feral pig

MAMIFFER & LOCRIAN ARTWORK, etc.

2012-02-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

Cvlt Nation has published a post today which previews all of Faith Coloccia's artwork for the Mamiffer & Locrian collaborative album. Go here if you'd like to investigate further.

In related news, the 2xLP, CD and cassette versions of that album will all be available for mailorder starting next week direct from the SIGE Records store, or from the other entities involved in this release: Profound Lore, Land of Decay and Utech Records. Also available from the SIGE store starting next week will be the new solo album from Jussi Lehtisalo "Interludes for Prepared Beast" on cassette, and the Utech Records Fest/KFJC 2xCD with full live sets from Mamiffer, House of Low Culture, Horseback, Locrian, William Fowler Collins, etc. Below is a clip from the Lehtisalo solo album. Thank you.

SELF-TITLED MIX

2012-02-13T09:30:00.000-08:00

Self-Titled Magazine kindly asked me to compile a mix for them, which is now streaming here. The track selection is focused around the feelings and inspiration related to House of Low Culture, though it isn't totally comprehensive. There were a good many things I would have included were the length of the mix limitless (and if I had mp3s of many albums I only have on vinyl)... Lull, Nurse With Wound, Pita, Everlovely Lightningheart, Daniel Menche, James Plotkin (solo and duo work), William Fowler Collins, Loren Connors, Lustmord, Nortt, Coil, Pan Sonic, Earth - all of these (and many more), have had an impact on the music of HOLC, or somehow evoke similar feelings for me with their music. Thanks to ST for hosting this, and I hope anyone who listens will enjoy what they hear and hear something new.

SPLIT CRANIUM TRACK + 7"

2012-02-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Split Cranium debut 7" is now available here, and also from Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles. More info and a download of the single can be found here. Full length coming next month... Larger versions of the artwork can be viewed here.
Thank you!

Sceptres to Rust by Split Cranium

PHARAOH OVERLORD, NEW RECORDS, ETC...

2012-01-31T14:58:00.000-08:00

Above: cover for Pharaoh Overlord's "Lunar Jetman" 2xLP by Tom Backström, and the inside spread from the Mamiffer and Locrian "Bless Them That Curse You" 2xLP by Faith Coloccia.

SIGE Records has some new releases out and/or on the way. The first is the new new 2xLP by Pharaoh Overlord entitled "Lunar Jetman". More info and pre-order for that can be found here. Next up is the Mamiffer and Locrian collaborative album "Bless Them That Curse You". The 2xLP version is a split release with Utech Records, the cassette version a split release with Land of Decay. More info on that one in the coming weeks. In the meantime you can hear tracks from "Bless Them That Curse You" here and here, and read about it on Hammer Smashed Sound here. Thank you.

Current listening: Nihill - III, jgrzinich/mnortham "The Absurd Evidence", John Wiese "Seven Wands", Svarti Loghin "Drifting Through the Void", Eleh "Location Momentum", Fushitsusha - 4, Katharsis "Fourth Reich", Sun City Girls "Carnival Folklore Resurrection", etc...

HOLC LP NOW AVAILABLE

2012-01-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

The House of Low Culture "Poisoned Soil" 2xLP is finally available for order. You can pre-order it from the Feral Pig webstore here. It's also available for order from the patient and persistent Taiga Records here. The CD version is also currently available from the above mentioned FP webstore, and both formats should be available in shops in the not too distant future. Thank you.

NEW DRAWINGS JAN 2012

2012-01-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

Above: new pen and ink drawings for upcoming project.

Basic forms were generated tracing portions of original tarlatan monoprints by Faith Coloccia, then reconfigured and detailed independently. View original monoprints here.

Listening: v/a - Wallahi le Zein, The Ropes - 7", Cables "Variations on Electronic Forms", Old "The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak", Daniel Menche "Guts", Dead Can Dance "Spleen and Ideal", Burial Hex "Book of Delusions", Cindytalk "The Poetry of Decay", BJ Nilsen - Vinyl, Thou/Human Intruder - split, etc...

COVER ART SELECTIONS 2011

2012-01-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

Above: Some of my favorite album covers/packages from 2011...

Everywhere you look there seems to be a preponderance of lists for favorite albums, shows, etc, but album art and those responsible for it are largely overlooked. This is unfortunate as it's a creative realm in which a lot of great work is being done, especially in the more underground/left field sectors. This small exhibition is by no means complete - it represents only a small cross section of some of the the great sleeves I've seen in the last year, but it does include some favorites. It should also be noted that some of these were selected because of the strength of the package as a whole, not just the cover - seeking out these actual records to fully appreciate them is certainly something I'd highly recommend (for musical reasons as well!). While some industry folks are heralding the death of the physical record, I'd say that the art of the LP, 7", CD and cassette is more vibrantly alive than ever. Thanks to all of the artists collected here (as well as a great many others), for providing inspiration and further depth to the experience of listening to and enjoying the art of making records. Looking forward to all the great stuff that's assuredly coming in 2012...

From top to bottom (hi-res and back cover images provided where possible - click to enlarge):

Circle "Infektio"
Design: Musta Kirahvi. Illustration: Ville Pirinen.

Mamiffer "Mare Decendrii"
Art/design: Faith Coloccia.

Keiji Haino/Jim O'Rouroke/Oren Ambarchi "In a flash everything comes together as one there is no need for a subject"
Design: Stephen O'Malley. Cover image: Marco Fusinato.

Steel Mammoth "Radiation Funeral"
Design: Jussi Karjalainen. Illustration: Ville Pirinen.

Circle with Erkki Kurenniemi.
Design: Musta kirahvi. Photo: Martii Brandt.

Hive Mind "Elemental Disgrace"
Photography/design: Greh Holger.

Suburbanite s/t 7"
Photography: Arthur Tress. Design: Mark McCoy

Teitanblood "Seven Chalices"
Artwork: Timo Ketola.

Chris Watson "El Tren Fantasma"
Art Direction: Jon Wozencroft. Photo: unknown, courtesy C R Enock, Caminos de Hierro/FNM

Also wanted to acknowledge a few record labels who have consistently great packaging/design (and a lot of great music as well): Crooked Tapes, Youth Attack, Touch, Ideologic Organ, Type, Miasmah, ECM, Taiga, Norma Evangelium Diabloli, Utech, etc.

....and some of the music that greatly enhanced my life in 2011: Horseback - live, Swans - live, Caspar Brotzmann Massaker - all, Christoph Heemann - live, SQRM "Rodeo", Preterite "Pillar of Winds", Jessika Kenney and Eyvind Kang - live, Sunno)) meets Nurse With Wound "The Iron Soul of Nothing", Arvo Pärt "Kanon Pokajanen", William Fowler Collins "Resurrection" and live, Krzysztof Penderecki "Utrenja/Jutrznia", James Plotkin and Jon Mueller - live, Ascension "Consolamentum", Circle "Infektio", Utech Records Music Festival, Keiji Haino - live, Pale Chalice "Afflicting the Dichotomy of Trepid Creation", Thou "The Archer and the Owle", Aluk Todolo "Ordre", Tim Hecker "rave Death 1972", Daniel Menche "feral", William Fowler Collins and Gog "Malpais", " Aosoth "III", Early Graves "Goner", Elodie LP, Craft "Void", Hive Mind "Elemental Disgrace", Maryanne Amacher "Sound Characters", Oxbow - live, Converge - live, etc...

SPLIT CRANIUM 7"

2011-12-16T11:10:00.001-08:00

Above: Artwork for the "Scepters to Rust" single by Split Cranium, coming soon via Hydra Head Records. The cover image (a Polaroid transfer), and label painting by Faith Coloccia. The B side of the single features a remix by Daniel Menche. The release date is a sneak attack. With ski masks. Preview track will be posted soon.

Holiday cheer: Ascension "Consolamentum", Lawrence English "Kiri No Oto", Sunno))) meets Nurse With Wound "The Iron Soul of Nothing", Thou/Leech - split, Peterlicker "Nicht", Hey Colossus/Dethscalator - split, Bill Orcutt "How the Thing Sings", H.P. Lovecraft - The Best of H.P. Lovecraft, Alan Moore - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 1969, Pharaoh Overlord "Lunar Jetman", etc.

HOLC "POISONED SOIL" CD AVAILABLE NOW

2011-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

Hello,

The CD version of the House of Low Culture album "Poisoned Soil" album is now available for order via the Feral Pig and SIGE webstores. Visit here for further details. A big thanks to Sub Rosa for their support in putting out this record - you can visit their site for more info on the release here. They have some sound clips up, and there's another more extended clip in an older post below this one. Here and here are some recent reviews for the album as well. The 2xLP version on Taiga Records is still in the works with an expected release date of early January.

Thank you.

ABCT and WFC COLLABORATION

2011-11-22T10:48:00.000-08:00

The collaboration with William Fowler Collins is now underway. Over a four day session in WA earlier this month, we worked on a number of foundational pieces with the intent of going back to these raw recordings later and building up finished tracks around them. I have no idea how long it will take us to finish an album from this point, but the initial results are promising and we're both feeling pretty excited and motivated by the results. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking out William's new album "The Resurrections Unseen".

Also: the Pyramids/Horseback album (for which I did some artwork and mixing), is coming out this Friday. Foxy Digitalis posted a nice review of the album here. Here is a recent interview I did with a Mexican website La Hoja de Arena - thanks to Alfredo Gallardo Avila for this one... They also did a full feature on a select group of Mexican bands which you can access here.

Rattling the leaves off the trees: Skepticism "Ethere", Pete Swanson "I Don't Rock at All", Vatican Shadow "Pakistan Military Academy", SQRM "Rodeo", Cindy Talk "Hold Everything Dear", Thou/Mohoram Atta - split, Hive Mind "Tunnel Birth", etc....

NEW JODIS, NEW HOLC

2011-11-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some clips from the forthcoming albums by Jodis and House of Low Culture. The House of Low Culture album is delayed (again), but is coming out sometime before the end of the year (CD on Sub Rosa, 2xLP on Taiga). Jodis album will hopefully be out by early 2012. In the meantime, enjoy the music....

...I've been enjoying: Caspar Brötzmann Massaker "Koksofen", William Fowler Collins/Gog "Malpais", Fovea Hex "Here is Where We Used to Sing", Hooded Menace "Never Cross the Dead", Aluk Todolo "Ordre", Kreng "Grimoire", etc

SPLIT CRANIUM DRAWINGS

2011-11-03T18:08:00.001-07:00

Above: drawings for the forthcoming Split Cranium album. Top and bottom sets are mine, middle two by Faith Coloccia.

Listening: Thou "The Archer and the Owle", Surface of the Earth - s/t, Ghast "Terrible Cemetery", Burial Hex "Book of Illusions", Caspar Brötzmann Massaker "Home", Circle "Alotus", Alice Coltarne "A Monastic Trio"...

