Hello Everyone,

Myself [Mia Clarke of the indefinitely-on-hiatus band Electrelane] and Sara Jaffe (formerly of Erase Errata) have co-edited a book called The Art of Touring. The book features artwork, photography and writing reflecting life on the road, plus a DVD of live footage. Contributors include Sonic Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Devendra Banhart, Electrelane, the Ex, Le Tigre, Explosions in the Sky, Jem Cohen, Tara Jane ONeil and many more.

The book is published by the wonderful Portland-based imprint, Yeti.

We are going to have a couple of events to celebrate the release of the book. The first will be in NYC on August 4th 2009. We will have a reading at Bluestockings bookstore in Manhattan from 7pm, featuring Sara Jaffe, Jem Cohen, Sara Marcus, myself and others. Then, from 10pm-2am, I will be DJing as one half of DARK HABITS at Bruar Falls in Brooklyn.

Any NYC-based people, it would be lovely to see you there!

Mia

The above-mentioned NYC reading & DJ sets are tonight (8/4) (not to be confused with the reading @ Union Hall) (or the Nick Cave one happening in September) .

Then tomorrow (8/5) at Bruar Falls:

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS reading series:
SARA JAFFE [ERASE ERRATA]
SUSAN HWANG [BUSHWICK BOOK CLUB]
AARON HARTMAN [OLD TIME RELIJUN]
SHARON VAN ETTEN 8PM

Portland, Oregon's Fontanelle Gallery is hosting an exhibition of photos from the book, which opens August 6th. The gallery is also holding a special event on August 22nd with Sara Jaffe, Tara Jane Oneil, and Julianna Bright (The Golden Bears). More info on the exhibit and event below...

Continue reading "The Art of Touring - a book w/ related NYC events (tonight) "

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"