I've been working a bit on a covers EP under my schädel alias, which I will likely share on Bandcamp. I likely will not be doing any Iron Maiden covers, so here are a couple from Bandcamp that you may enjoy.
With my frequent usage of twitter and FB, my blog traffic has gone way down, but I have a few items to mention:
I donated a track (under my schädel alias) to the benefit compilation Sorghum. Download the whole comp for $4 (or more; it's a benefit after all) and get "Merma", along with tons of other great tunes.
I just did a 5 minute minimix entitled "Follow the Mustache". It's a bit like the minimixes Annie Mac has on her BBC show. Seventeen tracks in five minutes!
You can check a preview of another new track, also produced as schädel: "rpm 04". I have probably an album's worth of schädel tunes to be polished and released.
Folks, hands down, my favorite venue in the general Cincinnati area is the Southgate House, just across the river in Newport. If you're FB friends or follow on twitter anyone in this area (or who's from this area), I'm sure you already have heard, but if not, here you go:
The closing of the Southgate House (at least its current location) is a major blow to the music scene. It's not just a favorite of locals, either: it's been ranked in national polls for the best music venues.
I'm not sure which show at the Southgate House was the first I attended -- I moved here in 1996, and for the first few years I lived here, I went to nearby (to my apartment) Bogart's. At that time, Bogart's was still booking some great bands (Porno for Pyros, for example, was my first show there), and it being in walking distance was a great incentive.
However, by the early 2000's I was hitting up SGH often. I didn't have a digital camera back then, so I don't have as much evidence of those shows as I do for later ones, and I don't have any ticket stubs to speak of either. Sad times.
I'm not the most eloquent when it comes to feelings, and SGH closing sure brings them up. I've seen performances by heroes and friends and heroes and friends and... yeah. So many.
And not only that, most, if not all, of the musical projects I've been involved with that have performed publicly have done so at least once at Southgate -- DJ Empirical, The Haywards, The Black Fives, Black Signal, Not Delicious, plus various one-offs for tribute shows and the like. Southgate House has supported local acts for years, and if they do continue elsewhere, I really hope they continue that. Plus, I've sung my fair share of karaoke songs in that parlour. :)
Shit, I've even dj'd a wedding there!
Anyway, While I've been writing this, I've been trying to remember some of the great bands I've seen there. Every time I think I've thought of all the biggest (as in, most important to me) ones, I think of more. Negativland, Ann Shenton, Buckethead, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Evolution Control Committee, Glue, Venetian Snares, John Waters, Mike Doughty, Cex, Hogscraper, Infinite Number of Sounds, Rasputina, Neil Hamburger, Grand Buffet, Sunn o))), Gil Mantera's Party Dream, Electric Six, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and on and on and on.
Anyway. I easily have about 1800 photos from there in my flickr stream. Here are some of them, and I'll put tons at the end of this post. Check them out, and then mark your calendar for 12/09/2011, which will be my last performance there, as a part of my band, Black Signal. We'll be releasing our first official music that night, a digital EP, in the same historic venue where we played our first show.
Be sure -- if they re-open somewhere else, I'll absolutely support them, especially if they continue to bring in excellent national acts and support excellent local acts. It definitely won't be the same, though.
Now pics. These are roughly in chronological order. You'll see my photography improve over the years; I have SGH to thank in part for that as well. There aren't many I kept from the last couple years, as I burnt myself out on photography in 2009, and I'm just recently getting back into it.
The Black Fives, 2004.
This was before I was a member, when it was still Gabe's solo thing.
DJ Empirical, 2004.
This was at the first 80's Pop Rocks, a tribute to the 80s (thus the outfit)
The Haywards, 2004 at Sound Off for Kerry.
That's Montana (me) on the left, and David on the right. This was one of the couple shows with Gabe on guitar (out of frame to the right)
Burning Star Core, 2005.
Cex, 2005.
Large Number [Ann Shenton, formerly of Add (N) to X], 2005.
Ruckus Roboticus, 2005.
This was my first gig with him, at a birthday party I'd been booked for; I enlisted him to pitch in.
Hogscraper, 2005.
These guys sold out Southgate a couple Halloweens in a row back in the day.
Lisa and Chuck of Wussy, 2005.
This was a Romper Room-style video thing. Weird and cool.
Grand Buffet, 2005.
