by Andrew Frisicano

NY EYE & EAR FEST II - JULY 9 - 12, 2009!
4 DAYS - 3 VENUES - 2 BOROUGHS
Knitting Factory & 92Y Tribeca in Manhattan & Death By Audio in Brooklyn
Pendu presents: NY Eye & Ear Fest II ... a massive 4-day New Music and Arts Fete showcasing some of the most exciting bands, artists, and filmmakers currently living and working here in NYC. In addition, NYE&E assembles a Record Fair featuring NYC-based Record Labels and Vendors selling LPs, CDs, 7''s, cassettes, lathes, comics, zines, stickers, and art prints.

The fest is a part II to the December event of the same name. The Fest's four days of music kick off at the Knitting Factory on July 9th. The bands there include Grooms, Liturgy and Love Like Deloreans (to name a few) with headliners Nymph and Neg-Fi. The fest returns to the Knit on Friday, July 10th, for a show with Magik Markers, Child Abuse and more. In addition to the venue's two floors of music, its already-creepy basement will be turned into a "Video Art Installation and a 7-hour Continuous Drone Room."

The Fest then switches to the 92YTribeca on Saturday for a concert and a free record fair. Also at 92Y will be a program called "Women of NYCinema," with films and music from Sarah Lipstate (aka Noveller), Liz Wendelbo, Rachel Blackwell and Dirty Churches. The vendors range from big names like Matador Records to the recently featured Journal of Popular Noise to notable jazz label ESP-Disk.

The fest's final, fourth day moves to Brooklyn for a closing party at Death by Audio. That lineup includes Murdertronics, Team Robespierre, Talibam!, Total Abuse and Drunkdriver.

Tickets for Thursday, Friday, and a variety of Saturday packages are available.

Separate from the festival, on Thursday, July 9th the 92YTribeca will screen filmmaker Brendan Toller's I Need That Record, a documentary about the problems facing record stores around the country. It will be the NYC premiere of the movie that was getting some attention already all the back on Record Store Day 2008. The movie includes interviews with Thurston Moore, Ian Mackaye, Mike Watt, Chris Frantz and more. Toller will be on hand for the showing. Tickets are on sale.

More details on the film (with video trailer) and the Ear and Eye Festival, below...

Continue reading "NY Ear & Eye Fest II - shows & record fair this weekend @ KF, DBA & 92Y Tribeca (also screening 'I Need That Record')"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Felt Letters (feat. Ian Svenonius)- Let's All Dream (MP3)

The Journal of Popular Noise is a semi-annual audio magazine inspired by the traditions of pop music, printed periodicals, and the delight of a finely crafted artifact.

Within the package are 3 issues, each in the form of 7" vinyl records. Every issue conforms to the same prescribed editorial structures but is composed by a different artist or group. This set contains issues 13-15 featuring (respectively) Andrew W.K., Ian Svenonius, and Walker & Cantrell. The packaging folds out to a beautiful letter-pressed poster containing information about the Journal, the musicians, and the compositional process.

The Journal's fifth three-7" collection ships out August 1st (there'll also be a zine edition, with additional photos and writing). On Tuesday, July 7th, JPN will have a release party at Santos Party House with contributors Andrew W.K., in his first "spoken word" performance, and comedy duo Walker & Cantrell, as well as TV Baby and Jayson Green. Tickets are on sale.

The one contributor not at the party, Ian Svenonius, is represented above with his song "Let's All Dream." The track finds Svenonius with Felt Letters, a band with Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty and Tom Bunnell.

At the core of the Journal are the "prescribed editorial structures" dictated by founder and editor Byron Kalet. The structures in question come as a diagram that maps out different points of repetition, tension and dynamics for the artists. As far as graphic notation goes, the map is fairly tame, and the notes make clear that the artists are free to interpret the instructions as they wish.

As a result, the score, which is included in the packaging, ends up providing an alternate way to interpret the music. The listener tries to trace the songs back to the cryptic picture. It should be said, the records come packaged in one ingeniously folded piece of letter-pressed card stock, which manages to delicately cradle the three discs and allow easy access to the liner notes inside.

The three contributions in these new issues weigh heavily on "spoken word" -- and past releases are a mixed bag of styles. The Spring/Summer '08 edition brought together the moody rock of Past Lives, the found sound of Bora Yoon + Ben Frost, and the catchy J-pop of Na + Junko, all working under the same guidelines.

We asked Byron Kalet to explain the motivation behind the sets and give a bit of background on the magazine...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Byron Kalet of the Journal of Popular Noise (whose new issue party is at Santos on Tuesday)"

Photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

The Journal of Popular Noise comes to Santos to celebrate their newest release! For this newest issue, the evening (Dec 15, 2008) will feature performances from
SHY CHILD, FREE BLOOD, PWRFL POWER
7-11pm
free with RSVP to first 100 who RSVP: rsvp@popularnoise.net

$10 for everyone else. Free Blood also plays a show tonight, Wednesday November 12th, @ 205. PWRFL Power was among those who performed (with Friendly Fires and others) at the BrooklynVegan day party at Pianos during CMJ. More pictures from that quirky-entertaining performance, and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "PWRFL Power - Tour Dates, Popular Noise party, CMJ pics"