New music from X as they announce their final album and tour! You can pre-order Smoke & Fiction from X's Bandcamp HERE.
Watch:
GORGAZMA - remember this name because this is a new Horror Production company whose debut short film, Pizza Panic Party, absolutely blew me away.
I love everything about this film, from the lighting, the music (score by Joseph Fucking Bishara!) and of course, the gore and FX. Holy smokes. I'm over the moon at the prospect of getting more from these folks. Talk about coming out of the gates swinging.
NCBD:
Heading out to Rick's Comic City after work today for this week's NCBD. Here's what I'll have waiting for me in my Pull:
"VOID RIVALS finally puts the "energon" in their corner of the Energon Universe!"
I had not even considered that, while all the other books have been about Energon discovery and acquisition, we haven't had any of it to speak of in Void Rivals. That's interesting, and I think the highly sought-after element is going to make quite a splash within the factions of the Sacred Ring.
Playlist:
Pepper Adams - Encounter!
Coleman Hawkins - Wrapped Tight
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of Us Is the Killer
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis
Trailer Punk Podcast - My Chemical Romance
Tubby Hayes Quintet - Down in the Village (Live at Ronnie Scott's Club, London 1962)
Heeeellllloooo Broookllyn!!!
Sunday morning I flew into LaGuardia airport and met up with my good friend Dave, who flew in from Chicago. We hired a car into Brooklyn, checked into the Brooklyn Hotel for two nights, and headed out to the Paramount Theatre to see the final of three shows that The Dillinger Escape Plan played here to celebrate the 25th anniversary of 1999's Calculating Infinity. This was the seventh time I've seen the band live since 1999, and the second time with original lead singer Dimitri Minakakis. Almost as big a draw for me was a reunited Deadguy, a band I found in 1995 as a writer for then-Chicago music magazine Subculture (how I miss you!). I had somehow gotten to be the magazine's dedicated reviewer for everything then new label Victory Records released. The problem was that I didn't really like most of what Victory put out. Deadguy was one of the few exceptions to that rule because, holy shit, did I LOVE Fixation on a Coworker from the moment I hit play.
Before the show we grabbed a bite and a few drinks at a local Brewery/Restaurant called Sound + Fury. Great stuff. I started with a Kölsch I didn't love - I think the barrel was low or the lines were off - but found much better results when I switched it up to their Quality Control Pilsner. I ended up drinking way more Pilsners on this trip than I normally do, but it was hot and I was bloated from general travel unease, so a thinner beer seemed the better option. Also, I'm on a total ban of IPAs at the moment, as they've just completely worn out their welcome for me.
The entire bar at Sound + Fury was populated by folks in Mr. Bungle, Ween and Melvins shirts. we struck up a little conversation and briefly met a couple from Chicago who, like us, had jumped on this show the second it was announced, fearing it would be a one-and-done. Doors were set to open at 5:00 PM I think, and by 6:00 PM, pretty much everyone there for the show had cleared out. We stayed behind; I hate to be that guy who only watches the bands I came to see, but also, I'm fucking 48 and I'd been awake since 6:00 AM - standing on a hard floor for four bands' set times felt... intimidating. Eventually, around 6:30 PM we headed over.
There were supposed to be two opening bands, the names of which I will withhold because I don't like to talk shit. But man, I did not like either. I also didn't like the third opener they added. There's something about metal that makes people think they can just base their band around decibels and blast beats, throw up the horns after every song, and the crowd will accept them.
Not this guy. Nope.
A couple hours into the show, the night was not going great. I was happy to be there with my friend, don't get me wrong, but I was getting drunk and I was getting tired. Then Deadguy took the stage. They played fantastic for a band that hasn't been a band in 30 years, however, the sound for them was the worst of the night. I mean, it was "Fire your sound guy now" bad. I was a little crushed.
When Dillinger took the stage the sound continued to be an issue. This was unbelievable; I mean, we're watching Bill Rymer hit his snare and not hearing it. Could hear the fucking kick drum loud and clear, though. Again, I don't like to talk shit, but there is a penchant in the live sound community - especially at metal shows - for sound techs to focus on the drum kit and forget everything else, or at least dial it in slowly. That's pretty much what happened, as the sound did get there eventually, but it took about four songs into Dillinger's set. Fine, whatever. By this point, Dimitri had worked his way to the back of the house and was delivering the refrain from Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" from atop the soundboard. I actually found myself wondering if the sound guy thought Dimitri had come back to kick his ass, and that's why the sound suddenly improved.
