Skull Valley

Jandek's Return

Jandek, the legendary outsider musician, returned to Pittsburgh earlier this year on a Friday the 13th in January. He was accompanied by Red Bob, who works at Paul's CD's (now Soundcat Records) on drums, Rachelle Lalonde on guitar and vocals, and my friend Jay Dowl, from Mustache Required and Middle Children, on bass. Jandek (or the Representative from Corwood Industries) played guitar and also sang or sort of moaned. Garfield Artworks was packed and covered in shadows; people moved in and out and I wasn't sure which were coming back to which seats. There was a distinctive lack of youthfulness or enthusiasm in the crowd or the performers; every sound/sight/smell was composed of an empty husk of ghosts coiled around a pile of dust.

Jandek and his temporary band played his album The Living End. I have never heard it before, or any other Jandek albums, so I don't know in what entirety it was played or how it compares to the album. I do know that Jandek and co. were awesome. His voice was not as dry as when he played the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in 2010, but much more spooky. His band and he also played songs instead of long winding, but going nowhere passages for three hours. There was significant a significant presence of the blues, but stripped of its machismo, bravado, and tall tale story-telling. Instead the vocals resided in a mire of no-wave sludge/doom that knew no optimism and didn't care; this was perhaps the most nihilistic, but aggressive music, very punk. Jandek himself sung the faster and more jigsawed songs while Rachelle sang the slower, more floaty songs that resembled Mazzy Star or maybe a more straightforward rock/blues band with unnatural instrumentation. Just as when I saw Bob Dylan, the show seemed to end in a whirl, and, even though I was a little late, I still ended up seeing over an hour. I hope that Jandek will return in the future; maybe I will have listened to some of his studio recordings by then.

Zvoov: Rock Variety at Howlers

The first show this year that I went to was on January 5th. My friends Triangle & Rhino and Thin Sketch were both playing. I was really excited to see Thin Sketch again because I hadn't seen them in a year or more.

I missed the first band, Lonely Ghost Parade, who apparently had made a big deal about playing early. Triangle & Rhino was up next, but Jake Lexso's guitar was making some weird sounds; I didn't notice a huge problem, but it did seem off. They fiddled with it for a while before deciding to just play with drums and synths. It was pretty similar to the set they did at Little Italy Days, but with less guitars and less weird guys. Jake picked up his guitar about halfway through and played some messy stuff that sounded like hurricane force winds.

The touring guys from Brooklyn, Zvoov, played after Triangle & Rhino. They were really technical with lots of tapping and jazzy parts. Everything was super composed and they never got really crazy with the db's. Most of their songs involved the guitarist playing tightly coiled solos over top the concise rhythm. Just check it out here. Buy some of their albums and stuff too cause they were nice guys.

Thin Sketch was the last band, but they kind of blew it. Davon Magwood's vocals seemed off on their better songs like "Heartbreaker" and his outfit didn't portray the cool playboy look that he seems to embody. Greg Cislon and Jordan Weeks were both fine though, with the bass maybe a little too controlled/quiet. I don't think that their set was really even bad, it just seemed less exciting than most of the previous Thin Sketch sets that I had seen, presumably due to the same setlist from before. Hopefully they'll get some new, and hopefully noisy, songs and do it right again.

Dynamo Sound Collective , FE Gallery , Monthly , Review , the Shop

Tiny December

December was a not as super busy as other months: I only saw two shows other than the ones already mentioned.

On December 5th Dire Wolves played their "last show." I missed a lot of it, but I saw Stefano Pilia play a Noveller-esque set first which was really cool. He used a bow and did lots of guitar drones. Next Dire Wolves played a folk singalong set which was weird, possibly caused by unpreparedness (though this doesn't seem right either). My friend Daphne played trumpet with them. It was interesting, though unlike the sludge/noise/doom band I saw at Belvedere's opening for Lightning Bolt the year before; anyway, I think everybody had fun.

The other show was on December 7th at Fe Gallery, a new space that I think had only had one other show. First D.S. Miller played a drone guitar set with computer loops. He was alright, but went a little too long. Next Ryley Walker played an amazing Dylan-ish folk set. He was very, very quiet, his set is possibly the quietest recording I've made of a live show, but he was awesome. I loved his songs. White Reeves did some cool percussive space sounds. It was a great set that was almost too long, but turned out fine. Last was Quick Sails who did some similar stuff, sounding like an orbiting tribal kitchen. The close quarters of Fe Gallery made the show very intimate, though audience members seemed to be coming and going all the time, but never exceeding ten. There was also a great similarity to the first Roup show with Ryley Walker replacing Andrew Weathers, Quick Sails sort of replacing Quilt, and White Reeves replacing White Reeves.

