Drag City, May 2006: with the doo-rag pulled over our heads and sleeves rolled up to the elbows, we’re cleaning up, hand over fist! So you’ll have to pardon our mess, and bless it too...with so many hotties on the roster, we can’t help but spill over with good times, hot and cold running music, multimedia jams and a mess of excellence! Here’s a quick glance at the immediate past/present/future checklist: Pearls and Brass/AZITA/The Howling Hex/The Make Up/Loose Fur/The Red Krayola/Espers/Faun Fables/Smog/Six Organs of Admittance/Ian Svenonius/Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy/PAJO/Neil Hamburger/Mark Fosson/Bill Fay Group...I gotta take a breath! And that doesn’t even count the several blockbuster releases we have scheduled for this fall.

Truly, Drag City is cleaning up in 2006. You’ll want to know more — so direct your eyes to the glyphs and digits arrayed below...

It’s been forty years and seventeen total records since The Red Krayola burst upon an unsuspecting world — and yet, their newest release comes under the title Introduction, which serves notice to the unsuspecting world to listen up! Something funny may be afoot. Of course, it is too — and in a world that makes no sense, The Red Krayola is king. Introduction is one of the finest albums from Mayo Thompson and his collective to date — an impressive feat for rock and rollers about to celebrate their fortieth year of rock and roll — but there it is. In celebration of the occasion of this release, Mayo brought together a few Krayolai — Tom Watson, John McEntire and once-and-future-synthesizer wizard Allen Ravenstine — to play at the Getty Center and Spaceland in Los Angeles, then headed north to San Francisco for a third, Ravenstine-less show. The crowds were thrilled to be in the presence of something that is at once celebrated and yet unknown. The Red Krayola are a work still in progress, producing music that couldn’t have happened in the past and might not again in the future. This is their special gift to the world — a pop music improvisation that is a product of the times. They’re a barometer twisting in the wind for any and all to read — god bless ‘em.

More Red Krayola shows are scheduled for later this summer — in Philadelphia, New York and Pittsburgh, with selected European cities under consideration for concerts this fall. Introduction hit the streets in the middle of April — just a few weeks ago, really — but we expect that people will be getting their Introduction at various and unpredictable times in the future. Still, why wait until tomorrow to hear the sounds of today? The Red Krayola is on sale in stores and on websites NOW.

Here at Drag City, we’re seventeen years into a history marked once a month with releases. You name a month, we’ve got a couple handfuls of releases that jump to mind. But never have we had such a sweet couple of releases as Espers and Faun Fables in the month of May. Truly, these two titles do evoke that old poetical warhorse — the leonine raging of March, the ablutions of April and all the other bullshit — they were worth it for what they brought! We stand trembling on the cusp of summer, with the delicate petals of Espers and Faun Fables in our hand.

We’ve been raving about these two records for awhile, but in the off-chance that you weren’t listening up, here it is: Faun Fables is the songtelling adventure of Dawn (the Faun) McCarthy. She’s been playing and singing around the world as Faun Fables since 1997 and has released four albums in that time — Early Song, Mother Twilight, Family Album and now, The Transit Rider. She and collaborator/accompanist/provocateur Nils Frykdahl have taken Faun Fables around and around the world, playing when and wherever they wanted or were wanted. Their shows are inspirational voyages into a world where the music of the ages is made to live again. The Transit Rider is a collection of songs built around a stage play Dawn has been developing over the years, but is no less a collection of songs for it. For the staged version, don’t miss Faun Fables, on tour now around the USA!

Hailing from Philadelphia, Espers defy the megaloptical sprawl of the north-eastern seaboard with their pastoral sounds, then bring a sound that defies terra firma itself. They’ve been making records for the past few years with their first, self-titled album coming in 2004. The new album is called II — a cryptic reference to it being their second album (we think). As alluded to above, their secret formula starts with rootsy acoustic sounds before lifting off into a fuller-bodied assemblage of six-person rock, complete with electric leads and synthesizers...but Espers always keep the song in sight, waxing melodic even in the proggiest moments. II is making its way onto a lot of best-of-2006 lists, so add it to yours — then go about and get the record! It’s a lovely new recording, that, like Faun Fables, never lives in less than the present day — no matter how many hundreds of years stand behind it.