Saw these guys at Southgate a few times.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, 2006.
These guys were touring through and needed a show, and I had a residency that month at Southgate, so I had them in. *Super* nice guys.
Buckethead, 2006.
A hero. Saw him here a few times as well.
Negativland, 2006.
Not a band I'd ever thought I'd see live, and I saw them here.
Forbidden Nectar, 2007.
This was a one-off project Sean P. Hafer (L) and I did at a Southern Rock tribute show.
Sean P. Hafer, 2007.
Here's Sean running karaoke. Good goddamn times.
Ratatat, 2007.
Montana Wildhack, 2007.
This was me performing in the 3rd incarnation of the 80s tribute show 80s Pop Rocks. I think I did the first rap song in the 3 years. (Kool Moe Dee's "I Go to Work")
Dandi Wind, 2007.
This was the final night of the Lite Brite Festival that year.
My Brightest Diamond, 2007.
So, so good.
Rasputina, 2007.
John Waters, 2008.
Another Lite Brite Festival.
Neil Hamburger, 2009.
Black Moth Super Rainbow, 2009. Click through to see this one larger.
Earlier this year, we lost our friend Vince to suicide. To celebrate his life and art, and to benefit an organization that could have helped him, please consider attending Vincinnati: Art Exploration.
After the silent auction and raffles, there will be entertainment in the form of dj's, and I will be among them. Please visit the FaceBook event.
So, I am resuming the tradition i started years ago of having a big show on or around my birthday, in order to have a few of my friends all on one bill. This time, though, I've upped the ante by getting the amazing Rusty Shackles to do the design for both the poster (above) and the handbill (forthcoming).
If you click on the poster above, or visit the link [a] at the bottom of this post, you'll be directed to the Facebook event.
Every once in a while when I'm playing my music collection on shuffle, a Bali piece called "Ketjak", from a compilation of gamelans, will pop up. Here's a similar piece:
(http://youtu.be/mv9utkz-Jco)
The first time I heard it, something occurred to me instantly: Mike Patton used a very similar chant in the Mr. Bungle tune "Goodbye Sober Day" (skip to 2:39):
(http://youtu.be/a8XYWZMHqpU)
The more I listen to Mr. Bungle (and California in particular), the more I discover in their music. Boy, do I miss them.
Ok, so I'm going on a clinic to India with a charity organization called OneSight. This is not in a "dj" capacity, but I figured I'd mention it here, since donations to OneSight fund these trips. It's happening rather soon (end of February), so if you can spare a few dollars now, that'd be great.
Any amount is appreciated!
Here's the link:
Since there's not much time left, I thought I'd sweeten the pot: if I hit my goal of $500, I'll make a mixtape* especially for the three highest donors, customized to their music tastes. I'll even keep the mix private, if the donors prefer, so that they'll have an exclusive DJ Empirical mix that's in the possession of no one else!
*Please note: The term "mixtape" here does not expressly mean a cassette tape; it merely means a longform dj-mix of music, similar to ones I've done in the past. However, if you donate enough, I could be convinced to record the mix on an actual cassette and mail it to you, and I'll even do custom artwork. ;)
It's a great cause (check out their site), and it's a great opportunity for me, so I'd really appreciate your donation.
Thanks!
UPDATE: I reached my (admittedly modest) goal -- but you can still help. My plane ticket alone was way more than this.
Remember, you could get a unique mixtape if you're one of the top 3 bidders!
UPDATE 2: I was a little off on the goal timing -- apparently I have all 2011 to get my donations. I've committed to the mixes, and for sure I'll do them, since I reached my initial goal. However, I've raised my goal to $1200, so please, if you'd still like to contribute, do so. You can still get a mixtape if you are one of the top three donors at the end of the year!
In just under two weeks, I'll play what is, at least for the time being, the last edition of my monthly night, No Magic Just Music. My guest, though, will ensure that we go out with a bang.
Gökhan Dirsel is someone who made a guest appearance at Schwarz, the monthly event that The Librarian and I shared at the now-defunct venue Clique. The focus of that night was dark electronic music, often including large swaths techno, and on that last, Gökhan excelled. At that prior appearance he performed a live PA set that was really, really good, and quite interesting as well.
