Harry Pussy

There was this noise band called Harry Pussy from Miami, Florida. They existed from 1992 to 1997. The two founding members were drummer Adris Hoyos and guitarist Bill Orcutt. Both contributed vocals. They also had a second guitar player to round out the lineup. Mark Feehan and Dan Hosker occupied that position over the band's lifetime. The rumor has it that they got their name from a nickname that John Lennon used for Yoko Ono.



I had never really heard of Harry Pussy until Load Records put out a compilation in 2008 called You'll Never Play This Town Again. It collects a bunch of material from 1997, including both studio and live tracks. This release is slightly repetitive in that it includes multiple versions of the same songs taken from different shows. It doesn't feel as repetitive as that sounds due to the inclusion of stage banter between the live songs. There is even a show in its entirety, making for an 18:00 minute track. You'll Never Play This Town Again gives you a good sense of what the band was like.



Harry Pussy played some of the most abrasive music ever. The blistering dual guitars created a wall of no wave bliss over top of some epic drumming. Adris Hoyos is hands down one of the best drummers ever. The sheer amount of energy she put into the songs is amazing. In addition to hitting the drums as hard as possible at a high tempo, she was screaming at the top of her lungs for the vocals. I think what works for me about this band is that they achieve all the things I like without falling into any clichés. Or maybe they stuck to the clichés that I like. You could describe the typical metal or punk band in some of the terms that I used because both of those type of bands play fast and have noisy guitars, but they would be miles apart upon comparing the actual sounds.



"At the time I figured this is as popular as this kind of music is going to get. I felt like Harry Pussy was probably all anyone would ever want to hear along these lines. And then around 2005 people in these bands started writing me and I started to pay attention, and I realized I was wrong" - Bill Orcutt

The band was somewhat of a singular entity during the mid 1990s. There weren't really many other bands doing what they were doing at this time. They did garner the support of Sonic Youth and Lou Barlow. Harry Pussy even toured with Smog and Sebadoh, which would have been a show to see. Of course when anybody is ahead of the curve and underappreciated in their own time, it usually means their impact tends to be felt sometime in the future. Such is the case with many of today's no wave and noise bands who list them as an important influence, including AIDS Wolf, Hair Police, Magik Markers and Sightings.

Notes:
1. Harry Pussy also have a pair of CDs that are still available from Siltbreeze. Ride A Dove is an album and What Was Music? is a collection of assorted compilation tracks. They released a number of 7"s and live LPs as well. Most of those are long out of print, but can probably be found on the internet.
2. Guitarist Bill Orcutt resurfaced in 2009 with a 7" and a LP. Both were collected by Editions Mego for a 2011 release called A New Way To Pay Old Debts. This record features Bill on an old acoustic guitar with four strings.
3. There are actually a lot of interviews with the band from 1990s 'zines that have made their way online. Just make sure to include the word "band" when you do the old Google search.

For more info:
Load Records
Siltbreeze
Out Door Interview with Bill Orcutt

Fall Mix

I posted this a few days ago, but here's a mix for your headphones. Inspired by walking around and the cold air freezing the snot in your nose.

Attic Abasement "A Werewolf"

Radio Flyer "(312)"

Lync "Silverspoon Glasses"

Ida Sessions "Summer Days"

Rockets Red Glare "Red Shift"

Tomorrow is Forever "And Now We Are Four"

Into It. Over It. "No Good Before Noon"

Thingy "Letterbomb"

The Anniversary "The D In Detroit"

Claire Danes "Adam, I Live For Danger"

A Wonderful "Under Cover(S)

The Gritty Midi Gang "Valentine's Day"

Piebald "Two Rocking Chairs on a Front Porch"

Boilermaker "Pathos Delay"

Tamiroff "Getting Out of Mt. Hope"

falldippy

Piglet

Piglet was a trio from Chicago. Asher W. on guitar, Ezra S. B. on six-string bass and Matt P. on drums. They always made me think of Trees, Swallows, Houses era Maps and Atlases without vocals. They use choppy angular riffs without any loops or effects. Their EP Lava Land came out in 2005.

