Silence is the sound inside...

drekka @ 2009-10-27T18:16:00

2009-10-27T22:29:51Z

DREKKA autumn 2009 newsletter: TOUR EDITION
[ UPDATED VERSION: 27 October 09 ]

A. INTRO/PRESS COPIES
1. MATTERS OF TOUR
2. NEW RELEASES IN NOVEMBER 09
3. NEW TOUR SHIRT
4. THANK YOU AND THE WAY OUT

A. INTRO

NEXT WEEK, I am heading to Holland, Belgium and Italy for a series of shows to support the imminent release of not one, but TWO new Drekka releases. I will have both in tow, along with a brand new tour shirt Sarah and I just designed.

If you are in the path of the tour, come out and see the show... and you can get these new items at the merch table!

If you are NOT in the path of the tour and want to order any of the tour merch, feel free to drop me an email via "figurehead [at] bluesanct [dot] com". Tell me what you want, I'll hold it aside for you and we can settle up when I get home. Ordering buttons for the tour shirt can be found below (#3).

I have made a little mini-site for the tour, if you want to take a look... all the info on the tour, plus some mp3s and press photos:
http://www.bluesanct.com/matters09

If you write for a BLOG or WEBZINE or even (dare I say it?) a MAGAZINE, we are now taking requests for review copies of the new 2CD set on Morc... email me and we can work it out.

Well, thanks for reading my occasional email newsletters. I am so excited about this tour, which will include a selection of newly worked very old Drekka tracks, along with some sketches of new tracks for my 2010 new full-length, 'Tarwestraat 52'... but, more on that later.

I want to thank Wim, Annelies, Onga, Fra, Roy, Sarah and everyone who has helped me with setting up shows for this tour.

I will see you all soon.
Mkl.

1. MATTERS OF TOUR

from the 'MATTERS OF TONE' tour site:
"I have been creating sound as DREKKA since 1996, although I have been recording and playing experimental music since 1986. In winter 2009, the Belgian label MORC will issue a double CD re-issue of my first two DREKKA cassette releases from 1996. In celebration of 13 years of sound.

The 2CD set is entitled 'Someday I will be called upon regarding matters of tone: Collected Works - Vol.1'

NOV 09 will be the first European tour for Drekka since 2005, when I toured with ANNELIES MONSERE (I also played multiple instruments in her band) and VOLLMAR (both of whom are on my record label, BLUESANCT). Previous European tours since 2002 have included tourmates RIVULETS (Important/Chairkickers) and JESSICA BAILIFF (Kranky); both of whom I also played ambient guitar for on tours.

For this tour, I have decided to tour alone, with no travel companions. My hope is that shows will include other like-minded experimental artists from the places I play. I hope that promoters will add other artists to the bills in interesting ways, so that I can meet other people who create soundspaces... to share ideas and make new friends.

DREKKA's sound is a hushed, cinematic, ambient, ethereal-folk... at times discordant and menacing, more often communicative and inviting. Influences include COIL, FLYING SAUCER ATTACK, HAFLER TRIO... contemporary examples of shared sounds would include SVARTE GREINER, LIBRARY TAPES, MACHINEFABRIEK and WOUTER VAN VELDHOVEN."

For TOUR DATES, MP3s and other cool stuff, visit the site:
http://www.bluesanct.com/matters09

2. NEW RELEASES IN NOVEMBER 09

COLLECTED WORKS - VOL.1 (2009, MORC RECORDS,. BELGIUM, MORC53)

1) 2009 marks the 13th Anniversary of my first recordings as Drekka. 13 winters since 1996, Drekka's European label, MORC RECORDS out of Belgium, issues a 2CD set with the lofty title "Someday I will be called upon regarding matters of tone: Collected Works - Volume One (1996)".

This will be limited to 250 copies and includes both Drekka's first fruits; two very different cassettes releases entitled 'Grieve' (August '96) and 'Windowframe EP'/'Hermitage One EP' (December '96). Also included is almost 30min of additional tracks which surrounded the three EPs; lost tracks and apocryphal windows.

The set comes in a beautiful printed cardboard 3-panel sleeve, w/ a hand-made 24pg book, printed and bound by me. The book contains the original cassette artwork, handwritten lyrics, photos and more.

Quantities will be limited and will sell fast, so email to pre-order yours today!

ANCESTRAL CAVE SEQUENCE (2009, DIGITALIS LTD, LTD113)

2) Last January, Drekka did a multimedia performance with my friends Nathan Vollmar and Andrew Perry Davis... a sculpture exhibit with an accompanying film, I did a series of live improvised soundtracks to the film on the opening night.

Digitalis Industries, LTD (the cassette branch of the Foxy Digitalis empire) will be issuing a cassette entitled 'Ancestral Cave Sequence'. This release will be limited to 90 copies, and contains 42min of sound collage from the exhibition. The concept behind the pieces were to use tapes of friends performing Drekka songs and create a stream-of-conciousness dream poetry.

If you are not on the path of the tour, I will have copies for sale on the mail order when I return home from tour and the holidaze settles down.

BOTH these titles will be in limited quantities, so I suggest you contact me to pre-order them!

EMAIL via "figurehead [at] bluesanct [dot] com" for pre-order info/pricing.

3. NEW TOUR SHIRT

It's been a LONG time since I made a new Drekka tshirt. Doug Tesnow bought and destroyed most of the Bluesanctfest shirts back a few years ago... so, it was time to make a new one.

These new shirts are navy blue w/ grey ink. I got them back from the printers last week, and they look great!

Here is a picture of the image:

You can ORDER ONE NOW:
(BE SURE TO TELL ME YOUR SIZE: XS, S, M, or L)

PAYPAL BUTTONS

4. THANK YOU and THE WAY OUT

Thanks for reading my newsletter.

If you have any questions, help to offer or anything you want to say, write me at: figurehead [at] bluesanct [dot] com, and we can chat.

Until soon... be well.
Mkl.

drekka @ 2009-09-10T03:22:00

2009-09-10T07:27:19Z

I just COMPLETELY redid the layout on the DREKKA WEBSITE, including adding lots of mp3s for download incl some rare unreleased tracks (17 tracks total!)

Let me know what you think of the new site, if you have a moment!

repost from the DREKKA NEWSFEED:

[ A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBIT BEHIND THE SCENES : NINTH DAY OF SEPTEMBER ]

A BRAND NEW WEBSITE FOR DREKKA

It's been years since I did a site overhaul... and with the upcoming tour and re-issue and new tape and new album... I thought it was about time.

I am working hard on filling the last few dates to be booked for the 'Matters of Tone' tour of Europe. There is a little mini-site for the tour HERE... which I will update with tour dates as they confirm.

It looks a lot like this new layout... and not coincidentally.

I just sent Brad Rose at DIGITALIS LTD the artwork and tracks for a new live cassette coming out in time for the tour... entitled 'ANCESTRAL CAVE SEQUENCE', it is a 40min live cassette recorded as a series of improvised soundtracks for a short film by Nathan Vollmar and Andrew Perry Davis. it all went down 11 Jan 08, as the opening reception for Andrew's sculpture exhibition entitled, 'Clan of the Cave Mouse'. I love the tape, which involved a stream-of-consciousness collaging of various recordings of DREKKA covers by friends over the years... voices and instruments played by Day2 luminaries such as Mark Trecka, Angelica Busque and many more... even the mysterious Icelandic teen terror, Almar makes an appearance.

I also spent a good portion of August studying the art of mastering, downloading various demos and finally settling on the amazing Izotope Ozone mastering suite... then came a 17hr session wrestling with the masters for the first two DREKKA cassettes from 1996. I am VERY happy with the results and I feel like the remastered CD version of these tapes greatly improve the sonic landscape of the original recordings, without too much changes or revisionism... they are the same recordings... just a lot more commanding.

I can't wait for the set to come out on MORC this winter. The discs are all ready to go and at the plant, so I am hoping they will be ready in time for tour.