He's assured me that this time around he's got a lot of new things to bring to the C&D, so this is one you'll want to catch. Click on the event, and click "attending". Or, just make it your business to remember to be there. :D
I haven't been promoting my shows here too much, relying more on Facebook for its ubiquity. However, I think I'll start mentioning more shows here on the blog -- and what better show to start with than this coming Friday's edition of my monthly night, No Magic Just Music. The special guest dj is Dan Hargraves, better known as DJ DQ, member of the excellent hip-hop group Glue, and longtime member of the dj crew The Animal Crackers, the 2006 US DMC Team Champions.
The Anmal Crackers, and specifically DQ, are largely responsible for me playing records at all -- before I had really even considered dj-ing, I used to walk from my apartment over to Top Cat's on Short Vine each Wednesday night, where The Animal Crackers had a weekly dj night & MC battle. Watching those guys not only scratch like crazy but also flat-out build original songs out of physically manipulated records... after a while it got to me, and I had to try it out myself.
That was back in 2001, and after I started dj-ing early the next year, I would visit DQ on his weekly hip-hop dj night at a local bar called Inn the Wood, where eventually he would encourage me to bring a crate and go to town, sometimes for up to an hour. This regular gig in front of a crowd really helped me get over the thought of playing in public. Not only that, when the Saturday night opened up, I was on the bar's radar enough to get the gig myself.
So here we are near the end of 2010, and Dan will be joining me at my monthly night at a little dive bar called C&D. For the record, DQ is still killer, and I am *much* better than I was all those years ago. So come join us, if you're in the area! There's no cover, yo.
Here's the Facebook link, if youre into that. Give it a click, and then click "attending", if you could. That'd be swell. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=170102096339790
Finally, as of today, I no longer reside at 2306 Flora, where I've lived for the last ~6 years. That house is split into two apartments, and though I initially moved into the first floor, I moved up to the second floor not long after McDeviltoast returned from China to become my roommate. It took me a good week of packing, and a weekend of moving (with movers) and cleaning, but I am finally sans keys, so it's official.
Since it was such a big undertaking, I thought I'd take a moment here and send my apartment a Goodbye Letter.
Goodbye, old apartment. I won't miss you much.
Goodbye, front door with the shitty lock. Remember when some douche put handcuffs on you?
That sucked. Had to get the landlord to get those off. You were better before someone smashed your window in. After that if someone knocked or rang the bell I couldn't tell who it was.
Goodbye bathroom with the ugly tile floor.
You were terrible. No, really, take a closer look:
You really were awful. All my friends agreed.
Goodbye ugly carpet in the dining area.
You were stained when I moved in, and I certainly wasn't going to do anything to remedy that. Your one redeeming quality was that you hid some of the ugly tile from the kitchen.
Speaking of which, goodbye ugly tile from the kitchen. You extended from the kitchen:
all the way out under the ugly carpet:
Goodbye ceiling fan that never worked. I pushed your blades once, to see if you'd get going, and the horrid screech you let out told me your motor was burnt out.
Oh, and one more thing -- goodbye douchey neighbors: the drunk partying college kids getting into fistfights at 3am, the slow guy who asked me for a cigarette for two years straight though my answer was always that I didn't smoke and who routinely had conversations with people half a block away about trimming his beard.
Goodbye to the chachi-frat nextdoor neighbors who littered my driveway with two to three cases worth of beer cans, telling me it'd be ok because "bums will get them tonight before you wake up in the morning".
And most of all, goodbye to my least favorite neighbor of all of my Flora Street neighbors, the one we called Best Driveway in the World™. We added the ™ because we figured he was so proud of it he'd not want anyone to steal his name. Basically, this guy had every power tool one could imagine using for driveway upkeep, and mostly ones that burnt fuel (though a few were electric). BDitW™ has no qualms about using those tools as late as 10pm, and sometimes for hours straight. Here he is, on my last day in the apartment, using his leaf blower to blow his mowed grass out into the street:
Once, instead of raking leaves, we saw him using a pressure washer, with all the leaves and crap in the street at the end of the driveway.
Lest you think BDitW™ had qualms about the extent of his dominion, here he is busting up the sidewalk and digging out under it:
You might think that's not very power tool-tastic, but don't worry: BDitW™ got to use his fuck-off sized circular saw:
He didn't always have sense, though: here's BDitW™ raking leaves during the hurricance windstorm:
