photos by Chris Doss, words by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "We Got the System to Fight the System" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "Pyramid Of The Moon" (MP3 EDIT)

Maserati

Though Jerry Fuchs is gone (but not forgotten), Maserati have soldiered on by adding all of Zombi (Steve Moore and Anthony Paterra) into the fold. Steve Moore (as a solo artist) also supported the great Maserati at Brooklyn Bowl on Saturday night, 11/13, as did the incredible Psychic Paramount. The same three bands play The Middle East in Boston tonight (11/15).

Maserati recently dropped their new LP Pyramid of the Sun via Temporary Residence Limited. The LP features some of the last recordings of Jerry Fuchs behind the kit and is out NOW. Two samples can be downloaded above. If you are on the East Coast, make sure and catch Maserati on tour NOW (Parlour becomes their opener starting Tuesday).

After the Maserati show, Brooklyn groups Midnight Magic & Punches performed at the dance party that took over the club/bowling alley after midnight. Chris stuck around for that too, so you've got pictures from both Saturday night Brooklyn Bowl shows in this post. More of them below...

Continue reading "Maserati, Psychic Paramount, Steve Moore & then Midnight Magic & Punches played Brooklyn Bowl (pics) "

DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "We Got the System to Fight the System" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "Pyramid Of The Moon" (MP3 EDIT)

Maserati have announced a string of US dates in anticipation of Pyramid of the Sun, the band's new LP due on 11/9 via Temporary Residence Limited. The tour, the first since the untimely death of Jerry Fuchs, will feature AE Paterra of Zombi behind the kit and will hit Brooklyn Bowl on 11/13 with The Psychic Paramount and Steve Moore (who also contributed to the LP). No tickets yet, but they should be on sale soon.

Maserati recently dropped another new MP3 from the upcoming LP via Pitchfork. Check that out above and dig on tour dates below...

Continue reading "Maserati announces 2010 tour dates (and gives another MP3)"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "Pyramid Of The Moon" (MP3 EDIT)

Maserati 2009

Shrinebuilder and Maserati have very little in common, musically speaking. One relies on bluesy/sludgy riffage and post-metal roar, while the other is more concerned with muscling you out on the dancefloor. Yet both have absolutely incendiary live shows and now, both have killer songs called "Pyramid Of The Moon".

I've been a long-time fan of Maserati's spacey kraut-rock dancefloor-FONK and I'm excited for new material which will come soon in the form of a limited-edition 12" for "Pyramid Of The Moon". The song, and alternate version of the title track from the band's forthcoming album (!) Pyramid of The Sun, is available in edited form, for the first time, above, and will appear in all its extended nine-plus-minute glory along with a remix by The Field on the 12". Preorder it.

The new LP will include some of the final recordings of Jerry Fuchs, whose untimely passing left the band and the Brooklyn music community shaken. The LP, mixed with Justin Van Der Volgen (!!!, Out Hud, TBD) and Temporary Residence Limited founder Jeremy deVine (Sonna), includes collaborations with Steve Moore (Zombi) and will hit store shelves on 11/9. Make sure and check that out, it definitely cooks.

And speaking of !!!, openers have been announced for their upcoming 2-night run at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Fol Chen and Midnight Magic open the 11/6 show. Onra and Pattern is Movement play support on 11/7. Tickets (including the 2-day pass) are still on sale.

Continue reading "Maserati MP3 from 'Pyramid of the Sun', Chk Chk Chk openers "

by BBG

Nic Offer and friends at Highline Ballroom (more by Ryan Muir)

!!! play the free Pool Party show on Sunday (8/15) with support from Lee Fields and the Expressions, The Strange Boys, and Future Islands, and yet that it somehow not enough; the funk-punk troupe is ALREADY itching to get back to Brooklyn (that's good news). Along with a veritable shit ton of US dates that kick off in early September, the band will play another NYC show on October 6th just down the street from the waterfront at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Ticket info is forthcoming.

The dates follow the release (Aug 23) of the band's new LP, Strange Weather, Isn't It?, their first since the Myth Takes LP from 2007. The album's first track, "AM/FM" recently surfaced as a limited 12" single, and is featured in the Black Dice-directed video below. A second, and more recent track from that LP, "The Most Certain Sure", is streaming below.

