It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine: August 2016

Albert Mayr

"Head bang", 2016, Foto: Sophie Thun

Humor is a kind of intelligence

Albert Mayr is a 41 year old artist from Vienna who makes installations and does performances which often involve sound, but he never made an actual record. That's going to change soon though.

Your work from ten years ago was more trashy and chaotic (in the style of Paul McCarthy or Mike Kelley) than your recent work. Why did you evolve in a cleaner, clearer way of working?

Really? You think so? I am not sure about that. Maybe the photographs are better now. But on the other hand: after some years you have tried out a lot of stuff, than you try new things, new techniques, new materials. Maybe that results in a kind of cleaner appearance of the work, you sort things out. And talking of messy art installations: my favorite is Jason Rhoades. Unfortunately he is dead already.

Your 'Bassdrumparty' and 'Drums and Sprinklers' installations made me think: there's what a bassdrum is supposed to be used for, but this is what it can be used for. Is this what you try to do with your work: extend the idea of what is possible?

I like to collect things. That has a lot to do with the way I work. If I like something I keep it. If there is a reason or not. In my studio I like to be surrounded by all that stuff. That's the material I use for my work. Some things are there for years until I see a use or an idea in it. Sometimes it never happens. I am kind of a collector. I think it's not so much about what is possible, it's more about what makes sense, what is a coherent way to use it.

Bassdrumparty, Kunstbüro Wien.

My first reaction when I see your work is often: smile. So to ask my questions: does humor belong in music (or art)?

Not necessarily, but for sure you can’t exclude it. But don’t confuse it with a joke, it’s not about being funny. I think humor is a kind of intelligence.

Why is there often link to music or sound in your sculptures?

In music there are so many elements to play with beside from the sound. There is a technical point of view, social elements (or antisocial), graphic language, behavior, gestures, expectations of the audience, drugs or even architectural elements like a stage or a stand. Sound or music is a system that helps me building sculptures. And maybe the most important: I like it!

Drums And Sprinkler.

You often use the same elements in your work. Do you think that a young artist is influenced by others but after a while, your own work becomes your main reference?

The possibilities you have as an artist are endless, so it's good to find your own vocabulary...it's about what you are interested in and what you can do best.

The 'Ironing board disensemble' could have been a John Olson invention. 'How to play a painting' could have been a Lucas Abela performance. Are you influenced by noise, especially the US noise scene from mid 2000?

I like that but it has not really been an influence. There is a quiet active experimental music scene in Vienna too. I really like to listen to noise music, specially live. I love when the sound gets physical. The idea for 'Ironing board disensemble' was to bring two things together: I often thought there is kind of a gap between the heavy sound and the performer on the stage hardly moving. You could think he’s checking his mails. So I mounted all the devices on an ironing board which you could hang around your neck like a guitar and pose like a guitarplayer wanking of on a solo.

Ironing Board Disensemble.

I suppose everybody grew up with pop music, with idea of music as 'the song', with the idea of a catchy melody or a nice rhythm. So when you work with music and sound the way you do, you must have moved away from the idea of music as songs. Where, when and how did this change happen for you? Did you ever play music 'the normal way': learning the chords to 'Let It Be' on a guitar? Forming a band with local friends?

I always liked to make music more than listening to it. It is still like this. I don't listen to a lot of music. I grew up in a quit musical house: both of my older brothers played in the local marching band. One of them still is a professional horn player. My parents only listened to classical music and they thought I also should play an instrument. They suggested the flute so I tried it. One day while rehearsing I freaked out and broke the flute by hitting it on the edge of the table. It had a 90 degree bend and I stopped playing.

Maybe it is because I know you're Austrian that your performances remind me of Viennese Actionism, that your readymades reminds me of Erwin Wurm or Frans West, or that your humor reminds me of Ernst Jandl, Gerhard Ruhm or Dominik Steiger, but do you think that there is something that makes your work Austrian?

Of course there is an influence, because I did not grow up in the jungle. Actually that would also have an influence, quiet a big one. Your environment always influences you in one or the other way. So I would say my work is Austrian because it's made in Austria and I am Austrian. But who cares. And thanks for comparing me to these guys. Some of them I like a lot. I think Franz West had a great humor.

I heard that Austria only has one real city, which is Vienna. Where did you grew up? Sankt Pölten? Was moving to Vienna 'the most logical option', maybe the only option?

Yeah, you lived in Krems so you know how it is!

You present your music as sound installations and as performances, but never on record. Don't you think your music would work on record?

I actually will release two records. Both will be sounds from installations I did lately. One will be the sound of a waterdrop installation, the other one rhythms from the bassdrumparty in Antwerp. In these two installations the sound is more independent than in my former performances. There it was more about how the sound is produced and the whole performance itself. The sound was mostly very loud and harsh. That was part of the concept that it should be more physical. It was made to be played live for an audience. I think it wouldn´t make sense to conserve only the sound without the rest.

Music often is: volume, tone and a duration, time. The 'Drums and Sprinklers' installation is a loop, in a way. Do you think listening to a loop demands a different kind of concentration?

I like loops because there is a kind of logic behind it. not only in music. One of my first installations was made from CD drives positioned vis-à-vis from eachother. I glued pointy things on the drawer and when the first drawer opened, it would hit the eject button of the next one and so on. The last one pushed the eject button on a remote from the first one and it started all over. It was quiet instable and I was very excited when it worked for the first time! This was my first "computer installation."

A performance demands a performer. A sound installation is in a way a performance without a performer. Do you think that, if you leave away the person, that the music becomes less personal? Or should music not be about the person, but about the sound?

I can´t tell you what music should be about but for sure it always personal. For example: if you watch a tingerly machine making sound, for me that´s very personal.

www.jonnyhawaii.com

- Joeri Bruyninckx

Seth Feargolzia interview

Seth Faergolzia rose up from New York City's Lower East Side almost 20 years ago with his Anti-Folk/Freak-Folk band Dufus.

Twenty albums down the line and Seth has signed to London's Blang label with his two bands, the eight piece 23 Psaegz and new quartet Multibird.

