Sorry, meu amics~
Still on haitus. Shakey grounds becoming stable. The next transmission will be from the inner bowls of Boyle Heights, griot style.
Love (always),
deegz
Oh Man
Well it's happened again. I've let this blog go untended for a few
weeks. Regardless of audience I feel compelled to write and share
what's on my mind. Especialy when it comes to art, music, politics,
culture/sub-, and the darker and lighter sides of life.
But I've been a bit ...distracted. For some reason, sitting in front
of a computer after work leaves no desire to click or type meanderings
away. But I'll give this another go.
weeks. Regardless of audience I feel compelled to write and share
what's on my mind. Especialy when it comes to art, music, politics,
culture/sub-, and the darker and lighter sides of life.
But I've been a bit ...distracted. For some reason, sitting in front
of a computer after work leaves no desire to click or type meanderings
away. But I'll give this another go.
@motwnbutdigital (on Twitter)
What We Want. What We Believe
THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY
Ten Point Platform & Program
October 1966
WHAT WE WANT
WHAT WE BELIEVE
WE BELIEVE that black people will not be free until we are able to determine our destiny.
2. WE WANT full employment for our people.
WE BELIEVE that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every man employment or a guaranteed income. We believe that if the white American businessmen will not give full employment, then the means of production should be taken from the businessmen and placed in the community so that the people of the community can organize and employ all of its people and give a high standard of living.
3. WE WANT an end to the robbery by the CAPITALIST of our Black Community.
WE BELIEVE that this racist government has robbed us and now we are demanding the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules. Forty acres and two mules were promised 100 years ago as restitution for slave labor and mass murder of black people. We will accept the payment in currency, which will be distributed, to our many communities. The Germans are now aiding the Jews in Israel for the genocide of the Jewish people. The Germans murdered six million Jews. The American racist has taken part in the slaughter of over fifty million black people; therefore, we feel that this is a modest demand that we make.
4. WE WANT decent housing, fit for the shelter of human beings.
WE BELIEVE that if the white landlords will not give decent housing to our black community, then the housing and the land should be made into cooperatives so that our community, with government aid, can build and make decent housing for its people.
5. WE WANT education for our people that exposes the true nature of this decadent American society. We want education that teaches us our true history and our role in the present-day society.
WE BELIEVE in an educational system that will give to our people knowledge of self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his position in society and the world, then he has little chance to relate to anything else.
6. WE WANT all black men to be exempt from military service.
WE BELIEVE that Black people should not be forced to fight in the military service to defend a racist government that does not protect us. We will not fight and kill other people of color in the world who, like black people, are being victimized by the white racist government of America. We will protect ourselves from the force and violence of the racist police and the racist military, by whatever means necessary.
7. WE WANT an immediate end to POLICE BRUTALITY and MURDER of black people.
WE BELIEVE we can end police brutality in our black community by organizing black self-defense groups that are dedicated to defending our black community from racist police oppression and brutality. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives a right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all black people should arm themselves for self- defense.
8. WE WANT freedom for all black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails.
WE BELIEVE that all black people should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not received a fair and impartial trial.
9. WE WANT all black people when brought to trial to be tried in court by a jury of their peer group or people from their black communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States.
WE BELIEVE that the courts should follow the United States Constitution so that black people will receive fair trials. The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives a man a right to be tried by his peer group. A peer is a person from a similar economic, social, religious, geographical, environmental, historical and racial background. To do this the court will be forced to select a jury from the black community from which the black defendant came. We have been, and are being tried by all-white juries that have no understanding of the "average reasoning man" of the black community.
10. WE WANT land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. And as our major political objective, a United Nations supervised plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate, for the purpose of determining the will of black people as to their national destiny.
WHEN, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
WE HOLD these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. **That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. ** Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and, accordingly, all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. **But, when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. **
Power to the People!
Power to the People!
Let us not forget the valiant efforts by John Sinclair and Pun Plamondom of the White Panther party and their assualt on culture by any means necessary:
1. Full endorsement and support of Black Panther Party’s 10-Point Program.
2. Total assault on the culture by any means necessary, including rock ’n’ roll, dope and fucking in the streets.
3. Free exchange of energy and materials — we demand the end of money!
4. Free food, clothes, housing, dope, music, bodies, medical care — everything free for everybody!
5. Free access to information media — free the technology from the greed creeps!
6. Free time and space for all humans — dissolve all unnatural boundaries.
7. Free all schools and all structures from corporate rule — turn the buildings over to the people at once!
8. Free all prisoners everywhere — they are our brothers.
9. Free all soldiers at once — no more conscripted armies.
10. Free the people from their “leaders” — leaders suck — all power to all the people! Freedom means free everyone!
KICK OUT THE JAMS!
And here is a mix from Black_And_Proud_The_Soul_Of_The Black_Panter_VOL.1
Let My People Go 3:55
Take Yo Praise 4:10
11 - s.o.u.l. - tell it like it is 4:19
12 - last poets - black wish 1:46
13 - ghetto reality - james brown 2:47
14 - curtis mayfield - ghetto child 3:15
15 - darongo - let my people go 3:55
sam dees - heritage of a black man 3:51
last poets - panther 5:05
sons of slum - right on 3:27
staple singers - brand new day 3:45
george soule - get involved 3:23
grady tate - be black 3:51
gil scott heron - the revolution will not be televised 2:50
segments of time - song to the system 5:20
derrick harriott - message from a black man 3:52
marvin gaye - youre the man 7:24
Camille Yarbrough - All hid 6:12
Melvin van Peebles - Won't bleed me 2:48
Getto Kitty - Stand up and be counted 3:43
Miriam Makeba - Do you remember Malcolm 3:05
Click here for mix!
Take Yo Praise 4:10
11 - s.o.u.l. - tell it like it is 4:19
12 - last poets - black wish 1:46
13 - ghetto reality - james brown 2:47
14 - curtis mayfield - ghetto child 3:15
15 - darongo - let my people go 3:55
sam dees - heritage of a black man 3:51
last poets - panther 5:05
sons of slum - right on 3:27
staple singers - brand new day 3:45
george soule - get involved 3:23
grady tate - be black 3:51
gil scott heron - the revolution will not be televised 2:50
segments of time - song to the system 5:20
derrick harriott - message from a black man 3:52
marvin gaye - youre the man 7:24
Camille Yarbrough - All hid 6:12
Melvin van Peebles - Won't bleed me 2:48
Getto Kitty - Stand up and be counted 3:43
Miriam Makeba - Do you remember Malcolm 3:05
Click here for mix!
Gucking Frooves
Hot damn, what is it now August? AUGUST? We're almost there, fall is almost here. Feeling good and grounded. Love is in the air (right?) and all that good stuff.
Lift that half-tanned arm and celebrate, debauch-like if you want! I guess I feel GOOD. Crazy what a little rest can do.
Watching Sunn O))) next week, then Geronimo, then Six Organs of Admittance later in the month. This has been the best summer ever. Full of surprises and special guests and visits. Los Angeles, amidst the gloom, the heat, the death of capitalism, you've done good this summer. I award you appreciation and above all, my love.
In return let me give you all a little somethin' somethin' - how about some gucking frooves? or Fucking grooves my babies.
Here's a little mix curtosy of one of my best pal WandyPants!!
ENJOY.
1. Lee Fields & The Expressions - Expressions Theme
2. Four Tops - Still Water
3. Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Work
4. Whitefield Brothers - Eji
5. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Fish In The Dish
6. Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman
7. Menahan Street Band - Montego Street
8. Raphael Saadiq - Never Give You Up
9. The Revolution of St. Vincent - The Little You Say
10. Al Green - Sha La La
11. Betty Davis - I Will Take That Ride
12. Boris Gardiner - Negril
13. El Michael's Affair - Can It All Be So Simple
14. Ruth Brown - I Don't Know
15. Lee Fields & The Expressions - These Moments
16. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
17. Curtis Mayfield - Gimme Your Love
18. Aretha Franklin - One Step Ahead
Mix by Wandala N.
Lichens
I am extremely excited to see Rob A.A. Lowe playing with Om in a few weeks. Can you believe this is happening? The world MUST be coming to an end, and this might be the new sun rising.
08/03/09 - - UPDATE: i read wrong. :( Lichens is part of the East Coast shows, alongside Om and Six Organs of Admittance. damn.