While intensely going through every single recording I did in 1996, I came across (quite unexpectedly) almost 30min of unreleased tracks from the first two album sessions. These fit really nicely, and make the package a full 2hrs of music!

DREKKA - 'Someday I will be called upon regarding matters of tone - Collected Works: Volume One' 2CD set... coming this winter on MORC RECORDS, Belgium!

In addition to all this, AND running my record store full-time, I managed to get a few new Bluesanct releases out... head over to BLUESANCT.com for more info on those... BODUF SONGS, BODY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, SYNTHESISIA, HENRY BLOOD... all good things.

So, to recap... TOUR in NOVEMBER... TAPE in NOVEMBER... CDs in WINTER... NEW SITE...

Exciting times.

And then, after tour will come the assault on finishing an entirely new DREKKA album... the long simmering 'Tarwestraat'... it's going to be a beauty.

See you on the road.
Mkl.

drekka @ 2009-04-16T18:46:00

2009-04-16T22:48:12Z

repost from the DREKKA NEWSFEED:

[ A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBIT BEHIND THE SCENES : SIXTEENTH DAY OF APRIL ]

DREKKA TO TOUR EUROPE IN NOVEMBER 2009

It's true... it's been years... since BLUE BUS MOUNTAIN, I think... 2005? I've been over for a couple shows, and on tour with rivulets... but, it's been a while since I've done a proper Drekka tour in Europe.

The recent DREKKA/DYLAN ETTINGER TOUR I did was a lot of fun and went really well. I've got a whole set of new material, plus a couple new releases coming up... sounds like time for a tour to me, right?

Currently planning out rough itinerary, so if you have any ideas or want to host a show, let me know.

I am working like crazy to finish up the new batch of releases over at BLUESANCT... BODUF SONGS 10", SYNTHESISIA CD, BODY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST CD... and a new series on my other label, ORPHANOLOGY... all of these will be unveiled soon on the BLUESANCT SITE.. stay tuned over there for news.

Once those are all in the can and in production-land, it's all about DREKKA and my post-punk band, TURN PALE, for the rest of the year baby! TURN PALE has been stalled in the water for our third full-length, awaiting my lyrics for the songs... I've got a sort of writer's block on it, as the words I wrote a couple years ago no longer mean anything to me... I need to just listen to the album a few dozen times and let the songs speak to me... come up with a new story to tell with it.

DREKKA, on the other hand, is NOT stalled in any way... it is clambering at the gate, ready to burst through with lots of sounds and releases.

My main project right now, the archiving of all recordings to date by DREKKA, will present it's first fruits in time for the tour, I hope... MORC will be issuing a CD (possible 2CD) containing the earliest released stuff I did in 1994-1996, including the first DREKKA tape, entitled 'Grieve'. On looking back through the archives, it seems I made several different versions for this album with alternate track listings. I am consulting a couple DAY2 experts to see what these track listings were, and come up with a definitive one for the CD release. If you, somehow, have a copy of 'Grieve' on cassette, PLEASE BE IN TOUCH and email me the track listing so we can make this as accurate as possible.

In addition to the archive releases, the new DREKKA album, entitled 'Tarwestraat' is taking shape. One track from it I have been playing in my recent live sets, and it is settling in nicely. I hope to have most of the tracks ready to play out on my autumn tour, and then come home and finish the last mixing before the end of the year. I am very excited about this album, the first totally new DREKKA full-length since... 1998? And I am very thrilled to have so many amazing players on it; Annelies Monsere, Wim Lecluyse (Morc/Circle Brothers), Chris Gowers (Karina ESP) and more to come. It is going to be the best thing DREKKA has done yet, I know it!

But, before 'Tarwestraat' is finished will likely come a couple new cassette releases. The follow up to my 'PIA' cassette on El Tule (which is almost sold out, BTW) will contain field recordings and performances from my trip to Nepal in 1999. I will also have a live cassette on the tape branch of the Digitalis Industries empire containing the beautiful 'Ancestral Cave Sequence' performances from last year, done as part of an installation performance with my friend ANDREW PERRY DAVIS.

So, yeah... always too much going on... but, I plan on delivering the goods! Trust me.

I love you all.
Mkl.

PIA: Flight 813/761

2009-01-24T22:24:34Z

REPOST of the NEWS UPDATE from the DREKKA WEBSITE:

My good friend DYLAN ETTINGER just released a new DREKKA tape on his new cassette label, EL TULE. It's available NOW over at the BLUESANCT SITE.

This cassette, entitled 'PIA: Flight 831/761' is a 30 minute sound journal I recorded in the airspace of Pakistan on October 16, 1999. While travelling home from Nepal that day, my friends and I were delayed for a few hours in Karachi airport because there was a coup happening in Islamabad! We weren't in any danger, but it was still quite intense.

Side A features an extended spontaneous harmonium piece entitled 'Ke Garne' (Nepalese for 'What to do')... layered harmonium melodies blend with the sound of the airport and CNN reporting the coup live as it unfolds.

Side B features a 15 minute master-mix of the exciting in-flight entertainment offered on board PIA... enjoy the sound of the plane and an eclectic A.D.D. shitfest of sound!

This is the first in series of audio journal cassettes from the Drekka archives... the next one, recorded in and around Kathmandu, Nepal, should be out in a month or so... followed by... ?

(ps- If Kirstin or Andy or Justin or Greg or Sarah are reading this, shoot me an email and I'll send you a copy!)

In other news relating to Drekka and DYLAN ETTINGER, we will be heading east for a 'Spring Break 09' tour in March... most of the dates are confirmed and listed already on the DREKKA MYSPACE PAGE (and don't forget to friend us).

Let me know if you will be coming to a show so we can meet up.

drekka @ 2008-11-19T00:27:00

2008-11-19T05:34:09Z

I just found a sheet of paper with my setlist from the last COLD BEAT we did in August.

COLD BEAT SET LIST - 29 AUG 08

SWANS - Beautiful Child
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD - Four Enclosed Walls
DOME - Cruel When Complete
KUKL - Anna
THE THE - Controversial Subject
BIRTHDAY PARTY - Waving My Arms
NIKKI SUDDEN/ROLAND S. HOWARD - Rebel Grave
CRIME AND THE CITY SOLUTION - No Money, No Honey
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - By the time I got to Phoenix
THE FALL - WHo makes the nazis?
U2 - A Day Without Me
VIRGIN PRUNES - Dave-Id is Dead
AND ALSO THE TREES - So This is Silence
THE CURE - Secrets

BLUESANCT winter 2008 newsletter

2008-11-19T05:23:52Z

REPOST of the BLUESANCT NEWSLETTER I just sent to my mailing list:

I. INTRO
II. CINDYTALK and PANTALEIMON art vinyl
III. DREKKA, ANNELIES, CAETHUA and more
IV. Please help spread the sound
V. Thank you and the way out

I. INTRO

BLUESANCT is a label run by me, Mkl Anderson (of Drekka/Turn Pale/etc). It is part of the Day2 Alliance and has been releasing experimental sounds and disjointed folk musics since 1995.

The last BLUESANCT newsletter was sent over two years ago, so don't worry... I won't be flooding your inbox or anything.

I've got a couple new and recent releases I wanted to let you know about, as well as ask for some help spreading the word on them.

The second and third releases in our ART VINYL series are out. They are by CINDYTALK and PANTALEIMON. Both are very different releases, and both are very beautiful. This ART VINYL series is a way of celebrating over 10 years of releasing records, by working with some of my very favourite artists.

We also have some new releases out by DREKKA and ANNELIES, on BLUESANCT and MORC RECORDS... also a new artist to the family, CAETHUA.

Please read on for info on various topics of interest...

Yours.
Mkl.

II. CINDYTALK and PANTALEIMON art vinyl
The next two records in our ART VINYL series are out NOW!

CINDYTALK - silver shoals of light 10" (INRI084, $12)
One of our all-time favourite bands produce the third in our series of gorgeous art vinyl. 10" vinyl, ltd to 500 copies only on black vinyl w/ screenprinted b-side and letter-pressed sleeve.

"'silvershoalsoflight' is quintessential CINDYTALK... written and produced by GORDON SHARP and MATT KINNISON... drum machine ticks along gorgeous bass pulses up against Gordon's vocals... leading to a climax of bliss and dissonance.

For those not familar with CINDYTALK's work, it is a sound that straddles several genres at once... ambient abstract industrial cinematic glitch post-punk... Gordon Sharp was at one time perhaps best known for lending his angelic voice to several tracks on THIS MORTAL COIL's classic masterpiece 'It'll End In Tears' (4AD, 1984), but those tracks are nothing but a footnote in history for Sharp and Cindytalk... since 1982, Cindytalk has recorded half a dozen fiercly challenging albums of devastating beauty... and there is no end in sight for this seminal group."

ORDER NOW | PHOTO OF VINYL

PANTALEIMON - Under the Water 7" (INRI082, $6)
Our second art 7" single, ltd to 500 copies only on clear vinyl w/ screenprinted vinyl and letter-pressed sleeve. Gorgeous acoustic soundscapes of droning ambience accompanying beautiful folk melodies.

PANTALEIMON is essentially the work of ANDRIA DEGENS. She creates gorgeous acoustic soundscapes of droning ambience accompanying beautiful folk melodies. Besides her work as PANTALEIMON, Andria is also a frequent guest on the recordings and in the live emsemble of one of my all time favourite projects, CURRENT 93 and her music is featured in the GUS VAN SANT film, "Wild tigers I have known."

ORDER NOW | PHOTO OF VINYL

III. DREKKA, ANNELIES, CAETHUA and more
New releases from DREKKA and ANNELIES MONSERE and new family member CAETHUA

DREKKA - Subterraneans 3"CDr (RC000, $7)
Brand new DREKKA EP, featuring one 18min. track based loosely on the David Bowie song of the same title. Released on RC Legacy, ltd to not many copies.

ORDER NOW

VERJAARDAG 3"CDr (INRI080, $6)
3" CDr w/ full-colour artwork in mini-jewelcase... so cute! Four Drekka produced tracks of Annelies Monsere. Three are VERY different versions of songs from her upcoming full-length on Type, plus an alternate version of our Remora cover.

ORDER NOW

CAETHUA - Village of the Damned CDr (INRI083, $6)
Recent Bluesanct artist, Caethua alternated between female-fronted Bluesanctian folk songs and incredible atmospheric sound collages. Clare of Caethua has brought Bluesanct out of its slumber, and her music fits perfectly with the rest of the Day2 Alliance family. If you like anything else on Bluesanct, you will LOVE this one!

ORDER NOW | LISTEN: CAETHUA MySpace

IV. Please help spread the sound

BLUESANCT is a VERY small label, run by me and just me.

My aim with the label is to release music by friends and people whose art I feel strongly about and to share these sounds with those around the world who need them... those who will listen and draw closer.

You can help us do this by reposting this newsletter on forums and sites you think might contain people who would like to listen.

If you write for a magazine or blog or website, you can help us by writing about our releases. Though we don't have a promo budget to send out free copies, you can contact us for a press discount on releases.

If you run a mailorder or distro or record store, you can help us by carrying our releases. Contact us for wholesale pricing on releases.

V. THANK YOU and THE WAY OUT

Thanks for reading my newsletter. You are receiving this because you are a friend, colleague, or have purchased something from us in the past. Rest assured, I will never annoy you by sending lots of emails. Two or three a year MAX, I promise.

I hope to be in touch in a few months with some news of some exciting releases.

If you would rather not hear from us again, however, just let me know and I will remove you from our email list.

If you have any questions, help to offer or anything you want to say, write me at: figurehead [at] bluesanct [dot] com, and we can chat.

Until soon... be well.
Mkl.

silver shoals of light

2008-11-09T05:08:17Z

I've been meaning to post about the new Bluesanct release for a couple weeks now (came out October 12th). It's sort of a dream come true in many ways. I remember being a teenager in Weymouth and my friend Mike Collins first playing me his copies of 'In This World' for the first time and I thought how I wanted to put out records like that someday... and I have. (where are you Mike? I miss you... and I'd love to give you one)

CINDYTALK is one of my absolute favourite bands, and I have been friends with Gordon since they came over and toured in the mid 90's (thanks to Rick and Annie). And so, I am very happy to bring to the world the latest bit of bliss by them as a stunningly beautiful 10" art single...

Here's the 'official' blah blah blah from the one-sheet:
"BLUESANCT is incredibly excited that the third release in our ART SINGLES series is by one of our all-time favourite artists, CINDYTALK. This time it will be a 10", to facilitate the sonics involved. One-sided vinyl with screen-printed b-side and printed sleeve.

The concept behind this series is to celebrate the 10th year of the label with a series of releases that give us excuse to work with some of our biggest influences. And there is hardly a larger influence on my own music and art than GORDON SHARP and CINDYTALK.

'silvershoalsoflight' is quintessential CINDYTALK... written and produced by GORDON SHARP and MATT KINNISON... drum machine ticks along gorgeous bass pulses up against Gordon's vocals... leading to a climax of bliss and dissonance.

For those not familar with CINDYTALK's work, it is a sound that straddles several genres at once... ambient abstract industrial cinematic glitch post-punk... Gordon Sharp was at one time perhaps best known for lending his angelic voice to several tracks on THIS MORTAL COIL's classic masterpiece 'It'll End In Tears' (4AD, 1984), but those tracks are nothing but a footnote in history for Sharp and Cindytalk... since 1982, Cindytalk has recorded half a dozen fiercly challenging albums of devastating beauty... and there is no end in sight for this seminal group."

Go to the BLUESANCT SITE if you want ordering info and such.

(not a very good photo, but you can see how gorgeous the record turned out!)

drekka @ 2008-10-04T03:05:00

2008-10-04T07:06:09Z

Pawley's Island vacation

2008-08-07T19:13:43Z

On vacation for a little over two weeks, with Sarah, her mom and Claudio (and then her dad next week), Edwin, Nick.

Started on my birthday with a long drive to the coast from B'ton. Stopped overnight in Asheville, and got some really amazing food and some great vinyl.

Last few days have been all about swimming just before dusk, going on excursions during the day to find air conditioning and various treasures, hanging out doing not much and enjoying the quiet dark nights.

See FLICKR for my photo journal of our trip.

drekka @ 2008-07-25T19:00:00

2008-07-25T23:01:23Z

TOP OF MY STEREO: 25 JAN 08

MOST LISTENED TO:
KATE BUSH - Hounds of Love CD (EMI, UK)
THE CURE - Happily Ever After CD (A&M)
CURRENT 93 - Dogs Blood Rising re-issue DCD (Durtro Jnana)
CURRENT 93 - Nature Unveiled re-issue DCD (Durtro Jnana)
JEREMY JAY - A Place To Be CD (KRecs)
THE MONKS OF THE GRANDE CHARTREUSE - Into Great Silence: Office of the Night DCD (Jade)
SHEARWATER - Rook CD (Matador)
SUICIDE - Live 1977-1978 6CD BOX (Blast First Petite)
SUN KIL MOON - April DCD (Caldo Verde)
SVARTE GREINER - Til Seters LP (A Room Forever)
U2 - Boy re-issue DCD (Island)
U2 - October re-issue DCD (Island)
U2 - War re-issue DCD (Island)
VOLLMAR - onflashingred CDR (pre-master)

