DOWNLOAD: Lee "Scratch" Perry - Santa Claus (MP3)

Lee "Scratch" Perry @ Central Park Summerstage in July (more by Tim Griffin)

Tickets are still on sale for Lee "Scratch" Perry's Highline Ballroom show on Sunday, December 13th (with Popo and Pace Won & Mr. Green). Lee's Narnack label-mates and fellow legends The Slits play the venue one night after (with The Sundelles and Sisters). I have a pair of tickets for each to give away; details are below.

The Lee Perry show is the kick-off for a one week US tour, the full dates of which are below with a very special video tour announcement from The Upsetter. "Santa Claus," a somewhat seasonal but not really very festive track from his 2008 Andrew WK-produced record Repentence (an album that Ari Up of The Slits makes a guest appearance on), is above.

Tour dates, video and contest info below...

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry touring in December (dates) - win tix to the NYC show, download a free Christmas song"

Quietus: What do you think it was about the recording environment that turned Cut into such a great record?

Ari Up: The Slits developed the Slits sound. To this day, no one sounds like us, no one. People trying to categorise the music has fucked us up over the years: "Oh, we can't label you, what are you?" It's... Slits! A totally new sound. We had no heroes. We had no one to look up to. It talks about Patti Smith in the book, but I didn't relate to anyone - I didn't use Patti Smith as my big hero.

Slits bassist Tessa Pollitt: It was just instinctive female music. We weren't trying to play like men. We were just being ourselves.

The Slits' first record in 25 years, Trapped Animal, came out October 20th on Narnack Records. The band's current lineup includes original members Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt with new members that include Hollie Cook, daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook. The book Ari refers to above is Typical Girls: The Story Of The Slits by Zoe Street Howe, a biography of the band that came out in August.

They're playing a short run of US shows in December. That includes a December 14th gig at Highline Ballroom. Tickets are on sale.

One night before that, fellow legendary Narnack Records artist Lee 'Scratch' Perry is scheduled to play Highline Ballroom (12/13). Tickets for that are still on sale too.

Slits album info, tour dates and a bunch of videos, below...

Continue reading "The Slits - new album & biography out now, December shows (dates) - NYC gig @ Highline Ballroom 1 day after Lee Perry"

DOWNLOAD: Lee Scratch Perry - Pum Pum (MP3)

Narnack is excited to announce the signing of "The Slits"... this pioneering all girl act is noted for it's influence on many of music's most acclaimed female musician's and was espousing on the riot girl ethic before most of the movements artists had even picked up an instrument.

The band is rehearsing new material now and will be returning to the studio for their first full-length album with all new material in over 20 years. Look for all the original members (Ari, Tessa & Palmolive) to be back in the studio for the new album which will start recording in February. The Slits will also be touring the US and abroad in 2009.

Also, Lee Scratch Perry's "REPENTANCE" has been nominated for Best Reggae Album of 2008. Oo-produced by Andrew WK and featuring Moby, seminal producer Don Fleming and drummer Brian Chippendale of staccato noise duo Lightning Bolt!. The Upsetter will be attending his first ever Grammy Awards ceremony here in Los Angeles on Feb. 8th. Be sure to tune in...

SURE he will.

For more Narnack, check out the pics from their CMJ 2008 showcase.

photos by Tim Griffin, words By Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Iran - "Buddy" (MP3)

Iran @ CMJ 2008

Iran (WITH Kyp Malone) will play a show at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn, TONIGHT (12/18). Also on the bill: Fakers and Lone Wolf and Cub (Ryan Sawyer of Tall Firs and Stars Like Fleas - not the metal band). Presumably, Iran will, uh, run... through tracks from their upcoming record Dissolver, due on Feb 3, 2009 via Narnack.

Back to CMJ for a second....before 2 Live Crew played, a Kyp-less-and-still-named-after-a-'rogue-nation', Iran, played a renamed-The Soft Pack-less (they cancelled) and Lee "Scratch" Perry-less (he cancelled) Narnack Showcase this year, at Santos Party House, with the Sundelles, Vaz and Restavrant. Check out the overdue pics from that show above and below, and note - that's Doug Anson that sat in for Kyp. That probably won't happen again though, as we're told that Kyp plans on playing many more shows with the band, including as part of a 2009 tour out of NYC.

