Executive Slacks

Yes, that guy on the far left is playing a water jug, which can only mean one thing: the Archives Listening Project is meeting again Wednesday night, and this month features Texan psych-rock pioneers the 13th Floor Elevators and their landmark debut, The Psychedelic Sounds Of....

9pm at 12" Bar (179 Essex St - just south of Houston).

Jessica brought this video clip to my attention. Those guys should try to collaborate with Tree Wave.

In with the old and out with the new, or something like that. There's been much hullabaloo lately about the slow death of New York's venues. Manhattan clubs shutting down their doors for good, moving to the cheaper rents of Brooklyn, or just heading west for a permanent residency in Vegas. In case you haven't heard, the Luna Lounge, Tonic, and CBGB's are three venues which probably won't be around by the time 2006 gets here. There's really nothing else to add to which has been said, except that you may as well take advantage of them while they're still around.

But music moves in cycles. As three clubs are threatened with extinction, a new one rises on Ave C. The Stone is a non-profit venue to promote experimental and avant garde music. Here's what makes it different than other venues: 1) 100% of ticket sales go directly to the performers and, 2) the venue doesn't book acts. Rather, each month has a special guest curator who invites artists to perform.
I haven't been there yet, but tomorrow night's Imaginary Folk set looks interesting.

Dig!, the Brian Jonestown Massacre / Dandy Warhols documentary I previously mentioned here, is coming out on dvd. There's going to be a release party tomorrow (Monday) night at the Bowery Poetry Club with a screening and free beer, starting at 7pm. Sadly, I'm unable to go but if you're interested, send along an email to nypromo@theonion.com with DIG RSVP in the subject line.

Links, once again: www.digthemovie.com, www.brianjonestownmassacre.com, www.dandywarhols.com

ENON Lost Marbles and Exploded Evidence (Touch and Go)
I mentioned a few posts ago that I kind of recently picked up this album, which is really a collection of b-sides and other oddities. It's pretty good and rather than write about it, I'll just direct you to this Pitchfork review since I pretty much agree with everything they said. I guess it's almost cliche to say it, but for a compilation of more or less throwaways, many bands would be lucky to release a full length this good.

Even better, it comes with a dvd of videos, live shows, and other recordings. I finally got to watch it tonight and especially love the video for "Murder Sounds." There's five characters in the video, all being played by the three band members, and the best part is when Matt is driving and all of a sudden you see him on the sidewalk, yelling at the van. Another observation: they give Toko a lot of camera time and she really gets all rock star. All the times I've seen them live, she always seemed so shy and reserved on stage.

I've really done them no justice with this post. Anyway, for more info:
Enon TV, Touch and Go Records, All Music, or Epitonic

Also, follow the link to listen to "The Nightmare Of Atomic Men" which was originally released as the June 2001 SubPop single of the month.

JANDEK
I've been meaning to write about him for a while but I figured I'd wait until I actually heard an album first. I still haven't but there's recently been some major developments in the Jandek story.
For those of you who may not know who he is, Jandek is simply known as music's great enigma. In short, he's released (so far) 40 albums since 1978 on his own Corwood Industries label. I'll leave the musical descriptions to those who've actually heard him (check the links below) but is generally filed under "outsider." The album covers are all very minimal, just a photo and song titles. The only way to contact him is through Corwood Industries -- whose only contact info is just a PO box in Houston -- but any correspondence sent there only generates a plain typed catalog of Jandek music for sale. Nobody knew anything about him. It was assumed the guy who appeared on the covers was him, but no one knew for sure. Although others played with him on his albums from time to time, they remained just as hidden. His real name was eventually uncovered to be Sterling R. Smith, but not the same Sterling R. Smith in the Houston phone book. He's known to have granted only two interviews ever. And he's never played live... until now.

Jandek made his first known live performance ever this past October at the Instal 04 festival in Glasgow. He wasn't on the bill and when he came on stage he was cryptically introduced as only a "mystery guest" and "representative from Corwood Industries." He didn't speak with any press at the festival, nor did he stay in the same hotel as other performers or attend any of the associated parties. As far as anyone knows, he only watched one other act (the Six Organs of Admittance) and disappeared. And in case it needs to be said, he didn't speak to the crowd in between songs.
Well, he's coming back. Pitchfork reported on Friday (and this is not an April Fool's joke) that Jandek is actually on the bill for the Music Lovers’ Field Companion festival in England this May. He's headlining the final night.

For more info:
There's obviously no official site, but this Guide to Jandek is very comprehensive. There's also this article by WFMU's Irwin Chusid.
I also found this mp3 on the festival website. Fittingly, I'm don't know what it's called but I will say it sounds both like what I thought he would sound like as well as kind of different than what I imagined.