SUMMER BREAK
Good greetings to you Drag City types – and our profuse apologies for taking so long to address you once again. Would you believe we were on summer break? We thought not! For how else would these records of ours be perpetuated (and sold), were it not for our constant attentions to them? And attend to them we have. Meanwhile, all around our half of the world, we’re told, it’s summertime. So everyone must be feeling the way we are – dizzy, freaked-out, sunburnt and dehydrated. No wonder we need a summer break – we can’t stay on our feet! It’s worked out OK, what with much of the DC stable out for a run (of tour dates) and the rest preparing new releases for future days – with such occurrences as these, perhaps we can tolerate a few light days. But let the world should beware – from these seemingly inactive moments, pure geysers of entertainment will eventually blow. And not only that, but some of the releases we’re currently fitting onto the drawing board may shock and alarm you. But that’s entertainment now, innit?
ALL NEW
Sooo...we might have taken a long time to get this newsletter typed up, edited and posted, most for thy edification – but it’s not like we missed a release date or anything! Well, almost not – for on Monday, June 25th, two new Moikai titles made their dazzling debut in discerning record (and CD) shops around the country. We’d talked them up a little bit earlier, but now anyone in the ever-living world who wants to can now truly have a taste of Orton Socket and Triangles. The head honcho at Moikai (O’Rourke, o'course!) put it to us this way: these titles are part of an all-new genre called “melancholy electronics,” which means that the artists who composed these new musics are possessed of two things – laptop computers, and soul. For how can one experience melancholy without soul? It’s an intriguing new area to work in – and fortunately for all you potential listeners out there, these records are filled with intriguing new sounds. Rob Mazurek completists should take note – Orton Socket’s 99 Explosions is his record, filled with the kinds of whimsy that his friends and fans have come to expect from him and his by now. Yet at the same time, it sounds like nothing he’s done before. About half the record contains sonic collaborations with some of his well-known friends – so fans of his friends are invited to get intrigued, and then get 99 Explosions. And get this – the vinyl is pink! It’s really cool, and it sounds great. So buy that, but save room for Triangles. It too is an LP/CD; it too represents the emergent “melancholy electronics.” Rob Mazurek and his friends are nowhere to be found, but you could say that Triangles use guitars (both electric and acoustic), piano, organ, PZM scrape and scratch as well as analog synthesizer and other modern electronic music producing equipment, to produce an mix of sounds that are cold at times, serene at others, spacey, maybe gloomy for a few moments – you can throw harsh in there too. It’s 21st century composition at it’s newfound best – so, again – get with the times, people, please!
ON WITH THE SHOW!
Also since that distant date last we talked at ya, we’ve seen Neil Michael Hagerty launch, execute and complete his first-ever solo tour. We stood back and watched as Smog undertook his first US tour in three years (it spanned the nation, coolly taking in its share of furious applause and cruelly ignoring all shouted requests). We crossed our fingers and watched as U.S. Maple visited various dives and red houses from here to the New York, Atlanta and back (Maple fans in other parts of the world should rest assured – your (anti) heroes will be sent out to play for you in due time – patience, please!). Meanwhile, Neil Hamburger was in Chicago, where he hosted his own showcase at the Chicago comedy festival. It was three nights of pure comedy with America's Funnyman and his special guests – and if you caught any of those nights, we’re sure you’ll never forget that feeling – that great live feeling. Other live players have come and gone as well, and for them, the sales are starting to percolate – it seems that being a touring act makes everyone remember you’re alive. It’s enough to make us take our own act out on the road. Git out the way – road hawgs!
SMOG DE SOLIEL
Then there’s the Smog tour – a spicy, five-alarm affair, if all the reports we’re hearing back are true. And why not? It’s his first tour in three years, he’s played to packed – and sold-out houses far and wide (as well as drawing decent in a few underpromoted dumps along the way), he’s playing songs from all phases of his career, including a couple from the just-finished album in the can...but other than that, it’s no big deal. I mean, for some Smog converts from the post-Red Apple Falls era who were getting their first chance to see their irascible hero (and sexual icon), it was a big deal. For fans of Smog t-shirts, it was a big deal: there was a new one on sale. For the local promoters, it was a total circus – which is always a big deal for local promoters, when the circus comes to town, you know. And we love it too, because we’ve been trying to get that bastard out on the road for the last couple years – and merch sales alone have proven that our hearts were in the right place. But for Smog, it was no big deal. He’s been through all this touring stuff before. And he may just go through it again this fall, after the release of the unbelievable new record, Rain on Lens.
(SMOG) EXTRA!
When you get to the shop on September 18th to purchase Rain on Lens, you’ll note that the Smog name on your CD spine (and elsewhere) is different somehow. And it is. But it’s no big deal. From now on, he’ll be available for you and me to see as (Smog). Please make a note of it.
FROST IN JULY
But before we see (Smog) in September, we’re gonna have to deal with Frost in July. At last! The promos are in, the posters look great...it can only mean that the time of the Frost is nigh! Edith Frost, that is. Her new songs have all been thought of, sung, arranged, recorded, mixed, mastered, and made into a record called Wonder Wonder. And on July 17, 2001, it will become a part of life for all of you out there who haven’t already gotten the CD as a promo or through some other means of chicanery. It is destined to be a sought-after item, as the latest batch of Edith Frost songs contains some of her best ever! We’ve been walking around with some of these songs in our heads for some time. And now it’s your turn – that is, if you haven’t already sampled the MP3 preview on our website at present. Get inside your own head –- with Edith Frost.
