Top Live Outings of 2011

While I'll be holding off on the list of my favourite records from this year for a while, today I'll post the best shows I went to in 2011 (as memory serves, at any rate). In calendar order:

WAR HERO's second last show at The Chateau Noir, January 28
A slew of worthwhile bands played this night. It's never a disappointment to see SIX BREW BANTHA, OSK, or, most notably, AHNA. I took a breather during YOUNG OPPPRESSION's set (I think of all the shows I've been to that they were playing I have still only seen them once, over two years ago and I don't think they even exist anymore, so there goes that). But WAR HERO(!). The Chateau was beyond packed. I've never seen so many people crammed into such a small space. Countless "move the FUCK back"s out of Tommy's mouth throughout the set. Crowd surfing and ceiling punching was abound. For a band that I would never write home about, it resulted into one of the best times I've had at a show in recent years. They're all cool guys and it was just a matter of being around friends and having a good time that night. Nothing from the split 7" with HOMINID (as expected), but the 'classic' "Originality 101" was certainly the best choice for an ender.

SWANS at The Rickshaw, February 25
WOODEN WAND opened this and they were okay. I haven't really dug into their (his) discography aside from the split 7" with UNEARTHLY TRANCE where they each do a CHARLES MANSON cover (and WW's is pretty darn good). But the rest of what I've heard just does nothing for me. However, SWANS, clearly, almost obviously-to-the-point-I-don't-even-need-to-post-this, were so. good. A full hour and a half of being pummeled by a massive wall of sound and bearing witness to the great cynical witticisms of Michael Gira. Some issues with sound (to which Mr. Gira clearly displayed how aggravated he was by many a middle finger in the sound guy's direction), but nothing overly bad. It's not until you see a SWANS performance that you can fully understand what Gira means in this interview about the music being a 'transcendental experience'.

A CANADIAN WEREWOLF IN...'s last show at the Chateau Noir, July 28
A band spawned out of semi-inside jokes, a love of werewolves, 80s b-movies, and Degrassi Juniour High might not sound like anything worth posting among all these other shows, but oh how wrong you'd be to think that. I think there was only one or two shows of this band that I missed (not a terrible feat to accomplish seeing as since their formation in 2005, all their outings can be counted on two hands with ease). Late November 2008, the lone show with yours truly on second guitar, ended up being the final WEREWOLF show until two 'reunion' shows this past July. The first, July 22, on their home turf of Chilliwack, was alright. There's really nothing of worth in this city's music scene anymore so it was expected. The Chateau show, however, was great. For reasons unknown, I didn't watch WEIRDING's (who I later found out are great) or GSTS's sets, but I did catch INHALER (a newish band with members of BAPTISTS et al) who weren't all that bad. WEREWOLF's set was just ridiculous. Even though I wasn't playing I still had a fucking blast. The handful of people that know every word to every song and just go off gives me that momentary lapse of 'serious guy hardcore' I need every now and then. I'm sure it was the fact that we (every time I talk about this show I say 'we', but I actually didn't reprise my role on guitar for these shows, so I really had nothing to do with any of it), played to a non-Chilliwack crowd. I only wish it had been done more often. You can now find the bassist on the Chilliwack City Council after a couple-year stint as President of Chamber of Commerce.

AHNA at the Moon Tower, September 3
This was one of the final shows of the ISKRA / NO EULOGY / SIX BREW BANTHA cross-Canada summer tour and while those bands were pretty good, AHNA is by default my favourite band at any show they play. Heavy as fuck and some of the best people on this planet.

Vancouver Noise Fest at 1067, September 24 and 25
The fest that produced this picture, and, as I mentioned in a previous post a couple months back, the highlights for me were MONGST, THE RITA, RUSALKA, THROBBING CONTINUUM OF FUCK, and WORKER. All with the exception of THE RITA played on the first day. Both nights were enjoyable, though. 1067 is a cool little venue and it was nice to finally put some faces to Vancouver noise names.

WOLBACHIA at The Chateau Noir, October 26
It was nice to finally see Brad and the gang on the West Coast. Hell, it was nice to finally see them play, period. I missed MORTIMER and PRISON VIOLENCE (by mere minutes), but I did manage to see favourites AHNA and OSK before WOLBACHIA ground everyone's faces off. Their weirdly original riffs are what I like most about the band. I sometimes can't even make sense of them. It's not that they're overly fast or anything like that, they just sound like nothing I ever hear anywhere else. I wasn't able to make it to the Squamish or Victoria shows but I heard they were as good or better than the night in Vancouver. I booked them a show in Abbotsford as their last BC date before the road back and while they still rocked, the show itself was so-so. Come back soon, guys n' gals.

HAGGATHA at The Rickshaw, November 25
I need to see this band more often. On record they're okay, but live they are a fucking powerhouse. They played second with a relatively short set this night but it was "all killer, no filler", or so the saying goes. BAPTISTS started off the night, but they're definitely not a band for the stage. They most likely would have been miles better if this was a house show. MASS GRAVE also doesn't work on a stage and again, if this was a house show even I probably would have enjoyed their set. BRAINOIL flew in from Oakland just to play this show and a Victoria date and they were great, though the rockin' 'n' rollin' sludge stuff isn't normally of interest to me. I guess the Victoria show was a house show (sub BAPTISTS and HAGGATHA for NO EULOGY ), which probably would have served them better, too. But seriously, HAGGATHA. Live. All you need to worry about.

And it is with that that we reach the end of my boring tales of nights spent this past year.

Podcast #4

Here. Apologies for the weird gaps of silence between some of the sets, not sure what happened.

PLAYLIST:

NOMEANSNO - Forward to Death (Virus 100, 1992)
THOUSANDSWILLDIE - Medusa (Demo, 2007)

DETROIT - Arizona (Demo, 2011)
OSK - Knowingly Ignorant (Wretched Existence // Bleak Future, 2011)
NO FAITH - False Existence (unreleased, 2011)
EYE GOUGER - Really? I'm Excited for the Bands (Demo, 2006)
WHIZ KIDZ - Whiz Kidz (We Go Bananaz, 2005)
HIGH JINKS - Family Portraits (High Jinks, 2007)

HATRED SURGE - Brutal Supremacy (Brutal Supremacy, 2011)
MAMMOTH GRINDER - Societal Collapse (Mammoth Grinder / Hatred Surge, 2011)
OD VRATOT NADOLU - Ziva (Od Vratot Nadolu, 2011)
IN VACUO - Dig the War (You Pilot, 2008)

CONSTRICTIONS - Dead Weight (Zero Discrimination, 2010)
CUSTODIAN - Exterior Pt. 2 (Mania / Custodian, 2011)
ACTUARY - Battlefield Hymn (2009)

BRAINOIL - Gravity is a Relic (Death of This Dry Season, 2011)
HAGGATHA - 55 Year Old Fucking Liar (III, 2011)

NYODENE D - There Will Come Soft Rains (Every Knee Shall Bow, 2011)
DEATH GRIPS - Beware (Exmilitary, 2011)

Podcast #3

Now up. Longer tracks this time around, regular programming returns next week.

PLAYLIST:

GAS CHAMBER - Prone (Corpse with Levity, 2011)

ALARIC - Your God (Alaric, 2011)
ENERGETIC ACTION - The Walls Flare in the Sun (Walls, 2011)

SPECTRES - Longinas (Last Days, 2010)
AU PAIRS - Armagh (Playing with a Different Sex, 1981)
MONITOR - I Saw Dead Jim's Shade (Monitor, 1981)

TUMOR CIRCUS - Turn Off the Respirator (Tumor Circus, 1991)

SWANS - Fool (Public Castration is a Good Idea, 1986)
THROBBING GRISTLE - Persuasion (Live at the Astoria Theatre, London 2004-05-16)

Podcast #2

Available here.

PLAYLIST:

ELAINE BROWN - The End of Silence (Seize the Time, 1969)

THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - Qabalistic Zero (PHTEB, 2011)
DEAD LANGUAGE - Short Straw (Dead Language, 2011)
VILE INTENT - Bellows (Regression to the Mean, 2011)
SEVERE - Baby, I’m an Anarchist (Snitch Slaughter, 2006)

RUNNING FOR COVER - Left Behind (live) (Trapped in a Scene, 2007)
IN DISGUST - Alone (In Disgust / Mass Grave - Split, 2008)
SETE STAR SEPT - Deadly Smile (Revisions of Noise, 2010)
INSECT WARFARE - Street Sweeper (Evolved into Obliteration, 2007)
SIX BREW BANTHA - Violence Fuels Hatred (unreleased, 2011)

LORTIE - 1984 (unreleased, 2011)
URINE COP - War. Cough Syrup. Death. (Urine Cop / Vomir - Split, 2011)

IRON LUNG - Brutal Supremacy (Brutal Supremacy, 2011)

WEIRDING - Eyes (Each Birth is a New Disaster, 2011)
CHUCK NORRIS - I Don’t Care (Chuck Norris, 2005)

SUBHUMANS - Fuck You (The Subhumans, 1979)
NOMEANSNO - Forget Your Life (Betrayal Fear Anger Hatred, 1981)

DRAINLAND - Stairs (Drainland / Trenches - Split, 2011)
WAKE THE MACHINES - A Shadow Over Innsmouth, Part 1 (Wake the Machines / Agathocles - Split, 2011)
BASTARD NOISE - Tyranny Beyond Earth (Epilogue) (Rogue Astronaut, 2009)
BOYD RICE AND FRIENDS - Silence is Golden (Music, Martinis, and Misanthropy, 1990)

Distro Update (11/11/11)

Just so I can say I updated this on 11/11/11 (I'll be asleep by 11:11:11, hopefully), the DRAINLAND / TRENCHES split LP arrived last night and has been posted for sale in the webstore. Heavy hardcore vs. elongated hardcore. Import on De Graanrepubliek from The Netherlands.

"Drainland offer 4 songs of noise drenched hardcore. Slow, fast, heavy and powerful. For fans of Unruh, Noothgrush and Dystopia. Trenches on the other side come with their first output on vinyl. One song that lasts for about 14 minutes. I guess they could be best compared to a mixture between Ire and Isis (Celestial period). Riffing, groove, dark and just simply great."

It's also currently streaming in full at CVLT Nation.

Up next:

ACTUARY / ADERLATING CS
ACTUARY / BACTERIA CULT 7"
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - final CS


I spent the night catching up on a backlog of new records that I hadn't listened to yet:

The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat LP
Iron Lung - Live at Supersonic LP
Various - Crush Your Canadian Idols Vol. 2 LP
Apartment 213 / Forced Expression 7"
Bastard Noise / Gerritt 7"
Actuary / Bacteria Cult 7"
Monitor - Beak b/w Pet Wedding 7"
The Mummies - Peel Sessions 7"
Emil Beaulieau / Jason Lescalleet 7"
Devillock / Yellow Swans 7"

Distro Update

WRECK OF THE HESPERUS - Light Rotting Out LP now in stock. Gross, heavy Irish doom. Import on Streaks Records from Germany. Details:

"The woeful second album, for so long dreaded by many, from the Irish grime-bandits Wreck of the Hesperus. Crawling out from their grim festering underground caverns after five years - this new monstrosity shows they have, unsurprisingly, learnt nothing since the pitiful noise of "The Sunken Threshold" in 2006. "Light Rotting Out" is a regressive degenerate musical abomination of fetid, retarded doom. Dirty dissonance from demented dissidents. Guest vocals from Albert Witchfinder."

Mastered for vinyl by James Plotkin. Comes as gatefold with full printed inner sleeve. 150 white, 350 black. I only have black copies in stock. Listen to the first track, 'Kill Monument', here.

Be advised some shipping options in the store have changed. If you're in Canada, make sure to pick your province in the shipping options section on checkout so you're charged the proper cost. These are Canada Post's exact prices and are all based on tax/fuel surcharges in your province, which is why it's cheaper to send it to Quebec than it is Ontario, even though Ontario is closer to me. Note this only applies to bigger/heavier items (i.e. LP orders), and ordering some zines or 7"s will remain the same rate across the board.

In other distro news, SPECIAL INTERESTS #5 is now sold out. Restock will be coming eventually. Running low on all other issues of SPECIAL INTERESTS as well as THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE / PIG HEART TRANSPLANT 7". No guarantee of a restock on the latter.

Up next:

DRAINLAND / TRENCHES - split LP
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - final CS

Podcast

I just uploaded the first Absurd Exposition podcast for stream/download. Do either or both of those things here.

Being the first episode I just wanted to play a lot of music and not do a lot of talking.

Playlist:

CYCLOPS - Pincer's Movement (The Second Son of Poseidon, 1989)

SEA OF SHIT - Left to Rot (Sea of Shit / Socially Retarded - Split, 2010)
COLUMN OF HEAVEN - Binge/Purge (Ecstatically Embracing all that we Habitually Suppress, 2011)
KALI - Shepherd's Rod (unreleased, 2011)
PSYCHIC LIMB - Untitled 2 (Queens, 2011)

COMPOUND TERROR - Keep the River to Your Right (unreleased, 2011)
WOLBACHIA - Antisocial Gospel (Ahna / Wolbachia - Split, 2011)
DEFEATIST - Bled Dry (Tyranny of Decay, 2011)
PRAETURA - A Rising Tide Sinks All Boats (Praetura, 2011)

DISGUST - Thrive (Disgust / Joshua Norton Cabal - Split, 2011)
WORKER - You Left Your Body on the Bed Where You Slept (excerpt) (Dream Dead, 2011)
OPIATE - Golden Dawn (I'll Keep It with Mine, 2011)
GENOCIDE ORGAN - S.Low (Under Kontrakt, 2011)

A CANADIAN WEREWOLF IN... - Wolfsquatch (unreleased, 2007)
AHNA - Confederation (Ahna, 2010)
WAR HERO - Originality 101 (alternate) (unreleased, 2008)

POINTED STICKS - The Marching Song (Vancouver Complication, 1979)
D.O.A. - World War 3 (Something Better Change, 1980)

CYCLOPS - The Many Faces of Vulcan (The Second Son of Poseidon, 1989)

Apologies for the mic being a bit quiet, it'll be proper volume next time. #2 may happen next week, or it may happen next month. Either way it'll be posted about here and on Facebook.

The last show I'm playing with BURNING GHATS is this Saturday, November 12th at Moon Tower with RAW NERVES and TOTAL WAR.

Distro Update

Got a bit behind on giving this update.

DISGUST / JOSHUA NORTON CABAL CS and PIG HEART TRANSPLANT / THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE 7" now stocked in the distro.

The tape comes from Small Doses in the US and the 7" from SuperFi in the UK, sorry for the price on the latter but it's more or less the going rate (the 3-panel art by FEEDING makes up for it). Purchase them and scope the rest of the distro here (note the store is no longer at Big Cartel).

Next to arrive:
ACTUARY / ADERLATING CS (Love Earth Music, USA)
ACTUARY / BACTERIA CULT 7" (Vomitcore, USA)
DRAINLAND / TRENCHES LP (De Graanrepubliek, Netherlands)
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE - final CS (Survivalist, Canada)
WRECK OF THE HESPERUS - Light Rotting Out LP (Streaks, Germany)

I suspect all of the above to arrive over the next week or two.

Thanks to everyone in the Lower Mainland who came out to the WOLBACHIA shows last week. I'll be getting copies of their split 7" with AHNA as soon as it's out.


Listening:
Current 93 - I Have a Special Plan for This World
Death - Human
Praetura - Praetura (ex-KURSK, current-DEFEATIST, fans of both will enjoy)
Sergei Rachmaninoff - Rachmaninoff plays Chopin
Boyd Rice and Friends - Music, Martinis, and Misanthropy
Tom Waits - Bad as Me

Reading:
Grishjärta - Nattramn
Standing in Two Circles: The Collected Works of Boyd Rice

Watching:
Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Klaus Kinski is a fucking creature)
Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead
Nosferatu the Vampyre (see above re: Kinski)
The Wire