Mice Inc and Youth'ful expectations

A few mornings ago, with my work cabinet opened where clothes, book, herbal tea, bread and whatnot are stored (it seems my office cabinet is my 2nd home after all, shock horror), I discovered a deep hole carved into my bread, like a warm comfy nest imbedded into the wheat. Yeah, it's known our office at the reknown Rembrandtplein has mice, like any auld city centre. I just love the little rascals for their cleverness, sometimes we see them running around too, like on the first day of my training, aeons ago. -gawk!-. Instead of cleaning up my cabinet of the crumbs and pieces like my supervisor told me, I've been a bad boy and dissobeyed. Tough luck, little bellies got to be fed, so I left some pieces of cashew nuts around. They haven't been eaten, I reckon these mice truly have a picky connosseuristic choice of food. Nuts I say!

The day mice enjoyed my bread was followed by a monday night out to the grand OCCII squat venue where there was a breakcore night of some sorts with Otto Von Schirach ending his European stay. What can you say about a man who put bikini-clad lizards on his artwork? His sickly onstage persona creates all these beautifully ugly sounds, yet offstage he's the kind fella who talks with a charming lisp, Miami style. 3rd time seeing him in the space or mere months, you kinda get to mingle and know someone. Click-click-click; faux-pas gangsta glitch rap gets submerged with bodily spams sounds, the kinda sounds from bowels and throats if ye catch his driftwind. Beforehand, a funny dude by the name of Tony Blitzkrieg started the night, claimed to be Henk Westbroek (dutch radio personality who makes shitty light songs) while wearing a zombie mask and started rolling over the floor, priceless entertainment. He ran into the audience and like a dog attacking the leg of my friend Wouter. Imagine some psycho down on the floor clamping onto your leg and trying to bite it while you kick him away. It was a fun sight to see. Soon enough, Tony's shenanigans caused his midi music box to

Tomorrow nite, Sonic Youth are playing a 1,5 hour *supposed* improv set at the experimental State-X festival in The Hague. I'm saying *supposed*, because the organiser just loves a good noisy improvisation which he might just request from these auld ones. Then again, expectations are the pure pinnacle of disappointment. Instead to counter this too-good feeling, I'll just bear in mind that they will re-do all of Goo and Sister again and again like any puristic saddo fan will probably expect. Having experienced the Youth superbly improvising with sweeping guitars last year at a Barcelona festival and none of the same old songs, I was left gutted with the amount of moany saddo fans who voiced their anger of not getting to hear their favorite album hits. Yean, new raw material really feels like a punishment, doesn't? Poor people, who are all popcharties deep down inside should better realize for once that special does not equal repetition. So yeah, the question I'll raise is, will the same kind of people, who call themselves fans, still enjoy a set of improvised guitarslashing by Thurston and Kim or Lee destructively fooling with the pedals? Let's hope what comes around, goes around. Later that night, Thurston will join Chris Corsano and Paul Flaherty, Matt Heyner and Spencer Yeh, which could turn out to be a hefty mouthwatering improv affair. The No-Neck Bluesband will do their freaky holistic folk thing and I'm wondering if this time they won't get into a fight with each other as it happened at a Rotterdam gig last spring, ouch.

The saturday nite will be a very grimey and electronical affair with Plastician, MarkOne, Chris Clark and Jamie Lidell taking over. Even classic Finnish psychefolk act Circle will be playing wha-wha-what??...in a smaller room though. Glamcore buddy Jason Forrest will be presenting the night as PA of the night. I smell a perfect cut-out. At least it will look more sane than him running around with his face and upper body covered in ketchup like 2 years back...ohhhhhmm.
I'm looking forward to see the Magick Markers, with guitar amps screeching at irritating rates.

Some tunes, unfortunately in iTunes M4A format for now....

(from Murray Street, 2002)
Sonic Youth - Sympathy For The Strawberry
Sonic Youth - Karen Revisited (in light of friday, it gets more interesting after 3 mins ;)

(from Maxipad Detention, 2006)
Otto Von Schirach - Trick Snitch
Otto Von Schirach - Cantaloupe Syphilis Gravy
Otto Von Schirach - Maxipad Vegetation

The livingroom dove and Vientane charity drink

Last sunday afternoon a livingroom concert was organised with American songwriters Viking Moses and Ramona Cordova and local Dutch songwriters Danielle Liebeskind and Machinefabriek. Such events surely are more enjoyable than any kind of normal concert. Matrasses, pillows and carpets were laid down and soup, bread and cheese exchanged hungry stomachs. Danielle started the afternoon with heartfelt songs stirring her emotions and she played a superb Kimya Dawson tribute song. Ramona (named his artist persona in honour of his grandmother) kinda stole the show with his energetic guitar playing style and his poetic pitched singing. Perhaps some would lazily compare him to Devendra Banhart, but Cordova doesn't have the smarmy fantasy feel to it, rather little life stories twisted into a colourful wrapper. If you can make a whole room dangle their keys and sing along with your spiritual chants, there's something special worth feeling and touching upon. Viking Moses was pretty good too, loud alternative blues and rock alongside raw poetry from the heart. Spoken word even, in the sense that he roughly pulled it off as a emotional standup comedian. I liked the way he had one of his shoes taped in, as the sole was loose. real. Rutger, otherwise known as Machinefabriek closed the evening with his expected noodling and looping his guitar tones, but with added vocals on top of his grittycoustics. In the end, we kinda left like spoilt children, livingroom concerts will surely kick off a new era of Utrecht improvisation sessions organised by true enthousiasts.

