ONE DONATION, 45 SONGS
April 18th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Last year, Daniel Hansson, one of the founders of music machine company Elektron, died in a tragic car accident. Soon after, someone on the message board Elektron-users proposed a tribute album. Now, almost a year later, that idea has become a reality, thanks to dozens of dedicated musicians and music lovers, included Ryan Faubion (aka Actuel).
45 Tribute is a 30 song album dedicated to the memory of Daniel Hannson, and includes tracks from a vast array of terrific musicians including Sea and Cake, Dntel, Autechre, Boom Bip, and John Starlight. All it takes to obtain this significant contribution is a $5 donation to the World Wildlife Fund, one of Daniel’s favorite causes. You can do that here, as well as download 15 other songs to compliment the 30. 30+15=45!
Actuel, "Sleeping Nagoya" (Download)
RECORD STORE DAY, APRIL 19
April 15th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Though Montreal’s new record shop Phonopolis might appear to be just a hole in the wall, it is in fact a cleverly disguised quantum portal to the farthest reaches of sound and space. And who better to serve as your guide in these audio adventures than fearless captain and store owner Nathan Gage, who we know and love as one-fourth of Shapes and Sizes.
In honor of Record Store Day (April 19th), we want to pay tribute to all the mom and pops out there and encourage our readers to continue your support of independent businesses, record stores or otherwise. We will save you the speech about the crucial nature of localized independent economies and cultures and the threat of the big box business mentalities. So for now, here is a shout-out to our favorite independent record shop.
Phonopolis has been open for only five months and has already been nominated by CBC radio 3 as one of the best records stores in Canada. Nathan has stocked the store with a galaxy of indie rock, international music, classic jazz and blues, and experimental music of all genres and sub-genres. The store also hosts instore performances in the basement; so far Julie Doiron, Bryan and Steve from the Constantines, Elfin Saddle, Graham van Pelt from Miracle Fortress, Cryptacize and Shapes and Sizes have all played at the store. So if you ever find yourself in Montreal, be sure to stop in on Nathan and Phonopolis. And if you are there this Saturday you catch The Born Ruffians, The Luyas and Adam Waito & the Amethysts from 3 to 5:30pm.
RAFTER: BIG SOUND, MINI-TOUR
April 11th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Rafter’s latest work, Sex Death Cassette, made its own tour around the magazines, nearly all of whom absolutely loved the jaunt of this jingle-producer-cum rockstar. His shows are parties in stage size, and boy can Rafter funk it good. Short and sweet is his moniker, so he’ll be touring like a bee in spring with sweet, sweet honey to get from here to there, from San Fran to Portland and a few places along the way, then back again. He’s touring with the fantastic Dirty Projectors and No Kids for a few of the shows.
If all of us here at AK lived on the West Coast here at Asthmatic Kitty, we’d be at every show of Rafter’s. Not to be missed!
Surprise Bonus Time Surprise!! Rafter has compiled a list of his favorite riffs, and Rhapsody is kind enough to host them. Click here to listen.
LOUISVILLE HOSTS A HERD OF UNUSUAL ANIMALS SATURDAY
April 4th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
In or near Kentucky’s cultural capital this weekend? Then, after a few swigs of Ale-8 for pep, perhaps you ought wander to the 930 Art Center, where you will find yourself surrounded by creatures of disparate origin but sharing the same space and time. Culled from a call for submissions that emphasized local Louisville artists but reached nationally and globally, the show is a perfect encapsulation of a zoo; a temporary holding area for creatures that normally have nothing to do with each other.
Shedding, The Town Criers, Squeeze-bot, and Ultra Pulverize plan to properly inaugurate the show with music. Doors open at 6:30pm, admission is free and all-ages. You can read a succinct essay on the spirit of this series of shows by Unusual Animals zookeeper Michael Kaufmann here, and more about the bands and art here.
HULA HOOP AT HOME
April 2nd, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Last year, Sufjan Stevens composed and performed an orchestral piece inspired by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) at the Brooklyn Academy for Music. If you went, you surely remember the Hula Hoopers. (If you didn’t go, you might have read Sufjan’s essay on the relationship between the BQE and hula hoops, available here.)
Well, it shouldn’t surprise you to know that someone designed the hula hoops employed by the dancers. That someone was Elaine Tian of Circle Candy. Sufjan commissioned Elaine to custom-design the hoops, and custom design she did. These are not only cheery and colorful, but versatile and sturdy. Perfect for hula-ing!
And they’re now for sale in Elaine’s store on Etsy, in a limited edition set of 50, for just $30(+S&H) each. As of right now only 10 are left! There is some cursory scientific evidence suggesting that frequent use of well-designed hula hoops such as these, in multiple locations at once, can in fact modify the trade winds and beckon spring sooner than usual. You can purchase a hoop and look at more detailed photographs here.
HALF-HANDED HITS THE ROAD, VINYL
March 29th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Ok, sure, it’s been a while since Half-handed Cloud released a full-length album. But in this age of alternative distribution methods and so-called "new media," HHC is bravely eschewing the Ringtone n’ MP3 for Vinyl n’ Live.