Arbor Infinity

Arbor Infinity is a record label run by Mike Pollard and based in Brooklyn. The label is all about ambient drones, noises and soundscapes. It's been in business since 2005 and has released music from Emeralds, Pocahaunted, Yellow Swans, Outer Space, Zaimph, Robedoor, plus a whole lot more. Things are usually on vinyl or cassette and in limited editions of 300 to 500 for records and 150 for tapes.



I kind of found out about Arbor Infinity last summer after I saw Outer Space. I never investigated what else the label had to offer until this summer. I ordered a few records that I've been listening to a lot lately. Secret Abuse, Pale Blue Sky and Cloaked Light have all been in heavy rotation on the turntable in my living room. The three bands create the afore mentioned ambient droning soundscapes. There is a degree of warmth and accessibility to what each is doing. The descriptions of the albums on the website was probably what caused me to pick out these records. All three are dealing with a sense of space and distance, but not so much a specific, clearly defined space. It's a more abstract space with parts that disappear or are obscured. And they sound great cranked up really loud.



One little thing about Arbor Infinity that I appreciate is the consistent design on each release. I'm seeing a lot of Helvetica type in the liner notes to go with album art that borrows from either minimal color field painting or drawings that vaguely resemble Jean Dubuffet, to generalize things here briefly. There's enough variety to keep everything interesting while maintaining a visual unity from record to record.

For more information:
Arbor Infinity

Tapes

"It is an embrace of limitations and constraints, at a time when everything is available." - Hua Hsu

Who knew that in 2011 I'd still be listening to music on cassette? Yet it turns out that I am and I've even bought three new tapes in the last few weeks. My old SONY Walkman is functional. (Of course I was always one of those kids who took really good care of his toys.) A couple of months ago when I needed a new CD player for work, I saw the SONY CFDS05 on the shelf at Wal-Mart. There was no way I wasn't buying the thing. It has a radio, CD player, line in for an iPod and a cassette deck. I'm of the age where I've got a box or four full of tapes under my bed so the option to listen to them again was appealing. This new stereo changed any tape that I might pick up from being a novelty to support a touring band into something that I could listen to regularly.

"Cassette aficionados also see aesthetic possibilities in the format's constraints. While digital compression techniques ensure that songs we hear on the radio or in MP3 format are bright and loud, cassettes - particularly those dubbed en masse - slightly blunt the dynamics of a song. Perhaps it's no coincidence that many cassette labels specialize in works that are ambient, ethereal, or noisy. Fidelity is sacrificed for a different kind of listening experience." - Hua Hsu

Beyond listening to old music I haven't heard in years, I think part of my fascination with cassettes is that bands I like are releasing them. These end up being the ambient/ethereal/noisy jammers plus the occasional punk band. They are making a tape to have as a document of their music and/or to raise a little money while on tour. They are doing it for the sake of doing something. It does feel special knowing that you are buying something that was made in a limited edition, often with custom artwork. It's a tangible object when everything else is becoming a collection of ones and zeros on a server somewhere. It doesn't feel somewhat forced, like the part of the current vinyl revival where the dinosaurs of rock are having their classic albums repressed for a deluxe edition.

I'm not going to make any grand claims about the greatness of cassettes. I like 'em and they bring back a certain degree of welcomed nostalgia of when I first started buying music. The audio quality isn't always the best and they can be fragile, but for the most part everything has sounded respectable with the tapes I've bought. They are what they are and that's fine by me.

Notes:
Both quotes are from an article by Hua Hsu called "Thanks for the Memorex" that appeared in the February 2011 issue of Artforum (Volume XLIX Number 6). The writing was about the slight return of cassette culture in this current digital age.

For more information:
Artforum

Radish White Icicle doesn't fully support the idea of shopping at Wal-Mart or schilling for SONY, but if they make a good product or happen to carry a good product, than that's cool by us.

Outer Space

Outer Space is the solo synthesizer endeavor of John Elliott. Elliott is a member of Emeralds with Mark McGuire and Steve Hauschildt. He plays a variety of analog synthesizers and keyboards. He also has a number of collaborations floating around out there. This includes Medecine Rocks with Alex Moskos of AIDS Wolf and Drainolith, plus Inner Spaced with Telecult Powers. Like most noise jammers, the man is prolific at putting out tapes and CDRs.