Also - I haven't forgotten about the Sonny Kay mix...but I want artist and power noise violence guru Greg Curtis to choose the songs for me, so I await patiently.
yours,
diego
Eighteen Questions for Sonny Kay
Lately I've been shuffling between a lot of VSS, Angel Hair, Year Future. I really miss these bands, especially Year Future. Last time I saw them was at the Silverlake Lounge, along with buddies The Minus Fashion. To all: R I P.
As I was skating the w w w; came across this interview with Sonny via some good folks at The Citrus Report. More importantly check out some of his artwork he has done for bands, and more recently as Art Director for Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's RLP label. And please check back for a nice little musical mix related in some way to Sonny.
Thanks! - deegzzzzzz
***
***
Read it here also!
Very few people have quite as diverse a resume as Sonny Kay... lead vocalist, record label owner, art director, and up-and-coming digital collage artist, are all stops on his personal roadmap. When he's not creating the imagery for an upcoming album, he's probably meshing henna-tattooed hands, bird beaks, gorilla heads, and ice worlds to push us into the most surreal of digital habitats. His pieces are exactly that - living, breathing, tripped-out nether-places, silently inviting us to come along. His art is an unabashed testament to cultural juxtaposition - a jarring, yet friendly jab to our collective third eye. Before heading to Geneva, Switzerland for a DJ gig supporting The Joy Division, I was able to catch up with Sonny to find out more about his personal background, his artistic influences, and how the hell he conjures up these bizarre panoramas. —Evan La Ruffa
1) You're in LA these days, but where are you from originally?
I grew up in L.A., actually. I was born in London, and traveled around the world quite a bit for the first few years of my life. My Dad was a film director so we bounced around a lot - Barcelona, Johannesburg, back to England. I moved to L.A. when I was 7 and then we moved to Colorado when I was 15. I moved back to California as soon as I finished college - first Berkeley, then Oakland, then San Diego, and eventually L.A. A lot of places feel like "home".
2) You founded GSL (Gold Standard Laboratories) while at college, how the hell did you pull that off? What inspired you to own and run your own record label? Based on my college experience, I can't imagine being so productive!
Ha, well, college wasn't exactly productive for me in an academic sense. I got a lot done in terms of playing in bands, touring, "networking" with a fairly large amount of people, etc. But my school work, particularly art, really suffered. I squeezed by. I was totally preoccupied with music. I was the singer in bands (Savalas '90-'92, Angel Hair '93-'95, The VSS '95-'97), and I also booked and managed the campus rock club in Boulder which was operated, as far as I was concerned, very much in a punk/DIY persuasion. I'd booked punk shows for a few years beginning in 1990/'91 or so, and GSL really just grew out of that world. Bands I was in had done records with little labels here and there and the culture of the whole underground scene at the time made starting and distributing a label fairly easy, not to mention even a little glamorous, relatively speaking. There were labels like Gravity and Sympathy for the Record Industry that had virtual cults spring up around them, at least it seemed that way at the time. Those labels in particular were a huge inspiration on me. But GSL was essentially just a hobby until I got done with school a couple of years later, and moved to the Bay Area. In the early days there was no label to speak of - just me recruiting a few people to help stuff sleeves every now and then. It began as this kind of organic, experimental art project and in many way stayed true to that ideal, if you want to call it that, for 14 years. It fulfilled the contribution I felt like I wanted to make to the world of underground music, and satisfied what I suppose was my artistic drive at the time. But I spent so much time at the club or playing shows somewhere that my grades suffered and I came fairly close to not graduating. I did manage to do really well in a few elective courses that held my attention - anthropology, primate biology, that sort of thing. Stuff I still spend a lot of time dwelling on.
3) I hate to bring it up, but for those of us who spent time devouring the GSL roster, the end of the label was a sad thing. Que paso?
The label came to an end because, basically, we put out too many records and were in far too much debt to ever recover. Like I said, it was an art project. But when some of the bands started being genuinely successful, I think we missed the opportunity to redefine what it was, or could have been, about. Different decisions should have started taking place, but didn't. Eventually it just stopped being fun, but the numbers really made the decision to stop for us. It'd run its course. Looking back on it all now, there are plenty of things I would have done differently, but that's life.
4) In the past, you've done album art for Omar Rodriguez, your own band Year Future, Triclops! and more......how does that usually work? Does a band see something of yours and say " Hey, we need that for our record!"? Do you conceptualize collaboratively ever?
Every project works differently, and the relationship with every band or artist is unique. Year Future was my own band, I wrote the lyrics and the visuals were just a natural progression of the imagery I was trying to project. Nowadays, I create "sketches", rough sort of "doodle" type collages, and try to have 10 or 15 of them going at any one time, just trying to sort of flesh out new ideas that come to me. Sometimes, a band will bring me a specific idea and I will just try to create a visual representation of that for them. Other times, I'm able to pass on some of the recent sketches and something might click, so I'll spend some time finishing that idea or adapting it. The guys in RX Bandits saw a print of Menagerie and pretty much decided on the spot that they wanted to use it for their new album, "Mandala". So I created a whole layout around that cover image, sort of supporting the image as well as working-in elements to support the title. Omar's always been very open to my ideas and given me a lot of freedom to take things where I feel they should go. In a sense, I think sometimes the visuals help to solidify aspects of particular recordings for him, at least in a conceptual or narrative kind of sense. For example, I try and have working titles for all the pieces I show him. "Old Money" and "Megaritual" were in fact working titles of collages that were subsequently used as titles for albums. Sometimes I think we help focus one another, I don't know if he'd agree or not. He definitely helps me focus and sometimes uncover the essence of a particular piece.
The label came to an end because, basically, we put out too many records and were in far too much debt to ever recover. Like I said, it was an art project. But when some of the bands started being genuinely successful, I think we missed the opportunity to redefine what it was, or could have been, about. Different decisions should have started taking place, but didn't. Eventually it just stopped being fun, but the numbers really made the decision to stop for us. It'd run its course. Looking back on it all now, there are plenty of things I would have done differently, but that's life.
4) In the past, you've done album art for Omar Rodriguez, your own band Year Future, Triclops! and more......how does that usually work? Does a band see something of yours and say " Hey, we need that for our record!"? Do you conceptualize collaboratively ever?Every project works differently, and the relationship with every band or artist is unique. Year Future was my own band, I wrote the lyrics and the visuals were just a natural progression of the imagery I was trying to project. Nowadays, I create "sketches", rough sort of "doodle" type collages, and try to have 10 or 15 of them going at any one time, just trying to sort of flesh out new ideas that come to me. Sometimes, a band will bring me a specific idea and I will just try to create a visual representation of that for them. Other times, I'm able to pass on some of the recent sketches and something might click, so I'll spend some time finishing that idea or adapting it. The guys in RX Bandits saw a print of Menagerie and pretty much decided on the spot that they wanted to use it for their new album, "Mandala". So I created a whole layout around that cover image, sort of supporting the image as well as working-in elements to support the title. Omar's always been very open to my ideas and given me a lot of freedom to take things where I feel they should go. In a sense, I think sometimes the visuals help to solidify aspects of particular recordings for him, at least in a conceptual or narrative kind of sense. For example, I try and have working titles for all the pieces I show him. "Old Money" and "Megaritual" were in fact working titles of collages that were subsequently used as titles for albums. Sometimes I think we help focus one another, I don't know if he'd agree or not. He definitely helps me focus and sometimes uncover the essence of a particular piece.
5) You've been boys with The Mars Volta, more specifically Omar Rodriguez-Lopez for a while, how'd that relationship begin? How has it evolved?
We had a mutual friend who split his time between Denver and El Paso, and I met Omar while he was visiting this guy once, sometime in '94 I think. We'd bump into each other here and there over the years, The VSS were touring around the time At the Drive-In was starting to pick up momentum, '97 or so. I was running a record distribution company in Oakland at the end of the 90's called Bottlenekk. We distributed the De Facto "How Do You Dub?" 12" and Omar was impressed that this company that specialized in punk and hardcore records would be willing to get behind an instrumental dub band. So we really kind of bonded over a mutual love of dub reggae, not to mention East Bay punk of the early 90's. Next thing I knew, The Locust (whom I tour managed at the time, by default) were supporting At the Drive-In in Japan. I offered to release a De Facto album and things just sort of snowballed from there. Omar became a partner in GSL around that time. As with any long-term relationship, there's been plenty of ups and downs. We argue a lot but never really about what we do creatively... just everything else. We're very similar in many ways, and total opposites in others. It's been a long, slow process of learning what makes each other tick, punctuated by profoundly inspiring and fulfilling milestones along the way. We're pretty patient with one another nowadays. I feel very lucky to work so closely and prolifically with him. His motivation is contagious.
