Magic City Funhouse

Home Stretch

2007-06-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

TELEPATHIK FRIEND posted this video of Rodger Stella (Birmingham) and Leslie Keffer (Nashville) at No Fun Fest. Delightful. (Check out the crowd response.)

PYRAMID SKEEM taught Birmingham the value of a dollar. Yes Men meets late night informercial meets 50 Cent. Hint: Red nail polish can be used to cover up that blue dot in the middle of your red bumper sticker.

Well Birmingham, it's getting to be the home stretch. I'll be leaving for Baltimore next week and feel that I will probably keep travelling at this pace well into my gray years. If someone wants to write for Magic City Funhouse, feel free. Otherwise, I'll keep it posted until it gets lost in the wide world of dead blogs. Use it as a record of the smoky, hazy events that unfolded in the past five months of your life. Remember all of the good, awesome, fun things you did and helped make happen. Give youngsters a reason to stick it out at home. Keep making art, writing, theater, music, and everything in between. Make so much stuff that people's minds expand so much that their heads explode. Have so much fun that it becomes a media spectacle. Above all, have faith, stay strong, and don't ever punk out.
Peace,
K

Clover, Sage, and Carob

2007-05-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

After a month of using Rolly Polly's Wi-Fi, I decided today to venture into BOOK, BEAN, AND CANDLE. This wiccan store has been in Southside for many years. I think it used to be across the street. It is located at 16th Ave. and Richard Arrington. The chairs are really comfy, the coffee is good, and there is a back room with an LCD projector. Every Saturday they show witchy movies. Last Saturday they showed Lord Of The Rings. You can even bring your own movie to show. I was thinking they might like Holy Mountain. I can't imagine anything more fun than watching Lord of the Rings or Holy Mountain with a bunch of old hippy witches.

Opening at Bare Hands Gallery.
June 1 - 30, 2007
POPULAR DIGEST
Reception Friday, June 1, 6-10pm
Installation I Daniel White
WC Installation Keith Goodwin
Courtyard Heather Spencer

Industrial Poems

2007-05-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

Open Mike was great. You guys were great as ususal. Neeta (BACKSEAT VIRGINS/SNIFFLE) jammed with Roger (MACRONYMPHA/HOLLOW BUSH). Nausea ensued. Lance performed a heavy metal poem about our own Smog City. Raymond Pettibon is currently casting him for his next 3 hour epic. Charlie and Rachel sang a love song. Rodney reached the sixth level of meta-comedy hell. Natalie read a mix CD insert that she got when she was 16: "Mortified" for arty types. Nice.

Also, thanks to everyone who helped make me, Nat, and Mark's B-day a blast.

Tonight at Bottletree:
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE (New England, etc.) and
SIR RICHARD BISHOP (Cally, etc.)
9PM, 15 bucks, (Sold out)

Friday, June 1st
AC TEMPLE
1709 12th St. So.
Burningman, AL
PYRAMID SKEEM (Philly): Kesslers make the money.

SINK OR SWIM--Philly TV show
Five buck suggested donation.

Saturday, June 2nd
CAVE 9
2237 Magnolia Ave.
B-ham
SynArts Art/Music Show

ओपन माइक

2007-05-21T21:23:00.000-07:00

Open Mike Night: Vol. 2
This Wednesday at
AC Temple
1709 12th St. So.
Amp buzz fuzz flickers at 9:30.

Celebrating the return of Jason and Milton and my b-day.

Bring your talent.
Art is easy.
Community is not a pep rally.
Play is power.
Tons of new bumper sticker ideas--
For your Willie fueled pickup.

May 1968

2007-05-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

Nothing says Birmingham like than an art show in a burnt out building in Avondale. Chris Bearly's shrine was definately the highlight of the show for me, but I also enjoyed celebrity portraits by someone (Lea?) that were of Kid and Play, Alf, and Spuds McKenzie. This art show's proximity to the Munchie's Wall of Respect, which also features a potpourri of celebrity portraiture, seemed fitting.

The Hot-El warehouse was more crowded than I had ever seen it. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the lack of air-conditioning in Hot-El. Maybe it was the keg. Somehow I felt like I saw more public displays of nudity at this show than at any show I have been to since I've been in the Ham.

GNP (Birmingham): Still rocking after all these years. I saw GNP when I was fifteen years old and was ruined for good. And isn't that what punk rock is supposed to do?

YAKUZA DANCE MOB (Magic City, AL): This time featuring original members of YDM: Jon Ezell and Natalie Elliot. Teddy Bear Picnic was honestly the first record I ever owned. I played it on a Fisher Price Record player when I was a kid. Who knew that sixteen years later, YDM would blow my mind with a noise cover of the same song?

NECRONOMIKIDS (Druid City, AL): Surf thrash assasins. Really original multi-genre stuff. Made me want to move my feet--and my arms and hips and head.

Happy birthday May 1968!

Mission Accomplished

2007-05-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Upcoming show:
May 12, 2007 9PM $5
Hot-L
120 18th St. So.
Birmingham, AL

Main Stage: DAN SARTAIN, YAKUZA DANCE MOB, NECRONOMIKIDS, GNP, LOCKBODY, U CAN UNLEARN GUITAR, GIGI & REDROCK JUNCTION, LOCORE, VIRGIN SPLITS, BREAKING THE GIRL, THE ELECTRIC KIDNEYS,

Lounge: DJ PUSSYTURD & THE ZERO ZERO SEVENS

Spy attire required: it's a Bond theme.

May Sleeps

2007-05-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

The new HANK LAZARD show podcast has been uploaded. It's May sweeps!

MEE-MAW, local anti-art show, will be celebrity themed. It is held in an abandoned parking lot across the street from Munchie's. Chris Bearly is making a shrine for Jon Benet Ramsey. How tasteless.

