#Karl O’Connor

[expectopatronxm]

NO zendaya, NO anya taylor-joy, NO zoë kravitz, NO rosé, NO taylor russell, NO mia goth, NO timothée chalamet, and NO josh o’connor at the met gala 2023????

i only know disappointment.

[anticattocomunismo]

La mafia di San Gallo: il piano per sovvertire la Chiesa

La mafia di San Gallo: il piano per sovvertire la Chiesa

Un testo che ha già destato clamore in America ricostruisce la trama di un progetto orchestrato sin dagli anni ’90 da un gruppo di cardinali che miravano a un cambiamento dottrinale e morale. Puntavano sul primate argentino, che ora è divenuto Papa, e i loro propositi sembrano pienamente in atto. (more…)

[ingek73]

How we made

Culture

‘I was attacked by a bloody rabbit’: how we made Xena: Warrior Princess

‘The studio was hesitant about suggesting Xena and Gabrielle were in a romantic relationship. But as time went on, they decided to look the other way and just let us get on with it’

‘Somebody once asked me if they had ever had sex’ … Lucy Lawless as Xena and Renee O’Connor as Gabrielle.

Interviews by Chris Broughton

Follow Chris Broughton

Mon 1 Jul 2024 16.19 CEST

Steven L Sears, writer and co-executive producer

I was in a meeting with an executive from Renaissance Pictures when he mentioned a series they were going to do: “A hip, updated version of Hercules.” Xena was a character in that, compellingly brought to life by Lucy Lawless. When Hercules: The Legendary Journeys became a big hit, they decided to spin her off into her own series. That’s when I became involved.

Building on Xena’s backstory, we developed a character who has been turned into a feared warrior because of things that happened during her childhood and early adulthood, but at heart she is a good person keen to help others. The common take was that she was on the path to redemption, but my belief was that she felt she could never redeem herself for the thousands she had killed.

Gabrielle, meanwhile, is a simple village girl given the chance to realise her dreams of adventure. Since she recorded the duo’s escapades on scrolls, fans started calling her the battling bard. Right from the start, though, we refused to make her just a sidekick. She offered a beautiful innocent perspective on Xena’s darker, more barbaric character. Ultimately, she became Xena’s saviour.

Steven L Sears in 2022.

‘We went from drama one week to satire the next’ … Steven L Sears in 2022. Photograph: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

The show’s co-creator Rob Tapert would present us with wild ideas and leave us to make them work. I can’t think of a regular show that did a musical episode with original songs before we did The Bitter Suite. One time, Rob wanted me to change the word “camouflage”. He said: “It’s a French word and this is not a French show.” I said: “You’re having a problem with a French word in a series set in ancient Greece with a protagonist played by a New Zealand actress using an American accent?”

Later, we expanded our universe quite a bit. In one episode, clones of our heroes interacted with Xena fans in the present day. Another, set in an alternative reality, saw Xena ruling over the Roman empire with Karl Urban’s Julius Caesar after their marriage. Xena offered the opportunity to go from drama one week to satire the next and, more importantly, had a cast and crew that could pull it off.

People called Xena a sword and sorcery show, even though our universe had swords but no magic. There were mythological creatures and entities with powers, but those powers had restrictions. Most of the gods echoed the pettiness of mankind, with all their egos and desires.

Back then, the studio was very hesitant about suggesting Xena and Gabrielle were in a romantic relationship. They even objected to a moment in the title sequence where Xena is seen walking seductively towards the warlord Draco, because he was shot from the back and had long hair, so could be mistaken for a woman. But as time went on, they decided to look the other way and just let us get on with it. Somebody once asked me if Xena and Gabrielle ever had sex. I said: “It’s none of my damn business. They do social and domestic duties together, they have fought for each other and died for each other. If you’re defining the relationship just on sex, you’re really missing the whole point.”

We had a very varied following, from children to students to older people. My dad once spotted a neighbour, in his 80s, waving a stick in his front yard as if sword fighting. “I’ve been watching my favourite show, Xena: Warrior Princess,” he explained. “You should see it – there’s a guy called Sears who works on it.”

Renee O’Connor, played Gabrielle

My focus with Gabrielle was how to make her feel empowered and not just the damsel in distress. The time I’d spent doing gymnastics at school probably helped with some of the moves I had to perform: handstands, backflips and so on. I loved working with weapons and dancing around stunt people. During one fight, my stunt double was standing in for the antagonist and, as we were twirling around, we stepped too close to each other and she ended up with a broken nose.

Even in the first season, we started to hear from people who thought Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship was more than just friends. Later, that subtext started to develop. We didn’t get a sense of how big the show was becoming until Lucy came back from a convention in the US and said: “Oh Renee, it’s like you’re a rock star!” At that point, the show hadn’t started airing in New Zealand. So, as we filmed in our little sacred space in Auckland, we could still walk around anonymously.

I tried showing Xena to my kids when they were young, but my daughter was terrified, seeing her mother repeatedly getting beaten up – or even attacked by a bloody rabbit. I kept the weapons Gabrielle used and still have a few boxes of costumes. My daughter’s 18 now and I know she’ll end up wearing them on a date or something.

I can relate to the young Gabrielles I meet at conventions who appreciate that kindness doesn’t mean you’re weak. Being able to live through my character emboldened me, helped me stand up to the bully. That’s definitely carried on for the rest of my life.

[strangesmallbard]

tell us some xena trivia

FORGOT to answer this yesterday, hello!!

here is all the xena warrior princess trivia i can remember off the top of my head:

a popular x/g author (called a “subtexter” back then) named melissa goode wrote at least two episodes in season 6! “when fates collide” and “legacy.”

at a recentish xenacon (i think 2016?) lucy lawless and reneé o’connor read a scripted proposal between xena/gabrielle, then lucy dipped reneé and smooched her sweetly on the mouth in front of a cheering audience.

in s6, there was supposed to be an episode where xena/gabrielle met sappho and she looked Exactly like gabrielle a la xena +meg and diana. it was also a musical episode

lucy lawless uses her real singing voice for “the bitter suite” and reneé o’connor is dubbed over. (lucy also sings in concert sometimes! idk if recently though)

in “fins, femmes, and gems” gabrielle originally was going to develop an obsession with xena instead of herself. however, the writers felt this would turn x/g into a joke and didn’t want to disrespect their lgbt fans. (this cast/crew wasn’t just good for the 90’s, they’re literally like. the gold standard for How to Treat Your Unexpectedly LGBT Fanbase)

hudson leick did this commentary series years ago and at one point said “listen to your wife, xena!” while watching a xena/gabrielle scene LMAO. she’s also famous for doing the callisto war cry at cons.

karl urban played like. three different characters throughout his time on xena. let’s see if i can remember them all. there’s caesar obviously, then UHHH esau? a bible guy. then this random guy in the amazon high spin-off pilot that was cancelled then later became a clipshow xena ep. i guess that counts as another piece of trivia

eve canonically has three moms and no dads. peace and love on planet earth

[jimothy-hopkins]

What Godly Parent/CHB Cabin I Think Bully Characters Would Be In.

Zeus

Zoe Taylor.

Bif Taylor.

Poseison

Gary Smith.

Hades

Pete Kowalski.

Ares

Russel Northrop.

Seth Kolbe.

Jimmy Hopkins.

Thad Carlson.

Dan Wilson.

Wade Martin.

Christy Martin.

Athena

Beatrice Trudeau.

Donald Anderson.

Parker Ogilvie.

Max MacTavish.

Peanut Romano.

Justin Vandervelde.

Aphrodite

Mandy Wiles.

Derby Harrington.

Pinky Gauthier.

Gord Vendome.

Edward Seymour II.

Lola Lombardi.

Kirby Olsen.

Apollo

Trent Northwick.

Cornelius Johnson.

Norton Williams.

Bryce Montrose.

Eunice Pound.