DRAWINGS FOR URMF

2011-10-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

Above: Drawings and text treatments for the Utech Records Music Festival/KFJC live 2xCD compilation. The drawings were done at the request of Keith Utech, based off fonts and direction he provided. The comp audio includes live performances from Mamiffer and House of Low Culture with James Plotkin, as well as William Fowler Collins, Horseback, James Plotkin and John Mueller, etc. For more information on this release go here.

Also: The mixing stage of the Mamiffer and Locrian collaboration is now complete. Mastering date is set for Nov 16th. Assuming all goes according to plan we assume this means a Jan/Feb release. The first review for the House of Low Culture "Poisoned Soil" has been posted on Foxy Digitalis. The Old Man Gloom "Christmas Eve I & II + 6 + live in NYC" LP will finally receive an official release in November via Tortuga Recordings. It has been up to now available only in a limited test press edition of 50 copies.

PYRAMIDS/HORSEBACK: ATWK

2011-10-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Above: preview images of the layout for the Pyramids/Horseback "A Throne Without a King" LP + 7", forthcoming this November via Hydra Head. The release contains one new song from each entity, as well as collaborative 45 minute track, for which I did some mixing/editing. There will also be cassette and CD formats of the release, but as usual the vinyl will be the superior version...

Other news: the new House of Low Culture album "Poisoned Soil" has been delayed due to manufacturing hold ups - new release date is set for November 10th. Split Cranium, my collaborative band with various heroes of the NWOFHM underground, will have a debut 7" out late this year and a full length early next year. Jodis album is in the finishing stages... still... just a few important details to attend to. The Mamiffer and Locrian colaboration is nearly complete as well, but does not have a definite release date as of yet.

Sustaining intake: Arvo Pärt "Kanon Pokajanen", Circle with Erkki Kurenniemi LP, Avichi "The Devil's Fractal", "The Years Have Pants" Eddie Campbell, The Stuff, Early Graves "Goner", Pharaoh Overlord - new album, Hey Colossus "RRR", etc....

HOUSE OF LOW CULTURE, NEW ALBUM

2011-09-19T20:26:00.001-07:00

ABOVE: Preview images from the 2xLP layout for the forthcoming House of Low Culture album "Poisoned Soil". Hand lettering and photography by Faith Coloccia, design and additional photography by me. The 2xLP and CD will both be released on Oct 20th on Taiga Records and Sub Rosa respectively. Preview track coming soon.

FROM THE DUST...

2011-09-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

A Hydra Head ad from approx. 13 years ago. Small revelations in the details: no website address, fax number listed for our distributor, prices were low, demos existed, downloads did not, no email address, actual mailorder (you know the kind where customers sent their order through the mail...), most of these bands no longer exist, some of them still do.... Oh, and this ad was printed in an actual zine, newsprint at that. The ranks have dwindled considerably since then...

Late summer seasonings: Avichi "The Devil's Fractal", Haxan Cloak s/t, Pyramids and Horseback "A Throne Without a King", "The Invisibles" Grant Morrison, Skull Defekts "Blood Spirits and Drums are Singing", The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud "The Smell of Blood but Victory", Surprise!....

NEW DRAWINGS AUG 2011

2011-08-29T11:42:00.001-07:00

Drawings for an upcoming layout. One and two of a three part series.

Coming soon: Split Cranium.

Listening: Harvey Milk "A Small Turn of Human Kindness", Aluk Todolo "Ordre", Kreng "Grimoire", Techno Animal "Ghosts", Deatrhspell Omega "Diabolus Absconditus/Mass Grave Aesthetics", Shivkumar Sharma "Rag Madhuvanti/Rag Misra Tilang"....

COALESCE N.N.U.T.S. , etc.

2011-08-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

Above: images from the layout for the "Nothing New Under the Sun" CD by Coalesce, co-designed with James O'Mara. The release is several years old now, but I never posted images at the time the project was completed.

Other news: Mixing for the Mamiffer/Locrian collaboration is now complete. Mastering, artwork and production to follow shortly. The initial recording sessions took place at Electrical Audio in Chicago, engineered by Greg Norman. Additional production and mixing occurred at Avast! in Seattle, with Randall Dunn. Release date further info will be posted soon.

Good!: All Pigs Must Die - live, Jesu - s/t, "Empire of the Senseless" by Kathy Acker, Alex Barnett "Push", Phurpa "Trowo Phurnag Ceremony", Dark Castle "Surrender to All Life Beyond Form", Mika Vanio "Life... (it eats you up)", Circle "Infektio", Cloaks "Versus Grain", etc...

WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, NEW ALBUM

2011-07-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Above: Preview images from the forthcoming Wolves in the Throne Room CD/2xLP "Celestial Lineage" (Southern Lord, Sept. 2011). Art direction: Wolves in the Throne Room. Photos: Alison Scarpulla. The black bars with text on the front and back cover represent a separate piece of print that will fold around the jacket, so the photos won't be obstructed by any other graphic element or type on the jacket itself.

I worked on the custom text and emblems, and Faith Coloccia and I helped lay out both formats of the release. We also contributed some vocals to a couple songs on the album. Thanks to Wolves for inviting us to participate in this project!

Vashon Sound System: Godstopper - demo, Blut Aus Nord "777 Sect", Plain Ride "Oh the Flow", Steel Mammoth "Radiation Funeral", Rise And Fall "Our Circle is Vicious", Jesuit - discography, Ättestupa "1867"....

UPDATES AND UPCOMING

2011-07-19T13:56:00.001-07:00

Above: Photos of the final print/vinyl for Mamiffer/House of Low Culture/Merzbow "Lou Lou..." 2xLP, Cave In "White Silence" LP/CD and Helms Alee "Weatherhead" 2xLP. Also, preview images of Crone "Endless Midnight" CD layout.

All of the above design/illustration projects are collaborations between myself and Faith Coloccia. Michael Babcock at Interrobang printed and helped design the vinyl version of "Lou Lou...". The "Lou Lou..." album is also a musical collaboration between Faith and I, along with Atsuo/Fangsanalsatan and Merzbow. It is available here or here. The Cave In and Helms Alee albums are both out now and available from Hydra Head Records. Also out today (!) on Hydra Head is the new full length "Bermuda Drain" by Prurient. The Crone album (solo material by Jeff Caxide), is also out now and available here.

Now in the finishing stages are a couple other musical projects: the Mamiffer/Locrian collaborative album (to be released late 2011/early 2012 by Profound Lore, SIGE and Utech Records), and the House of Low Culture "Poisoned Soil CD/2xLP (from Taiga and Sub Rosa). Also nearing completion is a new full length from Jodis, and a collaboration between myself, Jussi Lehtisalo of Circle and fellow Finnish shredders. More on both as release dates and artwork are finalized.

For those of you interested in the ongoing debate surrounding illegal downloading and the repercussions on those who make and distribute music, Chris Cutler of the ReR label has an interesting take on the subject posted here.

....aaaaand love, best wishes and congratulations to friends Cory Murchy and Annie Salditt on their marriage!

Summer subsistence: Mamiffer/HOLC/Locrian - UM US/Canadian tour, Horseback "The Invisible Mountain", Russell Haswell "Recorded While It Actually Happened", Helms Alee - live, Stephen O'Malley "Romeo", visitors from dimension Oakland, Kevin Drumm "No Edit", Aldous Huxley "Brave New World Revisited", Aluk Todolo "Ordre", Elodie "Echos Pastoraux", etc....

HoLC/Mamiffer - tape II

2011-06-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

SIGE 10 - House of Low Culture/Mamiffer - split cassette #2
"Spoiled Fruits of the Kingdom (demo)/Cloey"

Made for the Mamiffer/HoLC US tour. Edition of 32. Package contains 1 tape cassette, 1 hand bound booklet. Further info:

Track 1 - House of Low Culture "Spoiled fruits of the Kingdom" (demo)
Track 2 - Mamiffer "Cloey"

HoLC on this recording: Aaron Turner, Faith Coloccia.
Mamiffer on this recording: Faith Coloccia, Alex Barnett, Aaron Turner, Travis Rommereim.

Art and packaging by F. Coloccia.

For ordering info please visit SIGE Records.

Mamiffer/HoLC: tour and recording.....

2011-06-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Van jams: Aura Noir "Hades Rise", Daniel Menche "Feral", Fugazi "In on the Kill Taker", Zomes "Earth Grid", Keelhaul "Triumphant Return to Obscurity", "Man in the High Tower" Philip K Dick, Liturgy "Aesthetica"....

Mamiffer/House of Low Culture US Tour: pt 4

2011-06-05T01:35:00.000-07:00

Mamiffer/House of Low Culture US tour begins in 2 days. Dates and details are as follows:

6/7 Minneapolis, MN @ Nick and Eddie Bar
w/ Pentacene, Dimanche

6/11 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Utech Records festival w/ Locrian, William Fowler Collins, James Plotkin, Horseback, etc.

6/13 Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
w/ Locrian, RM 74

6/15 Cleveland, OH @ AllGoSigns
w/ RM74, Harms Way Fayre (members of Keelhaul)

6/17 Toronto, Ontario @ Soybomb
w/ Locrian, Gates

6/18 Montréal, QC @ Casa del Popolo
w/ Locrian, Thisquietarmy

6/19 Hamilton, Ontario @ The Pearl Company
w/ Locrian, Electroluminescent

The HOLC sets in WI and IL will be collaborative performances with James Plotkin.
Mamiffer will also be working on a collaborative recording with Locrian while in Chicago.
Mamiffer and HOLC have prepared a new split cassette in conjunction with the tour.
Mamiffer and HOLC will be happy to see any and all of you that come to these performances.
Thank you!

Mamiffer/House of Low Culture US Tour: pt 3

2011-06-02T12:23:00.001-07:00

Tour poster by Faith Coloccia.

Mamiffer/House of Low Culture US Tour: Utech Fest

2011-06-01T11:21:00.001-07:00

Very excited for this part of the tour - Utech Records Festival! House of Low Culture set on this date will be a collaboration with James Plotkin.....

Mamiffer/House of Low Culture US Tour pt 1

2011-06-01T11:19:00.001-07:00

More dates and info to be posted soon...

HELMS ALEE "WEATHERHEAD" ARTWORK, etc.

2011-05-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

Above: LP layout for Helms Alee"Weatherhead", forthcoming on Hydra Head Records. Lettering and design by A. Turner. Paintings and design by Faith Coloccia. Lazer cats by Nate Johnson.

Also, to view the fairly recent Mamiffer Tumblr go here.

...and this stuff is great: Daniel Menche "Feral", Helms Alee "Weatherhead", Pauline Oliveros "Four Electronic Pieces", "The Invisibles" vol. 2 by Grant Morrison, K11 "Metaphonic Portrait", Teeth Engraved With the Names of the Dead - cassette, Vorum "Grim Death Awaits", Cave In "White Silence", "The End of Manhood" by John Stoltenberg, ....

"Lou Lou..." 2xLP AVAILABLE TODAY

2011-05-23T14:12:00.001-07:00

The Mamiffer/House of Low Culture/Merzbow "Lou Lou... in Tokyo" 2xLP is now available via the SIGE webstore. Also available as of today is the CD/DVD version of this same release (Daymare Recordings), the Japanese 2xCD import of "Mare Decendrii" with bonus track and expanded artwork, and the Everlovely Lightningheart cassette recently released on Dead Accents. The "Lou Lou..." 2xLP will be available in stores as of June 21.