Via vinyl, HHC just finished up the third in our Unusual Animals vinyl series, taking up one flip of the wax with piano, silvertone guitar, pump organ, trombone, plus snare-drum and floor-tom in a concise two-and-half minute track titled, "Sewing Wind to Fabric." His friends Bert Hiscock and Nedelle Torrisi (Cryptacize) assisted with this song on cello and violin. On the other side of the record are grooves that, when played against a specially designed needle, emanate the addictive and confusing Lite FM pop of Ariel Pink, with "Before Today." We are unveiling this little gem in −CH=CH2 form (aka vinyl), complete with cover by illustrator Jared Chapman, here on our website on or around May 20.
As for live: Half-handed Cloud will be touring from home base in California to Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, and then back up to New York. They’re traveling this time around with the Olympia-based musical entourage, Lake. Check out Lake’s MySpace page here, and click here to see the complete HHC/Lake tour. Half-handed Cloud has developed quite a following after years of touring, so make sure you show up early! "Higher than Merry," Lake
TASTE TEST
March 25th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Our DVD has been out for a few weeks now, and we’re just as proud of it as the day it left our doors. With animated menus and packaging meticulously designed by artists Gala and Zack Bent, and videos from most of our artists on our roster, this little piece of digital video in circular shiny form manages to fully encapsulate the spirit of Asthmatic Kitty.
If you don’t believe us, try watching this heaping portion stream of the DVD on video clearinghouse website imeem.com, as presented by our good friends, Microcinema International DVD. The video is only viewable for five days, so throw the popcorn on the stove/microwave/airpopper and click here.
When you’re ready for the TV-ready version, click here to purchase the DVD for $14 (+S&H).
ASTHMATIC KITTY AND A HAPPY ENDING
March 10th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
No, don’t worry, we are not ending, but we are happy to announce that we have partnered with writer/culture-provocateur Amanda Stern and her Happy Ending Music and Reading Series to present a night of…well, what else…music and reading. On April 2nd at 9:30PM Asthmatic Kitty’s Michael Kaufmann and Amanda Stern will be hosting this event at Joe’s Pub in New York City. The music will be presented by My Brightest Diamond, accompanied by strings. Also presenting will be three very fine writers: Alec Bemis, Daphne Carr and Rob Sheffield.
We are very thankful to BOMB Magazine for their sponsorship and Joe’s Pub for staging the event. Click here to visit Joe’s Pub website to purchase tickets. And you can read more about the series and writers by following the more link below.
Alec Hanley Bemis lives in Brooklyn, NY and spends a lot of time in California. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, LA Weekly, The New Yorker, and our own website and many other fine publications. Among his many music-related activities, he founded the Brassland label with The National and Clogs in 2001, and currently acts as general manager at Bang on a Can’s Cantaloupe Music label.
Daphne Carr is a music journalist, critic, and ethnomusicologist living in New York City. She is the Series Editor of Best Music Writing (Da Capo 2007, 2008), author of Nine Inch Nails Pretty Hate Machine (Continuum 2007), contributor to the books Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs (Da Capo 2007) and Listen Again (Duke University Press 2007).
Rob Sheffield is author of Love Is A Mix Tape (Crown, 2007). He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he writes the “Pop Life” column. He’s written about music and pop culture for the Village Voice, Spin, Details, Mojo, Radio On and other publications. He frequently discusses the Bananarama legacy on MTV and VH1. His karaoke jam is the Commodores’ “Easy.”
The Happy Ending Music and Reading Series, chosen by New York Magazine and NY Press as the best reading series in NYC, and singled out by the New York Times Magazine for helping to "Keep downtown alive," features the most interesting storytellers, writers, musicians, raconteurs and personalities, and requires the readers to take one public risk, while the musicians, who perform two short sets with their original, lyric-driven music, are required to play one cover song and try to get the audience to sing along.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ASTHMATICA DVD CHECKED IN
March 8th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
Dear Library Patron,
This is a friendly reminder that the Encyclopedia Asthmatica "Digital Versatile Disc" is now available for checkout.
From,
Your neighborhood imaginary library.
(pssss: our DVD is out! Click here to pick it up for $14+SH, here for some reading on the DVD, or here to watch a video by artist Deborah Johnson set to Sufjan Stevens’ "Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake.")
Palm Sunday Tornado Hits Crystal Lake from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.
MUSIC FOR VIDEOGAMES V1
March 6th, 2008 , by Asthmatic Kitty
As some of us here at the label are avid video gamers but with little time to spare, we keep a close eye on the independent video game scene as it often yields a higher creativity-to-time ratio than most other videogames. It was with piqued interest that we watched a game called AudioSurf move from almost-finished to the rare "completed" status just a month or two ago. The game takes an MP3 or CD and turns it into a playable video game level, with colored blocks appropriately tied to the tempo of the song. Its integration of pure color on visual dimension with the experience of sound into one unified, synesthesia game space seemed quite fascinating. And plus, it was really fun.
We decided to round-up a few friends of the label and put together a compilation designed especially for play in AudioSurf. The call was quickly answered by signed and unsigned alike, including folks from Anticon Records, Sounds Are Active, and imputor. The end result is a driving, definitive, compilation comprised of previously released and some unreleased material that is cohesive if only because our criteria was playability in addition to quality. Apparently, there is a mathematical and musical beauty in that.
We’re releasing it for free as a digital download, to be enjoyed with AudioSurf, or without. Download it here, or stream from AKradio here. If you have a Windows PC, you can play a demo of AudioSurf here, or buy it for a mere $10 here. You can also read a review of AudioSurf from Nathan Smart, our in-house video games correspondent, right here.