live mp3s: WFMU delivers the SXSW goods

Half Japanese at WFMU/SXSW/Spiro's March 14th
The Homosexuals at WFMU/SXSW/Spiro's March 14th
Hank IV at WFMU/SXSW/Spiro's March 14
Citay at WFMU/SXSW/Spiro's March 14th
The Bad Trips at WFMU/SXSW/Spiro's March 14th
Harvey Milk at WFMU/SXSW/Spiro's March 14th

i was lucky enough to be in attendance at the harvey milk show, and it was probably THE face-melter of SXSW 2008. loud and on point, i was instantly blown away. the addition of joe preston to the fold was a big bonus, makes complete sense. they were so loud, that i had to run inside to ask the bartender for earplugs. after politely declining a super bullshit offer to sell his personal earplugs for ten dollars, i hit the restroom and shoved a few wads of toilet paper into my ear canals and happily made my way back to headbang position at the front of the stage.

click here for video clips of cheveau, lexie mountain boys, and paul metzger.
thanx for the goodies, WFMU!! hope to see some of the psychedelic horseshit and los llarmarada coverage hit the blog!!

edit: harvey milk live mp3s link updated and wfmu finally posted video footage of psychedelic horseshit and gary higgins here.

video: health - triceratops

HEALTH "Triceratops"
by saullevitz

here's a video from a band i was lucky enough to see a few times during sxsw. the band is called HEALTH, and hail from los angeles, california. their performances are a sonic assault combining elements of guitar noise, stabs of feedback, desperate chanting, and wild, tribal drumbeats. this video was apparently shot using the built-in isight cams on thirteen different macbook pro laptops. pretty cool idea.

photos: genghis tron tour march '08

view it on flickr

two weeks with no updates pretty much means i have been away from the computer and out on the road racking up the miles again. check out the photos from my latest tour with genghis tron. it was a two-week stint throughout the midwest, down to sxsw in austin, texas, and back up again through the midwest that ended in an accident losing a tire on the freeway, losing control of the van, spinning out, and jackknifing the trailer, ultimately sliding backwards and sideways into the muddy median. luckily, the five of us walked away without as much as a scratch, our van and trailer, however, are currently in the shop for repairs and it seems that it won't be ready for our next month-long tour which starts next week.

as well as our accident, we also endured a blizzard in oberlin, ohio, having to stay there an extra day and cancel a show in bowling green, the roads were so bad. once we made it out of the midwest, the sun shone brightly and our five days in austin couldn't have been nicer!! temperatures were well into the 80s, and i walked blisters into parts of my feet i never even knew existed. along with the blisters, i also had a swollen toe/ingrown toenail combo (delicious i know, right?) that made being on my feet a fucking charm, let me tell you.

a bunch of our shows on the way down to texas were with clouds, who happened to be a great band and awesome tourmates. i look forward to seeing them again in the future!! we played a few shows with some of my best friends in the world, an albatross, which was awesome to hang out with and see them play, but weird not to be on tour with them. they were playing a bunch of shows with apes, who are also stellar! our loop back through the midwest was accompanied by louisville's finest, coliseum. while there are many reasons to love this band, i will go on record to say that they've got the most insane drummer i'd ever seen, who is probably one of the funniest cats i'd ever met. this guy is wacky hi-jinx personified!! powerhouse of a band, check 'em out!!

procuring my blisters at sxsw in austin, i'd have to say, was well worth it. among some of the amazing bands i got to see were clip'd beaks, health, mika miko, monotonix, knyfe hyts, harvey milk, and many more. too many to name!! i ran into dozens of friends and acquaintances, and finally got to meet up with joeymonster for a trip to veggie heaven for a tasty vegan meal. he even bought me the god damn shirt!! thanx joey!!

anyhow, enjoy the photos and i look forward to posting more as the chance permits.

genghis tron tour mar / apr 2007

time to play catch up. the last time i posted a "real" entry was back in the livejournal, in the middle of the genghis tron tour. roadie duties took priority over live-journaling, and soon i was in over my head with too many photos and entries with never enough time to update. i think i have pretty much came up with a streamlined enough system now that posting from tour should be a bit easier.
click on the photo above to check out the photo sets from said tour. everyone had a blast, it was my first tour with the genghis tron dudes, and hanging out with those southern psychedelic metal-punkers, kylesa, the entire time was a certain treat. SXSW 2007 was the insanity that it was, and you'd only understand if you've been there. highlights included seeing my friends and tourmates, an albatross play the the most raw and punk set i've ever seen them drunkenly smash through. hanging out with pony pants. turbonegro were killer despite an hour and a half or more of setup/technical difficulties before they played. jesu were about the loudest thing i'd endured all tour, nearing the border of scathing, but still in the territory of worthwile corruption of the eardrum. coliseum were fun to watch, especially their drummer. FUCKING MADMAN!! i love the fact that he has an ALL tattoo and he's so brutal on the skins. other notables i'd seen there included, but not limited to, melvins, boris, big business, and Aa.