Vance Medici.

Demeter

Bucky Pasteur.

Tom Gurney.

Troy Miller.

Angie Ng.

Bryce Montrose.

Dionysus

Duncan.

Juri Karamazov.

Casey Harris.

Hal Esposito.

Karl Branting.

Hephaestus

Johnny Vincent.

Lucky De Luca.

Ricky Pucino.

Hermes

Lefty Mancini.

Melvin O’Connor.

Earnest Jones.

Ethan Robinson.

Algernon Papadopoulos.

Luis Luna.

Fatty Johnson.

Hypnos.

Ivan Alexander.

Nemesis

Damon West.

Constantinos Brakus.

Davis White.

Nike

Chad Morris.

Ted Thompson.

Bo Jackson.

Tad Spencer.

Staff bonus

Chiron

Ms Philips

Mr. D

Mr. Galloway

[dustedmagazine]

Sandwell District — Where Next? (The Point of Departure Recording Co.)

It should have been a question. The transcontinental collective known as Sandwell District had been defunct and assumed shuttered for years, its fax machine disconnected, its Situationist International Tumblr since overtaken, when the sudden, unexpected announcement in early 2023 of a reissue effort for 2010’s celebrated Feed-Forward revived interest among the techno faithful. Its key members had been operating independently for long enough that the prospect of a return was sufficiently dim, yet here was proof of life — that the mark of anonymous, forward-thinking dance music from these corners hadn’t yet been buried. Half a year on from the reissue, another curious missive in the form of a compilation and the announcement of a Primavera Sound gig. Something was afoot. “Where next?” should’ve been appended directly with “Why now?”

Instead, it’s an elegy.

Juan Mendez (aka Silent Servant) died alongside fellow Los Angeles artist Luis Vasquez (The Soft Moon) and Mendez’s partner Simone Ling January 18th at the age of 46. Every review of Where Next? you read will address this, so it’s not necessary to belabor its circumstances or the outpouring of grief in its wake, but suffice to say that Mendez was beloved in L.A. and beyond for his work both as a producer — which he was still a master of, as his (ill-)fittingly titled In Memoriam EP out in November on Tresor confirms — and, crucially to Sandwell, its visual language. One of the key components of Sandwell District was its resolute anonymity; for years, if you were buying music off these guys, it was white label 12s with no identification save a stamp of the name and a fax number. Mendez was the one who gave the group that Situationist-inspired aesthetic, lent depth and a difficult but still discernible additional dimension that otherwise may not have been there. In retrospect, it feels like no accident that the zine, the music and the “moment” all collided at the same time; four protagonists with years of experience behind them peaking in simpatico is an exceedingly rare thing in the dance world, and to have it happen as it did was both carefully orchestrated and worth all the praise. Dusted was no exception.

Without Mendez, Sandwell District’s revival now feels precarious, uncomfortable, indeterminate. The remaining core members — Karl O’Connor (aka Regis), Dave Sumner (Function) and Peter Sutton (Female) — must return to and reassess the question of this very compilation, whose existence initially struck me as a cynical money grab but, more charitably and with more consideration, could also have been intended as a siren for something new en route, a way of reminding those who were there and a slap in the face to those who weren’t that this group wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill Tuesday night Berghain residents, this was something else.

And what was that? Take a listen: From 2002 to 2012, a dozen tracks assembled for this comp mine Sandwell District (the label) for a retrospective that graphically displays the production talent at work while still leaving something on the table. The credits here all say “Sandwell District &,” but it’s superfluous; regardless of liner notes, however, the music holds up and you know what you’re getting right from the off with Function’s “Reykjavik,” originally from 2007’s “Isolation” 12”. A wobbling, heavy low end and the lightest touch of hi-hat establish the pulse, with a twinkling alien transmission straight from a 1950s sci-fi movie offering counterweight. It’s the crashing handclap and subsequent, seemingly endless decay at 30 seconds that really wakes you up, though — like the uneasy ambiance, a familiar trope of the group’s oeuvre but one forever deployed with the deftest of touches.

“Reykjavik” is one of the two earliest songs from this compilation; the other, CH-Signal Laboratories (8003 Lucerne)’s “Hypnotica Scale (Original Mix),” preceded it in ‘07 and was originally titled simply as “Scale 1 (Original Mix).” It’s a rolling IDM number that feels more primitive, less cognizant than the productions that would follow in its use of space in your headphones. It’s also arguably the thinnest track here from one of the few names in Sandwell’s history that was never fully declassified but to my ears sounds like Sumner’s work.

As the most prominent faces of the collective (Mendez was reticent and Sutton all but invisible at the group’s peak), O’Connor and Sumner often seemed to be the ones with the heaviest hands in final output, too — consider Sumner did the final Fabric mixdown, for instance. The balance gets partly redressed here: O’Connor gets credit for two songs and two edits; Sumner gets five songs (six if you count CH-Signal); Mendez gets four; and Sutton gets a song and a remix under the Kalon alias, which he shared alongside Karl Meier, a fellow member of O’Connor’s Birmingham-based Downwards posse. It works to great effect; if you hadn’t known this was a compilation spanning half a decade and not a cohesive album from a single set of sessions, nothing gives it away. Both sequencing and pace are thoughtfully examined as the album obliterates your speakers at the proper volume and eventually rolls into the station after some 70 minutes with the only song that really lets you up for air, “Inter.”

Still, questions remain. Timing aside, foremost among them is why this comp starts with tracks from 2007 and not 2002; that’s scything half of the label’s existence out of the picture, and it’s not like “Untergang” or “Cally 2” are much the worse for wear at this remove. More pointedly, why are any singles missing at all? A double or triple LP either mixed to its constituents’ satisfaction or arranged chronologically would’ve been equally potent.

Another question: Wherefore art thou, Rrose? Like Meier, Yves de May and Bob Ostertag, Seth Horvitz existed on the outskirts of the District, only entering the frame in Feed-Forward’s wake — but it feels grossly unjust to neglect Rrose’s contributions in particular as the label wound down and its members moved on. What I said at the time of “Merchant of Salt” stands: Sandwell’s methods were perhaps best executed by an outsider who subsequently struck out into more experimental lands, extending the spirit of the collective’s reach beyond the vision of its original members; in a way, Rrose alone best answered the question posed by this compilation, which only makes their absence more conspicuous.

As with everything else swirling about Sandwell District, explanations will trickle out as glyphs or remain scant, incomplete, perhaps even contradictory. Maybe we won’t know for weeks or months; maybe we will never know. This is all part and parcel of the operation, which remains fun for the sake of intrigue but as listeners can only really leave us to trust our ears and hearts. Scrape away the calcified grayscale complexion, then, and you have what lies beyond the questions — you have the real answer, the one that matters most. Did I say elegy? Sorry, I meant panegyric. Long may it be heard.

Patrick Masterson

[super-into-on-it]

Erin O’Connor

for Fendi x Karl Lagerfeld | SS 1999

[jkflesh]

Out now: SLOW WHITE FALL "FLOOD"

Released on Avalanche Recordings and mastered by Justin Broadrick

Oliver Ho returns with his post-metal ambient project SLOW WHITE FALL, presenting FLOOD, an album of 10 brutal cinematic experiments in sound pressure and industrial electronics.

Since the debut record on Karl O’Connor’s Downwards label, Oliver Ho has stretched and pushed the sound into heavier more widescreen sonic territories. Coming on Justin K Broadrick's Avalanche Recordings, FLOOD represents a deep dive into dense soundscapes that explore the idea of the sea. Its huge size and overwhelming presence act as a metaphor for death, and the infinite.