The show was fantastic, and by the end completely blotted out the travesty from earlier in the evening. Dave and I hung around outside the Paramount for a bit and ran into that Chicago couple again. Rob and Jax. Great folks and it blew my mind to find Rob was also a graduate of Columbia College Chicago's Sound Program. What's more, he's actually using his education - he's the head sound guy at Chicago's United Center! We walked over to a dive someone online had recommended to Dave, The Brooklyn Inn and I instantly fell in love; a long space instead of wide, only a few quiet souls on hand, low lighting and jazz on the speakers. This was the second highlight of the evening. Rob and I talked about Columbia for quite some time, and I was thrilled to find he had studied live sound with one of my favorite teachers there, Jack Alexander. Jack was nuts, one of the most no-bullshit guys I met at the school, and I was bummed to find both he and another favorite, Jim Nudd, had passed away. Rob regaled me by explaining how the year Jack died, the sound crew at Lolapalooza - which he was on - peppered images of their mentor on the giant digital screen during the festival. I raised several glasses to that.
We ended up closing the place, I think. We scored some extremely salty Pastrami sandwiches at a little all-night bodega on the corner, then went back to the hotel and passed out.
On Monday, after a slow-moving morning, I heard Jazz or Hip-Hop everywhere we went in Brooklyn. Without any real destination, we had breakfast at a neighborhood place called Pearl's, then just walked around Brooklyn for a couple of hours. I always feel that's how I get to know a city—by walking. Later, we had dinner at a place called The Canary, then walked across the street to watch a jazz quartet at Drink Lounge. These guys were fantastic: Kit, Upright, Guitar and Alto Sax. Once they wrapped, we hiked a couple blocks down to a Jazz Vinyl Bar we'd passed by on the way to dinner - Kissa Kissa. The wall of vinyl in this place has to be seen to be believed:
We ended up closing this place, too, as the bartender Meno was a damn cool guy and our meandering conversations with him touched on everything from the state of the world to wine to music to Tennessee. The evening just melted away. A half-dozen pints of Night Shift Brewing's Nite Lite helped on this end, as well as the bottle of 2018 Loli Casado Jaun de Alzate Crianza Rioja Dave bought that I nipped at here and there. Wine is largely lost on me, and I'm fairly certain I have a tannin allergy, but it just felt right.
After closing out Kissa Kissa, Dave and I walked back to the hotel, and I realized I was kind of in love with Brooklyn Walking reveals so much of a place; I've been to NY two other times and have never been in a hurry to return. After this trip, Dave and I are already talking about when we can come back, maybe bring our girlfriends for two days and just haunt this wonderful borough.
Playlist:
Robot God - Portal Within
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
Man Man - Carrot on Strings
Grimes - Art Angels
Pink Milk - Ultraviolet
Pink Milk - Night on Earth
The Cramps - Flamejob
Deadguy - Fixation on a Coworker
Pepper Adams - Encounter!
Joe Newman with Frank Foster - Good 'n' Groovy
Coleman Hawkins - Wrapped Tight
Friday, June 21, 2024
Zeal and Ardor - Fend You Off
More new music from Zeal and Ardor's upcoming new record Greif, out August 23rd. You can pre-order HERE.
Watch:
Joe Bob and Darcy did Joe Lynch's Suitable Flesh yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. I had some issues with the flick the first time I watched it, but still gave it a favorable review. This time, I think I understood exactly where Joe Lynch was coming from on this one, and it helped. Kind of an adopt-and-subvert approach to a Skinamax flick, flipping it on its head and injecting it with some real Stuart Gordon-esque Gore/Body Horror.
Afterward, I was stuck in the usual post-Joe Bob funk. I want to watch something, I want to travel back in time and get transgressive, or even just obscure, but I usually just don't know how. I searched around for a while on Shudder, then ended up on YouTube somehow, where I found this:
A total Halloween wanna-be, right down to the music, but it did the trick. I sorted through comics, drank beer and wallowed in the 80s Slasher genre like Jade Daniels would. To invoke the proper mood, I even spun Wild Dogs by The Rods before I started the flick. Needless to say, it was a good Friday night.
Read:
I've kind of fallen out of posting Drinking with Comics here, so I should correct that. The new DwC: Drunk on Energon went up yesterday. Mike and I talk about the three latest entries in Robert Kirkman and Skybound's Energon Universe: Scarlett issue 1, Transformers issue 9 and Destro issue 1!
Destro is the treasure here. In one issue, this book is already giving the recently completed Cobra Commander series a run for its money as my favorite of the Energon books.