You kids today — you’re in love with a past that never existed! As far as we know, the summer of 1977 was more of a love fest around the world than the summer of 1967. Then there’s’87 and ’97, as well... those were some good times, we gotta admit — on and off the drugs. The beginning of the end of the beginning of the love, I think we called it. And even though we’re not presently in one of those magical years ending in “7” (the Chinese sometimes call it the Year of the Monkey), our point is this: your summer of love is what you make it. So this year, look within yourself and do what you can. For our part, we’ll supply a stream of media to provide you with the requisite good times and good vibes that provide an aromatic bed for summer lovin’.

Like what, you ask? Like this:

Like a mountain king from his long winter’s nap, Ben “Six Organs of Admittance” Chasny has come to, shaking the dreams from his bloodshot eyes and committing a new opus to tape, to vinyl and to metallic disc. There’s been no hibernating for ungentle Ben — he’s been running round this world, contributing to the cacophony of Comets on Fire and to the menagerie of Current 93 in addition to playing Six Organs of Admittance shows wherever he is needed — but this is his first recording for over a year. As anyone who has heard the result, it’s clear that the roiling cauldron of his soul exploded in a rheumy blast, leaving behind intricate, glistening patterns of sound and the shadows of creatures in its path. The tape arrived at our offices with a woosh of grainy air and a scribbled note from Ben — mutterings along the lines of, “...bad and evil... the dark is rising...and fires will (illegible) ... ”

He’s got a point — and yet, The Sun Awakens threatens to create within us all a new optimism, the kind that comes after scorched earth and leveled cities. A new beginning? When the sun awakens tomorrow, you can decide for yourself.

Is it too early for 2005 nostalgia? Nah! A River Ain’t Too Much to Love was one of the great records of last year — and Smog’s “River Ain’t Too Much to Love” tour was a great tour as well — everyone said so. There were two videos for songs from the record that got airplay over the course of the year, too. And now comes the single that walks almost like a greatest hits record (but smaller) — “Rock Bottom Riser.” This CD single features the videos for “Rock Bottom Riser” and “I Feel Like the Mother of the World” (viewable on your computer’s CD-Rom drive), both songs that were made into singles, and two exciting new songs that slot in perfectly with the A River Ain’t Too Much to Love set. As a matter of fact, they were written with the other songs that made it on to the record, but just weren’t recorded in time. And so now, one year later, in a CD single laden with riches for the Smog fan and Smog just-friend alike, these late arrivals appear. It’s never too late to promote a record! Or release another great song.

On the same day that The Sun Awakens hits — June 13, 2006 — “Rock Bottom Riser” will hit as well.

Time! We’ve noted before in these pages what a tricky thing it is. Why, it was one year ago this coming July that we celebrated its twists and turns with the issue/reissue of Gary Higgins’ Red Hash, a private press LP from 1973 that had sold a few hundred copies at the time, but managed to sell twenty times that amount once time and love had conspired to bring it all back to life.

July of this year, and the deuces are wild again — and once again, we’re trafficking in previously ignored (and privately celebrated) goods. First there’s the Mark Fosson CD. The Lost Takoma Sessions were recorded back in the second summer of love, 1977 in Ohio and Los Angeles. The first of these solo acoustic guitar recordings attracted the ear of guitar-picking legend John Fahey, who invited young Mark Fosson to Los Angeles to become the latest Takoma Records recording artist, joining the ranks of Leo Kottke, Robbie Basho and Fahey himself. Fosson duly headed west — and after a heady period spent opening shows for Fahey and making new studio recordings of acoustic guitar stylings, fate struck hard: Takoma Records went broke. The label was sold, lock stock and barrel, to Chrysalis, thus ending the John Fahey era of the label founded by and for John Fahey. Before wandering off to his own fate, he returned Mark’s tapes to Mark — who couldn’t find another interested soul anywhere! On the heels of fate came the march of time, and it wasn’t until Mark’s cousin Tiffany began asking questions a couple years back that this CD became possible. And on July 25, The Lost Takoma Sessions become found again. All it took was a little love — and twenty-nine years!