Multibird toured Europe throughout July and will be back in October to celebrate the release of new album High Diver released on October 7th on Blang.

I got the chance to catch up with Seth as he returned home from his recent tour.

Ross Beattie: I hope all is good?

Seth Faergolzia: All is wonderful! Just off of a month long European tour and chilling at home with my kid and the mother of my child to be!

How was the tour?

Tour was splendid. We played 5 countries... four of the shows were sweet festivals to hundreds of people. Very new to me, headlining this one festival in Germany, the audience was off the hook, going nuts... We lived up to what they wanted of us and can't wait to return next year!

Tell us about Mulitbird ?

Multibird is sort of the core four members of my larger band, 23 Psaegz. Both play music that I've written, but Multibird has been taking on a life of its own. It was formed to help me record some of my #100song project. I just had too many songs to complete, so formed a smaller group to work through some of the more artsy or difficult stuff. It's turned out to be a flame burner of a craze magnet!

Not too long ago you built your own studio in your house, how's it working out for you?

It's great but pretty hot right now. We're in the midst of a drought here in Rochester and the studio is built in the attic of my house. It's been amazing to have my own work space to get really deep into the recording stuff. It's really working out very well. In fact, we are releasing a whole bunch of the tracks with the London label, Blang, this coming October on an album called High Diver.

How were the Bernie Sanders fundraisers?

Both were inspiring and incredible. We raised enough money with the first one to open a campaign office for Bernie here in Rochester. We've made quite a difference in the local scene. The shows themselves were inspiring. So great to see so many incredible artists pulling together to raise money and awareness for such a strong political movement. Though Bernie may not become president this term, I think he will make a big difference in American politics despite that fact.

I saw you play many moons ago at what I guess you could call an antifolk extravaganza at Spitz in London with Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis, Toby Goodshank, Prewar Yardsale and your band Dufus. Do you keep in much contact with the old crowd?

I do keep in touch with the old crowd a bit. Kimya moved out to the west coast so I barely ever see her anymore, but all the rest of them are part of my life still from time to time when I visit NYC. I'm living upstate now in Rochester, NY.

Tell us about your #100 songs subscription project?

I wrote 100 songs over the course of four months, following a tour with Jeffrey Lewis in 2014. He and I had been talking about daily writing projects bringing out good work so I decided to give it another go (since it had been about 15 years since I wrote that aggressively). I wrote a hundred songs in 4 months and then recorded and released them, one per week, over the following year. It turned out to be an amazingly inspired year, and I had people subscribing to my work via www.faergolzia.com. It helped to have subscribers so I could take the year off of touring and focus strictly on the art. My best work in ages, perhaps ever!

Can you tell us a bit about the direction you are heading next with your multimedia projects?

I've just started a Patreon page (www.patreon.com/sethfaergolzia) on which I'll be posting new songs and working more on video. I want to make music videos and start releasing my rock opera, scene by scene, as webisodes. People sign up and can pledge as little as $1 per thing I release. It's cool because the people who love my art can support me making it, but they only get charged when I come through with the work. I'm hoping a ton of people will subscribe once I get my pace set, and then I can take a break from the touring and really be an artist instead of a performer for a while.

It always seemed to me that you created your own genre of music. Can you put a name to it or is it just what you do?

I really don't like to put a name to it. As soon as I put a name to it then I'm held to that concept and can't stray from it. I know people like pigeon holes and it's smart marketing to put a name on it, but I like my freedom, so I usually choose ambiguous terms.

How hard is it to make a living doing what you do?

Very hard. I work every day for hours and hours doing stuff I don't want to do, like booking, promotion, management, website crap... the whole nine yards. I work my butt off... then at night I rehearse and write! It's a busy busy life for me. I like the work, and I feel sooooo free when I finally get to stand up in front of people and play the songs or to release one of the songs when the mix is finally done. It's a good 40-60 hours of work a week when I'm in motion. I've made myself ill with work in the past. I'm starting to learn how to pace myself and to learn what it means to be a person and not such a business oriented artist, but it's taking me forever to really get it! I wish people would just pay me to make the art and someone else would do the business, but this is the life of an artist today.

Favourite venue to play?

One which is packed with supportive, loving fans who hang on my every note and word!

Best gig you've even been to?

I've gotten to witness a Balanese Gamelan orchestra with traditional dancers using their fingers and eyes as their main movement pieces. That was probably the most profound live art I've gotten to witness.

If you had to choose, could you give me 3 favourites of your own songs?

Oh boy, hmm, High Diver is my present fave. From my past, I would pick Freedom and Black and Blue off the top of my head, but it's really hard because of the variety of moods I can be in. This is just my present list. Tomorrow I might be in a sad mood and pick three different ones.

Congratulations on the impending arrival of your newest family member! Any name ideas yet?

Haha, we have a pile of names chosen, but I doubt as if any of them will make the cut.

Below you can find the link to the new single Garbage Night which will be released late September, and this is what Seth has to say about it...

https://soundcloud.com/blangrecords/garbage-night/s-G3Ryy

My daughter and I enjoy going out on Wednesday nights here in Rochester looking for treasure in the garbage people put out. This song is about that. I’m a strong supporter of reusing and repurposing stuff. I’m not a fan of throwing things out and using things which can only be used once. So this is my trash anthem, haha. In preparing for the release of this song, I thought, perhaps I should use some instruments I’ve actually found in the garbage to accompany the song… you know, living by my word… anyway, my daughter helped me to sample a huge pile of metal percussion pieces I’ve collected over the years from old lamps, or pots and pans etc. We made a huge recording of samples then I sifted through it and made a virtual keyboard for triggering the samples. It took an extra week of work that I didn’t know would have to happen.

