Epitonic Newsletter: Vol. 4, No. 9 'Month of the Music Conference Part II, All Tomorrow's Parties'
03/08/02
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All right, maybe it's a bit of a stretch to call All Tomorrow's
Parties a music conference. Festival then. The four-day concert
finally takes place next week at the University of California in
Los Angeles. We say finally because ATP was originally scheduled
for October of last year, but festival curators Sonic Youth, who
live and work in downtown New York, postponed it after the calamitous
events of September 11. [You can read Sonic Youth guitarist Lee
Ranaldo's reflections on the aftermath of that fateful day here.]
The genesis for All Tomorrow's Parties came from a 1999 Belle and
Sebastian weekend event called Bowlie Weekender, a one-off festival
the Scottish group put on with the help of promoter Barry Hogan, which
featured some of their favorite artists of the moment. Hogan liked the
idea of an intelligent, well-heeled festival that celebrated indie
values and featured a guest group who picked the lineup and acted as
a sort of master of ceremonies. So in 2000, with the help of guest
curators Mogwai, Hogan staged the inaugural All Tomorrow's Parties.
Tortoise curated the 2001 follow-up. The upcoming Sonic Youth-curated
affair will be the first ATP in the United States.
The lineup of ATP L.A. reflects Sonic Youth's distinctive tastes,
with an emphasis on Japanese noise (Merzbow, Boredoms, Bride of No
No), freaky-deaky improv (Deerhoof, Jackie-O Motherfucker),
experimental rock (US Maple, The Dead C, Unwound), experimental
jazz (Fred Anderson, Cecil Taylor, Nels Cline and Mats Gustaffson),
and experimental hip hop and electronic (Aphex Twin, Mad Lib, Cannibal
Ox). Additionally, some legendary cult bands will be on hand, including
power-pop pioneers Big Star, arty NYC guitar rockers Television,
post-prog hardcore punks Saccharine Trust, Detroit proto-punks Destroy
All Monsters, and a reconstituted Stooges featuring original guitarist
Ron Asheton (also a member of Destroy All Monsters), Mike Watt
(fIREHOSE, Minutemen) and J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr). Sonic Youth will
also be performing as a quintet with new member Jim O'Rourke. Three-day
passes to the festival are sold out, but some day tickets are still
available. For the complete lineup and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.wayahead.com/atp/sy2001.htm.
As if all that weren't enough, the third edition of the All Tomorrow's
Parties U.K. takes place in late April (at its usual location, Camber
Sands Holiday Center in East Sussex), curated by Shellac. For info
on that event, visit http://www.wayahead.com/atp/shellac2002.htm.
As you might have guessed, all the artists in this week's newsletter
will be performing at ATP, or at least feature members who will. Enjoy!
"The Hook"
by
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
As you all know, Stephen Malkmus's old group, Pavement, was among the most original and influential American bands of the '90s. While Pavement is no more, Malkmus continues to go strong under his own name, recording charmingly elliptical and eclectic songs with his new backing band, The Jicks.
"Same Day"
by
J Mascis and The Fog
It ain't easy to play a cool guitar solo these days, and it ain't easy to go solo. But since J Mascis was already pretty much doing both -- writing songs, singing, drumming, playing guitar, and producing -- on the last Dinosaur Jr. albums, these feats were no prob. You could say that the recipe for perfect fuzzed-out slacker pop requires only one ingredient, though it doesn't hurt that Mascis gets help from "The Fog," also known as My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields and Guided by Voices' Robert Pollard.
"What Is Memory"
by
Lydia Lunch and Rowland S. Howard
With the ex-Birthday Party guitarist Rowland S. Howard by her side, Lydia Lunch, mistress of the bizarre, unleashes a ferocious, almost primal force that will leave you feeling like you've been run over by a phalanx of hellish steamrollers.
"December"
by
Unwound
Unwound is one of indie rock's most important bands ever. Taking up where SST-era Sonic Youth left off, Unwound maintains a punk rock stance in conquering and controlling noise rock.
"Untitled"
by
Black Dice
Black Dice gives entirely new meaning to the word aggro with their punishing, indecipherable bursts of horrific sonic chaos. If you want to hear the sound of your psyche unraveling, look no further.
"Delivery"
by
Erase Errata
San Francisco quartet Erase Errata channels the skeletal rhythms of British post-punk, the abrasive rush of no wave, and the feisty energy of riot grrl punk into intensely angular, incredibly vital music that will blow you away.
"All Hands On The Bad One"
by
Sleater-Kinney
Sleater-Kinney's celebrated trio of rock and roll cult heroes/goddesses conducts cathartic punk exorcisms (gender hierarchy, political inequality, consumerism) and baptisms (female empowerment, humanity, humor) with unflagging exuberance and passion.
"Pools of Mercury"
by
Bride of No No
Bride Of No No is Chicago's newest No-Wave terror troupe. Formed from the remnants of the Scissor Girls, vocalist AZ and cohorts forge chaotically dissonant works of mania and anxiety, offering a glimpse into the poetics of the perverse and sinister.
"Super Good"
by
Boredoms
The Boredoms have been not so quietly leading the underground rock movement in Japan for the last 14 years with their unique mixture of noise, punk, psychedelia, and utter chaos.
"Mars"
by
Nels Cline & Gregg Bendian
Screaming, wailing, and whispering guitar replaces the saxophone in this reinterpretation of a free-jazz classic. Prepare for a mind-bending, ear-tweaking trip through the vastness of interstellar space.
"Saxoon"
by
Fred Anderson Quartet
Tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson straddles the divide between disparate jazz generations, marrying the elegance and melodicism of classic swing and bop with the passion and fury of free jazz.
"Long Life Love"
by
Stereolab
For over a decade, this loose-knit French-English ensemble's colorful, playful, spacey music has set the bar for experimental pop. One of the '90s' most influential and adored groups.
"The End of Life in America/Angels"
by
Lee Ranaldo
Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo does what he does best, producing cryptic spoken-word pieces and tons of noise. Ranaldo is joined here by Sonic Youth band mates Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley in his ongoing efforts to redefine the word "experimental."
"Teenie Weenie Boppie"
by
Free Kitten
Supergroup? Yeah, you could say that. Featuring members of Sonic Youth, the Boredoms, Pussy Galore, and Pavement, this collaborative venture leans toward the arty, noisy experimentalism of the previous two outfits, while occasionally incorporating touches of the raunchiness and irony that distinguish the latter two.
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