovator, philanthropist, and the guy who made Repo Man a possibility.

A fascinating read, the book is paced in a way that matches his mellow Texas drawl, and covers the familiar Monkees era with priceless recollections from his days growing up with a brilliant single mother who divided her time as an office worker and artist (rising out of poverty into fortune as the inventor of Liquid Paper) and a constant a guiding light of spirituality. His mother also headed two foundations; one of which was centered around helping women in business - the other, art. Upon inheriting his mother’s estate, Nez sold the art pieces in the collection that were paired by male artists, purchased a collection of works by female artists, and set up a traveling exhibition of the pieces that were displayed in common areas such as shopping malls. The intent was to exhibit art in spaces where it rarely seen, in hopes of inspiring others creativity. There are several other humbly presented acts of philanthropy discussed in the book that are downright heroic as well.

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

Gospel Jubilee: A Mixtape

Many of the selections on the Gospel Jubilee were discovered in the moldy basement of a house that quite possibly belonged to a relative of Hoyt Sullivan, Jr., the impresario behind a handful of heralded black gospel labels such as Champ, HSE, and Su-Ann. These recordings arrive from groups on those sought after imprints, and others, that hailed from corners of the world like Charleston, SC; Albany, GA; Statesville, NC; Tampa, FL, and Nashville, TN. Musically, it’s all here; unbridled vocals, furious guitars, possessed keyboards, cavernous grooves, and otherworldly harmonies. The 19 songs render a . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.

AD Presents: Thurston Moore Group @ The Teragram – May 13th

Dig. This Saturday night in Los Angeles, AD presents the Thurston Moore Group to the Teragram Ballroom with special guest Marisa Anderson.   Tickets available ahead on time, here...and we have a few pairs socked away for AD readers. To land them, hit us up with a comment along with the name of your favorite Moore solo project. Winners notified via email . . .

Only the good shit. Aquarium Drunkard is powered by its patrons. Keep the servers humming and help us continue doing it by pledging your support.

To continue reading, become a member or log in.