photos by Rachel Carr, words by BBG

Audacity @ the FYF Fest Fan Appreciation Day in May

What are you doing over Labor Day weekend? Beach? ATP New York? Black Army Jacket? Chances are that if you live in LA and like your indie peppered in with a bit of stoner doom and hardcore, that you'll be at FYF Fest on September 4th at Los Angeles State Historic Park. The event will feature performances from The Rapture (who recently played a surprise show at Union Pool), Panda Bear (who is playing Governor's Island), Sleep (who play ATP the day before and NYC a few days later), the return of Unbroken (wow), !!! (who also play a Pool Party), 7 Seconds, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (who isn't retiring, is playing Siren), Screaming Females (them too), Aerial Pink's Haunted Graffiti (on tour now), Titus Andronicus... the list goes on and on.

Full lineup is below and early bird tickets ($5 cheaper) are still available, with regular sale and VIP tickets up as well.

On May 8th, FYF Fest held a Fan Appreciation Show at the Glasshouse in Pomona, and in two other locations that were right next door (including the Glass House Record Store). BV LA correspondent Rachel Carr was there. Her pictures from that show along with the full FYF Fest lineup, videos and more, below...

Continue reading "full FYF FEST 2010 lineup (Panda Bear, Unbroken, !!!, Sleep & tons more) +++ pics from Fan Appreciation"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Mary Halvorson & Weasel Walter - Lapis Lazuli Nights (MP3)

Weasel Walter @ Bug Jar, Rochester, NY, 9/21/08 (photo by Joe Tunis)

"I'm hard-pressed to find contemporary free jazz that I can relate to. I want to hear really violent fucked-up free jazz records, and I don't hear anybody else makin' 'em, so I make 'em myself." -[Weasel Walter in L.A. Record]

Drummer/composer/improviser Weasel Walter is visiting Bard College Thursday (3/5) to give a video lecture on "the NYC No-Wave sound, complete with rare footage and audio from bands involved in the movement." (Walter wrote an introduction to Marc Masters's book on the subject, No Wave.)

He then comes to Zebulon in Brooklyn on Saturday (3/7) for a jazz improv gig with NYC guitarist Mary Halvorson. The pair played together during Walter's last NYC stint in September. Expect a disquieting, dynamics-filled set that touches on both Halvorson's melodic debut CD, Dragon's Head, and Walters's tension-heavy drums.

Among the releases coming from WW's ugEXPLODE label is a possible Walter/Halvorson/trumpeter Peter Evans CD-R, out this summer. From MySpace: "i'm toying with the idea of putting out some stuff of that trio from our previous gigs, but haven't discussed it with them formally yet. there was a lot of video shot of two of the sept. shows, and we may release some of that as well."

Hardcore/metal group xBxRx, which features WW on drums, is currently mixing its next record, which Walter described as "some improvised tracks as well as songs...sonically rich and varied. totally intense, as usual."

The Flying Luttenbachers project is disbanded, but the group's punk & avant-jazz-filled second album, Constructive Destruction, featuring Ken Vandermark, Jeb Bishop, Dylan Posa, Chad Organ and Weasel Walter, is now up as a free download at ugEXPLODE.

All tour dates and live videos (including Sept 19, 2008 @ Zebulon) below...

Continue reading "Weasel Walter - a No Wave lecture @ Bard, Zebulon, other tour dates & free downloads"

By Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Mary Halvorson & Weasel Walter - Lapis Lazuli Nights (MP3)

(Former) Flying Luttenbacher Weasel Walter has been busy since the project's disbandment last November: from sessions with Sun Ra saxist Marshall Allen to 88BOADRUM and xbxrx gigs earlier this year to a neverending flow of free-jazz projects and one-offs, the Oakland drummer/multi-instrumentalist is constantly moving. This week he's coming to the East Coast for a string of improv dates with a rotating cast of collaborators.

Tonight, Wed Sept 17, Weasel Walter Trio - Weasel Walter (drums), Perry Robinson (clarinet), Reuben Radding (bass) - plays the Dabora Gallery in Greenpoint, with Zs, MV Carbon, Skeletons, Symbol and Dome Theatre.

Friday, Sept 19, he's at Zebulon, as a quartet with Lisle Ellis (bass), Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon) and Nate Wooley (trumpet).

Then, Monday, Sept 22, the Delancey in Manhattan hosts the Peter Evans-Weasel Walter duo, Jeff Gretz Group, and double-drummer act Marc Edwards-Weasel Walter group (Weasel Walter (drums), Marc Edwards (drums), Tom Blancarte (bass), Peter Evans (trumpet), Paul Flaherty (saxophones), Darius Jones (alto saxophone). Doors at 7:30pm, $7.

Earlier in September, Walter's label UgExplode Records released the vinyl-only Oculus ex Abyssus, a quartet recording with Walter and NYC trumpeter Peter Evans who appears Monday. Also released this month was a Peter Evans/James Fei/Damon Smith/Weasel Walter CD-R, and last April saw Weasel Walter and NYC guitarist Mary Halvorson (who appears on some of the out-of-town dates listed below) join on a CD called Opulence.

Walter also pulls drum duties with Polyvinyl thrash-punk band xbxrx, which is currently writing and recording a new full-length for spring 2009 release, as well as putting together a singles collection for January 2009. xbxrx.com on the new record: "[it] may be a good mix of 'real' sixth in sixes/wars type songs, experimental improvisation ala 'sounds', and some totally new craziness we have never tried before."

Check out the video Weasel Walter w/ saxist Aram Shelton below for a taste of his improv stuff. All dates are down there too...

Continue reading "Weasel Walter - 3 NYC shows, tour dates, new xbxrx"