Talibam! is nearly impossible to pin down. Both men, drummer Kevin Shea and
Mottel, spend the majority of any given year on the road in the US and Europe,
whether it be with Talibam! or their various other projects. It is a metaphor
for their sound: it will never stay in one place, but will remain completely
recognizable and true to its spirit. It seems the duo has embraced flux as their
modus operandi.

Talibam! presents a collage of sounds, rapidly and fiercely, often not allowing
time for the listener's mind to adjust before moving on. Their show at the Echo
Curio consisted of 35 songs in 40 minutes.

The drumming is always "out", jazzy, freaky, and swinging, even when it settles
into a heavy, doom-laden groove for a minute. Shea is a skilled and formally
trained drummer who seems completely bored by conventionality and uses his
gift to forge a wild new style. His set up includes a Roland SPS drum trigger pad,
which he uses to introduce anomalistic sounds to his pallet. Shea is able to play
completely around the beat while keeping within it, creating very abstract beats,
which push the music forward always. Mottel is surely his equal in skill, fearlessly
shredding throughout gigs and recordings both. The curious thing about Talibam!
is that they have fantastic chops and pro skills yet they have decided largely to
deconstruct music to find a home for their talents.

Live, Talibam! comes across as an untamed beast of sorts. Mottel and Shea
fancy themselves a party band, which I can definitely see, but it seems that many
audiences don't know how to digest the music. Folks look dumbfounded. There is
definitely a good amount of smiling and head bobbing but also plenty of puzzled
looks. Talibam! is a band that I describe foremost as a free-jazz-punk-comedy
duo. Their set also encompasses elements of electronic and dance music,
trance, heavy sludge, pop, chants and cheers, and sing-a-longs. No matter
what, it always swings and is always high energy and kinetic. It is marked with
confidence, attitude, and elan, and often feels as if it is on the cusp of derailment.
I loved all of the 40-minute set, although there was about a 3-minute period of
ecstasy where I was overcome by the muse of dance and thrashed as if Talibam!
were my puppet master. It was serious.

Talibam's last proper studio release "Boogie in the Breeze Blocks" is a testament
to all the thoughts voiced above. It is mercurial and fanciful yet completely well
crafted and vastly enjoyable; its police scanner comedy sketches are hilarious
highlights; it has a heavy crew of collaborators; and it was released by the
legendary jazz label ESP. Their upcoming release is to be a hip hop foray
called "Puff Up the Volume". The direction of the album was forged by an odd
event, whereas a gong fell on and broke Shea's foot during a dance performance
in Europe, just prior to their entry into the studio to record. I can't wait to wrap my
ears around this one.

Enjoy the live recording presented here. Drink some Kombucha because
Talibam! would. Thanks to Grant from the Echo Curio for the recording
hook up!

C-Town and his axe

With full disclosure I must admit that I am a close friend of Colin and I supplied drums on the last cut of the record, so I have witnessed that process to some small degree. Dozens of folks participated in the creation of this record, but the concept, heart and soul, and driving energy was all from Colin. It is a deeply personal recording which was enabled through the efforts of a community of friends and collaborators, The Colin L Orchestra. The original concept of combining the easeful, bluesy, laid-back vibes of country music with avant-garde minimal repetition survived the three years of growth and change. The sound transformed and became its own entity, new and exciting.

What really strikes me about "Infinite Ease" is the wonderful quality of production which make the recording sound polished and whole, innovative but never overdone. Production credits are attributed to Colin and Eli Winograd. Eli's solo project, Two Prong, is a soulful and eclectic collection of sonic delights. His earlier solo work as Two Prong was electronic and more abstract, whereas the newer record "good vs. bad" is lush textural pop. It seems that the duo's inventive arrangements for "Infinite Ease" came to life in studio mixing sessions. The fidelity of the recording is total, giving great hope for the new genesis of home recordings enabled by Pro Tools and such. I can state all this with conviction based upon my experience laying down rhythm tracks for the song "Best Thing" in September 2007. We recorded in a musky basement in Virginia, with low ceilings and no real sound treatment or dampening. Hearing the simple arrangement that we learned just hours before recording transformed to such a lustrous gem via studio manipulation and sonic honing is incredible and inspiring.

The album is divided into three tracks, the first of which is actually four distinct songs. The opening tune, "You Need Sleep" is laid down with help from the Boston's, Devil Music Ensemble, with supple bass via Jesse Lent and gorgeous ethereal flute from Maxx Katz. Colin's vocals are beautiful, contemplative and spot on. In no other past project was the quality and range of his voice thusly displayed. I especially enjoy the ghostly falsettos which occur on this cut, and several other times throughout the album. "Beer Can Blues" follows the dreamy repetition of the opener with a unique and slightly jarring rhythm which sounds as if it was created from ping pong balls bouncing off a warm sounding alarm tone. This cut is by far the most raucous of the album. As the intro to the song concludes, a party whistle blows and the train leaves the station full force. The familiar country vibe of the record returns with a wilder edge, then melts into "Descaped". This is essentially a washy melodic segue with wailing psychedelic guitar leads soaring overtop. It begins with haunting fiddle and the tones stack until flutes swirl and finally the guitar takes over. I felt almost like I was droning away with Sigur Ros the first time I listened to the album, until Colin's signature guitar shred crept in, not unlike Hendrix's "Star Spangled Banner" interpretation.  Track one concludes with "Numbers Hall", a classy and comic ditty reminiscent of Graham Parsons at his best. Vocal lines are repeated over and over: musings such as "I just want to fornicate, to fornicate, to fornicate....." and "I should shut up and do the dishes, do the dishes, do the dishes....."

"Hold Tite" is a gentle beast unto itself. This is the most experimental and delicate piece of the record. It is warbly, sprawling, deconstructed and heart wrenching. I recommend giving it a listen on some quality head phones if possible. All tracks are completely treated, even the percussion, to create a somber, dreamy, druggy anthem, complete with Acapella breakdowns and insect noises. Nice one.

The final cut "Best Thing" has the sound of a monster Neil Young riff repeated for ten minutes with some high flying guitar leads and crucial dynamics, which keep the jam fresh. It is indeed a monster and a head bobber, with boldly projected vocals, full of conviction, or perhaps irony? All in all, it's a nice closer to a brilliant record, which keeps the listener engaged throughout. It is easy to listen to over and over, while driving, writing, thinking, or doing the dishes...and feels unique and original, whilst obviously rooted in very familiar American musical traditions.

This fine platter of psychedelic country minimalist songwriting is slated to be released Spring 2010 from Providence R.I.'s Corleone records, on 12" vinyl and as digital download.  It's a stark contrast to Langenus' first Corleone release "The American Dream: Living with the Rock", a lo-fi production of hilarious short songs tackling most all genres: dub, noise, punk, country and karaoke, etc.  "Infinite Ease" is now available as a short run CD-R direct from Colin himself until the official release in Spring.  Contact him for mail order inquiries. ( massdistro@yahoo.com) This is bound to be a universally lauded release for 2010.  "Infinite Ease" is a sleeper cell success, made infinitely listenable through painstaking efforts.

Words by Matthew R. Clark

First let's view the contrasts between this show and their last New York appearance. Last time was a free outdoor concert in a picturesque setting, staged on 7/7/07 at 7 pm with 77 drummers. It was essentially a sun worship ceremony which took place next to the river in Brooklyn, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. The band was also in the center of a circle of mass-audience for that event. This time, four main Boredoms played onstage (attended by a very diligent guitar tuning technician) in a huge indoor venue, vaguely resembling a maximum security prison, on a quite regular, early Spring evening, with tickets priced at $30. Two towering levels of balcony, running 3 of the venues 4 walls, contributed to the prison feel and made the event seem almost futuristic as well. In both situations the Boredoms were completely in control of the vibe from the offset. In both situations the band was able to teleport the audience to other dimensions and tap into the primordial forces of the universe.

