News

Maybe Monday: Project Preview?

Studio shot of a project underway at newly renovated Transemitter Tactile Studio City Country. Any and all theories as to what it may be are welcome.

Blip Festival 2011: May 19-21: Chip Tune Mayhem

If you’ve never experienced the sound of a Game Boy being blasted through a PA while a world-class visual artist projects their work on a wall, now is the time to rectify that situation. The 2011 Blip Festival (Fifth Anniversary NYC Edition) starts this Thursday, May 19th. From May 19th—21st the international chip music scene will converge on New York City for presentations, tutorials, and shows from everyone who is allveryone in this gathering of the Chums of Chip.

Chip tune embraces the “audiovisual style of low-bit video games and home computers”—in other words, your Ataris, Nintendos, and Tandys of yore, transformed into earth-levelling music makers.

Act now to get a three-day festival pass (some still available, but pre-order only), or check the schedule and get a ticket(s) for your preferred night(s).

Can’t swing a flight to NYC since your last “incident”? WFMU will be webcasting the Blip festivities. The internet is killing music? Our collective colloquial ass it is!

If you can’t make it to NYC, don’t have an internet connection, and/or would prefer to see a festival in Tokyo, then bookmark, socially save, Facebook, tweet, digg, tumble, iCal, gCal, Evernote, Stickies, Post-It, flesh-carve, or whatever it is you do to remember your important URLs, and check back at: http://tokyo.blipfestival.org/. Soon. Ish.

If all else fails, buy a shirt, the DVD, the live recordings and BLAST IT like YOU are THERE. Play all materials at once for a truly immersive experience. Pour beer on your floor at least one day in advance for a more accurate olfactory and podiatrically-focused tactile experience. Your neighbors will thank you for your efforts.

Bit Shifter: Reformatted by Lightning

“Your Music! Played through Lightning!” is the seductive siren call of the Open Spark Project, a “fun-loving group of people” who play music through Tesla Coils (pictured above).

Bit Shifter’s anthemic “Reformat the Planet” was super-heated and blasted through the air today. It’s a mesmerizing viewing experience—like a laser-light show, but it doesn’t suck (and no Floyd).

The screen capture above doesn’t do it justice. View it on YouTube, skip to 34:19, and set to full-screen for full-on Bit Shifter/Tesla mashing action.

Your Saturday night = made.

If this doesn’t serve to whet your appetite for Blip Festival 2011 next weekend, you’re probably not reading this. You’re dead.

Spring Spawned A YNGMNSTR Records

Chattanooga, TN art collective Young Monster are launching their record label YNGMNSTR Records with a 7” by Big Kitty, promising “mystical folk gem[s]” on both sides. The TTSCC Internet Musical Sound Research Facility investigated this claim and found that Big Kitty does indeed specialize in “mystical folk gems” that invoke a feeling of “Moonshine frolic” (their genre term, not ours).

The TTSCC welcomes YNGMNSTR Records to the world of records! The TTSCC welcomes all new record labels! They’re all cause for excitement! Huzzahs and raised glasses, for the independent spirit that causes one to share a love of music, and to share all over the world the sounds of friends and/or complete strangers and/or future mortal enemies (see: Greg Ginn/SST vs Everybody) is one to celebrate!

Prior to the opening of the Southern North America Distribution Center in Atlanta, GA, USA, the TTSCC, though it is populated, propagated, and propped up by the peoples of the world, was unaware of the ties between Atlanta, GA and Chattanooga, TN—it is the SEA to its TAC, the Buffalo to its Rochester, the Toronto to its Buffalo.

Through a labyrinth of internet connections woven throughout Atlanta’s art/music scene, we were finally introduced to Young Monster and their roiling amalgam of artistic jams. Expanding into records makes perfect sense. This first release is an interesting start, and we can’t wait to see what else they do.

A Tunguska Weighs A Ton

Tunguska: A mysterious 1908 explosion in the Siberian wilderness that leveled trees over 830 sq. miles, or promising experimental band from South Carolina? Answer: Yes.

This new meaning of Tunguska was stumbled upon by TTSCC Representatives at the recent Charges show featuring Ruby Velle. It was but one highlight in a night of highlights, including (in no particular order):

1. Ruby Velle: Soul singer takes a detour, with phenomenal results. Vamping it up w/Mick on the Murder City Devils’ “Boom Swagger Boom”, D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-I-N-G it on a full-tilt take of DC legends Nation of Ulysses’ “Look out! Soul is Back”, or lending a smoothness to Charges’ original “Coming Attractions”, she could do no wrong. Hers is a talent that knows no genre boundaries.
2. Unsane Asylum reps making the trek once again from Chattanooga to ATL. Their punk enthusiasm and hilarious tales are always a blast.
3. The breezy and beautiful vocal harmonies of The Vibe Dials…
4. …followed by the deafening discovery of a new form of Tunguska.

Tunguska are labelled “experimental”, word and genre dear to our tiny TTSCC hearts, manifesting in a sonic shockwave that attempts to turn the audience into an echo of those felled trees, over a century hence. (Let’s not beat these Tunguska event/band comparisons into the tundra, ok? - Ed.)

It’s an indie and metallic-edged rock sound. Without vocals, the rhythm section-propelled songs are free to have plenty of jagged edges, angular, biting traded guitar work, and no damnable twinned guitar solos. Heavy with thought, not with hair metal cheese.

Listen to a some demos (which only provide a 33% accurate representation of Tunguska’s true intensity) here, then get to your nearest Southern town and see them. After you’ve peeled yourself from the back wall, you’ll be glad you witnessed this event. Let’s hope for more sound soon.

Other Tunguska outposts:

• Tunguska blog
• Tunguska MySpace

The Backpeddlers Need You to Kickstart Their Vinyl Dream

This post has a sad start: “Only a year ago, Mark Norris was through with music.” “Who’s Mark Norris?,” you may ask, and the fact that you may even have to ask is a testament to the injustices of the world.

Mark Norris was the wise-cracking, high-kicking, rabble-rousing frontman of legendary and loved Buffalo band Girlpope—a band without whom it’d be impossible to write the book of the thriving Buffalo indie-pop/rock scene of the 90s. Every TTSCC band that ever performed live played with Girlpope—The Disappointments even opened at Girlpope’s release party for The Whole Scene Going!

Now leading The Backpeddlers, it’d be another injustice if Mark’s smart and sardonic songwriting voice were silenced, which is why we at the TTSCC were over-effin-joyed to hear they have a new record out…almost. Yes, almost. This is where YOU [ed.—and us] can help!

The Backpeddlers have a dream to release their new album Songs of Guilt & Revenge on beautiful, deluxe, and pristine vinyl. However, due to injustice, they “absolutely cannot do it without you”. Yesterday they launched a project on Kickstarter to make Songs of Guilt & Revenge a 12” reality. Donate now, and you, the discerning donateur, may take your choice from a plethora of gifts that are full of hi-quality, hi-larity, or hi-…uh…both—lity.

In addition to getting a vinyl copy of Songs of Guilt & Revenge, you can get some amazing extras. For example, make “The Redd Foxx Level” donation, and receive “A signed* Redd Foxx LP (*signed by Mark Norris)”. Other levels have a limited edition of Mark Norris’ book, a limited edition letter press poster from the acclaimed WNY Book Arts Center, and/or the ability to have The Backpeddlers write and record a song about YOU! “Wow”—and let’s be honest here: a three-letter word comprised of only two letters has never before, nor ever will, be a more apt description of amazement, joy, and a willing call to action on the part of the reader, than it has as when used right here, in this paragraph.

So what can you do? Dude, are you skimming this? Like we said: Go donate now via Kickstarter and make Songs of Guilt & Revenge a beautiful 12” platter of deluxe vinyl, spinning hypnotically on your turntable, spitting out amazing rockers to the left- and right-channles as you listen in smile-flattened bliss.

Get extra motivation:

• The Backpeddlers on MySpace
• The Backpeddlers on Facebook
• The Backpeddlers’ Stranded Between Stations

Charges LAST SHOW (for several months) featuring Ruby Velle, plus Yunguska, Vibe Dials at The Music Room in Atlanta, GA, Saturday, April 9, 2011

All good things must come to an end, however, all great things merely take a break before returning to dominate anew! And so it is with Charges, who play their last show (for several months) this Saturday, April 9, 2011, at The Music Room, 327 Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta, GA.

This brief respite from the Charges’ electrocution-fueled farfisa+guitar-rock furor is to help bring their two new babies into the world: one, being an actual baby, and two, a new recording. To send them off proper, Charges have, as featured guest, none other than Atlanta’s own up-and-coming soul queen Ruby Velle. Opening the show are Yunguska and Vibe Dials. Doors 9:00 p.m., $5. Soul is back!

As has been the case for 2011, Paul (of the Larkin Administration) will be joining Charges on second guitar, keyboard, and bass. As always, Paul’s appearances with Charges are sponsored by Slow As Molasses. Remember, when you want want to do your food up Southern-style, you’ve got to go Slow As.

Charges at the Drunken Unicorn, with The Dollyrots and Superpill, Tuesday, March 15, 2010

Monday nights are boring. That why Charges, Atlanta’s premier guitar and farfisa punk/glam quintet, are playing tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at the Drunken Unicorn. Charges will be middle-lining between local openers Superpill and headliners The Dollyrots. Read more about this exciting triple bill on the Drunken Unicorn’s blog.

A mere $8 (21+) buys entrance to the refreshment arena and all the seismic rock you can handle. Doors at 9 pm. Get to the Drunken Unicorn!

This show is one of your last chances to see Charges before their Aprilish to ??? break. It may also be one of your last chances to see the dual-guitar version of Charges with our very own Paul (of the Larkin Administration).

Paul, whose contractual arrangements do not allow unauthorized collar-popping of his wardrobe by other band members, is currently re-evaluating his options after an “incident” at the last show. When not performing with Charges, Paul relaxes with his twin Huskies Bifidus and Fang at his private Mediterranean enclave.

Charges at the Highland Ballroom with One-Third of the Larkin Administration

This is a not a last-minute show-going tip: you have nearly 26 hours notice that those freewheelin’ farfisa-fellows known as Charges are playing at the Highland Ballroom this Friday, March 4th with Arcado and The Fortunate Few. As their hit song says: “Believe It”!

Charges, as previously noted, have a special guest second guitarist right now in the form of Paul from the Larkin Administration. Paul, whose special joie de destructive guitar sound graces many unreleased recordings by the Larkin Administration, will once again be lending this special service to these Atlanta chord-slashers. Ever-elusive, this is a rare chance to see Paul without one of his trademarked paparazzi-shunning “get ups”.

Festivities begin at 8:30 pm and cost $5.00. Go: to the Highland Ballroom. See: Charges. Say: Hello to your local TTSCC Representative.

See you there!