If you live in the western portion of the United States of America, then Pillars and Tongues will probably be performing within earshot of your home this month. Scan the dates below and mark your calendar. This is the first Pillars and Tongues tour in the US since the release of Lay of Pilgrim Park, and it comes not a moment too soon. Rumor has it, they have already finished recording the next album.
Pillars and Tongues are a beautiful experience live. They have performed over 250 concerts in the past three years throughout the U.S., Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Each performance weaves composition and improvisation into unique golden braid. Be there… see it… and understand why they have been invited to tour with Bonnie “Prince” Billy and at other times perform with artists such as Nick Cave + Dirty Three, Bill Callahan, Sir Richard Bishop, Daniel Higgs, Chirgilchin, and many more…
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Wednesday, September 1 – 7:00 PM
North Manchester, IN – The Firehouse – with TBA – FREE
Friday, September 3 – 9:00 PM
Bloomington, IN – The Bishop – with Elephant Micah – FREE
Saturday, September 4 – 8:30 PM
Nashville, IN – The Pine Room
Sunday, September 5 – 8:00 PM
Louisville, KY – Skull Alley – with Elephant Micah + tba
Saturday August 28th 2010, 3:46 pm
Filed under: Vinyl Releases
Milton Melvin Croissant III is a labelmate of Joseph Childress’ over at Ash From Sweat. He makes some heavy psychedelic folk tunes. Music for the painted Colorado deserts… subtle tribal grooves and echoing electric guitars beneath a distant powerful voice. We are lucky enough to be asked to sell his Vinyl debut for at the Endless Nest Store
On the Record:
After a handful of self-released CDR and tapes, Ash From Sweat is pleased to release the vinyl debut of Denver’s mastermind songwriter, Milton Melvin Croissant III. His band may have split for Portland, but Buddy soldiered on with an array of loops, beats and other oddities to keep the full band sound. The results are this fantastic seven-inch single that combines the best of Milton’s songwriting with his experimental side, while drawing energy and imagery from wanderlust for Colorado’s high plains. As with all Ash From Sweat releases, the importance of art is not overlooked. Cover and insert drawings by MMCIII, and screen-printed by any number of AFS volunteers. 300 copies exist on black vinyl.
Check it!
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MMCIII is on the level… check out this parody of Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” that tickled the ribs of A.V. Club at The Onion.
Sword and Sandals emerged through the vision of founders John Dwyer and Randy Lee Sutherland. Within the intense interplay of Dwyer’s blurred wrists and strobe-like fills caressing the cry of Sutherland’s horn, the possessed pair incorporated second horn Shaun O’Dell and initiated a trail composed of both conjured soundscapes of euphoric beauty and signifying shrieks of postmodern existence (thus far). As an improvisational trio—with guests sitting in occasionally—Sword and Sandals provide an existential outlet for those seeking connections beyond peripherally materialist arrangements and toward closer, more cerebral intimacies. Their sound envisions the metaphor of their Ben Hur-esque name: while wearing sandals into combat enables a graceful interplay with one’s adversaries, the sword (let alone the opponents) remains razor sharp, reminding the participant of the thin line between achieving transcendence and triumph and the brutal reality of second guessed timing, and unfocused adherence or intent as one waltzes through moments and situations—improvising for survival and renewal. Trust forms the blue print for Sword and Sandals, sealing their execution, empathy, and a progressive existence within the interplay of their music. As economist Jacque Attali once noted, music is, “by its very presence, a mode of communication between man and his environment, a mode of social expression, and duration itself. It is therapeutic, purifying, enveloping, liberation; it is rooted in a comprehensive conception of knowledge about the body, in a pursuit of exorcism through noise and dance.”
Empty Cellar’s upcoming release for Sword + Sandals stemmed from one all-day 16-microphone recording session, with Anthony Petrovic sitting in on synth, captured on 1-inch tape.
Described by the promoters as an all-day vinyl fair with a listening party, live music, surprise Rock’n'Roll movie, food and drink, and holiday weekend fun. It should indeed be… fun.
Henry Miller Library, Big Sur, CA
July 3, 2010, 11 am – 11 pm
$3 donation at door
In a press release, Magnus Toren, the Library’s Executive Director explained his longstanding love of vinyl as motivation for the event:
“When I was 14 years old in 1968 vinyl was the only way to buy music. I learned the English language through reading liner notes and translating lyrics because I was very interested in music. It’s nostalgia on one level and it also makes me think it’s too bad that young people now don’t get to have that.”
Babaloo, a Cuban food truck from Carmel Valley, will be providing eats, alongside many DJs and musical performances by Mystery Lights (Salinas) and SF’s Seventeen Evergreen.