We had a mutual friend who split his time between Denver and El Paso, and I met Omar while he was visiting this guy once, sometime in '94 I think. We'd bump into each other here and there over the years, The VSS were touring around the time At the Drive-In was starting to pick up momentum, '97 or so. I was running a record distribution company in Oakland at the end of the 90's called Bottlenekk. We distributed the De Facto "How Do You Dub?" 12" and Omar was impressed that this company that specialized in punk and hardcore records would be willing to get behind an instrumental dub band. So we really kind of bonded over a mutual love of dub reggae, not to mention East Bay punk of the early 90's. Next thing I knew, The Locust (whom I tour managed at the time, by default) were supporting At the Drive-In in Japan. I offered to release a De Facto album and things just sort of snowballed from there. Omar became a partner in GSL around that time. As with any long-term relationship, there's been plenty of ups and downs. We argue a lot but never really about what we do creatively... just everything else. We're very similar in many ways, and total opposites in others. It's been a long, slow process of learning what makes each other tick, punctuated by profoundly inspiring and fulfilling milestones along the way. We're pretty patient with one another nowadays. I feel very lucky to work so closely and prolifically with him. His motivation is contagious.
6) What's your role with ORLP?
My official capacity at RLP is art director - I create album and CD packaging, visual web content, and help out where it's needed in terms of production management, that sort of thing. I work in other capacities depending on the project - Omar is up to all sorts of stuff these days. I created title cards for one of his as yet unreleased film projects and will hopefully be doing more of that in the future. I do the layout for the Volta albums utilizing the original art created for them by Jeff Jordan. I also collaborate with Cedric on a lot of the merchandise designs, something that's been the routine, if you want to call it that, from the very beginning of The Mars Volta. Cedric very much takes the lead with that stuff, so it's interesting sort of switching of gears for me.
My official capacity at RLP is art director - I create album and CD packaging, visual web content, and help out where it's needed in terms of production management, that sort of thing. I work in other capacities depending on the project - Omar is up to all sorts of stuff these days. I created title cards for one of his as yet unreleased film projects and will hopefully be doing more of that in the future. I do the layout for the Volta albums utilizing the original art created for them by Jeff Jordan. I also collaborate with Cedric on a lot of the merchandise designs, something that's been the routine, if you want to call it that, from the very beginning of The Mars Volta. Cedric very much takes the lead with that stuff, so it's interesting sort of switching of gears for me.
7) Nice nice. Now earlier you had a show at Han Cholo Gallery in Echo Park, CA, how'd it go? Would you do anything differently in the future?
The Han Cholo show went great. It was a good start, considering I didn't really know what I was doing. In the future, I'd prefer to use the space available a little more efficiently. We had a very short amount of time to hang the show and work out any logistical problems, so we wound up using existing nails that we knew were symmetrical for the really big pieces. A lot of them were hung a little too high up for most people. Han Cholo, which has since moved out of that location, is a jewelry store by day, and contending with the glass cases did make things a little cluttered. But overall it was great. A lot of friends turned up for the opening which was amazing.
The Han Cholo show went great. It was a good start, considering I didn't really know what I was doing. In the future, I'd prefer to use the space available a little more efficiently. We had a very short amount of time to hang the show and work out any logistical problems, so we wound up using existing nails that we knew were symmetrical for the really big pieces. A lot of them were hung a little too high up for most people. Han Cholo, which has since moved out of that location, is a jewelry store by day, and contending with the glass cases did make things a little cluttered. But overall it was great. A lot of friends turned up for the opening which was amazing.
8) How do you create these bizarre universes man!? Sometimes the various aspects of your collages are so disparate! What's the process of forming these 'weirdscapes' as I affectionately refer to them?
Sometimes I start out with an image or an idea in mind, but more often than not, I let the available materials dictate the path a composition might follow. I'm constantly collecting pictures which I file away into categories so I can find them again easily. If I've stumbled across a particularly large, useful image of say, a barren landscape, then I will try and work with that and see what other images I have saved that will work within it. The quality of the resolution of the image is of supreme importance - in other words, I don't get attached to the idea of using elements that might be visually stunning or "perfect" if they're simply too small and will compromise the effect by getting too pixelated, or blurry. So, the collage aspect in some sense dictates itself. I generally have a theme in mind, but I often let the elements fall into place as randomly as possible. The random aspect creates wonderful associations that a viewer may then read into, but would have never been possible had I actually sat and thought about exactly what 2 elements to marry. A really powerful determining factor in bringing elements together is the light source in any given image. If an element works particularly well within a certain background - that is, if the relationship of one piece to another is believable based on the light sources - then I take that as a sign of something being "meant to be", and develop it from there. I usually try and find a few really powerful, convincing elements where the light just seems to "work" - from there, everything else just kind of falls into place. Some of them take a really long time to "click". Of course, occasionally I do set out to create a specific image, and I search for elements to make that possible. But I find the accidental stuff a lot more intriguing and entertaining.
Sometimes I start out with an image or an idea in mind, but more often than not, I let the available materials dictate the path a composition might follow. I'm constantly collecting pictures which I file away into categories so I can find them again easily. If I've stumbled across a particularly large, useful image of say, a barren landscape, then I will try and work with that and see what other images I have saved that will work within it. The quality of the resolution of the image is of supreme importance - in other words, I don't get attached to the idea of using elements that might be visually stunning or "perfect" if they're simply too small and will compromise the effect by getting too pixelated, or blurry. So, the collage aspect in some sense dictates itself. I generally have a theme in mind, but I often let the elements fall into place as randomly as possible. The random aspect creates wonderful associations that a viewer may then read into, but would have never been possible had I actually sat and thought about exactly what 2 elements to marry. A really powerful determining factor in bringing elements together is the light source in any given image. If an element works particularly well within a certain background - that is, if the relationship of one piece to another is believable based on the light sources - then I take that as a sign of something being "meant to be", and develop it from there. I usually try and find a few really powerful, convincing elements where the light just seems to "work" - from there, everything else just kind of falls into place. Some of them take a really long time to "click". Of course, occasionally I do set out to create a specific image, and I search for elements to make that possible. But I find the accidental stuff a lot more intriguing and entertaining.
9) Would you say you're more concerned with conveying an aesthetic, or delivering a certain message in your work?That's hard to say. The message of each piece is important to me, but at the same time, I realize that it may well be disguised, if not completely absent, to a viewer. I suppose the aesthetic is sort of a by-product. I enjoy the idea of trying to trick peoples' perception, but I enjoy challenging their beliefs more.
10) Do you still paint at all?
I don't paint. I own paints, and from time to time I might get the itch to break them out and attempt something, but I'm easily discouraged. It's been nearly 2 years since I last tried it. I'd like to think it's something I'll eventually get around to doing with any degree of confidence.
11) I might be instigating here a bit, but would you be willing to elaborate on your intentions as far as your recent piece, "Trippin" which you featured at Echo Park? You did exhibit it at echo, right?
You're gonna lure me up onto my soapbox! Yes, I showed "Trippin" at Han Cholo. I was surprised by how little attention it got. Not that I included it to stir anything up, it's just that I really anticipated some negative fallout from it and almost didn't include it for that reason. It's a tongue-in-cheek suggestion of a page of blotter paper, complete with phony perforations. What it means to me is this: Obama, Yes We Can, Yes We Did, all of this is smoke and mirrors. Anyone who believes "change" is inherent to the presence of this man - or anyone, for that matter - in the White House is tripping. Tripping balls as everyone seems so fond of saying. High on their own misperceptions, hallucinating something they want very badly to believe in but are too scared as a species of their own reflections to see the process of making it real through to actualization. So they're settling for the McVersion given to them by corporations and they have no idea what they're in for. I think a lot of people agree with me but it's not a "politically correct" opinion, so it essentially doesn't exist, it's not open for discussion. People are so fearful of the true nature of reality they spend their lives subconsciously denying it out of existence with CNN, and facebook, and presidents. Every aspect of our lives and culture is manipulated, and nothing about how we live in the "first world" is real or connected to the planet we occupy, least of all the Obama administration, which is nothing more than the same old U.S. Government in blackface. That image is Obama, but it could just as easily have been the Pope, or the Lakers, or Miley Cyrus.