- Ross Beattie

Morgan Delt - Phase Zero (2016) review

Morgan Delt - Phase Zero (Sub Pop Records, 2016)

Laying out an neo-psych album drenched in filtered sunlight that’s interrupted by the occasional fluffy cloud, Morgan Delt moves with a sure-footedness I haven’t experienced since Spacemen 3, delivering a outing filled with shimmering waves, solid arrangements, and layered with a dazed Sunday morning feel that’s doesn’t so much demand your attention; it's more that the record [red vinyl] ebbs and flows, creeping into your mind, into your spirit, into your frontal consciousness, where with an intricateness, he manages to step into the 21st Century creating an experience that’s brightly lit, while riding on a breeze of all that’s gone before him. What he delivers, is a dose of psychedelia that harbors nothing but good vibrations.

Phase Zero is an Indica stoner’s delight, presented with a mixture of bright 60’s British Invasion lyrics that are infused with the contemporary inspired west coast musicianship that instantly makes you aware that this is an album that’s designed to grow on you.

- Jenell Kesler

It's Psychedelic Baby presents: Love Machine - Maze premiere

In the haze of Krautrock's capital Düsseldorf Marcel Rösche (Vocals, Percussion), Felix Wursthorn (Guitar, Synthesizer), Thibaut Sanli (Bass) and Noel Lardon (Drums, Percussion) got together as Love Machine in early 2013. Dedicated to psychedelic improvisation, krautish weirdness, minimalism and unpredictable performances they soon recorded their debut LP A Present to the Galaxy which was released on Tonzonen Records in 2014. Meanwhile they were joined by Hendrik Siems (guitar) and played more than 50 shows in clubs and at festivals in Germany and Switzerland following the release of A Present to the Galaxy.

Love Machine is living a spirit of free floating creativity in recombining influences of psychedelia, blues, jazz, african and latin american rhythms and analogue electronics. An attitude they share with bands from the San Francisco era and the hightimes of Krautrock. This bundle of american and german popcultural tradition paired with their high voltage live performances established Love Machine as part of the german underground music scene and made them a favourite both of crowds and critics in the last two years.

You can catch them on tour

Love Machine Facebook

Love Machine website

Tonzonen Records

The Deep - Psychedelic Moods (1966) review

The Deep - Psychedelic Moods (Lion Production reissue, 2015)

The reflection in the mirror began shifting, then it begins melting, morphing in the half-light of candles, and a head flowing with chemical memories was stumbling to recognize the image before me ... it was me, but this is me, but the me in the mirror is me from the summer of 1966. Yet I’m here and I’m there. I can taste the warm summer night, and the smell of my analog tube stereo is swirling around me, drawing me back in, back into a room filled with the blue smoke of Afghani Finger Hash, a room washed with prismatic light, and fabric draped lampshades. How weird ... but I want to stay here, unfolding, lost forever in this magic moment. But then reality flows back in, the room quivers as I rub my eyes with the heels of my palms, stepping back and sinking into the warmth of my bed as the ceiling spins, and I remember it all so clearly.

Ahhhhh, those heady summer nights when the world was just right, and my body truly was a wonderland. Of course the songs are silly, they’re the stuff of memories, things that never even happened, even when they were supposed to be happening. Psychedelic Moods is a journey into music that filtered through my stereo late into the night, brought to me on the wings of some disembodied DJ’s voice, bestowing a reality that didn’t exist, but certainly sparked adventurous visions of what was happening in San Francisco, New York, London, and Paris, and there I sat, stoned in my little room, making up stories of things beyond my imagination ... things just outside of my window.

This entire record is one LSD induced musical adventure. It actually captures the fuzzy off-balanced mind-bending experience, one where the tips of your fingers hold secrets, and everything is a delight. I’m not sure that anyone who wasn’t there then will be able to appreciate this bit of theater ... I do know that it will go right over the heads of anyone who’s not taken Acid or Magic Mushrooms ... but then, even if one has, it’s not uncommon for things to sail right over their heads as well.

Wake up and find me, lost in memories of liquid nights, and crystal morning dreams. This is it, this is the peak, the best part of the trip, and I’m floating untethered in some paralleled universe that’s meshing with mine. I know I’ll never be the same ... and forty-five years later, I can honestly say, “I've touched the sky.”

- Jenell Kesler

SYNÄSTHESIE Festival

September 17th, 2016 at Musikbrauerei

Greifswalder Str. 23 A, 10407 Berlin

As its title suggests, the 2nd SYNÄSTHESIE Festival offers more than just a concert experience, but rather a blending of senses combining an impeccably curated program of experimental psych and garage rock with visual imagery. Limited to 500 guests, SYNÄSTHESIE offers a compact international lineup of bands that represent the 8MM Musik aesthetic, contemporary music inspired by german experimental music of the late 60s & early 70s. A living history of music that has gone against and continues contrary to mainstream trends. This years festivals surreal setting of a war damaged brewery in former East Berlin helps complete the sense of SYNÄSTHESIE.

SYNÄSTHESIE II Complete Lineup:

Michael Rother Plays NEU! Harmonia & Solo Works (D)

The Warlocks (USA)

Tess Parks Band (Canada)

Dead Rabbit (UK)

Medicine Boy (South Africa)

Gunman & The Holy Ghost (Iceland/Berlin)

Also check:

http://8mm-musik.com/album/10-years-8mm-musik

https://www.facebook.com/synaesthesie

https://www.facebook.com/8MMMusik/?fref=ts

8MMMUSIK teams up with Anton Newcombe to present 11 exclusive tracks by 11 bands that helped define the last 10 years of 8MM and Berlin's Underground rock'n'roll scene. This record is being released worldwide in cooperation with Newcombe's UK based 'a' Recordings.

The Flowers of Evil

The Flowers of Evil are an underground band from Carbondale, Illinois. They are very active and have already released a couple of albums on their label Black Monk Sound Records. To have their own label gives them opportunity to experiment and have total artistic freedom. Their music is related to 1960s garage-psych but you will definitely hear other influences too. We had a brief conversation with Kaleb Hunter about their music.

The Flowers of Evil are:
Chris Wittman - drums-percussion, production, tapes + loops-sounds.
Josh Hunter - guitars.
Steve Henderson - guitars, synth, keys-drone box.
Stacey Camden- bass, drum machine.
Kaleb Hunter- vox, geetars, noise.