I caught Outer Space last summer on a tour with Drainolith at Soundlab in Buffalo. My friend Kyle was doing the sound and running a video projector for the show. He had these nature films of undersea life/scenes that fit exactly with the deep and bubbly sounds that Elliot was cranking out. It's weird how outer space and under the ocean match up sometimes. When the show was over, I bought the self titled Outer Space LP. It was a toss up between that and the newest Emeralds' album. I figured I could get the Emeralds someplace else and had better grab the record by the band I just saw. I made the right decision because Elliott made an album full of six glorious sci-fi synth excursions. It's my record of choice for breakfast on pleasant summer mornings.



For more info:
Emeralds at Last FM
www.arborinfinity.com
shesellsrecords.blogspot.com
deception-island.com

Chinook

Chinook is a four piece band from Michigan. I was first introduced to them on tour when we stopped in Kalamazoo and played the Strutt. We never really said much to each other besides the usual band banter or whatever, but I think it was because I was a bit nervous to follow them. They played so tightly and every instrument sounded so pivotal and perfect, what band wouldn't be intimidated? I know I was inebriated, maybe it was the August heat too, but this band carried me like a river.

Their four song EP Me All Night Long was recorded by Matt Ten Clay of Skull Studios and has some great moments on it. The band manages to mix their 1990's angular guitar driven sound with a lot of shoegaze effects to pull you in, but never have you lost in an effect or drone. 1:28 into "Poison Peanuts" for example, where the band's guitar players demonstrate some spot on guitar work as they pick a harmonizing lead, leads to some great delay and effects to close it out (3:22). If you're a fan of Castor, Piglet, Shiner, My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver or American Football, show this band some support. In a sea of 1990's "revival" bands, this is one that deserves more attention.

Here's a video we took of them playing the end of "Poison Peanuts" and "Jencon", both from their EP Me All Night Long. The band is also looking for a singer, so contact them if you're interested:

cameron.chinook@gmail.com

Sneeze

photo cred: John McCarthy / http://baddhabits.blogspot.com/

The guys in the band Coping turned me on to this Boston band called Sneeze. The band features members of L'antietam, Genders and Ape Up.

The 7" entitled "Grandma in the Trenches", which by the way has 8 tracks on it, was recorded at Dead Air Studios in MA and the album artwork was done by John McCarthy who also happens to have some fucking great shirts he did for them posted at his blog: http://baddhabits.blogspot.com/

I really have no good solid info on this band, but the 7" rips so hard. Grungy, dirty, fuzzed out garage punk that also manages to pull off a pop ish sound. I feel like I did in middle school when I found my dad's live Nirvana album. I can't put this one down, pick it up here:

http://dyinghorse.com/distro/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=656

And stream it here: http://sneezeus.bandcamp.com/

Aaaand be sure to check them out in late July and a good chunk of August when they go on tour with The Clippers.

July
28- Boston, MA -wacky castle w/ EARTHQUAKE PARTY & ARVID NOE
29- Syracuse NY- TBA
30- Akron, OH- its a kling thing w/tba
31- IN- TBA w/ Pen Pals
AUGUST
1- Chicago- TBA w/Coping
2- Lincoln ,NE - TBA
3- Denver/Boulder, CO Denver :TBA
4- DAY OFF IN VEGAS FOR TANNING
5- Las Vegas, NV Yayo taco w/ CARAVELS
6- San Francisco, CA-TBA
7- Oakland, CA- hive house w/tba
8- Fresno, CA- house w/TBA
9- Los Angeles, CA -TBA
10- San Diego, CA- che cafe w/tba
11- Grand Canyon
12- Albuquerqe, NM-TBA
13- Oklahoma City, OK- Bad Granny’s w/ TBA
14- Fort Worth, TX 1919 w/ TBA
15- Austin, TX- Skinny ballroom w/TBA
16- Houston, TX - TBA w/ Football Etc.
17- Birmingham, AL - God’s Butt w/ ollie the bum
18- Louisville, KY- house w/ lay down and die
19- Richmond, VA DAY OFF FOR TANNING
20- Washington DC -michael vick ballroom w/Good Offices / Bandname / Shat Shorts
21- Baltimore, MD Charm City Art Space w/MONUMENT & Bandname
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184086124978292
22- Philadelphia, PA - BookSpace w/Band Name
23- New Brunswick, New Jersey -TBA w/Bandname
24- Brooklyn, NY- Silent Barn w/ Tba
25- Amherst, ma - Dad City w/ The Living City
26-CT- TBA w/when the world disses you