These days I have been listening to AM 1260. There are no commercials, save a few poems advertising God and America. It is one of the few stations around that plays Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, and Roy Orbison regularly. Even the reception is classic gold. Sorry folks, they don't have a website.

Jeff Gordon's Gay

2007-04-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

What's a gay Nascar fan to do? This weekend is BIRMINGHAM SHOUT, the gay and lesbian film festival. It happens to fall on the same weekend as the race in Talladega.
GAYTONA dot com is a forum for gay Nascar fans.

Above: Evan Darling, the only openly gay driver.

Groundhog Day

2007-04-25T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today's Life/Style section of the Birmingham News was exactly the same as yesterday's. It is dated as a different day, but all the comics, "Dear Abbey's", and "Good Neighbors" are exactly the same. Scary.

Sugar Shak

2007-04-24T00:49:00.000-07:00

I think the best time to listen to 95.7 Jamz is between 4:30 and 5:00 pm, because that is the time of day when an actual DJ set occurs. I am not sure who mixes during this time, but it's definately worth checking out. A lot of indie Southern Rap gets played during this time and the flow of the set is outstanding.

Today I heard this great new track by YOUNG JOC feat. GORILLA ZOE (both from ATL) called Starblocks. Here are some lyrics:
"its just another day at the coffee shop
I grab them coffee beans, time to heat them coffee pots
turn them lights on, j's rush the parkin lot
this the neighborhoods number one stop n shop
no regular, we only serve the best
for the low low, cheaper than the rest!
I'm takin orders, tell me whos next
only cash, no credit, no checks
when your car stop, welcome to starblocks
you wanna triple your knot? invest in our stock
n now we doin numbers, like the closeout
make sure you shop wit me, before its sold out"

Another good song I heard was by a rapper named PAUL WALL from Houston, TX. The song I heard was called "Break'em Off." It features a marching band beat (like a lot of rap songs these days.) A lot of his other songs are good too. He sounds a lot like CHAMILLIONAIRE (of course), but there is something really weird and almost arty about a lot of his arrangements. A lot of his lyrics are really strange too.

And speaking of live bands, I really like the "Rock Her Hips Remix" by CRIME MOB feat. RASHEEDA and YOUNG DRO (All ATL). PRINCESS is the best.

And here is an awesome Sims version of "Bubblegum" by RASHEEDA that someone on YouTube made:

Who are parents?

2007-04-20T02:12:00.000-07:00

THEM NATIVES (Birmingham, AL) played the best set I have ever heard by THEM NATIVES. I love Milton singing into the drum especially: which sounds a lot like Tuvan throat singing. I also always love whatever JASPER JUSTICE does on the drums. Whenever my mom asks me what noise music sounds like, I tell her that it often sounds like the end of every psych song in her record collection. Like fine gum, THEM NATIVES lasts longer.

MAMMATUS is a breast-cloud, a type of cumulonimbus. MAMMATUS the band is one of those sincere, but still post-modern deals: like you know they're making fun of hard psych, but they also really love it and listen to it and play it all the time. Goofiest bass playing I've ever heard, hands down. So I thought that this would be a good time to plug my Providence/New York City friend's MySpace Profile. I am not sure as to the level of sincere output relating to this band--but you know, I like it that way for now.
Torture and Demogorgon on MySpace

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE (someplace in Japan) Played the best set I have ever seen at Bottletree and probably the best set I have seen in Birmingham since BLUES CONTROL. School-daze choir chants, no-effects-needed vocals, drums that dance and sing, the same "song" twice in a row: what else could a gal ask for? It reminded me of the first show I ever went to: the Santana show I heard through my mother's womb (temple?) And speaking of bass: lately I have been really paying attn. to bass (see above paragraph and know that I have recently been referring to Richard Hoffman as the number one most underrated noise musician of the whatever era.) I know most Americans are into Kawabata Makoto (and for good reason.) I feel that the bass stylings of Tsuyama Atsushi are also worth plugging one's ear into. Pay attn. 2 it yo, it will fud yr. brain.

Fushitsusha band shirts and LSD March bumper stickers

2007-04-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

As you may have already guessed, I love Japanese psych music. After country, I'd say it is perhaps the genre I listen to most often. I listen to it about as much as I imagine the average ten year old boy listens to pop punk or as much as the average M.F.A. candidate listens to Krautrock. I love hearing those blues riffs played through buzzy amps. I love the insistence on using one's vocal chords as a percussion instrument. I even love the paper and mylar CD covers.

So of course I am excited that ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE will be playing this Thursday at Bottletree. They have done everything from slow dream folk to Terry Riley's INC. Did someone tell me they lived on a commune? I hope so.

The Crying Game

2007-04-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

My lecture is being postponed until a later date.

This Saturday: Synarts in Tuscaloosa.

This year's Synarts has a funeral theme.

Inner Ear all Spring

2007-04-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Aaahh yes, the best sound art to me has always been the tornado siren with tornado siren playing live on T.V. Only in Tornado Alley.

Today: Get out of the rain and Hank your Hank. The new HANK LAZARD SHOW podder has been uploaded! I'd say it's the funniest free podder since last year's Ricky Gervais "Bodcast."

This Saturday: TRANS AM at Bottletree.

Goth is history repeating itself

2007-04-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to rural Tennessee to see a music festival.

BIG RED (from all over TN) played traditional Native American music; the set was entertaining, educational, and personal all at once.

GUHTS (B-ham, AL) Hardcore gnome glitch-core with machine and brain fuzz overloading the signal.

PONY BONES (Decatur, GA) Weirder than New Weird America and as weird as Old Weird America: "I'm gonna buy me a dawwwg . . . so I can shoot it!" Another great show.

MR. NATURAL (Nashville, TN) was in his element. Just back from providing tech support for Mr. Costes, Mr. Natural can hold his own without all the bird poo. He knows his way around that equipment and it shows: what I imagine it would be like to watch Julia Child's make an omlet for breakfast.

WITHERED (Atlanta, GA) Black metal so good it made me want to move back to the country, get a trailer, and live out my fate as one of those black metal chicks. WITHERED is playing again at Eyedrum in Atlanta on the 19th with the Chicago-based industrial group BLOODYMINDED who I saw at No Fun Fest last year. If you are really into goth historical reenactments, then I suggest you make it a weekend and swing by Atlanta's Renaissance fair on the way back.

Sweaters Unite

2007-04-06T23:28:00.000-07:00

At Crestwood Coffee Company:

Tonight we experienced the first in a series of multi-generational unions in the art scene and it was good.

DAVEY WILLIAMS (B-ham, AL) and a local poet whose name shall soon be psychically transmitted played earlier tonight. This was an interesting set. DAVEY WILLIAMS' guitar work reminded me a lot of a Loren Mazzacane Connors piece I saw at Greene-Naftali Gallery where Connors played with the film, "Joan of Arc." Of course there were words here, but the emotional response was similar nonetheless. The poetry was good too. I think there is something on the Jessica Rylan website that says, "Singer-songwriter is the new noise." Jessica, I totally agree.

At Bottletree:

Tonight we experienced the first in a series of indie rock unions and it was good.

OBESE VEGAN (B-ham, AL) Highlight for me was when RD HARDCORE spit water all over some girls who then laughed their asses off. Three cheers for rock and roll and cool girls coming to shows.

PONY BONES (Decatur Hater) Matthew channeled the soul of Captain Beefheart and then kicked the shit out of his equipment.

DAN SARTAIN (B-ham, AL) aka Mr. Nice Guy plays a tight set. A little Rockabilly in a good way. Reminds me of Awesome Color in that he is a rocker's rocker.

Tomorrow I am going to camp out at a music festival up in Tennessee. You can't Google Map these directions, but if you want 'em then ask. Now that's what I call underground!

Fun with Numbers

2007-04-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

I just learned that DJ PUSSYTURD, who shall be DJing tonight at Bottletree was in ALGEBRASSIERE. You New Yawk people may remember them from the "Everything is Soft" show at Deitch projects. Lucky for you, their CD-R is still available at through FUSETRON:
Click here to order an ALGEBRASSIERE CD-R through Fusetron

And speaking of distro, I don't think that the Decatur, GA based record label SOUNDS FROM THE POCKET has distro outside of the label site, but who needs distro when your label site features some of the most visually and verbally offensive graphics this side of the Mississippi? You could spend all day going through all of the MP3s and images here. A lot of the artists mentioned on this blod have a CD-R on the label. Each CD-R cover is handmade and most of them are only five bucks.
SOUNDS FROM THE POCKET dot com

I also saw that CHATEAU NOIR, the pretty house where SOUNDS FROM THE POCKET does its dirty work, is booking shows for the summers during weekends. I think that it would be a great place to play, esp. if one were on tour and seeking something more personal and serene than the average sludge tour rest stop.
Click here and go to the "Blog" do that

And speaking of handmade CD-Rs, I heard that OBESE VEGAN will be selling some handmade leather CD-Rs tonight courtesy of AC TEMPLE's record label DMB TAPES.

Last Minute Friday Fun

2007-04-06T00:13:00.000-07:00

Friday April 6th:
Don't forget to go to Bottletree for what was yesterday's post.
Don't forget to turn in your coloring contest entry before it is too late.

Also,

There will be a free jazz improv guitar set at Crestwood Coffee Company by local guitarist and legend DAVEY WILLIAMS. It starts at seven, probably on the dot.
Crestwood Coffeee Company is located at 5512 Crestwood Boulevard in the Crestwood Shopping Center (or as the kid's used to call it, "Hudd's Graveyard.")

Above: soul mates LADONNA SMITH and DAVEY WILLIAMS.

From A to B and back again

2007-04-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Friday April 6th at 8PM:

OBESE VEGAN (Bunnymen, AL) Everyone knows that hardcore has led many to the land of noise. When noise rock musicians are then led back to hardcore I think it just might be the best band ever.

PONY BONES (Holy Mountain, GA) Like Jandek skating on a lake of black ice during August.

also:
DAN SARTAIN (Barfingham, AL) and HENRY DUNKLE (Birkenman, AL) are playing. Have not seen them yet, but have heard good things from people with impeccable taste.

Plus, you will notice that I have added a "links" tab to the side of this blod where you can see other blods. If you are ever unsure about whether something I have written is incorrect or not (which is always likely since most of this information is based on hearsay and is usually recorded at two in the morning after I have had my glass of wine) you can always check it against B. Martin's blod. Also, if you tell me that I have written something wrong (like a time or date changes), feel free to tell me because I usually always correct it right away.

I am also adding links of art and music sites that you can visit, just in case I drop an obscure reference bomb and you are interested in reading up on it.

Lick the Decals for Me Baby

2007-04-04T01:42:00.000-07:00

I am making a mix CD for my friends of new Alabama and Georgia and other Southeastern music (no Nashville or Texas stuff, everyone already has that in their record collection). Then I will be giving that CD to every single person that I know that does not live in any those states. Don't ask questions. Just do what tastes right.

Color me "Awesome"

2007-04-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Jasper Justice coloring contest entries are now posted online. Some of them are quite amazing.
Psychic Doom Children Coloring Contests Online
Use the site to email Justice for the *new* contest.

Why I hate Birmingham.

2007-04-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

Last night's show at AC TEMPLE was absolutely horrible. Everyone there was extremely unattractive and unfashionable. It looked more like a scene from a Garbage Pail Kids trading card than the art event I was expecting. I was offended when some of the people there put on Hillbilly teeth and started talking in goofy Southern accents. Then I was disgusted when they started drinking white wine that was dyed green.

First there was the "music" portion of the show--played in the bathroom. I felt it was a fitting location for such revolting sounds. To me, it completely embodied what has been the total decline of Western civilization that began with the dawn of Modernism.

Next, there was a "dance" performance done on a front porch. As far as I am concerned, front porches are for dogs and are not a proper location for ballet. I also feel that dance should express the beauty, mystery, and softness of the female's nature, which this did none of.

Then there was some sort of "comedian." I love stand-up comedy as much as the next guy, but ventriloquism? Hello, it's 2007! I also felt that a lot of the jokes weren't even that funny.

The party ended with a "coloring contest" featuring a strange Satanic-looking drawing. I really don't think we should be allowing children to see such imagery, let alone to color it in.

Synesthesia

2007-03-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

Alabama artists:
Synarts shows featuring Alabama artists and musicians shall be upcoming.

First, there is the Tuscaloosa Synarts Collective's summer show which shall be probably in early May. If you want to be included in that then you maybe could be possiibly.

Second, Justin of Sounds From the Pocket and Eyedrum booking fame shall be putting together an Alabama art and music show sometime on a Friday after the AMT tour at Eyedrum in Atlanta. Spread the word to people whose work looks good next to loud noise music.

Third, I would like to remind everyone to enter the Bottletree benefit show where you make a drawing inspired by your favorite band or music artist. Due April 12th. I am doing Nautical Almanac and Lance is doing Nautical Almanac, because they are everyone's favorite band. I hope there will be a million Nautical Almanacs. If you really want to save time you coud always do YAKUZA DANCE MOB and then use the same drawing again at the "Celebrate Rodney" art show.

Finally, the Art-walk dealine is May 31st. Anyone who would like to participate is welcome to use the wall space around my studio and maybe Ben, if you ask him nice enough, will let you use the wall space around his studio too, giving you a lot of wall space. Sounds in my studio encouraged.

Do something good or bad, but whatever you do, please don't do this painting:

Thank your lucky stars!

2007-03-28T01:01:00.000-07:00

May I just say, that I have always felt that what this blog lacks in terms of expertise, it makes up for in psychic ability. PONY BONES, my new favorite kind of localish band, shall be playing on April 6th with DJ set from BrYan Martin and DAN SARTAIN, as was accidentally predicted. I'm a sucker for that Steve Stapleton stuff . . .

In other news on March 31st there shall be a show of sorts at AC TEMPLE featuring:
HANK LAZARD!--Hank is back and is ready to cause mayhem and reek havoc and stir up trouble in the Birmingham metro area! (Rumor has it that two new new podcasts have been recorded. Pester Jolly and Pauline to upload them by entering "POOMAN" in the comments section of this blod!)
RHEA SPEIGHTS--Birmingham's own Merce Cunningham meets evangelical mime experiment? Who knows?
EXPERIMENTAL BATHING (PERFORMANCE BY AC TEMPLE RESIDENTS AND FRIENDS)--Local mermaids break things in tubs.
JUSTINIAN COLORING CONTEST--Justin shall host another coloring contest! Put your best crayon forward--the competition is fierce!

And as we are counting down events Bryan (HOLLOW BUSH, THEM NATIVES, and your ex-boyfriend) shall be DJ-ing again on the outside/inside of Bottletree on March 29th. There is some talk of this being a swap meet, but as I am too dumb (or too much of an overly-analytical Marxist) to fully comprehend what that means, it shall be up to you to decide what comes after the DJ set.

Don't Let the SUN pass you by!

2007-03-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

SIR RICHARD BISHOP, as you may well already know, is a talented guitar player and member of the SUN CITY GIRLS. He is playing at Bottletree in late May. According to the Bottletree mailing list the tiks are already selling out, as there is a popular art group having something to do with collecting animals playing the same night. This email could just be a way to sell tiks or it could be the real deal.

Don't be caught with your pants down!

Cumberbun Farms

2007-03-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

Fashion Update! This spring it's all about the cumberbun. The cumberbun is both girly and tomboyish. You can wear it over a dress or over a shirt with jeans. It accentuates the waistline and it can add a much-needed splash of color to your ensemble. You can wear it at the club, on a date, or to a picinic depending on how you dress it up.

Crystal beats the heat in a cotton cumberbun.

Panda opts for corset-inspired detailing.

Natalie knows that the only thing more fashionable than a plain white belt is an even bigger white belt.

P.S. Golden Rule still seeks music acts. Call Ed.

Re: Bad Ideas

2007-03-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Listened to a BAD IDEAS CD-R from the nineties. The BAD IDEAS were another good idea via Jon Ezell and other Tuscalosers whose names shall soon be psychically transmitted my way. Great old school west coast punk influence complete with lots of guffaws and over one hundred tracks. Whereas some bands only give you one bad idea, the BAD IDEAS gave you over one hundred bad ideas for your dollar, making a BAD IDEAS CD-R not only a good work of art but also a good investment. This little Xerox and scotch tape monstrosity was put out on the Pink Pentagram record label. My favorite tracks include "Fashion Gestapo," "The History of Art," and "The Philosophy of Natalie." One of the funniest songs I have ever heard on any album is "Life of a Guitar Shop Employee" which features audio of a guy walking into a guitar shop. He plays a couple of bars from "Smoke On the Water" and keeps messing up (exactly at the part where most beginners guitar books stop printing tab for it). Then he asks the guitar shop employee if his friend can play drums (which he is quick to do). One note one-liners! Geniuss! I have no idea how to get a BAD IDEAS CD-R to you, but I'm sure if you wanted one bad enough we could make it happen.

Listened to my EXORCIST CD-R today. EXCORCIST's "Blood Curdled Cream and Butter" was technically put out on my label, Living Legend, but for some reason the same CD-R keeps being rereleased and given away for free under various titles and by various artists. I guess the musician who bootlegs and plagiarizes his own CD-R is one step ahead of the game in the digital age. So maybe I'm not reviewing a CD-R on my own label (which is stupid anyways), I am instead reviewing the CD-R by ANTOINE AND AMELIE or the CD-R by ANTOINE or the CD-R by SLIGHTLY LESS OFFENSIVE THAN . . . , etc. EXORCIST is from Montevallo. The CD is great--like Big Stick meets Caroliner Rainbow. The CD-R is spray painted black and features photo inserts. Vocals can barely be discerned through layers of noise, but when they are lyrics range from chilling to entertaining. My favorite songs include "It's Time To Go Shopping" which is about crack heads who hide their stuff in chickens at the supermarket; "He Might Be Gay," which is basically just someone cackling and saying "What if he's gay?"; and a cover of "Hello" by the Doors which is just the first two lines over and over again.

EXORCIST pictured above.
If you want to buy this free CD then ask me.

Rock and Roll Tide

2007-03-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

On Tues. @ AC TEMPLE I saw:

BLUES CONTROL: Calling it psych rock would be missing the point. Way less mellow than Watersports. Russ plays a Def Leopard tape, ruins his fingernails on guitar strings. I thought I even heard an Enya vibe on the keys and then it was confirmed by a passerby.

HOLLOW BUSH: Noise in the form of yelling and screaming could be heard in excess of 100 ft.

GUHTS: Lance plays a wooden box filled with angry bees and cats. This noise is exactly what people thought would come out of their Furbies after they gained consciousness and then went on to freak the Furb out.

Noise ordinance ticket is $250. Bake sales are in order.

EILIYAS is coming to Birmingham in May. Where though?

Coffee-core

2007-03-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Next time you and your buddies from AA are thinking about buying a round of seven dollar coffees at Starbucks, maybe you should consider purchasing an equally pricey coffee that is not from Starbucks. HIGHER GROUND was named "Most Liberal Coffee" by Birmingham Weekly. It is 100% organic, fair trade, and shade grown to preserve harvest. If you get it at the Crestwood Coffee Company you will be supporting a local business as well. I enjoy the Magic City Blend, the Alabama Rivers Alliance River Roast blend (very dark and rich), and the Alabama Environmental Council blend.

CAREY@THEBOOKBEAT.COM

2007-03-19T01:38:00.000-07:00

TUESDAY! TOMORROW NIGHT!

BLUES CONTROL (Queens)-I have seen Lea and Russ (Waterhouse) as "WATERSPORTS" three times and each one was a treat. They opened for PENGO one time I saw them and I thought that they fit well with a PENGO bill. I think Mike Bernstein of DOUBLE LEOPARDS put together that show and he has good taste. I am expecting great cool.

MAGIK MARKERS (From everywhere)-I remember seeing MAGIK MARKERS at Glasshouse Gallery in Brooklyn in the early 2000s when it was just me and a few European exchange students and thinking, "This rocks. I mean, really, some of my noise rock bros should really come out to see this. If I ever made noise music it would be just like this."

See it! They have a song titled for Carey Loren!

And speaking of Carey Loren . . . I have been listening to noise rock e'er since I was a babe in AL. But for some reason the only thing that really shocks me anymore is anything kind of personal or embarrassing (SUBLIMINATOR/Rollins spoken word). Destroy All Monsters never ceases to embarrass me also. The new Mike Kelley soundtrack does it still. I never thought I would be able to match that initial uncomfortable feeling of hearing noise for the first time, but again it happened in the form of YAKUZA DANCE MOB's one and only release. YDM is from B-ham. This CD-R is on the SOUNDS FROM THE POCKET label. It is a record cover that has been turned inside out and spray painted reggae style. The CD-R has a Sharpie drawing on it. I have always told YDM that they should move to Denton, TX or Baltimore, MD because they have that same weirdo sample mentality. Imagine if the concept of Ciccone Youth were a movement in hot areas of Americas . . .
Order YDM at SOUNDSFROMTHEPOCKET

Also, if your band is e'er playing Atlanta, GA, you should consider contacting CHATEAU NOIR. It is a great house/venue that is close to Atlanta, yet also is in the fabulous woods by a lake.

BACK IT UP

2007-03-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

In a new episode of "The Agency" on VH1, ROBIN, a hot Alabamaian donning an ironic tie-dye, tells Wilhelmina that she's happier in AL 'cause "she loves fried chicken."

Why does ROBIN not front your band?

In other news, we all went to 404 NOISEFEST.

Highlights for me include:

MUGU GUYMEN (ATL, GA): Ian (drums) doesn't give a shit about eighth notes and he doesn't give a shit about Don Bolles either!!! Justin totally managed to command attention via awesome guitar styles in a band that could otherwise be totally annihalated by fuck-ass noise drums.

EILIYAS and ZANO (GA): My new favorite band. Enough noisy samples to make the eyes and ears of Dan Deacon and Extreme Animalz burn to smoldering voids of ash.

ZANDOSIS (GA): Lead guitatrist reminded me of a Branca trained professional. Hovering over guitars on floors reminds me of Hendrix. Other members reminded me of why I liked SIGHTINGS. This show was not "political," but the hatred towards the GA right wing was felt nonetheless.

GAYBOMB (Charleston, South Carolina): rocked the ass of the fest. Andrew plays this crazy machine built for what someone said was a teaching tool for autistic kids (which is funny because as he was playing I was considering the autistic tendencies of exp. drummers, turntablists, live noise tapers, and bubblegummers). Watch this dude if you are at all interested in future coolness.

GAYBOMB!
Gaybomb in Geneva

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BBQ Update

2007-03-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

First, I am just reminding you all to head on over to Carlisle's before it closes in April. This is your last chance to have that seventy year old chef cook a chicken for you, as he is on his last leg--whoooah!!!

Second, there is a new Golden Rule BBQ opening in Lakeview. Check out what I found in the classifieds:

"Local Bands-- Showcase Your Talent
Golden Rule Barbecue in Lakeview is looking for bands who will play the door Friday and Saturday nights from 9p-12a.
Please call Ed@327-5414"

I urge all local bands to please call Ed, especially if your band is a party band called, say, OBESE VEGAN.
I will eat a rack of ribs in a bikini top and cut-offs for anyone who plays this show.

Freak Out '07

2007-03-15T01:39:00.000-07:00

Birminghamians: there is still time to arrange plans to go to 404 Noise Fest this Friday. We have eight people going so far. Let's make it twelve!

In Atlanta at Eyedrum this Friday, March 16th:

JARBOE, ZANDOSIS, MAGICICADA, NAVICON TORTURE TEECHNOLOGIES, BLACK MEAT, CENOTYPE, SPIT+SUDGE, HARMSTRIKER, MUGU GUYMEN, SUBLIMINATOR, EIYLIAS, TREE CREATURE, SELF INFLICTED, GAYBOMB, NYMPS OR SATYR

Cost TBA

Make sure you bring money for gas and don't forget your thrash metal mix tape.

And then when MAGIK MARKERS and BLUES CONTROL play next Tuesday at AC TEMPLE, you'll just freak out.

MySpace Funhouse Style

2007-03-14T22:39:00.001-07:00

Check out our MySpace.
MAGIC CITY FUNHOUSE ON MYSPACE

Tan-as-ee and a genius loci

2007-03-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today I listened to my brand new VEGAN BRAND/MOUTH PET CD-R that I got when DIARY OF ANNE FRANK took the stage at Bottletree last month during the THEM NATIVES/BYRON HOUSE/MV-EE show. VEGAN BRAND is Angela Messina. She used to be in TAN AS FUCK and TAIWAN DETH and NEW FAGGOT CUNTS. She now lives in Nashville. MOUTH PET is DIARY OF LISA FRANK is Bridget Venuti. Both gals are also in D.I.B. and probaby a gazillion other bands.

The CD-R (put out by Vanishing Records) is a visual treat. It features a great multi-pass silkscreened cover. The CD itself is silkscreened too. There is also an insert featuring the trademark VEGAN BRAND cartoon psych dragon. If you like the Sun City Girls or Annie Anxiey or the frustration of being on the road in rural Tennessee trying to find at least one radio station that comes in clearly, then you would definately be into this CD.

I remember thinking to myself while watching DIARY OF LISA FRANK, "Wow, that girl has some of the raddest granny fashion I have ever seen." This is what I thought before I found the Granny Square fashion show on the the ol' TAN AS FUCK website.
CLICK HERE 2 SEE IT

Also, LESLIE KEFFER (musician and genius) bloided Birmingham last year:
BLOIDED!

95.7 Hamz

2007-03-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

The rap station here 95.7 Jamz is perhaps one of the only rap stations left in the country that still plays underground rap music. And there is just something about underground Southern rap . . . who needs all that equipment? just a man and his pitch shifter . . .

These are some of my favorite rappers from Alabama.

BIRMINGHAM J is probably the most popular local rapper-producer these days. I think his best songs have been "New Outfit" feat. LIL' BRANDIN, a little kid rapper. (I love kid pop music.) His new "Move Back" is good too. The video is awesome (he is rapping in a suburb of Birmingham and the song is called "Move Back.") The best part of that song for me is VENUS. I love Southern female rappers like GANGSTA BOO and RASHEEDA, and I think that if VENUS were given the opportunity to put out some more stuff, it would be just as good. B.A. BOYS and BIRMINGHAM J also did a good song called "B.A. Girl."
Birmingham J - Move Back

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And speaking of RASHEEDA, she has worked with PASTOR TROY of Birmingham. Check out the track "Do it." Reminds me of the olden days.

DA YOUNG GUNNA (Montgomery, AL) is Southern rap at its finest. DA YOUNG GUNNA has a lot of really cool simple beats and synths. Like a lot of local rap, there is something really personal about the narratives. Check out "Woo woo" and "Parkinglot."

KHAO (Birmingham, AL): check out "Grand Hustle Beat Maker."

RICH BOY (Mobile, AL) has worked with Andre 3000 and Lil' Jon. He does good stuff, party music, dance music. He works with some great people and like all bama rap, there's some crazy Extreme Animalz sounding samples sprinkled in. His new song features a Mardi Gras inspired mix (Mobile is the only place in America other than New Orleans that has Mardi Gras).

MP's best song is "Mr. Clean." It features a xylophone! I can't help but think that this song is somehow related to "Mr. Fresh" by Cory Gunz, because it also features a xylophone and there is that Outkast song "Fresh and Clean."

And here is a show based out of Decatur, AL about rap music.

P.S. The Birmingham area code is 205.

Fear and Loathing

2007-03-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

Last night's show:

I waited around at Bottletree for an hour and a half and then someone told me that Hagerty got lost, which meant the local jam band got to play an even longer set.

Floored it over to AC Temple to see if the show there was not yet over.

THE EXTRAORDINAIRES (Philly) were still playing and everyone was bouncing up in down on their couch cushions. I found this band to be quite enjoyable. Lots of singer-songwriter narratives about subject matter I could really relate to: like cactus jams, horny politicians, and sea monkeys. When I first heard it I thught it reminded me a bit of this Raffi "Goodnight Irene" cover I used to like. Raffi-does-country is what I thought of THE EXTRAORDINAIRES. This is the first singer-songwriter band I have seen in a long time. Fun bass lines and banjos are always welcome. It also reminded me a lot of certain David Allen Coe songs, which makes total sense to me because Shel Silverstein actually wrote a lot of D.A.C. songs. THE EXTRAORDINAIRES make these pretty little illustrated poetry books that illustrate their lyrics. Weren't all the great children's book writers and show producers really just sex-crazed acid heads when you get right down to it?

SMALL FRAMED BOY (Atl) sounded a lot like a band I started in college in the basement of the art studio building. Kind of like if people who never took lessons on their instruments started a goth band, but they really didn't have enough pedals or synths to do it right. However, for some reason they do have a Kaos pad. Q: How do you make a Suicide song with a Kaos pad and no keyboard? A: Turn on the smoke machine.

And guess what record was in the "free" bin outside? Raffi.

Smoggin'

2007-03-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

AC TEMPLE (above) now has a MySpace page of it's own.
AC TEMPLE MySpace

Tonight! Sunday, Mar. 11, 2007:

EXTRAORDINAIRES (PHILLY)
SMALL FRAMED BOY (ATL)
@ AC TEMPLE (where donations are welcome like warm nude kittens)
8pm-forever
1709 12th Street South
Magic City Funtown, AL
call for directions: 205-410-0137

NEIL HAGERTY AND THE HOWLING HEX
@ BOTTLETREE ($10)
9PM-?
3719 3rd Ave. S.
Burningman, AL 35222
located on the eastern side of downtown Birmingham, past JoJo's Gun and Pawn and across the street from a pile of tractor tires and two rusted pickup trucks

On other news:
I just realized that I had seen TEMPLE OF BON MATIN in New York before I had ever seen them in Birmingham. My memory of that show was so hazy--like some Jonas Mekas montage. I have this image of dreadlocks; Deitch frantically speeding by in a Dearraindrop suit; a cartoon dog; me running from the Slow Jams Band who were throwing up West Side and jumping on some trampolines; then this really clear memory of looking at Kyle Lapidus' little girl and thinking of how she must have been having the best time ever because when I was a kid at Mardi Gras and all of the adults were all drunk and wearing rainbow costumes, I had that time. I've seen so many shows that a lot of times I don't remember them until I see the same group again a couple of years later. So I am glad now that this blog will also be a way for me to keep a record of all of the things I see and people I meet.

Alabama Royalty

2007-03-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

Because everyone who tours in the Southeast plays in Atlanta Friday and Saturday night, Friday and Saturday nights in Birmingham are officially “ALT-Nights,” when the best performances are at the drag bars. The Southeast has a rich drag show history between the Funtone Network (the media network that this site is named for), Mardi Gras-related balls, and more and more balls.

Many performance artists get their start on the ball circuit, so if you are a performance artist then pay attention.

DJ TAJ and DJ NAKAIFMA were on my blog yesterday, but then I removed the post because I felt it didn’t give their work justice. I found these guys while Googling “Baltimore Club Music.” They are all over the net. They invented a genre of music to describe their dance mixes called “Bamabounce.” TAJ djs Club 21 in Birmingham sometimes. Mostly, though, from what I’ve gathered through the net, they play balls. They do traditional voguing (I am no expert on balls so feel free to correct me), but also a new style of ball dancing called J-Setting, which I assume is named after the Jackson State football game line dancers “the J-Settes” (check them out on Youtube if you like dance). J-Setting is a mostly Alabama phenom, but occasionally I have seen it on Texas and Atlanta sites. I know it is related to eight-count (how I learnt to dance as a kid).
You can download BAMABOUNCE MP3s at their site

Speaking of Baltimore Clubs, I saw this really awesome drag-performance-art show while in Baltimore. DAZZLESTORM remixes songs for you to dance to. They are pop songs with really dirty lyrics. You are supposed to wear glitter to the show and then they throw glitter on you while you dance. I am trying to get them to come to Birmingham. Post the word “Dazzleme” in the comments section of this blog if you want them to come too.
DAZZLESTORM is the Official Band of BALTIMORE CLUB STAR WARS Art Collective

TRINITY TAYLOR was recently crowned “Miss National Apollo.” For those of you aren’t familiar with Mardi Gras lore, each float is run by a “krewe” that has balls (parties) to finance the float and to make non-native New Orleanians feel like losers. Krewes are very cliquish and unless you’re super famous or connected, you can forget about ever being in one. You also have to pay a lot of money for the membership and all of the stuff, including your own beads. Usually special interest groups start them. The Mystic Krewe of Apollo is the krewe of gay men and they are actually based out of Birmingham. Every Christmas they hold a holiday tour of homes for Children’s Hospital in the Crestwood neighborhood of Birmingham (where all the cool people live). This year TRINITY TAYLOR was crowned “Miss National Apollo.” I have seen her perform at The Quest in Birmingham. She also performs at the Lakeview Yacht Club.

Also worth noting are the performances of “Mr. Quest,” KYLE GREGORY.

Tonight’s event for Saturday, Mar. 10th, 2007:
Drag Show at the Lakeview Yacht Club, 11PM
2627 7th Ave. South Birmingham, AL 35205

Ghost Writer

2007-03-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Correction: HANK LAZARD podder put off until early next week, as Hank, Rolly, and Jason are still in the proccess of moving. That means you still have until Mon. or Tue. to get caught up.

Also, today Justin was playing this really great PONY BONES (from Atlanta) CD-R in the car and it totally blew my mind. A lot of four-track-recorded plunkety junk. I'm going to try to post one of those songs so that you guys can hear it.

SOCIAL JUNK on MySpace: Birmingham show included In case you missed the SOCIAL JUNK show at AC Temple show on Feb. 20th, there is a post on their Myspace of the Birmingham show. I usually wouldn't suggest listening to music via Myspace, but somehow the fullness of their sound translates to my dingy computer speakers, compressors and all. These guys are more junk from West Virginia. They totally brought the house down Appalachian style. They remind me a lot of Axolotl playing with Mouthus. (Hmmm . . . those guys are maybe a little too prolific . . . ghostwriter?)

I thought that since today has a ghost-in-the-woods theme, we should all take a look at some ghostly web art by ANTOINE/EXORCIST of Montevallo, Alabama.
PERFORMANCE BOARD by ANTONIO

Comedy Beyond the Brain

2007-03-09T13:12:00.000-08:00

My favorite comedy acts in Birmingham are a male vocalist who never plays shows and a male ventriloquist who only performs at noise shows.

