James Blackshaw On NPR's All Things Considered.

While on tour earlier this month James Blackshaw stopped by NPR's performance studio 4A to record an All Things Considered session. Blackshaw plays 'Key', 'Bled' and 'Cross' along with a interview.

"Blackshaw is often likened to John Fahey for the experimental quality of his music, but the comparison only goes so far. Blackshaw cites a broad spectrum of influences, including American minimalism and liturgical music. It was his love for the latter that drew him to the 12-string."

Stream the whole session HERE.

Dos On Dusted.

Doug Mosurock reviews the Wooden Shjips' third full length (second proper album) on Holy Mountain for Dusted.

".... Especially when the center cut, called “Down By the Sea,” marks a milestone – over 10 minutes of rip-shit, stanky caveman beat, the second half of which is occupied by guitar solos so blistering it could be Japanese. It’s the consistency you remember, yet you’re still wondering how they got there at the end, even though so little has changed about the song. It’s a very strong encapsulation of all their strengths. And it could have been a single..."

Read full review HERE.

Bloody Panda Dates.

07/21 Bethlehem, PA @ Burners
07/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie (w/Woe)
07/23 Washington, DC @ The Red And The Black (w/Salome)
07/24 Richmond, VA @ Nara Sushi (w/Dysrhythmia)
07/25 Wilmington, NC @ Soapbox (w/Dark Castle)
07/27 Savannah, GA @ The Wormhole
07/28 Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic
07 30 Miami, FL @ Goo (w/Dark Castle & Maruta)
08/01 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn (w/Dark Castle & Withered)
08/02 New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge
08/03 Baton Rouge, LA @ Lacey‚s House (w/Thou)
08/05 Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music (w/Zucura)
08/06 Nashville, TN @ The End
08/07 Indianapolis, IN @ Casa Del Kotex (w/Black Arrows Of Filth And Impurity)
08/08 Chicago, IL @ White Star Bar (w/Giant Squid, Grayceon, Lord Mantis)
08/09 Columbus, OH @ The Summit (w/Lord Mantis)
08/10 Pittsburgh, PA @ Howler's (w/Giant Squid, Grayceon)
08/12 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
08/13 Toronto, ON @ Wreck Room
08/14 Montreal, QC @ Katacombes
08/15 Portland, ME @ New Systems Laundary (w/Ocean)
08/16 Boston, MA @ Church
08/20 Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head
08/21 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool

Russom Assembles A Crazy Ass Mix For UK Site.

Gavin Russom of Black Meteoric Star assembled a wild mixtape for the UK site 20jazzfunkgreats. Just how wild is wild? Well, the 12 song mix starts off with a traditional hymn "I Will Fight and Never Slack" and ends with a Mahavishnu Orchestra slow burner. Yeah, it's awsomely esoteric.

Onna Press.

Wild hermaphroditic cover art or not, Holy Mountain's reissue of obscure Japanese 80ies band, Onna, has been generating some serious attention:

Volcanic Tongue - "One of the reissues of the year."

Blastitude/Blogstitude - "...I suggest that instead of going out for dinner tonight, you give that $20 to Holy Mountain instead, it'll get both the 7" and the CD..."

Blog To Comm - "As for now this is a strong contender and proof once again that even here in 2009 one can make like it's 1976 or even 1962 if one tries hard enough."

Boomkat Music - " You can hear where bands like LSD March and Suishou No Fune might have taken some cues from Onna's flailing guitar sound - sprawling loosely and impressionistically across the studio recordings while those thudding machine rhythms instill some sort of orderliness."

Aquarius Records - "Tons of folks were sufficiently wowed by Onna's lone 1983 7", thankfully reissued from oblivion and drooled over a few lists back. There was just something about Onna, we couldn't quite put our finger on it, but that record was just so mysterious, a completely mesmerizing slice of lost history. Out of nowhere came this highly evocative work of melancholy psych rock with pulsing drum machines and floating Japanese vocals, sounding like nothing else you might hear from 1983, or 2009 for that matter. Adding to the confusion was almost zero information about Onna, leading listeners to make their conclusions free from any tangible facts. That changes with the arrival of this mindblowing 10 song retrospective, but just barely..... Accompanying the album are a few photos of the androgynous looking band members and some examples of Miyanishi's astounding, grotesquely erotic art. These images seem just as integral to Onna as their music, but unless you speak Japanese, you will probably be left scratching your head. There is no doubt that Onna created some challenging music, but what you get out of this album depends on how much you are willing to put into the listening experience. There may be no easy answers, but some things are better left as is, and in the end Onna's music is powerful enough to live on, in spite of its obscurity."

Revolver Double Birthday Friday!

Revolver sales reps Andy & Dave revel in another year of existence.

New Beirut Video For 'Concubine'.

( Directed by Alma Har'el. Shot in Hollywood and the Salton Sea. Starring Zach Condon and Mike Parrish.)

Altar Of Plagues Reviewed On Blabbermouth.

A 9 out of 10 genre-defying review of Altar Of Plagues' White Tomb was posted on Blabbermouth today.