In related news, some of the final recordings from ex-!!! drummer Jerry Fuchs (RIP) will surface on the new Maserati LP, Pyramid Of The Sun, due on November 9th, 2010 via Temporary Residence Limited.

The sudden, tragic and unexpected passing of drummer Jerry Fuchs not only forever changed the lives of those that knew and loved him (a number that stretches into the tens of thousands by all accounts), but it immediately halted progress on a new Maserati album for which they had already begun recording. As one of Fuchs' final recordings, the band labored over its completion for the better part of a year. Afforded the utmost care and attention to detail, Pyramid of the Sun stands firmly as a celebration of Fuchs' legacy, and a testament to the ever-increasing brilliance of Maserati.

Mixed with Justin Van Der Volgen (!!!, Out Hud) and Temporary Residence founder Jeremy deVine (Sonna), Pyramid includes two collaborations with friend and tourmate Steve Moore (Zombi)... Closing the album is the bittersweet "Bye M'Friend, Goodbye," a motorik summer punk jam that splits the difference between Wipers and Neu! and carries the bittersweet distinction of being one of the band's finest songs, and the final track written and recorded with Fuchs.

If it's anything like the prior Maserati material, it will most certainly be worth a listen.

!!! dates, new track & video, below...

Continue reading "!!! expand tour (dates), add another Brooklyn show, stream new song (album out soon) ++ new Maserati LP coming too"

photos by Ryan Muir

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

Jerry Fuchs (RIP)

One month ago [as of December 8th], our drummer Gerhardt "Jerry" Fuchs passed away in a tragic accident near his home in Brooklyn, NY. While we are overwhelmingly saddened by his loss, we appreciate the outpouring of support and kind words from so many of you. Jerry's memory will always live through the hundreds of recordings he played on, thousands of shows he played and countless people from all over the world whose lives he touched.

As recently as this past July, we had been recording a new Maserati record with Jerry. While the future of our band seems unclear at this point, we will be hard at work in 2010 finishing the record as a testament to our dearest friend. Stay tuned for more updates... - [Maserati]

Maserati, while on tour with Mono, played Pop Montreal in October - not long before the sad passing of their drummer Jerry Fuchs. More pictures from their set, below...

Continue reading "Maserati (w/ Jerry Fuchs) @ Pop Montreal 2009 - pics "

Jerry Fuchs

"As the new millennium started gearing up, there was a obvious reason why Jerry started playing with all the DFA-affiliated bands (The Juan Maclean, !!!, etc.) as time went on: He was an invaluable monster on the drums that could recreate those motorik-like disco beats and make it sound human. Goddamn, the hair on the back of my neck stands on end when I think about it. Recent years saw him reaffirm his roots in Athens as he became the incredibly propulsive backbone to Maserati after they gave their original drummer the boot. And man, again, watching Jerry perform was always a treat. ALWAYS." [Chunklet]

It's been a week since the tragic death of Jerry Fuchs. A memorial service was held at Enids in Brooklyn on Thursday. The loft building he died in, 338 Berry Street, is going about business as usual. There are many Craigslist ads for spaces there. All of them mention the freight elevator as an amenity. This is the picture of the building from one of the ads:

338 Berry

What was Jerry doing at 338 Berry at the night in question? Well, this "AccesSoiree" benefit party was happening there...

The party advertised that there would be "DJ sets by fashion darling Judi Rosen, The Juan MacLean's Nancy Wang and more from New York's finest DFA crew to name but a few". The above-quoted Chunklet obit is one of the nicest I've seen, and as it reiterates, Jerry was a large part of DFA. Chk Chk Chk wrote this on their MySpace...

thanks to everyone who has contacted us with their love and support. we could never put into words how special a person jerry was and how much we loved him. we ask that you tell all the people you care about and are thankful for that you love them. we wish we still had jerry.

A member of Hot Chip got this new Jerry Fuchs memorial tattoo...

