An image from Robert Longo's Pictures for Music (1979), which will be played alongside Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio...

Since 1993 the record label Table of the Elements has staked its claim on a massive enterprise, intending nothing less than to rewrite the history of American music in the second half of the 20th century, and beyond. Its projects have focused on musicians whose light shimmers outside the frames of convention, and comprise a vital contemporary archive of experimental, minimalist, improvised and outsider musics.

The Table of The Elements is caling it quits after eighteen years, and will go out with the three-day Copernicum Festival at Issue Project Room that kicks off tonight (5/12). Electric harpist Zeena Parkins, M2 (improv duo made up of Mission of Burma's Roger Miller and brother Ben Miller), Agathe Max, and electronic musician Ateleia will round out the first night entitled "TotE from A - Z". Tickets are still available. Agathe Max will perform selections from the silver string, which is due on Table of the Elements in September.

Friday night (5/13), " Free/Not Free" night, will honor Rhys Chatham's 1977 opus Guitar Trio with projections by Robert Longo and a performance from The Lords of Tinnitus (Robert Longo, Jonathan Kane, Robert Poss, Ernie Brooks, Zach Layton, Adam Wills, Colin Langenus, Bill Brovold). Text Of Light (featuring William Hooker, Alan Licht, Nels Cline), Jon Mueller, and Peg Simone round out the lineup. Tickets are still available.

Finally, the Table of The Elements wraps up their celebration on Saturday, "Drone x 4" night, with the previously discussed Stephen O'Malley solo show with Jonathan Kane's February, a Tony Conrad / Gastr Del Sol performance film, and Igor Cubrilovic. Tickets are still available.

R.I.P. to Table Of The Elements, but at least they're going out with a bang.

--

In related news, Zeena Parkins is also on board for the upcoming Undead Jazz Festival as part of Zeena Parkins and The Adorables.

Roger Miller also has a show coming up as part of the Alloy Orchestra who will "perform its original live score to the newly restored version of Fritz Lang's Metropolis" in Prospect Park this summer.

Stephen O'Malley also has a show coming up in Pennsylvania.

The Table of the Elements fest lineup in list format, below...

Continue reading "the final Table of the Elements Festival is this week @ IPR, Alloy Orchestra plays Prospect Park this summer"

by BBG

Stephen O'Malley on stage with Sunn O))) and Boris (more by Greg Cristman)

"Sunn O))) is on a break. We've been so for about a year now. We did a lot from 2007 to last year. Five tours supporting the album, a hundred shows in a single year I think, which is a lot. We don't really want to become a touring band. Greg said something really funny about it once: 'We're not gonna turn into High on Fire!'. Sunn O))) focuses on irregularity, so when you're taking the irregularity from it, you're kind of sabotaging it. But we're curating a line-up in April at Roadburn festival in Holland, though. We've got Winter playing, Keiji Haino, Corrosion of Conformity, Trap Them, and a bunch of death metal bands. It's going to be amazing, actually, a real mix of old and new acts. We'll be playing too, of course." - Stephen O'Malley:

The above quote comes from a recent interview with Stephen O'Malley done by The Quietus. And while O'Malley doesn't have any current US dates with sunn O))), he DOES have solo dates scheduled including one in Pennsylvania and one on May 14th at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn.

The NYC show is the third night of "the final" Table of The Elements Festival where Stephen will share a bill with Jonathan Kane's February, Helen Money, and Igor Cubrilovic. Stephen describes his solo set as "Primitive, minimal & loud guitar." Mission of Burma's Roger Miller also told us earlier this year that his M2 project would be playing the same fest. Stay tuned for more details (the venue is currently not listing it yet).

Stephen O'Malley recently dropped an LP as part of Aethenor, his project with Daniel O'Sullivan (Ulver, Mothlite, Guapo), Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver) and Steve Noble (N.E.W., Company, etc.). Stream portions of En Form For Bla on the Midheaven distro site.

All tour dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))) schedules shows including the "final" Table of the Elements Fest"

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Greg Cristman

"It started its show, as usual, with a 20-minute censing of dry ice and the recorded chants of Gyuto monks. Then the band started its march of long, long notes, played by guitar and bass and a little bit of keyboard. The members played through the pieces in unison, without a drummer, so slowly and loudly that small discrepancies of timing produced dissonances that worked like sonar drills on your guts." [NY Times]

It was hot. DAMN HOT. Add to that soupy air from the blasting fog machines, a room packed with people, and the walls were literally dripping with condensation. Nevertheless sunn O))) hit the stage to a packed Brooklyn Masonic Temple on 9/22. As expected, Attila Csihar performed with the band, with costumes varying from a mirrored statue of liberty with laser fingers (sounds weird, but it worked) to a winter demon. Sunn O))) did venture into clean and simple tones, with assistance from a keyboard and trombone, but the full stacks of vibrating low-end were the order of the night for the duo of Greg Anderson and Stephen O'Malley.

"When we first started we thought of it as a studio project," Anderson says. "We had no intention of playing live. But we discovered [that] to really capture what Sunn O))) was about, that physicality of sound we were getting off on, it can't be produced on CD or vinyl. We had to do it live. There's no substitute for volume." [Metro Pulse]

Sunn O))) is still on the road with Eagle Twin, but for this special event at the Masonic Temple, they were also joined by the mighty Pelican and Earth. Pics from those bands are to come, but for now you can see some more from Sunn O))), and a couple of videos, below...

Continue reading "Sunn O))) @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple in NYC - pics & video "

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Eagle Twin - "Murder Of..." (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: sunn O))) - "It Took The Night To Believe" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Earth - "Omens And Portents I : The Driver" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: It's Casual - "The Pantry" (MP3)

sunn O))) rattling the Knit. it closed (sort of) soon after. Coincidence? (Damien Neva)

As previously prophesized, sunn O))) have announced a date at Brooklyn Masonic Temple on Septmber 22nd. Tickets are on sale. Exciting, no doubt, but what's AS exciting is that much like last year's Shoshin/GrimmRobes show at Knitting Factory (with Thou and Tony Conrad), the band has brought some exciting support along from the ride: Earth & Eagle Twin!

Earth, who recently reissued their Radio/Live LP on Southern Lord, currently has one other date on their schedule, July 24th in Seattle at the Capital Hill Block Party. Members of Earth (as well as Burning Witch) are also involved in Master Musicians of Bukkake, who released Totem One on Conspiracy in May.

So just who is Eagle Twin? Eagle Twin contains one Gentry Densley of Iceburn fame, who also recently did time with sunn-er Greg Anderson in Ascend. The band is releasing their debut LP The Unkindness Of Crows via Southern Lord on July 21st, and have dropped off a ferocious new sample in the form of "Murder Of..." available for download above. Eagle Twin, who made their presence felt at SXSW, is scheduled to join sunn O))) on all North American dates (below).

In other Southern Lord news, recent signees Black Cobra will release Chronomega, their new LP on Sept 29, 2009. Featuring production by Billy Anderson and boasting a cover by southern sickos BuzzOv*en, the band is currently streaming "Negative Reversal" on their myspace.

Meanwhile, another band that shared many stages with Eagle Twin during SXSW, It's Casual, has scheduled an east coast show at Union Pool for August 23rd supporting the mad magicians of Wizardry.

Full tour dates for sunn 0))) & Eagle Twin, It's Casual, and KTL are below, as well as a couple for the reunited Thor's Hammer (featuring Stephen O'Malley)...

Continue reading "sunn O))) & Eagle Twin - 2009 tour dates (Brooklyn w/ Earth)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Khanate - "Wings From Spine" (MP3 Excerpt)
DOWNLOAD: Grey Machine - Vultures Descend (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Outlaw Order - Siege Mentality (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Millions - "Lest the Professor Catches Fire"(MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Orphan - "Bogman"(MP3)

Hmm.... who's guitar rig could this be?