I don't paint. I own paints, and from time to time I might get the itch to break them out and attempt something, but I'm easily discouraged. It's been nearly 2 years since I last tried it. I'd like to think it's something I'll eventually get around to doing with any degree of confidence.
11) I might be instigating here a bit, but would you be willing to elaborate on your intentions as far as your recent piece, "Trippin" which you featured at Echo Park? You did exhibit it at echo, right?
You're gonna lure me up onto my soapbox! Yes, I showed "Trippin" at Han Cholo. I was surprised by how little attention it got. Not that I included it to stir anything up, it's just that I really anticipated some negative fallout from it and almost didn't include it for that reason. It's a tongue-in-cheek suggestion of a page of blotter paper, complete with phony perforations. What it means to me is this: Obama, Yes We Can, Yes We Did, all of this is smoke and mirrors. Anyone who believes "change" is inherent to the presence of this man - or anyone, for that matter - in the White House is tripping. Tripping balls as everyone seems so fond of saying. High on their own misperceptions, hallucinating something they want very badly to believe in but are too scared as a species of their own reflections to see the process of making it real through to actualization. So they're settling for the McVersion given to them by corporations and they have no idea what they're in for. I think a lot of people agree with me but it's not a "politically correct" opinion, so it essentially doesn't exist, it's not open for discussion. People are so fearful of the true nature of reality they spend their lives subconsciously denying it out of existence with CNN, and facebook, and presidents. Every aspect of our lives and culture is manipulated, and nothing about how we live in the "first world" is real or connected to the planet we occupy, least of all the Obama administration, which is nothing more than the same old U.S. Government in blackface. That image is Obama, but it could just as easily have been the Pope, or the Lakers, or Miley Cyrus.
12) Historically, who are your favorite artists? Anyone you're especially moved by or fond of?
In terms of classical artists, I've always had a soft spot for Hieronymus Bosch, Dali, sort of the "standards" of the surreal and disturbing. I consider Alex Grey part of that upper echelon as well. As far as direct influences on the kind of work I do, there's no minimizing the impact of people like Storm Thorgerson (during and after Hipgnosis), Winston Smith, Peter Saville, Gee Vaucher. To me, these people are like the Supreme Court of record design. The WW2-era collagist John Heartfield was a definite inspiration. Jeff Jordan never ceases to impress me.
In terms of classical artists, I've always had a soft spot for Hieronymus Bosch, Dali, sort of the "standards" of the surreal and disturbing. I consider Alex Grey part of that upper echelon as well. As far as direct influences on the kind of work I do, there's no minimizing the impact of people like Storm Thorgerson (during and after Hipgnosis), Winston Smith, Peter Saville, Gee Vaucher. To me, these people are like the Supreme Court of record design. The WW2-era collagist John Heartfield was a definite inspiration. Jeff Jordan never ceases to impress me.
13) What time of day, or what conditions do you work under? Tunes while you work? I often find that creative people feel more apt at different points in the day or with certain stimuli.....
These days, rather than at home I'm working in the RLP office, which is basically a part of the Sargent House office in Echo Park. It makes me more productive and helps me budget my time a little more realistically, not to mention I think it's a lot healthier for my state of mind to be around other people. Having said that, I find I'm far more inspired late at night, and tend to get most of my intensive, concentration-heavy work done then, at home. I'm not really sure why that is but I think the silence of the city around me is compelling, and I find it reassuring to know most other people are asleep. If I'm working at home, I'll usually run youtube videos on my spare monitor. I watch or listen to a lot of lectures by people like Terence McKenna, things to do with spirituality, the occult, shamanism, that sort of thing. When I'm working at the office I tend to go with itunes radio, a lot of dubstep and hip hop. It's good to kinda of zone out on that stuff, it gets me in the right headspace.
These days, rather than at home I'm working in the RLP office, which is basically a part of the Sargent House office in Echo Park. It makes me more productive and helps me budget my time a little more realistically, not to mention I think it's a lot healthier for my state of mind to be around other people. Having said that, I find I'm far more inspired late at night, and tend to get most of my intensive, concentration-heavy work done then, at home. I'm not really sure why that is but I think the silence of the city around me is compelling, and I find it reassuring to know most other people are asleep. If I'm working at home, I'll usually run youtube videos on my spare monitor. I watch or listen to a lot of lectures by people like Terence McKenna, things to do with spirituality, the occult, shamanism, that sort of thing. When I'm working at the office I tend to go with itunes radio, a lot of dubstep and hip hop. It's good to kinda of zone out on that stuff, it gets me in the right headspace.
14) The coolest place you've ever traveled to and why?
I'd probably have to go with Japan, it's never anything less than total sensory overload. I think it's the most evolved example of western civilization, although it's not without its faults. I'm fascinated by the culture and the tradition and the endless attention to aesthetic. Not to mention, I've had some of the best times of my life there and I just associate it with feeling great.
I'd probably have to go with Japan, it's never anything less than total sensory overload. I think it's the most evolved example of western civilization, although it's not without its faults. I'm fascinated by the culture and the tradition and the endless attention to aesthetic. Not to mention, I've had some of the best times of my life there and I just associate it with feeling great.
15) Any guilty pleasures?
English comedies. My favorites are The League of Gentleman, Ali G, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and more recently The Mighty Boosh and Nathan Barley. Even the more mainstream stuff like Extras. They're all genius. English comedies and Jeopardy!, my 2 TV vices. I don't actually watch much TV, I don't have cable. My sister records Jeopardy! and we'll sit and watch 6 or 8 episodes in a row, that'll fix me for a few weeks.
English comedies. My favorites are The League of Gentleman, Ali G, Garth Marenghi's Darkplace, and more recently The Mighty Boosh and Nathan Barley. Even the more mainstream stuff like Extras. They're all genius. English comedies and Jeopardy!, my 2 TV vices. I don't actually watch much TV, I don't have cable. My sister records Jeopardy! and we'll sit and watch 6 or 8 episodes in a row, that'll fix me for a few weeks.
16) Any artists, bands, writers you've been into lately that our readers should know about?
As far as artists go, it seems like every week I discover someone else who blows my mind. I spend a good amount of time on ffffound!.com and it's scary how much amazing work shows up on there. My current favorite is Josh Keyes, his paintings are really something special. I feel a lot of connection to his work. Culturally-speaking, I think Ian Svenonius can do no wrong. I'm disappointed I'm missing his new band play in L.A. this weekend. Health are my favorite band in Los Angeles, but they're hardly a secret anymore. Everyone should read the book The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby.
As far as artists go, it seems like every week I discover someone else who blows my mind. I spend a good amount of time on ffffound!.com and it's scary how much amazing work shows up on there. My current favorite is Josh Keyes, his paintings are really something special. I feel a lot of connection to his work. Culturally-speaking, I think Ian Svenonius can do no wrong. I'm disappointed I'm missing his new band play in L.A. this weekend. Health are my favorite band in Los Angeles, but they're hardly a secret anymore. Everyone should read the book The Cosmic Serpent by Jeremy Narby.
17) Remember that swine flu shit? Seems like a few years ago now, did you buy masks and gallons of purel or what?
Don't even get me started. I was really impressed by what Omar had to say about it on the NME site this week - it's cultural terrorism against Mexico. As is all the hype about drug cartels and bodies piling up. I've been to Mexico three times this year, border cities included. This is the U.S. trying to turn world opinion against Mexico and destroy its economy by ruining tourism. They want Mexico on its knees so it has no choice but to accept the "Amero" and be turned into a sweatshop once and for all.
Don't even get me started. I was really impressed by what Omar had to say about it on the NME site this week - it's cultural terrorism against Mexico. As is all the hype about drug cartels and bodies piling up. I've been to Mexico three times this year, border cities included. This is the U.S. trying to turn world opinion against Mexico and destroy its economy by ruining tourism. They want Mexico on its knees so it has no choice but to accept the "Amero" and be turned into a sweatshop once and for all.
18) What's up next for Sonny Kay? Where can people procure your work?