" These days when I read "post-rock" in an album description, I often roll my eyes and chuck the CD to the side.... Ireland's ALTAR OF PLAGUES on an opus like "White Tomb", I quickly realize that I should stop my bitching and just listen. And what a mistake it would have been to chuck "White Tomb" to the side, as it is a magnificent work of melodic black metal and ISIS-esque shoe-gazing atmospherics that is in league with standard-bearers WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM...." Read full review HERE.

Liturgy In Show No Mercy Column.

Liturgy's main man Hunter Hunt-Hendrix was recently interviewed for Pitchfork's Show No Mercy column. Get the details on Liturgy's transformation from a 4-track solo project to it's current full force band that fronts the upcoming Renihilation album to be released in late August on 20 Buck Spin.

".... Liturgy originally had a lot to do with loneliness and alienation, but once it started being about cosmic unity, it just naturally turned into a group project. I made a demo of Renihilation on my own, and knew I wanted to pull together a band at least for live performances.... It all fell into place easily. The live sound and the group dynamic really exceeded my expectations, and it was obvious soon that we should record as a group, too..... "

Read the full interview HERE.

Woods Video For 'To Clean'.

Photos From The Papercuts In-Store At Amoeba SF On 06/13/09.

Jeremy Barnes of AHAAH Busts Some Knowledge On Romanian Folk Jams.

Jeremy Barns of A Hawk And A Hacksaw compiled a righeous top 20 list of Romanian records for Factmagazine.com. Included in the feature are photos, album artwork and even a downloadable mini-mix of some of the artists covered. It's a fascinating lightning speed introduction to the genre. Rock the cimbalom!

Read the full feature HERE.

Incredible Ozma Era Melvins Show From 1989!

So apparently awhile back Scott Kelly from Neurosis started an online radio station blog thing called Combat Music Radio. Various folks contribute shows, including thundering bass-lord Joe Preston. His latest post is an amazing Melvins live show at the Covered Wagon from 1989.

Preson's words:

"... my friends in Nirvana who are amused at my obsessive fascination with the Melvins invite me to meet up with them in San Francisco where they will be playing a show with my heroes. I managed to catch a ride down there with Kurt’s girlfriend.... I ran across this board tape of the show while rummaging through some old boxes of stuff, and I’m glad to know it brings me as much joy to listen to now as it did when I got home from that trip....."

Read the full story and stream the show HERE.

Black Meteoric Star on Dusted Mag.com

Gavin Russom's Black Meteoric Star was reviewed on Dusted yesterday.

"....Russom uses analog equipment as a test – of its capabilities and his own. The handiwork of building his instruments, the orchestration of their interrelated parts, the seizing of new sounds and possibilities from well-used sources – this all requires expertise, honed day after day. More strongly, it requires a commitment to technique, despite that technique’s obstacles and shortcomings. This is unusual for dance musicians and producers, a cadre whose jobs are seemingly made easier with each new MacBook iteration...."

Read full review HERE.

A sample of those Meteoric contraptions at work:

Vashti Bunyan Movie Playing In LA Tomorrow.

Happen to be hanging out in Los Angeles tomorrow (6/11/09)? A documentary "Vashti Bunyan: From Here To Before" will be playing at Silent Movie Theater (611 N Fairfax Ave) as part of their "F is For Folk" series. The film retraces Vashti’s musical past and features interviews with Andrew Loog Oldham, Devendra Banhart, Max Richter and others. More info can be found HERE.

Kevin Blechdom Reviewed On Pitchfork.

The Pitchfork camp recognizes Kevin Blechdom as a refined songwriter.

"....Though Gentlemania cycles through a few (musical theater pomp, bluegrass, torch song), it feels closest to the light pop of 1970s and 80s confessional singer-songwriters, their mix of vulnerability and wry self-awareness. "Lazy", swings back and forth with its pretty piano chorus and whistled melody. It sways somewhere between the lovelorn soul-lite of Tapestry-era Carole King, and the breezy quirk of, say, Captain and Tenille. The profane, jokey nature of her past albums gives way to a sweetly innocent lyrical sense, delivered in Blechdom's boyish voice. On "It's All Been Done Before", she calls her lover the "best thing since sliced bread" and the one curse word in "Lazy", is blocked out by a slide whistle...."

Read full review HERE...."

The Vivian Girls Say "Doot Dot".

Nardwuar unearths some interesting facts on the Vivian Girls.

Samothrace Tour Diary.

The bass player of Samothrace recounts the highs & lows of band's recent West Coast tour for Decibel. Highlights include; Muderfest, Coffins, craps games, beer, whiskey, and vodka.

".....I awoke to find I had no pants, and no one seemed to know anything about their whereabouts. I found them later in the freezer behind some frost-burnt ice cube trays, cold enough to freshly preserve any future offspring I might incur...."

Read the full tour diary HERE.

Son Lux Video.

Video for "War" from Son Lux's 2008 album At War With Walls & Mazes on Anitcon.

Carbonas On VBS.TV.

Vice filmed & interviewed the Carbonas during a drunken midnight session in their Atlanta rehearsal space: