Happy Holidays, from Klaus Schulze and Beyond Beyond is Beyond! Klaus didn’t really say that so don’t quote me.
But thanks to our friends at SPV Records, BBiB has a few copies of two different new Klaus Schulze 3-CD box sets to giveaway to you!
Through these stunning box sets, the ear becomes reacquainted with the vast expanse of Schulze music from its earliest beginnings right up and into its modern incarnations, robust with the now-patented lengthy irises, numerous kaleidoscopic events, and still-innovative breadth of tonalities that have become the artist’s stock-in-trade.
Enter to win one of these killer box sets:
…by Tweeting this post
…by posting this on Facebook
…or by commenting below
Contest will end December 24, 2010 and winners will be notified by December 28. U.S. entries only please. Can’t ship outta the States!
Cheers and Good Luck!
I’m very excited to say that I will be talking to the one and only Robert Wyatt this Thursday on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio!
Domino Records has just reissued the landmark records of Robert Wyatt – one of the most distinguished, visionary, influential and singular catalogues in contemporary music. These reissues are the first time many of these albums have ever been available on vinyl domestically; and most of the titles have been out of print for several years.
And also, Wyatt, Atzmon, Stephen’s For The Ghosts Within, is out now on Domino. This new collaborative album by Robert Wyatt, saxophonist/composer Gilad Atzmon and violinist/composer Ros Stephen is a tour de force of contemporary composition, once again highlighting Robert Wyatt’s distinct role as a collaborator and conspirator, and his never-ending appetite to create new musical languages.
So tune in to Beyond Beyond is Beyond for my Robert Wyatt interview on Thursday, 12/9 at noon eastern!
UPDATE: LISTEN TO THE ARCHIVED INTERVIEW HERE!
Thanks to the good folks at Backbeat Books, I have a couple copies of this badass prog-rock illustrated history to giveaway to cats like you!
Here’s some words about the book:
From its artful beginnings (Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, the Mothers of Invention, and those progressive forebearers, the Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles), through the towering guitar solos, monumental synthesizer banks, and mind-boggling special effects of the Golden Age of Prog (Rush, Pink Floyd, Yes, ELP, Genesis, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, UK), through the radio-friendly “pop era” (Asia, the Phil Collins-led Genesis, and a reformed Yes), and right up to the present state of the art (Marillion, Spock’s Beard, and Mars Volta), this is a wickedly incisive tour of rock music at its most spectacular. This is indeed the book prog rock fans have been waiting for, the only one of its kind, as fantastic as the subjects it covers.
My two cents…I love this book and have been reading the shit out of it on the subway the last couple weeks! Lots of great pics and lots of great info on lots of prog greats.
To enter to win Mountains Come Out of the Sky by Will Romano:
Winners will be chosen from folks who Tweet this post or post this contest on Facebook (you can Tweet or FB this post below via ‘Share and Enjoy’), emailers (to beyondbeyondisbeyond at gmail dot com), and commenters below.
Contest will end December 17, 2010 and winners will be notified by December 19. U.S. entries only please. Can’t ship outta the States!
Hey dudes,
Tune in to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on Thursday, two days before what would have been John Lennon’s 70th birthday, and find out how to enter to win the new Gimme Some Truth 4-CD box set! I have one box to giveaway to one lucky listener.
Happy Birthday and Rest In Peace, John!
- Imagine Peace
- Gimme Some Truth box on Amazon
- East Village Radio
- Beyond Beyond is Beyond archive page
I love the F&O’s and they’ve gonna a new long-player coming out on October 12th on In the Red Records called Play It Strange. They’ve also got a big tour coming up that you can check out dates right here. And here’s the NYC shows:
11/02 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
11/03 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
And dig their new single ‘Waterfall’ below…
The Fresh & Onlys – Waterfall
New album coming soon on Mexican Summer
Hej Bjonders…
I’m happy to announce that this week’s Beyond Beyond is Beyond show will welcome back long-time BBiB buddy, Mattias Gustavvson from the bands Dungen and Life on Earth! Both Swedish bands are making some of the coolest rockin’ folk neo-psych grooves out there in our new world of music.
Mattias and Mike way back on BBiB episode #12 in May 2009
Mattias will be playing songs for us and we’ll be talking about the upcoming Dungen album and playing new stuff from both Dungen and Life on Earth! So tune in to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio Thursday at noon eastern…and come play with us!
Hey cats, yeah, this Thursday is gonna be crazy special as I’ll be welcoming ex-Genesis guitarist-extraordinaire Steve Hackett to Beyond Beyond is Beyond! But not only that, I’ll also be giving away a few copies of Hackett’s excellent new album, Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth.
So tune in online Thursday at noon eastern to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio to hear my conversation with one of Rock’s original guitar gods…and to find out how you can be entered to win Steve’s new album.
Till then…cheers!
Mike
Hey dudes,
As Steve Hackett is going to be on the next Beyond Beyond is Beyond show on East Village Radio, I wanted to make sure that you’ve heard a bit of his most recent and very excellent solo album, Out of the Tunnel’s Mouth. It just came out last month in the States and you MUST own it. Seriously, it’s really good. Have a listen for yourself…
Steve Hacket – Fire On The Moon
Plus, I’m gonna giveaway a couple copies of this fine album on the next show as well. So tune in to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio at noon eastern, Thursday!
On this Thursday’s Beyond Beyond is Beyond show, I have no guests lined up, but I will be playing AND giving away all kinds of jams throughout the show.
GIVEAWAYS THIS WEEK!
First of all, thanks to our friends at Bella Union, I’ll be giving away a copy of the album I was raving about on last week’s show…Queen of Denmark by John Grant! God, it’s good.
Secondly, I’ll be announcing the winner of last week’s Rock Trivia question contest. The question was to name the Vanilla Fudge drummer that went on to form Cactus after Vanilla Fudge dissolved…or melted. Several listeners emailed with the correct name…Carmine Appice. The surprise is a killer surprise box set of music that I will announce on the show Thursday, along with the winner’s name.
And for good measure, I will also be giving away a Doors-related item in this week’s Rock Trivia contest!
And I might decide to throw in one more giveaway too…because it’s just that kind of week.
So, for your chance to win many rockular things and to be pleasantly stimulated for 2 hours, tune in to East Village Radio on Thursday, noon eastern…and we’ll venture BEYOND-OND-OND-ond-nd-d
(Dig this amazing John Grant illustration that Bill McConkey did for MOJO…)
Hey Beyondites,
This week’s Beyond Beyond is Beyond show is quite special, as I’ll be welcoming Canadian ‘post-classic rockers,’ Plants and Animals. I’ve been championing these guys since I started the BBiB show early last year, spinning stuff from their Parc Avenue album quite often. And they just played a sold out show with Ra Ra Riot at Union Hall on Tuesday…with lots of touring ahead of them.
And now, with the release of their new album La La Land, they will be performing songs from the album live in the East Village Radio booth, 5 days before it’s release date…of 4/20!
Here we are outside the EVR booth…
So come join me, and Plants and Animals, at noon eastern Thursday at East Village Radio!
Secret City Records label site
UPDATE: CLICK HERE FOR THE ARCHIVE AND LIVE PERFORMANCE VIDEOS!
Hey fellow jamologists,
I’ve got a helluva show for you on Thursday, featuring Matt Whyte from the super-rockin’ Earl Greyhound band. Their sophomore album, Suspicious Package, which is also a great porn title, will be released on Hawk Race Records next Tuesday, April 13th. And if you’ve been listening to my show lately, you already know it totally rocks!
They just finished a short-tour with Coheed and Cambria and now their tour with OK GO starts next week.
…and maybe I’ll giveaway a copy too if you listen to Beyond Beyond is Beyond at noon eastern on East Village Radio on Thursday, April 8th, 2010! ; )
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photo by Mike Newman
AND IN OTHER GOOD NEWS… I have a couple pairs of tickets to give away to Jon Anderson’s show at B.B. King’s in NYC this Sunday!
Email your favorite Jon Anderson lyric to beyondbeyondisbeyond at gmail dot com or Tweet it to @BBiB, for your chance to win.
Good luck, ‘cuz as you know, ‘God, you know he wears a blue t-shirt too with God inscribed, in heaven, on both sides.’
Tune in to Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio at noon eastern on Thursday, April 8th! We’ll rock together.
Hey dudes,
Ariel Pink and his Haunted Graffiti outfit have a new album coming out June 8th called Before Today. I’m totally diggin’ the first song, ‘Round and Round,’ which you can dig below. It’s kinda nice that they’ve stepped out of that super lo-fi production. I always liked Ariel Pink songs but always wanted to hear them with a little more sound quality…and Before Today looks to be just that. Cool album cover too, no?
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti-Round and Round
Mondo Drag’s New Rituals
A neo-psych juggernaut…or something like that (the thing is REALLY good!)
I will be giving away a copy of this raging echo monster of an album on Beyond Beyond is Beyond on March 25th. Enter to win it now by emailing me at beyondbeyondisbeyond AT gmail DOT com OR simply Tweet a picture of your thumb to @BBiB
“Ghost and the Witness” is from Earl Greyhound’s brand-new Suspicious Package album due out on April 13th on Hawk Race Records. As you know or will soon hear, EG rock out in a way that we can be proud of!
And we’ll have them on the Beyond Beyond is Beyond show on East Village Radio on April 8th, right before the album’s release. But for now, crank this fukker up!
Earl Greyhound-Ghost And The Witness
This Thursday on the ol’ East Village Radio show that I like to call Beyond Beyond is Beyond, I will be talking to the gold-throated ‘god of hellfire’ himself, the amazing Arthur Brown. As seen here, freaking the fuck out…
Esoteric Recordings is reissuing much of Arthur’s works, including the groundbreaking, earth-shaking Crazy World of Arthur Brown album, as well as Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come albums.
I will also be paying tribute to MAN‘s fantastic guitarist/vocalist/songwriter, Micky Jones, who just passed away on March 10th, losing the battle to a brain tumor that he had been fighting for years. Micky will live on for many through the fine, fine music that he leaves behind. R.I.P. Micky…and thank you for the jams.
Coincidentally, Esoteric Recordings also did the superb remastering job with the MAN catalog as well, so this Thursday will be Esoteric Fest on Beyond Beyond is Beyond. So listen live at noon eastern, Thursday, March 18th to East Village Radio and let’s celebrate jams together! Sound good?
UPDATE: HERE’S THE ARCHIVE OF THIS SHOW! (…and the Playlist)
Hey Bologna-Boppin’ Beyonders,
I’m happy to announce that this week Beyond Beyond is Beyond will welcome So-Cal bent rockers, the Growlers to the show. I’ve been diggin’ these guys ever since Everloving sent me their new Are You In or Out? record. I lifted the ‘bent sound’ description from the Everloving website because it really fits the Growlers’ sound nicely:
…this “bent sound” has been perfected in their live act that some onlookers call “groovy” and or “sick”. The groovy unexcelled value in Lo fidelity sound is their stock and trade.
So get yourself further acquainted below with the “Something Someone Jr” video and then bring your ears to the far out reaches of Beyond Beyond is Beyond on East Village Radio on Thursday, 2/18, from noon to 2 EST. Here’s how to get there…
If you’re in NYC, catch their show at Piano’s…
Feb 18 2010 11:00P
Pianos w/ Treasure and Magic Magic New York City, New York
Feb 20 2010 8:00P
RONY’S BAR chicago, Illinois
Feb 21 2010 11:30P
Replay Lounge Lawrence, Kansas
Feb 22 2010 8:00P
Hi Dive – The Growlers w/ Astrophagus Denver, Colorado
Feb 23 2010 9:30P
Belly Up Aspen w/ Backyard Fire Tire Aspen, Colorado
Feb 26 2010 8:00P
Noise Pop at Café Dunord San Francisco, California
Mar 27 2010 9:30P
East of Eden w/ Mikey Selbicky Monterey, California
So I wanted to post something about a band that I accidentally left off my official ‘Best Albums of 2009′ list. This is San Diego-based (oddly enough) new progressive rock band Astra, and their 2009 album The Weirding is one that I listened to a lot last year. I found this really cool random user-made video for one of Astra’s songs and thought you should check it out. So dig in below. There’s a whole lot of radicity going on…
THEN, if you dig that, listen to the whole album on YouTube. It’s all HERE. Pretty amazing. Then, after you’re blown away by how good it is and surprised at how modern it is, BUY that shit bro. I’m def looking for Astra to head to the East Coast!
Cheers!
If you blog, I guess you just gotta do it…so here’s mine. And no, you’re not gonna get a ‘best albums o’ the decade’ list outta me! It was quite hard enough to think back to early ’09, thank you very much. And yes, albums are still pertinent and will become more and more important as the industry starts its slow digression back to the vinyl days. I’m not Nostradamus and shit, I just know it’s headed that way. It’s what’s the people want…records are just plain sexy! The vinyl is how you’ll listen at home (or inside places) and the mp3s (download card included inside vinyl jacket) will make it portable and shuffle-able.
Another thing to keep in mind, I don’t typically sit around ranking records as I listen to them, so this is a bit of a stretch for me. What I’m presenting here is a list of things I liked in 2009. This includes brand-new shit and also old albums that were re-released during 2009…because I listen to a lot of old music, in case you didn’t know from looking at me. So let’s go through the motions here and get to listing…in no particular order (and I’m not sure how many are going to be listed either until I put them all down, so bear with me). Here we go:
The Entrance Band – s/t : Here’s a great psych album from a new(er) band that’s not afraid of slinky guitar licks. As the mainstream indie-rock world keeps proving to us what their music is NOT, bands like The Entrance Band will do what they do, not concerned with what they are not, but proving that the most interesting thing is what it IS. And what it is is groove, swing, blues, passion, psych, sex and plenty of reverb. On Ecstatic Peace Records.
Well played, Thurston.
The Aliens – Luna : Amazing follow-up to the debut Astronomy for Dogs from 2007 by this Beta Band offshoot. Here are the deets from Wiki: The Aliens are a Scottish band consisting of former Beta Band members Gordon Anderson (aka Lone Pigeon, lead vocals, guitar), John Maclean keyboards, backing vocals) and Robin Jones (drums, backing vocals). They formed in 2005 ( following the split of The Beta Band the previous year, and frontman Gordon Anderson falling ill to “acute psychosis”. Anderson is now out of hospital and has been off medication for some time.
This is what the Beta Band promised to be from their 3 Eps debut, which will always be a classic, but what their other albums never delivered on. They lost sight of their mission or something. Well, The Aliens pick back up where the ‘good’ Beta Band left off. Cheers!
Imelda May – Love Tattoo : Soul rockabilly blues R&B…like in the days when such genres were integrated and made a beautiful noise together. I was lucky enough to be able to interview Imelda May when she was in NYC and got to see her (and her tremendous band) perform live to a packed Piano’s house on a weeknight…Uh-maze-ing! This girl can belt ‘em out. And you need to hear her band play live too. Perfectness…really. Here’s a link to the interview from Beyond Beyond is Beyond 9/24/09.
And here’s a bonus for ya’s. This is an acoustic “Love Tattoo” that Imelda and her husband/guitarist Darrel Higham did exclusively for my BBiB show on East Village Radio…
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The Growlers – Are You In or Out? : I love this album. I guess you’d call it fuzzed-out, reverb-drenched, hazy surf-guitar garage rock. Easy breezy shit that I’m looking forward to seeing played live when these Costa Mesa, California bros make it out East – which I just found out will happen at Brooklyn’s Union Pool on Valentine’s Day ’10. Hopefully my lover will want to go with…
Speaking of lovers, this album is on the great Everloving label.
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Made in Sweden – Made in England : This re-release from the top-notch Esoteric Recordings label in England, came in just under the ’09 gun, released on December 22nd, 2009. I have been in love with Esoteric Recordings output ever since I was turned on to them by some MAN reissues that started coming out a couple years ago. Since then, I’ve closely followed Esoteric’s output and even started a segment on my radio show that features Esoteric’s offerings. Well, this is one originally from 1970 that I just very recently received and am now addicted to. And it once again begs the question ‘why are the Swedish so advanced in progressive rock music?’ Why ask why, bros…just dig it. This is superb blues-jazz-prog rock. Long live Esoteric!
White Denim – Fits : Fukkin’ fantastic album! To be lazy, here are a couple quotes that I really like about the album…
“Fits locks in and finds a groove strong enough to hang a hook on” -Pitchfork
“Like Ike and Tina Turner….. White Denim never do anything nice and easy. The bands chopped up punk delirium is effortless sorcery, evoking Talking Heads’ dancing-bones rock, the dervish thrash of the Minutemen and the Strokes’ pneumatic-guitar pop…White Denim is not simple work, but everything you get is nice and rough.”- David Fricke, Rolling Stone
“It kinda makes me wanna screw.” – My wife
Mother Hips – Pacific Dust : The Mother Hips are consistently great and are consistently not recognized enough. Lots of great dual guitar interplay, amazing sunny California harmonies, and tons of hooks all over the place.
Tim Bluhm was in town for a couple Mother Hips NYC gigs and stopped by Beyond Beyond is Beyond this past Spring, long before the new album’s release and played some tunes for us. Here’s one…
Tim Bluhm: Time-Sick Son – Live at EVR
Life on Earth! – A Space Water Loop : Like The Amazing who are making their mark right now with a fantastic debut, Life On Earth! is a Dungen offshoot to keep the Dungen players busy and creative while Dungen leader, Gustav takes his time with his muse and his turntablism. Yeah, go figs. Life on Earth! is helmed by Dungen bassist, Mattias Gustavsson and is an excellent collection of Swedish psych-folk music…sung in English.
Again, my theory stands that Swedes have and extra music gene.
Check out this tune Mattias did for us on Beyond Beyond is Beyond at the East Village Radio studio:
Mattias of Life on Earth!: Gospel of the Sun – Live at EVR
Hopewell – Good Good Desperation : These next two albums represent bands that made really good albums which only tell part of the story of how amazing they are as live bands. Tee Pee Records made a great choice stepping out on a limb for Hopewell, which isn’t their traditional fare…but Tee Pee is really starting to release a lot of killer stuff (Weird Owl, The Weight, Spindrift, Night Horse, Imaad Wasif) and is one of the great small creative label forces out there now.
Pick up this album and then get yer ass out to see them live and let them show you their complete power. Good Good Desperation definitely will make you more than curious for the live show…and it’s the kind of album that gives you the feeling that Hopewell is on the verge of creating their masterpiece.
Sleepy Sun – Embrace : So, this is the other band who made a fantastic album, this one on ATP Recordings, that only hints at how great a live band they are. I was lucky enough to see both Sleepy Sun and Hopewell this summer at the super-exclusive, only-for-cool-cats-like-me All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in upstate New York…and quite frankly, both bands blew my fukkin’ head off. In a good way!
Again, another great album that will tease you into coming out to see ‘em live. Don’t miss the chance!
Exmagma – Exmagma 3 : I started doing a segment on my East Village Radio show that features the excellent re-release output of Anthology Recordings this year, because they digitally re-release some of the coolest and rarest psych, vintage rock, folk, freak, prog and other great rock forms. This is one of the coolest that I came across this year. Having already been acquainted with Exmagma’s first two ‘official’ albums, that were certainly more Miles 70s-era improvy sounding with very few vocals. Well, this more jagged-rocky, trippy-vocaled one was made as a double album by the band to follow their first two. Their label said ‘we don’t wanna release a double album’…and so the band shelved it and soon broke up. It was finally released way down the road and now Anthology’s got it on their site, ready for you to download…along with the first two Exmagma albums and singer/guitarist, Andy Goldner’s killer solo album, Infinity. Get Exmagma 3 now if you dig adventurous rock!
Rubblebucket – s/t : This one came out of the blue and landed on my CD player…or iTunes or whatever. I had not been seeking out this kind of music, but it found me, and it strapped me in for a rubble-bumpy ride! Is African music super-cool right now? Is Fela really a Broadway musical right now? Do people really hate hippies? Well, whatever the case…this is an album to be reckoned with. But instead of reckoning with it, listen to it! Yeah, that’s better.
Serious groove, a knock-you-out magic horn section, quirky guitar, odd drum rhythms, trippy dub effects, and an amazing spell-casting female vocal, of course with plenty of ‘verb!
I can’t wait to see ‘em live! This one of was may be the nicest surprise of the year.
Zoos of Berlin – Taxis : This one was actually another great surprise that Sinister Foxy turned me on to. It’s modern, it’s sleek, it’s complex, it’s Steely Dan, it’s Talking Heads, it’s uplifting, it’s fun, it’s serious, and it’s a bunch of other stuff…like REALLY GOOD! Everyone that I played this album for fell in love with it and could compare it to nothing else than any other modern indie bands are doing right now. Truly unique and quirky music made by some serious players who remember what it is to groove.
Detroit guys, btw. They’re still making plenty of good music there. Cars…not so much.
The Beatles – Remastered Catalog : This has to be in there, doesn’t it? Such a perfect job was done on these albums…and the world would’ve collectively cringed if it had been otherwise. This music demands perfection, and the remastering/mixing job that they did is incredible. Who knew that the best music ever made could sound even better?!
I have all the stereo versions, now I may need to geek out and score all the remastered mono albums! Most of the stuff up until Rubber Soul/Revolver are meant to be heard mono anyway.
Btw, is the White Album the best rock album ever made?
Bryan Scary & the Shredding Tears – Mad Valentines : I swear to god, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I almost forgot to add these guys to the list AGAIN this year! And I did the same with their Flight of the Knife album last year! Maybe it’s because they’re so much drastically better than most of the modern bands you hear these days, and maybe it’s because their sound doesn’t seem to quite fit in whatever ‘era’ we’re in right now. But BSST are pure theatrical bubblegum, prog-pop escapist bliss…and you’re missing out on all of that if you don’t know ‘em. So get to know ‘em and come join the party. And don’t miss them live!
Here’s a quick stirpped-down tune that they guys did in our completely un-soundproofed booth at East Village Radio. It’s a delight…
BSST – The Garden Eleanor (Live at EVR)
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Very honorable mentions : Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion (as if you needed to see that one on another list), Real Estate – s/t, Man- s/t (reissue on Esoteric Recordings), Ben Kweller – Changing Horses, BLK JKS – After Robots, The Blakes – Souvenir, La Fleur Fatale – Silent Revolution, Monsters of Folk – s/t, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound – When Sweet Sleep Returned…
What else am I missing? What are your faves o’ the year? Lemme know below…
