by Benjamin Lozovsky

Rain Machine

Four distinctly non-metal acts came together to celebrate the upcoming release of Until The Light Takes Us, a much-anticipated documentary on the Norwegian Black Metal scene written and directed by Brooklynites Aaron Aites and Audery Ewell. Aites and Ewell made themselves available for the whole show, amiably speaking to fans about the film and taking pictures in front of promotional gear sporting a pixilated harbinger of doom. The event felt less like a release party than a gathering of friends to show support however. Despite moving to Norway while making the film, Aites still has plenty of Brooklyn-informed leanings, and he tapped friend and collaborator Kyp Malone (the two play in local band Iran together) to perform with his Rain Machine project. It ended up being just Malone solo, as he performed songs from the project's self-titled debut album with just a plaintive (and at times shattering) guitar and his quivering, unpredictable vocal charms.

Malone might have a future, although maybe just a small one, in comedy or motivational speaking; he filled up the awkward pauses of a quiet audience with deadpan cracks and mildly inspirational calls to move about, if not at this show, then perhaps sometime in the future.

Dave Pajo, playing as Papa M, was probably the only musical participant that had delved into metal material in the past, but on this night he performed his critically revered post-rock album Live From a Shark Cage. Or at least part of it, because after 5 or 6 numbers, the band left the stage. His ambient, textural guitar lines grew slowly as he looped percussive guitar bits underneath the ambling melodies that joined to form a more grand harmonic synthesis. He too had his peoples out in force, as co-members of his new band Yeah Yeah Yeahs Nick Zinner and Brian Chase showed up to cheer on their collaborator and friend. Pajo plays the album again at ATP's 10th Anniversary Festival in England in December, and he'll assist Zinner and Co in performing their breakthrough debut Fever To Tell at the same event.

Overall, it was very subdued night, with only one out of the four acts even rocking a drum kit on stage. That was Soft Circle, who mixed reverb-heavy, almost surfer guitar sounds with punishing krautrock and dance punk beats, courtesy of drummer (and layering whiz) Hisham Akira Bharoocha. But after listening to all that black metal, can you really blame Aites and Ewell for toning it down a notch on this night? There will be plenty of time for bleeding ears once the movie is released. Catch it in New York starting December 4th at the Cinema Village.

Kevin Barker was the first of four on the bill. We missed him, but more pictures from the rest of the show below...

Continue reading "Papa M, Rain Machine, Soft Circle & Kevin Barker helped celebrate a black metal movie @ Knitting Factory - pics"

by BBG

A pale and heavily photoshopped David Pajo returns from church

As previously discussed, Until The Light Takes Us is the much talked about documentary chronicling the Norwegian Black Metal scene, which after months of anticipation, is FINALLY getting a theatrical release in NYC on Dec 4th (you can catch it at Cinema Village). Featuring a killer lineup of interviewees (Fenriz, Hellhammer, Frost, Abbath, Harmony Korine, and even the elusive and now free Vark Vikernes himself) as well as a soundtrack with many faves of different genres (Darkthrone, Mayhem, Ulver, Thorns, Enslaved, Boards of Canada, Black Dice, Sunn 0))), Múm, many others), fans of all types of music should be able to follow the fascinating story behind one of the most extreme musical scenes in modern history.

Maybe all of the years of research put into the documentary has burned the filmmakers out on buzzing guitars, pained vocals and frost-bitten blasts though, because they recruited bands of a different sort for their release party at Knitting Factory TONIGHT (11/18): Papa M, Rain Machine, Soft Circle, and Devendra Banhart collaborator Kevin Barker. Tickets are on sale. Flyer below.

The director of Until The Light Takes Us Aaron Aites and Rain Machine aka Kyp Malone (of TV on the Radio) are in a band together, Iran, who currently have no US dates lined up. Rain Machine have a total of four.

Papa M, aka David Pajo (who is also now in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), will be showcasing all of his 1999 LP Live From A Shark Cage at the show as one of only two US dates (the other is in San Francisco on 12/20), with a third date as part of the previously discussed and sold out Ten Years of ATP show in Minehead. Pajo is also prepping to release his new LP, Evila, which is set to blast off in early December. Full tour dates are below.

Kevin Barker, who has also been known to collaborate with Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Vashti Bunyan, and Antony and the Johnsons among many others, has one other date on his calendar, Dec 20th at The Stone. His new album You and Me is out now digitally and features many of those same people as guest musicians.

The movie trailer and party flyer with Papa M dates and a video of Pajo covering "Where Eagles Dare" by The Misfits, below..

Continue reading "Papa M performing full album three times (dates) - tonight in NYC w/ Kevin Barker @ black metal movie opening party"