Playlist:
Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel
Tim Hecker - Infinity Pool OST
The Ravenonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Zombi - Direct Inject
Perturbatotr - Dangerous Days
The Rods - Wild Dogs
New Music From The Mysterines!
Another fantastic new track from The Mysterines' upcoming Afraid of Tomorrows album, out this Friday, June 21st. You can pre-order the album HERE.
Watch:
On Tuesday night, K and I went to see the one-night-only re-release of Ti West's X at our local Regal. This screening was followed by a "sneak peek" of West's upcoming third film in the trilogy, Maxxxine.
The "sneak peek" was basically the opening scene of the film. The real talking point here is seeing X again on the big screen. This is my third or fourth time doing so, but first since watching Pearl. Talk about a prequel shedding some serious light on the original film!
K said it best when she wished for an article that might point to whether these were all written together. My understanding (based on what I remember from an interview West did on the Colours of the Dark Podcast HERE) is that upon arriving in New Zealand to film X, the cast and crew had to quarantine for three or four weeks, and during that time, West and Goth conceived and wrote Pearl. My guess is from there, they had ideas to continue Maxine's story and A24 greenlit it the moment they realized what a good thing they had going.
As I intimated above, watching X again for the first time since seeing the prequel, I have to say that Pearl's character resonates in a completely different and affecting way than when just experienced in the first film. There was already an element of that, thanks to the moments West steals in X to show the character's fragile longing (the "Landslide" scene). Now, however, Pearl becomes at once more frightening and more sympathetic—not an easy task for a filmmaker to achieve.
I've been a fan of Ti West since I first saw 2005's The Roost, thanks to my good friend Dennis' knowledge and knack for curation at the time. From the first mention of House of the Devil until the film's release, I waited for what felt like years, and I've watched the man grow as a filmmaker, always hoping for success on the level he has now experienced. There's a bit of a cultural fever pitch surrounding Maxxxine's release - one that seems to transcend Horror circles - and I can't wait to sit down and watch the end of the character's story play out surrounded by what I now assume will be a bit more people than I'm used to seeing at Horror screenings in Clarksville.
Hell yeah.
This is exactly what I need at the moment: a scholarly discourse about the nuances and intangible nature of the Cultural Economy of Los Angeles and how it became the mythic location it is in the world's mind. I'm forced to slow down and really "chew" what I'm reading, which is a good thing. I can feel my brain working in ways fiction just does not utilize.
Read:
I finished FantasticLand several days ago and was pretty much left breathless. This one affected me deeply; I'm seeing shades of the worst humanity has to offer echo in my perception of the world around me, and it's a bit disorienting. Based on that, I decided to switch it up and finally dig into my good friend and Horror Vision cohost John Trafton's latest book, Movie Made Los Angeles.
You can order this one anywhere books are sold. You can also check out John's writing on his website, Johntrafton.com. I recommend starting with one of these two articles right HERE or HERE.
Playlist:
Riz Ortolani Feat. Katyna Ranieri - Oh My Love (single)
Molly Nilsson - Excalibur (single)
Mr. Twin Sister - In Heaven
Julie Christmas - Ridiculous and Full of Blood (single)
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Tim Hecker - Infinity Pool OST
Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies EP
Alice in Chains - What the Hell Have I? (single)
Alice in Chains - A Little Bitter (single)
Megadeth - Angry Again (single)
Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Ozzy Osbourne - Patient Number 9
Pulling out the Thoth Deck for this morning's Pull:
• Prince of Cups
• Ten of Wands: Oppression
• VII: The Chariot
Emotional Intelligence creates the opportunity to emerge from a trying situation Victorious!
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Amigo the Devil - My Body is a Dive Bar (Tour Bus edition)
Still riding near the top of my favorite albums of 2024 list is Amigo the Devil's Yours Until the War is Over, and what's that? This unstoppable force of storytelling goes and drops another new song at a live show last week. Mr. Brown sent that footage to me, and I'd planned to make it today's musical post; however, this 'Tour Bus Edition" popped up in my feed yesterday, and the choice was clear.
To say I have been waiting for Dan Watters' Destro book is an understatement of the highest order. I cannot wait to see where this takes us in the formation of Cobra, and what kind of relationship develops between the silver-visaged Scottish Laird and our dear, sweet Commander.
Head over to Liars Club Records to order the album OR the nifty new "My Body is a Dive Bar" T-shirt. I scooped that one up the moment I saw it.
NCBD :
Oh man, a fantastic-looking pull today. Let's not waste any time:
Watch:
This just made me incredibly happy:
Way jealous of the "Ceiling of Toys." Talk about living in a surreal environment.