Taken from Ramon's album The Boy Who Floated Freely on Parisian label Clapping Music.

Ramona Cordova - Introduction
Ramona Cordova - Heavy On My Head
Ramona Cordova - Non Title

Big big thanks to Iris for organising this sweet evening of special songwriters and good atmosphere, also kudos to Danielle for offering her spaceous livingroom to 30 odd people.

Oh btw! This Wednesday (13th) I'll be volunteering behind the bar at the Averechts cafe again, so dear Utrecht readers...please come and have a drink for charity! All money this month goes to the Vientane Youth Centre in Laos, an independent project for a free health and information centre for inner city youths. They could really use some generous funding to keep the centre up and running. Hope to see some of ye!...

Shona Mbira music, minimalised spirits alive!

Finally a world music entry, I know. It was about time too, as the world keeps turning and turning, the non western music cultures ever evolving, wrapped in their acoustic beauty. Last weekend I picked up the amazing Shona Mbira Music of Zimbabwe album by the ethnic Nonesuch Explorer label. Performed in 1977 mostly by Cosmas Magaya and relatives, all profoundly skilled with the mbira, which is the Zimbabwian version of a thumb piano (otherwise known as a likembe, kalimbe and so on depending of the local connoctation).

The Shona mbira music comes straight out of the Zimbabwe heartland of the Zezeuru people, induced by ancient religious and cultural ceremonies. During the 1970's Independance War when fighting against the unjust British colonial system, the mbira music was specificly used in ceremonies where spiritual mediums (as in african shamans) gave advise to the local population and the freedom fighting guerrilla's, to aid their spirits in these hard times.

As the Mugabe regime became fiercely violent and totalitarian in the 80's, it was not allowed anymore to use music for political messages due to the Mugabe propaganda rule. Also the mbira music was heavily restrained and had to be stripped from its cultural and social message, whether it was a traditional one or not. Voiced expression through the mbira became near impossible and it transported itself into intense emotional participations, body and spirit-wise. The inner voice translated to body language.

The style of the mbira as practised in the Shona tradition is one of a relaxed repetitive melody loop. Trancedental qualities become clearly audible, thus revealing the ceremonial aspects to these spiritual tones. African minimalism at its best. There's even a non-profit organisation to maintain the Shona mbira music Wow, respect goes out to those keeping it alive!

pictured ltr; recordist Paul Berliner, Justin Magaya & Cosmas Magaya

Below some tunes from the Nonesuch album, taken from the Shona album, enjoy! ;)

Cosmas, Alexio & Simon Magaya Magaya - Nhemamusasa: Instrumental Excerpt I
Hakurotwi Mude, Cosmas Magaya & Justin Magaya - Shumba
Hakurotwi Mude, Cosmas Magaya, Luken Pasipamire & Ephat Mujuru - Chaminuka We

lo-fi ambient night in Utrecht this saturday

Hmm, since I'm part of the InterZone crew nowadays... why not spam my own space? Spam as in deliciously experimental packaged, not the cheap flaky kind ;)
Spread the word, fellow folks of Hollandia!

Together with Bastiaan and Carlos, I'll should be spinning some music between and after the performances.

There's even a promotional video with the music of tapeloop buddy Wouter van Veldhoven...youtubed and made by Carlos and Ellen through a dia projection, sweet!
check it below.....

InterZone promo clip & music!

Saturday Dec. 9th
InterZone is proud to present a lo-fi ambient evening with live:

BODUF SONGS (US) [Kranky]
THE DEAD TEXAN (US) [Kranky]
ANNELIES MONSERE (B)[Bluesanct]
WOUTER VAN VELDHOVEN (NL) [Mechanizedmind]

Some tracks for your pleasure....

Boduf Songs - Great Wolf Of No Tracks

Boduf Songs - Lord Of The Flies

Annelies Monsere - You Were On My Side (Melodica)

Annelies Monsere - Cold Night

The Dead Texan - Glen's Goo

Wouter van Veldhoven - D
















More info at:
www.interzone-festival.com
www.theaterkikker.nl

Where: Theater Kikker, Ganzenmarkt 14
Start 21:00 Entrance 12/9 Euro
Presale:
Theater Kikker, Ganzenmarkt 14
Plato Utrecht, Steenweg 13
Reservations:
www.theaterkikker.nl, (0031) (0)30 2319666

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have a lovely day,
InterZone

Manics and devils

That 'The Devil and Daniel Johnston' docu is amazingly well done, showing the demise of a teenage songwriting genius while being transformed into a manic depressed christian obsessed person. I liked the part in the late 80's where he quite freaked out the Sonic Youth folks, who was really punk there now? ;)
To me, the docu really showed how people from early on took advantage of his kind personality and creativity for their own purposes, whether it were his ex-lovers, other musicians or his own family. Only his manager/friend remained loyal to him and is also the person who revived his career from obscurity. I could go on giving some useless analysis on the whole film but naaaah, just go and watch it yourselves.

Here some old songs taken from his teenage tapes, such grand lyrics!
"Respect love of the heart over lust of the flesh,
do yourself a favour and become your own savior"

Daniel Johnston - Story Of An Artist (here he sings about how his own family treated him)
Daniel Johnston - The Sun Shines Down On Me
Daniel Johnston - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievience

And a superb cover version by TV On The Radio (one of the better live bands during the summer festivals), followed by the original.
TV On The Radio - Walking The Cow
Daniel Johnston - Walking The Cow

then.....















and now...........