HANDSOME PETE is from Tuscaloosa, AL. Once I had this roomate who had this dance track he was always working on. He said that it needed a female vocalist to be complete--sighting that Arthur Russell track which took off after it was rereleased with the female vocals as an example of what a New York Woman could do for a dance track. Basically, this was all just a way to get some girl to come up to his apartment. I like to think that that is why Handsome Pete started recording: to lure unsuspecting females into his home recording studio.
HANDSOME PETE on Myspace

HANK LAZARD (above) is the puppet. Jason (or Pauline as Hank calls him) is the dude. Both currently reside in the Crestwood neighborhood of Birmingham (where all the cool people live). Hank's podcast is recorded every Friday and is available for free streaming or download via "The Internet Archive." Hank usually appears at noise shows, because he has been banned from every club in Birmingham. Highlight for me is Hank's Buried Treasure: where Hank may or may not bury something and then gives you a map to find it. Also liked the episode where Hank gets set up on a date with a woman from one of those telephone dating services. Arby's is expensive.
site: Official Site of HANK LAZARD(updated infrequently, but will provide you with adequate backstory)
podder: HANK LAZARD on the Internet Archive
myspace: HANK LAZARD on Myspace
Every Friday around midnight: another notch on the bedpost for the HANK LAZARD SHOW podcast.

Bloody Money

2007-03-09T01:56:00.000-08:00

YAKUZA DANCE MOB, Birmingham's own Electro-trash performance artists are now on YouTube! (RD Hardcore says that some moron actually spent that bloody dollar!)

Menstruation Fun Cave

2007-03-08T23:24:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday March 7, 2007 there was a show at AC Temple.
Who was there:

U CAN UNLEARN GUITAR: Guitar hero from Huntsville, AL threw down a few songs in the AC Temple music room. I learned that Andy sells engineering supplies to all of those space cadets up there. Then I unlearned that. Highlight of the show was definately the "Margaritaville" cover. U CAN UNLEARN GUITAR is like going to a family barbeque and then seeing your drunk uncle throw down some riffs, and as a kid, in that moment, he seems just about as awesome as Hendrix.
CHARALAMBIDES: From Texas, but not in the Enron GWB sort of way, more in the Jandek dreamscape sort way. This show reminded me of some dreamy Cocteau Twins vocals with a little bit of Acid Mother's Temple and even Les Razilles Denudes' more Velveteen guitar stylings. Also has the added bonus of being a psych duo, which makes you want to fall in love out in one of those deserted cow pastures way off U.S. 79.
HOLLOW BUSH: Birmingham's own blood brothers Roger of Macronympha and BrYan. This was by far my favorite HOLLOW BUSH show so far. HOLLOW BUSH is definately as noisy as Yellow Swans and I think they would play about that loud if you let them. Parts of it remind me of Half Man/Drawings of Patient O.T. era Einsturzende Neubauten. Highlight for me was the best clarinet-featured-in-a-noise-band I have ever heard. You can get their tape at the
Link to Hanson Records site. HOLLOW BUSH is HN151.
THEM NATIVES: AC Temple band-in-residence played their show in the attic while audience listened to an amp in the living room. They sometimes sound like a less melodic Animal Collective three chord, standing drum, chanting blend. Highlight of the show: when people get really into playing in an attic that is the highlight of the show. The highlight of every THEM NATIVES show for me is when they throw down that crazy Menstruation Sisters stuff.

And speaking of the MENSTRUATION SISTERS: "Ma" is really an awesome record. What was I doing in 2006 when I wasn't listening to "Ma"? Oh yes, I was hiding in the woods thinking deranged "Ma"-related thoughts.

Coming up:
NEIL MICHAEL HAGERTY AND THE HOWLING HEX this Sunday, Mar. 11! @ Bottletree. Doors open at 9PM. In case you have been living in a cave for the past few years (which is forgivable, no hate for cave-dwellers), Neil Michael Hagerty keeps putting out quality stuff. Which record is your favorite? You have until Sunday to tell me.

Also this Sunday:
EXTRAORDINAIRES (Philly) and SMALL FRAMED BOY (Atlanta) @ AC Temple (1709 12th street south); Wow did you ever think that you'd move to Alabama and want to see two awesome shows on the same night? I didn't. On Sunday it's almost sacreligious. (P.S. I hear this show will be followed by a parade up Red Mountain to caves)

And in keeping with today's menstruation-cave theme: I just remembered how much I loved that movie "VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS". It is a 70s-era Czech new wave film (like all of my favorite films) about a girl who gets her period and discovers her womanhood Alice in Wonderland style. Got to burn that.

Next Friday, March 16th, 404 Noisefest at Eyedrum in Atlanta: Somehow I tried to get TO LIVE AND SHAVE IN L.A. (TLASILA) to play in Birmingham and then T. Smith charmed me into driving two hours to see him play in Atlanta at the 404 Noisefest. It should be a good time, especially since JARBOE is going to playing as well as MUGU GUYMEN and other Southern delights. (Cross your fingers for some good experimental food recipes. Jarboe's Gumbo?) So I want to put together a carpool of people who want to go with me, because gas is expensive and I saw the Al Gore movie.

Also, you can download old TLASILA album's from their blogspot:
TO LIVE AND SHAVE IN L.A. blodder

And last but not least, I have to put at least one art thing in this post and today that will be "THE FREE STORE". A bunch of RISD grads (you may have seen a couple of these kiddos in those EXPERIMENTAL PEOPLE videos from the 2006 Whitney Biennial and the interweb) put together this site where you can buy their art and music. What would you do if you arrived in a gentrifying Providence in 2000 with big rainbow dreams only to watch Fort Thunder be transformed into a Safeway? You could either make post-gentrification Providence-aesthetic-wannabe art or you could do what these guys did and make post-apocalyptic sippin' on sippers' Dumberland art and just it bring it full circle back to Caroliner Rainbow and the Residents.
THE FREE STORE

2007-01-29T19:05:00.001-08:00