Well, I've been involved in a project for the past year or so called Optional Body. We've done some recording but haven't played out yet, and I'm not really sure whether we ever will or not. I've also been fronting a for-charity hardcore covers band (we only play the Dischord compilation "Flex Your Head", in its entirety) for about a year as well, but my last show with them is at the end of this month. Not sure really what the future holds for me and playing/performing. I'm more focused on art these days, for the time being anyway. But who knows........I'm going outta town tomorrow morning (5/20) for a week - got invited to DJ some crazy Factory/Joy Division retro thing by my buddy in Geneva! Fleshing it out with a detour through Paris, although I just found out Thursday and Friday are holidays in France. Looks like I'll never make it to the Louvre! I (also) may be part of a group show here in L.A. in July at a place called Showcave with some local people like Owleyes and Dan Danger. If not then, sooner or later. The RX Bandits "Mandala" album comes out in July and we're going to do an "RX" edition of Menagerie prints for mailorder to coincide with that. I'm in the process of getting a bunch of prints done of work from the past couple of years. Hopefully there'll be a functioning shopping cart up shortly, we're almost there. I'm very grateful for all the interest there's been lately in prints, it's really exciting.
Well, I've been involved in a project for the past year or so called Optional Body. We've done some recording but haven't played out yet, and I'm not really sure whether we ever will or not. I've also been fronting a for-charity hardcore covers band (we only play the Dischord compilation "Flex Your Head", in its entirety) for about a year as well, but my last show with them is at the end of this month. Not sure really what the future holds for me and playing/performing. I'm more focused on art these days, for the time being anyway. But who knows........I'm going outta town tomorrow morning (5/20) for a week - got invited to DJ some crazy Factory/Joy Division retro thing by my buddy in Geneva! Fleshing it out with a detour through Paris, although I just found out Thursday and Friday are holidays in France. Looks like I'll never make it to the Louvre! I (also) may be part of a group show here in L.A. in July at a place called Showcave with some local people like Owleyes and Dan Danger. If not then, sooner or later. The RX Bandits "Mandala" album comes out in July and we're going to do an "RX" edition of Menagerie prints for mailorder to coincide with that. I'm in the process of getting a bunch of prints done of work from the past couple of years. Hopefully there'll be a functioning shopping cart up shortly, we're almost there. I'm very grateful for all the interest there's been lately in prints, it's really exciting.
Please stay tuned for the mix! (in a day or two...damn damn work)
...
The Blazing Wisdom
Wow it's been a while, July has treated me well and busy, and good things have come of this month. Reconnections, new connections, disconnections. All that good stuff.
A few things:
I have just finished an audio project and of course the tracks will be posted at the end of this text. Im physically only making 25 copies, which will be on cassette in a case with original "artwork."
Yep - been a busy boy. Hopefully this audio project will be complete by the first of August, that is - all tapes recorded, labeled, track list, artwork, etc. Excited!
I've also been working on some tests for a larger project, I wont say much about it, but here are the tests:
But anywho, more will be said when the time is right. Im really looking forward to August, as Sunn O))) will be visiting us on the 11th of August. This has maybe been the most funnest summer ever, like totally.
I've also been invited to post a blog on Demagogues of The Cargo Culte, which is AWESOME and an honor, I fucking love that blog, all things about that blog are inspiration: from the numerous collaborations, mythic imagery and music, occult like passages into humanity's dark scene. Sign me up. So look out for that one. Should hopefully be out sometime this week. Thanks to LAWRENCE!
Audio Project:
The Blazing Widsom: You Broke Our Hearts But You Will Never Take Our Soul
Peripheral
In June (We Laughed)
Hot Water's Void
Dead Twin
Isabella
First Awakening
In The Sun Her Eyes Sparkled Like The Sea
Thanks for listening.
Deegz
july 2009
I'm A Person Of My Word
So here is the Tropicalia Mix:
1. Caetano Veloso - Tropicalia
2. Caetano Veloso - Soy Loco Por Ti America
3. Caetano Veloso - Meditaçåo
4. Os Mutantes, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Tom Z..- Parque Industrial
5. Os Mutantes - I Feel A Little Spaced Out (Ando Meio Desligado)
6. Caetano Veloso - Super Bacana
7. Gilberto Gil - Flora
8. Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil - Nam
Enjoy, it's gonna be fucking HOT today. bmx cruiser to the streets!
Parangoles, Tropicalia, Bolides y mas
Hélio Oiticica (1937-1980) was one of the most innovative Brazilian artists of the twentieth century and is now recognised as a highly significant figure in the development of contemporary art. Oiticica produced an outstanding body of work, which had its origins in the legacy of European Modernism as it developed in Brazil in the 1950s. But his unique and radical investigations led Oiticica to develop his artistic production in ever more inventive directions.
Through his work he was to challenge the traditional boundaries of art, and its relationship with life, and to undermine the separation of the art-object from the viewer, whom he turned into an active participant. Among Oiticica's most original achievements was his inventive and uncompromising use of colour.
Text by Ann Gallagher
And Part 1 of HO (1979, Ivan Cardoso)
Part 2
What? It's summer.
Deegz
Women VS Children
Tomorrow night will be our first public display of noise antics. Long time coming, hope to not disappoint. Bring your earplugs, ya noise pugs.
Please join the Fellows of Contemporary Art for Call Me Lightning, an evening of performance-based works organized by Vincent Ramos. Presented as a part of Performing Economies, the current exhibition in FOCA's Kitty Chester Series of Curator's Laboratory Projects, Call Me Lightning will take place in FOCA's Chinatown exhibition space at
970 N. Broadway Suite 208, LA 90012.
Artists:
Sara Hunsucker
Kelly Kleinschrodt
Nick Lowe
Lauralee Pope
Women vs Children
Friday, June 26, 2009
8-10 PM
"The most important thing in art is the frame. For painting: literally; for other arts: figuratively - because, without this humble appliance, you can't know where The Art stops and The Real World begins. You have to put a "box" around it because otherwise, what is that shit on the wall?" -Frank Zappa As a participating artist in Performing Economies, I was given the opportunity to program an event during the run of the exhibition. Instead of creating an overall sensibility via a traditional thematic structure for this event, I opted to simply provide each participating artist the platform to execute one of their own performance-based pieces. That the individual works are poles apart and don't necessarily "make sense" together is its ultimate strength and goal. This evening is not about a collective sensibility, but one invested in the idea of the artist as individual; filled with unique "powers", in a constant state of flux, and capable of producing ephemeral yet compelling works at any given moment.
Call Me Lightning brings together Sara Hunsucker, Kelly Kleinschrodt, Nick Lowe, Lauralee Pope, and Women VS Children (Greg Curtis and Diego J. Garza). These artists are all participating in my project, included in the exhibition, and they all incorporate various performative elements within their own separate practices. To continue on with the subject of dance (inherent within my work in the gallery), or better yet, the dance party, the best parties are those that contain a multitude of interesting characters peppered throughout; close confidants, familiar faces, total strangers, the token weirdos, etc.
Once these disparate individuals make their way to the dance floor, loaded with their complex idiosyncrasies and overall dance-floor-prowess, that is when things begin to manifest outside tradition and new hybridized forms begin to emerge. These artists and their pieces exist, for tonight, in the center of this metaphorical space and through their given actions, aim to bring this visceral experience to the forefront. This gesture is ultimately done in an effort to extend the dialogue to a live audience willing to immerse themselves in each one of these artist's unique admixture of poetics through action. Vincent RamosLos Angeles, 2009
The Problem with Music, By Steve Albini
Just saw Shellac twice this past weekend. And when I mean twice, I mean they kicked my ass the second night. They played harder, faster, than previous times. It was worth stopping everything in the world for a few hours. Quite memorable, and even more so inspiring.
So the 90s have come and gone and I'm almost 30 and still feel more pissed off then when I was 16. I remember reading this article years ago and I'd love to share it with you all. Of course, written by Steve Albini himself:
The problem with music
by Steve Albini
This is an article from Maximum Rock n' Roll #133 written by Steve Albini, and it details the problems encountered when dealing with a major label. Reprinted without permission.
Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed.
Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke. And he does of course.
I. A & R Scouts
Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an "A & R" rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for "Artist and Repertoire." because historically, the A & R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly.
These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave. Lyle Preslar, former guitarist for Minor Threat, is one of them. Terry Tolkin, former NY independent booking agent and assistant manager at Touch and Go is one of them. Al Smith, former soundman at CBGB is one of them. Mike Gitter, former editor of XXX fanzine and contributor to Rip, Kerrang and other lowbrow rags is one of them. Many of the annoying turds who used to staff college radio stations are in their ranks as well.