The idea of passing from this world into another is something that is a strong theme in Oliver’s work, the mantra which runs through his music is “We become sound when we die.” This idea of becoming sound and dissolving the physical being elevates music and sound to a transcendent status, it is sound as the next phase of existence. The album begins with Mountain of Light, sparse instrumental patterns that echo and drone, are slammed by bulldozer drums and death metal guitar noise. The next song, White Horses features ambient synths and pummelling drums and feedback. Beautiful Abyss has a slow motion Valium soul that envelopes itself. The album continues with its journey into dense and relentless doom electronics, passing through moments of quiet ambience at points, which act as a place of stillness amongst the crushing walls of noise. The final track, In The Heart of The Great Alone, is a glacial drift of growling distorted bass rumbles, and decaying guitar distortion. A final resting place of dissolving sound.

[musikblog]

https://www.musikblog.de/2024/02/sandwell-district-where-next/ Enthusiasmus ist was feines. Regis (Karl O’Connor) und Female (Peter Sutton) schienen beides zu haben, als sie 2002 Sandwell District, zunächst nur als Label, gründeten. Mit einer Vision von modernem Techno entwickelten sich ihre Alben vom Geheimtipp zur heiß erwarteten Veröffentlichung. Mit raren Vinyl-Pressungen und Berghain-Auftritten schwoll das Duo mit David Sumner (Function) und John […]

[wewerecore]

CORE Pro #112 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste - CORE 15th Anniversary Show 10/28/22 Penn's Peak - Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania Attendance: 1,800

Match #1

Gaspar Brothers (Bobby Gaspar and Bucky Gaspar) vs. Team White Wolf (Carlos Romo and Gangrel) - Carlos Romo went for his split legged cutter on Bobby Gaspar, but Gaspar launched Romo over the top rope and to the floor. Bobby went after Gangrel and Bucky Gaspar worked over Carlos Romo on the floor with a wooden cane. Referee Melissa Stripes seperated Bobby Gaspar and Gangrel as Bucky rolled the now bloodied Carlos Romo back into the ring. Bobby Gaspar hit a big sit out powerbomb on Romo for the pinfall. Winners: Gaspar Brothers

- The Gaspar Brothers continued their attack on Team White Wolf, working them both over with their wooden canes. CORE officials including Aaron Arbo and Andy Harner eventually got the Gaspars out of the ring. Gangrel tried to help his partner to the back, but Romo didn't like how Gangrel was eyeing up his bloody forehead and walked off on his own.

Match #2

The Trustbusters (Ari Daivari, Parker Boudreaux, Slim J, Sonny Kiss, and DJ Karl Fredericks) vs. CORE Originals (Nate Webb, Josh Abercrombie, Cheech, Colin Olsen, and UltraMantis Black) - Josh Abercrombie connected with the backpack lungblower on Slim J and Nate Webb followed up with the Arachnid Kick. UltraMantis Black positioned Slim J for the Praying Mantis Bomb, but Sonny Kiss broke it up with a superkick. Parker Boudreaux planted Mantis with the F5 and Ari Daivari came off the top rope with a big splash to pick up the pinfall. Winners: The Trustbusters

Match #3

Athena and Raychell Rose vs. Mei Suruga and Emi Sakura - Athena had Mei Suruga up in a delayed vertical suplex and went to dump Suruga to the floor, but Mei slipped out and to her feet behind Athena. Mei pinned Athena’s shoulders to the mat with the O’Connor Roll, but Raychell Rose broke it up with the Off With Her Head legdrop to the back of Mei’s head. Mei fell forward and Athena cradled Suruga’s legs with her own and bridged into a successful pinfall. Winners: Athena and Raychell Rose

Match #4

Mr. Takeshita vs. Mysterious Q - Mr. Takeshita applied the dreaded nerve hold to Mysterious Q, digging his fingers into the brachial plexus. Mysterious Q fought up to his feet and lifted Takeshita into position for the Q Drop. Takeshita elbowed his way out and back to his feet and landed a big running knee lift on Mysterious Q. Before Takeshita could go for the cover; FOR, JJ, White Rabbit, and a fourth mysterious masked man wearing a ring jacket identifying him as “The Naptown Dragon” slid into the ring and attacked Mr. Takeshita as referee Noah Lott called for the bell. Winner via Disqualification: Mr. Takeshita

- Mysterious Q, FOR, JJ, White Rabbit, and the Naptown Dragon went to town on Mr. Takeshita, leaving him bloodied and battered. Josh Alexander and Titus Alexander ran in to attempt a save with steel chairs and they brawled out of the ring and into the crowd. The locker room emptied and the two sides were eventually separated. CORE officials escorted Mysterious Q and his anonymous adherents out of the building where a helicopter was waiting to pick up FOR, the White Rabbit, and surprisingly Trustbusters member DJ Karl Fredericks. New CORE head of longterm creative John Williams took the microphone and stated that due to the actions of the Gaspar Brothers in the opening match and the Mysterious Q’s masked men, all wrestlers that don’t have an upcoming match this evening will be required to leave the building, depart the premises, and the doors will be locked behind them. The remaining wrestlers will be locked in their dressing rooms until their entrances. A brief intermission was taken while the wrestlers were escorted off of the venue grounds and the pools of blood and spilled A-Treat were mopped up.

Match #5 Medicare Coverage Helpline Senior Division

Ultimo Dragon vs. Christopher Daniels - Christopher Daniels went for the Best Moonsault Ever, but landed on his feet when Ultimo Dragon rolled out of the way. Ultimo went for the Asai DDT on Daniels, but Daniels pushed Ultimo all the way through and Dragon landed on his feet. Christopher Daniels with the Asai Moonsault on Ultimo Dragon into a pin attempt. Ultimo kicked out at two, but as this match was contested in the Senior Division the match ended on a two count. Winner: Christopher Daniels

- A show of respect between Ultimo Dragon and Christopher Daniels as they raised their arms together after the match. The two men embraced in the center of the ring as they were attacked from all sides by seven fans in hooded sweatshirts. One fan tore at Ultimo’s mask as two others put the boots to him. The other four fans were taking turns hitting high impact moves on Christopher Daniels. With no active wrestlers available to make the save, CORE officials and referees tried to come to the rescue. John Williams was split open after being struck with the ring bell. The attackers removed their hoods to reveal their true identities. It was Kerry Morton, Nick Wayne, Starboy Charlie, Marcus Mathers, Brogan Finlay, Billie Starkz, and Kenzie Paige. Just then CORE matchmaker Sad Badd had unlocked the dressing room and Josh Alexander, Titus Alexander, YAMATO, and Jon Moxley all hit the ring to run off the young assailants.  

Match #6

The Last Wave (Josh Alexander and Titus Alexander) vs. Kamikaze USA (YAMATO and Jon Moxley) - Mox and Titus Alexander brawled around the building as back in the ring YAMATO had Josh Alexander up for the Gallaria. Titus tried to make the save but was held back by Moxley. Josh Alexander squirmed his way free and now had YAMATO positioned for a tombstone. Mox now tried to make the save but was held off by Titus Alexander. Josh Alexander connected with a spinning tombstone piledriver on YAMATO and got the three count fall. Winners: The Last Wave

- After the show The Last Wave were reunited and issued a challenge. Thanksgiving Night in Kingston at Thanksgiving Tussle '22, they invited Mysterious Q to bring anyone he wants in that helicopter to meet them in a 5-on-5 Strive To Survive elimination match. Josh Alexander and Mr. Takeshita already reached out to two old partners of theirs that they can trust. It will be Titus Alexander, Josh Alexander and his long time partner Ethan Page, and Mr. Takeshita and his old partner “Speedball” Mike Bailey against the Mysterious Q and four of his anonymous adherents.

- Also at Thanksgiving Tussle ’22, fans will see The Trustbusters face off against the Extreme Pigs terrorizing the world of lucha libre, Puerquiza Extrema. But will DJ Karl Fredericks be appearing after his helicopter ride?