The first Juan Maclean video below (with a fake fight) explains the midi tattoo. The other video features a 16 minute live version of "Happy House" with Jerry behind the kit. Juan is DJing a benefit in San Francisco on November 20th. More details about that and both videos below...

Continue reading "remembering Jerry Fuchs (338 Berry, Chunklet, !!!, Hot Chip, Juan Maclean, a tattoo & a benefit in San Francisco) "

Gerhardt Fuchs grew up playing the drums in Georgia and went on to perform with bands that toured across the country, but it was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that he forged his reputation as a dynamic, driving drummer widely esteemed by his peers.

And it was in that same neighborhood, in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge, that Mr. Fuchs, known as Jerry, fell to his death on Sunday morning [11/8] in the elevator shaft of an industrial building on Berry Street. [NYTimes]

Jerry Fuchs, who played with groups including the Juan MacLean, Turing Machine, Holy Ghost!, !!! and Maserati, was 34. RIP

He recently came back from a tour playing drums with Maserati, who traveled with Mono. The tour included two nights in New York and an appearance at Pop Montreal on October 1st.

Juan Maclean wrote, "Jerry was one of my best and most loyal friends. He was hands-down the best drummer I have ever played with or seen for that matter. Jerry was with me from the start of The Juan MacLean, and we had countless adventures together all over the world. He was utterly sincere and fiercely loyal. During a particularly difficult time, while backstage in a club in Chicago, Jerry told me "Juan, I will follow you to the end of the earth and I will always be there for you." That was Jerry, the greatest drummer in the world, the greatest friend you could ever have."

As the NY Post reports, "Fuchs is the second Maserati drummer to meet a tragic end. In 2005, then-drummer Mikel Gius was run down and killed as he rode his bike on a Sacramento street." Mikel Gius was in !!! too.

Maserati clips, which feature Jerry's stunning drumming in a central way, and other videos, below...

Continue reading "Jerry Fuchs, RIP (drummer for Maserati, Juan MacLean, !!!)"

Maserati

"Such a great show. I have seen Mono a bunch of times so I knew what to expect and they delivered as usual but Maserati was fucking RIDICULOUS. I saw them a few years ago and I remembered them being good but nothing like what happened last night at [the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia]. Their drummer is an absolute machine and they were loud as fuck. Just driving bass and perfect drumming coupled with 2 guitars and lots of delay. It's seriously impossible to stand still while they're playing. Please go and see these dudes if you ever have the chance."
[The Bastardizer]

Mono and Maserati played the church in Philly before arriving in NYC for shows at Bowery Ballroom (Monday) and The Bell House (Tuesday). Maserati's Bowery set was taped. You can download it HERE.

More dates HERE. A video of Mono from the Bowery show, below...

Continue reading "Mono & Maserati played Philly & NYC... continue on tour "

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "Monoliths" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "Join Us, Mystic Sister / No More Sages" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Majeure - "Teleforce" (MP3)

Maserati are prepping to release a rarities compilation entitled Passages:

Featuring all four tracks from their blink-and-it's-gone limited-edition split LP with Zombi, as well as their remix LP (featuring The DFA's Tim Goldsworthy and !!!'s Justin Van Der Volgen), Passages is augmented with two previously unreleased tracks - the Moog-fueled meditative trance of Steve Moore's "Monoliths" remix, and the positively sublime emotional heft of "Do You Hear The Nightbirds Calling You?", all remastered from the original master tapes and packaged with eye-popping new artwork.

Also included on the Enhanced CD are two brilliant videos for "Inventions (Live)" and "This Is A Sight We Had One Day On The High Mountain."

That new LP includes the kick ass "Monoliths" as well as the previously discussed "Join Us, Mystic Sister / No More Sages" available for download above. Look for that LP to surface on merch tables during their stint with Mono which includes their dates at The Bell House (9/29, tix) and Bowery Ballroom (9/28, tix). All dates below.

Meanwhile, a member of Zombi recently signed with Temporary Residence and is prepping a new LP. Majeure, the nom de plume of A.E. Paterra, will release Timespan (featuring "Teleforce" above) on the label this fall with pre-orders kicking off on 9/1.

Full tour dates and those previously-mentioned videos are below...