There are several reasons A & R scouts are always young. The explanation usually copped-to is that the scout will be "hip to the current musical "scene." A more important reason is that the bands will intuitively trust someone they think is a peer, and who speaks fondly of the same formative rock and roll experiences. The A & R person is the first person to make contact with the band, and as such is the first person to promise them the moon. Who better to promise them the moon than an idealistic young turk who expects to be calling the shots in a few years, and who has had no previous experience with a big record company. Hell, he's as naive as the band he's duping. When he tells them no one will interfere in their creative process, he probably even believes it.
When he sits down with the band for the first time, over a plate of angel hair pasta, he can tell them with all sincerity that when they sign with company X, they're really signing with him and he's on their side. Remember that great gig I saw you at in '85? Didn't we have a blast.
By now all rock bands are wise enough to be suspicious of music industry scum. There is a pervasive caricature in popular culture of a portly, middle aged ex-hipster talking a mile-a-minute, using outdated jargon and calling everybody "baby." After meeting "their" A & R guy, the band will say to themselves and everyone else, "He's not like a record company guy at all! He's like one of us." And they will be right. That's one of the reasons he was hired.
These A & R guys are not allowed to write contracts. What they do is present the band with a letter of intent, or "deal memo," which loosely states some terms, and affirms that the band will sign with the label once a contract has been agreed on.
The spookiest thing about this harmless sounding little memo, is that it is, for all legal purposes, a binding document. That is, once the band signs it, they are under obligation to conclude a deal with the label. If the label presents them with a contract that the band don't want to sign, all the label has to do is wait. There are a hundred other bands willing to sign the exact same contract, so the label is in a position of strength.
These letters never have any terms of expiration, so the band remain bound by the deal memo until a contract is signed, no matter how long that takes. The band cannot sign to another laborer even put out its own material unless they are released from their agreement, which never happens. Make no mistake about it: once a band has signed a letter of intent, they will either eventually sign a contract that suits the label or they will be destroyed.
One of my favorite bands was held hostage for the better part of two years by a slick young "He's not like a label guy at all," A & R rep, on the basis of such a deal memo. He had failed to come through on any of his promises [something he did with similar effect to another well-known band], and so the band wanted out. Another label expressed interest, but when the A & R man was asked to release the band, he said he would need money or points, or possibly both, before he would consider it.
The new label was afraid the price would be too dear, and they said no thanks. On the cusp of making their signature album, an excellent band, humiliated, broke up from the stress and the many months of inactivity.
II. There's This Band
There's this band. They're pretty ordinary, but they're also pretty good, so they've attracted some attention. They're signed to a moderate-sized "independent" label owned by a distribution company, and they have another two albums owed to the label. They're a little ambitious. They'd like to get signed by a major label so they can have some security you know, get some good equipment, tour in a proper tour bus -- nothing fancy, just a little reward for all the hard work.
To that end, they got a manager. He knows some of the label guys, and he can shop their next project to all the right people. He takes his cut, sure, but it's only 15%, and if he can get them signed then it's money well spent. Anyways, it doesn't cost them anything if it doesn't work. 15% of nothing isn't much!
One day an A & R scout calls them, says he's 'been following them for a while now, and when their manager mentioned them to him, it just "clicked." Would they like to meet with him about the possibility of working out a deal with his label? Wow. Big Break time.
They meet the guy, and y'know what -- he's not what they expected from a label guy. He's young and dresses pretty much like the band does. He knows all their favorite bands. He's like one of them. He tells them he wants to go to bat for them, to try to get them everything they want. He says anything is possible with the right attitude. They conclude the evening by taking home a copy of a deal memo they wrote out and signed on the spot.
The A & R guy was full of great ideas, even talked about using a name producer. Butch Vig is out of the question-he wants 100 g's and three points, but they can get Don Fleming for $30,000 plus three points. Even that's a little steep, so maybe they'll go with that guy who used to be in David Letterman's band. He only wants three points. Or they can have just anybody record it (like Warton Tiers, maybe-- cost you 5 or 7 grand] and have Andy Wallace remix it for 4 grand a track plus 2 points. It was a lot to think about.
Well, they like this guy and they trust him. Besides, they already signed the deal memo. He must have been serious about wanting them to sign. They break the news to their current label, and the label manager says he wants them to succeed, so they have his blessing. He will need to be compensated, of course, for the remaining albums left on their contract, but he'll work it out with the label himself. Sub Pop made millions from selling off Nirvana, and Twin Tone hasn't done bad either: 50 grand for the Babes and 60 grand for the Poster Children-- without having to sell a single additional record. It'll be something modest. The new label doesn't mind, so long as it's recoupable out of royalties. Well, they get the final contract, and it's not quite what they expected. They figure it's better to be safe than sorry and they turn it over to a lawyer--one who says he's experienced in entertainment law and he hammers out a few bugs. They're still not sure about it, but the lawyer says he's seen a lot of contracts, and theirs is pretty good. They'll be great royalty: 13% [less a 1O% packaging deduction]. Wasn't it Buffalo Tom that were only getting 12% less 10? Whatever.
The old label only wants 50 grand, an no points. Hell, Sub Pop got 3 points when they let Nirvana go. They're signed for four years, with options on each year, for a total of over a million dollars! That's a lot of money in any man's English. The first year's advance alone is $250,000. Just think about it, a quarter million, just for being in a rock band!
Their manager thinks it's a great deal, especially the large advance. Besides, he knows a publishing company that will take the band on if they get signed, and even give them an advance of 20 grand, so they'll be making that money too. The manager says publishing is pretty mysterious, and nobody really knows where all the money comes from, but the lawyer can look that contract over too. Hell, it's free money.
Their booking agent is excited about the band signing to a major. He says they can maybe average $1,000 or $2,000 a night from now on. That's enough to justify a five week tour, and with tour support, they can use a proper crew, buy some good equipment and even get a tour bus! Buses are pretty expensive, but if you figure in the price of a hotel room for everybody In the band and crew, they're actually about the same cost. Some bands like Therapy? and Sloan and Stereolab) use buses on their tours even when they're getting paid only a couple hundred bucks a night, and this tour should earn at least a grand or two every night. It'll be worth it. The band will be more comfortable and will play better. The agent says a band on a major label can get a merchandising company to pay them an advance on T-shirt sales! ridiculous! There s a gold mine here! The lawyer Should look over the merchandising contract, just to be safe.
They get drunk at the signing party. Polaroids are taken and everybody looks thrilled. The label picked them up in a limo. They decided to go with the producer who used to be in Letterman's band. He had these technicians come in and tune the drums for them and tweak their amps and guitars. He had a guy bring in a slew of expensive old "vintage" microphones. Boy, were they "warm." He even had a guy come in and check the phase of all the equipment in the control room! Boy, was he professional. He used a bunch of equipment on them and by the end of it, they all agreed that it sounded very "punchy," yet "warm."
All that hard work paid off. With the help of a video, the album went like hotcakes! They sold a quarter million copies!
Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are:
These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound. income is underlined, expenses are not.
Advance: $ 250,000
^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^
Manager's cut: $ 37,500
Legal fees: $ 10,000
Recording Budget: $ 150,000
Producer s advance: $ 50,000
Studio fee: $ 52,500
Drum. Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors": $ 3,000
Recording tape: $ 8,000
Equipment rental: $ 5,000
Cartage and Transportation: $ 5,000
Lodgings while in studio: $ 10,000
Catering: $ 3,000
Mastering: $ 10,000
Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping
tapes, misc. expenses: $ 2,000
Video budget: $ 30,000
Cameras: $ 8,000
Crew: $ 5,000
Processing and transfers: $ 3,000
Off-line: $ 2,000
On-line editing: $ 3,000
Catering: $ 1,000
Stage and construction: $ 3,000
Copies, couriers, transportation: $ 2,000
Director's fee: $ 3,000
Album Artwork: $ 5,000
Promotional photo shoot and
duplication: $ 2,000
Band fund: $ 15,000
New fancy professional drum kit: $ 5,000
New fancy professional guitars [2]: $ 3,000
New fancy professional guitar amp
rigs [2]: $ 4,000
New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar: $ 1,000
New fancy rack of lights bass amp: $ 1,000
Rehearsal space rental: $ 500
Big blowout party for their friends: $ 500
Tour expense [5 weeks]: $ 50,875
Bus: $ 25,000
Crew [3]: $ 7,500
Food and per diems: $ 7,875
Fuel: $ 3,000
Consumable supplies: $ 3,500
Wardrobe: $ 1,000
Promotion: $ 3,000
Tour gross income: $ 50,000
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Agent's cut: $ 7,500
Manager's cut: $ 7,500
Merchandising advance: $ 20,000
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Publishing advance: $ 20,000
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Record sales: 250,000 @ $12 = $3,000,000
Gross retail revenue Royalty
[13% of 90% of retail]: $ 351,000
Less advance: $ 250,000
Producer's points
[3% less $50,000 advance]: $ 40,000
Promotional budget: $ 25,000
Recoupable buyout from previous label: $ 50,000
Net royalty: $ -14,000
^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Record company income:
Record wholesale price
$6.50 x 250,000 = $1,625,000 gross income
Artist Royalties: $ 351,000
Deficit from royalties: $ 14,000
Manufacturing, packaging and
distribution @ $2.20 per record: $ 550,000
Gross profit: $ 7l0,000
The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player
got paid at the end of the game.
