by BBG

Void were clearly ahead of their time. Although the Columbia, MD band were short-lived and their output was similarly small, Void's negative blueprint were the catalyst for legions to come, signifying one of the first moments when the chaotic urgency of hardcore mixed with metal. Void's split with The Faith is a certified classic (get it if you don't have it already), but the band had little other recorded material available for release save for the Condensed Flesh 7" and a few appearances on comps like the seminal Flex Your Head. Until a recent house-cleaning/excavation at 3819 Beecher St in DC revealed otherwise:

While organizing the Dischord archive, we came across the 4-track of Void's first recording session. This was done with Steve Carr at Hit and Run Studios in November '81 and never released (though there has been at least one bootleg made from a cassette of the original mix). The master tape was nowhere to be found, so the tape was remixed by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara at Inner Ear earlier this year. It was like digging through a treasure chest! Hearing embryonic versions of what would become Void classics as well as songs that didn't make the cut made it clear just how driven this band was to capture their own sound.

Sessions 1981-83 features the entire Hit and Run session along with the first Inner Ear Demo (including the Flex Your Head cuts and the songs that ended up on the Condensed Flesh 7"), two out-takes from their second Inner Ear session, and a couple of live recordings including one that I think must be the last song they ever played.

Sessions 1981-83 was scheduled for release on 10/24 on Dischord Records but is currently shipping. Check out three versions of "Dehumanized" from November 1981, December 1981, and June 1982 that are all available on the release and are streaming below. Order your copy today.

Void still has one unreleased LP in Potion For Bad Dreams, which the band recorded for Touch N' Go before their demise. The LP is reportedly been shelved indefinitely.

Stream "Dehumanized" times three below, alongside some video.

Continue reading "Void releases "Sessions 1981- 1983" w/ unearthed tracks"

AMP it up! East Coast All-ages Music Summit

Time: Saturday, February 26 · 5:00pm - 11:30pm
Location: The Rotunda, Philadelphia, PA

An evening of panels, speakers, training, networking and live music designed for staff, volunteers, allies, and fans of all-ages music venues and youth music organizations.

Hear what your peers around the region are doing, learn how we can take collective action to advance the field, and strengthen young people's access to the tools of participatory cultural production.

Help us celebrate the release of our book, "In Every Town: an all-ages music manualfesto!" Bands Slutever and SGNLS are performing and Ian MacKaye of Dischord Records/Fugazi/Minor Threat will offer a keynote."

In somewhat related news, Daniel Higgs kicks off that previously mentioned 'Happy Hour' residency at Zebulon in Brooklyn tonight (2/21). The full residency schedule is below...

Continue reading "Ian MacKaye speaking at 'All Ages' event in Philly, Daniel Higgs kicking off Brooklyn residency"

Resolutely independent filmmaker Jem Cohen (Chain, Benjamin Smoke, Instrument) and special guests musician Ian MacKaye (Evens, Fugazi, Minor Threat) and John Cohen (That High Lonesome Sound, There Is No Eye) present an evening of screenings and discussion exploring folk, punk and underground filmmaking as forms of homemade expression.

Among the films shown as part of the evening are John Cohen's 1963 music documentary That High Lonesome Sound; Jem Cohen's Nice Evening, Transmission Down, a portrait of Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous; a short film of Patti Smith's cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"; never-before-seen outtakes from Jem's Fugazi film Instrument; and other surprises.

That event, "Film and the Folk/Punk Connection," is tomorrow (Wednesday, July 15th) at IFC Center 7:30pm. Tickets are available.

It's the first of three-part series with Jem Cohen at IFC. The second event, which includes Cohen's "documentary musical hallucination" Empires of Tin, will be on Tuesday, August 11th. The last, "Shorts, Rarities and Things to Come," will take place on Thursday, September 3rd.

More info on the event, plus an interview with Jem about his Fugazi documentary, Instrument, below...

Continue reading "'Film and the Folk/Punk Connection' w/ Jem Cohen, Ian MacKaye speaking @ IFC Wednesday + other movie dates"

Ian MacKaye & Thurston Moore in Brooklyn Heights Sunday (David Shankbone)

Aug 30 - Sonic Youth played McCarren Pool
Sep 12 - Thurston Moore & Lee Ranaldo played Fenders
Sep 14 - Thurston Moore & Ian MacKaye talked about books
Sep 15 - Glacial (David Watson, Lee Ranaldo, Tony Buck) @ LPR (tonight)
Sep 19 - Thurston Moore plays ATP NY
Sep 26 - Thurston Moore & Byron Coley discuss No Wave @ B&N Tribeca (7pm)
Sep 27 - Northampton Wools (Thurston Moore & Bill Nace) @ the Stone
Oct 13 - Northampton Wools open for The Dead C @ Bowery Ballroom
Oct 29 - 31 - a week of Noise curated by Thurston Moore @ Issue Project Room

Check Sonic Youth's site for more events outside the NYC area.

3:00 p.m. Ian MacKaye and Thurston Moore in Conversation. Two of the most influential musicians of the past 20 years--MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Evens) and Moore (Sonic Youth, Mirror/Dash)--discuss the parallel worlds of independent music and book publishing. Followed by Q&A. Introduced by Johnny Temple.

The whole schedule is HERE.

"The movie has obligatory interviews with Thurston Moore (keeping his promise to be in every documentary ever), Mike Watt, Brian Poole (giving Athens bootleg lords a shout out!) and a coterie of other luminaries including....Noam Chomsky (!?!?!)." [Chunklet]

In honor of Record Store Day, four videos below....

Continue reading "I Need That Record: The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store -documentary (videos)"

While looking for a picture of last night's Ecstatic Peace show, I found a picture of Thurston Moore and Ian MacKaye eating brunch...

* an Iron Maiden tribute at Mercury Lounge
* Martin Medeski & Wood came out with a new album
* Martin Medeski & Wood are playing Borders
* Natalie Merchant is playing Hiro Ballroom
* Kate Nash is playing Bowery Ballroom
* Kate Nash played Virgin Megastore
* Sia is playing Virgin Megastore

Did you see Sia on Conan last night? It was cute, but I don't have a video. Instead a video of Thurston Moore's November Jimmy Kimmel appearance is below. What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Wednesday?"

Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Evens, and co-founder of Dischord Records) (alive and well) is holding a Q & A at the Indie & Small Press Book Fair (Dec 1-2 in NYC)

Bring your questions regarding the parallels between the worlds of independent music and book publishing, sustainable models for truly independent companies, and anything else that’s on your mind.

2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 1, 2007

ALSO: Evens are on tour, Joe Lally is going on tour, Q & Not U are looking for live footage, and President (Harris ex-Q and Not U) is playing with Antelope (Dischord Records) at Glasslands in Brooklyn on November 27th. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "Ian MacKaye, Indie & Small Press Book Fair, Dischord tours"

"I am still alive," reports Ian MacKaye.