THE REST SINCE THE LAST TIME:
AND ALSO THE TREES - s/t CD (Normal)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Juke Box CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - L'Egitto prima delle sabbie CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - s/t CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Clic CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Pollution CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Fetus CD (BMG)
BAUHAUS - Swing the Heartache: The BBC Sessions CD (Beggars Banquet)
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY - Hee Haw CD (Missing Link)
THE BLACKTHORNS - s/t CD (Cinema Revolution)
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY - Ask Forgiveness CD (Drag City)
PATRICK NEAL BOWMAN - Black Sea Blues CDR (self-released)
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Kicking Against the Pricks CD (Mute)
COIL - Live in Porto, Portugal 2003 CD (official bootleg)
CRIME & THE CITY SOLUTION - The Bride Ship CD (Mute)
CRIME & THE CITY SOLUTION - Room of Lights CD (Mute)
CURRENT 93 - Birth Canal Blues CDEP (Durtro Jnana)
CURRENT 93 - Black Ships heat the Dancefloor DUAL-DISC (Durtro Jnana)
CURRENT 93 - Swastikas For Goddy CD (Durtro)
THE DODOS - Beware of the Maniacs CD (self-released)
DOME 1.2 CD (Grey Area of Mute)
DONOVAN - In Concert (Complete 1967 Anaheim Show) DCD (EMI, UK)
ELEGI - Sistereis CD (Miasmah)
THE FALL - Hex Enduction Hour CD (Line)
FLYING SAUCER ATTACK - P.A. Blues CD (VHF)
GANG OF FOUR - Solid Gold & Another Day/Another Dollar CD (EMI, UK)
THE GUN CLUB - Fire of Love CD (Slash)
PJ HARVEY - White Chalk CD (Island)
HOLY COW - Soul Box CD (Head Chunk)
HTRK - Nostalgia CDEP (Fire)
JACASZEK - Treny CD (Miasmah)
JOY DIVISION - Heart and Soul 4CD BOX (London)
ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI & TETSUO FURUDATE ZEITKRATZER - World As Will III CD (Sub Rosa)
KUKL - The Eye CD (Crass)
LABRADFORD - Prazision LP re-issue CD (Kranky)
LOVE LIFE - Here is Night, Brothers, Here the Birds Burn CD (Jagjaguwar)
MY SUMMER AS A SALVATION SOLDIER - Activism CDR (12 Tonar)
NICO - The End CD (Island)
PANTALEIMON - Tall Trees CDR (Abaton book Company)
PILLARS & TONGUES - Protection CDR (self-released)
PILLARS & TONGUES - Sacred architecture CDR (The Lotus Sound)
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD - Flowers of Romance CD (Virgin)
SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES - The Scream CD (Geffen)
SONIC YOUTH - Confusion is Sex CD (DGC)
SPK - Dokument IIIO: 1979-1983 5LP BOX (Vinyl On Demand)
STATIC FILMS - A New Soul's Bene/Diction CDR (self-released)
SUBLIME FREQUENCIES - entire label catalogue on CD (Sublime Frequencies)
NIKKI SUDDEN & ROLAND S. HOWARD - Kiss You Kidnapped, Charabanc DCD (Secretly Canadian)
SVARTE GREINER - Knive CD (Type)
SWANS - Children of God CD (Caroline)
THOMPSON TWINS - Quick Step and Side Kick deluxe DCD (Edsel)
TIMESBOLD - Woe Be Gone... CDEP (Zeal)
TURN PALE - Mock Trial / Hung Jury CDR (reference for CD)
VIRGIN PRUNES - If I Die... I Die CD (Mute)
WHIP - Timesbold CD (Blackbean & Placenta)
WOVEN HAND - Mosaic CD (Sounds Familyre)
XIU XIU - Women as Lovers CD/DVD (5RC)
YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS - Colossal Youth CD (Les Disques Des Crepuscule)
v/a - NATURE MORTES - STILL LIVES CD (4AD)

STUFF WATCHED RECENTLY:
DOCTOR WHO - New Series 4 (Tennant, 2008)
DOCTOR WHO - Series 1-4 (Hartnell/Troughton, 1963-1967)
TEST DEPT - Program For Progress DVD (Cherry Red)

(This past couple weeks I've also been playing a lot of the game ETERNAL DARKNESS... which was not as good as it claimed to be.)

A day and a half with The Cure...

2008-07-02T04:28:52Z

Simon (photo by me).

Marty and I just went to see The Cure in Cleveland, and it was so incredibly good!

Driving home I was trying to figure out how many times I had seen them, and guessed correct at 14 times... then, figuring they play between 2hr and 3.5hr sets, I figured out I had been in the presence of The Cure, performing, for over approx. 36hrs of my life.

Thanks to the amazing website THE CURE CONCERTS GUIDE (which I admittedly pour over for hours at a time), I have compiled a list of all the shows I've seen...

*4Tour*
18.06.2008 Cleveland - The Wolstein Convocation Center (USA/OH)
open, fascination street, a night like this, the end of the world, lovesong, want, pictures of you, lullaby, the perfect boy, from the edge of the deep green sea, the kyoto song, hot hot hot, the only one, charlotte sometimes, torture, sleep when i'm dead, push, inbetween days, just like heaven, primary, us or them, never enough, wrong number, one hundred years, end
E1: at night, m, play for today, a forest
E2: three imaginary boys, fire in cairo, boys don't cry, jumping someone else's train, grinding halt, 10:15 saturday night, killing an arab

*THE DREAM TOUR*
09.06.2000 Tinley Park - New World Music Theatre (USA/IL)
out of this world, watching me fall, want, fascination street, open, the loudest sound, maybe someday, like cockatoos, from the edge of the deep green sea, inbetween days, sinking, the kiss, one hundred years, end, 39, bloodflowers
E1: plainsong, the same deep water as you, disintegration
E2: all cats are grey, drowning man, faith
E3: jupiter crash, lovesong, just like heaven, a forest

*THE DREAM TOUR*
07.06.2000 Maryland Heights - Riverport Amphitheatre (USA/MO)
out of this world, watching me fall, want, fascination street, pictures of you, lovesong, the last day of summer, maybe someday, from the edge of the deep green sea, inbetween days, the snakepit, shake dog shake, siamese twins, one hundred years, 39, bloodflowers
E1: jupiter crash, m, play for today, just like heaven, a forest
E2: cold, a strange day, pornography
E3: boys don't cry, 10:15 saturday night, killing an arab

*BLOODFLOWERS SECRET TOUR*
25.02.2000 Chicago - the Vic Theatre (USA/IL)
out of this world, watching me fall, want, fascination street, the last day of summer, maybe someday, from the edge of the deep green sea, inbetween days, if only tonight we could sleep, 39, prayers for rain, one hundred years, bloodflowers
E1: a strange day, a forest
E2: just like heaven, boys don't cry
E3: the figurehead, disintegration

*RADIO FESTIVALS TOUR*
11.12.1997 Chicago - United Center (USA/IL)
plainsong, shake dog shake, torture, fascination street, push, just like heaven, the holy hour, one hundred years, the same deep water as you, pictures of you, inbetween days, from the edge of the deep green sea, never enough, wrong number, cut, disintegration
E1: untitled, 10.15 saturday night, killing an arab

*THE SWING TOUR*
22.07.1996 Milwaukee - Bradley Center (USA/WI)
want, club america, push, pictures of you, lullaby, this is a lie, mint car, inbetween days, jupiter crash, round & round & round, let's go to bed, strange attraction, just like heaven, primary, catch, a strange day, return, treasure, trap, prayers for rain, from the edge of the deep green sea, bare
E1: lovesong, gone, friday i'm in love, close to me, why can't i be you
E2: dressing up, hot hot hot, boys don't cry, a forest

*THE SWING TOUR*
20.07.1996 Rosemont - Rosemont Horizon (USA/IL)
want, club america, a night like this, fascination street, lullaby, this is a lie, mint car, just like heaven, jupiter crash, round & round & round, lovesong, strange attraction, friday i'm in love, like cockatoos, charlotte sometimes, return,
treasure, trap, prayers for rain, inbetween days, from the edge of the deep green sea, bare, disintegration
E1: catch, close to me, let's go to bed, why can't i be you
E2: dressing up, boys don't cry, 10.15 saturday night, killing an arab, a forest

*THE SWING TOUR*
02.07.1996 Worcester - Centrum (USA/MA)
want, club america, a night like this, push, lullaby, this is a lie, mint car, just like heaven, the walk, jupiter crash, round & round & round, inbetween days, strange attraction, fascination street, return, treasure, trap, prayers for rain, from the edge of the deep green sea, bare, disintegration
E1: friday i'm in love, close to me, let's go to bed, boys don't cry
E2: m, play for today, 10.15 saturday night, killing an arab
E3: dressing up, a forest