The beginning of the show at Terminal 5 had Yamataka Eye, wearing some sort of light bulb mittens and scatting glossolalia towards the roof of the venue while passing his glowing hands through the energy field of some insane modified theremin, which issued forth harsh and beautiful edgy tones. This was followed by some awesomely choppy drum punctuations, more yelling in some alien language, then crescendoed until Eye's special 7 necked guitar instrument, dubbed Sevena was introduced.

This custom instrument was similar to the one used in last summer's "drum orgy", but was actually made of one solid body, like 7 guitars melted together. It was an improvement on an amazing concept, which creates a mammoth and ethereal sound in various odd tunings. This "percussive guitar" is played with thick sticks or else various staffs of different weights and made of different materials. The previously mentioned tuning tech spent the whole night tuning and retuning these guitar necks all night while Eye beat the living hell out of them. It seemed a Sisyphusian task for which this bloke deserved props. By the end of the show, the instrument was in total disarray, after some heavy climaxes, which left many a string broken and flying in every which direction.

Eye's presence throughout the whole night was epic. He truly is channeling some heavy shit. At one point he did the "rock and roll thing" where he encouraged all in the room to do the overhead clap to a steady beat. It felt like one thousand poly-rhythms at once and I saw him smile a very curious smile. He beamed completely and his face morphed into that of the Buddha. I swear I saw him for about 5 seconds in an incarnation which was more than human. I was further impressed, at the end of the spectacle when i noticed him limping off stage in a foot-boot-cast. Hardcore! Eye, along with the rest of his crew, has tapped into some cosmic space. He seems to be a medium, a messenger. They all are. The Boredoms are deeply spiritual and have a particular affinity for Sun Worship. On this particular night, using their drums, voices, triggers, turntables, synths, percussive guitars, samplers, cowbells etc. as vehicles, they tapped into the night energies, exposed the beauty of dark matter, and reflected the natural element of the human, bouncing their sound vibes off the audience.

The drumming was the part which truly floored me. Compared to the drumming of the "77 BOA DRUM" performance, the beats were more ferocious and fleet-of-foot: unencumbered by the extra weight of the 74 mortals who helped them out last time. There was times where the three drum kits in unison where churning out beats which seemed to me impossible. How could three humans interact so precisely and soulfully with such complicated patterns of poly-rhythms. I found myself screaming the "F" word uncontrollably as a reaction to my disbelief, while dancing, twitching and shaking my head like I was possessed. The rhythms were incredibly danceable, certainly tribal, and often had no frame of reference. I would consider some passages of their two hour set to be "alien rhythms". Drummers, Yoshimi, Senju and Yojiro all deserve "superhuman performance awards" as well. In his 2004 article about the Boredoms in the Village Voice Jason Gross, with a scholarly approach, dissected the art and origins of Boredoms drumming, "At times, the result evokes Taiko drumming, marching bands, funk, Latin disco, or gamelan and West African drum ensembles: Many Japanese today embrace the religious idea of syncretism, where many different beliefs are accepted at once..." This statement from 4 years back is still relevant, but I feel that the drumming mastery has come even further since. There are more influences mixed in and greater intensity: more improbable beats which work to lube the mind and open the heart.

In this era of war and ecological crisis, it is important for shamanistic groups like the Boredoms to exist. Most people are thoroughly disillusioned with institutions. In this scenario, sacred musical events can and should act as bridges between the people and the higher powers. Meaningful ceremony in our culture has been replaced by the ceremony at the end of the reality TV show when one unfortunate contestant is sadly sent home. Artists and musicians are magicians and provide portals for the imagination. The Boredoms are the most adept at bridging this gap. They are now and have been considered hip. The fact that they are channeling spiritual potency legitimizes feelings which are often dismissed. Something is brewing in the Zeitgeist. I recently attended an underground music event in Brooklyn, with hundreds of folks in attendance, mostly college aged. The bands were of the metal, dance punk and avant garde ilks. Before the first band kicked off, we enjoyed a solid hour of Grateful Dead hits. In between each band that night was heavy dub reggae. Before the Boredoms was 30 minutes of Mbira (African Thumb Piano) music through the house PA. I feel something going on. I remember when the Grateful Dead was the kiss of death for cool kids. Ha ha ha ha!