Record company: $ 710,000
Producer: $ 90,000
Manager: $ 51,000
Studio: $ 52,500
Previous label: $ 50,000
Agent: $ 7,500
Lawyer: $ 12,000
Band member net income each: $ 4,031.25
The band is now 1/4 of the way through its contract, has made the music industry more than 3 million dollars richer, but is in the hole $14,000 on royalties. The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11, but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month.
The next album will be about the same, except that the record company will insist they spend more time and money on it. Since the previous one never "recouped," the band will have no leverage, and will oblige.
The next tour will be about the same, except the merchandising advance will have already been paid, and the band, strangely enough, won't have earned any royalties from their T-shirts yet. Maybe the T-shirt guys have figured out how to count money like record company guys.
Some of your friends are probably already this fucked.
So the 90s have come and gone and I'm almost 30 and still feel more pissed off then when I was 16. I remember reading this article years ago and I'd love to share it with you all. Of course, written by Steve Albini himself:
The problem with music
by Steve Albini
This is an article from Maximum Rock n' Roll #133 written by Steve Albini, and it details the problems encountered when dealing with a major label. Reprinted without permission.
Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed.
Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke. And he does of course.
I. A & R Scouts
Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an "A & R" rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for "Artist and Repertoire." because historically, the A & R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly.
These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave. Lyle Preslar, former guitarist for Minor Threat, is one of them. Terry Tolkin, former NY independent booking agent and assistant manager at Touch and Go is one of them. Al Smith, former soundman at CBGB is one of them. Mike Gitter, former editor of XXX fanzine and contributor to Rip, Kerrang and other lowbrow rags is one of them. Many of the annoying turds who used to staff college radio stations are in their ranks as well.
There are several reasons A & R scouts are always young. The explanation usually copped-to is that the scout will be "hip to the current musical "scene." A more important reason is that the bands will intuitively trust someone they think is a peer, and who speaks fondly of the same formative rock and roll experiences. The A & R person is the first person to make contact with the band, and as such is the first person to promise them the moon. Who better to promise them the moon than an idealistic young turk who expects to be calling the shots in a few years, and who has had no previous experience with a big record company. Hell, he's as naive as the band he's duping. When he tells them no one will interfere in their creative process, he probably even believes it.
When he sits down with the band for the first time, over a plate of angel hair pasta, he can tell them with all sincerity that when they sign with company X, they're really signing with him and he's on their side. Remember that great gig I saw you at in '85? Didn't we have a blast.
By now all rock bands are wise enough to be suspicious of music industry scum. There is a pervasive caricature in popular culture of a portly, middle aged ex-hipster talking a mile-a-minute, using outdated jargon and calling everybody "baby." After meeting "their" A & R guy, the band will say to themselves and everyone else, "He's not like a record company guy at all! He's like one of us." And they will be right. That's one of the reasons he was hired.
These A & R guys are not allowed to write contracts. What they do is present the band with a letter of intent, or "deal memo," which loosely states some terms, and affirms that the band will sign with the label once a contract has been agreed on.
The spookiest thing about this harmless sounding little memo, is that it is, for all legal purposes, a binding document. That is, once the band signs it, they are under obligation to conclude a deal with the label. If the label presents them with a contract that the band don't want to sign, all the label has to do is wait. There are a hundred other bands willing to sign the exact same contract, so the label is in a position of strength.
These letters never have any terms of expiration, so the band remain bound by the deal memo until a contract is signed, no matter how long that takes. The band cannot sign to another laborer even put out its own material unless they are released from their agreement, which never happens. Make no mistake about it: once a band has signed a letter of intent, they will either eventually sign a contract that suits the label or they will be destroyed.
One of my favorite bands was held hostage for the better part of two years by a slick young "He's not like a label guy at all," A & R rep, on the basis of such a deal memo. He had failed to come through on any of his promises [something he did with similar effect to another well-known band], and so the band wanted out. Another label expressed interest, but when the A & R man was asked to release the band, he said he would need money or points, or possibly both, before he would consider it.
The new label was afraid the price would be too dear, and they said no thanks. On the cusp of making their signature album, an excellent band, humiliated, broke up from the stress and the many months of inactivity.
II. There's This Band
There's this band. They're pretty ordinary, but they're also pretty good, so they've attracted some attention. They're signed to a moderate-sized "independent" label owned by a distribution company, and they have another two albums owed to the label. They're a little ambitious. They'd like to get signed by a major label so they can have some security you know, get some good equipment, tour in a proper tour bus -- nothing fancy, just a little reward for all the hard work.
To that end, they got a manager. He knows some of the label guys, and he can shop their next project to all the right people. He takes his cut, sure, but it's only 15%, and if he can get them signed then it's money well spent. Anyways, it doesn't cost them anything if it doesn't work. 15% of nothing isn't much!
One day an A & R scout calls them, says he's 'been following them for a while now, and when their manager mentioned them to him, it just "clicked." Would they like to meet with him about the possibility of working out a deal with his label? Wow. Big Break time.
They meet the guy, and y'know what -- he's not what they expected from a label guy. He's young and dresses pretty much like the band does. He knows all their favorite bands. He's like one of them. He tells them he wants to go to bat for them, to try to get them everything they want. He says anything is possible with the right attitude. They conclude the evening by taking home a copy of a deal memo they wrote out and signed on the spot.
The A & R guy was full of great ideas, even talked about using a name producer. Butch Vig is out of the question-he wants 100 g's and three points, but they can get Don Fleming for $30,000 plus three points. Even that's a little steep, so maybe they'll go with that guy who used to be in David Letterman's band. He only wants three points. Or they can have just anybody record it (like Warton Tiers, maybe-- cost you 5 or 7 grand] and have Andy Wallace remix it for 4 grand a track plus 2 points. It was a lot to think about.
Well, they like this guy and they trust him. Besides, they already signed the deal memo. He must have been serious about wanting them to sign. They break the news to their current label, and the label manager says he wants them to succeed, so they have his blessing. He will need to be compensated, of course, for the remaining albums left on their contract, but he'll work it out with the label himself. Sub Pop made millions from selling off Nirvana, and Twin Tone hasn't done bad either: 50 grand for the Babes and 60 grand for the Poster Children-- without having to sell a single additional record. It'll be something modest. The new label doesn't mind, so long as it's recoupable out of royalties. Well, they get the final contract, and it's not quite what they expected. They figure it's better to be safe than sorry and they turn it over to a lawyer--one who says he's experienced in entertainment law and he hammers out a few bugs. They're still not sure about it, but the lawyer says he's seen a lot of contracts, and theirs is pretty good. They'll be great royalty: 13% [less a 1O% packaging deduction]. Wasn't it Buffalo Tom that were only getting 12% less 10? Whatever.
The old label only wants 50 grand, an no points. Hell, Sub Pop got 3 points when they let Nirvana go. They're signed for four years, with options on each year, for a total of over a million dollars! That's a lot of money in any man's English. The first year's advance alone is $250,000. Just think about it, a quarter million, just for being in a rock band!
Their manager thinks it's a great deal, especially the large advance. Besides, he knows a publishing company that will take the band on if they get signed, and even give them an advance of 20 grand, so they'll be making that money too. The manager says publishing is pretty mysterious, and nobody really knows where all the money comes from, but the lawyer can look that contract over too. Hell, it's free money.