*THE WISH TOUR*
21.05.1992 Worcester - Centrum (USA/MA)
open, high, pictures of you, lullaby, just like heaven, fascination street, trust, a letter to elise, the walk, let's go to bed, doing the unstuck, friday i’m in love, inbetween days, from the edge of the deep green sea, never enough, cut, end
E1: lovesong, why can’t i be you
E2: m, three imaginary boys, boys don't cry
E3: a forest

*THE WISH TOUR*
20.05.1992 Worcester - Centrum (USA/MA)
open, high, pictures of you, lullaby, just like heaven, fascination street, apart, a night like this, doing the unstuck, the walk, let's go to bed, friday i’m in love, inbetween days, from the edge of the deep green sea, never enough, cut, end
E1: lovesong, charlotte sometimes, boys don't cry
E2: the figurehead, primary, a forest

*THE WISH TOUR*
14.05.1992 Providence - Providence Civic Center (USA/RI)
open, high, pictures of you, lullaby, just like heaven, a night like this, apart, doing the unstuck, the walk, let's go to bed, friday i’m in love, inbetween days, from the edge of the deep green sea, fascination street, never enough, cut, end
E1: why can’t i be you, primary, boys don't cry
E2: in your house, a strange day, a forest

*THE PRAYER TOUR*
23.09.1989 Mansfield - Great Woods Performing Arts Center (USA/MA)
plainsong, pictures of you, closedown, kyoto song, a night like this, just like heaven, catch, last dance, fascination street, lovesong, cold, the walk, a forest, inbetween days, the same deep water as you, prayers for rain, disintegration
E1: lullaby, close to me, let's go to bed, why can't i be you
E2: homesick, untitled, faith
E3: the figurehead, one hundred years, m, boys don't cry, 10.15 saturday night, killing an arab, forever

*THE PRAYER TOUR*
22.09.1989 Mansfield - Great Woods Performing Arts Center (USA/MA)
plainsong, pictures of you, closedown, piggy in the mirror, a night like this, just like heaven, last dance, fascination street, lovesong, the perfect girl, the walk, a forest, inbetween days, the same deep water as you, prayers for rain, disintegration
E1: lullaby, close to me, let's go to bed, why can't i be you
E2: a strange day, hot hot hot, three imaginary boys, boys don't cry, 10.15 saturday night, killing an arab

*THE KISSING TOUR*
07.08.1987 Worcester - Centrum (USA/MA)
**first Cure show... I swooned and fell off my chair when they started playing The Kiss
(intro: eyemou) the kiss, torture, all i want, a japanese dream, catch, just like heaven, hot hot hot, if only tonight we could sleep, like cockatoos, the walk, inbetween days, how beautiful you are, the perfect girl, the snakepit, a forest, fight
E1: close to me, let's go to bed
E2: one more time, charlotte sometimes, shiver and shake
E3: three imaginary boys, primary, boys don't cry, why can't i be you?

*THE BEACH PARTY TOUR*
06.07.1986 Mansfield - Great Woods Performing Arts Center (USA)
shake dog shake, piggy in the mirror, play for today, a strange day, primary, kyoto song, charlotte sometimes, inbetween days, the walk, a night like this, push, one hundred years, a forest, sinking
E1: close to me, let's go to bed
E2: three imaginary boys, boys don't cry, faith, pornography

(**I didn't get to go, but Darryl did... I am still mad at my dad about it to this day)

*THE HEAD TOUR*
25.10.1985 Boston - Orpheum Theater (USA)
the baby screams, play for today, kyoto song, primary, the hanging garden, cold, a night like this, inbetween days, let's go to bed, the walk, push, screw, one hundred years, a forest, sinking
E1: six different ways, close to me
E2: charlotte sometimes, three imaginary boys, boys don't cry
E3: 10.15 saturday night, killing an arab, do you wanna touch

(**I didn't go, but this was the first show I was aware of by The Cure... Brian fr. The Creeps had a t-shirt, even though he (supposedly) hated the band)

drekka @ 2008-03-14T00:25:00

2008-03-14T04:25:33Z

I just cleaned my living room for the first time in a LONG time... it mostly involved putting all the CDs away that were piling up on...

...yup, the top of my stereo...

TOP OF MY STEREO: 13 MAR 08

MOST LISTENED TO:
APHEX TWIN - 26 Mixes For Cash DCD (Warp)
DAVE-ID BUSARAS - Smegma 'Structions Don't Rhyme CD (Rough Trade)
CAETHUA - various tracks CDR
THE DARJEELING LIMITED soundtrack CD (Abkco)
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE soundtrack CD (Virgin)
PJ HARVEY - White Chalk CD (Island)
HIS NAME IS ALIVE - Early Music CDR (Time-Stereo)
DEREK JARMAN - Blue CD (Mute)
DAWN MCCARTHY & BONNY BILLY - Wai Notes CD (Sea Note)
ODAWAS - The Blue Depths CDR