"Lou Lou... in Tokyo" (SIGE 007, 2011)
On this recording:
Aaron Turner
Faith Coloccia
Masami Akita
Atsuo (Boris)

Track Listing:
Mamiffer w/Atsuo - This Land
Mamiffer w/Atsuo - Blanket Of Ash
Mamiffer w/Atsuo - Iron Water
Mamiffer w/Atsuo- Lilac
House Of Low Culture w/Merzbow + Atsuo - Mole Man
Mamiffer + House Of Low Culture + Merzbow + Atsuo - Lou Lou

4th side of the 2xLP includes hand etched artwork.
Jackets are letter pressed courtesy of Interrobang.
Also includes printed innersleeves.
Edition of 330 - 80 black, 250 clear.

HOUSE OF LOW CULTURE/MAMIFFER new cassette

2011-05-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

The long planned/long delayed House of Low Culture/Mamiffer split cassette has finally been produced to coincide with the recent and upcoming Mamiffer/HOLC tour dates. The tape features one new track by each band - HOLC: Perverted Scripture / Mamiffer: Silent Night. The covers were handmade by Faith Coloccia, using the original artwork generated for Mamiffer's most recent album "Mare Decendrii". It has been released by SIGE Records in an edition of 42 copies. The release has been or will be available at recent and upcoming Mamiffer/HOLC live shows, and as of now a few copies remain for mailorder. Go here for more details.

Thank you.

CAVE IN "WHITE SILENCE" LP

2011-04-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Above - LP layout for the forthcoming Cave In "White Silence" LP - due out May 24 on Hydra Head Records. Design assistance by Faith Coloccia, photos by Cave In. The album will also be available on CD and limited cassette editions.

...and a recent write up for HSS can be accessed here.

Recent highlights: Mamiffer/House of Low Culture euro tour and Finnish vacation/recording session, The Stargazer's Assistant "Shivers Void", Rättö ja Lehtisalo "UU mama", MMOB - live, Keiji Haino - live, Black Math Horseman - live, Circle "Infectio", Magma - live DVD, "The End of Manhood" John Stoltenberg, Black Mountain Transmitter "Black Goat of the Woods", "Safe Area Gorazde" by Joe Sacco, etc...

Tonight's show time...

2011-04-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

Contrary to the advertised listings, tonight's show (Mamiffer, House of Low Culture, Eyvind Kang & Jessika Kenney), will begin at 7 pm, not 9 pm. Thank you.

Mamiffer/Demian Johnston tape, Lotus Eaters 2xLP, etc

2011-03-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Out today: Mamiffer/Demian Johnston split cassette tape. New 18 minute track from Mamiffer (completed post-Mare Decendrii), comprised of organ, guitar, tapes and vocals. Mamiffer on this recording: Faith Coloccia and Aaron turner with Alex Barnett. 2 new tracks from Demian Johnston - guitar, metal desks, drones. Packaging: oversized tape box with 13 photo prints and design by Faith Coloccia. Released via Hydra Head Records and available through the Feral Pig, Sige and RTK stores. Limited to 110 copies.

Also available as of today via the Feral Pig webstore: Lotus Eaters "wurmwulv" 2xLP. Now on vinyl for the first time courtesy of Taiga Records, it includes alternate mixes of all 3 tracks from the original CD version, as well as an alternate mix of the track on the out of print Lotus Eaters 7" on Drone Records. The webstore has both the black vinyl version, and the silver vinyl which is sold out elsewhere. Lotus Eaters = James Plotkin, Aaron Turner and Stephen O'Malley. Paintings by Stephen Kasner, drawings/etched vinyl by Turner and package design by O'Malley.

Benefit for Japan: Mamiffer/HOLC/Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang

2011-03-29T12:36:00.000-07:00

A last minute show with Mamiffer/House of Low Culture/Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang benefitting relief efforts in Japan is now confirmed: April 5th at the Arabica Lounge in Seattle. If you are able to do so, please attend. Mamiffer will be debuting the newly expanded line-up (!), House of Low Culture will be playing some brand new material, and Eyvind and Jessika will be performing as a the magical duo they are. And it's all for a good cause....

Mamiffer digital and HOLC shirt

2011-03-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Mamiffer "Mare Decendrii" now available as a digital download - both MP3 and FLAC versions available. Also, new House of Low Culture shirt now available from the SIGE and Feral Pig webstores. The HOLC shirt will be brought along on the Mamiffer tour in Europe, on which HOLC will be playing a few shows. The Mamiffer album is available below for your convenience.

Thank you.

TEXT DRAWINGS FOR HELMS ALEE ALBUM

2011-03-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Currently enjoying: Final "Dead Air", Metallica "Ride the Lightning", "The End of Manhood" John Stoltenberg, Sunno))) "Monoliths and Dimensions", Helms Alee "Weatherhead", Discordance Axis "The Inalienable Dreamless", "Preacher" Ennis and Dillon, Kevin Drumm "Necro Acoustic"....

MAMIFFER "MARE DECENDRII" PRE-ORDER UP

2011-03-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

The CD version of the Mamiffer "Mare Decendrii" album is now available for pre-order. Interested parties may investigate here.

Thank you.

MAMIFFER GOES TO EUROPE

2011-03-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

This April Mamiffer will be heading to Europe to play some shows. The new record "Mare Decendrii" will have just come out a couple weeks prior, so the timing seems about right for such an adventure. To add to our excitement about the tour, we're also fortunate enough to be playing some shows with Black Math Horseman, Pharaoh Overlord, Ulver, Master Musicians of Bukkake, House of Low Culture, as well as participating in the Sunno))) curated Roadburn festival. Tour dates are as follows:

04/09 Leipzig, Germany w/Black Math Horseman
04/10 Dresden, Germany w/Black Math Horseman
04/11 Jena, Germany w/Black Math Horseman
04/12 Berlin, Germany w/House of Low Culture
04/13 Hamburg, Germany w/Black Math Horseman
04/14 Duisburg, Germany w/Black Math Horseman
04/15 Tilburg, Holland, Roadburn Festival
04/16 Koln, Germany w/House of Low Culture
04/17 Kortrijk, Belgium w/Master Musicians
04/18 Paris, France w/Master Musicians
04/19 Turku, Finland w/Pharaoh Overlord
04/20 Tampere, Finland w/Pharaoh Overlord
04/21 Helsinki, Finland w/Ulver

CHROMATIC music/art book

2011-02-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

Alarm Press is working on publishing a book entitled "Chromatic: The Crossroads of Color and Music" which will include contributions from Faith Coloccia, myself as well as many others. They are currently trying to raise funds to get the book printed (a deluxe 400 page hardcover I believe). If you would like to donate or want more info go here.

LOU LOU layout

2011-02-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

Above: Layout for Mamiffer/House of Low Culture/Merzbow "Lou Lou... in Tokyo" CD/DVD. Photos and design assistance by Faith Coloccia.

This music on this album is a live recording from Tokyo in March of 2010. The players on the recording are: Faith Coloccia, Aaron Turner, Masami Akita and Atsuo. Included are tracks by the individual acts as well as full collaborative pieces including all four musicians. The CD/DVD will be released on Daymare Recordings followed by a 2xLP version on SIGE Records, both in April.

Currently enjoying: Pauline Oliveros "To Valerie Solanas and Marilyn Monroe in Recognition of Their Desperation", "THB" by Paul Pope, "Breaking Down the Wall of Silence" by Alice Miller, Carlos Giffoni and Hive Mind "Claustrophobic Wreck", Helms Alee "Weatherhead", Lantlos ".neon", Eleh "Radiant Intervals", Susi-Unto "Puheluja Pimealta Puolelta", etc...

NEW MUSIC CLIPS, HOLC & MAMIFFER

2011-02-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

House of Low Culture has a new album in the works. This is a clip from one of the tracks in its formative stages. The album is mostly finished, but I'm uncertain as to when it will be finally finished and released. More on this matter as things become finalized.

Mamiffer has a new album entitled "Mare Decendrii" coming out March 15th via Conspiracy, Sige and Daymare Records. You can listen to a clip from that here .

02/01/11

2011-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Currently enjoying: Lasse Marhaug "All Music at Once", Pan Sonic w/Keiji Haino "Synergy Between mercy and Self-Annihilation Overturned", Skullflower "IIIrd Gatekeeper"....

NEW DRAWINGS JAN/2011

2011-01-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Above: Details from new drawings and test drawings for upcoming SIGE release.

Food for the new year: "Brave New World" - Aldous Huxley, Wovenhand "Ten Stones", Emperor "In the Nightside Eclipse" (all of it - on repeat), Throbbing Gristle "2nd Annual Report", Nicholas Dick "une belle journee", "The Chalice and the Blade" - Riane Eisler, Castavet "Mounds of Ash", Jon Mueller "The Whole", White Moth s/t, etc....

THE PAST IS THE FUTURE IS NOW!

2011-01-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

Below: An excerpt from "Frankenstein's Cadillac" by Alan Moore from the new issue of Dodgem Logic regarding the media phenomenon of science fiction and its direct relation to critical cultural and political events. Posted for those who may not have ready access to this fine publication....

"Outside of literature, the other media in which science fiction manifested were even more gloomy and unsettling in their concerns. William M. Gaines' terrific E.C. comics line would feature gorgeous adaptations of Ray Bradbury alongside memorable twist-ending S.F. that would sometimes deal with issues such as racism or nuclear holocaust, while on TV Rod Sterling's mesmerizing Twilight Zone would take a similar approach to a broad spectrum of America's subconscious longings and anxieties. Possibly the most candid glimpse of the American mass mind, however, is afforded by the S.F. movies of the era, mostly unmitigated exercises in paranoia. The original Don Siegel version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, made in 1956, seems to be serving up a metaphor for the insidious spread of communism as it was perceived in that McCarthyite decade: just like the movie's 'pod people', your neighbor down the street might have become communist and yet would look the same. Alternatively, given that the most offensive thing that the pod people are seen to do is to allow their neighborhoods to go to hell, with potholes in the road and uncollected garbage, it may be that they also represent a generalized antipathy to immigrants of any sort, be they poor whites, blacks or Hispanics, on the Daily Mail grounds that this might affect property prices.