Meanwhile, over in England, future cult legend Bill Fay was living rough. A London recording artist at the turn of the decade, he hadn’t recorded since the sessions for Time of the Last Persecution in 1970. Now, seven years later, he found himself playing the odd gig here and there. One night down the club, he met Gary Smith, Rauf Galip and Bill Stratton, performing their improvisations under the name The Acme Quartet. Mutual admiration led to suggestions of collaboration — and over the next four years, they recorded material for a new Bill Fay album, to be released under the democratic name The Bill Fay Group. In 1981, with a full complement of songs, they failed to find a single excited label, agent or person in the entire industry as they knew it. And then the tides of time rolled in. Fourteen years later, the good (and frightening) people at Durtro Jnana were excited and rolled the bones. The Bill Fay Group’s CD, Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow was one of the year’s most unpredictable releases. Now comes one of this year’s most unpredictable vinyl reissues. With a different track listing featuring songs not found on the CD and notes from Bill Fay not included on the CD, the LP version will provide vinyl fans, lost music junkies and aficionados of fine music a different view to a rare moment, Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

Have we got a book for you! Over the last few years, international time-and-pulse-keeper Ian Svenonius has piled up a brace of his writings examining the intersection of politics, popular culture and rock ‘n’ roll, all of which are collected in a book he calls The Psychic Soviet. It comes in a weatherproof plastic jacket designed to beat the heat, the humidity and a world that is destined to die alike! Survivors of these so-called “last days” will have much to ruminate upon in the pages of The Psychic Soviet — a work of sociology that is as heady as it is hilarious!

In previous newsletters, we bragged that this was set for release in June of this year. Since then, production nuances have set us back to July — meaning that The Psychic Soviet will come out on July 25 with the Mark Fosson CD and The Bill Fay Group LP. And also...

Something you might be interested in happened to us a month or so back. Delivered to our door in a plain brown wrapper with a familiar scrawl across its face were a few new tracks from a good old friend. Unreleased in any shape or format, these three songs will be presented to you in July with The Psychic Soviet, The Lost Takoma Sessions and Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow. They’ll take the form of a limited-edition 12” and a CD5 with a semi-familiar scrawl across the cover: “Bonnie Prince Billy/Cursed Sleep.” As you pause in the aisle of whatever mega-mart you’re shopping in to examine these items, you will notice a type-written message across the bottom: “‘Cursed Sleep’ from the record THEN THE LETTING GO.” A hitherto unfamiliar title! You’ll look up in a frenzy, determined to place this oddity amongst the products surrounding you. But it won’t be there. You’ll go online to find and file-share this wondrous enigma — no dice. And when August rolls around, you still won’t be able to find it! What in the name of John Q Public is going to be happening in your Bonnie ‘Prince’ future? Well, we’re not telling — not yet anyway.

What we can tell you about Bonny is that he’s going to play some of his famous free instore appearances and radio shows around the Midwest in August. He’s working on videos as well as at least a dozen other things. He just appeared on MTV2s phenomenal Wonder Showzen! He’s busy, busy, busy trying to entertain you all! So honestly, what a little secret when you’re promised such a Bonnie future?

August winds will blow two new releases from Drag City into your lap: the PAJO CD entitled 1968 and the Neil Hamburger DVD called The World’s Funnyman. Both are amazing in their own ways (the PAJO CD is surprisingly hilarious and the Hamburger DVD is shockingly melodic), but we’ll have to tell you more about them next time — we’re just about out of time here.

Got plans the night Faun Fables are coming into town? Cancel them! We did, and we’re glad we did too — the night we spent in their company, watching them perform the stage version of The Transit Rider was one of the most enjoyable in recent memory. Faun and Nils — with added support on drums, singing and acting from Jenya Chernoff, and guitars, keyboard, singing and acting from Matt Lebofsky — put on a real show, with comedy, drama, film, great Faun Fables music and a story to boot. Plus, they did all their own tech — lights, films and sound effects in addition to the music of course — from where they stood and performed on the stage! It was great stuff, and you should really get out to see it. There’s still good seats available — or room to stand — so don’t miss The Transit Rider: The Musical featuring Faun Fables and friends, coming to your town soon.

We barely had time to talk about August! What makes you think we’re going to have time to talk about what happens after then? Well, just a word or two...we’ve got all-new records on the boil from The Howling Hex, White Magic and High Llamas, plus a couple of earth-shattering new records that you won’t believe from artists we can’t mention just yet (though one of them was mentioned somewhere above). It’s going to be a great fall if we ever make it. My heart! Save me!

As we said at the top, it’s a mess around here — a mess of riches! But we’re a wreck in the face of this glittering bountry. We walk in through the out door with our clothes on backwards, eat with our wiping hand and do our dreaming in the daytime. It’s all in a day’s work for…Drag City Records!

We’ll see you next time — even if you see us first.

Rian Murphy
Drag City Inc