Bandcamp
The Flowers Of Evil Facebook
Black Monk Sound Records Facebook

Formation of the band

I first really became interested in playing music when I was 12 years old, thanks to my older brother. We both got guitars, and around that time I was just discovering The Beatles and punk rock. We had some garage bands that never made it out of the garage, basically just bashing away, learning how to play etc. I played in a few local bands later on in my teens in Carbondale, Illinois, the scene of our little story. The Flowers of Evil first started in 2008 as a recording project between my childhood friend Steve Henderson and myself. We were just learning how to write good songs and learning how to record. I had bought my first Tascam 8 track recorder, something I still use to this day for most of our records. We spent the next couple of years just recording, no gigs or anything that a normal band would do. We lived in Chicago for a year - year and a half, did more recording there, and then I moved back to Carbondale in 2011 due to dwindling funds. Carbondale is about 330 miles south of Chicago. As soon as I got back to Carbondale, something went off and I began writing feverishly. I soon had the first Flowers album, Exile On Brain Street done and out at the local record shops and online (2011). The reaction seemed good and people seemed to dig it, so I quickly followed it up with 11:11 and the double album Transit To Venus (2012). After those first three, the band morphed again.

I found some local cats who dug the records and wanted to play, so we put together the very first real live band of The Flowers. It sounded great, that first show was one of my happiest moments. We played for about a year here and there, lost a drummer, gained an amazing one, and another guitar player. Then in 2013, we made our first record as a real band, Rubber Seoul.

In 2014, we put out our fifth album, Dreamhead. During this time we played in Carbondale quite a bit, played in Chicago a couple of times, Nashville, a few times in Indiana, all of the neighboring states. Then in late 2014, the band went through more changes. We added a different bass player and became a four piece for a little while, now we are a five piece. Last year we put out our 7th album Mystic Copout, which I was really proud of.

We stopped playing shows late last year, because we want our next record to be something really special, we have been writing and writing and we are getting ready to start official recording. I am sure we will play again soon, whether it's a local gig or a mini tour or whatever. I am interested in anything like that for the future, but at the same time I don't worry about those things like most bands do. We put out all of these albums on my record label, Black Monk Sound records. I started BMS Records basically to put out Flowers albums. I knew from a young age I had absolutely no interest in messing with record labels, really not even independent ones. I am the type of guy who needs complete control over my art, so I may be broke but at least I can put out whatever I want. We have put out some EP and other cool stuff by local artists, also The Flowers have put out several EP's over the years as well. I would love for it to be an ever expanding thing, but I suppose it's more of an aesthetic than a traditional record label. Carbondale has an amazing underground music scene, from the infamous punk house Lost Cross, to the amazing basement venues The Skihaus and The Swamp. There are so many great bands and artists, a lot of which center around the local good record store, Plaza Wuxtry Records (also a brother record label of BMS). We have all kind of created our own world, a "scene" of outsider, weirdo artists who are free to push the limits, thanks to our somewhat isolation. Secondary Modern, Hans Predator, Scifislands, Jenny Johnson and so many more. It is a real incestuous scene, every one is always sharing band members and helping each other out. I love being in a place like this to create, I don't think it matters whether you are in a New York, or a Chicago, or a Dayton or Sticksville. The point should always be to create your own world, create your own dreams. We have that in spades in Carbondale.

Influences

As far as my/our influences, I would have to say first and foremost, my biggest influence is The Velvet Underground. I first heard The Velvets when I was 13, and they made me realize I could be in a band, and maybe even write songs. Those guys along with The Beatles and punk rock gave me the gumption to get it going. After that I started getting into the good stuff. Captain Beefheart, The Monkees, The Elevators, The Kinks, Nuggets/Pebbles comps, Hasil Adkins, The Fall, Chrome, Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV, early P.I.L., Joe Meek etc. Most Sixties beat music and psychedelic music in general. Everyone in the band is into a lot of different stuff, so our influences stretch from Bacharach to ESP-Disk Jazz to the Butthole Surfers and even some Heavy Metal (two metal heads in the band!). There are just too many to name. As far as album making, we have made all of our albums with a Tascam 8 track cassette recorder, a 6 track cassette recorder, and various 2 and 4 track reel to reels.

William S. Burroughs writing is a big influence on me, also Mike Stax and Ugly Things. Just the fact that the dude has kept that thing going for 30 plus years, I respect that type of dedication so much. He is the real deal.

Oh also, I am deeply into and influenced by Private Press albums, mainly psychedelic ones from the '60s-'80s. Groups like The Contents Are, The Bachs, Kath, Owen Maericks, Arcesia. The Acid Archives book in general is basically my daily bible, Patrick Lundborg was a holy messenger from another dimension. This whole secret world has definitely had an effect of The Flowers.

Oh of course, how could I forget Krautrock?! We all love Can, Faust, Amon Duul etc. I am forever digging through Kosmische records I have yet to hear.

Songwriting process

I am definitely not an anti digital person, but that is just what we had at the time, and it works for what we want to hear. My writing process is chaos, I carry a notebook with me everywhere, so I am always writing down ideas, words, lines. I usually go through tapes of recorded musical ideas and put it together with words. That is how most of the songs are born. After The Flowers come out with our next album, I think we will just keep making records and playing. I can't say what exactly will happen, I doubt we will make it to "The Big Time", and that is fine. I have no interest in that shit. I became comfortable with the fact that people will be discovering our records in 10, 20 years time. I like that, no, I love that! Many of my favorite bands had the exact same fate, so it seems logical to me. Psychedelia today, that word encompasses so many meanings to so many different people. I think on the generic front, yeah it is kind of in again, I mean you even see commercial artists kinda starting to cash in on the Psychedelic Retro train or whatever the fuck it is. I know that there seems to be an overabundance of new "psych" bands that are very tame, very generic and really just boring. Lots of reverb, delay and a Brian Jonestown Massacre like riff don't equal psychedelic. I think that will pass though, it always does. It is cool on one hand that Psychedelia is having this resurgence, but on the other hand it is kind of weird, I remember just a few short years ago it wasn't so cool to even mention the word, let alone let people know that you were in a psychedelic band! Psychedelic to me means freedom, much like Punk Rock. Albert Ayler was a Psychedelic Punk Rock motherfucker.

The Flowers of Evil sound

It is pretty difficult for me to describe our sound, we get tagged with the psychedelic garage- psych punk-avant psych thing a lot, and yes all of that type of stuff is an influence, but I don't feel like any of those buzzwords describe us at all. We just make Flowers music, and that is all I can say when people ask us that.

Concerts

The Flowers have played with some cool, notable bands in the underground psych-beat scene. We have played with White Mystery, Staring Problem, The Peoples Temple, Apache Dropout and a bunch of other bands I have forgotten about. I have said many times that I will stop making Flowers records when I am dead, and I mean it. The Flowers will always go on in some form or another, I never wanted this to be like a rock and roll band. I wanted it to be pure expression, almost like a jazz artist, how they just did album after album in search of.... the search. The band right now is the best version I have ever had, we are getting further away from the rock and roll sound and getting more into making sounds we haven't heard before.

Future

I know it is silly to provide so much information for a virtually unknown band, but I believe in this band and I believe in our music. I know we are better than 80 percent of the stuff I see and hear out there in the commercial realm, and the underground to a degree. I think right now we have a couple thousand songs, lost actual count a long time ago. We are always working on the next new song. That is something about live shows, I feel like every gig has to be different and has to be special. We never play the same set twice. I am just incapable of doing that, I honestly don't understand how groups do that. It just seems boring and dishonest to me. We always want the shows to be entities unto themselves, completely different than the records. Chris has co produced or produced most of our records, and I don't know what I would do without him, or any of these guys (girl). We are really a band of regular, every day artist weirdos. One of the things that bothers me about the underground scene today is that every one always seems to be putting on a front. Like everyone has to be the coolest mother in the room... and that is just a waste of time. There seems to be a lot of style over substance. We are anything but cool. We found each other because we are eternal underdogs. I don't really go to parties or do social, cool things. I work at a record store, and I write constantly and live in Flowers world. I don't wanna sound negative, I think we are living in an amazing time for creating -being an artist-making music! I mean just with the internet alone, it has basically cut out Major Labels completely to a degree, and I love it. Fuck em, it's a dying breed. The fact that all of this music from all over the world is at your fingertips, it is truly mind blowing. It can be a dangerous thing if not used for good. I mean to even be talking to you, it's such a trip! I love It's psychedelic Baby! I think Psychedelic music will keep going like it always has, developing into new, unclassifiable future sounds.

- Klemen Breznikar

The Seeds - Future (1967) review

Flower Power Band's Psychedelic Epic!

"Future" by The Seeds (1967/2013)

Big Beat Records

The third album by The Seeds, "Future" released in August, 1967, documented many changes in the band's demeanor and music, in no small part due to Lord Tim Hudson taking over as the band's manager on 22 November 1966. The band took on a mod look while their songs became increasingly complex, implementing additional musicians and instruments. Due to, or despite, these changes "Future" was The Seeds highest charting album, reaching #87 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart.

Disc one of this double set, opens with the eleven tracks that constituted the stereo release of "Future." Daryl Hooper's lofting keyboards and Sky Saxon's spoken vocals supply the "Intro" before Hooper's piano, Rick Andridge's drums and Jan Savage's stinging guitar, supplemented by horns, lead the group into "March Of The Flower Children" which was released, in edited form, as a single. Hooper's sitar and Andridge's percussion lend "Travel With Your Mind" its Eastern influenced trippy feel. The Seeds are back to their basics with "Out Of The Question" featuring fuzzed out guitar by Savage, floating keyboards by Hooper, tasty bass by fifth Seed, Harvey Sharpe, and machine gun drums by Andridge. A great track indeed. Hooper's gently rolling electric piano and Saxon's softly spoken vocals adorn the delicate "Painted Doll," another of the album's highlights. Hooper's insistent electric piano introduces "Flower Lady And Her Assistant" a fine piece of "flower power music" with Savage's restrained guitar interlude leading into Hooper's tasteful keyboard break. A rocker, the song harkens to the earliest recordings of The Seeds despite overdubbed horns. Andridge's drums and Sharpe's bass set the scene for Sky's shouted vocal entry on "Now A Man" with Savage's restrained guitar adding gorgeous texture leading up to his distorted solo on this solid rocker. "A Thousand Shadows" with its guitar and vocals recalling "Pushin' Too Hard" has a driving beat and some pleasant vocal harmonies. Sharpe's booming, loping bass and Andridge's pounding drum beat sets the stage for Savage's stinging guitar and Saxon's snarling vocals on "Two Fingers Pointing On You" which also offers a fine Hooper solo. "Where Is The Entrance Way To Play" has a sing song intro by Saxon, stand out piano solo courtesy of Hooper and more subdued guitar from Savage. Hooper's organ and Savage's guitar introduce "Six Dreams" with Saxon's vocals somewhat disconcerting in their tone making it one of the LPs lesser tunes. The band is back in form on the album's tour de force closer, the nearly eight minute "Fallin" with Hooper and Savage at the helm, sounding better than ever in spite of overdubbed harp and Spike Jones type sound effects. Still, the band turns the song around with Hooper's organ break and Sharpe's bass diving in and out of the mix. The song suffers a bit from too many instruments being overdubbed, but underneath it all is a fine piece of flower powered psychedelia that plays the side and LP out.

The bonus tracks, all mono mixes, begin with three tracks that were not originally released, the rocking, Doors like "Chocolate River" a nice tune featuring familiar guitar and keys by Savage and Hooper and Andridge's persistent drums, "Sad And Alone," a mid-tempo rocker with Hooper's familiar keys and a short, but sweet solo by Savage and an alternate version of "The Wind Blows Your Hair," (released in its first version as a non-LP b-side) with Hooper's keys again bringing The Doors to mind. Next up are six tracks from the mono version of "Future." As with "The Seeds" and "A Web Of Sound" the band's sound seems cleaner and crisper on the mono mixes, no doubt in large part due to the recording methods of the day. An alternate mix of "Six Dreams" suffers from lackluster vocals by Saxon and a rather plodding beat. whereas the mono album cut of "Fallin'" lends further credence to this being the format of choice for the band's recordings. A bit of a toss off, the one minute ditty "The Navy Swings" brings disc one to an end, a total of twenty three tracks with a run time near 79 minutes!

Disc two, titled "Contact High: the "Future" sessions contains a further fifteen tracks with a run time over 56 minutes. "Rides Too Long" is a typical high octane Seeds tune that somehow never saw release before this reissue. The version of "Chocolate River" found here was released in 1977 and is dominated by Andridge's drums and Hooper's organ, a nice combination. The first take of "Flower Lady And Her Assistant" is another look inside The Seeds' method of song development. Further alternate takes, mixes and versions are included for the same purpose. The music is completed by an alternate version of "The Wind Blows Your Hair" from a 1977 LP and the full length recording of "900 Million People Daily All Making Love" coming in at just under ten minutes, first appearing on a 1993 album, and as with "Up In Her Room" from "A Web Of Sound" is evidence of The Seeds' ability to stretch things out, without them becoming totally self-indulgent, unlike so many other bands of the day.

This "Future" reissue, compiled and researched by Alec Palao is completed by a 40 page full color booklet featuring complete track annotations, notes including interviews with band members and recording session logs, sound mastering by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering Ltd. and tons of gorgeous photos. The third of five installments in The Seeds' reissue series, this deluxe edition of "Future" belongs in the musical library of garage and psych music lovers everywhere!

- Kevin Rathert

Gypsy Sun Revival interview

They Hail from Texas, they play Psychedelic Rock, they call themselves Gypsy Sun Revival and I caught up with them to shoot the shit...

Tell us a bit about how you formed as a band?

Will (Guitar) and Lee (Bass) have played together for years. Back in 2008, Will posted a flyer in a guitar shop’s bulletin board in College Station, TX. This was before the days of Craigslist so if you wanted to find a band you had to go looking around these sort of gathering places to find like-minded cats. Coincidentally, the first ad Will placed for a band happened to be the first flyer Lee ever responded to. Written out in black ink on a sheet of printer paper: “Rock/Blues/Metal Guitarist looking for band”. From that point on the two drifted in and out of bands over the years meeting again and again. Finally, in 2015 Will moved to Dallas-Fort Worth (where Lee had been living for five years) with the prospects of forming a band with Lee and going all the way. The two planned to make a full-length album, press a vinyl record and tour everywhere.

By this point Craigslist became the standard method to find musicians. Will discovered Ben (Drums) and the three felt out the abilities and vibes of one another until everyone agreed that it was the band we wanted. The group sought out additional singers and keyboardists but failed to find a singer of practical means, and we also lost our keyboardist due to mental illness. We refused to quit and forced Lee into the role of singing after the studio time had already been booked. With the band’s line-up complete, we named ourselves “Gypsy Sun Revival” in homage to Jimi Hendrix’s later works. We believe in Jimi’s philosophy of creating music akin to an “Electric Church”, where listeners don’t just casually listen. We want people to truly have an experience.

What is the psychedelic scene like at the moment in Texas?

To begin, Texas is a big state. The psychedelic presence in DFW is marginal but we are slowly finding bands that are in tune with our wavelength (shoutout to Same Brain and Smokey Mirror!). There are enough people here to get our band up and running to face the world. Crystal Clear Sound was a huge factor in our ability to make the record we wanted. This is due mostly to the people running the recording studio. Kent Stump and Michael Walter of Wo Fat deserve credit. Not only is the equipment at this studio totally colossal, but their insight into how to make a record with a psychedelic sound-scape was invaluable. Mood, space, textual layers and funk rhythm all accumulated in this studio to escalate our levels of performance.

The real heart of the psychedelic movement lies in the southern/central regions of Texas.

Austin, San Marcos and San Antonio are a hot bed for some of the most radical and successful acts coming out of this State. This is the region where the Black Angels are kings. This genre of music has grown to such popularity that the Black Angels have been hosting an annual festival, known as Levitation, on Carson Creek Ranch. Before it was named Levitation, they simply called it: Austin Psych Fest. This three day event is like a holy pilgrimage of the greatest psychedelic acts all over the world. Also there’s Utopia-fest which is even more obscure and way out west of San Antonio in the hill country. We are actively trying to play these festivals.

How has the response been from your recent live shows?

Our first show occurred on the second floor of this DIY punk venue/hippy commune/library. They received our music with great enthusiasm. We held the crowd for the entire set. There isn’t a huge psych scene in Dallas-Fort Worth, so it’s hard to find like-minded bands to gig with. However, we’ve been gigging regularly and our music appears to be well-accepted.

We’re gaining more and more popularity every gig. Avenues such as It’s Psychedelic Baby are a great way for people to find out about what we do and come see us live.

Can you give us a list of influences?

Lee: Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Sleep, ZZ Top, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, The Sword.

Will: I think the classics are too obvious. I’ll try and stick with some more modern influences. There’s so many great bands out now. Its unbelievable: Earthless, Black Bombain, Samsara Blues Experiment, Causa Sui, Colour Haze, The Machine, Dead Meadow.

Ben: These bands specifically influenced my playing style: Black Flag, Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Hendrix, Dead Meadow, Electric Wizard.

You recently wrote a letter and sent a copy of your new album to Charles Manson. Who's idea was that and have you had a response yet?

HA Yes! It came to us between songs during rehearsal. We talked about who could do a critical review of our album and Ben jested we have Charles Manson write a review of our album. It's rich you know because he actually wrote and recorded a lot of music in his early days to attract followers. We haven’t received a reply. We doubt he ever got a chance to listen to it. There is a team of prison workers that filter all the mail he receives so it likely got thrown in a dust bin, but who knows, maybe we’ll receive a reply soon.

Tell us about the recording process for your debut album?