Windy & Carl

It's been super hot outside this week because it is summer time. I've been using Windy & Carl as music to fall asleep to on these hot nights. Their blissed out ambient guitar drones are magical and send you off to slumberland perfectly. I've woken up feeling very well rested each morning. I'm not dismissing this band as only music to put you to sleep, but illustrating how good of a job they do. They even endorse the use of their music as a soundtrack for afternoon naps, so I think sleep is one intended purpose of their songs.



Windy & Carl is the husband and wife duo of Carl Hultgren and Windy Weber. Their sound is created from guitars run through massive amounts of delay and reverb. The songs are ambient soundscapes that don't sound much like normal guitars and use the instruments to create the sonic idea of a space over more traditional songwritting approaches. They use both guitars and basses, along with occasional keyboards. The songs tend to be longer in length, sometimes approaching the twenty minute mark. They explore a wide range of atmospheres in their songs from warmer tones to the ocean depths to cold tundras. The music fits in with concept of a soundtrack for an imaginary movie.

The band is primarily instrumental, although Windy does sing on some of the songs. Her voice is often buried in layers of reverb and delay as well. This gives a very dreamy quality to the vocals since you can hear a singer, but not necessarily make out what is being sung. I'm a big fan of keeping the vocals down in the mix or treating them like another instrument with good effects added, not bad effects such as Auto-Tune. It's interesting how people who aren't used to this approach are confused by it or want amazing vocal talent, like on American Idol. In all fairness, I'm confused with how mainstream pop music puts everything together. That stuff doesn't sound right at all to me. I'm a firm believer in Dave Berman's sentiment that "all my favorite singers couldn't sing."



They formed in 1991 and released their first recordings on their own Blueflea label. A few labels have helped them over the years, including Ba Da Bing and Icon Records. Chicago's Kranky Records released Depths in 1997 and they have stuck with them ever since. This is where they should be considering that Kranky was started with the purpose of putting out the first Labradford album of experimental ambient guitar songs and Windy & Carl fit in exactly with that aesthetic.

Windy and Carl also run Stormy Records in Dearborn, Michigan.

For more info:
Kranky Records band page
Brainwashed band site
Stormy Records

Rockets and Bluelights

"Go to Spiral Scratch, they've had this 10'' there forever by this band Rockets and Bluelights, you'd like it, it sounds like faster Promise Ring".

This is what my friend had said to me (or close to it...) after a band I was in a few years ago had finished a set in Buffalo. Needless to say, the recommendation was enough for me, and the next time my roommate and his girlfriend went to Buffalo, I tagged along. I remember this only because he made fun of me for going to Buffalo to seek out an obscure 10" that i wasn't even sure was there.

Well it was there. In a stack of 10" records at the old Spiral Scratch was this dusty and faded record called "A Smashed City With Flames and Music in the Air", and it was pretty cheap. Even the dude working was surprised I was buying it as he told me it had been there forever and he always wondered what it sounded like. I almost felt bad taking it. Apparently, the band was from Albany (?) and the record came out in 2003 on Redder Records (http://www.redderrecords.com/) aaand was recorded at Dead Air Studios (http://www.deadairstudios.com/). It does sound a bit like "faster Promise Ring", but there's a lot more happening in the guitars. "Andee" is my favorite track on the record. The song opens with some great sounding overdriven guitar and a massive drum fill before it explodes into distortion and a great twinkly lead just to come to a halt by a great off time bass line and buried vocals. I guess the only flaw with this band is that they were ahead of the game. I'm sure if they were still around now they'd be scooped up by Topshelf or something. I think they just lost to timing, but I honestly don't know anything about them other than what I posted. Enjoy.