Continue reading "Maserati releasing rarities, TRL signs Majeure - MP3 & dates"

photos by Teppei

DOWNLOAD: Mono - "Ashes In The Snow" (MP3)

The show, held at the acoustically spectacular New York Society for Ethical Culture, opened with the premier of Arvo Part's Symphony No. 4. A beautiful piece given life by the Wordless Orchestra conducted by Jeff Milarsky. It set a calm scene. Essential for the performance Mono was about to lay down.

The quartet, backed by a condensed version of the orchestra, played an hour plus set that quite simply defied my greatest expectations. Their regular sound is already unusually instrumental for a rock band so the inclusion of an orchestra was seamless and, for lack of a better word, epic. The 800 plus die hard Mono fans that had lined up around the block to get in were clearly transcended by the event. They four band members put everything they had out there. At one point the lead guitarist was on his hands and knees while a die hard fan hovered near by. Its an interesting experience, witnessing other people experience what may very well be their live musical apex. Even for someone like myself ,who may not have had an abundance of Mono exposure, the music that was created Friday night left me appropriately wordless. [The World in a Paper Cup]

Mono played two tenth-anniversary shows with the Wordless Orchestra in NYC: one at New York Society for Ethical Culture on May 8th, and a second at (Le) Poisson Rouge on May 9th. That review, and the pictures in this post, are from the first.

Mono will tour Europe in July, and then return to North America in September for a nearly month-long string of shows with Maserati. Those will include NYC stops at Bowery Ballroom on September 28th and the Bell House on September 29th. Tickets for the Brooklyn show are on sale.

More pictures and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Mono - 2009 tour dates w/ Maserati ++ Wordless show pics"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Maserati - "Join Us, Mystic Sister / No More Sage" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Zombi - "Spirit Animal" (MP3 Snippet)
DOWNLOAD: Mono - "Ashes In The Snow" (MP3)

Zombi (photo by Shawn Brackbill)

Zombi is a space rock duo from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, consisting of Steve Moore on bass and synthesizers and Anthony Paterra on drums. The group makes use of looping to create multi-layered compositions. They have toured with Don Caballero, Isis, Orthrelm, The Psychic Paramount, Daughters, Red Sparowes, These Arms Are Snakes and Trans Am.

Zombi does not f around. The proggy duo have scheduled THREE releases for the month of February... read 'em and weep Axl Rose.

First up is Spirit Animal, Zombi's poppin' fresh LP due on Feb 3rd via Relapse Records. The band is currently streaming snippets of a pair of tracks at their myspace and made one of those snippets available for download here... check out "Spirit Animal" above.

Zombi's second release is decidedly different... the Sapphire 12" will be released on Throne Of Blood (aka The Rapture's label). Look for that on dancefloors, in February as well.

Finally, Zombi have paired up with Maserati to release a split LP on Temporary Residence Limited, due in, you guessed it, February. The kind folks at TRL have made one of those Maserati tracks (and an intro) available for download. Check out "Join Us, Mystic Sister / No More Sages" above. Maserati will be embarking on a short East Coast tour, hitting Le Poisson Rouge along the way on March 10th. Tickets are on sale.

While we are on the Temporary Residence Limited tip, labelmates MONO have dropped of an MP3 from their upcoming LP Hymn to the Immortal Wind check it out above. Tickets are still available for their 10th anniversary show at The Society For Ethical Culture with a 23-piece orchestra.

And that's not all for Steve Moore... the Zombi multi-instrumentalist wears many faces, a few of which will be showcased in the coming weeks. Look for a solo Steve Moore to hit Connolly's with Future Islands and Anamanaguchi on Jan 16th, and then again at Cake Shop with Jonas Reinhardt and ARP on Jan 30. He's also in Titan (who have no shows scheduled at the moment) and Lovelock who play Jan 23rd with College, Anoraak, and Russ Chimes as part of the Valerie party at Webster Hall.

All Maserati, Steve Moore, College, and Anoraak dates (none for Zombi yet), below...

Continue reading "Maserati, College & Anoraak tour dates, new Zombi releases, Steve Moore shows, Valerie & MONO"