- There will be a 10-on-10 Women’s Tag Team Strive To Survive match that will feature Athena and Raychell Rose, Billie Starkz and Kenzie Paige, the Las Tóxicas team of Lady Flammer and Lady Maravilla, the current SHINE tag team champions Chelsea Durden and Kelsey Raegan, and the first time hard hitting pairing of Masha Slamovich and Janai Kai against Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo also known as VXT, Queen Aminata and Skye Blue, joining us from WOW it will be sisters Laurie and Lindsey Carlson better known as Miami Sweet Heat, the Mission Pro Wrestling tag team champions Madi Wrenkowski and Rache Chanel, and the reunited team of Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering.

- And finally, five wrestling legends with perfect records in Senior Divison competition - Ricky Morton, PCO, Rob Van Dam, Dustin Rhodes and Christopher Daniels will try to beat some respect into Kerry Morton, Nick Wayne, Starboy Charlie, Marcus Mathers, and Brogan Finlay.  

Upcoming Shows: CORE Pro #113 Thanksgiving Tussle '22 11/24/22 Kingston Armory - Kingston, Pennsylvania 01. Strive To Survive: The Trustbusters (Ari Daivari, Parker Boudreaux, Slim J, Sonny Kiss, and DJ Karl Fredericks) vs. Puerquiza Extrema (Pig Decapitador, Pig Destroyer, Pig Desenterrador, Pig Destructor, and Pig Pool) 02. Strive To Survive: Athena and Raychell Rose, Billie Starkz and Kenzie Paige, Las Tóxicas (Lady Flammer and Lady Maravilla), The Coven (Chelsea Durden and Kelsey Raegan), & Masha Slamovich and Janai Kai vs. VXT (Chelsea Green and Deonna Purrazzo), Queen Aminata and Skye Blue, Miami Sweet Heat (Laurie Carlson and Lindsey Carlson), Bougie Reality (Madi Wrenkowski and Rache Chanel), & Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering 03. Strive To Survive: Ricky Morton, PCO, Rob Van Dam, Dustin Rhodes, and Christopher Daniels vs. Kerry Morton, Nick Wayne, Starboy Charlie, Marcus Mathers, and Brogan Finlay 04. Strive To Survive: The Last Wave (Josh Alexander, Titus Alexander, Mr. Takeshita) & Ethan Page and "Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Mysterious Q, FOR, JJ, White Rabbit, and Naptown Dragon

CORE Pro #114 To Face Unafraid The Plans That We've Made 12/25/22 SteelStacks - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

[llpodcast]

(Literary License Podcast) The Mummy (1932)​The Mummy is a 1932 pre-code American supernatural horror film directed by Karl Freund and stars Boris Karloff.  In the film, Karloff stars as an ancient Egyptian mummy named Imhotep, who is discovered by a team of archaeologists and inadvertently brought back to life by a magic scroll being read aloud. Disguised as a modern Egyptian named Ardeth Bey, Imhotep searches for his lost love, who he believes has been reincarnated as a modern girl.  In recent times, the film has drawn criticisms for orientalism and the “othering” of Egyptian culture. The Mummy (1999) The Mummy, the 1999 American fantasy action-adventure film is a remake of the 1932 film starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and  Kevin J O’Connor.  he film follows adventurer Rick O'Connell as he travels to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, with a librarian and her older brother, where they accidentally awaken Imhotep, a cursed high priest with supernatural powers.  The film would spawn three sequels and be a box office success making over $416.4million worldwide.  Opening Credits; Introduction (1.05); Background History (20.03); The Mummy (1932) Film Trailer (21.44); The Original (23.18); Amazing Design Advertisement (52.37); Introducing a Remake (53.49); The Mummy (1999) Film Trailer (55.36); The Remake (57.43); How Many Stars (2.05.29); End Credits (2:20.01); Closing Credits (2:21.37) Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved Closing Credits:  The Mummy Song (Egyptian Trilogy 1) by Colin Buchanan.  Taken from the album I Want My Mummy.  Copyright 1993 Wanaaring Road Music..  ​Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast.  All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission. All songs available through Amazon Music.

[jgthirlwell]

2020 Year In Review

This year once again I invited some friends and colleagues to reflect on 2020

JG Thirlwell

Composer

Foetus Xordox Manorexia Steroid Maximus Venture Bros Archer

www.foetus.org

2020 was a troubling and disturbing year. I created a lot of music and experienced a lot of nights waking at 5am in a panic. I deeply missed the sacred experience of being able to see live music. In its absence of that I listened to a lot of music. It was difficult to whittle down this list but here are a lot of albums I enjoyed in 2020, in no particular order.

Le Grand Sbam Furvent (Dur Et Doux) John Elmquist’s HardArt Group I Own an Ion (900 Nurses) Roly Porter Kistvaen (Subtext) Liturgy Origin Of The Alimonies (YLYLCYN) Clark Kiri Variations (Throttle) Dai Kaht Dai Kaht I & II (Soleil Zeuhl) Chromb Le livre des merveilles (Dur Et Doux) Horse Lords The Common Task (Northern Spy) Ecker & Meultzer Carbon (Subtext) Insane Warrior Tendrils (RJ’s Electrical Connections) Jeff Parker Suite For Max Brown (International Anthem) Jacob Kirkegaard Opus Mors (Topos) Tristan Perich Drift Multiply (Nonesuch) Bec Plexus Sticklip (New Amsterdam) Vak Budo (Soleil Zeuhl) Merlin Nova BOO! (Bandcamp) The The Muscle OST (Cineola) Zombi 2020 (Relapse) Regis Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss (Downwards) Rival Consoles Articulation (Erased Tapes) Sarah Davachi Cantus, Descant (L.A.T.E.) Sufjan Stevens The Ascension (Asthmatic Kitty) Idles Ultra Mono (Partisan) Daedelus The Bittereindeers (Brainfeeder) Boris No (Bandcamp) Aksak Maboul Figures / Un peu de l’ame des bandits / Onze Danses Pour Cobattre La Migraine (Crammed) Noveller Arrow (Ba Da Bing) Felicia Atkinson Everything Evaporate (Shelter Press) Ital Tek Dream Boundary (Planet Mu) Author and Punisher Beastland (Relapse) Sparks A Steady Drip Drip Drip (BMG) Corima Amatarasu (Soleil Zeuhl) Code Orange Underneath (Roadrunner) Deerhoof Future Teenage Cave Artists /Silly Symphonies / To Be Surrounded../ Love Lore(Joyful Noise) Sote Moscels (Opal Tapes) Run The Jewels RTJ4 (Jewel Runners) Oranssi Pazuzu Mestarin Kynsi (Nuclear Blast) Master Boot Record Floppy Disk Overdrive (Metal Blade) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith The Mosaic Of Transformation (Ghostly International) / Ears (Western Vinyl) Michael Gordon Acquanetta (Cantelope) Neom Arkana Temporis (Soleil Zeuhl) Rian Treanor Ataxia / File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet Mu) Helm Saturnalia (Alter) Ivvvo doG (Halcyon Veil) Robert Normandeau Figures (Empreintes Digitales) Ben Vida Reducing The Tempo To Zero (Shelter Press) Beatrice Dillon Workaround (Pan) Dan Deacon Mystic Familiar (Domino) Sea Oleena Weaving A Basket (Higher Plain Music) Elysian Fields Transience Of Life (Ojet) Rhapsody Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret (Magic Circle) Duma Duma (Nyege Nyege) Ulla Strauss Tumbling Towards a Wall / Seed (Bandcamp)

Honorable mentions Carl Stone Stolen Car (Unseen Worlds)  Nazar Guerilla (Hyperdub) Iwo Zaluski with the Children of Park Lane Primary School, Wembley The Remarkable Earth Making Machine (Trunk) Nahash Flowers Of The Revolution (SVBKVLT) Cindy Lee Whats Tonight To Eternity (Bandcamp) Insect Ark The Vanishing (Profound Lore) 33EMYBW Arthropods (SVBKVLT) Declan McKenna Zeroes (Tomplicated) Layma Azur Zeii (Bandcamp)