As stated earlier, we recorded at Crystal Clear Sound with Kent Stump behind the board. We recorded ourselves playing live in the studio to get the vast majority of the music down in one or two takes. We highly believe in recording as a complete band, meaning that everything is mic’d up and we all play the songs together as if we were playing live. Crystal Clear is geared towards this method of live tracking because they have such a big studio to isolate all the instruments from each other so we can play in the same room like rehearsal sessions, but not have them bleed into each other. It's pretty cool how we had a tanpura in its own isolation booth droning away while we jammed.

We recorded all of the instrumentation in two days and got the vocals tracked separately on the third day with the last four hours of studio time we had left. We definitely felt the pressure to get these songs nailed and by the end of the session we managed to get the last two songs recorded in one take. That was fortunate. Looking back, we didn’t spend more than 3 takes on a song. Our attitude is that if we try to make something perfect it’s going to sound sterile. You can only get a song tracked in so many takes before it starts to sound worse and worse. We also feel the enjoyable quality of this music comes from the mood it creates and not so much the technical flash. Not to discredit ourselves, we are always practicing to grow as musicians and master our instruments. Lee had only been singing for 2 or 3 months before recording his vocals, and we have to give him a lot of credit for that. We also have to thank Kent on this one again. He gave Lee a lot of direction to get a halfway decent vocal track down.

We had some fun adding on extra layers of guitars and theremins at the end of the second day. Will has this old tape delay box (echoplex) that’s 40 years old and learned how to pull all sorts of radical sounds out of it. That’s part of his Earthless influence. Isaiah Mitchell (guitarist from Earthless) uses and recommended an echoplex to Will. Nothing beats real, tape echo delay. Lee built a guitar amp that Will used for some extra guitar layers. We also threw some Hammond organ on some of the songs to give more textures to the soundscape. Stuff to fill up space and inject more color into the listener’s brain. It was a blast to try all this creative stuff.

The mixing phase also had some fun elements. We added some sounds from NASA, that are open-source to the public, to give it a little bit more of a “spacey feel”. Those are the little “bleeps”, “blurps”, and random bits of radio chatter that you hear. We ran the final mix through ½ inch tape to give it a more palatable texture and warmth to the sound.

I really like Idle Tides on the album do you each have favourites?

Will – Idle Tides was the first song that we wrote for the album. I’ve been playing the main riff of that song for probably 3 to 4 years, and with the bands help, we were able to create a song out of it. To me, it kind of has a Robin Trower feel to it that I really like. That’s probably my favorite song on the album.

Ben - My favorite is Radiance. We jam that one so hard at the end, it gets really weird. It also features the theremin.

Lee - I also have to go with Radiance. It has such a far out, exotic sound and creates a transcendental mood. To me, I feel the song captures the majesty and mysticism of the sun. It has this shimmering brilliance and simultaneous darkness that’s really interesting. It's a great closer for the album to sum up everything we are going for with this band. New sounds, different scales, different instruments, different song arrangements. It's a total psychedelic freak out that can be itself with no limiting rules.

What is your writing process as a band?

It typically starts with a riff. Usually Will or Lee will have an idea or some sort of riff/lick they’ve been working on. From that starting point, we just jam relentlessly until we have some sort idea of where we want to take the song and what we want to do with it. In our opinion, the best song writing is completely spontaneous. For example, the riff on Solar Breeze was a complete accident. Will just played a few notes and we all looked at each other like “that was cool”. It ended up being one of our most popular songs. It’s really neat to see a simple riff take on a whole new life after we jam and create a song.

After we get a jam going we have to organize it and arrange it into an ordered structure so we all know what to play. This process involves writing out the riffs. We don’t write music on staff paper but rather give a riff or a lick a specific name like “ Riff A, Riff B, Riff C, Bridge”. Then we establish how many times we play each riff. Sometimes sections of a song can be more abstract and we have a part of a song that’s called “drum break into space jam” or “walk-down riff”. It doesn’t matter so long as we all know what we’re talking about.

This might sound elementary but it is the most vital aspect to making a song that breaks out of traditional molds. So many bands don’t take the time to communicate these arrangements and it traps writing into simple, predictable patterns. It also accelerates how fast the whole band can memorize a song. Effective communication is probably the most important aspect of creating good music.

As for writing lyrics, Lee focuses on colorful imagery involving the cosmos. Mysticism and inner development of the mind also make up the subject matter. Like the jams, most lyrics are written on the spot in a rehearsal session and they seem to come out the best that way.

We have a small, cheap recorder that we use to record all of sessions. Sometimes it's very obvious how the songs should be arranged, other times we listen back to the jams we recorded and it becomes clear that a song is suppose to take a certain direction or be arranged/played in a certain way. The creative process is something that we have come to really enjoy. It gets us excited and keeps us going.

If you could have any other artist guest on your next album, when there is one, who would it be?

Will – For me, that’s easy. I gotta go with Isaiah Mitchell from Earthless. I think he is criminally underrated as a guitarist and probably one of the best guitarists to ever live. HIT ME UP MAN!

Lee- Billy Gibbons. Who else could be cooler.

Ben - Jus Oborne from Electric Wizard.

Gypsy Sun Revival are releasing a vinyl version of their debut album through Nasoni records from Berlin, Germany. It should be available before the end of the year. The best way to keep up with updates is by liking them on facebook - www.facebook.com/gypsysunrevival

Martin Denny - Exotica (1957) review

Martin Denny - Exotica (Captain High Records, 1957/2016)

This album at hand by prolific legend Martin Denny is the one which gave a name to an entire genre. Released for the first time in 1956, “Exotica” does have more than just a historical importance. The songs are all outstanding. Based on jazz and folk this is an early example of mind altering music, because the album sets you in a dreamy state with all its haunting melodies and the sound effects that remind of wild animals in the jungle trees. The rhythmical base is rooted in Latin music, from mambo via samba to bossa nova you find all the Latin American forms of dance music combined with the bebop elements. Asian percussion instruments and harmonies also find their way onto this album. There are colorful tunes that make you think of Japanese folk but when you listen closely you will recognize melodies that would fit well with US western movie soundtracks. The easy listening sound of the '50s comes as the last ingredient and the icing on the cake. Right at the same time when this album came to see the light of day another movement named “space age” happened with an equally dreamy style but more science fiction oriented. A few of these pulsating electronic influences did pass by composer and conductor Martin Denny while creating this masterpiece and so you might feel like flying away from time to time, but the journey always ends on a beautiful island in the South Pacific ocean where pretty girls and boys dance to hot blooded savage rhythms. And this savage soul burns deep within the music to be found upon “Exotica”. When you desire to rest your mind beneath palm trees and have a sip of your favorite tiki-cocktail, this is the ticket to your plane.

