Tales of some guys who recorded a non-LP, one 1968 night in Baltimore. It didn't come out at the time. Four decades later (or late) it's ready. Blues yes, but they swirl. One of their songs – Hippie Queen – was released on the CD compilation Aliens Psychos & Wild Things - Volume 3 a few years back.

Now, Arcania International has partnered with Monkey Claus to offer you digital downloads direct from the original analog mono mix.

We hope you hunger for more Bosom Blues.

A few features will include :

- inserts between every gain stage
- a custom patch bay configuration
- a magic Bleed option (between channels)
- stereo and mono bussing
- stereo and mono effects send and return
- 10 channels of mic/line amplification
- and original lighting in the faders

Check out these pics of the mixing board in progress :

And to top it all off, Blake's uncle and his daughter opened up a juice shop with fresh mangoes, peaches, and pineapples and more right out back!

Bass

Drums

Guitar and Vocals

Violin & more

Recording

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

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

The event took place in Empire-Fulton Ferry Park, at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. A panoramic view of Manhattan with the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges towering above and framing the park, between the swift river flowing, and the ruins of a crumbling tobacco warehouse, the bright sun and puffy clouds made the spiraling configuration of drum kits and central stage feel dreamlike cast against the green grass. The stage was set with three drumkits, microphones, tone generators, samplers and most importantly a series of brightly spray painted "percussive guitars" which Eye would sometimes strike violently with a large blue staff, or create quieter, playful melodies with drum sticks. The guitars were apparently homemade creations and were mounted vertically, facing Eye on a tall stand. They transmitted huge walls of sound, especially in combination with 154 cymbals smashed in unison as Eye conducted his wild symphony. At times he smashed his staff over and over onto the guitar necks, as 77 drummers obediently took his cue to bash both cymbals on their stripped down kits perfectly in time. Some of the guitar smashes were epic not unlike a monster slam dunk. Honestly, Eye reminded me of Michael Jordan in his prime as he jumped and flung his whole body into the strike.

Eye took on the role of sorcerer. From the moment he first wielded his Shiva Trident to grab the drummers attention, after a controlled chaos where all drummers let loose a barrage of percussion (77 simultaneous drum solos), it was clear that he was master Wizard, mountain Rasta, and cosmic Japanese shaman. Small in frame but huge in vision and stature, he seemed to be not only guiding the 77 drummers but also the clouds and sun, the buses and trains crossing the bridges, and the boats floating by. The spiral became the center of the universe from 7:07 pm until about two hours later when the piece concluded, leaving most present speechless or disoriented. Besides the "percussive guitar" Eye coaxed the boa-drum along with echo laden vocalizations, and by triggering samples and tones. At one point the spiral of 77 drummers washing on their cymbals was brought to crescendo after crescendo with the massive sound of a tsunami crashing slowly, issued forth from a sampler or synth.

Percussive figures began on stage simply and spread one drummer at a time throughout the rhythm-beast until it reached the tail, and then a new pattern would begin from the center. Amazingly the piece never sounded disjointed or off-track. A core of 17 "drum captains" had practiced with the group for two days preceding the event, whereas the rest of the drummers learned the piece in segments during soundcheck. Nobody had ever heard the piece in it's entirety until it happened for real. It was trance music, of the ilk found in tribal cultures by anthropologists. It was a primal vehicle for transport. The audience circled around the performers, the four Boredoms on a low square stage with 8 speakers pointing out from the corners. Folks were asked to sit, for the ease of all present to see. As the trance took hold, groups of folks gravitated towards the river in a dance frenzy. One fellow on acid was rubbing dirt and gravel into his skin while dancing with his shoes on his hands. God bless him. Let's hope he made it back OK.

It was a feel good event that left many speechless. My one friend told me he almost cried twice. And he's a tough dude. The only bummer of the day was the disproportionate capacity of the event to public interest. A wonky RSVP system didn't quite cut it, as many thousands were turned away from this free show and forced to either watch from the bridge or listen from the river bank next to the park. Plenty of videos have surfaced on YouTube and other sites, as well as photo sets on Flickr, despite requests that all image capturing was done in the first 7 minutes of the event. All the videos I have seen make the thing sound disjointed and chaotic which it wasn't. A DVD and CD of the event are rumored to be in the works, as the next official Boredoms release. Hopefully that can convey the amazing surge of energy that took place on that auspicious day.

Cool Video Online

Jason Bergman's Photos on Flickr

photos by Jason Bergman (visit his blog here)

text by Matthew Clark