words by Matthew Clark

thanks to Trent Wolbe for the photos...check out his Flickr and homepage for more....

for the nerds...
Boredoms U.S.A. • Spring 2008

* 15/Mar/2008 (Sat) : SAN DIEGO, CA Cane's
* 16/Mar/2008 (Sun) : LOS ANGELES, CA Henry Fonda
* 18/Mar/2008 (Tue) : SAN FRANCISCO, CA Fillmore - in the round
* 20/Mar/2008 (Thu) : PORTLAND, OR Crystal Ballroom
* 21/Mar/2008 (Fri) : SEATTLE, WA Neumos
* 25/Mar/2008 (Tue) : MINNEAPOLIS, MN First Avenue - in the round
* 26/Mar/2008 (Wed) : CHICAGO, IL Logan Square - in the round
* 29/Mar/2008 (Sat) : BOSTON, MA Paradise
* 30/Mar/2008 (Sun) : NEW YORK, NY Terminal 5 - in the round
* 02/Apr/2008 (Wed) : PHILADELPHIA, PA Starlight
* 03/Apr/2008 (Thu) : WASHINGTON, DC 9:30 Club

Together, the Exile on Mainstream bands and staff, operate much like a huge family of oddballs and kindred spirits. The label is known for releasing "heavy music", much of which is steeped in traditions of Metal or Doom, but the diversity of the catalog is also a trademark of the label. Blisstrain is the perfect evidence of this multi-faceted approach. A Whisper In The Noise constructs beautiful melodies, relying as heavily on voice as orchestral sounds to evoke a somber and mysterious world. End of Level Boss is a shit-kicking riff machine with heavy prog influence, particularly of the Voivod ilk. Beehoover is a duo of bass and drums and vocals, who explore Doom, Jazz, Krautrock, and other Avant Rock modalities within their stripped down configuration. We Insist! is a fascinating and unique French rock unit led by Etienne Gaillochet, as drummer and main vocalist. With a horn section, singing drummer, and odd time changes, We Insist! is completely one of a kind. DŸSE is a two headed monster, a guitar and drum and vocal duo who rage thru their sets with the intensity of Lightning Bolt, with their own East German vibe. The Blisstrain tour featured many onstage collaborations and cross pollinations of these fine bands.

The full Exile On Mainstream catalog will be available thru the Monkeyclaus digital download store. Currently Monkeyclaus has all but a few titles in the store. The rest are somewhere in a cargo plane over the Atlantic? Coming soon. And keep your eyes open for Blisstrain 2009.

text by Matthew Clark

Richmond Flowers Five is guitarist Joseph Zehner with Jeff Melkerson on drums "The name includes Melkerson's characteristic mix of the historic and absurd. Richmond Flowers was the Alabama Attorney General that supported the Civil Rights movement in the '60s." This was heavy, unaffected, low guitar strumming with heavy handed drumming and no vocals whatsoever. The performance was meditative and sophisticated, in contrast with several past Melkerson freakout moments that have taken place in the Tea Bazaar. (The other wily avatars of the Melkerson rock beast.) Bravo!

The Dodos are an groovy Californian duo. They brought a beautifully effected guitar-scape-crystal wash of color. A new weird Americana, pop psyche potion, guided by cosmic rhythms, and polished with ethereal shoe-gaze vocals. Catch the Dodos as they continue traversing the nation, on the road with Jennifer Gentle, and later with Akron / Family. Their recent release, "Beware of the Maniacs" is a killer record.

After a lengthy soundcheck, trying to wrap their heads around the Tea Bazaar's tiny minimal PA system, and arranged carefully on the small tatami stage, Jennifer Gentle proceeded to charm the room with their homespun blend of carnival music and acid-pop. One could tell the band was a bit less than totally comfortable as the set began, but grooved their way into the zone. After the show I told lead singer and songwriter, Marco Fasolo, how much I enjoyed the show and he told me he didn't have such a good time himself. When I inquired about why, he told me he had such a hard time hearing himself sing. I said the singing was spot on and although he didn't enjoy the show I was glad for the chance to see them. He smiled and told me that for him, not being able to hear himself sing was like, "F*cking with 25 condoms on..." Whoa, who else says things like that! This band gets more likable by the minute. If this was an bad night for them, a good night must be pure magic. Enjoy this taste of Jennifer Gentle's sound, and for further investigations try to catch them live somewhere or check out their fantastic new record "The Midnight Room" recently out on the Sub Pop imprint. According to a Sub Pop press release, "Marco (Fasolo) wrote, performed and produced the entire new album alone in his Ectoplasmic Studio, a rambling old house lost in the foggy plains of Northern Italy, infamous for its previous owner’s suicide by rifle."

It was intriguing to hear the fruits of Marco's imagination manifest with a live band. Beach Boys-esque three part harmonies came to life, punctuated by playful trap kit playing, mind melded guitar, bass and keys.....and the occasional kazoo howl. Marco's unique, high register vocals wove convoluted tales of myriad subject matter, disguised in a pantheon of styles, flavors and moods. The experience was the sum of many influences from rock history, swirling in a good dose of Italian psychedelia (ala Fellini or Morricone), and all the weird vibes of the fun house at the carnival. Overall very cool and original music and a very talented live band.

Enjoy these recordings! Peace!

Words by Matthew Clark
Live recording by Simon Jolly

Words and Live Recording by Matthew Clark

Live at Tea Bazaar - 2007
Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

Zorn's own secret weapon, Joey Baron, is also a Richmond native, and a total modern jazz-drumming wizard. On July 25th 2007 Jones brought his Guitar Quartet to the Tea Bazaar for a night of chronic modern jazz. The group featured two electric guitars, upright bass, and Jones on trap kit. Joining Jones for the set were guitarists, Trey Pollard and Alan Parker, and upright bassist Matt Hall. The set ranged from Jones own compositions to a loose interpretation of "Eleanor Rigby". The feel was always free, with drums leading the way and triggering cues for direction. The drumming swayed between abstract and groove, yet always managed to elucidate the situation completely, guiding his stringed crusaders into wild and unruly territory. This throw down was heavy and heady, like a jungle safari adventure fever dream, with a head full of malaria meds. Take heed.

Modern jazz, comes with a heavy dose of skepticism from jaded audiences. The potential for cliches associated with the genre are an ominous shadow, from which true players must shine through to express their merit. The Guitar Quartet took all of 30 seconds to destroy all naysaying. They displayed the art of shredding, which walks a fine line with the art of wanking. The line was drawn clearly and shredding it surely was. Jones unique battery skills, leave jaws dropped and minds blown. His compatriots are always on par with his level of skill, in what ever group he presents or participates in. The two wailing guitars carefully avoided filling the same register while, naturally coming unhinged and being fully lost in the music. One guitarist would often create ambiance with swells and slides, whilst the other would play a lead role with more annunciated notes, sometimes sparse and other times frantic. The bass grooves were spot on, solid, thunderous and robust. Matt Hall would sometimes employ his bow, even if only for 5 seconds then switching back to plucking away, to evoke the right tones.

As with all styles of music, there is the good the bad, the talented and the hacks, the innovators and the recyclers, the shredders and the wankers. I expect that the Slang Sanctuary family, involving dozens of musicians from the Richmond jazz, noise, free, out and avant scenes all have multiple projects worthy of exploration. As improv music seems to be making a huge resurgence in the rock and folk realms, let us not forget the bedrock of improvisation, and one of the most valid "American" cultural contributions, "jazz music". Brian Jones and Co. show how fresh it can be.

