sonic youth anthology film archies 2003

Watch Sonic Youth's 2003 Anthology Film Archives performance (never-before-seen video)

Yesterday was Bandcamp Friday and more months than not Sonic Youth have shared at least one rare item from their archives. (Sometimes, way more than one item.) This month, there was nothing from the band proper, but Sonic Youth have shared something else from the archives — video of their April 12, 2003 benefit concert at NYC’s Anthology Film Archives where they band performed an improvised set with Jim O’Rourke and Tim Barnes to accompany a series of Stan Brakhage films.

The set was released as the sixth volume of Sonic Youth’s private press series, titled SYR 6 Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui, but they’re sharing never-before-seen video of the show. Watch here:

While Sonic Youth didn’t release anything for Bandcamp Friday, a couple of the members did. Thurston Moore Bandcamp Friday shared “7​/​7​/​77”: “Recorded when Thurston Moore was hosting, archiving, and engaging with the subterranean global noise scene during its early-mid 2000s apex. Zac Davis was still a member of the notorious Lambsbread. The two connected through the channels of the East Coast/Midwest free-noise axis. The actual day of the recording, which was a mantra heads down swoop in the basement of 22 Round Hill Road Northampton Massachusetts, is lost to the fogs of dusted memory – its true organic providence. Zac released his own document of this event on his Maim & Disfugure CDR label in 2008. The recording here, from TM’s machine, has a more pronounced sonic prayer fidelity. Zac lives by his own sky juice rules which are no rules. The music lives forever.”

Meanwhile, the Lee Ranaldo shared “Hurricane Sandy Transcriptions (original demo)” which Lee says: “I am releasing my original 25 minute demo for my large ensemble composition Hurricane Sandy Transcriptions. Recorded at Echo Canyon West on a Fender Rhodes, it is the first full realization of the piece to come. I’ve always loved this recording, it captures my original effort to transcribe the sounds of the gale force winds that struck New York on that day in 2012, which flooded parts of the city and knocked out the power in lower Manhattan for most of the following week.”

Listen to the Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo tracks below.

Sonic Youth Album Guide