FILM TV Succession ZeroZeroZero Escape at Dannemora 1917 Small Axe : Five films by Steve McQueen Pirhanas Monos The Hater Better Call Saul

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Drew Daniel

Matmos, The Soft Pink Truth

an alphabet of 2020 recordings

Arca “KiCk i” BFTT “Intrusive / Obtrusive” clipping. “Visions of Bodies Being Burned” Duma “Duma” Eilbacher, Max “Metabolist Meter (Foster, Cottin, Caetani and a Fly)” Forbidden Colors “La Yeguada” GILA “Energy Demonstration” HiedraH Club de Baile “Bichote-K Bailable Vol. 2” Ian Power “Maintenance Hums” Jeff Carey “Index[off]” Kassel Jaeger “Meith” Laurie Anderson “Songs From the Bardo” Mukqs “Water Levels” Negativland “The World Will Decide” O’Rourke, Jim “Shutting Down Here” Perlesvaus “These Things Below with Those Above” Quicksails “Blue Rise” Rian Treanor “File Under UK Metaplasm” Slikback “///” Terminal Nation “Holocene Extinction” Ulcerate “Stare Into Death and Be Still” Various Artists “HAUS of ALTR” William Tyler “New Vanitas” Xyla “Ways” Y A S H A “Summations” :zoviet-france: “Châsse 2ᵉ”

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Sarah Lipstate  (Noveller)

With all live performances canceled, this was truly the year of demo videos and home studio recording for me. These are 10 pieces of gear that came out in 2020 that helped keep me feeling creative and inspired during lockdown. In no particular order:

EHX Oceans 12 Dual Stereo Reverb - The Oceans 12 ticks all the boxes for what I’m looking for in a great soundscaping reverb. I used the Shimmer and Reverse algorithms in conjunction a lot when I was composing music for a film score.

Chase Bliss Audio Blooper - While I don’t actually own a Blooper, I had the pleasure of borrowing one from Mike of Baranik Guitars after NAMM this year. He made an incredible Blooper-inspired guitar and I was completely charmed by them both. Chase Bliss always delivers pedals that push me creatively and the Blooper truly hits the mark.

Cooper FX Arcades - I love everything Cooper FX has released to-date so the opportunity to access those sounds in one pedal via plug-in cartridges is just awesome.

SolidGoldFX NU-33 - I was asked to do a demo of this pedal for its release and ended up being really charmed by this box’s approach to lo-fi nostalgia. I’ve used it a lot for film scoring and highly recommend adding it to your collection.

Demedash Effects T-120 DLX V2 - I LOVE a good tape echo and the T-120 Deluxe V2 ranks up there with the best I’ve tried. This pedal made its way to me this Christmas and I look forward to making some beautiful sounds with it in the new year.

Hologram Electronics Microcosm - The Microcosm is one of those pedals where you should fully read the manual before diving in but once you put in that initial effort you’ve got a massively powerful tool on your hands. It does glitch like no other. Definitely worth the homework

Azzam Bells MP019 - I discovered this unique instrument through a post on Reverb’s IG page and immediately looked it up and ordered one. These experimental percussion instruments are hand-made in Italy and they’re as beautiful visually as they are sonically. I used it for bowed cymbal and daxophone sounds on a film score and it was absolutely haunting.

Echopark Dual Harmonic Boost 2 - I love the control you have over dialing in the perfect amount of grit with these dual boost circuits. I use it a lot as a textural tool when I’m laying down drones or bringing in big distorted swells. It’s one of the most versatile overdrives in my collection and I love that.

Fender Parallel Universe Series Volume II Maverick Dorado - I was smitten with the Maverick Dorado when I first saw it at NAMM. It has a lot of the specs that I look for in a guitar and the body shape with the Mystic Pine finish just blew me away. I hope that I get to use it live soon.

Polyeffects Beebo - The Beebo is one of those pedals that I genuinely feel is smarter than I am. It’s like an entire computer in one small touchscreen box. I can’t claim to have mastered using it yet but the sounds that I have managed to get out of it so far have been brilliant. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this box in 2021

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HELM 2020 REVIEW

Let's get the bad stuff out the way first, 2020 was undoubtedly an awful year. I'm still not sure how to really respond to seeing a global pandemic bring the capital to its knees and everything I love and hold dear to a grinding halt. Our government fucked it's response, putting profit before people and killing tens of thousands. The Labour Party descended into farce with the newly elected leader Sir Keith revealing himself as a bland centrist with no opposition or ideas. On a personal level it sucked not being able to travel or see my friends in different parts of the world - or even the same country - who I am starting to miss a lot. However, I was fortunate enough to get through the year with my sanity intact. Music, art and culture once again being my main positive. I think I listened to more music than I have in any year ever. I read more books than I have done since I was a teenager probably. I also re-discovered the joys of walking long distances and am extremely thankful for living near a lot of incredible green spaces: Epping Forest, Walthamstow Wetlands, Walthamstow Marshes, Wanstead Park, Wanstead Flats...

Music. My favourite albums of the year.

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi Wetware - Flail Raspberry Bulbs - Before The Age Of Mirrors Necrot - Mortal Rope Sect - The Great Flood Private World - Aleph Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never Pyrrhon - Abcess Time CS+Kreme - Snoopy Speaker Music - Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry Drew McDowall - Agalma Regis - Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss Nazar - Guerilla Zoviet France - Russian Heterodoxical Songs (and all the ZF reissues!!) Triple Negative - God Bless the Death Drive Permission - Organised People Suffer Actress - Karma & Desire Acolytes - Stress II The Gerogerigegege - >(decrescendo) Chubby & The Gang - Speed Kills Flora Yin-Wong - Holy Palm Eiko Ishibashi - Hyakki Yagyo The The - See Without Being Seen Prurient - Casablanca Flamethrower Henning Christiansen - L’essere Umano Errabando La Voce Errabando Subdued - Over The Hills And Far Away Rian Treanor - File Under UK Metaplasm Komare - The Sense Of Hearing Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal Jesu - Terminus Autechre - SIGN Hey Colossus - Dances / Curses Sparkle Division - To Feel Embraced Mark Harwood - A Perfect Punctual Paradise Under My Own Name Still House Plants - Fast Edit The Bug & Dis Fig - In Blue Kommand - Terrorscape Haus Arafna - Asche Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum Worm - Gloomlord Kraus - A Golden Brain Faceless Burial - Speciation

A shout-out to Jon Abby's AMPLIFY series on Bandcamp / Facebook, which I contributed a new piece of music to.

A shout out to the labels where most of the music I listened to seemed to come from:

The Trilogy Tapes Iron Bonehead Penultimate Press Dais La Vida Es Un Mus

Gigs. Despite live music being destroyed in 2020 I still saw a few unforgettable performances at the beginning of the year.

Graham Lambkin @ The ICA, London Puce Mary / JFK @ The Glove That Fits, London Demilich @ Finnfest, The Garage, London Container / PC World / National Unrest @ Venue MOT, London S.H.I.T / Asid / Chubby & The Gang @ Static Shock Festival, ExFed, London

Books I enjoyed. Most not published this year, but all read in 2020.

Joe Kennedy - Authentocrats David Balzer - Curationism Tom Mills - BBC: The Myth Of A Public Service Simon Morris - Consumer Guide: Special Edition Luke Turner - Out Of The Woods Various - Bad News For Labour Mike Wendling - Alt-Right Baited Area issues 1 & 2.

Film. Three good films I saw this year which I hadn't before.

Suspiria (Remake) Midsommar Cannibal Holocaust

Podcasts. I listened to a lot of these whilst walking.

We Don't Talk About The Weather Novara Media Tysky Sour & Novara FM Grounded with Louis Theroux System of Systems Red Scare loveline episodes Suite 212 NOISEXTRA Social Discipline CONTAIN

TV.

Didn't watch a huge amount and what I did was mostly trash. For some reason I rewatched both series' of This Life, a British drama from the late 90's about a group of young professionals house sharing and navigating their careers. Very cringey and has aged terribly, but it was perversely fascinating to revisit something from that time in the age of the pandemic. Following on from this I binge watched the entire series of Industry which was entertaining enough. A programme about a bunch of horny bankers with what felt like a confused ideology behind it. It seemed stuck between trying to criticise and glorify the culture around the industry, but also protect the industry itself from outside criticism by portraying anyone who may oppose as an insufferable wanker. Currently halfway through Succession which is OK. The Murdoch documentaries on the BBC were excellent and a rare respite from their descent into client journalism.

Thanks to anyone who listened to my music this year also. Best wishes to you all for 2021.

Luke Younger

http://hhelmm.com | http://alter.bandcamp.com

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Elliott Sharp

composer

1. My Nr. 1 lesson: patience. Whether it's bouncing through 30 seconds of severe turbulence at 39000 feet or slogging through 30 minutes of a interminable piece of concert music, one attribute I've tried to develop is the ability to see past the discrete and awaited ending, the exact framing of the immediate process, but put it into the context of a larger time frame. I've found that this year more than all others has demanded it. Breathing helps...

2. Books: revisiting old favorites from the realm of Thomas Pynchon and Philip K. Dick (both especially relevant), digging into John Lomax's portrait of Jelly Roll Morton, the works of Colson Whitehead, random things off of the shelf…

3. Composing: with touring off the table, I focused on that which needed to be written, some requested and commissioned, some spontaneously springing forth. Composing requires that one open the windows wide to the world, which at this moment brought in grief, terror, uncertainty, anxiety, visions of plague and pestilence and incipient fascism. Okay, now shut the window and get to work! How to process, translate, transform? The work can be a comfortable and obsessive cocoon once one learns to handle the radioactive materials and put them into the creativity reactor.

4. Beans! We have long been a fan in our house of the wide world of legumes but this year brought two stars to the front: the black bean and the red lentil. The black bean commands the lofty peaks but the seemingly infinite variations of dal surround it. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne, onions, and olive oil form the basis then imagination builds.

5. Online teaching substituted for my canceled conduction of workshops in the Pyrenees Mountains of France. Between the participants and myself, we built a temporary but very congenial space online to share concepts and music. In addition, private lessons brought conversation and music with new friends in Germany, Italy, California, Australia, Illinois, Denmark, Pennsylvania, Spain, Florida, Brazil.

6. What started out as "stress baking" (before I even had heard of the term) soon became a frequent practice that yielded very edible results. The twins preferred the sweeter forays into banana bread and chocolate cake. I tried to find a balance between tried-and-true techniques and experiments in texture and taste with yeasted pumpernickels, multi-grains, and seed breads.

7. While not the same as performing 'live ', online gigs proved that it was possible to generate a surprising amount of adrenaline even without the pheromonal handshaking of a room filled with receptive ears. As a corollary, online recording collaborations with friends worldwide proved to be inspiring and a suitable substrate for sonic experimentation, exploration of new instruments, tunings, effects programming, structures. In these realms, shout-outs to Helene Breschand, Mike Cooper, Henry Kaiser, Tracie Morris, Mikel Banks, Dougie Bowne, Payton McDonald, Billy Martin, Colin Stetson, Jim O'Rourke, Scott Amendola, Roberto Zorzi, Jason Hoopes, Eric Mingus, Melanie Dyer, Dave Hofstra, Don McKenzie, Sergio Sorrentino, Veniero Rizzardi, Taylor Ho Bynum, Scott Fields, Bachir Attar, Karl Bruckmaier, Robbie Lee, Matthew Evan Taylor, Matteo Liberatore, Al Kaatz, David Barratt, Jessica Hallock, Kolin Zeinikov, Robbie Lee, Jeremy Nesse, James Ilgenfritz, Sergio Armaroli, Steve Piccolo, Sandy Ewen, David Weinstein, Jim Whittemore, Chris Vine, Werner Puntigam, William Schimmel.

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Daniel O’Sullivan

(Grumbling Fur, Guapo, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses, Ulver, Sunn O))), Æthenor, Laniakea, Miracle, Mothlite, and This Is Not This Heat.)

Music Richard Youngs - Ein Klein Nein Alabaster DePlume - Instrumentals Hildegard von Bingen - O Nobilissima Viriditas Francisco de Penalosa - Missa Ave Maria Peregrina Carlo Gesualdo - Responsoria 1611 Dirty Projectors - Five EPs Sonic Boom - All Things Being Equal Brother Peter Broderick - Blackberry Richard Horowitz - Eros Of Arabia Duncan Trussell Family Hour Cocteau Twins in the bath

Books/comics Alexander Tucker - Entity Reunion II Derek Jarman - Chroma Stephen Harrod Buhner - Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm The Penguin Book Of Irish Poetry - edited by Patrick Crotty The Gospel Of Ramakrishna - translated by Swami Nikhilananda Lucretius - De Rerum Natura Plotinus - Enneads Ram Dass - Grist For The Mill Lisa Brown - Phantom Twin

Other Fasting / meditation / macrodosing Walks in freshly coppiced woodland (for the smell mainly). Plants / Foraging / Growing Traditional ferments Douglas Sirk movies Mandolorian Writing songs on the piano Rediscovery of Kenneth Graham via my kids

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Karl O’Connor (Regis)

01.Wolfgang Press - Unremembered, Remembered 02. Klara Lewis - Ingrid Live at Fylkingen 03. Jesu - Terminus 04. Dave Ball - Leeds Poly Demos 1979 05. Edwin Pouncey - Rated Sav X (the Savage Pencil Skratchbook) 06. The Bug - In Blue 07. New Order - Power,Corruption and Lies ( Writing Sessions  ) 08. JG Thirlwell and Simon Steensland - Oscillospira 09. FM Einheit and Andreas Ammer - Hammerschlag 10. Thurston Moore - By The Fire 11. Body Stuff - Body Stuff 3 12. Ann M Hogan - Honeysuckle Burials 13. Rob Halford - Confess (Autobiography)

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Caleb Braaten (Sacred Bones Records)

Shirley Collins Hearts Ease Dehd Flowers Of Devotion Duma Duma Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways Green-House Six Songs for Invisible Gardens John Jeffery Passage Drew McDowall Agalma Sweeping Promises Hunger For a Way Out Colter Wall Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs Woods Strange to Explain

My Favorite 90’s Nostalgia Movie Rewatches

Colors Ghost Dog Menace II Society The Player Rounders Safe Starship Troopers Trees Lounge Vampires Waiting For Guffman

Most Culturally Bankrupt Year : 1997

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Charlie Looker

(composer, Psalm Zero, Extra Life, Seaven Teares)

Ten Things That Didn’t Happen in 2020

1.  I didn’t write a ton of new music. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote some. I always do. But mostly I focused on my new YouTube channel, essays, and on getting old recordings released. I haven’t even been working a day-job so I thought I was going to write my next Ring Cycle, but I really didn’t find Covid inspiring.

2.  Trump wasn’t re-elected. Cool.

3. I didn’t lose anyone to Covid. I am, of course, profoundly grateful for this. But I feel pretty embarrassed remembering group-texting ten friends in March, “We are all going to see a loved one die. Every single one of us. Don’t kid yourselves”. I can get hysterical, and that was somewhat irresponsible of me.

4.  No revolution happened. I don’t mean to be smug or cynical, or to belittle anyone’s participation in the protests. But, as far as I can tell, nothing happened in 2020 that promises to reduce police brutality or human suffering of any kind. We’ll see. That burning Minneapolis police station was exciting to watch at the time, if only on an aesthetic level.