ALL THE REST SINCE THE LAST TIME:
A SLIGHT PAUSE - demo CDR (self-released)
AND ALSO THE TREES - s/t CD (Normal)
ANGEL & HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR - In Transmedial CD (Oral)
ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS - Sevilla Spain, May 26 2005 CDR
ASLAN & ARSONIST - s/t CDR (self-released)
VIRGINIA ASTLEY - From gardens where we feel secure CD (Rough Trade)
MARISKA BAARS / WOUTER VAN VELDHOVEN / RUTGER ZUYDERVELT - Zeeg CD (Digitalis Industries)
BLIXA BARGELD/NICK CAVE/MICK HARVEY - To have and to hold CD (Mute)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Juke Box CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - L'Egitto prima delle sabbie CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - s/t CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Clic CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Pollution CD (BMG)
FRANCO BATTIATO - Fetus CD (BMG)
BELLE & SEBASTIAN - If you're feeling sinister CD (Matador)
BIG BLACK - The Hammer Party CD (Touch & Go)
BIRCH BOOK - Fortune & Folly CD (Lune)
BODY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST - The music that you're hearing is a harness on your head CDR (self-released)
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY - The Letting Go / Little Lost Blues DCD (Domino)
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY - Wilding in the West CD (Spunk)
BRONZE FLOAT - Notice CD (RC LEgacy)
TIM BUCKLEY - Dream Letter: Live in London 1968 DCD (Manifesto)
DAVE-ID BUSARAS and TOSHI HIRAOKA - Bushy Luxury (The Whole Story) CD (Complete Music)
CASTANETS - First Light's Freeze CD (Asthmatic Kitty)
CINDYTALK - Wappinschaw CD (Touched)
COIL - Musick to play in the dark - vol.2 DCD (Chalice)
COIL - Unnatural History CD (Threshold House)
CRANES - Forever CD (Dedicated)
CRANES - Wings of Joy CD (Dedicated)
CRASS (Gee Vaucher) - Semi-Detached VHS (Crass)
CRESCENT - Electronic Sound Constructions CD (Atavistic)
CRIME + THE CITY SOLUTION - The Bride Ship CD (Mute)
CRIME + THE CITY SOLUTION - Room of Lights CD (Mute)
CURRENT 93 - Sleep Has His House bonus CD (Durtro)
CURRENT 93 w/ SEBASTIAN HORSLEY - Black Ships in the Underworld CDR (Durtro Jnana)
DEAF CENTER - Pale Ravine CD (Type)
DENGUE FEVER - s/t CD (Web of Mimicry)
CHRIS DUTRIEUX - Obsessive Behavior CDR (made for me by Alcorine)
EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN - Verbrannte Erde CD (Stahlnetz)
ELEGI - Sistereis CD (Miasmah)
ELEPHANT MICAH - Hindu Windmills CD (Time-Lag)
ENCRE - A Kora CDEP (self-released)
FAMOUS BOYFRIEND - Making Love All Night Long CDR (555)
BEN FROST - Theory of Machines CD (Bedroom Community)
LISA GERMANO - Lullaby For Liquid Pig DCD (Young God)
THE GLOVE - Blue Sunshine CD (Polydor)
GOLDEN DISKO SHIP - Bumblebee Behind a Tree CDR (self-released)
HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR/BJ NILSEN/STILLUPPSTEYPA - Second Childhood CD (Quecksilber)
HAPPY GO LICKY - Will Play CD (Peterbilt/Dischord)
HTRK - Nostalgia CDEP (Fire)
THE KNIFE - Deep Cuts CD/DVD (Mute)
THE KNIFE - Silent Shout CD (Mute)
KUKL - Holidays in Europe CD (Crass)
LAETI - s/t CDR (self-released)
LAIBACH - New Konservatiw CD (Cold Spring)
LEAFCUTTER JOHN - The Forest and The Sea CD (Staubgold)
LEWIS/GILBERT & MILLS - Pacific / Specific (in a different place) CD (WMO)
LIBRARY TAPES - Feelings for Something Lost CD (Resonant)
THOMAS LIGOTTI - This Degenerate Little Town CDR
MACHINEFABRIEK w/ ANNE BAKKER & GREG HAINES - Koploop CD20 3"CDR (self-released)
MACHINEFABRIEK - Stofstuk 3"CDR (self-released)
MACHINEFABRIEK - Huis 3"CDR (self-released)
MACHINEFABRIEK - Piano.wav 3"CDR (self-released)
MACHINEFABRIEK - Weleer DCD (Lampse)
MAKE BELIEVE BOMBS TO BLOW UP MAKE BELIEVE WORLDS CDR (self-released)
AARON MARTIN - ALmond CD (Preservation)
AARON MARTIN & MACHINEFABRIEK - Cello Recylcing / Cello Drowning CD (Type)
RUNAR MAGNUSSON - The Greatest of the Great CDR (Whitelabel)
THE MICROPHONES - Recorded live in Japan CD (7 e.p.)
ANNELIES MONSERE - pre-master of new album CDR
MORE ANIMALS OF THE ARCTIC - s/t CD (Standard)
MOUNT EERIE - No Flashlight CD (PW Elverum and Sun)
MUGISON - Myrin CD (Mugiboogie)
MY SUMMER AS A SALVATION SOLDIER - All Is Well rough mix CDR
BEN MYERS/OS/DREKKA - 12-2-07 Firebay CDR
NATURE AND ORGANIZATION - A dozen summers against the world CD (Durtro)
BJ NILSEN - The Short Night CD (Touch)
GARY MUMAN - Dance CD (Beggars Banquet)
NURSE WITH WOUND - Shipwreck Radio Volume One DCD (ICR)
ODAWAS - Vitamin City CDR (self-released)
ODAWAS - rough demos unmixed album #1 CDR
OMD - Dazzle Ships CD (Virgin)
PANTALEIMON - Mercy Oceans CD (Durtro Jnana)
PIKKOPP KID - S/T CDR (self-released)
PILLARS & TONGUES - Protection CDR (self-released)
PSYCHIC TV - Force Thee Hands Ov Chants/Blinded Eye in Thee Pyramids DCD (Tempus)
RADIOHEAD - My Iron Lung CD (Parlaphone)
RAIN TREE CROW - s/t CD (Virgin)
THE RESIDENTS - Eskimo CD (Euro Ralph)
ROY SANTIAGO - is NOT the Electric Light Orchestra CDR (self-released)
CHRIS SCHLARB - Twilight & Ghost Stories CD (Asthmatic Kitty)
SCKE// 1981 CDR (self-released)
SICKLING SPARROW - ...Et Mare CDR (self-released)
SIGUR ROS - Hvarf/Heim DCD (XL)
SOCCER COMMITTEE and MACHINEFABRIEK - Clay 3"CDR (self-released)
STATIC FILMS - A New Soul's Bene/diction CDR (self-released)
STILLUPPSTEYPA - ATAK CD (ATAK)
STRAWBERRY SWITCHBLADE - s/t CD (WEA, Japan)
DAVID SYLVIAN - Blemish CD (Samadhisound)
DAVID SYLVIAN - Secrets of the Beehive CD (EMI)
THANKSGIVING - Welcome Nowhere DLP/CD (PW Elverum and Sun)
TURN PALE - 3rd album demoes CDR
VIRGIN PRUNES - A New Form of Beauty DCD Mute)
VIRGIN PRUNES - Over The Rainbow DCD (Mute)
SCOTT WALKER - And who shall go to the ball? And what shall go to the ball? CDEP (4AD)
WINGS OF DESIRE soundtrack CD (Mute)
THE WOLFGANG PRESS - The Legendary Wolfgang Press and other Tall Stories CD (4AD)
XIU XIU - Women as Lovers CD/DVD (Kill Rock Stars)
v/a - A MOONPALACE RECORDS COMPILATION CD (Moonpalace)
v/a - FUCK YOUR DREAMS, THIS IS HEAVEN CD (Crammed Discs)
v/a - NATURE MORTES - STILL LIVES CD (4AD)
v/a - SILVA CD (Miasmah)

MOVIES WATCHED RECENTLY:
lots and lots of DOCTOR WHO

RIVS TOUR: from Spain to the east and north...

2008-03-08T20:07:03Z

Home again; home again. Been back a week, getting things back into place and the store back up and running... I posted the rest of my tour photos on my FLICKR page...

And here, belated and with a certain air of forgetfulness (that stuff just disappears as soon as I get home, for some reason), is the rest of the tour recap...

17.02.2008 FRA, somewhere near Nice
18.02.2008 ITA, Trieste
Woke up somewhere just over the border of France and drove all day... endless succession of rest stops and overpriced food... I remember very little about the drive... tried to stop at an F1 hotel just before the Italian border, near Monaco... but, damned if we could find it... spent over an hour driving in circles through a desolate summer resort town... the proverbial 'seaside town they forgot to bomb'... finally jumped on the first hotel that was open; a 'three-star' hotel (which felt more like a one-star)... ate chinese food and watched 'The Daily Show' on CNN World... it is always strangly comforting to find ANY TV in English while on tour...

Wake up and got the fuck out of dodge... drove all day and finally arrived in Trieste... met up with Francesco, who helped us find parking and eventually we parked in his bosses shot at the theater he works at... everyone in Trieste is so nice... except for all the Italian fascist graffiti all over the place... we go to Francesco's parents apartment and Sylvia made us dinner... went to sleep with delicious food in our bellies and feeling like we were home...

19.02.2008 IT, Trieste, Tetris
Woke up, hung out with Francesco and got amazing coffee and amazing lunch... Italian food... more and more and more... walked along the thinker's pier and just relaxed all day... went to the venue and found a parking place in front... Tetris is really cool and spacious... I go to a weird hidden record store around the block... somehow, even though in Italy, we are served the worst pizza I've ever eaten in my life... we meet a nice couple who live nearby and do ethereal goth music for Cold Meat/Projekt (All My Faith Lost)... the show is good, if the crowd was a bit loud... after the show, we go with Elena (whose birthday it was) and Sylvia (who I want to be my mommy) to meet Francesco, who had to work at the theater ushering the Monade show... we hang out at the theater for a little bit as Monade pack up and then go back to the apartment to sleep...

20.02.2008 SLO, Maribor, Gustaf
Wake up and take our time... more amazing coffee and amazing lunch (at the same place, with Elena)... I find SIX Franco Battiato CDs from the 70's for like $6 a piece... hang out a little more, and head out for Slovenia... find the venue with little trouble, despite my anxiety about finding places after dark... I hate arriving places after dark... you never get a sense of space around you... there is an activist screening of a movie about the US invasion of Iraq playing before the show, which puts a weird vibe in the air for me and makes soundcheck very rushed... the show was fine, except for three French assholes talking in the back the whole time and sort of ruining it for everyone... THEN, these same assholes proceed to hang out directly by the door of the dirty room we stay in at the squat and talk very loudly for a while, until I make a treaty with them and agree to sword fight them with sticks... upon my defeat at the hand of these drunkards, it is agreed they will retire to their room and leave us alone to sleep...

