True to its moniker, Electric Eclectics is more than just a head-spinningly diverse festival of modern music. It’s also a truly eclectic experience. Equal parts experimental music festival, bush party, camping trip, participatory art happening, and gathering of lovable misfits, EE is a one-of-a-kind event. In five short years, it has become a must-see summerContinue reading “Electric Eclectics 5. The Funny Farm, Meaford, Ontario. July 30–August 1, 2010.”
Genre Archives
How To Make A Fuzzbox
Toddler Body. Survival Smokers.
Recently the mainstream of independent pop and rock has introduced certain safe yet conspicuously weird tics into their already carefully tweaked lexicon of self-conscious poses. Given that pseudo-psychedelic, fake lo-fi pop geared to fashionable teens is at an all-time high, it’s refreshing to hear some genuinely skewed yet playful music being created. Toronto’s Toddler BodyContinue reading “Toddler Body. Survival Smokers.”
Thomas, Farah, and D’Eon
I’m sitting with Thom Gill and we’re talking about his most recent EP Such Is Your Triumph, arguably his most intimate and personal set of recordings to date. In addition to his beautifully hushed and harmonically inventive takes on two gospel songs made famous by the Clark Sisters, the EP also contains several original pieces,Continue reading “Thomas, Farah, and D’Eon”
Braids, Grimes, and Doldrums
In 1981 in a small town called Dunedin in New Zealand, a trio of young musicians called The Clean, recorded a handful of fuzzy, sloppy pop songs on a four-track Portastudio. For connoisseurs of what is now known as indie-pop, their infectious energy and heartfelt yearning have stood the test of time. Theirs was musicContinue reading “Braids, Grimes, and Doldrums”
New Age Music—The Second Wave
I’m lying on the living-room floor. I’ve been like this for two hours, on my back, in the dark, headphones on. The record on the turntable is literally locked in its groove and producing a low-note drone that at times sounds like a whale’s moan or some sort of detuned, prepared trombone, if such aContinue reading “New Age Music—The Second Wave”
Richard Marsella
“Good evening and welcome to the Friendly Rich Show. My name is Friendly Rich. Thank you. And I’ll be your loyal host this evening. Behind me, my mystery-meat orchestra, the Lollipop People. No need to clap, kids. Tonight’s show is full of the good stuff. We got dirty crank calls, burlesque puppets, circus cartoons, aContinue reading “Richard Marsella”
Extermination Music Night
It’s quarter past midnight in late May 2008. Storm clouds loom but hold, on this surprisingly humid night. I open the garage, grab my bike and check my backpack: flashlight, five cans of beer, five-dollar donation, notepad and pen. I recheck the instructions I printed from an online forum: “Do not be seen entering theContinue reading “Extermination Music Night”
Spring 2012
Big Ears Festival. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 26–28, 2010.
Clean, tidy, and walkable, downtown Knoxville feels more like Europe than America. Unlike the Next Big Thing-chasing club crawl of that other Southern-U.S. fest, South by Southwest, in Austin, the Big Ears Festival is a carefully curated festival driven by an artistic mandate to showcase cutting-edge artists from a wide variety of practices. This moreContinue reading “Big Ears Festival. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 26–28, 2010.”