With director Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951, conversely, we have the suggestion that space visitors might well be more evolved and more compassionate than we are, with any encounter liable to reveal humanity itself as the real monsters. Far less thoughtful or well-made but more unwittingly revealing is director Bert I. Gordon's Amazing Colossal Man in 1957, during which a man exposed to nuclear radiation grows to such a monstrous size that he can only wear what seems to be a giant nappy. Being bald, this gives him the appearance of a hundred-foot-tall baby who seems unable to grasp why suddenly nobody wants to be his friend or even get too near him. Wounded by this wholly understandable rejection, the enormous radioactive toddler throws a tantrum and goes on a rampage in his diapers. It's not difficult to see a parallel with the U.S., which in terms of history was in its infancy when it acquired the atom bomb and suddenly became the biggest and most powerful nation on the planet, not to mention the most feared. If Gordon's movie can be seen as a delayed American reaction to the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it is interesting to consider Japanese director Inoshiro Honda's first Godzilla offering from Toho Studios in 1954 in the same light, as unintended metaphor for Japan's own relationship with nuclear power. The earliest films in the series unambiguously show their saurian protagonist as an embodiment of the destructive power inherent in atomic energy, a thing that breathes radioactive firestorms and can trample entire cities. In later films, however, made after Japan modified its attitude regarding nuclear energy, Godzilla is now friendly, capable of speech and lives with other amiable monsters out on Monster Island, ready to protect his homeland should it be threatened by external forces. Science fiction, always something of a magic looking glass in which we conjure visions of an idealized futures, would seem in the 1950s to have been reflecting darker and more troubling possibilities, or at least partly so."

HOUSE OF LOW CULTURE/MAMIFFER LP + SIGE STORE

2011-01-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

The long delayed vinyl version of the House of Low Culture/Mamiffer split LP on SIGE Records is now available for order. Please visit the newly completed SIGE online store in you are interested in obtainment. For those of you that like to go to actual record stores, Vacation Vinyl in LA will have this for sale next week (including the clear vinyl version). Fine retailers nationwide should be stocking their shelves with it come January 25th. Thank you.

Ringing in the New Year: BJ Nilsen "Draught 1", Servile Sect "Eternal Mind", Neurosis - live, Wolves In The Throne Room - live, Circle "Triumph", Thomas Köner "La Barca", John Fahey "America", Prurient "Bermuda Drain"...

FP STORE DEC. ADDITIONS

2010-12-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

There are some new arrivals at the Feral Pig webstore:

-Mamiffer/House of Low Culture split CD (Utech Records)
-Mamiffer/Oakeater split LP (SIGE Records)

Coming shortly will be the LP version of the Mamiffer/HOLC split also on SIGE Records. This will be available with the launch of the SIGE webstore in the next week or two.

Also - here is a link to a short column I put together for the Alarm blog about some of my favorite musician/designers.

More holiday cheer: Earth "A Bureaucratic Desire for Extra-Capsular Extraction", Philip K Dick "Eye in the Sky", Peter Rehberg "Music for GV 2004-2008", 45 seconds of Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse", Dockton's nocturnal piano excursions...

R.I.P. Monkeytree, Vashon... You will be missed...

NEW DRAWINGS DEC 2010

2010-12-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

Above: new drawings: final (top) and preliminary test (bottom) for Lotus Eaters "wvrmwulv" 2xLP re-issue forthcoming on Taiga Records, 2011.

Holiday cheer: Kevin Drumm "Sheer Hellish Miasma", Watain "Lawless Darkness", Daniel Menche "Sirocco" + "Paroxysm", Hayaino Daisuki "The Invincible Gate Mind...", etc....

MAMIFFER/OAKEATER split LP

2010-12-11T13:48:00.001-08:00

Above: Cover image for Mamiffer/Oakeater split LP on Sige Records. Artwork by Faith Coloccia.

The Mamiffer/Oakeater split LP is finally finished and available for mailorder as is the CD version of the Mamiffer/House of Low Culture split CD (Utech Records). For further details and ordering information go here. LP version of the Mamiffer/House of Low Culture is still in the works due to some hold ups with the vinyl itself. Hope to have those available by early next month.

On a sad note, friend and artist Stephen Kasner is experiencing a serious health emergency and is in need of financial assistance from anyone willing to help out. Here is an excerpt of a statement on the subject from Utech Records which includes info on making donations to the cause:

"Stephen Kasner has recently been diagnosed with some serious medical
issues. Like many artists who lack the benefit of medical insurance, he
pushed the situation aside until it became unavoidable. Emergency care has
been initiated, but he is not out of the woods yet, and his continued care
is extremely necessary - hence this call for aid to friends, admirers of his
art, and comrades alike.

You can help by making a donation via PayPal to kasner@stephenkasner.com

I am offering three URSK box sets for $115 each: http://www.utechrecords.com/URSK.html. All proceeds will go directly to Stephen."

...

BUZZOV*EN ALBUM ART

2010-12-06T12:28:00.001-08:00

ABOVE: Images from the layout for the LP version of Buzzov*en's "Revelation: Sick Again". Drawings and design made in collaboration with Faith Coloccia. LP/CD due out on Hydra Head in Feb. 2011. Buzzov*en now on tour...

Current: Circle "Rautatie", The Austerity Program "Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn", Yellow Swans "Going Places", Kurt Vonnegut "The Sirens of Titan", Deathspell Omega "Paracletus", Eyvind Kang "Atlantis", Burning Star Core "The Very Heart of the World", Arkhamin Kirjasto 7"....

ABT portfolio

2010-11-27T12:23:00.000-08:00

click here to download a PDF portfolio of visual works (both solo and collaborative) from 2002-present.

new drawings 11/2010

2010-11-22T19:14:00.001-08:00

above: new drawings for upcoming layout project (click images to enlarge). penciling was done by faith coloccia, i did the inking. the full layout that includes these images will be posted soon after receiving final approval from the band.

good!: ambarchi/fennesz/pimmon/rehberg/rowe "afternoon tea", extended organ "xoxo", beherit "drawing down the moon", andrew chalk "goldfall", spk "songs of byzantine flowers", buzzov•en "revelation: sick again", steve reich "music for 18 musicians", krallice "interdimensional bleedthrough", "palestine" by joe sacco, etc....

ZOZOBRA harmonic tremors

2010-11-12T18:50:00.001-08:00

above: artwork for the zozobra album "harmonic tremors" from a few years back.
i was attempting an eye gouging color palette and succeeded, but not in exactly the way i'd hoped or intended. none the less i was happy with the overall feel of the completed layout despite some of the awkward color contrasts....

NEW ITEMS ADDED TO WEBSTORE

2010-11-11T11:52:00.001-08:00

a host of new items has been added to the feral pig webstore this week. the list includes: the remaining copies of the ANB PCP EP limited print made for the "catalyst" exhibition (signed and numbered), pelican "pink mammoth" 10" (now out of print), oxbow "songs for the french" lp (colored vinyl), etc. in the coming weeks there will be a new shirt design available as well since the "skullstache" shirt is just about gone...

yes!: russell haswell "second live salvage", einsturzende neubauten "drawings of patient OT", krzystof penderecki "the psalms of david", evan caminiti "west winds", scott walker "and who shall go to the ball? and what shall go to the ball?", mark mcguire "living with yourself", etc...

Housing Tracts: FLAC version

2010-11-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

after sorting through some technical errors on this end, a FLAC audio version of "Housing Tracts" is now available. "anonymous": this one's for you....

NEW RELEASES: house of low culture + mamiffer

2010-11-02T14:13:00.000-07:00

House of Low Culture "Housing Tracts"
Compilation, remix and unreleased tracks, 1999-2003
Digital Release
SIGE Records (SIGE 005)

Track listing: 1. intercontinental sound drift (originally appeared on the buildings transmissions "220 v remix" compilation, curios 2002) 2. showtime at the apollo (originally appeared on the "you've got your orders" compilation, chrome peeler 2003) 3. bastard remix treatment (originally appeared on "the bastard remix" compilation, curious 2003) 4. untitled (for 4 guitars) (previously unreleased. originally intended for release as the a-side for a 7" on hydra head) 5. merzbow - house of low culture remix (previously unreleased. merzbow remixing HOLC) 6. advancing hordes, merzbow "frog" remix (originally appeared on the "frog - remixed and revisited" compilation, misanthropic agenda 2001) 7. edward (originally appeared on the "funeral songs" compilation relapse/crowd control 2000) 8. a.t. drone home (originally appeared on the "record of shadows infinite" compilation, crucial blast 2002).

initially released as a CD-r edition of 25 copies for a few HOLC shows in 2005, i've finally gotten it together to make a digital version of this available. it is available here as well as from the SIGE Records page. there may be a vinyl edition of this at some point down the road, but this is it for now. PDF booklet included with download. there will be some additional HOLC digital reissues of out of print materials coming in the following weeks.

also, utech records has a preorder up now for the CD version of the long delayed mamiffer/house of low culture split. check that out (and a bunch of other awesome new utech releases), here. the LP version is still in the works, but has been held up due to multiple sets of bad test pressings. i'm hoping that'll be available before the end of the year.

thank you.

ISTANBUL

2010-10-24T10:14:00.001-07:00

for anyone that happens to be in istanbul during the week of oct 30-nov 7, i'll have a small selection of drawings as a part of the exhibition listed above. thanks to ibrahim and baracca for asking me to be a part of this. more information can be found here.

enjoyment: autumnal feelings, cave in "white silence", secret chiefs 3 "book m", forest foraging, zola jesus "valusia", alice in chains "dirt", philip jeck "an ark for listeners", garth ennis "preacher" book 1, "the portable jung", jawbreaker "bivouac", fugazi "steady diet of nothing", lungfish "sound in time"....

ARTWORK: MAMIFFER/HOUSE OF LOW CULTURE SPLIT LP

2010-10-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

above: front/back cover and interior images for the forthcoming mamiffer/house of low culture split LP. both the front and back cover are the work of are mokkelbost (ION, Omni #4, paper collage - more info below).

the mamiffer/holc split LP is finally nearing completion with a projected release date of novemeber 23rd. sige has the vinyl and jackets in production for the LP, and utech has all the parts in the works for the CD version as well. the cover art shown above comes courtesy of norwegian artist/musician are mokkelbost. his work as a visual artist as well as a participant in various musical projects is exceptional and certainly merits investigation by any who are unfamiliar with his output - check it out here. i'd like to take this opportunity to thank him for allowing us to use his wonderful piece for this project - it adds further depth and excitement to a record already of great personal significance to me.

yes!: nirvana "bleach", xela "the divine" and "the illuminated", alan moore "promethea" vol v, autumn on vashon, richard skelton "landings", xasthur "defective epitaph", paysage d'hiver "winterkaelte", virus "the black flux", etc.

FERAL PIG WEBSTORE IS OPEN

2010-10-01T17:30:00.000-07:00

finally, many weeks after announcing that it'd "soon" be open, the feral pig webstore is finally live and open for business. you can visit it here. wherever possible i've tried to include any relevant info on the items in the store, including original release dates, pull quotes from various sources, etc. while the total number of items available is fairly minimal at the moment, over the course of the coming months a lot of other items will be added including some art prints, new t-shirt designs, more vinyl, and various albums i have been in some way involved with (including stuff now out of print). thanks to all at BCD for helping facilitate this project as well as any of you that investigate further.

i'd also like to take his opportunity to draw your attention to some creative entities which don't often get the credit they deserve, those being a selection of record labels that are working hard to put great music (often accompanied with stunning visuals) into the hands, hearts and ears of many. while i'm leaving out a ton of deserving folks, a few of the labels whose productions i'm thoroughly enjoying include: utech records, touch recordings, type recordings, dekorder, taiga records, ektro records, norma evangelium diaboli .... if you happen to be unfamiliar with any/all of these, please take a gander at the various sites above. all the aforementioned have ben responsible for producing records i have found enjoyable and inspiring on numerous levels and i thank them for making the world of music more interesting....

OLD MAN GLOOM: CHRISTMAS pt. 2

2010-09-27T18:44:00.001-07:00

above + below: finished pieces from the old man gloom "christmas" CD layout (see also previous post).

....aaaand, at the moment most of the old man gloom albums are not in print, but if you look to your left you will see some of them available as digital downloads. this of course isn't ideal as artwork in the realm of the digital album becomes obsolete, or at the very least its strength diminished, but better for these albums to be available in this form than not at all. hopefully in the coming year some or all of the albums will again become available in some format besides the solely digital, but there are as far as i know no concrete plans for re-pressings/reissues at the moment....

OLD MAN GLOOM: CHRISTMAS

2010-09-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

above + below: drawings from the old man gloom "christmas" album.

the album these drawings are pulled from is a few years old now, but it remains one of the most engaging projects i have been involved with both musically and visually and thusly shared here. will the gloom rise again?

the good stuff: rst "the sunset limited", the knife "tomorrow in a year", hellblazer "son of man", kode 9 + the space ape "curious b/w portal", philip k dick "flow my tears, the policeman said", dead reptile shrine "isth narai ja", the human quena orchestra "a natural history of failure", helms alee - live...

NEWS: JODIS, MAMIFFER, HOLC, ETC....

2010-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

above: supplied by a friend who shall remain nameless. proof that community spirit and activism are alive and well wherever one might live.....

and now some news:

jodis: work has commenced on the follow up to "secret house" jodis' full length debut from last year. the line up for the new album remains the same as the prior record (james plotkin, tim wyskida, aaron turner). there is no set deadline for completion of the album, but it will likely be finished before the new year and out sometime shortly thereafter.

mamiffer: aside form the completion of the new album "we speak in the dark", there are a couple more mamiffer things already in the works. one is a track for a split release with fellow north-westerner demian johnston and also 3-4 tracks for a new EP (or possibly full length). again, no set release date for any of the above mentioned projects, but as soon as things are solidified the info will be posted here. the long overdue split LPs with oakeater and house of low culture will both be out in november.

house of low culture: as mentioned above the split with mamiffer (the first new HOLC release in several years) will be out in november. as noted in previous posts, HOLC has a collaborative project in the works with tom neely called "the wolf". HOLC's portion of the project (the audio component of a book/album set) is now half finished - of the four chapters in the book two now have complete scored pieces based around the foundational elements of guitar, voice and electronics. clips will be posted soon.

lotus eaters: following up the CD release of the lotus eaters album "wvrmwvlf" a few years late, the vinyl version is finally in the works. as with the previous vinyl reissue of our first album "mind control for infants" this vinyl edition will also be handled by the ever awesome taiga records. also like the previous vinyl reissue all the tracks on the album are alternate mixes from what appeared on the CD version and the set will also include a bonus track - an alternate mix of a track originally released on 7" by drone records some years back and long since out of print. more on this as it comes along...

and some things that i've enjoyed as of late: evan caminiti "west winds", fever ray s/t, watain "lawless darkness", einsturzende neubauten "1/2 mensch", bell hooks "will to change", caethua "i may be gone for a long, long time", king midas sound "waiting for you", michael daforge "lose" #1 + 2, celeste "misathrope(s), etc....

JESU "heartache & dethroned" preview images

2010-08-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

above: several pieces from the layout for the LP version of the forthcoming jesu release "heartache & dethroned".

original photos were provided by jk broadrick, the color treatments done by faith coloccia and final layout completed by me. the jacket is a gatefold 2xLP sleeve to be printed on uncoated recycled stock with a spot metallic ink (pantone 8624) for all text/logos/etc. the album is comprised of the "heartache" ep first released in 2004 (and long since out of print), and also includes the "dethroned" ep - originally recorded around the same time as "heartache" but only recently unearthed and completed. release date for both vinyl and the CD (as well as digital) is nov 16.

SUNN Model T Auction

2010-08-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

above: the sunn model T amplifier i want to sell (with emperor road case - cat not included in).

due to an ongoing move and a need to lighten my load, i'm looking to sell off the sun model T pictured above. it is a vintage mid 70s model (NOT a reissue) with the mid range selector switch. it has 4 KT88 power tubes recently installed, is in great working condition and comes with a custom made emperor road case. i used this amp on a couple os isis tours and recordings, but beyond that it has been carefully stored and seldom used since i have owned it. i have no set asking price but will sell to the highest bidder. as with other auctions i've done through this site please leave a comment with your bid and email address - all bids will be kept private. i will post public comments to keep everyone participating updated on the bidding and get in touch with the winner at the end of this week. i would prefer to sell it to someone located in the los angeles area who is willing to come pick it up, but i will ship it out of state if necessary - please keep in mind that shipping will be an additional cost on top of your bid if you live out of state and that cost will be determined by your location and preferred method of shipping. thank you....

thanks also to everyone who participated in the mamiffer/pyramids auction which has now ended. for those of you that won and paid for items in the auction your "prizes" will be sent out next week.

lastly, the feral pig webstore is inching ever closer to completion. more on that very soon...

MAMIFFER album completion and auction

2010-08-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

above: pictures of the various people and places involved in the making of the new mamiffer album...

last september mamiffer began tracking material for a new album, and finally after almost a year of on-and-off work it is nearly complete. all that's left is the mastering of the audio with the album artwork to follow shortly thereafter. outside of the core members (faith coloccia and aaron turner) the album includes numerous contributions from a large cast of people starting with randall dunn who produced and engineered the recording with assistance from mell dettmer. other folks whocontributed their time and talents include: don mcgreevy (master musicians of bukkake, ex-earth), eyvind kang, travis rommereim, joe preston (thrones, etc), sera timms (black math horseman), jussi lehtisalo and mika ratto (circle), aaron harris (isis), jessika kenney, parvaneh daneshvar, timba harris (secret chiefs 3), brian cook (these arms are snakes, botch), and moriah neils. there's no set release date or title for the album yet, but as all the pieces come together we'll make the information available. in the meantime the mamiffer/oakeater and mamiffer/house of low culture splits are in the works and should be out in october/november on vinyl via SIGE (with a CD version of the HOLC split on utech).

below: pictures and info on the mamiffer auction which includes the pyramids "wvndrkmmr" box set (to which mamiffer contributed an exclusive track) and some very special customized mamiffer shirts....

in other mamiffer related news we've got a little auction here we'd like to commence. we've got 2 copies left of the pyramids "wvndrkmmr" 5xCS box to which mamiffer contributed a track (along with many others including burial hex, oakeater, fear falls burning, etc). to include with these box sets we have some maggot-customized mamiffer t-shirts.... these shirts were briefly inhabited by a mouse, the mouse tried to chew it's way through the shirts, died in the process and then became host to a brood of maggots which was discovered when we unfurled the shirts at a recent mamiffer show with altar of plagues. the shirts are now also being nature-customized, receiving treatments from northwestern sun, airborne grit and pollen, and morning dew. we also have a few of the shirts to sell separately for any brave souls who are hardy enough to clad themselves in the might and rot of nature. for those interested in the auction please leave your email address, preferred shirt size, and bid in the comments section on this blog. we'll take the two highest bidders for the box set shirt combo, and basically any offers on the remaining shirts. please specify whether your bid is for a shirt of the shirt/box combo. there will be an additional shipping charge of $15 for anyone that lives outside the US, so please keep that in mind if you live elsewhere. we will also include some custom/hand drawn artwork for the winners of the box/shirt set as added incentive. we're going to accept bids for the next 10 days at which point we will notify the winners and close the auction. bids will be kept private and will not be posted for public viewing in the comments section....

below: artwork for mamiffer t-shirt included in the above mentioned auction (front and back).

THIS JUST IN: new vinyl - knut x 2, torche/boris...

2010-07-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

above: the end results for the torche/boris split 10", the reissue of knut's "challenger" and the knut "wonder" LP.

almost a year after completing the artwork for the torche/boris split 10" the final product is finally in hand. it's already sold out via hydra head, but may still be available via select distributors and stores. i also recently received copies of the "challenger" LP by knut, something i generated art/layout for years ago which has finally been reissued by division records. considered by some to be the best of their albums, i'm glad this one has finally gotten back on wax even if only in limited quantity. also recently completed is the vinyl version of knut's "wonder" LP courtesy of conspiracy records. while i was pleased with the results of the CD version, the vinyl format wins out once again. this release should still be available from the hydra head webstore as well as directly from conspiracy records.

in the next week or two the new feral pig/a. turner webstore will launch. i'll announce the launch date here as soon as it's confirmed. the store will make available many of the musical and visual projects with which i've been involved including a lot of articles unavailable elsewhere - out of print releases, art prints, original drawings, etc. more on this soon...

also upcoming will be some more detailed information on the nearly completed mamiffer album, split LPs, and a mamiffer related auction of some special and especially grimmmm items.

currently absorbing: ondskapt "arisen from the ashes", burial hex/zola jesus split LP, pan sonic "gravitoni", torche/boris split 10", bell hooks "the will to change", alan moore "promethea" vol IV, kreng "l'autopsie....", alcest "ecailles de lune", bastard noise "a culture of monsters", gorguts "the erosion of sanity", the north sea "blood lines", torche "songs for singles"....

mamiffer / july 9th 2010 / seattle

2010-07-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

mamiffer will be playing on july 9th in seattle with altar of plagues, velnias and alda at the funhouse. this show will feature the newly expanded mamiffer line up of : faith coloccia, aaron turner, don mcgreevy and travis rommereim.

relatedly, the audio for the mamiffer/house of low culture split cd/lp is now being mastered by james plotkin in preparation for a late summer/early fall release via sige records and utech records.

isis/melvins split 12" update

2010-07-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

above: hand decorated LPs leftover from the first pressing of "wavering radiant". see below for more info.

from the isis news page:

"the isis/melvins split 12" will be released officially on the 13th of this month and available one week early (starting july 6) exclusively from vacation vinyl in los angeles. vacation will have a version of the 12" signed by all members of isis and the melvins as well as a limited number of LPs with hand drawn artwork by the folks responsible for the "wavering radiant" album art (aaron tuner and faith coloccia). the LPs with hand drawn artwork are leftovers from the original pressing of the "wavering radiant" 2xLP - there was an overrun of the side A/B record with no side C/D record to go with it, so instead of letting those go to waste they're now serving as backgrounds for some drawings and text based on themes from the album. both are available to in-store customers at vacation vinyl and are likely to run out quickly. the regular version of the 12" should be available at finer retail stores in the US and europe as well as select webstores, distros, etc. the split is a release from hydra head records, features 2 new/unreleased songs from isis ("way through woven branches" and "the pliable foe"), 2 alternate/remixed versions of songs from the new melvins "the bride screamed murder" album ("pig house" and "i'll finish you off"), and collaborative artwork/design by mackie osborne and a. turner."

THE JOYS OF COMING HOME

2010-06-30T20:54:00.001-07:00

above: snapshots from a visit to the ice cave at the big four in WA - the first day trip since returning from tour. also: the workshop and the ever vigilant canine companions.

currently in the works: new feral pig webstore, more sound generation for mamiffer, house of low culture and jodis. progress reports and specifics on the releases for the above mentioned forthcoming. also upcoming - artwork for the long delayed/lost buzzov*en album "revelation: sick again".

good sounds: aluk tudolo "finsternis", megadeth "endgame", ludicra "fex urbis lex orbis", locrian "drenched lands".

torche/boris test prints, isis/melvins split, etc

2010-06-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

above: (blurry) snapshots of the test prints for the torche/boris split 10" (finally!) and the completed melvins/isis split 12". the isis/melvins split is now available from the melvins and isis on their respective and conjunctive tours. the torche/boris split 10" will also be available directly from the bands on their upcoming tours. both splits will also be available through more easily accessible channels in the not too distant future - i.e. stores, webstores, etc. official release date for torche/boris - june 29th, for melvins/isis - july 13th (july 6th through vacation vinyl exclusively). 20" x 20" signed prints of the torche/boris artwork will also be available at the boris/torche/russian circles show on august 6th in brooklyn, NY....

private listening party: knut "wonder", acid healer - untitled, arcn temple "emanations of a new world", horseback "the invisible mountain", etc.

GREYMACHINE lp, KNUT cd, etc.

2010-06-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

greymachine "disconnected" 2xLP now available at vacation vinyl in los angeles and also at the remaining dates of the isis tour now in progress. vacation is also giving away some isis goodie bags at the moment to anyone coming and picking up releases by isis or related projects, though the supply may be nearly exhausted at this point.

also: the finished CDs for the knut "wonder" album have finally arrived (pictured above). official release date is june 29th. i'll be bringing a few of these along for the remaining isis tour dates as well. the vinyl version of the album will be available from conspiracy records starting tomorrow, and later through the hydra head webstore as well as (once again) vacation vinyl.

lastly, thank you to everyone who came out for the west coast portion of the final isis tour and to tombs and jakob for coming along. the presence of all the aforementioned entities was greatly appreciated. and thanks to kenneth thomas for this.

TWILIGHT LP art/layout

2010-05-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

above: images from the layout for the LP version of the twilight "monument to time end" album. the original layout for the CD was executed by ryan kasparian, from which the basic ideas for the LP version came. by re-drawing some of the imagery and reconfiguring the basic elements established in the CD layout i devised what feels like a more direct aesthetic parallel to the music on the album. though it's unlikely i would've come up with this layout starting from scratch, it was an interesting exercise for me to re-interpret someone else's visuals while also adding a little something of my own to the process/final outcome. the jacket will be printed as four color process with a metallic gold spot color, on uncoated stock with flood printed interior and LP labels that follow the same basic configuration/set-up. not sure what the final release date is for this project but some details on that should be popping up on the southern lord site in the near future.

the accompanying sounds for road trip preparations: william fowler collins "perdition hill radio", torche "songs for singles", melt banana "initial t", melvins "the bride screamed murder", lustmord "beyond", etc.

VINYL DAZE

2010-05-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

above: photos of a bunch of new vinyl projects which have recently rolled in the door...

-jodis "secret house" 2xLP (hydra head records). packaging for this was created with the design assistance of faith coloccia (who also took the photos over which the original drawings i made for the project are laid). printed on "tip-on" style heavy weight gatefold jackets and inner sleeves, with metallic blue spot color on matte coated stock.

-greymachine "disconnected" 2xLP (sige records). this package was adapted from the CD layout for which i completed the design based around video stills provided by jk broadrick. white and silver inks silkscreened on black uncoated heavyweight paper jackets and inserts, with the interior jacket also printed and hand stamped LP labels. some copies will also come with an 11" x 17" promotional poster and a CD version of the audio.

-isis "live V" 2xLP with alternate cover (viva hate records). all design and art for this version by tom neely. tri-fold 12.25" x 36.75" cover, 5 color silkscreen on heavyweight uncoated blue paper. interior is a one color silkscreen with additional artwork and text all hand drawn by neely. tom also made a limited art print version of this piece which you may inquire about through his website.

both the greymachine and isis projects were printed through VG kids who i highly recommend for any silkscreen related projects. absolutely a pleasure to work with in all regards.

all of these records will be available on the upcoming isis tour. otherwise the jodis and greymachine will both be available through the hydra head webstore and select music shops.

helping me through the day: boris "smile" live 2xCD, mk ultra 2xlp discography, phone calls to/from vashon, peste noire "ballade cuntre lo anemi francor", knut "wonder", jana winderen "the noisiest guys on the planet", lustmord "beyond", pure luck los angeles, etc.

isis - shirts, tom neely live V cover, and the end...

2010-05-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

above (from top to bottom):

[1.] "fountain" t-shirt: which includes art i made originally for the "wavering radiant" album and the complete lyrics for that same album. [2.] "planet" t-shirt: which also includes a drawing i made for "wavering radiant", as well as one made for the forthcoming isis/melvins split 12". [3.] "eagle" t-shirt: a design which incorporates artwork by aaron horkey originally generated for the japanese/australian isis 2010 tour poster. [4.] alternate cover artwork by tom neely for the isis "live V" 2xLP . the version of the 2xLP featuring this cover will also be available on the upcoming isis tour along with a t-shirt based around an adapted version of the same artwork.

in other isis news: the end has come. the members of isis have been, are or will be active in a number of other bands ( mgr, zozobra, mamiffer, spylacopa, greymachine, red sparowes, jodis, etc.) and their individual voices will continue to sound through those (and a good many other) projects to come. "thank you" is not an adequate expression to convey what is felt towards all those who made the life of isis possible for the last 13 years.... but thank you all none the less.

goodnight!

LIFE IN THE FOREST

2010-05-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

moving to the woods has improved the quality of life.

woodland soundtracks: eleh "location momentum", the austerity program "backsliders & apostates will burn", v/a "on the power of the sphinx", ludicra "the tenant", angelo badalamenti "the soundtrack to twin peaks season one", darkthrone "circle the wagons", oranssi pazuzu "muukalainen puhuu", gore "mean man's dream", etc...

GREYMACHINE lp + TWILIGHT album

2010-04-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

above: images from the layout for the forthcoming 2xLP version of GREYMACHINE's "disconnected" (due out on SIGE in may). to be printed as a two color silkscreen (white and silver 877) on black paper jackets and inserts with hand stamped labels.

also: the twilight album "monument to time end" has been officially released as of yesterday. more on that here.

........

good: negura bunget "maiestrit", jawbreaker "unfun", fenn o 'berg "in stereo", "the creation of patriarchy" gerda lerner, xasthur "portal of sorrow", bohren & der club of gore "dolores", the bug "london zoo", "hellblazer: last man standing" paul jenkins & sean phillips, "el borbah" charles burns, etc

MELVINS/ISIS 12" art

2010-04-26T18:51:00.001-07:00

above: layout images from the forthcoming ISIS/MELVINS split 12". i supplied the illustrations, mackie osborne completed the layout. the 12" is intended to be released to coincide with the upcoming isis and melvins tours, during part of which the 2 bands will be touring together. if all goes with smoothly with print and vinyl production this plan will become actuality...

new drawings 04/2010

2010-04-05T22:22:00.001-07:00

above: new drawings for forthcoming isis/melvins split 12" (due out on hhr may 2010).

also - craig dongoski (collaborator in/creator of drawing voices) has a new website containing info on and portions of his multimedia works which you can view here.

listening: virus "the black flux" , horseback "the invisible mountain", blut aus nord "memoria vetusta II", lasse marhaug "beauty without mercy", etc.

KNUT "wonder" finished, etc

2010-03-31T17:21:00.001-07:00

above: finished images from the final layout of knut's "wonder" album, CD version (to be released summer 2010 hydra head/conspiracy records). to be printed as full color 6 panel digipak on matte coated stock, no plastic tray.

below: images from previous knut album "terraformer" CD version (2005 hydra head/conspiracy records). printed as 10 panel CD booklet folder and tray card, full color + 2 pantone spot colors (fluorescent orange and metallic silver).

also: tonight at the josephine in ballard, wa - mamiffer, demian johnston, al qaeda, and shining ones.

current supplements: l'acephale "malefeasance", eleh "observations & momentum", joe preston and daniel menche "cerebic doxology", krallice "dimensional bleedthrough", cg jung "the red book", js bach "sandor veress", bill horist - live, etc.

wonder-ing

2010-03-19T16:04:00.001-07:00

above: color field/sunset pastels pieces and finished drawings for "wonder" album layout (see previous posts for more info). color fields by f. coloccia. finished layout pieces to be posted soon.

also, update/info on the new twilight album (the band, not the teen vampire propaganda film) here.

listening: final + fear falls burning - collaborative LP, daughters - s/t, ovskum - atto III, black boned angel - new 12" on conspiracy records, lustmord - other dub, etc.

wonder progress, oren, etc

2010-03-02T07:47:00.001-08:00

above:
further progress on the drawings for the upcoming "wonder" album by knut. drawings made in the the following cities (using pigma micron and pilot hi-tech c pens on some sort of archival quality drawing paper): NZ: auckland - AU: brisbane, sydney, melbourne, adelaide, perth. digital assembly and type to be completed upon return to US. background coloring/painting completed by faith coloccia to be posted soon. past inquiries about layout process and tools have been made, thus i am doing my best to document the progress of this project as it moves along.

below: oren ambarchi playing live in melbourne.

WOLF news

2010-02-25T02:01:00.000-08:00

the "wolf" project, a collaboration between tom neely and house of low culture is well underway. the end result of the project will be a full length wordless/pictorial novel by tom with an accompanying "soundtrack" by HOLC. as of this writing the art 3 of the 4 chapters is complete (or very near completion), and the musical portion of chapter 1 is also finished. there is no set release date just yet, but we hope to have all the parts finished by early summer with the goal of an autumn release for the final piece. there may be a short run publication in some format of the first chapter (both music and print) as an introductory presentation for the project - when that becomes a reality specifics will certainly be posted here and/or tom neely's page. in the meantime you can take a gander at a couple images from the first chapter (above) as well as a timelapse video of tom inking a page with accompanying music by HOLC (an older track from the second album, originally released in 2003). we'll have a proper "preview" ready soon including music actually generated for the book.

also - now available via the hydra head webstore are the vinyl versions of mamiffer "hirror enniffer" and lotus eaters "mind control for infants".

recent positive absorbtion: joe sacco "footnotes in gaza", azrael "act IV", oren ambarchi - live, knut "wonder", ephal duath "pain necessary to know", ondskapt "draco sit mihi dux", baroness - live, new zealand....

world of wonder

2010-02-15T19:20:00.001-08:00

above: work on the knut "wonder" album begins.
below: 2 documents from an educational field trip in wellington NZ, and a small cat trying to prevent my departure for tour... or trying to come along for the ride....

KNUT "wonder" visual research

2010-02-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

above (top to bottom):
swamp thing covers by various artists, interior spread from charles burns' "black hole", and 2 pieces by ed ruscha.

currently working on ideas for the layout of the upcoming knut album entitled "wonder". the images above constitute partial inspiration for the ideas i'll be incorporating into the artwork, and also happen to be from a few of my favorite visual artists.

current listening: knut "wonder", knut "terraformer", fugazi "the argument", river magic - untitled cassette....

CIRCLE!

2010-02-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

above: circle live in various locations across europe. photos by michael gallagher.

i don't remember when exactly i picked up the album "raunio" by the finnish band circle, but it was a very important discovery for me, and proved to be the first of many circle albums to be added to my collection there after. seldom have i come across any of their recorded work that i have found to be less than great despite the massive amount of releases they've issued over the years, and the vast number of styles encompassed therein. while it seems they have managed to develop a rather rabid following, it still seems disproportionally small considering what a truly tremendous band they are, thus my feeble attempt here to point some more people in their direction. they have done records with a wide array of labels over the years, but the bulk of their output has been released by their own ektro records label, a fantastic entity in its own right. if i had to narrow it down to a few favorite releases i would say "forest", "katapault", "prospekt", and "tulikoira" are up there and showcase the band in many of its various stylistic forms (which include but are not limited to power/thrash metal, krautrock, psychedelic rock, hypnotic folk, etc). i recently had the pleasure of seeing circle live when they toured together with isis, and it increased my appreciation of their music significantly (even though i was already an avid follower). i don't usually describe musical experiences as "life changing", but i would say that that having the pleasure of seeing circle a number of times over the course of 2 weeks certainly qualifies in that regard.

on a related note isis had the great fortune of having mika, vocalist of circle, join us on stage on the last stop of the tour in berlin. while the video is of less than stellar quality, you can view it here.

thanks circle!

HOLC + MAMIFFER + MERZBOW + MELT BANANA

2010-02-01T19:24:00.001-08:00

above: flyer for upcoming house of low culture, mamiffer, merzbow, melt banana-lite show in tokyo. flyer design by radish hamburger. flyer photo by face crocroccia.

the show will feature solo sets by all of those mentioned above, as well a collaborative set by house of low culture/merzbow/mamiffer. preparations are being made to record the event with the intent of an eventual release documenting some or all of the performances.

also: mamiffer "hirror enniffer" LP now available for order here.

thank you.

new poster by aaron horkey

2010-01-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

above: new poster design by aaron horkey.
will be available on the upcoming isis/baroness tour in japan and australia. one of the two versions will also be available after the tour via various online sources. thank you mr. horkey

listening: kevin drumm "imperial horizon", alcest/les discerts split LP, evenings "growing isolation", pyramids with nadja - remix 12", harvey milk "a small turn of human kindness", regulator watts "the aesthetics of no drag", knut "terraformer"....

R.I.P. : mary daly, howard zinn, j.d. salinger.

Mamiffer "Hirror Enniffer" LP - out now

2010-01-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

mamiffer "hirror enniffer" LP - sige records.

after a lengthy delay the vinyl version of the mamiffer debut album is now available. pressing of 300 copies, 200 on clear vinyl, 100 copies on smokey clear vinyl. jackets and inserts hand screened by VG kids, flood printed interior jacket. currently available through hydra head, conspiracy records, vacation vinyl, and soon through the hhr/bcd webstore and aquarius records. if you would like to order directly from mamiffer please contact us via our myspace. cd version still available from/on hydra head records.

update/news on upcoming mamiffer album to be posted soon.

thank you.

YEMEN, HHR 2009 comp, etc

2010-01-06T17:45:00.001-08:00

as of the last couple years justin foley of the austerity program has been initiating year end music exchanges amongst some of his colleagues and friends. he has been gracious enough to ask me to participate, an invitation i gladly accepted. here is a link to the audio for my collection. below is an explanation of the exchange from justin's original solicitation letter as well as lyrics from the king midas sound track "earth a kill ya" which i thought were interesting in and of themselves (the track itself is included in the mix). the mix also includes selections from: arvo pärt, this heat, the bug, temple of not, hildur godnadottir, w.o.l.d., etc. another participant in the exchange, stephen o'malley, has linked his mix here. in addition to the mix generated for foley's YEMEN project, i thought it might be nice to do a year end collection of tracks from hydra head releases that came out over the course of 2009. i didn't include a track from every single release we did this year, but i gathered as much as i could manage at the moment, which encompasses the bulk of our output over the last 12 months. i've included some of my favorite 2009 album tracks from the following: pyramids with nadja, keelhaul, torche, xasthur, nihill, oxbow, everlovely lightningheart, khanate, big business, jodis, cave in, bergraven, bohren and der club of gore, and greymachine. you can grab the audio for that here . file sizes for both mixes are rather large as i wanted to preserve the fidelity of the original recordings where ever possible. i'll most likely pull both of these mixes down in the next couple weeks, so hopefully that will be ample time for most of you who want these comps to grab them.

original YEMEN invitation from justin foley:

"A good friend of mine does a CD exchange every year where people put together their own disc – a sampler of favorite stuff released that year. It’s great except for 3 things:

-Most of the 20 or so people who participate all like almost the same music.
-That is not the type of music I like.
-I suspect that just about none of them like the type of music I do.

So they’re all swapping Vashti and the Arcade Fire and ignoring the discs I send with Shitmat (awesome).

I want to do the same thing with people I suspect have a really excellent/broad taste in music that I would probably be interested in hearing. Some of the people I’m sending this to I know well, others I only sorta know. Still, I figure I’d love to hear what you’ve been listening to for the past year. Interested? Here’s what it would mean:

-You pull together your own best of 2009 CD. Preferably stuff released this year but if you’ve been on some great mining journey of years past, what the hell?
-Some time before, say, Jan 31, you send it to me. Physical CD or some uploading scheme, I don’t care.
-I pull together all of the CDs and upload them to a site – yousendit or something like that. The link is emailed back to you.
-You download it and have a bunch of music to listen to."

.....................

and here are the lyrics to to king midas sound's "earth a kill ya"
(transcribed to the best of my ability)

the earth will kill you if you try to kill it
your body heals you if you discipline it

in this time we have to live with earth
stop the relentless pursuit of money
everyt'ing have a soul
rivers, stones, plants, and trees all living
their power can be used and good, or destroyed
we shall all live again through births and deaths, spirits persist
live simple
you can't sell the earth for profit
it's to live, not to sell
the earth will kill you if you try to kill it

it's a long time now we organic
dem so called called scientists now catch on
why they wanna call we thinkin' primitive
when they first thought these drugs to poison
and look how they poison all the water
and sellin' it back to us in plastic bottles

the earth will kill you if you try to kill it
your body heals you if you discipline it

my stomach is no graveyard for the dead
plant t'ings, herbs, yams, callaloo
t'ings that come from the dust
[hu]man come from the dust
so you thought the west could make a system to live?
well, now we'll see who dead first
one thing i know, my liberty is my liberty

you see, my grandmother anytime she was sick
she would dream what see need to eat
and wanna talk abou' medicine?
she was in touch
she say all animals in the world could do this
why not [hu]man?
but it seems we lose this ability
just to keep in touch with what we need to live

the earth will kill you if you try to kill it
your body heals you if you discipline it

2009... 2010... the past....

2010-01-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

above: the wedding party
below: listing of highlights, disappointments, and items from the last year, the last century or 2, for the future:

2009:

highlights:
daily life with and marriage to faith coloccia / animals: valis, orange, pancake, robot / records made by hydra head recording artists and making art for hydra head records recording artists / the process of making, completing and/or release of albums with mamiffer, greymachine, jodis, lotus eaters and isis / northwestern relocation / the opening of vacation vinyl in los angeles / being alive another year...

disappointments:
the first year of barack obama's presidency (i feel duped, perhaps i was being naive, as was suggested by some of the people who left in comments in response to my excited posts about his election) / the continued imposition of the black iron prison on all now living...

music:
burning star core "challenger" / leviathan "massive conspiracy against all life" / king midas sound "waiting for you" / have a nice life "deathconsciousness" / funeral mist "mananatha" / circle "tyrant" and live / deathspell omega "chaining the katechon" / hildur gudnadottir "without sinking" / megadeth "endgame" / converge "axe to fall" / fennesz "black sea" / the bug "london zoo" / sunn "monoliths and dimensions" / dälek "gutter tactics" and live / pj harvey and john parish "a woman a man walked by" / etc.

substance from 2009, the last decade, last bunch of decades:

reading:
imre kersatsz "kaddish for an unborn child" / virginia woolf "a room of one's own" / zak sally "like a dog" and sammy the mouse" / john banville "the sea" / cervantes "don quixote" / gitta sereny "albert speer's battle with the truth" / james hollis "the eden project" / m.d. "g/e" / mark z danielewski "house of leaves" / fyodor dostoyevsky "brother's karamozov" / carl jung with aniela jaffe "memories, dreams, reflections" / cormac mccarthy "the road" / prurient "rose pillar" book + 11" / philip k. dick "valis" (trilogy) / mary shelly "frankenstein" (bernie wrightson illustrated edition) / charles burns "black hole" / chris ware "acme novelty library" / alan moore "swamp thing" and "from hell" / tom neely "the blot" / robert kirkman "walking dead" / craig thompson "blankets" / jamie delano "hellblazer" / etc.

listening:
everything hydra head / deathspell omega "kenose" and "fas – ite, maledicti, in ignem aeternum" / oxbow "an evil heat", "serenade in red" and live / neil young "dead man" soundtrack / techno animal "brotherhood of the bomb" / everlovely lightninghheart "i, you, she, the blonde and the clouds" and live / james plotkin & kk null "aurora" / mirror "nightwalkers" etc. / today is the day "willpower" / prurient "and still, wanting", "pleasure ground" / fovea hex "neither speak nor remain silent" / neurosis "enemy of the sun", "through silver and blood" and live / nurse with wound "soliloquy for lilith" / fennesz "endless summer" and live / boris "flood" / earth "2" / the melvins "lysol" and live / khanate "things viral" and live / low "secret name" / aphex twin "selected ambient works II" / pj harvey "stories from the city, stories from the sea" and "rid of me" / circle "prospekt", "black forest", "tulikoira", "katapault" and live / godflesh S/T and "selfless" / coil "black light district" / swans "love of life", "soundtracks for the blind", "children of god" / converge "you fail me" / bohren and der club of gore "dolores" , "midnight radio", "black earth" / dälek - live / karp s/t / angels of light - live / high on fire "art of self defense" and live / sleep "jerusalem" / this heat "out of cold storage" box set / tradgedy "vengeance" and live / fugazi "in on the kill taker" / etc

proposed actions for 2010:
live performances with mamiffer, greymachine, jodis and isis / recording projects with finnish fiends, bergraven, house of low culture, mamiffer, etc / book and music collaboration with tom neely / visual art exhibition(s) / more design, more drawing, more music, more life...

NEW CAVE IN SHIRT

2009-12-28T13:56:00.001-08:00

above:
new cave in t shirt design based off the art generated for the "planets of old" release. top two images are front and back of the "regular" shirt, to be printed with dark red and gold ink. bottom image is a possible alternate color scheme. the shirt will be part of a pre-order for the CD/DVD version of "planets of old" coming soon to the HHR webstore.

in the next couple days i'll put up some images and info on the long delayed LP version of the mamiffer "hirror enniffer" LP, as well as year end (mostly) fun time lists.

positive recent intake: fugazi "end hits", brutal truth "evolution through revolution", howard zinn on the bill moyers show, friends and family at the wedding party in the desert, harvey milk "small turn", circle "tyrant", old wainds "scalding coldness", nihill "grønd", kerosene 454 "at zero", bohren and der club of gore "dolores", mike cary "the unwritten", etc.

WOOLF, SUPERMEN & THE FINGERS OF DESTINY

2009-11-25T13:39:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" :

"...Life for both sexes... ...is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle. It calls for gigantic courage and strength. More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself. Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, so quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself. By feeling that one has some innate superiority - it may be wealth, or rank, a straight nose, or the portrait of a grandfather by Romney - for there is no end to the pathetic devices of the human imagination - over other people. Hence the enormous importance to a patriarch who has to conquer, who has to rule, of feeling that a great number of people, half the human race indeed, are by nature inferior to himself. It must indeed be one of the chief sources of his power. But let me turn the light of this observation on to real life, I thought. Does it help explain some of those psychological puzzles that one notes in the margins of daily life? Does it explain my astonishment the other day when Z, most humane, most modest of men, taking up some book by Rebecca West and reading a passage in it, exclaimed, "The arrant feminist! She says that men are snobs!" The exclamation, to me so surprising - for why was Miss West and arrant feminist for making a possibly true if uncomplimentary statement about the other sex? - was not merely the cry of wounded vanity; it was a protest against some infringement of his power to believe in himself. Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. Without that power probably the earth would still be swamp and jungle. The glories of all our wars would be unknown. We should still be scratching the outlines of deer on the remains of mutton bones and bartering flints for sheepskins or whatever simple ornament took our unsophisticated taste. Supermen and Fingers of Destiny would never have existed. The Czar and the Kaiser would never have worn their crowns or lost them. Whatever may be their use in societies, mirrors are essential to all violent and heroic actions. That is why Napoleon and Mussolini both insist so emphatically upon the inferiority of women, for if they were not inferior, they would cease to enlarge. That serves to explain in part the necessity that women so often are to men. And it serves to explain how restless they are under her criticism; how impossible it is for her to say to them this book is bad, this picture is feeble, or whatever it may be without giving far more pain and rousing far more anger than a man would do who gave the same criticism. For if she begins to tell the truth, the figure in the looking-glass shrinks; his fitness for life is diminished. How is he to go on giving judgment, civilising natives, making laws, writing books, dressing up and speechifying at banquets, unless he can see himself at breakfast and at dinner at least twice the size he really is? ...The looking-glass vision is of supreme importance because it charges the vitality; it stimulates the nervous system. Take it away and man may die, like the drug fiend deprived of his cocaine..."

Lotus Eaters "Mind Control for Infants" 2xLP out now

2009-11-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

Above: shots of the now available 2xLP version of the Lotus Eaters album "Mind Control for Infants". Photos courtesy of Stephen O'Malley.

The vinyl is currently available from Taiga Records, and I will hopefully have some soon to bring along for the remainder of the Isis tour currently underway. Thank you Taiga!

PRINT article, OXBOW vinyl

2009-11-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

the online version of PRINT magazine has just posted an article about heavy metal design - the article contains interviews snippets with me, stephen o'malley, and seldon hunt, as well as a few selected images of our work. check it here .

as mentioned in the last post, the new oxbow 12" "songs for the french" is now available via oxbow on tour, hydra head mailorder and webstore, etc. above is a picture of the fancy vinyl colors, sleeve and insert. see here for more details of the artwork.

ISIS/Mamiffer/Jodis/Etc

2009-11-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

preview of alternate artwork for LP version of the Jodis "Secret House album. to be released via hydra head records in december. cd available now. photos for LP version and design assistance by faith t coloccia. LP (and japanese/daymare cd version) will contain track not included on US cd version.

billboard in slovenia for upcoming isis show. never would have imagined we'd be sharing public space with living colour... or playing in slovenia for that matter. photo courtesy of stephen o'malley. model: peter rehberg.

2 mamiffers on the boat from sweden to finland - photo courtesy of john overstreet. last mamiffer show on the isis tour tonight in prague - thanks for having us along other isis', and thanks to those that came early to listen us play live renditions of mamiffer songs new and old. vinyl version of "hirror enniffer" out now via sige records. all the copies we brought for our portion of the isis tour are sold out. remaining copies soon available via hydra head, conspiracy, select retail outlets, and possibly future mamiffer live shows.

here is a bench in warsaw on a misty night before the isis/mamiffer/dälek show the following day. nice to walk about warsaw at night and nice to play there again as well.

a hairy guy sitting on a zebra print bench with pixelated african nature scene wallpaper behind him on a boat sailing from finland to estonia. photo by faith t coloccia.

some hydra head updates: pyramids with nadja collaborative album available as of 2 weeks ago. available directly from hydra head and vacation vinyl as well as various other outlets. available this week exclusively direct from hydra head & vacation vinyl: everlovely lightningheart "sien weal tallion rue" cd version (limited to 300 copies, handmade packaging) and the new 12" by oxbow entitled "songs for the french".

helpful and/or informative while traveling the lands of perpetual dusk: back bench companion, philip k. dick "divine invasion", marjane satrapi "persepolis", the bug "london zoo", at the gates "slaughter of the soul", bohren and der club of gore "dolores"....

JODIS "secret house" released

2009-10-24T03:33:00.000-07:00

last tuesday the jodis "secret house" album was released via hydra head. took quite a while to finish this one and finally get it out, but i think all involved are pleased that it has finally arrived, and hopefully some others will be as well. above are some photos of the final package for the CD (albeit poor taken ones), a review from british magazine rock-a-rolla, and you can hear a clip here . vinyl is in the works as well, and will hopefully be done by the end of the year assuming production goes according to schedule. the 2xLP version will include an alternate layout rounded out with photos by f. coloccia and a track not included on the CD version of the release.

currently on the road with isis and quite enjoying ireland.

sustenance on the road: zak sally "like a dog", imre kertesz "kaddish for an unborn child".

torche/boris - art preview

2009-10-11T14:42:00.001-07:00

above - preview images from the layout for the torche/boris split 10".
from top to bottom:

1. front cover
2. interior foldout
3. backside of innersleeve
4. unused composition from early version of the layout

project specs and info:

-oversized double sided poster style fold out - 20.5" x 20.5 ", folded into quarters around vinyl and inserted into plastic sleeve / matte coated paper w/spot UV gloss on both sides of the poster foldout / heavy weight printed innersleeve for vinyl / full color 10" labels and multiple colors of vinyl (hopefully) matching colors used in the layout. lettering and layout assistance by faith coloccia.

in other news:

to be released via hydra head on tuesday oct 13: jodis "secret house" - the long delayed debut album. pics of the finished layout and more info in the next couple days. also recently released on hydra head : oxbow "fuckfest" reissue, nihill "krach" and "grond", and just around the corner, the vinyl version of the recently released album by keelhaul "triumphant return to obscurity".

tonight at vacation vinyl in los angeles, ca: skeleton witch live instore. and tomorrow: nadja. if you are a resident of the los angeles area come on down, the shows are free....

-

currently enjoying: married life, alegria, local, converge "axe to fall", the austerity program - new EP, megadeth "endgame", nahvalr "s/t".

JUST GOT MARRIED

2009-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

SO EXCITE!
since sep 22 2009

abct + fetc

Cave In & Greymachine PT 2

2009-09-18T21:25:00.001-07:00

above: various views of the greymachine "disconnected" cd package
below (previous post): various views of the cave in "planets of old" 12" package

i realized that though i often post preview images of layout projects or the foundational elements for them (such as illustrations or type treatments), i rarely post documentation of the finished artifacts. this post and its predecessor are attempts to rectify that oversight - though i will admit the photographic representations of these albums are not entirely accurate.

here are some project details on both:

-greymachine: 12 page booklet on high gloss/UV coated stock with a vellum booklet cover and tray card. all pieces are black and white + a metallic pantone spot color (silver PMS 877). video stills for the layout provided by justin broadrick. vinyl version forthcoming.

-cave in: single LP stoughton "tipon" style jacket + innersleeve. both printed on high gloss/UV coated stock with 4 color process "hospital green" + metallic pantone spot color (copper PMS 876). CD version forthcoming.

i didn't intentionally use similar specs for both projects (UV coated stock, metallic spot, etc), i just tried to select elements which would suit each layout and the music they were housing/representing. however, i have noticed a tendency in my working process to run with particular aesthetic choices in phases, sometimes only noticing this in retrospect when i look back at a group of projects in tandem. i guess this is my coated stock + metallic color phase?

for those unfamiliar with the music/groups associated with the imagery above and below here are some useful links:

-greymachine: reviewed in decible , and a few tracks can be previewed here

-cave in: reviewed here , and you can listen to some cave in here

...and...

life supporting resources: bohren and der club of gore "dolores", mary shelly "frankenstein" (w/bernie wrightson illustrations), megadeth "endgame", various "wednesday comics", oxbow "songs for the french", fovea hex EPs, late luncheon at plum, stumptown, ashpool "saturns slave", adbusters, etc.

Cave In & Greymachine PT 1

2009-09-18T21:22:00.001-07:00

Mamiffer studio documents

2009-09-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

above from top to bottom:

• mamiffer takes a break from the studio - snoqualamie, wa - pic by sera timms
• guest vocalist sera timms w/mamiffer at aleph studio - pic by j bennett
• playing knobs and buttons at aleph - pic by f. coloccia
• don mcgreevy and randall dunn take a break from the math maps - west seattle - pic by a. turner
• faith coloccia and randall dunn at the piano, studio litho - pic by a. turner

phase one of mamiffer album tracking complete. faith has finished all the foundational piano tracks. portions of other instrumentation/sounds also completed. aside from core members, contributors so far include don mcgreevy and sera timms with more folks coming in for phase two. engineering and production duties being handled by randall dunn with assistance from mell dettmar and sean at litho. piano tracked at studio litho, seattle, and all other tracking so far at aleph studio, west seattle. we hope to finish the album in january 2010 followed by the release of the album in the late spring. more updates soon.

OXBOW "Songs for the French"

2009-09-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

above: finished designs and source illustration from the forthcoming oxbow "songs for the french" 12".

"songs for the french" to be released via hydra head records fall/winter 2009. illustration and type done by hand. design completed with assistance from f. coloccia. the LP includes 3 new tracks on the A side and on the B side 4 live tracks from oxbow's 2008 european tour.