Grunge is back? Why?

Andrew W.K. – 55 Cadillac (Pre-Order)
A jet-black ‘55 Cadillac Fleetwood, hard-bodied, sleek and gleaming. A Model D Steinway grand piano with a satin ebony lustre. Two disparate objects with one connecting principal: a man dressed in white.

"For his 5th album, 55 Cadillac, Andrew W.K., the iconic white clad-rocker best-known for performing physically-punishing, party-rocking anthems plays against type in the most dramatic fashion…with a recording of solo piano improvisations. The album is also Andrew’s first solo release on his new Skyscraper Music Maker imprint (a co-venture with the UK’s Cargo Records) and will be released simultaneously in a deluxe gatefold vinyl edition by Thurston Moore’s label Ecstatic Peace.

At first listen, 55 Cadillac seems as far removed as it could be from the brash, rousing and driving music that features on previous Andrew W.K. albums. Intimate, personal, unaccompanied and almost entirely unadorned, it features 8 freeform piano pieces that were composed at the same time that they were played and recorded. But 55 Cadillac is driving music too, albeit a very different kind.

This is not so much music to drive to-although it would certainly be not only possible but immensely-pleasurable and fun to listen to while operating a car - but music that embodies the experience of driving itself: the peculiar headspace one enters and the intuitive, mechanical mind/body interaction that occurs while doing so. It sounds the way the world might look as it passes by while sitting in a car, driving at the dead of night through unfamiliar terrain without a map: an experience that is as exhilarating, as it is strange and magical.

A classically-trained musician, Andrew has been playing piano since he was 4 years old - making this record was not so much a sharp left-turn in his musical career as a return to the instrument that he describes as ‘the root of my whole musical experience’. But then, since emerging in 2001 with his signature tune, “Party Hard”, and debut album, “I Get Wet’, Andrew W.K. has also delighted in confounding expectations.

I just wanted to point out that I Get Wet was really bad, disappointingly because I had heard some good things about it. I feel that it's interesting that he's doing a piano album, but I get the feeling that that's the way "they" want me to feel.

Preview Andrew W.K.'s Car-Themed Piano LP • On 55 Cadillac, the classically trained W.K. takes a break from partying to offer eight instrumental piano improvisations. The album's out 9/8 via Ecstatic Peace!/Andrew's Skyscraper Music Maker. Preview three pieces now at andrewwk.com.

http://chronicyouth.com/2009/08/the-...-band-lookout/

THE ENTRANCE BAND: LOOKOUT!

 

The Entrance Band Lookout! Ecstatic Peace/Universal After however many years, Los Angeles’ Entrance Band is finally blowing up. After a few records for Tee Pee Records, the band’s Self-Titled Ecstatic Peace/Universal debut is one to remember. With extremely crisp production, fuzzy grooves and a newfound pop sensibility, this album should definitely be in the running for best of lists across the board. “Lookout!” is the album’s single and probably the sickest track. Download it now, bros.
The Entrance Band’s Self-Titled LP is due September 1 via Ecstatic Peace/Universal.
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DOWNLOAD: THE ENTRANCE BAND - LOOKOUT

coming soon on Ecstatic Peace:

The Entrance Band -ST
Jemina Pearl - Break It Up
Sunburned Hand of the Man - A
White Out - Senco
Glass Rock - Tall Firs Meet Soft Location

and more:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=318775091& blogId=506353463

More autumn releases from Ecstatic Peace:

12th October - White Out (Thurston Moore & Jim O'Rourke) - 'Senso'
19th October - Hush Arbors - 'Yankee Reality'
26th October - MV+EE - 'Barn Nova'
2nd November - Sunburned - 'A'
9th November - John Blum - 'In The Shade Of The Sun'