Live Audio July 7th

Live July 9th

Clockcleaner, whos next record is slated for release this fall on Load Records, played in a completely dark room, lit only by the frenzied flashes of two stereo strobe lights. They had a mockingly confrontational attitude, and they seemed to me to be more amused than antagonistic. Their singer whined loudly into the microphone as their set was kicking off that "he was the f-ing lead singer" and "deserved attention the f-ing attention that i deserve" over a wall of feedback. Their sound is very stripped down, a classic power trio configuration; loud amps, basic drumkit, and singing guitarist. Nothing is over complicated. It's rather simple, heavy and brutal. The bass dirge set forth by the lovely Karen Horner, was massive and enveloping. The sound was ominous, brooding, menacing, and completely loud-as-shit. Their mood struck me as almost goth, like early Bauhaus. At times the music summoned images in my mind of honky tonk blasting from a boombox with ripped speakers and dying batteries. By the end of the show, Clockcleaner was covering an upbeat Breeders song, making it sound demonic as hell and vocalist John starts playing T-Ball with his guitar and plastic water bottles and debris on stage. The end result is a trash can flying off stage, spilling its contents on the floor. It was a curious act, for someone who had been hassling the teenagers in the front row for their braces. Apparently adolescence is more of a frame of mind than a number. Don't get me wrong, I ain't hatin'...I really enjoyed their show and I bet their debut record on Load will be heavy as shit. Due to the fact that their set was all new material they asked that we not post the live set. Check out their record out on Load this fall.

Deerhunter followed with less abrasion, a little less volume, and more texture and variety of sound. They played to a similarly dark room, minus the frenetic madness of the strobe. Their sound was simultaneously pristine and raw. They are self proclaimed "ambient punk". Lush textures were built upon solid bass grooves and tactful drumming. Heavily effected vocals soared above the abundant textures, well crafted poetry which can seldom be deciphered yet has real potency when transcribed. There was plenty of edge in their delivery. It certainly wasn't a soft and cuddly experience. At times it was dark, demented, and drugged-out and other times sent chills through ones body with its sublime waves of tone and sonic beauty. There was a lot of flux. This was no case of effects pedals being used as a crutch, and all clarity being lost.

Deerhunter has a true frontman. Bradford Cox is a curious figure, and a great focal point for a live performance. Known for performing in sundresses and other wild get-ups, this show had him donning a long wig and some sort of dress. He is emblematic of embracing your inner freak and being proud of who and what you are. As an outspoken spokesman for gay pride, Bradford is dynamic and bold. He particularly, and the band in general seems, unphased by all the smoke being blow up their asses by indie-media outlets. They seems completely themselves, completely amused by "fame", and willing to be as odd-ball as they feel fit. Take the Deerhunter blog for instance, which it seemed to me, that someone else was encouraging them to create. The first few entries include plans to document their guitarist's feces on tour with a photo each day with a description of his diet and intake of alcohol and cigarettes, which later came to fruition with disgusting results. Another entry was titled "five imaginary boyfriends (and why they would never work out)" complete with soft gay-porn images of these "five boyfriends" and lurid gay sex fantasies. This was removed after a retarded backlash on blogs and forums etc. Nowadays the blog is pretty straight up. It is updated with new (and new-old) material often...old show fliers, new mp3 demos, old mp3s from past bands, rants and links to other cool shit. It definitely feels like a communique from a band who is willing to show where they come from and what they are about. Deerhunter is a band who can deliver on album and live. Their recent releases on Kranky are really great modern collectibles.

Pushing buttons, and testing boundaries are definitely on the Deerhunter agenda and who can blame them. Clockcleaner also does this in their own way. Generations of hairdo bands and self-indulgent hipsters have marred the rock-n-roll experience for many. For others, that's the shit they love about rock-n-roll. It's a personal choice. In the end it is about music and expression and more power to you if you have a message to tack onto it. It's refreshing for me to see awesome folks succeeding without having to bow down to anyone.

Text and Live Recording by Matthew Clark

Photo courtesy of Ms. Green-Grass