In his own special way, Stephen O'Malley dropped a bunch of news on his upcoming projects via a detailed discography. SOMA posted the following unreleased, unannounced records:

SUNN O)))
Che (SUNN O))) & Pan Sonic do a Suicide cover, pic 10" 2009)
Dimensions (TBA) (2xCD & 2xLP 2009)

Æthenor
Faking Gold & Murder (CD & LP 2008)

Khanate
Clean Hands Go Foul (LP & Picture Disc 2008, CD & CD Japan 2009)

So, TWO new sunn o))) records, a Khanate, AND an Æthenor record! We knew that sunn 0))) was working on a new record, but a quick search turned up that Blast First (Petite) will drop that sunn 0))) and Pan Sonic pic 10". On further review, Æthenor's website reveals the following:

David Tibet sings and contributes lyrics on the forthcoming Æthenor album; other guests are Kristoffer Rygg (Ulver) and long time Æthenor collaborator Alexander Tucker [who just played ATP].

Tentatively titled 'Faking Gold and Murder' from a line in the text, Æthenor is the project of Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley, Vincent de Roguin (Shora) and Daniel O'Sullivan (Guapo)

Most importantly though, what the hell is that Khanate record Clean Hands Go Foul?!? Stephen O'Malley had this to say:

The long lost 4th KHANATE album Clean Hands Go Foul will finally emerge later this year. This was recorded directly after the Capture & Release album at Bisi Studio Brooklyn February 2005.

James Plotkin, bassist for Khanate, posted one unreleased song excerpt to his website, "Wings From Spine" which is downloadable above. Will "Wings" appear on Clean Hands Go Foul? Who knows, but in the meantime prepare for the thundering evil doom of the mighty Khanate! On a related note, Plotkin's Khlyst, is taking orders for Chaos Live, a multicamera live DVD shot at Hydra Head's CMJ show in 2006. While you're there, pick up Boris's limited-to-1000 Floorshaker 12".

Mastodon's Brent Hinds had a little run-in with King Khan over the weekend, and while we have heard King Khan's side of the story, ridiculous pictures included, we haven't heard a peep from Brent Hinds. My thoughts echo that of one astute Blabbermouth reader: "The real victim here is the beer". Brann Dailor of Mastodon was recently interviewed by Metal Injection.

Justin Broadrick (Jesu, ex-Godflesh) dropped a bombshell of sorts.... a new project, Grey Machine, featuring Aaron Turner (Isis), Diarmuid Dalton (Jesu), and Dave Cochrane (Transitional)! From the upcoming album Disconnected, the band posted "Vultures Rise" available for download above!

Crom is back on the west coast, but evidence from their east coast killing spree is popping up all over the net. Check out pics from their show in Worcester, MA at Return To The Pit, an interview with a shirtless Crom at Vice magazine, as well as audio (and video below) from their appearance at WFMU.

Crom Live at WFMU, Mayhem, Amon Amarth, Baroness, Tweak Bird, Bison BC and more below.....

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (09/30/08)"

by Black Bubblegum

KTL is a group consisting of Stephen O'Malley (SunnO)))) & Peter Rehberg (Pita), formed to create the music for a theatre production entitled Kindertotenlieder by Gisele Vienne & Dennis Cooper. The production was premiered in Brest, France in March 2007. The duo have also played other shows not associated with the Kindertotenlieder production. [Wikipedia]

The photo above is Banks Violette's "SunnO))) / (Repeater) Decay / Coma Mirror" from the exhibit @ The Saatchi Gallery in London, England.

Stephen O'Malley (Sunn O))), Khanate, Lotus Eaters, etc) & Peter Rehberg (Pita) will bring their experimental dark ambient project KTL to the Knitting Factory in NYC on May 21st - part of a five date North American Tour. A European leg of the tour will precede it, including seven nights of performances of the theatrical production "Kindertotenlieder", the score of which formed the basis for KTL.

Gear up for the show by checking out some of KTL's other "live aktions" via a podcast of performances from 2007 (and beyond?). You can also listen at MySpace. And check out a video, and all tour dates, below....

Continue reading "KTL (Stephen O'Malley & Peter Rehberg) Tour Dates (Knitting Factory), performing "Kindertotenlieder" in Europe"