Playlist:
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun
Amigo the Devil - Born Against
Amigo the Devil - Yours Until the War is Over
Man Man - Carrot on Stings
Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun
Card:
One card from Missi's Raven Deck for today:
From the Grimoire: "Literally, "What comes next." To me in this moment, this denotes finalizing something I've been flighty on and moving onto the next project.
Monday, June 17, 2024
Memorials - Acceptable Experience
Bad-ass new track from Memorials, a group consisting of Matthew Simms from Wire and Verity Susman. Really cool stuff, and they are recording an album, so there will be more. Head on over to their Bandcamp and give 'em a follow; pretty sure only good things can come of that.
Watch:
The Coffee Table was not what I had anticipated. That said, the thing I like most about this film is that from what I've seen, absolutely no one is saying too much about it online. That's good. Go in blind.
Read:
I've only read one novel by author Paul Tremblay - Head Full of Ghosts - but it's a doozy that left an impact. He's had a couple books released since then, and although my buddy Jonathan Grimm always recommends them, I've held off. Well, I think this is the next one for me:
Playlist:
Suicidal Tendencies - Lights... Camera... Revolution
Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today
Suicidal Tendencies - Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit... Déjá-vu
Television - Marquee Moon
Pink Floyd - Animals
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry
Steve Moore - The Mind's Eye OST
Jim Williams - Possessor OST
Cocksure - K.K.E.P.
Cocksure - T.V.M.A.L.S.V.
Various - Singles OST
• Nine of Wands
• Ten of Wands
Interesting to have a succession of two cards in the same suit. Ace of Swords is an intellectual breakthrough, Nine of Wands is the climax that leads to the Ten of Wands' Closure. What's that? Finally finishing languishing projects? Hallelujah.
Sunday, June 16, 2024
New Music from Cold Cave!
Cold Cave is pretty hit-or-miss with me. I adore 2011's Cherish the Light Years but haven't really clicked as hard with any of the other albums by the band that I've listened to. This new track makes me feel like the still unannounced record on the horizon could go either way. It just feels like the energy barely contained in the nine tracks on Light Years is perpetually contained inside that album. Nothing else I've heard from the band lives up to that. Still, this is a great new song, especially that coda!
Watch:
Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams has landed on, of all places, Netflix. Time to dig in:
I really took a shine to Indonesian Horror back circa 2020 during the Pandemic. Long days spent after short shifts, laying on the couch falling deep down Shudder rabbit holes. The Indonesian one still resounds with an impressive eeriness, and Anwar's Impetigore and Satan's Slaves made an impact. I kind of dug The Forbidden Door when I finally caught it last year, but the ending disappointed me a bit. Still, compelling, and I was curious to see what Anwar would do with a shorter format.
Unfortunately, the first episode, Old House, starts very strong and, by the end, devolves into some pretty awful CGI that just tanked it for me. I still intend on watching more, but I'm pretty bummed by this opening. This is the same deal Netflix gave GDT for Cabinet of Curiosities, seven episodes that are really stand-alone, hour-long movies, so this first one is not necessarily a gage for what's coming. I just expected more.
This one has been hyped quite a bit to me, but always by people whose taste I 100% trust. Which meant when it didn't quite click at first, I was a bit sad. After the opening set-up shifted into the actual interviews of survivors, however, I was hooked. About halfway through in two days, I'm finding it difficult to put this one down, and I really love how the story develops.
Read:
I finished Stephen Graham Jones' The Angel of Indian Lake last week. Man, what a fantastic ending to Jade's story. I will say that there's a sequence in here that felt a little... wrong, but nothing that would prevent me from giving this series a high recommendation. After Indian Lake? I headed straight into FantasticLand:
Playlist:
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Alice in Chains - Eponymous
Alice in Chains - Live
Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity
Mastodon - Once More Round the Sun
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
The Raveonettes - Raven in the Grave
Peeping Tom - Eponymous
Godflesh - Purge
Mars Red Sky - Eponymous
Tina Turner - What's Love Got To Do With It?
The Ravenonettes - Sing
Shellac - To All Trains
• Four of Swords
• XX: Judgement
Emotional struggles that ultimately lead to a new stability, just remember - everything in its right place.
That's an off-the-cuff read with a little help from the Grimoire. I think it's referencing the ongoing mental issues I have concerning K's mother living with us. There's an unbelievably volatile amount of cognitive dissonance that I live with in my brain every day, and there are times when it feels as though it will drive me mad. Maybe things are getting better, though.
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