21.02.2008 HR, Zagreb, Teatar & TD
Not a far drive to Croatia, so we take our time leaving... get out of the dirty room and find our promoter friend, Maartin... a Dutch guy from Utrecht who knows Rutger and Wouter and the Innerzone and Kikker and stuff... have a nice Dutch/Slovenian hybrid breakfast and talk for a while about Utrecht and such... leave and arrive nice and early in Zagreb, in time to check in to the hotel (which was beautiful)... and even got to walk around town and do a bit of sightseeing... meet back at the theater, a nice modern little theater with great sound and an amazing lighting guy... everyone at the venue is SUPER nice and dinner is fantastic... I order the gothest thing on the menu by accident (by destiny?)... black octopus risotto... so good... back to the venue for a relaxed night of playing to a quiet, attentive audience... he even played a new song, and a new intro to one of the newer songs... possibly best show of tour... followed by a surprise appearance by Elena, who drove all the way from Trieste for the show!... stayed up late drinking vodka and beer and hanging out with the promoters... we closed down the bar, in fact... good night sleep... in other words, CROATIA RULED!

I am going to have to continue this tomorrow... as I AM at work and have work to do... sorry... the rest of tour... soon.

RIVS TOUR, FEB 23 08: Graz, Austria

2008-02-23T13:35:49Z

RIVS TOUR, FEB 20 08: Basque recap

2008-02-23T09:44:51Z

So, Austrian Gay TV really DOES exist, it seems...

We had the day off yesterday, after an INCREDIBLE time in Croatia. Nathan and I decided to stay in Graz, halfway between Zagreb and Linz, and he randomly chose Hotel Daniel... which turned out to be the coolest, gayest, most Scandinavian hotel in all of Austria!

Here is a recap of the rest of Spain and on to Italia!

15.02.2008 ESP, Getaria, Gaztetxe
Woke up at Rober's new place in Cáceres. Have toast and head out at like 7:30am... stop by Acuarela's office in Madrid to pick up some 'You've Got Your Own' EPs and Jesus isn't there, but we get the CDs... drive drive drive... somehow the nine hour drive turns into seven and we arrive in Getaria in time to check into a really cool old hotel on the main square and have a look around... meet Ion from the venue and Moonpalace and Saioa... cool space, Rapider Than Horsepower flyer on the wall... always nice to run into B'ton bands on the road... go wander around town... nice dinner and klada... show is good, if the PA is a bit blown... go to bed in comfy hotel...

16.02.2008 ESP, Bilbao, Antzoki 18
Relaxing day in Getaria, as Bilbao is only an hour or so away... wait at venue for two hours for Jon, because I said noon and he heard two (my fault, as I should have said twelve)... drive to Bilbao and drop off Jon for a nap while we go downtown and wander... no internet open, so have lunch while old men play poker... Bilbao is beautiful... soundcheck at venue, it sounds amazing until the pre-amp blows and the sound is rerouted to the bar's stereo... the soundguy works his ass off and comes up with a passable lo-fi mix in the end... quite impressive given the materials at hand... there is this coked out weirdo at the bar all night by the merch table freaking me out... after show, we decide to get a headstart on the 17+ hour drive from Basque to Italy... drive forever looking for a hotel, but in the end find a nice on just over the border of France...

Internet session is about to run out, so we'll have to mark this 'to be continued'...

RIVS TOUR, FEB 20 08: Extremadura recap

2008-02-20T13:41:23Z

drink specials... Trieste, Tetris Club... amazing place, lots of love from Italia.

The last leg of tour begins tonight, with Slovenia and then up through the old eastern block. I love it this area.

In a continuing series of recaps... The Rincon Pio Sound and Yiye... viva Extremadura!

11.02.2008 ESP, Don Benito, The Rincon Pio Sound
A LONG drive from Castellon to Extremadura... arrive early and settle in. Walk around and find the downtown... of course, being Spain it's siesta... library opens and we use the internet (to the chagrin of the librarian, who let is slide the first time)... go to venue and meet Yiye, who is AMAZING and will be our lifeline for the next four days; showing us around, taking us to eat nad to the venues... generally keeping us happy and content. The show is great, lots of people and lots of klada... go sleep in our hostel.

12.02.2008 ESP, Villanueva de la Serena, Sala La Traviata
Woke up late, had breakfast, took a nap, had lunch, took a nap... venue was only 15 minutes away... more internet from the increasingly unhappy librarian... did sound, as the woman at the venue couldn't figure out how to even turn on the mixer; but I didn't mind... more fried seafood and fresh seafood and fried food... Yiye is a total player... show was very nice, but I am not so into the whole 'throw everything on the floor' thing... it's gross to walk over tons of chewed up pistachio shells.

13.02.2008 ESP, Badajoz, COC
More late sleeping, eating and napping... check out of our room and go to Badajoz, which is only an hour or so away... unload and I wind up doing sound again, to make it easier. Dinner and klada with Yiye; a nightly delight... meet some nice friends of Yiye... Pepe and a guy who's name I unfortunately forget... listen to Burial and talk about industrial music... great show, lots of nice people... after show late night Spanish dinner... fried fish, fresh fish, fried food, klada... go sleep at Yiye's cousin's place in the outskirts of Badajoz.

14.02.2008 ESP, Cáceres, El Submarino
Up really early and off to Cáceres... Yiye's GPS makes me want one for my own... hang out in the city center, looking for internet... find it, but have 10 min before damn siesta starts... go back to the suburbs to meet up with Yiye's brother, Rober. Super friendly and nice guy, with TWO computers for us to use... we do a nice long internet session and then go to the old city... gorgeous Roman, Moorish and Spanish buildings from ages past... as the night comes in we head to the venue... I have a sugar crash and need emergency food before setting up the PA and doing sound again... three nights of good full reverb for rivs... there is a nice short film festival before the show... the show is nice, if a bit cramped... after show mingling with Rober's friends before going home to sleep for the LONG drive back to Basque in the morning.

Thanks so much Yiye and everyone from Rincon Pio Sound Collective! You made our stay in Extremadura so relaxing and fun. We will see you next tour.

RIVS TOUR, FEB 12 08: Cáceres

2008-02-14T16:35:33Z

So much fish.

I will continue to recap... we'll see how far I get before I have to go.

06.02.2008 F, Paris, La Cave Saint Sauveur
Wake up at Haus of Grimmmmmmm... nice breakfast with Felix and Britta... drive to Paris, which is a nice drive until you try to find the venue in the very center of Paris... after over two hours of driving in circles, find out the venue is on a pedestrian only street that we can't drive to anyway... after calming down, we have a nice show in a beautiful venue in an old cellar of one of the original cloister areas in Paris... amazingly nice people, Anne brings us chocolate, Laurent brings his smile... sleep in a secret spy flat with a view of the Eiffel Tower...

07.02.2008 F, Toulouse, La Médiathèque Associative
Wake up with delicious croissants and coffee... talk with Gaylor for a bit and then head south for a long drive to Toulouse... arrive in good time... see a French guy with a beret and red scarf... the venue is an indie library with TONS of amazing CDs and zines... very small show, but very nice... the kid we stayed with turned out to be doing artwork for Dark Dark Dark and was a fan of Pillars & Tongues... small world moment... entertaining conversation with his drunk cousin and then sleep...

08.02.2008 ESP, Barcelona, Heliogabal
Wake up again to delicious croissants and coffee (we are in France, after all)... hang out with... I feel bad, I forget his name... really nice kid... drive into Spain stopping just before the border in some stupid fake Catalonian village which was secretly just a rest stop and gift shop... hit some huge thing on the highway and had to go to the Barcelona airport to have the car looked at... it was fine, and the women at the car place were super nice... get to the venue... always nice to go to a venue we've been before... Barcelona seems much more manageable this time... no problem finding Gracia and the venue... the show is very nice... after the show is a bit of a blur... but somehow, we continue...

09.02.2008 ESP, Girona, Cafe El Cercle
Up and off to Girona, which is only an hour away... also been there before, and love the city... so it was nice to get there early, meet with Albert and his girlfriend (Eva?) I hate forgetting people's names... esp. super super nice people)... it's nice to see them again, and to walk about town and take a NAP! Yes, I love naps... there is a soccer match on, so the show is put back to midnight... we hang out, eat tapas, and Nathan plays a late night acoustic set, which was very good, but very quiet and a bit of a strain to hear... walk around town some more and then it's time for bed, because we have a LONG drive the next day...

...stay tuned for the EXTREMADURA recap soon...

RIVS TOUR, FEB 13 08: Don Benito

2008-02-13T12:34:02Z

Hotel TV. What better than a nature show about monkeys and the spanish Survivor.

Now, if this guy at the internet cafe will stop eating his tuna sandwich RIGHT in my ear... seriously, it's making me nauseous.

RIVS TOUR, FEB 12 08: Don Benito

2008-02-12T12:45:40Z

Breakfast in Spain. Can you guess what is missing? Yup... food.

I will do a quick recap of the first ten days of tour. Siesta starts in fifteen minutes, so I'll have to be brief.

02.02.2008 GER, Bremen, Spedition
No time for sleep (althought I did sleep in the car, I must confess), we go from the airport in Amsterdam to the venue in Germany. With Grimm with us, it is nice to hang out with him and be back in Bremen. The venue was great, the people running it were super nice... the lighting in the venue was amazing (see Flickr page for proof)... great vegan food... hung out with Michael from Twisted Knister (and he owes me two CDs from his awesome experimental vending machine which didn't work)... nice private room at the venue... stay up late and sleep and avoid jetlag.

03.02.2008 NL, Haarlem, Patronaat
Drive back the way we just came, past Amsterdam and on to Haarlem. It is nice to go to a venue we've played before, as the surroundings are familiar and comfortable. Dijk and the bartenders were all super nice... Roy S came, which was great to see him. Ate typical dutch food and violated Elmo in numerous ways... the show was AMAZING, really. Best rivs show I've seen in a long time. Drove to kind of shit hostel on outskirts of town. Snuck in to breakfast, which was surprisingly good.

04.02.2008 GER, Dortmund, filmshoot
05.02.2008 GER, Dortmund, Qbar
Well, wow... these two days were very surreal and cool. Two of Nathan's songs are being used in this documentary about a soon to be reclaimed lake in Dortmund, Germany. In old times, before the industrial age, the land was a marsh. When the steel plants came in, they pumped the marshes dry to get the coal beneath. Now that the steel industry is dried up, there is no need to keep the pumps going, so they are finishing up and evening out the land, and then they will turn the pumps off... the whole are will fill back up with water naturally. It will be great.

SO, they were interviewing Nathan about his thoughts on ecology and all that sort of thing, showing us the place where the lake will be (it's a big quarry like hole right now). We got in and settled into a really nice hotel; each with our own room. The crew showed up and took us around and such... it was FREEZING rain out and Nathan got sick... not good for so early on in the tour...

Then we went to a river and ate some intensely good Italian food (I had gnocci with a cream sauce of some sort... so good!)... the crew were so incredibly nice to us, and really fun to hang out with, too. all very interesting and friendly. I spent a lot of time sitting about doing nothing. They even got me a laptop to use, so I could upload photos while they filmed!

Um... this entry is getting long... sorry...

So, after dinner and some more filming by the river, we went back to the hotel to sleep. Internet was 8 euro an hour at the hotel, so fuck that. I watched some weird German TV, and slept. I had a crazy dream about Doctor Who, in which I came across a secret meeting of five of the ten Doctors... then, I ran into Rick Cooley at an airport somewhere... weird dream. Where are you anyway, Rick Cooley?

Woke up, and had breakfst in the hotel. The breakfast at the hostel was a lot better... Met up with the crew and did some more shooting... oh, first we went to a posh restaurant and had a five or seven course meal of nouveaux cuisine... it was insanely good....

More shooting up on top of a Space Needle like tower thing... Britta and I stayed on the ground floor because it was a big scary and made me motion sick.

Then QBar... a nice little shotgun cocktail bar... nice show, if a bit weird with Nathan being sick and the filming and stuff... but, you know... still very nice people, great drinks and food.

After the show, we drove to Koln to stay the night at Felix and Britta's flat (different Britta) and get a jump on the drive to Paris the next morning. Got to call home, as Felix has a really good phone plan.

Well, siesta is upon us... I will finish the recap tomorrow.

RIVS TOUR, FEB 11 08: Don Benito

2008-02-11T16:11:43Z

This photo was taken a few days ago in Girona, Spain. I love the zoom on my camera so much. The little statues and stuff up high on buildings get ignored so often, but I love them.. I love the detail put into them, even though they are largly unseen.

We have been in Spain for four days now... this is day four, yeah.

Tour time moves so strangely. It seems like days ago we were in Girona, but it was yesterday morning. Girona is such an amazing city... well, the old part of it, at least. The rest of it is like any other city, really.

Sorry to be so very boring.

RIVS TOUR, FEB 07 08: road warriors

2008-02-07T08:54:57Z

So, I finally got used to the German keyboard, and now I am contenting with French key configuration. It slows down the flow.

Here I am, doing what I do. Listening to The Knife on my iPod.

Getting into Paris looked like it would be easy, and of course... it wasn't.

But, a really beautiful show. In a very old cellar cave from the oldest part of Paris. Right in the very center of Paris.

Gotta dash. Toulouse awaits.

RIVS TOUR, FEB 05 08: Angel of Haarlem

2008-02-05T09:56:37Z

We are staying in a nice hotel in Dortmund at the moment, but internet is 8€ an hour... wtf?!

This is a photo of Nathan's set in Haarlem the other night at Patronaat. Probably one of the best rivs sets I've seen in a long time. It was simply one of those perfect nights.

Tonight, Dortmund... then, we start heading south to Spain.

RIVS TOUR, FEB 03 08: Photos of photography

2008-02-03T11:23:11Z

RIVS TOUR, FEB 08: DJ Grimm in the haus

2008-02-02T19:02:06Z

Day 1 of tour... flew through the night; Indianapolis to Memphis, Memphis to Amsterdam. I never can sleep on planes. They had the screen's in the seat facing you. So you can choose what movie you want to watch. I was excited because they had the sequel to Elizabeth and Assassination of Jesse James (with King Ink's music)... figured that would devour five of the six hours. But, no... Elizabeth was 'edited for content' and Jesse James was The Santa Claus instead for some reason.

Yet they showed Eastern Promises unedited, including that brutal full-frontal fight scene with Vigo. As, well.

Landed at Schiphol in Amsterdam, met up with Felix, drove to Bremen (I don't remember it), and are in a really nice venue called Spedition.

I am delirious and exhausted, but if we jsut stay up and go to bed normally later, we will avoid jetlag.

I hope Michael from Twisted Knister comes ot the show tonight. He has this badass 3"CDR vending machine here, similar to the one Sarah and Edwin were talking about.

LOTS of photos will be posted in conjunction with this LJ, over at my FLICKR page.

More soon.

Gotta go drive to the train station... more soon.

drekka @ 2007-12-25T02:01:00

2007-12-25T07:12:05Z

I finally watched the Sigur Ros movie, 'Heima'. I was sort of putting it off, because I didn't want it not to blow me away, you know... like, I knew it was going to be amazing... but, was I too bored and numb right now to feel it?

Well, I DID feel it. God, it was amazing. It makes me want to travel, and to really take in every moment... to go to remote places and experience SILENCE... real silence.

It is Christmas, and I will be spending it here in Bloomington doing nothing at all... waiting and thinking. If you are in town, give me a call. Or even if you are not in town, give me a call.

In the spirit of the whole NEW YEAR and all that shit, I am going to make another noble attempt to do my photo blog... if you want to see and follow, it's over at drekka_photos

Feel free to hassle me, if I get lazy.

Have a Happy Christmas.