5.  I have a stack of unread books I bought this year, just staring at me, with nary a crease among them. These include:

Adorno and Horkheimer, The Dialectic of Enlightenment (looks amazing, but I haven’t touched it) Marx, Grundrisse (it’s 1000 pages for fuck’s sake. Amazon also accidentally sent me two copies, and its double presence in the stack is just comical) Reza Negarestani, Intelligence and Spirit (the first 15 pages blew my mind, then my mind blew it off)

6.  I didn’t settle into living in LA. I moved here six months before Covid and I was just starting to cultivate some friendships and play shows. This was quashed and I still feel like I still live in New York. I still barely know the layout of the city here.

7.  No brand-new buzzy musical artists burst onto the scene, that I can recall. No new hyped micro-genre of the moment. There was just no way for there to be a hot new trend. I’d say that was refreshing, but it wasn’t.

8.  Tyson’s return was not awesome. Two minute rounds, ended in a draw. I’ve been getting way into boxing this past year. This fight was a bummer. I’m looking forward to Mayweather vs Logan Paul (LOL) because we know it’s comedy ahead of time.

9.  For three weeks in July, I didn’t do a single thing other than watch street fight compilations on YouTube and Worldstar. That’s just grim.

10.  There were no school shootings in March. Apparently, this was the first March with no school shootings since 2002. Not a single 7th grader got a hand job in March either. I cannot begin to imagine what it’s like to be a kid now.

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Chuck Bettis

https://chuckbettis.com

Other People's Music released this year:

Coil "Musick to Play in the Dark" (Dais)

Duma "s/t" (Nyege Nyege Tapes) Twig Harper "External Boundless Prison/ in 4 parts EP" (self-release) I.P.Y. (Ikue Mori, Phew, YoshimiO) "I.P.Y." (Tzadik) Kill Alters "A2B2 Live Stream 11/13/2020" (self-release) Krallice "Mass Cathexis" (self-release) Lust$ickPuppy "Cosmic Brownie" (self-release) Doug McKechnie "San Francisco Moog: 1968-72" (VG+ Records) Merlin Nova "Boo!" (self-release) Omrb "Milandthriust, The Graths of Mersh" (self-release) Akio Suzuki & Aki Onda "gi n ga" (self-release) Yoth Iria "Under His Sway" (Repulsive Echo) Wetware "Flail" (Dais)

My own music released this year:

collaborations

Chatter Blip "Microcosmopolitan" (Contour Editions) Matmos "The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form" (Thrill Jockey) Reverse Bullets  "Dreampop Dsyphoria" (self-release) Snake Union "live at Roulette" (self-release) Snake Union w/ Hisham Bharoocha, Bonnie Jones, Heejin Jang, Matthew Regula "Three Arrows" (Rat Route) Thomas Dimuzio "Balance" (Gench Music) YoshimiO & Chuck Bettis  "Live at the Stone" (Living Myth)

solo Chuck Bettis "Arc of Enlghtenment"  (Living Myth) Chuck Bettis "Motion Parallax"  (Living Myth)

compilation Various Artist "Polished Turds Vol.1" (Granpa)

Music Books read this year

"Intermediary Spaces" by Eliane Radigue/Julia Eckhardt (Umland) "Ennio Morricone In His Own Words" by Ennio Morricone/Alessandro De Rosa (Oxford University Press) "Free Jazz In Japan: A Personal History" by Soejima Teruto (Public Bath Press) "Rumors of Noizu: Hijokaidan and the Road to 2nd Damascus" by Kato David Hopkins (Public Bath Press)

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Maya Hardinge

(musician / artist)

list of things i liked this year

first ever solo road trip through new mexico and Texas right before lockdown experiencing manhattan with no cars on the road . having a car to escape in to nature. (which i craved so much) walks and bike rides with friends… FRIENDS! The web site ‘workaway’ that helped me feel that there were options for escape. playing games weekly on zoom during lock down teaching yoga weekly on zoom. Witnessing and being part of the BLM protests. witnessing and being part of the demise of T sitting on my couch at 6am drinking a cup of tea, appreciating my apt. making time to meditate. halloween without tourists .

some music I’ve bought and/or enjoyed this year Elvis Perkins-Black Coat Daughter Patricia Kokett -Soi soi Henning Christiansen - OP201 Bryce Hackford- Safe Svitlana Nianio and Oleksander - Snayesh yak? rozkazhy Brannten schnure - Sommer im Pfirsichhain Killing Joke - Nighttime David Shea - Tower of mirrors Shakey - Shakey Woodford halse tapes Coil - Musick to play in the dark

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BJ Nilsen

sound artist / composer

Work 2020

Despite Covid 19 lots of things actually did happen.

In Feburary I visited the only active nuclear plant in The Nederlands as part of my "Expanded Field Recording” project together with SML. In March revisited the Acousmonium at the Elevate Festival in Graz with an additional trip deep inside the Schlossberg recording old mining trains. In March and April I did two daily recording projects “Pending and Auditory Scenes” - both of Amsterdam during lockdown. In May did my first Zoom field recording workshop with the CAMP project. In June & July  two research trips in Waldviertel, Austria with Franz Pomassl. In August recorded bells and organs in 10 different churches around Amsterdam for Jacob Lekkerkerker. In September recorded Kali Malone at the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. Performed at Heart of Noise Festival in Innsbruck and A4 in Bratislava. Also went ice-skating for first time in 20? Years. In November and December I travelled to Jeju island to record field recordings for a project by Femke Herregraven for the Gwangju Biennale, commissioned for 2021. Did lots of gardening, released two tapes “Call it Philips, Eindoven” and “Zomer 2020” with Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson. NOW! Looking forward to 2021.

http://bjnilsen.info https://soundcloud.com/bjnilsen/sets/auditory-scenes-amsterdam

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Vicki Bennett

(People Like Us)

Negativland - True False https://negativland.com/products/truefalse-cd (this came out last year but is so THIS year) Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/rough-and-rowdy-ways/ The Soft Pink Truth - We from Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase https://thesoftpinktruth.bandcamp.com/album/shall-we-go-on-sinning-so-that-grace-may-increase Carl Stone - Stolen Car https://unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/stolen-car Porest - Sedimental Gurney https://porest.bandcamp.com/album/sedimental-gurney Matmos - The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form https://matmos.bandcamp.com/album/the-consuming-flame-open-exercises-in-group-form Domenique Dumont - Miniatures De Auto Rhythm https://antinoterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/atn044-domenique-dumont-miniatures-de-auto-rhythm The The - See Without Being Seen https://www.thethe.com/product/see-without-being-seen-cd/ Ciggy de la Noche - Hold Tight HMRC https://soundcloud.com/ciggydelanoche/hold-tight-hmrc Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams http://www.neilcic.com/mouthdreams/

and my details: http://peoplelikeus.org/ https://peoplelikeus-vickibennett.bandcamp.com/ pic: http://peoplelikeus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Welcome-Abroad-promo3-2-scaled.jpg

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DJ Food

Music - Type 303 - Sticky Disco / Analogue Acidbath 7" (45 Live) The British Space Group - The Ley of the Land CD (Wyrd Britain) Squarepusher - Be Up A Hello LP / Warp 10 NTS mix (Warp) dgoHn - Undesignated Proximate (Modern Love) LF58 - Alterazione LP (Astral Industries) Robert Fripp - Music For Quiet Moments series (DGM) Run The Jewels - RTJ4 (BMG) Simf Onyx - Magenta Skyline / The Unresolved 7" (Delights) Luke Vibert - Modern Rave LP (Hypercolour) JG Thirlwell & Simon Steensland - Oscillospira (Ipecac) Aural Design - Looking & Seeing 7" / DL (Russian Library) Luke Vibert - Rave Hop (Hypercolour) Clipping. with Christopher Fleeger - Double Live (Sub Pop) APAT - Terry Riley's 'In C' performed on Modular Synthesizer (YouTube) Field Lines Cartographer - The Spectral Isle LP (Castles In Space) Jane Weaver - The Revolution of Super Visions single (Fire Records) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G. LP (Flightless) Humanoid - Hed-Set - forthcoming on (De:tuned)

