Orange Alert's Music Minute

Soltero (a.k.a. Tim Howard) plays gentle folk music that jingles and rambles through the streets of Philadelphia. Soltero will release their four album, You're No Dream on May 20th. Not only did Tim move 5 times while recording this album, he devote the album to creating a smaller sound then the previous bigger, full band sounds. According to Tim, "some bands i got into or listened to around the time of this record were bo diddley, dylan's blood on the tracks/new morning, ethiopiques, stevie wonder, and lots of romantic late 50s/early 60s doo wop singers."

Listen to: Out at the Wall (mp3)

Newly signed to Exponential Records, Rae Davis, plays a unique form of down tempo hip-hop. Combining jazz, soul and r&b Rae takes you on a journey and always keeps you guessing. At just 24 years old, this Texas native has a long career in music before him. He grew up on the streets of San Antonio, found much refuge in basketball, movies and music. Growing up to the sound of oldies, soul, tejano, and lots, and lots, and lots of Rap. Rae started his career as a musician in high school, learning piano and guitar, and soon after started dabbling in music production. His musical resume is vast, citing everything from indie rock bands to film scores to jazz bands to, of course, hip hop projects. Positive Thinking! will be released on May 27th (EXP-11).

Listen to: This I Dig of You (mp3)

Rest is the third album from this band that spans the country. On this album Gregor Samsa takes a new approach to composition, both in process and instrumentation. The result is Rest ; nine pieces composed over e-mail during the course of nine months by key members in New York, Chicago, Boston, DC and Richmond, VA. This is a beautiful journey in sound that can be previewed here. This album this perfect soundtrack for lush spring morning or quite summer stroll. It will be released four different ways in the next month, and if the name sounds familiar then you have been reading your Kafka again.

LIMITED EDITION OF 500
The Limited Edition of 500 takes a copy of the unlimited edition and encloses it within a folio with a rivet and string closure and also adds an 8 page rivet bound book of extra artwork and lyrics. All binding and riveting is done by hand at the TKR office and all pieces are hand numbered. Available for Pre Order starting right now and ships aprox. the week of the 24th.

COLLECTOR'S EDITION OF 30
The Collector's Edition of 30 is a special project undertaken by Gregor Samsa and The Kora Records to commemorate the release of Rest and our love for the album. The Collectors Edition arrive in an vintage metal Super 8 film can as Gregor Samsa has made several films which will surface as the album is released. This can will be stamped by hand with the album title and the number of the edition. This can will contain the extra print from the Limited Edition that has been die cut for this edition as well as a custom made and finished walnut disc with a steel and rubber hub on which the cd will rest . The walnut disc will also serve as film reel. One of the films Gregor Samsa has produced for this album will be printed to Super 8 film and each copy of the Collector's Edition will come with its own section of that film. Available for Pre Order first week in May.

UNLIMITED EDITION
The Unlimited Edition is a custom die cut gate fold CD sleeve of heavy black stock with print by our friends at Stumptown Press. Release date May 13th.

DIGITAL
The digital format is now available via all standard digital outlets.

Starting April 11th, The Forms will be out on the road in support of The Forms LP, which released in October 2007 on Threespheres Records.

April 11 – High Noon – Madison, WI

April 12 – Radio Radio – Indianapolis, IN

April 13 – Blind Pig – Ann Arbor, MI

April 16 – The Middle East – Boston, MA

April 17 – Union Hall – Brooklyn, NY

April 18 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY

April 19 – Rock And Roll Hotel – Washington DC
April 21 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
April 22 – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA

April 24 – The Basement – Columbus, OH

April 25 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL

April 26 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN

Listen to: The Forms "Red Gun" (mp3)

Well it's that time of year again, the tulips are sprouting, the trees are blossoming, and the summer festivals are starting shoot-up like weeds. The biggest festival here in Chicago just happens to be called Lollapalooza! This past week they announced their line-up and it included one or two bands that may have heard of before. So if you have been dying to see Hannah Montana... sorry she won't be there, but just about everyone else will!

Orange Alert favorites include Cadence Weapon, Foals, The Octopus Project, The Cool Kids, The Ting Tings, Office, Dr. Dog, Santogold, Black Kids, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, The Kills, The Go! Team, Girl Talk, CSS (maybe they'll show up this year!), Battles, and a little band known as Radiohead. It is by far their best line-up ever, seriously!

The Peel Back: Certain Distant Suns Happy on The Inside (Giant Records, 1994)

"So hopeless... and sad, but you're my friend" from "Whatever"

In the mid-90's Chicago's "alternative" radio station Q101 would run a program called Local 101, and it would feature the best in indie Chicago sounds. It was one of the few things they ever did right. Anyway, the would have local acts come in and play live. Bands like The Smoking Popes, Triple Fast Action, Buzz Orchard, Nicholas Tremulis, and many more. One of those bands was Certain Distant Suns.

I fell in love with the Certain Distant Suns acoustic versions of Bitter, Whatever, and Round, but when I finally bought the tape I was very surprised. Their was dancy poppy electronic rock, and nothing like the stripped down acoustic tones I had come to love. It took me a while to like this album, but as I think back to my high school years they wouldn't have been the same if I wasn't "Happy on the Inside".

Bitter (mp3)/Snowfalls at the Most Curious Times/Talk/Whatever (mp3) (video)/Round/All Green To Me/Mine All Mine/From Here Now After/Snowfall (Larry Love Mix)/Crustacean

The Watch List

Listening:
1. Stroik: This 21 year old from Morrisville, NC records melodies and hushed vocal in his bedroom, and he fancies Jennifer Jason Leigh (but don't we all?). Listen to: The Wrong Eulogy (mp3)
2. Orange Is In: You better believe Orange (Alert) Is In! I am also down for a little rock from Texas. Listen to: Sticky Finger (mp3)
3. Bill Shute "Spirit": from Bill, "Composer Paul Marbach's setting of my 2006 suite of poems SPIRIT, adapted for voice and piano, is now available as a free download thanks to the generosity of the composer." This recording was made in November of 2007 and features Kendra Shute on Alto vocals. SPIRIT was originally published in the Spring of 2006 as Kendra Steiner Editions #11(volume 6 in the Sound Library Series) and is now out-of-print. To access the sheet music and the composer's commentary go here. Listen to: Spirit (mp3)

Reading:
1. "In San Francisco with My Father" by Zayra Yves: A story of neglect told graveside. Wonderfully done!
2. "Ruiner" by Blake Butler: "Those women in the supermarket who offer free samples have homes where at night they sleep." I thought they slept in fields of tiny plastic cups and triangle shaped napkins!
3. "99 Cents" by Joseph Thayer: Brooklyn family life.
4. "Saturday in the Quality Save in Chorlton" by Chris Killen: There is a new issue of Lamination Colony. There is quality fresh nudity filled issue of Lamination Colony. There is a issues on the website. There are many words. There are creatively combined words.
5. "Djinn Dummy" by David Gianatasio: Have you ever had a conversation with a genie?
6. Mississippi Review April '08 Issue: This is there movie issue and feature several great short pieces of fiction. My favorite is "Godzilla" by Brandon Scott Gorrell.
7. "Without" by Joseph Veronneau: A poem of grief and loss.

Wishing:

1. A share of Tim Hall new project AuthorShares: What an idea! Buy a share (or more) in a specific project of an independent writer or publisher, and actively cheer for their stock to rise.
2. Chuck Taylor Cellphone Charms: I'm not sure what I would do with a cellphone charm, but I am life-long fan of Chuck Taylors!
3. "I Pretend to Work" Silkscreen print by Andy Smith: Don't we all!

4. Graffiti Verite! Vol 1-5: Featuring 100's of the top graffiti artists Bob Bryan's award-winning documentary reveals the underground world of the urban art form. $138

Getting:
1. Covert Press Chapbook Contest: Just e-mail your manuscript during the month of April to cpchapbooks@gmail.com. Winner gets their chapbook published and 20 copies. Judged by Devin D'Andrea and Michael Grover
2. Proteus Mag Issue #4: This is a great art zine run by Dustin Parker. Issue 4 features work by Zach Johnson, Tony Philippou, Dolan Geiman, Jay Taylor, and many more.

Watching:
1. James Eric performing "Bruises" (Real Live Tigers cover): Show stopper delivered beautifully by Mr. Eric!
2. Foals "Cassius": You have to love meat swinging on a string.
3. Treiops Treyfid "Animals of the Future" at MJ Higgins Earth Day 2008 (Los Angeles).
4. "Lesson 3" Double Dee & Steinski live 2002: More from this hip-hop legend.

Band of the Week

Sam King

How do you define renaissance man? A creative person who has the ability to express him or herself through multiple mediums? As an artist who can paint vivid and fluid landscape and promotes the work of other artists, a musician who writes and records lush and thoughtful folk tunes, and writer of both lyrics and stories, these are the passions of Fayetteville's Sam King.

Sam King has released two full-length albums (The Baby & The Bathwater & Two) in the last three years through his website Painting Was a Dinosaur. He is currently working on a series of paintings based on the a stretch of Highway I-540. He also co-edits the website MW Capacity, an art blog that feature artists from around the midwest. Sam King is fully aware of what he needs to create, and he works in what ever medium he can to share his vision with the world.

Recently, Sam was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): Your release last year, Two, is beautiful, simple, and honestly rivals any of the current folk tunes out there today. Why is Two only available for download on your website? Can a physical copy be purchased?
Sam King (SK): That's quite a compliment, thank you. My approach to making this music is to do things on the cheap as much as possible. I self-record it, using one microphone, a computer, and not much else. It doesn't cost much for me to make it, and the result is essentially lo-fi. That is, I could send it to get mastered and pressed to CDs or vinyl, but the quality wouldn't improve much from the mp3 versions. So at that point, a hi-fi physical product is either for profit, added context, vanity, or some combination of the three.

I do have some physical copies of the releases. I make CD-Rs for tours and shows. Some people still like having the physical object, and also it's a way to get some gas money besides the door/donations. I'm happy to sell CD-Rs if I've got them (right now I do). Just email me or send a check to my PO Box.

Two and The baby & the bathwater are both available for free on Painting Was A Dinosaur (and also on the internet archive). I don't solicit a lot of help distributing my music because I like to feel like I have at least some control over how people can "officially" encounter it.

OA: With all of the media outlets available to musicians (i.e. blogs, youtube, myspace, etc), and the ease-of-use of services like paypal and cd baby is there a need for record labels?
SK: Record Labels do serve a purpose. I feel like many established independent labels each have a kind of point of view. They're almost curatorial. They lend the gravity of context to the artists whose work they release.

They create collective energy, the buzz of lots of individual enthusiasms, for which there is no replacement.

Also, when they're labels with money--well, they have money. If I were on one, I wouldn't have to pay up front for my merch. Also, a lot of music does benefit from being hi-fi and expensive to make.

But, to answer the question, no, I don't think that labels are a necessary part of a musician's career.

The massive networking sites like MySpace are great in some ways, but unsettling in others. Many of my friends more or less gave up TV a long time ago. I hated the barrage of advertising and the censorship. Being on those networking sites eventually starts to feel like signing up for more of what we quit before.


OA: What is the hardest part of touring as an independent artist?
SK: Well, to really tour DIY--to do it on the absolute cheap, the way that pretty much anyone who can find a car or a greyhound ticket or whatever can do it--is alternately heartbreaking and life-affirming. One day, you'll show up and be blown away by people's enthusiasm and goodness--their ability to make something out of nothing. Other days, the nothing stays nothing, or worse. Say you decide that you're going DIY--you're going to ignore all the usual justifying factors (how much product sold, who put out your record, what the reviewers said about your record, how many bodies are at your shows, etc). Then on the good days, you're a pure, trailblazing, do-it-for-the-love bad-ass, rubbing elbows with your eclectic brethren. On the bad days, you're just one more self-deluder. The reality is somewhere in between.

OA: I love the work you are doing with MW Capacity. Even with your blog, do you feel that artists in the Midwest are being overlooked in favor of New York or San Francisco based artists? What was the original goal of MW Capacity?
SK: Capacity serves a couple of purposes. One is to foster informed dialogue about art in places that don't have a natural support system for it (i.e., a major gallery and museum scene). Another is to foster a more open-minded discussion about art among people who might normally be very dismissive of it. And also, of course, to display work by midwest-based artists.

We try to be broad-eyed in our looking. Just because we're in the midwest doesn't mean we don't want to know about what's going on other places. Usually when we post coast-based artists, it's in conjunction with their work being shown somewhere near us.

OA: You are also a painter, and you're latest series pieces are focused on the I-540 Highway. What was it about that specific stretch of road that you found so fascinating?
SK: It's one of the major 'because-it's-there's of my life. I drive it all the time, for work, for friends, for family, for art/music stuff. It's a relatively new road, built to make the trip from Fort Smith to Northwest Arkansas more efficient. It interests me because it's one of those things you can think about or not. It's a beautiful drive, in its way.

OA: Departure 3 follows in a similar vein, but with digital photos put to song. Is there a larger project in store combining all things I-540?
SK: Actually Departure 3 is kind of a big reduction of things. Draws Departure was the first version of Two. I did two different sets of recordings for it, and was never happy with it. Two is a combination of some of those recordings and some later recordings. The music for Departure 3 was first intended for Draws Departure. One of the connecting threads between all the things I make is a sense of displacement, of in-between-ness.

OA: What's next for Sam King?
SK: Painting, mostly. I'm on the way out of I-540. Some rock and roll.

Bonus questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
SK: Yes, so much so I've been trying to cut back. Most of my business goes to the local places in Fayetteville.

OA: What was the last great book you have read?
SK: I just reread Masters of Atlantis by Charles Portis. Highly on-topic for question #3, incidentally.

For more information on Sam King the musician go here and for more from Sam King the Artist go here.

Reader Meets Author

Jason Fisk

"They flutter through/my mind/like bright/oil paints blurring,/and mixing their/liberating colors." from "Poems"

What is needed to write? Pen, paper, laptop, silence (hopefully) those are the bare essentials, but is there more needed to write. Through the chaos of life, time is taken by work and given to family, the writer must steal moments to focus and flush. As the pressures and responsibilities mount the need to focus and the time to focus seem to be running in different directions. One of those added responsibilities is parenthood, time to care, time to play, time to read, and always time to love, children are a treasured distraction of the writer.

Chicago's Jason Fisk is focused and writing. He is widely published (including an appearance in an Orange Alert favorite The Orange Room), and will announced some publication news in this interview. He writes about his life, but somehow always relates his thoughts to the reader in a very universal way.

Recently, Jason was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): Last September you were "showcased" by Laura Hird, what was that experience like? Do you feel that sited like hers and other literary site bring about a sense of community? Do you think writers need a sense of community, while participating in such a solitary art form?
Jason Fisk (JF): Being showcased by Laura Hird was an honor. I was jazzed when I opened up the e-mail saying that she was going to showcase some of my poems. It’s a great site.

I would consider myself a solitary writer. The whole “writer community” thing is something I struggle with. Part of me desperately wants to be part of some sort of artistic community, while the other part is hesitant to put myself out there. I think it would be invigorating to share ideas and get, and give, honest feedback from trusted persons.

I do realize that there are great writing communities out there in computer-land, but I hate the way I come across on blogs and message boards. It seems like every time I post something, it kills the thread. I’m sarcastic and bizarre enough that I can’t make it work on blogs and message boards. Also, I would rather read a person’s body language and hear the tone in which something was said than read their sometimes ostentatious thoughts.

As far as the poetry communities here in Chicago, there are so many that I don’t have the time, energy, or courage to find one that would work for me. I do read both the Thieves Jargon and Zygote in My Coffee message boards daily. I post much, much less frequently than I read.

OA: How long did you submit your work before you received your first publication? What kept you going?
JF: I took an elective course in graduate school dealing with the history of poetry. The professor was a published poet who told us that in order to really appreciate poetry, and its history, we would have to get our hands dirty and write some ourselves. She compared it to learning about an engine, saying that we could just read about it, or actually get in there and experience it. It was an inspiring class. That’s when I caught the bug and began writing poetry. That was in 2004. I began submitting some of those poems and kept writing. I had a poem published late the next year by the now defunct Tamafyhr Mountain Poetry. The second person to publish my poetry was Brian Fugett. I also credit his publication, Zygote in My Coffee, for keeping my “poetry spark” alive. His site showed me a fascinating side of poetry that I didn’t know even existed at the time.

OA: As a fellow father, has your writing changed in anyway since the birth of your daughter. How do you plan to pass your passion for literature on to her?
JF: Fatherhood is great, it has forced me to become more focused with my time and writing. I don’t even know what I did with all of the free time I had before she was born - a lot of beer and baseball I think. In general, I have become more sentimental and that has probably leaked into some of my poetry.

I have been reading to the kid before she knew what was going on. There was awhile where she wouldn’t stop crying unless she was moving and someone was talking to her, so I put her in the Baby Bjorn and walked around the house reading John Fante’s, 1933 Was a Bad Year. It tickles me now when she brings me book after book to read to her. I also read a lot while she watches TV, hoping that will make some sort of an impression on her.

OA: Has teaching English and writing to students changed the way you view your own work and writing in general? What is one thing you have learned from your students?
JF: I think twice now before submitting a poem that could be viewed as controversial, racy or edgy by a parent. That hasn’t really stopped me, but it has made me pause and hold my breath.

Through teaching my students, I have learned that passion is contagious. I love tearing through a student’s misconceptions about poetry and turning them on to it. I love looking up from my desk and seeing their noses buried in a book that they were complaining about reading only a week before.

OA: You have amassed a nice body of work, is the a collection or chapbook in your future?
JF: Thanks. Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. I am going to have a chapbook published later this year by Tainted Coffee Press. It will be part of the flipbook series they are producing where one poet’s work can be read on right hand facing page, then flipped and the another poet’s work can be read on the opposite page, kind of a double billing.

I did put out an early poetry collection on Lulu a few years back. I sold a miniscule number of them to friends, and then deleted the project from the database. When I look back on those poems, it makes me cringe. Many have been rewritten and re-rewritten and some have even been re-re-rewritten.

OA: What is next for Jason Fisk?
JF: Next? I plan on continuing to plug away at my poetry. I’m also trying my hand at fiction. It’s something I would like to hone. That’s about it. Oh, my wife is due in June, so that’ll keep me busy and sleep deprived for awhile.

Bonus questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
JF: I love my coffee; however, I’m also a cheap ass, so my favorite coffee spot has to be the McDonald’s drive through. I drink it black; the stronger, the better.

OA: What type of music do you enjoy listen to, and who are a few of your favorites?
JF: In my rotation now –
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
Iron and Wine – The Shepard’s Dog
Jim White – Transnormal Skiperoo

For more information on Jason Fisk please visit his website.

Artist of the Week

Ben Tour

Women posses many qualities, among them beauty, but with beauty comes imperfection. The unfortunate part of it all is that they try to hide these imperfections, when in fact these marks and lines, these freckles and cracks are what makes them unique. Hair wild and splitting, skin tone pale and washed out, clothes old and torn, there is beauty to be found. Beauty of innocence, of intelligence, of heart, of mystery... to capture the image of a woman is to capture beauty and all of its imperfections.

Vancouver artist Ben Tour has discovered the ability to capture the female image with all of its sporadic splotches and colorfully placed explosions. Working mostly with portraits, Ben allows his subjects to form loosely, rough edges and all, much like your first impression of a person when you met. His work has been show across the US and Canada, and this summer amidst the galleries and group shows, his life will change forever.

Recently, Ben was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work?
Ben Tour (BT): Figurative, emotion filled, character based paintings and drawings.

OA: I've read that most of your pieces begin as ball-point pen sketches. Do you use a picture as a reference point, or do you use live models, or do these images just appear to you? Where do you draw inspiration from?
BT: I use pictures, live models, whatever i can get to fill in the blanks of drawing a pose. If i need a knee or a nose i have to hunt for it if my natural drawing ability is needing some help.

OA: What I like most about your paintings are the imperfections, the splatters and spots, the pieces are defined and controlled but there are also unpredictable moments. Is this technique used because your subjects are human and by definition imperfect? Do you feel there is a connection between style and subject?
BT: That's interesting. Little happy accidents i suppose. I just enjoy making all the detail with subtle colors. The drips and splatters definitely help set a somber mood i try to achieve with my work so yest their is a connection with the way i lay down the paint and the characters mood.

OA: What is the significance of the number and letters in your pieces?
BT: Just the bells and whistles at the end- a finishing touch to add interest. No real hidden meaning. Its become a trademark of mine now and I've stuck with it.

OA: Do you have a set color pallet that you work with? Do you feel there is a connect between color and emotion in the viewer, and do you ever consciously try use this connection?
BT: Absolutely. Now more than ever I'm becoming a little more adventurous with colour and expressing mood with it. I definitely have colours i feel comfortable with and try to work within them. I want to make some ambitious colourful work in the future.

OA: What's next for Ben Tour?
BT: Group shows with the Galleries I'll be doing solo shows with next year. I'm expecting my first child in June so everything is gearing up for that. Check my site out to see where I'll be showing.

Bonus Questions:
OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
BT: Yes! definitely coffee, cant live without it. Right now I'm drinking a lot Milano coffee at home and at my favourite coffee shop here in Vancouver- Napoli on Commercial Drive.

OA: I've heard you are a fan of hip-hop and instrumental hip-hop in particular, who are a few of your favorites and do you listen to music while you paint?
BT: Ahhh. I've been listening to Burial. Lots of clubby new electronic whatever music. Some old Theo Parrish House stuff, James Holden. My wife and i have our own club night in our living room.

For more information on Ben Tour please visit his website.

The Orange Spotlight

Justin Hyde Down Where the Hummingbird Goes to Die (The Guild of Outsider Writers Press/Tainted Coffee Press, 2008)

"I'm just a bullet/resenting/its purpose." from "To My Coworkers"

Purpose is tricky thing, the path that we may think we are one, the purpose we may feeling we are being forced to serve may in fact not actually be our true purpose. To find purpose we must travel through dark alleys, through trailer parks, through the war torn village, through fear and panic and helplessness of the working poor, to find purpose we must live. We have passions or interests that we toy with from time to time, but never intend to develope. However, to fulfill a purpose that you do not resent you must act on those passion, you must do what love and love what you do.

Every time I read a Justin Hyde bio, it lists a different job he has held in his life. He has artificially inseminated pigs, has also been a bicycle mechanic, day laborer, pscyh ward patient, bank examiner, claim's adjuster, and so on. Today, however, above all else Justin Hyde can call himself a writer. His words cut straight to the center of American life, telling tales of shelters and trailer parks, suicide and store clerks, he puts a certain clear and vivid order to the chaos and pain of life.

Down Where the Humminbird Goes to Die is Justin Hyde's first chapbook, and the winner of the Jack Micheline Memorial Poetry Contest. It is has one of the best chapbook covers I have seen in a long time, and contains some of the purest poems you may ever read.

Sinkane Color Voice (Emergency Umbrella Records, May 6th, 2008)

Last week a cd arrived in the mail, and I pull it out of the enevolope. Looking at the back of the album I notice their are only four songs, the case is black with rainbow writing. An ep, I turn the album over and there is a note on a pink heart-shaped post-it, "Thanks Jason! This will blow your mind". Knowing nothing about the artist or the sound I press play and wait to be blown away. The album starts out slow and fragile, delicatly floating in and out of focus, ambient and builting. Gradually, reverse guitar loops begin to whail and echo and the sounds continue to evolve. Soon it becomes clear that this is one continious piece of music split into four fluent pieces. As the drums build and the tension mixed with freedom begins to bleed through my speakers, the lone but powerful vocals decend, "I'm sitting all alone/Sitting in my bed/Singing in my bed/Singing all alone". Simple words cutting through the complex soundscape that the Sudan native known as Sinkane has now stirred into a frenzy.

Ahmed Gailab (a.k.a Sinkane) is the son of a freedom fighter journalist/Politican who at age six fled to the United States with his family. This multi-instrumentalist learned the ropes from the basement (literarly) on up. He has created a masterpiece filled with modern rythms mixed with elements of jazz, rock, and cascading ambient music.

Color Voice

Thick Device/Color Voice (mp3)/Autobarn/Drumps

For more information on Sinkane please visit his website.

New Release Tuesday

Music:

Foals - Antidotes Listen to: Balloons (mp3)

Bess Rogers - Decisions Based On Information Listen to: Sunday (mp3)

Eric Avery - Help Wanted Listen to: All Remote and No Control (mp3)

The Breeders - Mountain Battles

Jim Noir - Jim Noir Listen to: Don't You Worry (mp3)

Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant Ep

Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-partying through Tornadoes)

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

Man Man - Rabbit Habits

Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live! Listen to: We Both Go Down Together (mp3)

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

The Microphones - The Glow Pt. 2

Nine Inch Nails - Ghost I-IV

Some Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing Listen to: Think I Wanna Die (mp3)

Tapes n' Tapes - Walk it Off

Thee Oh Sees - The Masters Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In

Meat Beat Manifesto - Autoimmune

Clinic - Do It!
Buckethead & Friends - Enter the Chicken

DVD:

Lions for Lambs

P2

There Will Be Blood

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Paint the Town Orange

April 5th, 2008 - Church of Rock - Western Springs, Il - The Pharmacy w/ James Eric, Slutbarf, This Forest, Arkansas?, and more...

Review and Images by Chris Szostek

Screaming down Route 88 towards Chicago with a small idea as to the location of our destination, Jason and myself are barreling down the shaft of the lost. We had left around 5 and it's now reaching upon 7 (we had planned on being at the show well before). The maps are now useless as we have missed two exists and have no idea where we are. Ripping off the highway we start into a corporate center. I honk my horn at some guy in a bad shirt and a worse tie. He appears to be startled at the sight of us. Jason thinks he has the new directions via the internet phone and I ignore the man. We (very irresponsibly) make a hard turn about and get back on the highway with a trophy that I'll not share the details of.

After many more wrong turns we finally get into a nice subdivision and start looking at addresses. We pass a church and I make a joke about how we are supposed to be at the Church of Rock and thats probably it. After another block we realize I was somehow correct. Lovely. I finally get to park. It's been a blast so far, but I really was not expecting this.

The car is parked and we walk into a church basement, interesting....music? Let's see what the night has for us.

The basement has a stockpile of water, punch, Doritos's (I don't think I've had any in about 2 years) & a selection of vegan friendly nature bars. Very cool set up.

Oh, yeah...music, that's why we are here.

We have a lot of video of the show, but it's going to take another day or two too process it all.

Mr. James Eric started off the night with his guitar and vocal skills that are so powerful that he has to stand 5 feet away from the mic to be heard without destroying us all with his vision of triumph through adversity. Mr. James has a voice that you will listen to because you have no other choice. Btw, apparently James is really bad at keeping time, so when you see him, clap along in time.

The next band was "This Forest" and they were good, but not great (sorry guys, just give it another year). I don't want to sound like a jerk, but it just didn't really do anything for me. What I heard was noise punk that needs another year to mature, the crowd dug it, but I just was not feeling it. (Please keep in mind this was their first live show.)

Next up we have The PHARMACY.

The Pharmacy is an explosion of sound that hits you with something you have never heard before. They are a band not to be missed, I will go so far as to assume that they may have the hook of the next alt rock movement, they are at least on the cusp. Intensity does not do them justice. They sold the show. They are based out of Washington and are a lot of fun to hang out with.

Slutbarf is the one band that I don't know much about, but what I can tell you is that the band following the Pharmacy is the new PigFace lineup. They came on, with masks made of socks and dead rabbits? It was an onslaugt of drums and bass driven rock. Hi-hates set to high, coupled with an attack of "we don't care about your ears" music. I loved every minute of it.

The night was intense & I don't think Jason is going to let me drive anymore to shows.

Keep up on the OA for some video action from this show and future shows.

This is -C- signing off.

Orange Alert's Music Minute

Here is the message I got from Beatman of Voodoo Rhythm Records:

C.W. STONEKING USA TOUR…… BE THERE !!!!! The amazing C.W. stoneking from Melbourne Australia is on tour in the USA. You have to see that.. it’s hobo Blues, Delta pre 2nd world war blues.. and he’s simply AMAZING !!!! Go please go and see this man and he gonna change your life forever.

If the name sound familiar that is because Mr. Stoneking was featured on Orange Alert back in August. This is his first tour of the states.

APRIL
6th LOS ANGELES, Hotel Café
7th LOS ANGELES, Hotel Cafe
8th AUSTIN, Scoot Inn
9th LAFAYETTE, Blue Moon Café
10th NEW ORLEANS, DBA’s
18th NEW YORK, Banjo Jim’s
19th ROSENDALE, Rosendale Cafe
20th NEW YORK, Rockwood Music Hall
21st PHILADELPHIA, Johnny Brendas
22nd, NEW YORK, Pete’s Candy Store
26th, TORONTO, Drake Hotel TBC

Listen to: Bad Luck Everywhere I Go (mp3)

Formed in 2005 by singer/songwriter Shawn Jones (Something Happened, Larks & Owls) and a revolving cast of several longtime friends, The Lovely Sparrows is the culmination of over a decade of musical growth and collaboration.

With The Lovely Sparrows' debut LP, Bury The Cynics, Jones has penned his most accomplished and ambitious songs to date. Meticulously written and recorded over the last year, Bury The Cynics marries lyrical pop sensibilities with Jones' formal composition training. Bury The Cynics is set for release on July 8th, 2008 by Abandoned Love Records and The Rebel Group.

The Lovely Sparrows will be performing April 10th at the Tractor Tavern in Seattle.

Listen to: Department of Forseeable Outcomes (mp3)

With a name like Morrissey, this Maryland native has some big vocals chords to fill. However, name is really the only thing Sean and Steven have in common. Sean Morrissey sings beautifully breathy folk music that is sure charm even the most mopey Smith's fan.

In the fall of 2007, Sean teamed up with long time friend and former high school band mate, Myles Vlachos, to create his solo debut EP Lolita’s Last Slow Dance. Sean Morrissey’s debut EP features guest appearances from other musical friends; and with production help from Vlachos, created an album that is a true display of his creativity and talent.

Download a watermarked version of his Ep here.

I stumbled across this duo from Sao Paulo back in September, and mentioned them here. Now they have already toured in Europe, and now the duo are poised to bring their groove-based blend of electro-pop, rock, house, and baile funk to the U.S. with their new Love & Lust EP, out now on Control Group.

This Brazilian electro-rock band is made up of a singer (Mylene) and DJ/producer/drummer (DJ Periferico), who has remixed songs featured on the "City Of God" remix soundtrack album, and has produced such Brazilian acts as Otto, Trio Mocoto, BiD, and Sidney Magal.

On stage they are like a hip hop duo with one dj and singer, always connecting with the audience and transmitting tremendous energy. Mylene is not a MC but sings the Funk Carioca (the favela´s Funk) like one; Periférico plays the turntables like a punk drummer and the drums like a techno DJ. Mixing in their sound the flavour of jungle music as well as house music, Telepathique's first successful European tour proved them to be an entertaining group with roots on the dance floor and the horizon on the future soundsystem, never forgetting the present, with their electro and breakbeat. All of these ingredients make a terrific recipe and that is Telepathique.

Listen to: Eu Gusto (mp3)

De Pere, WI... that's right De Pere, this is the home to Peter Rosewall (keys), Peter Pisano (guitar, vocals), Bobby Maher (drums), and Mei-Ling Anderson (bass) better known as The Wars of 1812. They released their debut album, Status Quo Ante Bellum, month on Amble Down Records and Afternoon Records.

Listen to: Radio Unsigned (mp3)

Hello Tokyo, the female fronted, power-pop experience from Brooklyn, NY, is releasing their debut LP Sell The Stars on April 22, 2008.

From the beginning, Hello Tokyo has steadily garnered continuous success. Hello Tokyo won the 2006 performance slot on the Ernie Ball Stage at the Vans Warped Tour, they have had music placed on MTV's The Real World and Road Rules consecutively for the past 3 years, and their single "Radio" was chosen out of thousands as the theme song for the Animal Planet series Horse Power.

Listen to: Steady the Gun (mp3)

The Peel Back: Moby Ambient (Instinct Records, 1993)

The release of Moby's latest album Last Night finds me revisiting everything that I enjoyed about Moby back in the day. I mean way back, pre-Play Moby, in fact tonight I am going back to 1993. Ambient was Moby's second album, and it title was fitting in some aspect, but in others it was slightly deceiving. Ambient music is typically filled with drone and repetition, to slowly fills the room and floats for hours. Moby's version of Ambient is music more rhythmic and danceable. He is really creating a form of techno light, techno for the chill-out after party. If you picked this album up in 1996, expecting to hear something similar to what Aphex Twin had achieved with his ambient album, you may have been pleasantly surprised. You may have been dancing instead of dreaming. Moby is consistently changes his sound, but as he progressed and delves into new sounds and forms, Ambient remains a hidden gem in his early collection.

My Beautiful Blue Sky/Heaven (mp3)/Tongues/J Breas/Myopia/House of Blue Leaves/Bad Days/Piano & Strings/Sound Dog/80/Lean on Me

The Watch List

Listening:
1. The Salteens: This Vancouver band formed back in 1997, and released two albums in the early part of this decade. Now after a four year lay off they are back together and releasing two songs a month for free on their website. Listen to: Everything They Know about us (mp3)
2. The Selmanaires: Atlanta band containing twin brothers who have been rocking hard since 2003. Listen to: The Air Salesmen (mp3)
3. The Come n' Go: From Biel Switzerland this group plays loud dirty blue's and play it well. They recently released their latest album, Somethings Gotta Give, on Voodoo Rhythm Records. Listen to: It's Ok (mp3)
4. How to Speak Hip by Del Close & John Brent: One of the greatest recordings of the Beat Generation

Reading:
1. "Power-Jogging" by Noah Cicero: I like this. It is good.
2. "The Deciding Game" by Randy Lowens: The opening section of this great high school story contains some of the most descriptive basketball language I've ever heard.
3. Kendra Steiner Editions Review by Paul Corman-Roberts: Even though Paul credits Michele McDannold with running Orange Alert, this is a great write-up for KSE.
4. "I Once Knew a Man, or Everybody's Got Their Kafka Story" by Michael Jauchen: A story of the tortured artist.
5. "Leroy Can Tell You When" by A.S. King: This is from Frigg Magazine, and I really like their presentation. This story is about a 10 year old genius.
6. "Teacher As ___" by Jason Jordan: Classified as non-fiction and filled with interesting references.
7. "Like Green Fireworks" by Tom Watts: "The sun is laying warm clean towels on my face as I sit there on the step thinking of nothing but the seconds dripping by." Oh man, that's good!

Wishing:
1. "Down Where the Hummingbird goes to Die" by Justin Hyde: It was almost a year ago that Justin stopped by Orange Alert, and really left a mark. His debut chapbook completely blew me away. (full review coming this week) $6
2. Muxtape: Not a product, but very cool concept and very user friendly.

Getting:
1. Blanket Issue #9 "The Music Issue": Typically an Art Zine, this months Blanket delves into the world of Music in the Blanket way. They talk with band photographers, the talk music videos, and digital mixtapes.
2. Long awaited details on the Pilcrow Panels: Leader of The Pilcrowites, Amy Guth, addressed the masses this week, unveiling the panal discussions for Pilcrow Lit Fest (May 22nd to 25th). Hmmm, I wonder what panel I will be sitting on...
3. Infidelity of the Orange

Watching:

1. Rock is Back! On April 15, there will be a huge announcement in rock. It will take place in LA and you can win a chance to hear the news first-hand. Check out this video for clues and if you think you know what’s up, enter your guesses at THEROCKVINE.COM for a chance to win.

2. Steinski: This is part one of a four part interview from SXSW. We will hear more from this hip hop legend in the coming weeks!

3. Tomatoes & Radiowire: This is an collective video tribute to one of the greatest albums of all-time, Neutral Milk Hotel's In An Aeroplane Over The Sea.
4. Chic-A-Go-Go: It strange at first, but now I can't stop watching... here is Sleep Out.
5. Amy Guth at Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival talking about her novel Three Fallen Women.

Band of the Week

The Pharmacy

A main part of life is friendship. When at work, at home, on tour, setting out on an adventure, or simply watching the day pass, friends are a necessity. Scott Yoder and Brendhan Bowers of Seattle's The Pharmacy, have been friends for a long time, and together they have built a reputation through their consistent touring and fun releases. A non-stop adventure, a journey of their choosing, and on this adventure their friendship has grown and expanded to include group of talented and ambitious individuals. One such ambitious soul is Megan Birdsall, Scott's roommate and long-time friend, who has single-handily created one of my favorite labels, Don't Stop Believin'. They release well designed and well packaged album and ep's abound, complete trading cards and beautiful vinyl releases.

Choose Yr Own Adventure (DSBR 011) is The Pharmacy second full-length album, and it roars and rocks and rhythmically rolls through twelve tracks. They are of course on tour right now, and are playing two shows in the area this weekend (4/5 8:00P Church of Rock Western Springs, Illinois / 4/6 8:00P Worloft Chicago, Illinois), and for a full list of shows visit their new myspace page.

Recently, Scott of The Pharmacy took some time out from touring to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): The new album, Choose Yr Own Adventure, is fantastic, and well worth the wait. Did your read Choose Your Own Adventure books when you were kids? What was your favorite CYOA book?
Scott Yoder (SY): I was more into Goose Bumps and Jurassic Park, actually. But recently I've really gotten into the Cave of Time

OA: You guys seem to consistently be on tour, what has been your favorite city to play, and what is your strangest tour story?
SY: Our favorite city to play is probably NYC. There's just such a huge concentration of awesome overwhelming things happening all at the same time. We have dozens of weird stories i guess. Our friend had her purse stolen in NYC last summer and while talking to this completely stereotypical bulldog-looking cop with a shaved head and moustache he determined that our band was "Grunge-Punk-Psychadelic." Pretty intuitive of him, I'd say...

OA: Having been both Kimya Dawson's opening band and backing band (on the same night no less) what is she like to play with? What are your thoughts on her long over due success?
SY: We're really happy for her. I feel like she'll always have the same core kids that come to her shows regardless.

OA: About a year ago a little known here is Chicago, Tic Tac Totally, released a 7" of yours containing one of my favorite songs, Tropical Yeti. How did you come to release that single through them? What has your experience with Don't Stop Believin' been like?
SY: They just approached us to do a one-off limited edition single. We had those two songs recorded already. We actually got to record them at Bear Creek where Lionell Richie recorded a bunch of stuff with Eric Clapton in the '80s. Don't Stop Believin' is essentially my roommate, Megan and we've been best friends for 6 years or so, so its super comfortable.

OA: Follow the release of your new album, Don't Stop Believin' released an ep of Pharmacy covers performed by The Terrordactyls. What is your connect to the terrordactyls? What are your thoughts on the Mike Bowers Ep?
SY: I think Ty and Michael did an awesome job. We all went to school together. Brendhan and I were actually in an early incarnation of the band where we dressed up like sock puppets and broke mic stands while screaming the "Happy Birthday" song. Stefan had a quick stint as their temporary keyboard player when he was 14 or so...

OA: What's next for The Pharmacy?
SY: Another US tour with our favorite band, Japanther in May. We've also started confirming shoiws for a European trip early this fall. I think we all might spend a lot of time in LA recording this summer as well.


Choose Yr Own Adventure (DSBR 011)
Choose Yr Own Adventure/Black Ice Cream/Mirror (mp3)/Tropical Yeti (mp3)/Warm and Untorn/My Friends/Little Toys on a Shelf/Try To Explain/Five Five Five/Turned to Granite/Old Man and The Sea/Adieu Adieu (mp3)

For more information of The Pharmacy please visit their website and to order your copy of Choose Yr Own Adventure visit Don't Stop Believin' Records.

Reader Meet Author

Rusty Barnes

"A complex man he is not. Stew lives his life in patterns, one for each block of time and obligation he must exist in the world for." from What Follows

There are always different layers to life, and there is always something below the surface. What most people see is what they choose to see, a country day on a porch doing chores, the morning routines, an innocent greeting on a sunny side street. Yet, the turmoil, the temptations, the anger that burns and bubbles just below the surface lies waiting to be exposed. Waiting for the perceptive and creative writer to dig in and break it down. There are stories inside the lives you come across every day of your life. The farmer, the banker, the guy stocking Snapple in the Supermarket, the homeless man of the corner, and CEO in the corner office, they all have a story. It is the writers job to dig a little deeper, crack open a few wounds, create a few new ones and find the complexities in life's simple moments.

Rusty Barnes tells tales of everyday life, delving deep into the subconscious of the most unlikely subjects. His new collection of short stories is entitled Breaking it Down (sunnyoutside press), and is a shining example of his work and the depths that flash fiction can reach. Rusty is also the co-founder of Night Train Magazine.

Recently, Rusty was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): The nature of your fiction work leads me to believe that you might use writing as a form of release? There are so many problems and tragedies in society, is it your responsibility to filter these issues through the writer's pen?
Rusty Barnes (RB): Writing isn't a release for me, at least in the sense you mean (I think). It's not cathartic, really. I suppose it can be, but that's not and never has been my primary concern. I want to put people (my characters) in situations where I can see what they'll do. Sometimes I'm disappointed, sometimes I'm disgusted, but I'm always trying to see how human behavior leads to inevitable actions. I don't know if I believe in Fate entirely, but it certainly seems a likely possibility.

OA: In an interview last year you talked about you current interest in poetry. What does poetry provide for you as a writer that fiction might not?
RB: In fiction I'm interested more in story and rhythm and less in language. In my poetry, that's reversed. I'm more interested in bald terrible/terrifying language that falls trippingly on the tongue. Many of my poems are narrative, for instance, but I don't feel constrained by narrative the way I might when writing a story. That's an answer of sorts. I also admit I began writing poems before anything else, before I really knew what a poem was, and when my well is dry I'll nearly always turn to poetry first to fill it, then gradually work my way back into fiction.

OA: I read that your new fiction collection, Breaking it Down, was spawned initially from a desire to sell something at readings, which have increased in the last few years. Do you feel that reading your stories to an audience adds anything to your stories? Have you been pleased with your experience with Sunnyoutside press?
RB: I love readings. I love to hear how the story affects the audience, how they react to certain lines and images. I like making them uncomfortable, honestly. I think discomfort is a good honest reaction to existence. Reading aloud puts a voice in people's heads, which helps some people and disappoints others, but I've generally been received really well.

Sunnyoutside, which is David McNamara, has been absolutely great. I had input into every facet of the book, we came up with a cover I love, and the support of and belief in my writing has been incredibly sustaining.

OA: How are things going with Night Train? Six years in, do you feel the journal has been all that you imagined it might be?
RB: It’s done better than I could have imagined. Our print journal 'made the news' many times, and we published stories that other publishers would not, in many cases, stories that I loved. What could be better? If we had tons of money, that'd be great—we could do more, and prettier!—but since we don't, we'll continue to do what we do as well as we can. I love the idea of publishing something new every week, and I hope to branch out soon into chapbooks and full-length books using P-O-D technology, but that's some time off, right now.

OA: There has been some debate in regards to the legitimacy of on-line journal publication vs print journal publication. Do you feel one holds more importance?
RB: I think writers will want to be published in print journals so long as they command the attention of agents and book editors. Failing that, I think they'll want to be read, or at least browsed once in a while, and available on Google for their friends and enemies to peruse. There are differences, but at this point I don't really care about them. I'm interested in writing something good, and getting it before the widest audience possible. Very often, that means internet publication.

OA: What's next for Rusty Barnes?
RB: I'm working on a novel which I hope to have 2/3 complete by April 1st, so I can take a month off for National Poetry Writing Month and write poems exclusively, then finish the novel in May, edit and rewrite in June and July, and have it ready to send out at the same time my wife is giving birth to our third child, in late July/early August. I'm saying this in public to hold myself accountable.

Bonus Questions:

OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
RB: I don't drink much coffee, and when I do, it's usually a simple iced latte. What I drink, by the two-liter bottle, daily, is a lot of Diet Pepsi. My favorite spot is on our old sprung sofa with my particular ass-marks in the east side, where I write on my laptop in the midst of the TV and my family, between 9:30 PM and midnight every night.

OA: What type of music do you enjoy listening to, and who are a few of your favorites?
RB: I generally listen to single voices with acoustic guitars, and variants thereof: a lot of alt-country, cowpunk, folkie sorts. There's no way to answer this in short. Currently, I'm listening to a ton of Steve Earle and Dwight Yoakam while I'm writing, and otherwise I'll just give you my top artist listings from iTunes: Damien Jurado, Steve Earle, Old 97s, Simon Joyner, Peaches, Nashville Pussy, Tom Waits, Hezekiah Jones, Richmond Fontaine, PJ Harvey, ZZ Top, Louisiana Red, Liz Phair, Outkast, Songs: Ohia

For more information on Rusty Barnes please visit his website, and to order your copy of Breaking it Down go through Sunnyoutside (it's faster).

Artist of the Week

Man Bartlett

What draws you to a specific painting? What attracts you to one piece over another? I have toyed with the idea of color, and I still believe that colors and color combinations can draw you in and evoke emotion. However, what you may be feeling, what may be drawing you in, is actually the artist's emotion or intention connecting with you through the simple collection of media, paint, canvas, pen, paper, etc. What you feel may be the energy and the motion of the artist creating that circle, or drawing that line, an energy that lasts and endures for ages.

Chicago's Man Bartlett creates work with intention. He works with four basic colors, and focuses on the completeness of the circle. His work has been shown exclusively around Chicago, and he is currently participating in a group show at FLATFILEgalleries that runs through April 11th.

Recently, Man was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

Orange Alert (OA): How would you describe your work?

Man Bartlett (MB): I'm fascinated by simple forms that tell complex stories. Lately I've been referring to my work as a sort of Emotive Minimalism. Compacting as much information in as little means as possible. Over the past few years I've been inspired by equal parts Duchamp, Basquiat, Wabi Sabi, and most recently Wolfgang Laib, which I think can inform an approach to understanding my aesthetic.

OA: In your video artist statement you make a connection between your emotion and intention as an artist making a circle and the viewer viewing your circle. Why circles? Can this connection of intention formed in any brush stroke or movement? Are there different emotions attached to each circle?
MB: That's a great question. I believe intention can be placed in any object of creation. In fact it always is, just not always consciously. I remember the first time I saw Duchamp's "Fountain," in Philadelphia. Somehow (and not because it's in a museum or it's been exhaustingly written about), it retains a massive amount of energy and power. This led me to thinking that the intention behind the work is a majority of what we experience in art. "Not what, but how." And by reducing the means of the expression of the intention I'm pushing the limits of our ability to experience it. Circles are the simplest form I have found to explore that. There is an inherent beauty in a circle, a completeness or totality. There is a meditative quality in drawing or painting them which continually attracts me. Also they exert expression in their attempt, or refusal to be "perfect." We know intellectually that perfection is a fallacy, but we spend so much of our time, or I should say I spend so much of my time, trying to reach that state. The circles provide me the opportunity to investigate that. And to varying degrees, each circle I draw has its own specific intention which culminates in the experience of the piece on the whole.

OA: You use oilbar on your pieces, is that a different approach than most artists, I don't see it referenced often. Do you feel that the materials (i.e. type of paint or canvas) used in a painting have a big impact on the outcome?
MB: Another great question. To a degree, yes. If Basquiat's "Gravestone" had been painted on canvas it would have been a very different piece. The fact that it was painted on found (door, wall?) panels lends itself to a resignation and a feeling of utter despair that directly relates to the subject matter. On the other hand I've seen great paintings on Dick Blick pre-stretched canvas (no offense, Mr. Blick). I prefer to find and use the materials that feel right to me and are best suited for the work. Usually of a relatively high quality (Arches paper, Windsor & Newton Oilbars etc.). This is particularly important while working minimally as the devil truly is in the details. I pay attention to everything. Much to the chagrin of framers and others! But to me the entire process is important. From purchasing the materials to the preparation through the completion of the work, to the framing to how it is lit and hung in space, it is all part of the art, and nothing should be overlooked.

OA: You have a very selective pallet, how did you come to settle on those four colors? Has there been any thought of expanding your pallet?
MB: I came to my current pallet by reduction. Those colors speak to me on an organic and spiritual level. And as long as they continue to inspire me I don't see a need to add any more. I've been able to get quite a range with just those four (antique white, titanium buff, raw umber and cadmium red). Although for a different body of work I've been thinking a lot about pure white, purple and gold leaf. I also have a thing for IKB, but don't tell anyone.

OA: I know you have a good relationship with FLATFILEgalleries, but what is you impression of the art scene in Chicago in general?

MB: I love this city. Chicago has been great to me. From my experiences in the theatre through working with FLATFILE I have been fortunate enough to work with professionals who are both amazing at what they do and incredibly kind and supportive. I'm very grateful for that. You don't find that everywhere. And there are a lot of opportunities for people at various stages of their career. To use the word "vibrant" is definitely a faux pas, but I find it to be just that.

OA: What's next for Man Bartlett?
MB: I'm building a studio in my new place that will allow me to work on much larger works on paper, so I'm excited about that. I'm also getting increasingly more interested in three dimensional sculptural/installation work and am experimenting there. I've got a few tentative things lined up for 2008/2009 but mostly it's work work work. The work drives me and the rest follows.

Bonus Questions:

OA: Coffee? If yes, what is your favorite type of coffee and where is your favorite coffee spot?
MB: Kona. But I enjoy Folgers too. And I'll switch between black, cream, or cream with Splenda. I recently moved to Pilsen from Logan Square and I haven't found my local spot yet. I'm accepting suggestions...

OA: Do you listen to music while paint? Who are some of your favorite musicians while painting and in general?
MB: Music is a huge part of my life. If I'm not painting or at the 9-5 I'm probably at a concert. I'm almost always listening to something. If I'm working on a circle or line drawing it's headphones and usually Beethoven. For the past year I've been particularly engrossed in his 9th Symphony. Oilbar works run the gamut over speakers: Andrew Bird, Joanna Newsom, Talking Heads, Mia Doi Todd, Of Montreal, Neko Case, Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears, Philip Glass, Okkervil River...and a host of others.

For more information on Man Bartlett please visit his website and don't forget to visit FLATFILESgalleries before April 11th.

Paint the Town Orange

March 29th, 2008 - Blitzen Trapper w/ Fleet Foxes and Ola Podrida at The Bowery Ballroom, NYC
Reveiws and Images by Dominick Mastrangelo

The Bowery Ballroom was an all-out mutual appreciation society on Saturday night. Both Blitzen Trapper and opener, Fleet Foxes were on the receiving end of a gracious and appreciative New York City audience. Fleet Foxes, from Seattle, took the stage first with lead-singer Robin Pecknold, carrying a cup of tea and offering the disclaimer that he was under the weather. His bandmates then chimed in that it was Pecknold's birthday. But by the sound of the harmonies that texture many of the Fleet Foxes songs, you wouldn't know that Pecknold was anything but full strength. Songs like "English House" and "Drops in the River" (from their Sun Giant EP) were excellent (equal parts Shins and Midlake) but the real showpiece was "White Winter Hymnal."


Pecknold stopped two lines in, shaking his head as members of the audience clapped their approval to the song selection. Pecknold, truly touched the crowd already knew their songs, said, "You guys are so sweet." The back and forth continued; someone in the front row handed Pecknold a packet of Emergen-C for his cold. Then keyboardist Casey Wescott, bassist Christian Wargo and guitarist Skyler Skjelset combined, relay-hand off-style, to give away a beautiful but no-longer-functioning mandolin. Skjelest, the anchor, deftly tossing it into a sea of arms and hands. The band closed with the slow-fast-slow "Blue Ridge Mountains" (which will appear, along with "Hymnal", on the band's full-length release due June 3) featuring Crosby Stills & Nash harmonies as well as the new mandolin.

Blitzen Trapper, a six-piece band from Portland, Oregon, followed with their brand of energetic rock-folk-Americana songs. Hard-charging numbers like "Devil's A-Go-Go" and jangly "Country Caravan" evoked Pavement, Big Star and the Grateful Dead. "Wild Mountain Nation", the title track from last year's full-length was full-on Skynard. But the band changes genres as much as they change instruments - which occurred between songs and multiple times during songs. (Their record reviews reference everyone from the aforementioned bands to early Beck, the Beatles, and Elephant Six Collective bands.)

Lead singer Eric Earley's voice floated close to Dylanesque to open the bluesy, foot-stomping "Miss Spiritual Tramp" getting the B. Trapp set off to a raucous start. Toward the end of the concert they stopped down for the lo-fi, front-porch hymn "Badger's Black Brigade" which closes Nation before ratcheting up the tempo once more with the noisy rocker "Woof & Warp of the Quiet Giant's Hem." Fresh on the heels of last year's record, the band also played the title track off their upcoming record Furr, a beautiful alt-country number furthering the band's inability to be pinned to any one genre.

Upcoming Tour Dates:
4/02 Toronto, ON El Mocambo*
4/03 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place*
4/04 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop*
4/05 Detroit, MI The Magic Stick*
4/06 Chicago, IL Schubas*
4/08 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon*
4/09 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry*
4/10 Grinnell, IA Grinnell College*
4/11 Omaha, NE The Slowdown*
4/12 Lawrence, KS Jackpot*
4/14 Denver, CO Hi-Dive*
4/15 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge*
4/17 Vancouver, BC Media Club*
4/18 Seattle, WA Neumo's*
4/19 Portland, OR Holocene*
4/26 Salem, OR Wulapalooza

New Release Tuesday

Music:

Murdocks - Roar! Listen to: Playhouse Down (mp3)

Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngster... Listen to: Don't tell me to do the math(s) (mp3)

Annuals - Wet Zoo Ep

The Sword - Gods of the Earth Listen to: Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians (mp3)

Apples in Stereo - Electronic Projects for Musicians

Colour Revolt - Plunder, Beg & Curse

French Kicks - Swimming

k-OS - Gettin this money

Krafty Kuts - Back To Mine

Moby - Last Night

Morrissey - Greastest Hits (2 Disc)

Anti-Flag - The Bright Lights of America

DVD:

Alvin and the Chipmunks
What Love Is
The Good Night