POUNDING THE HAMBURGER BEAT
As we mentioned above, Neil Hamburger has been alive and reasonably well and living in America, in a cheap hotel near wherever the next show has been booked. After having the honor of hosting a three-day showcase at the Chicago Comedy Festival, what more was there for Neil to do? The answer: weddings and bowling alleys. Both of which occurred in Las Vegas. Fortunately for us, someone was there with a tape machine. And if the tapes are good, who knows? We might just share them with the world as an all-new Neil Hamburger LP. But let’s not put the cart in front of the horse. There’s a few shows scheduled out west (SEE TOUR PAGE) and then we might not see Neil for a little while. His wife’s lawyers have been calling again lately – could it be we missed a payment? – and Neil might be forced to relocate to a “cooler” climate, if you know what we’re saying here.
SCHEDULING ALL TOMORROW’S PARTIES
The live thing isn’t really going to stop anytime soon – not with half the label driving out to LA for the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in October! Yep, O'Rourke and them have curated a masterwork for all to see. Yay! And it all goes down on October 19th through the 21st. Man, we refuse to miss it! But let’s see – who’s been invited again? Of our bretheren that is. There's (Smog), Papa M, U.S Maple, and Neil Michael Hagerty, all of whom are going to have to work their ways out there. Four bands –- that can make an awful lot of noise. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll pack them all up in a huge moving van take them around to all the cities together. The Monsters of Drag City – under the Big Top! Look for it.
RESCHEDULING THE DRAG CITY SUPERSESSION
Perhaps you’re one of those lucky types that checked into our website the very day we last posted new MP3s. You tapped into the file called “Zero Degrees” and were like, Wow! It sounds like (Smog), but with rockin’ drums and that amazing slide guitar – what can the rest of this record sound like? Well, when we put that file up there, we figured you’d know by now – because the record would be out by now. Long story short – we were wrong! It’s not gonna be out in July. But it might be out in August – that’s still a nice, hot month for you to experience this package of sweet talent and hot rocks. Remember, it’s one of them kitchen sink productions – a bit of melody, harmony, strings and other things, all hosted by your favorite singing stars, Bill Callahan, Edith Frost and Neil Michael Hagerty. This plus guest shots from Jim O’Rourke, Tara Key, Azita Youseffi, the Murphy brothers, and even more makes for the kind of entertainment your friendly neighborhood Drag City fan would kill someone for! So, we promise to get this thing into your hands before the neighborhood goes to hell. And hopefully that ain’t scheduled for July. But if it is, just do what we do – push it back!
HAGERTY...NEIL MICHAEL HAGERTY
You think you don’t know him, but you do. He’s one half of the most confounding duo in rock, as well as a published author, record producer, and solo artist! He led The Drag City Supersession to the unlikely heights that constitute the forthcoming Tramps Traitors and Little Devils album (see above for further expostulations). His own record, Neil Michael Hagerty, is slowly taking over the country as it insinuates itself amongst the freaks and losers (as well as the rest of you – yeah we’re talking to YOU) particularly in the wake of his recent spate of tour dates. His solo debut is just that – a solo record, all Neil, all the time. But the dates featured a top-notch quartet of sidemen, providing bass, drums, bass and drums to the already hot blend of vocals and guitar. They played through the songs on the records, as well as some covers, to the delight of everyone who saw them, from Boston to Chicago. But once they were done, then the fun begun. Hagerty led his boys into the studio and captured their performances for posterity on all new-material! Is this guy crazy or what? He’s got one record out, a collaborative release in the can, and now there’s another one done! And it’s been less than a year since Royal Trux broke up. It probably won’t come out for a little bit – as we’re still educating the world on what a Neil Michael Hagerty is – and a couple more tours will help on that front – but you can take it from us: when you hear this thing, you’ll flip! Alternately delicate, soulful, epic and driving, the music of Neil Michael Hagerty takes many forms, none of them less than pleasing. So hold on loosely – this adventure is just getting started!
SOMETHING OLD = SOMETHING NEW
Hey, gang! Who says we’re in a rut at old Drag City (besides our enemies, who’ve been saying this for years now)? Well, we’ve got news for you – we’ve got a new distributed label to tell you about! Perhaps new is not an appropriate word for this label – but it’s new to us and maybe even new to you savvy kids out there. It’s called Streamline and a brief history is provided on their page elsewhere on this site.
WHAT LIES BEYOND
Sometime after the release of Edith Frost’s Wonder Wonder LP/CD, we’ll be taking to the streets again with some more new releases. One of which is a title on the Blue Chopsticks label, the home of that unbelievable Luc Ferrari CD reissue, Interrupteur/Tautologos 3 (originally from 1970), as well as the reissue of David Grubbs’ The Coxcomb (from 1998, but teamed with a new piece called “Avocado Orange”). This new release is also a reissue, this time of a 1995-vintage recording, by two esteemed free guitarists, Derek Bailey and Noel Akchote. Close to the Kitchen was originally released on Rectangle, in a vinyl pressing that has since gone the way of all good free guitar recordings (out of print, then reissued). This is its first appearance on CD format of this music...but not the last. No, not while we’re around. There’s also the two Streamline titles — Little Annie and Nurse With Wound. And then the Supersession. And then the King Kong CD. And then the (Smog).
GRUBBS EXTRA
David Grubbs aficionados keep your eyes on this space. In the very near future, we will be offering his latest master-rework, entitled "Thirty-Minute Raven". It is the third–dare we say final—incarnation of David Grubbs plastic, mysteriously elastic, "Raven" theme. Featuring the The Spectrum Between band, it is an uninterrupted half hour of statement, restatement and versioning, made available as a CDEP on Rectangle Records. Which to most of you American kids out there means not available at all. But Drag City to the efil4zaggin rescue once again – you'll be able to purchase it from us at reasonably exhorbitant prices.
The road seems to go on forever, don’t it? That’s why we beg your indulgence – for if we miss you this month, we plan to catch up with down the road apiece.