Some info below,
********

MV+EE - 'Barn Nova''
Still harvesting and sustaining in the deep woods of Vermont , MV & EE
(Matt "MV" Valentine, once the brawn of the Tower Recordings, and Erika
"EE" Elder, CEO of Heroine Celestial Agriculture and The MV & EE
Medicine Show) are following their 2008 release Drone Trailer with
their feature-film-for-the-blind "Barn Nova", which marks their return
to the Ecstatic Peace! label. MV & EE aspire to the sort of beautifully
rewarding standard in their documented output that Sun Ra or The
Grateful Dead achieved. It is with Ecstatic Peace! that their most
consistent works have been born and continue reach fans with The Golden
Road, their most constant band. Together with Doc Dunn (pedal steel,
rhythm guitar, vocals, drums) and Mike Smith (Rickenbacker 4001,
vocals) who appeared on Drone Trailer as well as J Mascis (drums,
guitar, plate reverb) and Woods' Jeremy Earl (vocal, drums) they take
you on the ride now known as Barn Nova and here they jam. Justin
Pizzoferrato also appears contributing percussion, space echo and
aiding once again at the controls. This album was recorded at MV &
EE's own home studio "Maximum Arousal Farm" as well as their current
local New England rooms of choice, "Bank Row" (an old mid 1900's bank)
and J's home studio "Bisquiteen." These kindred spirits share a wealth
of ideas including a serious reverence and desire to upgrade/expand the
classic-rock idiom. Barn Nova marks the return of "Spectrasound," MV's
production technique that places tones dancing all around the stereo
sound field: it has to be heard to be believed. This effect is all the
more impressive that the majority of it was created recording live,
rather than conjured through studio post-production during mixing.
Especially potent on the A side-ending stomp "Summer Magic" where
Erika's economical leads go head-to-head with J's on a particularly
mind-blowing live-in-studio effort; It brings to mind the vibe of
"Green Blues", "Mother Of Thousands" and even an electric "Moon Jook"
with matured songwriting. Inspired by the likes of Jerry Garcia, John
Cipollina and Tom Verlaine, Matt Valentine displays an insatiable
appetite to play in various idioms with constant exploration and
development. Meanwhile, Elder's harmony leads recall the glorious
twinned guitar lines of Canned Heat's Al Wilson & Henry Vestine at
their most potent.

Sunburned - 'A'
'A' is Sunburned's second album with producer Kieran Hebden, a.k.a.
Fourtet. Directed by Kieran like actors in a film, Sunburned is taken
off the bandana smokestage of their previous collaboration - Fire
Escape - and put onto a sweat-soaked 4am lysergic dance floor. Kieran
uses the band like his live instrument laptop and sampler. The results
are truly stunning which makes this record into one of the best moments
of each artists respective musical careers. With artwork by California
visionary and band favorite Raymond Pettibon - A - has looks that kill
along with the sounds that thrill.


John Blum - 'In The Shade Of The Sun'
John Blum was born in New York City, April 15, 1968 and has been a
mainstay of the free-jazz community there for over 15 years. While in
Europe in 1992, he recorded with Clarinetist Tony Scott’s Trio which
included Antonio Grippi on Alto Sax. Upon returning to New York City,
Blum became a member of the Improvisers Collective (1993-1995) and also
initiated projects as a soloist and a group leader. By early 1998 he
joined together with Antonio Grippi on Saxophone, William Parker on
Bass, and Denis Charles on Drums to form The” Astrogeny Quartet”. A CD
of this group was released on Eremite records in 2005. In 2001 Blum
recorded a solo piano CD for Drimala Records entitled “Naked Mirror”,
and was also featured on Butch Morris’ “Conduction 117” released on
JumpArts Records. In 2003, Blum recorded with Sabir Mateen on Tenor Sax
in Sunny Murray’s Trio and is featured on Murray’s CD “Perles Noires
Volume 2” on Eremite Records. He joined the Steve Swell Quintet in 2005
and a CD was released on NotTwo Records of their 2006 NYC Vision
Festival performance. In addition to this Trio recorded in 2008, Blum
also recorded a solo CD “Who Begat Eye” to be released on Konnex
Records in 2009. “I first heard John at Bennington (where I teach
part-time in the college’s Writing Seminars), affectionately kicking
around some bebop and Thelonious Monk tunes with a bassist and a
drummer. His chops, inventiveness and taste—how many pianists would
think to pull out Monk’s “Pannonica”?—caught my attention immediately,
but I didn’t hear the real John Blum until he sent me the CD you now
have in your hands. Not only is he a master musician—if a pitcher were
this fast and pinpoint-precise, he’d be out-earning Johan Santana and
C.C. Sabathia combined— but his playing seems to encapsulate the whole
history of jazz piano: if you listen hard, you’ll catch bits of Harlem
stride, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Monk and Taylor, all recombined in a
flow almost—but not quite—too rapid for the ear to absorb and the mind
to process. Like every great jazz improviser, from Louis Armstrong on,
he’s a self-portraitist, registering the play of his own thoughts and
intuitions as they arise. His abundance of ideas—and ideas springing
from those ideas and morphing into yet other ideas—suggests a teeming,
almost Joyceian inner world. The titles of his pieces allude to the
context of struggle in which this world exists; but the music itself,
sometimes majestic, sometimes frightening, sometimes witty,
many-colored and ceaselessly inventive, is an ideal universe of
freedom. John Blum and his collaborators [William Parker and Sunny
Murray] have created work of enduring value and endless fascination. As
many times as I listen to these pieces, I always hear something fresh
and surprising: further revelations, deeper interconnections. It’s a
gift fromgenerous spirits, straight from their hearts and minds to
yours.” David Gates, Senior Writer Newsweek

*******
Also available

mv/ee tour california next month and a couple east coast gigs...NO NEW YORK! :-(

umm, "Fact" magazine says:
"Jim O'Rourke, will release another album this year on Ecstatic Peace, a continuation of his White Out project with sometime Sonic Youth bandmate Thurston Moore [above]. "

this is just so wrong on so many levels: "his White Out project"

http://www.billboard.com/features/an...04008923.story

Andrew W.K. Song Premiere

Nice moshe, don't forget this one:

yes

There's a review of this in the current Wire. Sounds good.

Lord Jeff on EP:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=9790312

Hush Arbors have revealed details of a new LP due later this year on their label home Ecstatic Peace.
Due on October 6th, the new full-length is titled Yankee Reality and follows on from their self-titled 2008 Ecstatic Peace debut. It was produced by none other than Dinosaur Jrs J. Mascis who also helped out on a few tracks too.
The artwork can be seen just above and the confirmed track-listing can be seen below.
The new video for fuzzy Yankee Reality closer track Devil Made You High can be seen over at Stereogum HERE.
Yankee Reality Track-Listing:
01 - Day Before

02 - Lisbon

03 - Fast Asleep

04 - So They Say

05 - One Way Ticket

06 - Coming Home

07 - Sun Shall

08 - Take It Easy
09 - For While You Slept

10 - Devil Made You High

Ecstatic Peace in the middle east!

I found out that the Magik Markers will play Tel Aviv and Jerusalem next month and the Tall Firs in December!!!

you remeber when we talked to Pete after MBV gig and you told him come to play to Israel? here you go...hahaha....yahooo!

Yeah maybe it convinced him?!

defo. so you're going? on both?

Yep. Oren Ambarchi is opening for the Markers!

Are you going to see ZU?

swear, I just found out a few minutes ago. how come you know what's going on here?! 22nd I'm off to Brussels to see SY, so uhmmm, I don't know. yeah, I might go. are they playing 21st. yeah? hahaha, you see I have to check it with you.

You have to go. they are AMAZING live.

uppps. they play on 29th. this month! cool.

are they? you convinced me then.

http://www.thefader.com/2009/09/24/p...ay-before-mp3/

Premiere: Hush Arbors, “Day Before” MP3

Sunburned Hand of the Man - A (Ecstatic Peace)


Sunburned Hand of the Man "A" Special Edition LP
Release date: TBD 2009 TRACK LISTING
1. The Return Of A & C
2. Now Lift The Outer Finger (For Newcastle)
3. Loft At Sea
4. A Red Rag To A Bull
5. Apollo Wind
6. The Books Of Ability
7. Anger Icon
8. A Sticky Wicket
9. Action Figure
10. Radish Vs. Beet
11. Alpha, Beta, Adam Produced by Fourtet


A is Sunburned's second album with producer Kieran Hebden, a.k.a. Fourtet. Directed by Kieran like actors in a film, Sunburned is taken off the bandana smokestage of their previous collaboration – Fire Escape – and put onto a sweat-soaked 4am lysergic dance floor. Kieran uses the band like his live instrument laptop and sampler. The results are truly stunning which makes this record into one of the best moments of each artists respective musical careers.
With artwork by California visionary and band favorite Raymond Pettibon – A – has looks that kill along with the sounds that thrill. The LP comes with a downbload card and double sided poster.

i look forward to this!