Their booking agent is excited about the band signing to a major. He says they can maybe average $1,000 or $2,000 a night from now on. That's enough to justify a five week tour, and with tour support, they can use a proper crew, buy some good equipment and even get a tour bus! Buses are pretty expensive, but if you figure in the price of a hotel room for everybody In the band and crew, they're actually about the same cost. Some bands like Therapy? and Sloan and Stereolab) use buses on their tours even when they're getting paid only a couple hundred bucks a night, and this tour should earn at least a grand or two every night. It'll be worth it. The band will be more comfortable and will play better. The agent says a band on a major label can get a merchandising company to pay them an advance on T-shirt sales! ridiculous! There s a gold mine here! The lawyer Should look over the merchandising contract, just to be safe.
They get drunk at the signing party. Polaroids are taken and everybody looks thrilled. The label picked them up in a limo. They decided to go with the producer who used to be in Letterman's band. He had these technicians come in and tune the drums for them and tweak their amps and guitars. He had a guy bring in a slew of expensive old "vintage" microphones. Boy, were they "warm." He even had a guy come in and check the phase of all the equipment in the control room! Boy, was he professional. He used a bunch of equipment on them and by the end of it, they all agreed that it sounded very "punchy," yet "warm."
All that hard work paid off. With the help of a video, the album went like hotcakes! They sold a quarter million copies!
Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are:
These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound. income is underlined, expenses are not.
Advance: $ 250,000
^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^
Manager's cut: $ 37,500
Legal fees: $ 10,000
Recording Budget: $ 150,000
Producer s advance: $ 50,000
Studio fee: $ 52,500
Drum. Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors": $ 3,000
Recording tape: $ 8,000
Equipment rental: $ 5,000
Cartage and Transportation: $ 5,000
Lodgings while in studio: $ 10,000
Catering: $ 3,000
Mastering: $ 10,000
Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping
tapes, misc. expenses: $ 2,000
Video budget: $ 30,000
Cameras: $ 8,000
Crew: $ 5,000
Processing and transfers: $ 3,000
Off-line: $ 2,000
On-line editing: $ 3,000
Catering: $ 1,000
Stage and construction: $ 3,000
Copies, couriers, transportation: $ 2,000
Director's fee: $ 3,000
Album Artwork: $ 5,000
Promotional photo shoot and
duplication: $ 2,000
Band fund: $ 15,000
New fancy professional drum kit: $ 5,000
New fancy professional guitars [2]: $ 3,000
New fancy professional guitar amp
rigs [2]: $ 4,000
New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar: $ 1,000
New fancy rack of lights bass amp: $ 1,000
Rehearsal space rental: $ 500
Big blowout party for their friends: $ 500
Tour expense [5 weeks]: $ 50,875
Bus: $ 25,000
Crew [3]: $ 7,500
Food and per diems: $ 7,875
Fuel: $ 3,000
Consumable supplies: $ 3,500
Wardrobe: $ 1,000
Promotion: $ 3,000
Tour gross income: $ 50,000
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Agent's cut: $ 7,500
Manager's cut: $ 7,500
Merchandising advance: $ 20,000
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Publishing advance: $ 20,000
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Record sales: 250,000 @ $12 = $3,000,000
Gross retail revenue Royalty
[13% of 90% of retail]: $ 351,000
Less advance: $ 250,000
Producer's points
[3% less $50,000 advance]: $ 40,000
Promotional budget: $ 25,000
Recoupable buyout from previous label: $ 50,000
Net royalty: $ -14,000
^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
Record company income:
Record wholesale price
$6.50 x 250,000 = $1,625,000 gross income
Artist Royalties: $ 351,000
Deficit from royalties: $ 14,000
Manufacturing, packaging and
distribution @ $2.20 per record: $ 550,000
Gross profit: $ 7l0,000
The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player
got paid at the end of the game.
Record company: $ 710,000
Producer: $ 90,000
Manager: $ 51,000
Studio: $ 52,500
Previous label: $ 50,000
Agent: $ 7,500
Lawyer: $ 12,000
Band member net income each: $ 4,031.25
The band is now 1/4 of the way through its contract, has made the music industry more than 3 million dollars richer, but is in the hole $14,000 on royalties. The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11, but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month.
The next album will be about the same, except that the record company will insist they spend more time and money on it. Since the previous one never "recouped," the band will have no leverage, and will oblige.
The next tour will be about the same, except the merchandising advance will have already been paid, and the band, strangely enough, won't have earned any royalties from their T-shirts yet. Maybe the T-shirt guys have figured out how to count money like record company guys.
Some of your friends are probably already this fucked.
Badgerlore
"...a meeting of some of the finest minds in the whole darned scene, we have Rob Fisk (ex-Deerhoof), Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), Liz Harris (Grouper), Tom Carter (Charalambides), Pete Swanson (Yellow Swans) and Glen Donaldson (Thuja, Jewelled Antler Collective) ganging up together to create a record of epic proportions."
Part 2:
Part 3:
And with these words I leave Badgerlore on your lap, it's been a hellava week. And Im about ready to pass out.
xo
Deegz
Middle Of The Week
Today is midweek and July couldn't come any faster.
Turbulance: there is an odd chaotic subtle peace to this space but it is hard to get to; as much of the surface that I scratch off, I still can't get to the diamond.
Deegz
There Is No Authority But Yourself.
...And if you don't have a gazillion dollars for a bass amp, build one yourself. Have a good friend with some knowledge and a soldering gun, gut out some old cones from smaller amps, I don't know - - there's always a way. I bourg'd out and purchased a cone. Since everything I have ever owned has been garbage and sounded like garbage (a sound I'm quite fond of) I was kind of eager to hear what a louder and cleaner sound could be produced with my bass guitar.
I'll just post some pics, I think they're pretty self explanatory:
This is the amp I got from Timbo, a Crate solid state 200 something something or other.
Some HOME DEPOT action.
The initial build. Im building it large enough to later include some other subwoofers, maybe some 5" or 8"...not sure yet.
Here is Timbotronic soldering with his nifty blader runner-like third arm.
So far so good, it's sturdy as hell and loud as F when we tested it. Thinking now about how to finish the wood--lacquer, or resin, or stain...
It's all coming together, A-Team style. We put in a few braces to support the cone, which was more than enough, and luckily the cone weights NOTHING. All in all, steady as it goes!
Tim insisted we listen to The Cure while we put it together, I think a few tears of pain landed on the cabinet, so I'm guessing that's good luck. My tears, that is.
Installing the cone:
El Producto:
TOTAL. FUCKING. NERD OUT:
And there you have it my babies. A cabinet. An amplifier that rocks with an EQ. And a sound so warm it can make you take a nap, especially with all the June blue that's been kicking around lately. But I'm not complaining.
For your patience, some treats:
part I:
_01 Man Is The Bastard - Kai Lai
_02 Sleep - Dragonaut
_03 Sunn O)))/Boris - Akuma No Kuma
_04 Unwound - December
_05 The Soft Machine - Why Are We Sleeping
part II:
_06 Guru Guru - Electric Junk
_07 Sun Ra - Moon Dance
_08 Suppression - Dissect
_09 Telomere Repair - tugboatjetboat
_10 The Thrones - The Suckling
_11 OM - Rays Of The Sun _ The Shrinebuilder
I'll just post some pics, I think they're pretty self explanatory:
This is the amp I got from Timbo, a Crate solid state 200 something something or other.
Here is das CONE. 15 INCHES.
Some HOME DEPOT action.
The initial build. Im building it large enough to later include some other subwoofers, maybe some 5" or 8"...not sure yet.
Here is Timbotronic soldering with his nifty blader runner-like third arm.
So far so good, it's sturdy as hell and loud as F when we tested it. Thinking now about how to finish the wood--lacquer, or resin, or stain...
It's all coming together, A-Team style. We put in a few braces to support the cone, which was more than enough, and luckily the cone weights NOTHING. All in all, steady as it goes!
Installing the cone:
El Producto:
TOTAL. FUCKING. NERD OUT:
And there you have it my babies. A cabinet. An amplifier that rocks with an EQ. And a sound so warm it can make you take a nap, especially with all the June blue that's been kicking around lately. But I'm not complaining.
For your patience, some treats:
part I:
_01 Man Is The Bastard - Kai Lai
_02 Sleep - Dragonaut
_03 Sunn O)))/Boris - Akuma No Kuma
_04 Unwound - December
_05 The Soft Machine - Why Are We Sleeping
part II:
_06 Guru Guru - Electric Junk
_07 Sun Ra - Moon Dance
_08 Suppression - Dissect
_09 Telomere Repair - tugboatjetboat
_10 The Thrones - The Suckling
_11 OM - Rays Of The Sun _ The Shrinebuilder