In related news, Kyp Malone's other band TV On The Radio, is garnering accolades-a-plenty including album of the year from The Onion AV Club, and from everyone's favorite weirdo Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!. The Onion AV Club also cornered Santos Party House co-owner Andrew WK about his favorite record of the year.... Lee "Scratch" Perry's Repentance. Hmm... didn't he have something to do with that record?

In more related-to-Glasslands-tonight news, Tall Firs have teamed up with Awesome Color to play the Knitting Factory on Dec 19th (tickets here). Ryan Sawyer's other band, Stars Like Fleas, are recording a new record and have scheduled a show at Le Poisson Rouge on January 24th with Au (tickets here).

A whole bunch of pictures from the Narnack CMJ showcase, and tonight's Glasslands flyer, below...

Continue reading "Iran shows with (tonight) and without (pics) Kyp Malone, TVOTR is #1?, Awesome Color, Tall Firs, Narnack & stuff "

Lee 'Scratch' Perry @ Bumbershoot (more by Chris Graham)

As you can see on Ticketmaster and Ticketweb, Lee "Scratch" Perry is, not surprisingly I guess, no longer playing his previously announced shows.

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Iran - "Buddy" (MP3 premiere)

Iran has nothing in common with The Muslims.... I mean, except for the fact that the two (bands) are playing the Narnack showcase together with Lee "Scratch" Perry during CMJ at Santos Party House on October 25th.

Who is Iran? Add one Aaron Aites, one TV On the Radio (Kyp Malone), a dash of The Mendoza Line (Peter Hoffman), and a little bit from Grand Mal (Aaron Romanello) and you have a band prepping their third currently-untitled album for Narnack Records.

Produced by David Andrew Sitek (another member of TV on the Radio and producer of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Fever to Tell), the album is being recorded at Gigantic Studios in Tribeca and will be released through Narnack Records. ...Aites described the new album as "very hi-fi", and "more structured" and "fully fleshed out" than their previous two outings, Iran and The Moon Boys. He also said it's more lyric-based (in the vein of The Moon Boys), with material sounding "louder and grimmer." They're also planning a single release for "Buddy", but have no firm release date for that either.

OK, no release date yet... but we do have the track, "Buddy", right now. Download it above.

When Kyp Malone isn't playing with Iran, he could be busy controlling the weather or putting out one of the biggest albums of the year, or playing Letterman or touring.

In related news, Tunde Adebimpe (also of TV On The Radio) (and a movie star) & Kyp Malone are set to eat books with Department of Eagles, Paul Simon, Parkey Posey and Bobby Cannavale at Town Hall on Oct 7th. Tickets are still available.

No other Iran live dates that we know of at the moment.

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Lee "Scratch" Perry - "Pum Pum" (MP3)

Perry, scratching his chin. Photo by Andrew WK

For a 72-year-old man, he sure gets around. Lee "Scratch" Perry is playing that Oct 25th CMJ show at Santos Party House with Restavrant, Iran, Vaz, The Muslims, and The Sundelles as part of a Narnack Records CMJ showcase.

AND the (mad) man has lined up a second date the night before (Oct 24th) at Gramercy Theater. Tickets are on sale. Just to be clear, that's two NYC shows in two CMJ days for Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Perry recently released his latest album, Repentance, on Narnack in August with a lead single (download it above) and video entitled... ahem... "Pum Pum". The album is produced by Andrew WK (part owner of Santos Party House where the CMJ party is) and features Moby, Don Fleming, Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt) and.... Sasha Grey? Is that where the "Pum Pum" comes from?

More tour dates TBA soon. Videos below...

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry - 2 NYC shows during CMJ, MP3, video "

photos by Chris Graham

Lee Perry's new album 'Repentance' - out since Aug 19, 2008 on Narnack

Lee Perry @ the Bumbershoot Festival - Aug 31, 2008

Lee's only upcoming scheduled gig is September 8th at Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA, BUT he is listed as one of the artists playing CMJ this year, so stay tuned for exact details of an October live show in NYC (which may or may not be at Santos Party House on October 25th where Narnack band Restaurant is listing a show). Yes, that is smoke coming out of Lee's head. More pics from Bumbershoot below....

Continue reading "Lee 'Scratch' Perry - new album, Bumbershoot pics, CMJ"