by Andrew Frisicano

Forward-thinking group Skeletons are a frequent live presence around NYC, but record-wise, they've been quiet since the release of their 2008 LP, Money. In recent months, Skeletons have played out as the expanded Skeletons Big Band, switched their core lineup, and continued to put on great shows. In the spirit of curiosity, we e-mailed guitarist Jason McMahon for an update on their ongoing projects. He said,

So, Skeletons, eh? Due to the inevitable departure of long-time band member Tony Lowe, Skeletons is changing. In the midst of mixing and mastering at least two brand massive new albums worth of material from the last two years, including the promised concept PEOPLE (an album about specific people), as well as recordings of the 16-piece Big Band, we're also now rehearsing with a new organ player (Mike Gallope, a friend from Oberlin and member of Starring) and a new bass player (Pete Vogl, from Bow Ribbons). I expect there to be a new album coming out on Tomlab this Summer or Fall, and that will be PEOPLE.

We're playing on March 27th at the SILENT BARN, a venue we founded in 2005 and haven't been to in years, with sister bands Zs (of which Tony Lowe is now a member), and Extra Life (whose leader Charlie Looker used to be in Zs). It's all very incestuous. It should be a grand reunion/show down of bands that have so much in common that they're actively differentiable.

The Silent Barn show is also a CD release party for Extra Life whose new album Made Flesh is out March 30 on LOAF. Zs have a new album coming too. It's called "New Slaves" and will be released on May 11th by Social Registry.

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Asthmatic Kitty, K Records, Tomlab SXSW 2009 All Star Revue Mixtape (MP3)

Tomlab SXSW Mixtape Tracklist (mixed by Rafter)
No Kids - Prisoner of Desire
Fol Chen - Cable TV
LAKE - Blue Ocean Blue
Jeremy Jay - Gallop
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Old Panda Days
What's Up - Seasonings Greetings
Grampall Jookabox - The One Thing
Parenthetical Girls - GUT Symmetries (Deerhoof Remix)
Rafter - No Fucking Around
Desolation Wilderness - No Tomorrow
DM Stith - Thanksgiving Moon
Tara Jane ONeil - Believe

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone (Owen Ashworth) just finished playing a bunch of shows at SXSW this past week (his "HELL WEEK" TEXAS TOUR). If you're in Austin, you may have caught him last night (3/19) at Ms Bea's free Todd P patio party.

In April, Cftpa will tour Europe on the "'VS. CHILDREN VS. EUROPE' FULL BAND TOUR" in support of new album Vs. Children, out in early April on Tomlab. The record will be Ashworth's first new-material LP since 2006's Etiquette (see art and track list for the new record below). The label also just released a Casiotone "singles, covers, collaborations, & other rarities" record, Advance Base Battery Life, in early March.

Cftpa returns to the States in June/July for dates that include a Friday, July 3rd, Market Hotel show with Cryptacize.

The Donkeys, who sometimes tour as Casiotone's backup band (not sure if that's the case on any of the upcoming dates), played the BV day party on Thursday.

All tour dates, and Vs. Children artwork (by Heidi Anderson) and track list, below...

Continue reading "Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - 2 new CDs, Tomlab SXSW Mixtape, 2009 Tour Dates (Market Hotel)"

DOWNLOAD: Skeletons - The Things (MP3)

"With a sound that truly verges on unclassifiable, Brooklyn-based freak-niks Skeletons are an anomaly even at the venerable Tomlab label, which stables an entire herd of experimental artists. For a group to stand out as uniquely off center amid labelmates such as Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof is rather remarkable.

Fronted by singer/multi-instrumentalist Matt Mehlan, the fifth full-length album ["Money"] under the Skeleton's banner (third for the full group) features dispirate, seemingly incohesive musical undertones that are tenuously held together by Mehlan's R&B/pop croons. Fretboard noodling, sputtering drums and a menacing bass undercurrent comprise a confounding blend on "The THINGS," which segues unknowingly into "RIPPER a.ka. The Pillows," the latter sounding like Perry Farrell fronting John Zorn's avant-jazz band Naked City. [Lost at Sea]

The band formerly known as Skeletons and the Girl Faced Boys are playing a show with Extra Life, John Dwyer & Sam Hillmer (mems ohsees, Zs), and John Fell Ryan of Excepter tonight/Friday (1/2) at Death By Audio. The show was moved from its original location of Le Poisson Rouge. Skeletons will also take part in the "Shinkoyo Circus" happening at Roulette from Jan 27 to Jan 29, and in BAM's 'Sounds like Brooklyn' fest with a show at Zebulon on February 12th. Download an MP3 above. Listen to more songs at MySpace. All dates below...

Continue reading "Skeletons - MP3 & 2009 Tour Dates (DBA, Roulette, Zebulon)"