- 'Sir Lord Doom'

The Seeds - A Web Of Sound (1966) review

Masters Of Flower Power At Their Best!

"A Web Of Sound" by The Seeds (1966/2013)

Big Beat Records

Nearly half a century has passed since the original release of "A Web Of Sound" by The Seeds on GNP Crescendo Records in October, 1966. Although failing to crack Billboard Magazine's Top 200 Album chart it met with general critical approval and is seen by many fans as The Seeds' finest hour! This two disc reissue on Big Beat Records, UK, is unquestionably the definitive version of "A Web Of Sound" combining the mono and stereo mixes of the album with seven outtakes from the sessions and as an extra added attraction the mono mix of the "A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues" LP, intended for release in 1968 sees its debut here!

Disc one contains the stereo mix followed by the outtakes. The album opens with its best known track, "Mr. Farmer" which, in edited mono version c/w "No Escape" reached #86 on the Hot 100 charts in early 1967. Daryl Hooper's distinctive, rolling organ and Rick Andridge's insistent drum beat meet Jan Savage's fuzz guitar and Sky Saxon's plaintive vocals in this memorable gem. Hooper's organ solo is understated and tasteful. "Pictures & Designs" is a trippy gem with Hooper's keyboards to the fore, but Savage's restrained guitar on display as well. Saxon's self indulgence is apparent in "Tripmaker" with its Spike Jones style sound effects, although the band does a fine job on its own right, with Andridge's machine gun drums pushing the tempo. Savage's slide guitar shines on "I Tell Myself" a mid-tempo ballad with an organ interlude by Hooper. "A Faded Picture" slows things down, Andridge keeping time, with Savage's guitar and Hooper's keyboard supplying the melody. Saxon's introspective lyrics fit perfectly as does Hooper's organ solo. Hooper and Savage introduce "Rollin' Machine" with organ and guitar before Andridge's drums and Saxon's vocals join in. A short, snappy little rocker, this may well be my favorite song on the album with Savage's distorted guitar playing the track out. "Just Let Go" with its bouncing beat, probing guitar and melodic organ, is a nice four minute piece of rock and roll. In following with the times the album closes with the fourteen and a half minute "Up In Her Room" which was edited down to three and a half minutes for release as a single, although it failed to chart. Savage's guitar settles into a pleasant groove, with Hooper's keyboards and Andridge's drums holding down the bottom end. Savage's fuzzed out, overdubbed guitar and Hooper's piano interlude are understated, giving the song a most pleasant, gentle vibe before the band turns up the heat half way in. A rave up, Seeds style. The disc is filled out with seven bonus tracks, four alternate takes of songs from "A Web Of Sound," two outtakes from "The Seeds" and an alternate version of "The Wind Blows Your Hair" which was released only as a non-LP b-side.

Disc two opens with the eight tracks from "A Web Of Sound" in their mono mixes. The band seems much more suited to mono compared to stereo, likely a result of the recording process in 1966. "Mr. Farmer" sounds so clear and crisp. Daryl Hooper's organ and Rick Andridge's drums are so clean while Savage's guitar retains just the right amount of "nastiness." The mono takes are the same length as the stereo, but are superior, in each and every case, to my ears.

Of special interest are the nine tracks released as "A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues" credited to The Sky Saxon Blues Band, though in reality the fourth album by The Seeds, and issued in November, 1967 in stereo, with the mono LP remaining unreleased at the time. The stereo mix of this album is available as part of Drop Out Records' 3 CD box set "Flower Punk" a 1996 compilation from the UK.

Sky met Muddy Waters in 1966. The circumstances of the meeting are in question as to how and where they met. It is without question, however, that Saxon asked Muddy to write a song for The Seeds. According to Sky, Muddy at first declined saying he needed every song he wrote for himself. However, "A Full Spoon" did include "Plain Spoken" written by Waters who attended nearly every session involved in the project as well as contributing liner notes to the LP. The sessions included all the members of The Seeds as well as guitarists Luther Johnson, who contributed "One More Time Blues," and Mark Arnold, as well as harmonica player George Smith and saxophonist James Wells Gordon, members of Muddy's band. Harvey Sharpe, who contributed bass to many of The Seeds recordings is a good fit and his performances in particular are consistently strong. The album was dismissed at the time by critics and music buyers alike, and in fact has never garnered much respect. While the performances are not fiery, nor terribly inspired like those of The Seeds, they are respectable. Hooper's piano on "I'll Help You (Carry Your Money To The Bank) is delicate, even the boogie woogie section, and Sky's vocals are delightfully restrained. The guitar on "Cry Wolf" is excellent, especially the slide work. "Plain Spoken" combines Hooper's piano with some nice guitar, with Saxon once again showing restraint with his vocal treatment. Luther Johnson's "One More Time Blues" is definitely a highlight with Johnson's guitar shining throughout and George Smith of Muddy's band contributing nice mouth harp. The album closes with a couple of Saxon originals. Hooper's organ stands out on "Creepin' About" while "Buzzin' Around" has delicious mouth harp and guitar. "A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues" may not be a classic of either the rock or blues genres, but it is certainly interesting enough to deserve a good listen.

Big Beat's "A Web Of Sound" contains thirty two tracks total, with a run time of about two hours, fifteen minutes. The reissue, researched and compiled by Alec Palao, contains a 32 page full color booklet with complete track listings, notes including interviews by Palao, Muddy Waters' liner notes to "A Full Spoon Of Seedy Blues," sound mastering by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering Ltd. and tons of gorgeous photos. All in all, a wonderful package and one that I highly recommend.