http://www.theaquarian.com/2009/11/2...n-break-it-up/

Shooting From The Hip: Jemina Pearl Hooks Up With Fellow Pet On Break It Up

—by John Fortunato, November 27, 2009


Rocking all over America since age seventeen, contentious bad-ass punk diva, Jemina Pearl, hit the ground running in the now-defunct Be Your Own Pet before hijacking their drummer to co-compose a few tunes as lead guitarist in a solo venture she only hoped would satisfy loyal minions. The oldest daughter of churchgoing Jesus-worshipping hippies whose father played in a local rock and roll band, Pearl’s cutesy snot-nosed tomboy image and volatile onstage disposition proceed her.
Drawing listeners in with prudently smoothed-up pop gloss while saving her best stripped-down punk gunk for closure, Pearl’s wide spectrum of songs show off a versatility only hinted at in her former band. Using glam-rockers Lou Reed, David Bowie and Suzi Quatro as well as ‘60s girl group pioneers, the Shangri-La’s, for inspiration, her impressive debut, Break It Up, gains mainstream viability due to Iggy Pop vocal collaboration, “I Hate People,” a combative snip circumventing novelty status thanks to Pearl’s vicious misanthropic sneer.
Piss and vinegar run through Pearl’s coarse veins on pissy fuck-offs such as “Undesirable” and loose-y goosey glam slam, “Selfish Heart.” Similarly, ‘black tears’ stain her pale face on the guitar-rumbled “No Good.” On the more sensitive side, innocent love trinket “Heartbeats,” melodic pop charmer “Band On The Run,” and leathery black-hearted Pat Benatar-enticed decree “Looking For Trouble” manage to ‘cut a little deeper.’ Meanwhile, “Ecstatic Appeal” could easily pass for a coquettish Go-Go’s new wave knockoff.
But it’d be unfair not to mention co-composing multi-instrumentalist John Eatherly, whose resourceful musical designs bolster Pearl’s venomous words of wisdom. As Be Your Own Pet’s mightily frenzied stick-handler, Eatherly provided raucous bottom end to Pearl’s rascally rampaging raunch. For Break it Up, he brought in fully formed song ideas perfectly suited for possible paramour, Pearl. Look at it this way. She’s sly seductress Mae West on a bender and he’s the guy willing to serve toxic potions to his bold gal pal. So come out and see ‘em some time.
It seems as if you put the most conventional tracks up-front for greater accessibility while the greasy punk-snarled fury Be Your Own Pet dwelled in reinforce the albums’ backend.
Jemina: We just tried to figure out a good flow.
John: That way the kids will keep on listening. It may be more accessible. We were listening to a lot of ‘60s pop, getting into Classic ‘60s pop formulas for structure and hooks. That, in itself, was somewhat mainstream.
Jemina: We’re really happy with it. We’re not necessarily gunning for a bigger audience.
Fervent confessional opener, ‘Heartbeats,’ relies on ‘60s-styled drum rolls and conventional love song etiquette.
Jemina: I feel that’s more ‘70s-oriented. I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for awhile and she hadn’t seen me play since Be Your Own Pet and saw us play and said, ‘Dude, it’s really awesome. You finally got to do all the stuff you love that you couldn’t do with them. It totally sounds like glammy ‘70s rock.’ That’s what it sounds like to me more than ‘60s pop. Maybe it’s a combination of ‘60s pop structure and orchestration with glittery David Bowie/ Suzie Quatro affectations.
Your latest songs seem more heartfelt, sensitive, and mature. Are you more in touch with your inner feelings?
Jemina: Last year was really gnarly. The best way to deal with fucked up shit is to write about it so the lyrics dealt with messy situations I was in. Maybe it’s more heartfelt. But I wouldn’t say it’s prissy shit.
You got label colleague Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth’s guitarist, to lay down some licks for ‘Band On The Run.’
Jemina: Thurston played noisy backup guitar. He broke a string on that song and I said ‘Go get yourself another string.’ He said, ‘Why? I’ve got five more.’ He played the guitar up and down without the broken string. There’s not a lot of Thurston soloing. It’s like his version of a solo.
John: He’s wandering around surfing the guitar.
How does John Agnello’s production on this solo project differ from what Steve Mc Donald (of Redd Kross) did for the Pet records?
Jemina: Steve jump-started me to work on this record. After Be Your Own Pet broke up, he told me not to sit on my ass and to start writing. We grew up with Steve, but working with John was nice. We started at square one. He let us do what we wanted to do but tried to rein us in whenever it got too… He tried to keep us in check.
There’s a sassy contentiousness that seems to follow you wherever you go. You project black-hearted drama onstage.
Jemina: I don’t know if I love controversy. I’m trying to be true to myself. I stick to my guns and don’t let people fuck me over. Like the time at Mercury Lounge (fronting Be Your Own Pet), that guy was heckling me, being mean, and came up onstage and I said, ‘What’ve you got to say to me now?’ He’s like, ‘I love you.’ He leaned in to kiss me and I said, ‘No!’ I slapped him across the face and then he proceeded to grab me. Immediately, the boys used their instruments as weapons. The club didn’t throw him out though. I have a tough girl image from growing up in a rough neighborhood. It’s not the same now. But drive-by shootings, transvestite hookers, and crackheads burning down houses were my favorite hits. But I’d rather not paint a sob story.
Does ‘Nashville Shores’ touch upon your old neighborhood?

Jemina: No. It’s closer to the airport in South Nashville with an amusement park and water park on a sandy lake. It’s really white trashy. Our bassist used to work at Nashville Shores as an alligator mascot one summer. It’s a joke to write a song about accepting the fact of where you grew up. You grow up hating where you live and just want to get out of there. Once I actually left, I thought Nashville wasn’t so bad.
Why’d you move to Brooklyn like a large percentage of well-known underground musicians recently have?
Jemina: I always loved New York.
John: We already had a bunch of friends here. It’s amazing. It made the most sense. There’s always something going on and I like that I don’t have to park. Everyone I work for is up here.
‘So Sick’ is a virulent snipe I thought may’ve been a delectable Pet leftover.
Jemina: We were listening to the Plasmatics one night and thought it’d be fun to write a song like that. Also, I fucking hate having to have a computer to check e-mails. Now, everyone wants me to do a blog and twitter. Everything sucks! YouTube stars and modern life is gross and nasty. When we play shows, everybody’s so busy taking pictures with digital cameras instead of actually having fun enjoying the show. There’s so many great pix of ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s artists. But now it’s a clusterfuck of immature people who buy cameras and think they’re a photographer. That’s my mini-tirade. It’s great that MySpace made music so accessible. But there’s also such a downside. It clutters up the atmosphere – not to sound elitist and snobby. It takes away the mystery.
‘Selfish Heart’ is a two-minute punk slammer that seems totally impromptu.
Jemina: It was pretty much written in two seconds. John had a guitar part reminiscent of Devo and I started to come up with a melody quickly about a dude I was dating. Those songs are usually my best.
Did you get to meet Iggy Pop after he added vocals to ‘I Hate People’ in a separate Miami studio?