Confirmed vendors at the fair include (in alphabetical order):
* Amoeba Records (SF/LA)
* B Music/Finders Keepers (LA)
* Burger Records (Fullerton, CA)
* Drag City (Chicago, IL)
* FutureRecordings (San Diego, CA)
* Vinyl Revolution (Monterey, CA)
* Vinyl Isle (Morro Bay, CA)
* Origami Vinyl (Los Angeles)
* Kemado/Mexican Summer (Brooklyn)
* Metamusic (Santa Cruz)
* Secret Seven (San Francisco)
* Empty Cellar (San Francisco)
* Plus many independent vendors too!
It will certainly be a rad time. If you are still need convincing, then check out this stirring promo vid:
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Tim Cohen’s second solo outing is now available from Captured Tracks! It features a slightly tighter and more fleshed-out rock and roll vibe than The Two Sides of Tim Cohen… and is BALLIN’!!! Tim’s dad is the guest vocalist on the poignant closing track, “Small Things Matter” (listen above). Pick up a copy directly from Captured Tracks.
We at Endless Nest love Signal To Noise, so naturally we are stoked to see Pillars and Tongues – Lay of Pilgrim Park reviewed in the lastest issue (Issue #58 | Summer 2010). Swing by your local independent record shop or book store to pick up a copy and support one of the few great music quarterlies still in print.
Secret Seven Records is proud to release the first ever reissue of the lost psych-folk LP ‘Goodby Sunball’ by cult favorite, Michael Yonkers. Privately released in 1974, ‘Goodby Sunball’ was recorded at Yonkers’ home studio a few years after ‘Microminiature Love’ and just before ‘Lovely Gold’. Remastered from the original LP by Ben Tuttle. Limited to 500 copies.
This record is amazing. Full of simple beauty and quiet heartbreak. So good in fact, that Grace Sings Sludge (Grace Cooper of The Sandwitches) felt compelled to record a cover of the album track “Oh Can You Tell Me” (listen to the Yonkers original HERE).
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“The music for ‘Goodby Sunball’ was written during the recovery period following serious spine surgery. The surgery had not gone well, i was laid up for months, and had to learn to walk again. So, the music was written using an acoustic guitar, while laying in bed. When i was able to be up and around more, i started recording the songs…a little at a time.It took about 7 months. i recorded the tracks in the little studio i had in my place. It was all recorded on two-channel, tube type machines (back and forth between machines). The vocals were done in the bathroom, to give an expanded sound.” - Michael Yonkers
Side One: Goodby Sunball / Tell Me Of Love / The Day Of Jubilee / Angel Of The Snow / The Swamp Of Love / Anne Is My Lassie / Another Day / Morning Of Love / Someone Like You
Side Two: Early Wakin’ Morning / Strange And Lonely Land / Oh Can You Tell Me / Time Honored Love / Goodby Sunball
It will be available in stores on July 7th, but you can pick it up early from Secret Seven or the Endless Nest Store. All orders will ship shortly before the release date.
Empty Cellar and Secret Seven Records are excited to announce The Sandwitches new One-Sided 12″ EP – Duck, Duck, Goose!
On their latest Vinyl release, Heidi and Grace from San Francisco’s The Sandwitches perform four heartbreaking acoustic lullabies interwoven with the spookiest sessions of Duck, Duck, Goose! ever caught on tape. Recorded and Produced by Wymond Miles (The Fresh & Onlys) and The Sandwitches, Duck, Duck, Goose! features haunting renditions of Tim Cohen’s “Rock of Gibraltar” (a bonus track from the Two Sides of Tim Cohen), and of the Oscar-nominated ballad “Baby Mine”, from what some say is the most heartbreaking moment in Disney cartoon history. Stamped on one-sided 12″ vinyl, the initial pressing of this EP is limited to 500 copies brought to you by Empty Cellar and Secret Seven Records.
The record will be released on July 13th and is currently available for presale at the Empty Cellar and Secret Seven Records stores.
Check out this devastating video of The Sandwitches’ rendition of “Baby Mine” for a sneak preview:
UK Journalist Cian Traynor has been hot on the trail of Joseph Childress for some time now. This month’s issue of The Stool Pigeon – a great UK music publication – features a story on Joseph and his mysterious ways by Cian. Check it out in Issue 26, Page 13… but read the whole magazine, because it has some rad content.
Hot of the press we have a test press for The Sandwitches‘ new children’s-themed 1-sided 12″ E.P., Duck Duck Goose!, recorded by Wymond Miles of The Fresh & Onlys. It sounds great and Empty Cellar is stoked to be releasing it very soon with Secret Seven Records. Check back for some presale action.
If you missed the Gorilla vs. Bear premiere of The Sandwitches’ debut music video “Kiss Your Feet” directed by Joey Izzo… here it is in glorious HD:
