Dec 11 : "Familial" - Quiet Luke (New York)

News
Quiet Luke Releases New Video

A couple weeks ago New York artist Quiet Luke released a new video, "Familial". As with his other recent videos, Familial expresses some starkly contrasting emotions, dramatically separated from each other in the visual part of the presentation, but sometimes less so in the audio. Even our conflicting emotions are sometimes integrated!

In one of the previous videos, "Interference", we start with a feeling of hope, but then end dramatically with despair. In "Familial" we do a little bit of the reverse. We start out in uncertainty but end in peace. Quiet Luke is a master at conveying the intensity of emotions in part by his use of these contrasts. As much is said with the camera as with the lyrics and instrumentals.

Quiet Luke just released his first full-length album, "21st Century Blue", last week. "Familial" is the 6th track on the album. "Interference" as well as "Something to Lose" (which I've written about previously) are also on the album.

While Quiet Luke doesn't have any shows coming up in the next few weeks, here is the click to his Facebook page. ::: Quiet Luke on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Dec 05 : "Hi Sam, It's Nan: Robby's Birthday" - Sam Seeger (New York)

News
Sam Seeger Releases New Video

NAN JUST LEFT A COUPLE MORE VOICEMAILS. Here is a new video from Sam Seeger; it's another piece based on voicemail messages from Nan, his grandmother. This time it's about Robby's birthday. The title is: "Hi Sam, It's Nan: Robby's Birthday"

Sam doesn't have any other shows coming up in the next few weeks, but here is the click to his Facebook page where you can keep watching what he's doing ::: Sam Seeger on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Dec 02 : "Mary Song (Shady Grove)" - 185668232 (Brooklyn)

A couple weeks ago week my friend, Iam, (or as musician & noise artist "185668232" when performing), did a very unique show at Wonderville in Bushwick. The bar is a destination in itself! When you walk into Wonderville, it looks like many bars, but, off to a separate room to the left is an arcade game room with a stage up in the front. This was where 185668232 did a show.

I have to admit that this was a first for me. It was the first time I had ever been to a show in a game arcade, as well as a first time I had been to a show in a venue where there were other activities or objects competing for my attention at the same time that the show was going on. What to do? That was my dilemma. Should I play some of the exciting and innovative games, talk with people milling about, watch the performance on the stage (with even a moving video in the background), go out to the other room and get a beer? Yikes! So much to do!

I was very intrigued by the games. They aren't of the mass-produced variety you might see elsewhere. I asked Iam about them, and he told me : all of the WONDERVILLE games are really unique artisan designed including a line of them by WONDERVILLE themselves. Some topics for games are so human it makes you question whether you are just part of a gaming parameter. Worth a trip to Wonderville just for the games!

In the Spring of 2018, 185668232 did a new album "Existure". Here is the description of the album on Bandcamp : eXiSTuRe is 185668232's 12th consecutive annual album. It was released in beta/scratch/demo-mode on May 30, 2018. This album is an improvised expression hold-me-over for easier times. It is a practice of vapid melodies and casual beats with heavy hooks, organized noise into a definitive glitch concept of #PowerPop as a more accessible gateway entry for the standard 185668232 content. The album has 19 or 20 tracks, depending on which version of the album you get. I see a trend towards more spoken words in the new album. Here is track #7 (either version) on the album, "Mary Song (Shady Grove) :::

Right now 185668232 is on its first European tour, but will be back mid-month. I'm hoping to get to their next show at Wonderville, which will be on Thursday, Dec. 26th ::: 185668232's Experimental Ecliptic Experiential Eco Echo. Here is the click to the band's Facebook page ::: 185668232's Facebook page (CLICK HERE).

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12/20/19 UPDATE ::: Iam admonished me that I should include a photo with EVERY writeup, so I looked through my files and found this picture of us from earlier this year.

Nov 20 : "About Money" - Wombo (Louisville)

WILD SYNTAX

It hits you directly right away: the overpowering drums, the abrasive stylings in the vocals, and the loud disjointed instrumentals. ... Then a few minutes later they'll be smooth and mellow.

This versatile band is Louisville band Wombo. I saw them do a show, opening up Underground Arts one evening a couple weeks ago. But then they'd just as quickly snap back to the loud staccato drums and the wild vocals. This was much more than what we hear on their Bandcamp page. On November 1 the drums ruled the show.

Wombo is Sydney Chadwick, Joel Taylor, and Cameron Lowe. Here is the second track from their 2017 album, "Staring at Trees". The song is titled "About Money", and it features some of the band's unsettling lyrics:

So Wombo is still on tour, and it doesn't look like they'll be heading back east soon. But here is the click to their Facebook page: Wombo on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Nov 03 : "Chevrolet Van" - The Nude Party (Boone + Catskills)

NOT NEEDING A PLAN B

My second time actually seeing "The Nude Party". They did a great show in Philly last Friday at a packed Underground Arts. The Boone NC (originally from Boone, more recently in The Catskills) band is on tour right now hitting a bunch of major cities. I had seen them a couple years ago in Brooklyn doing a middle-of-the-night show at Baby's Alright. They were a seven-piece band this time around; pretty sure six-piece when I saw them before.

They played new work including one of their most recent songs, "Chevrolet Van" which was the climax that closed out their show. The song is about advice that they, as young musicians, receive from older, well-meaning people ::: that they've gotta have a "plan B" in life (a job), because they'll never be able to make it past 21 trying to live off their music. ::: So here's the video version of the song that includes their clever visual response to those nay-sayers :::

If you're interested in seeing them live, they'll be doing a show on Tuesday night at The Bowery Ballroom on November 5. Otherwise, you can check out their Facebook page where you can watch for their next tour and read their very unique bio. ::: The Nude Party on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

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p.s. ... Nov 10 ::: At the beginning of the post I mentioned that this was the second time I "actually" saw the band. There was another time in between where I actually showed up to hear them play; but I freaked out not liking the venue where they wound up (my first time there), and, after staying a little while, left before they started their show.