Jemina: I met him in 2006 at an All Tomorrows Party festival Thurston curated. He was really friendly and said he saw me in Spin. He knew about Be Your Own Pet – which totally blew my mind that my hero knew me. I was more than a blip on the radar. He was my dream guy to work with. Then Thurston and Kim sent him the song and he sang on it. We didn’t sing together, which was bittersweet, because I didn’t get to sing in front of my idol on the same room.
In general, how do the arrangements differ from Be Your Own Pet?
Jemina: We have more freedom. There was a strict sense of formula. Sometimes when one person stepped outside the line in Be Your Own Pet, someone would be ‘What was that?’ We wanted a wider variety. Now, there’s only two heads.
John: I wrote a lot on tour with them, accumulating a bank of songs. Musically, I had all these new ideas figured out and Jemina wanted to use them

New York goddamn you to hell....

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2010, 6-8PM

OPENING RECEPTION FOR OUR NEW EXHIBITIONS

GALLERY: "ECSTATIC PEACE POETRY JOURNAL #10" - EDITED BY THURSTON MOORE WITH BYRON COLEY AND EVA PRINZ
WHITE ROOM: "HITCH-HIKERS" - DOUG BIGGERT (CURATED BY BOB NICKAS)
WHITE ROOM: MICHELE ABELES / DARREN BADER / MARGARET LEE
PROJECT: GRACE SCHWINDT
THE BULLETIN BOARD: "SCENES FROM THE NEW YORK ART WORLD c. 1979" - PHOTOGRAPHS BY JERALD ORDOVER


GALLERY HOURS: TUESDAY - SATURDAY, NOON - 6PM

WHITE COLUMNS
320 WEST 13TH STREET
(ENTER ON HORATIO STREET)
NEW YORK, NY 10014
WWW.WHITECOLUMNS.ORG

This (for me) is possibly THE coolest event EVER that I didn't have a hope in hell of attending. It also coincided with (possibly) THE most important day in my life for very different reasons... damn.

Stills from a video shot by Chris Habib. Music by Thurton Moore, Kim Gordon, Jutta Koether. Recored during White columns gallery's Ecstatic Peace Poetry Journal #11. N.Y.C. Friday January 15th 2010, 6-8PM.

http://sonicyouth.edgeboss.net/downl...ires/epout.mov

Cross-post but it fits...

Come on out and see us Europe...

LITTLE CLAW
MARCH/APRIL 2010

MARCH
19 - Lisbon, LOUNGE BAR
20 - Bragança, DEDOS BIÓNICOS
21 - Bilbao, MEM
22 - Nantes, BPM
23 - Paris, ESPACE B
24 - Kortrijk, PITS
25 - Liege, CARLOS LEVY
26 - Amsterdam, OCCII
27 - Gent
28 - Netherlands
29 - Bremen, FRIESE
30 - Hannover, STURMGLOCKE
31 - Hamburg, ROTE FLORA

APRIL
01 - Copenhagen, LADES KAELDER
02 - Gothenburg, KOLONI
03 - Stockholm, DEBASER
04 - Mälmo
05- Berlin, WEST GERMANY
06- Munich, ROTE SONNE
07- Lyon, S'ETANT CHAUSSE
08- Barcelona, CONVENT SANTI
09- Madrid, EL PERRO CLUB
10- Barreiro
11- Porto