Here's some audio.

Assemble , Review , Satyr/Elfheim Shows , Zine Release

South Seas Sneak Zine #3 Release

On December 22nd the seemingly uncommonly known Pittsburgh band South Seas Sneak released the third issue of their official fan zine at a show at Assemble. I had an older issue and thought that it was cool to have a zine and CD that sort of detailed local music and agreed to release a track on the new issue and play at the show.

I played first after a short intro by Greg Cislon and Jordan Weeks of the aforementioned band. It was kind of weird sitting down and I had some trouble setting up, but it turned out really well. Everybody seemed to like my set and I thought that it was one of the best that I've done. "Ribot's Walls" describes my feelings of similarity between a video of Marc Ribot playing "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" to the feeling of the art galleries on Penn Avenue in the dark of winter. It was strange because I was used to hanging out with friends at Garfield Artworks on those days, but this was fine and those days had run their course.

Next we watched a video directed by Lord Grunge of Grand Buffet that was a satire on the "Blair Witch Project" or "Paranormal Activity" and then a college girl named Casey Stelitano played a short, country-ish set on an acoustic guitar. She was very skilled, but her set really wasn't something that I would usually see. Still I think that she did a good job and it was good to see her play. Casey played songs full of melancholy and heartbreak. She could probably be a big star with some actual airplay.

After Casey Stelitano, we watched a South Seas Sneak video made with a Gameboy Camera created by a weird guy named Sean Rush(?) who then played some songs on a toy keyboard and with a musical plush toy. It was fun and similar to when I saw Weird Paul play a toy DJ set at Garfield Artworks. Speaking of which...

Weird Paul sang songs from his new album soon afterward. He opened his present, a random gift from South Seas Sneak, (I got a DVD on magic tricks and Big Star's "#1 Record/Radio City!) and then played a cover of a Christmas song, his compilation song "You Don't Need That Knob", and "We Love to Use the Telephone" which is awesome and from his new album "Check Me Out Now". This was maybe the best Weird Paul set that I've seen maybe not as good as his reunion with Manny).

Jake and the Jakeman played a short set with a song like Tom Waits, but they quickly transformed into South Seas Sneak with a different lineup. Greg Cislon played guitar and Jordan Weeks played bass with a vintage drum machine keeping time behind them. Their set was very post-punk sounding and also similar to Belt of Venus or Prince at times. Later they were joined by Sarah Daddario with sang their last two songs, covers of classic-ish Christmas hits, and played sleigh bells.

The show was a lot of fun; it was like an unscripted variety show combined with a weird party. There were snacks, drinks, lots of eggnog (which I don't like), and presents! Shows like this are definitely a lot of fun and I'd love to play at next year's show if it's anything like this was. Be sure to check out Sneak Attack #3 if you happen to find one somewhere (it might be sold at Soundcat Records/Paul's CD's). My review of Rocket from the Tombs is printed inside and a Satyr/Elfheim song called "China Burg" was included on the CD with other tracks by friends RJ Myato (misspelled as Mayto), Wasp Nest Head Dress, and Weird Paul.

Dean Cercone , Review , the Shop

Dean's Birthday Record Release

In December Dean Cercone released a record with the grindcore Bear Skull and another with the Beefheart-punk Skinless Boneless. They all played a huge show together on December 17th at the Shop for Dean's birthday. There were a lot of weird guy taking videos with professional cameras there which seemed annoying at first, but their videos ended up being amazing and really capture the atmosphere of this show. I guess I just felt out of place with them all there, but we were actually doing completely different stuff and I'm happy to see their great videos.

First up was the amazing Actor Cop which is Sasha who had played with RJ, Greg, and me in Mousy Razor a few days prior at Beethoven's Birthday Bash. I had also spoken with him at the Rocket from the Tombs show before that where he had told that his band "sounds like yr favorite band" after I had asked him what they sounded like. He ended up being sort of like if Billy Joel and Todd Rundgren and Queen had a noise band and it was really awesome. He wasn't even really noisy really, playing acoustic guitar for the first song and then a keyboard. At the end he played a crazy green Harmony electric guitar, but blew the power somehow and had to switch back to the keyboard.

Next up was Slag Womb, a band I had never heard of before, but there was a long delay in between. Slag Womb were weirdly youthful and hit a bloody Santa Claus mannikin around. The crowd seemed to change when they started playing and was suddenly a bunch of younger looking people; it made me think they might be a band that was still in high school, but I really doubt it. I guess they also have a pretty large fan base too, even though I had unfortunately never seen or heard them before. They reminded me of one of my favorite Pittsburgh bands, Dress Up as Natives, a band that was around in the late 80s that I have never seen. Slag Womb was also sort of riot grrl-esque, but despite their look and name they were not as distorted and hardcore as I had expected.

