by Andrew Frisicano

Grouper @ Terminal 5 in May 2009 (more by Natasha Ryan)

So we managed to sneak into Grouper's rare Brooklyn gig on Friday night and still aren't sure what we witnessed over the course of her main 60-minute set. (She also presented a new tape collage piece.) To be honest, the entire thing looked/sounded incredibly creepy, as if one of The Shining's redrum-happy twins suddenly learned how to sculpt dronescapes and acoustic something-or-others from an ancient keyboard and several effects pedals. It didn't help that the room was humid as hell--literally--with Issue Project Room's single, solitary fan getting switched off in the middle of the first 'song' because it was interfering with Liz Harris' signal. [self-titled]

Grouper's Friday, June 4th show at Issue Project Room was one of the events that opened the venue's Darmstadt series, which pairs new and old boundary-crossing music and art over the month of June.

Coming up, Matt Mottel (Issue's artist-in-residence) brings his jazz duo Talibam! to the venue for a free performance on Wednesday, June 9th. On Friday, June 11th, composer and tape artist William Basinski presents his piece "Vivian and Ondine" at a free show at 110 Livingston (Issue's new being-remodeled space).

Man Forever (Kid Millions from Oneida's new composition for multiple rock drummers) performs with composer/musicians Elliott Sharp, Zeena Parkins, Frank Vigroux and Hélène Breschand on June 25th. Tickets are on sale. Man Forever have a new record almost out, and the project will be touring this summer.

The self-titled debut - two monolithic, hypnotic improvisations for arrays of carefully tuned drums- is due out [June 22nd] in an edition of 300 LPs featuring hand-pulled screens on recycled record jackets from Jagjaguwar vinyl imprint St. Ives. The touring quintet of Kid Millions, YEAH YEAH YEAHS drummer Brian Chase, Oneida cohort and KNYFE HYTS drummer Shahin Motia, drummer Allison Busch of AWESOME COLOR, and SIGHTINGS bassist Richard Hoffman, will be augmented by local percussionists in each city.

(Oneida has a new record, Absolute II , due too.)

Man Forever plays tonight (June 8th) at the Tank with Dump (James McNew of Yo La Tengo), M&M and the New York debut of the Sloppy Heads (who have a new Kid Milions-produced 7", First Gasp, which you can download here as a ZIP). That show has tickets on sale.

Man Forever also headline a Monster Island show on Friday, June 11th.

The night after Man Forever at Issue - Zs, who just put out a new record, play Issue with sound/multimedia artist David Linton (on Saturday, June 26th).

Separate from Darmstadt is the venue's ISSUE Project Room's Sunday Concerts in the Courtyard series that'll be bringing a Sunday, June 27th lineup of Omar Souleyman (who plays Central Park the day before with Tinariwen) and CSC Funk Band (featured here) to the Old American Can Factory courtyard. Tickets are on sale. The other shows in that series are posted below.

On top of all that, Issue will be participating in the two-venue, 65th-birthday celebration for improv legend Anthony Braxton (father of Tyondai from Battles) happening on June 18 and 19th. It's at (Le) Poisson Rouge on the 18th and Issue on the 19th. Details, tickets links and video are below.

The full Issue/Darmstadt schedule, video from Zs' Gulf Coast benefit show at Shea Stadium on June 2nd, and more are posted below...

Continue reading "Darmstadt continues @ Issue Project Room, Man Forever, Zs, James McNew, Omar Souleyman & Anthony Braxton's birthday"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Zs - Acres of Skin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zs - Diamond Terrifier (Zebrablood remix) (MP3)

Avant-garde band Zs are celebrating their new LP New Slaves (out now on Social Registry) with a show at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn tonight (5/11), and they've brought along a pretty amazing cast of characters to pad the show. Kicking off at 8PM, the Brooklyn band will be joined by noise collective Excepter, guitar god Mick Barr and synth band Silk Flowers with river-dredging vocals, in addition to Dutty Artz DJs Matt Shadetek & Lamin. Tickets are still available.

It's one of two NYC shows on the calendar for Zs, with the second taking place June 26th at Issue Project Room with david linton: bicameral research sound & projection system.

New Slaves marks Zs' first full-length LP on Social Registry, after dropping their Music of the Modern White EP on the label last year. The band recently debuted the track and a video for "Acres of Skin". Download that track above, and check out its video below.

The band also sent along an exclusive new remix of their song "Diamond Terrifier" done up by Zebrablood of Excepter (who play their show tonight). The result is a 12-minute dancefloor-from-hell take on the breathy 13-minute drone-like original; don't listen alone with the lights off.

That song figures into the band's plans for future, which include a record of New Slaves remixes with contributions expected from Brian Degraw (Gang Gang Dance), Gabe Andruzzi (The Rapture), Genesis P-orridge (Throbbing Gristle/Psychic Tv) Jim Thirwell (Foetus), Dutty Artz DJs, Zebrablood (Excepter) and others. They plan on touring Europe in late July/early August.

More on what's in the works for Zs and their sax player/community-mover-and-shaker Sam Hillmer (straight from Sam's mouth) - including the last concert of the Real Bushwick/Bushwick Real series on June 4th with Janka Nabay, nine11thesaurus and more, and another Maze, which he says is being planned for fall 2011, and will be constructed of chain link fences outside - is posted below...

Continue reading "the Zs record is out - MP3, a new remix, show tonight w/ Excepter & other dates & Sam Hillmer news"

photos by Zach Dilgard

host Tony Conrad

"After winning a bid for a 20 year, rent-free lease in downtown Brooklyn, ISSUE Project Room celebrated its victory [on Tuesday] with a benefit at Santos' Party House in Chinatown. A crowd of electronic music connoisseurs took in the sounds of David Linton, Alex Waterman, Charles Cohen, Fair Use Trio, Moby plus many others. The evening was hosted by all-round genius artist and avant-garde pioneer, Tony Conrad.

Since 2003 Project Room has provided a leading-edge performance art space dedicated to experimental music, filmmaking, reading, and sound installation. Currently located at The Can Factory in Gowanus, it will soon take over a stunning 4800 square foot landmark theatre at 110 Livingston Street. [Barely Brooklyn]

More pictures from the benefit below...

Continue reading "Moby, Tony Conrad & others @ the Issue Project benefit @ Santos Party House, NYC - pics"