Film / TV - Inside No.9 (BBC) What We Do In The Shadows Season 2 (Netflix) Tales From The Loop (Amazon) Keith Haring - Street Art Boy (BBC) John Was Trying To Contact Aliens (Netflix) The Social Dilemma (Netflix) The Mandalorian (Season 2) (Disney+) Long Hot Summers - The Style Council documentary (Sky Arts) Zappa (Alex Winter)

Books / Comics / Magazines Confessions of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell (Profile books) The Often Wrong - Farel Dalrymple (Image Comics) Edwin Pouncey - Rated SavX (Strange Attractor Press) Jeffrey Lewis - Fuff (all issues - really late to the party on this one) Rian Hughes - XX - A Novel, Graphic (Picador) Cosey Fanni Tutti - Art, Sex, Music (Faber) Caza - Kris Kool (Passenger Press) Dan Lish - Egostrip Vol.1 Electronic Sound magazine Decorum - Jonathan Hickman & Mike Huddleston (Image) John Higgs - Stranger Than We Can Imagine Simon Halfon - Cover To Cover (Nemperor)

Very few exhibitions or shows this year for obvious reasons

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[thecrownnet]

Hollywood Critics Association Nominees for Best Actor in a Streaming Series Drama Anthony Mackie - #TheFalconAndWinterSoldier (Disney+) Josh O’ Connor - #TheCrown (Netflix) Karl Urban - #TheBoys (Amazon Prime Video) Pedro Pascal - #TheMandalorian (Disney+) Regé-Jean Page - #Bridgerton (Netflix)

[sweetdreamsjeff]

The night Jeff Buckley played Trinity Ball, after watching the Late Late

RTÉ to broadcast documentary of singer performing his first gig outside the US

Fri, Nov 11, 2016

From The Smiths at Dundalk’s Fairways Hotel to Nirvana playing the Top Hat in Dún Laoghaire and David Bowie in the Baggot Inn, there are some concerts that have become a thing of wonder.

But Jeff Buckley’s appearance at the 1992 Trinity Ball is perhaps the most mystifying of them all.

Buckley arrived in Dublin in May of that year as a complete unknown. He had no promoter, no manager, no record deal, no album to sell and had never before performed outside the US.

He had only just begun performing at Sin-é, the tiny Irish cafe in New York’s East Village where he would make his name.

It would be more than two years before his acclaimed debut album, Grace, was released. So, how did this singer from Anaheim, California – whose early death would later make him an icon – end up performing in front of oblivious students dressed in tuxedos and dinner dresses?

Incredibly, there is footage of the show.

For nearly 25 years, this recording – on a beat-up Scotch videotape – has been boxed away. The footage features a young Buckley strolling around College Green, watching the fireworks to mark Trinity’s 400th year celebrations and walking in-shot of then President Mary Robinson.

Totally forgot

The tape also includes his full five-song set, shot from the side of stage. That night, he played an eclectic set of covers that consisted of songs by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Porter Wagoner and Van Morrison.

The man who filmed it was a Dubliner named Michael Murphy, then working as an A&R scout for the now defunct record label, Imago.

“I totally forgot that I had recorded that show,” he says. “I would imagine it’s the first ever Jeff Buckley solo show that was filmed.” Murphy has no plans to release the footage although he has allowed some of the audio to be used in an RTÉ radio documentary that I have made.

We’re sat in the sitting room of Murphy’s parents’ house. He brought Buckley to Ireland, and he stayed in this house.

“He sat where you’re sat and watched The Late Late Show with my parents before going to do the gig,” Murphy says with a smile.

Murphy emigrated to New York in early 1992 and first encountered Buckley playing in a band called Gods and Monsters.

“He left Gods and Monsters shortly after the show that I saw. That’s when he began playing in Sin-é as a solo act.”

Sin-é was a tiny coffee shop in the East Village that was set up by two Irish emigrants, Shane Doyle and Karl Geary. It sold bad coffee by day but, by night, it became something special.

No audience

Irish acts passing through – such as Shane MacGowan and Sinéad O’Connor – would often perform impromptu sets, while local residents Allen Ginsberg, Iggy Pop and Gabriel Byrne were regulars. Thirty people would see it packed.

Buckley had played there at least once before, with Glen Hansard in August 1991. He had met Hansard after answering an advertisement in Los Angeles to perform with The Commitments, who were on a promotional tour for the US release of the movie.

This gig brought him to Sin-é and, in April 1992, he took over a Monday night residency.

“He was the guy you went to see anytime that you were free,” says Murphy. “Every night that Jeff was playing, we went down. And there were times when the audience was five or six people. So, you’re seeing somebody very early in their career. They’re not playing to an audience, because there is no audience.”

Murphy and and Imago’s head of A&R (artists and repertoire), Kate Hyman, were convinced of Buckley’s potential, and Murphy, a Trinity graduate, got in touch with its then entertainments officer, Colm O’Dwyer.

Buckley flew to Dublin on May 14th.

“Most people when they come for such a short period of time would bring a rucksack with some clothes, but Jeff was standing at Dublin Airport in his Sex Pistols T-shirt and he had this big, New York-style ghetto blaster that he had brought for two-and-a-half days in Dublin.

“We drove to the Boyne Valley to see Newgrange. We then went to see old monastic ruins, stopped in Slane for something to eat and he was just good company. He wasn’t this laid-back guy, though.

“I remember him asking my brother not to smoke in the car because he wanted to look after his voice. He was very focused.”

In the hours before his early-morning set at the Trinity Ball, rather than go out in Dublin, Buckley stayed home.

“I had organised a dinner in town with some music industry people that had flown in and I invited Jeff along, but he said, ‘No, is it okay if I stay here with your mum and dad?’ So, instead of going out for this showbiz dinner, he elected to stay here, sitting at the kitchen table, to watch The Late Late Show with Mum and Dad.”

Intimate space

The late-stage times at the Trinity Ball meant that Buckley was on around midnight. Watching the footage, it’s notable how the crowd thins out by the time Buckley ends his set.

He would later tell journalists that he was drawn to Sin-é because he wanted to learn how to move crowds in an intimate space.

“If I can’t move two or three people in a room,” he would say, “then what’s the point?”

After the Trinity Ball, Buckley spent more than a year playing regularly at the cafe. Murphy was at many of those shows but could not convince the owner of Imago, Terry Ellis, to sign Buckley.

“My exact recollection of Terry’s statement was, ‘We don’t need a spaced-out poet who doesn’t write his own songs on the label’. ”

Sony Columbia signed Buckley on a three-album, million-dollar deal in October 1992. Murphy quit Imago shortly after.

Buckley made three further visits to Dublin, before his death, aged 30. He died after drowning in the Mississippi River on May 29th, 1997, leaving only one complete album behind.

Were he alive today, he would turn 50 this November 17th.

“He was such a fun guy to be around,” says Murphy. “He was as good as his music. He was as nice a person as his music.

“I hear Jeff in so much music now,” he adds. “And how great is that. That this skinny little white guy, in the big shirt at the Trinity Ball, went on to leave this incredible legacy.”

Steve Cummins’ documentary, Sin-é: Jeff Buckley’s Irish Odyssey, will be broadcast on RTÉ Radio One on Saturday, November 12th at 2pm as part of the Documentary on One. Visit rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2016/1104/829140-sin-e-jeff-buckleys-irish-odyssey/ to listen back

Jeff playing at the Trinity Ball 1992 📷 by Alison Rogers

Jeff with Michael Murphy (back left) and friends. 📷 Catherine McRae