Third was one of the Dean collaborating bands, Bear Skull. One guy screamed while another played drums and screamed. I didn't really like them too much. I think their set could have been shorter and they would look less ridiculous if the vocalist was just gone from the band; it seems like the drummer could do it all himself. The guys with the cameras made a video of the set that you can see here. I don't like this video nearly as much as the one they made of Dean Cercone because they did a lot of weird lighting effects and pauses. You can see me at 0:51.

At the end of Bear Skull's set, the drummer was joined by Dean and Jim Storch. Together they made some really amazing stuff with Jim throat singing over Dean's guitar and the drums from Bear Skull's drummer. It was spooky and mystical and I loved it.

It was near midnight, but Dean had just started playing. His set was long as usual, but he did cut it shorter due to my previous criticism. Everyone was really into it and I thought he did a great job; I think it was definitely one of his better sets. Dean played his huge organ along with his classic set up of drum and guitar. At midnight everyone sang happy birthday to him and North Star. A video of his performance is here.

Finally Skinless Boneless started to play; it was around 1AM. Skinless Boneless had a new lineup after their old bass player quit, also adding a second guitar. As soon as they started I felt like my energy had all returned. Skinless Boneless sounded maybe the best that I've ever heard them, and Dean and North danced during the set. Not long after they had started the owner of the Shop came in and told everyone to leave as she didn't want to lose the building. It sucked, but there really shouldn't have been so many delays. This is the second time that I've seen them get cut short by an event getting shut down.

I think some things got lost after the show, and there was a weird issue with money with a lot less than what seemed like it would be there from such a large crowd. Everyone went to Howlers later and hung out with Dean for a while. It was a pretty fun night.

Here are Actorcop and Slagwomb's sets.

Review , Roup , The Mr. Roboto Project

Beethoven's Birthday Bash

Jim Storch (Burnout Warcry) and Beethoven (the composer) have the same birthday, so for their birthday, on December 16th, there was a big show at the Mr. Roboto Project on Penn Avenue.

First up was the always mysterious Ken Kaminski and a very robotic drummer (he may have been an android). They were like avant-noise jazz or something. It was definitely awesome and should probably happen more. The drummer was hitting hard almost the whole time, but there were a lot of quieter parts too; dynamics are cool. A soundtrack to a no-wave apartment.

Second Brad Kline joined Burnout Warcry for a set similar to the last, but this time completely percussive. Brad and Jim were really free-form and uneven with sharp cymbal hits going off all the time. It was really nerve-wracking, but pretty cool.

Next Mousy Razor (possibly now Mouth Eraser?), consisting of RJ Myato, Greg Kolls, Sasha, and myself, played a killer noise/rock set. We sounded a lot like early Sonic Youth or possibly the Melvins. RJ and Sasha screamed a lot, but there were otherwise no vocals. This was probably the most fun I have ever had playing a show.

Super Collaborator Bros. Burnout Warcry and Matt Wellins teamed up again and played a really spooky piece. Jim did his standard stuff, but more contained and quiet while Matt played samples. There were Native American sounding chants, crazy sped up horns, water sloshing sounds, tribal drums, and possibly some other things. They built up a lot of tension towards the end with endless drum rounds from Jim and a long running sound-scape from Matt. Things calmed down at the end; really cool stuff.

Michael Johnsen and Margaret Cox were the final non-Burnout Warcry set. They filled the air with the sounds of small objects and hidden things. There were a lot of buzzing, hissing, and squirming and also sounds from tiny springs. Some things sounded like dental equipment. It was impressive, but I feel like they shouldn't have played for over 30 minutes.

The show ended with Ian Bonnet's tapes and Jim's crazy assortment of semi-musical devices. This was probably the quietest set and they only got to play for 8 minutes before the Roboto Project had to close. They were like a library or classroom or a still life.

This show was a lot of fun. I'd love to do something like this again with some bands, some noise, and some more quiet stuff. Happy Birthday to Jim and Greg!
Here's Mousy Razor and Ken Kaminski.

Review , Thunderbird Cafe

RFTT

I arrived to the show kind of late due to bike trouble. The first band, Horse or Cycle, had already started, though they were only in their first song. Horse or Cycle is basically an indie-rock kind of band, but more like the originators of the genre than some of the more recent stuff. They combined clean vocals with noisy guitars that intertwined interestingly or sounded off percussively like the Gang of Four or the Pop Group. It was a good set and not too long; I would definitely see them again. Cool stuff.

After Horse or Cycle was Brass Chariot, who I had heard was a classic rock band that stuck close to the genre and was generally boring. This was not exactly true; Brass Chariot ended up being more like a cheesy, fast punk/garage band. The band was composed of three old guys who might have been members of the Melvins and a younger guy who looked like Fred from Scooby-Doo (ascot included). The first song they played was something about hating life or something; the older guitarist guy sung it and it was pretty cool. Whenever the Fred looking guy sung a song it always seemed like he was trying too hard. His vocals always seemed really off, like he was pushing his voice in a way that just didn't work. Even though I really like some of what they were doing, Brass Chariot started to annoy me by the end of their set. There were far too many guitar solos that always started after short breaks in their songs and Mr. Ascot's song intros were so very rockist and always something like, "Fuck yeah were gonna take you to another fucking planet," or "Next up we got Rocket from the fucking Tombs!" I guess Brass Chariot are alright, but they should try to be less generic and maybe get rid of that ascot guy. Brian was basically right, but they were more like Millions of Dead Cops than Mountain.

After Brass Chariot had left, the tension started to build. Rocket from the Tombs started setting up. They had some shredded amps and old guitars; all of Cheetah Chrome's guitar pedals were red with cream knobs. Craig Bell, the bass player, looked a lot like Benjamin Franklin, and Steve Mehlman, the drummer was very similar to Kurt Cobain; Richard Lloyd's replacement, Gary Siperko, looked like a younger Lee Renaldo. The rest of the band stood onstage for a few minutes until the crowd separated a little near the steps to the stage and local poet/show promoter Che Elias appeared with David Thomas right behind him. The Rocket from the Tombs and Pere Ubu singer was a lot thinner and haggard looking than I expected, but here he was, looking like an ancient sailor who had been lost at sea for ten years. I became very nervous from his presence.

Pere Ubu kicked their set off with their new single "I Sell Soul" which sounded great. David Thomas' whiny vocals whizzed around the speeding guitars. It sounded pretty close to the studio version. Next they played the acid-blues "Good Times Never Roll" with Siperko's psychotic, but cerebral guitar solo and then the forlorn, early Pere-Ubu-ish "Birth Day." I did not know either of these songs, but they sounded pretty good here. After the two new songs, Rocket from the Tombs played the old songs "So Cold," which governed an audience cheer as the opening riff started, and "What Love Is." The latter song had the audience sing along and brought a lot of energy with it. Next up was a new song, "Anna" and then the classic "Amphetamine," with Cheetah standing in for the late Peter Laughner; this song was especially solemn and tear-inducing. Craig Bell sang his weird femme-fatale metaphor "Muckraker" about a Nazi girlfriend or something then David Thomas sang "Maelstrom" about telephone calls and the somber B-side "Romeo & Juliet." Some punk guys to the left of me got rowdy during "Butcherhouse 4." Before the song had even started they said, "Hey can you guys play 'Ain't it Fun'?" in a bored annoying way. David missed some lines and looked worried and anxious while Steve Mehlman became very nervous and snapped his drum sticks, but the band got right back together in a moment. They played "Six and Two" and then went right into "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" which brought a really fast and manic breakdown. The next song seemed to be the song everyone was waiting for, "Sonic Reducer;" as soon as I heard the opening chords everything was perfect. It was fast and ferocious and the whole crowd sang along. Gary Siperko did some weird watery, springy guitar stuff and Craig Bell did some backing vocals like in their original version before the later one by the Dead Boys. Waiting on the stage for everyone to finish clapping, Rocket from the Tombs went right into their encore sort of thing (I'm pretty sure David Thomas hates the ritual around this and thus sort of doesn't really do one). Cheetah said, "I guess you guys sort of have us trapped now don't ya?" while some guys yelled stuff and then they played my favorite, "Final Solution." Rocket from the Tombs ended the night with "Sister Love Train" and the discordant "Life Stinks" and then got their merchandising set up. Brian and I talked with Steve, who I gave some Satyr/Elfheim stuff to, and Craig for a while. I had a nervous conversation with Cheetah Chrome as he chuckled, trying to disconnect his gear. David Thomas shook my hand because I waited for him to get change for me and then yelled at Mr. Ascot from Brass Chariot when he patted Mr. Thomas on the back as he went to get his stuff. It was a good night.

[This review previously appeared in Sneak Attack #3, the South Seas Sneak official fan zine]