The Way of The Riff: Contemplators Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance) and Al Cisneros (Om) discuss roots, rock, rhythm and chess (Arthur, 2007)

Originally published in Arthur No. 27 (Dec 2007)

Artwork by Arik Roper
Introduction by Daniel Chamberlin

My favorite story about Om, the bass and drum duo of Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius—the rhythm section of now defunct drone metal icons Sleep—takes place on the back patio of Los Angeles club The Echo. It’s a cool winter night in 2007 and we’re all gathered here—hippie goners, young punks, indie rock squares—to take in a few breaths of fresh air before the band takes to the stage inside. One group stands out from the crowd: two women and a guy who are having a whale of a time, gesticulating wildly and laughing like crazy. At one point the dude approaches a hipster who’s nervously dragging on a toothpick joint. Our man offers his flask to the young fellow and a confusing exchange takes place: I can tell that he’s looking to swap quaff for toke, but for some reason he’s having trouble communicating this. I catch on about the same time the stoner does, giving up the doobie to the guy and his gal pals: They’re deaf, this happy trio of Om heads. That’s how deep the band’s sensual, mantra-like music goes.

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DAILY MAGPIE – ongoing until Feb 28 – The New Dark Age

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The New Dark Age

Feb 5 – Feb 28

Deitch Gallery, 76 Grand St, New York

Interdisciplinary artist Ben Jones of the Paper Rad art collective has an ultra-neon, hyper-real, flashing 3D freak out world on display at Deitch Gallery until the 28th.  The exhibit includes video, sculpture, drawings, paintings all in seizure-inducing colors.

It’ll probably be like drowning in this Youtube video

DAILY MAGPIE – Feb 15 – Brooklyn Record Riot

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Sunday, Feb 15, 12-6

at the Warsaw, 261 Driggs Ave, Greenpoint

$3

 

Better get out the elbow pads for some record geek jostling this Sunday at the third installment of the Brooklyn Record Riot.  Over 40 dealers will be selling more vinyl than you could ever possibly afford.  But that’s no reason not to go look.

Comfort your post-Valentines-Day depression with beer and Keilbasa from the Warsaw, multiple DJs, and the knowledge that you probably aren’t the only one there who didn’t get laid last night..

And if you really want to get the best gems, 20 bucks will get you early entry at 10am.

Sneak a peek at Dave Tompkins' vocoder book

New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones has an excerpt from Arthur contributor Dave Tompkins’ long-awaited book about the vocoder up on his blog. Tompkins connects the dots between Cher, T-Pain, Holger Czukay, and the classic Cylons, sprinkling in ample quotes from Bell Technical Journal along the way. Go read “Unvoiced Hiss Energy” over at the New Yorker. And keep an eye out for Tompkins’ book, due out next spring on Stop Smiling Books/Melville House.

P.S. Tompkins’ infamous interview with Godzilla appeared back in Arthur #10, which is currently available in the Arthur Store.

Help grow the Arthur Magazine website and online community

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Arthur Magazine online publisher and satellite UNIVERSAL MUTANT is looking for interns seeking experience on projects in interactive media, film and independent print publishing. Work with Arthurmag.com contributing editor Dan Chamberlin and Will Swofford to curate our “DAILY MAGPIE” blog column and the growing ARTHUR TV brand. Starts immediately – four days a week. Unpaid. Serious inquiries only – email editor@universalmutant.com

(Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn)

Serpent Power on A Journey Round My Skull

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FROM IAN NAGOSKI:


Philadelphian Will Schofield’s monumentally great A Journey Round My Skull blog (named for the first-person Hungarian account of early 20th century brain surgery) of “Unhealthy Book Fetishism” has long relished in the intensity of the gaze, a combination of fascination and repugnance which is almost psychedelic in its insistence.

His most recent posts have artfully combined lustfully sought-after images with utterly maniacal texts, so that the image here is given with with a longer section of this text called “The Process of Slow Digestion” by Mileton Barba.

“Dr. Spasmodeus Smugglington shrank back, his skin shriveled and every hair on his body bristled, his nerves contracted, his guts drew taut, when he saw the little red eyes, brilliant as rubies, and the shiny, bifurcated tongue, its movements accelerated by excitement, darting, zig-zagging wildly in a bold, vertiginous arc”

Dig through the archives and be jealous, amazed, confused and sickened in turns or simultaneously by Schofield’s research. But watch for whatever he does next.

DAILY MAGPIE – February 12th at ZEBULON

Have you heard Skeletons‘ new album Money yet? If not, pick up the gatefold LP version and open it for a little surprise courtesy of apocalyptic soothsayer/painter Justin Craun. Then listen to it and allow your mind to spread and wander…over to Zebulon on February 12th… to see it in the flesh, like this, alongside their comrades in arms Zs.

Date & Time: Thursday, February 12th – 9PM
Venue: ZEBULON (BROOKLYN)
Location: 258 Wythe Avenue between N. 3rd and Metropolitan / Brooklyn, NY 11211
Price: Free

DAILY MAGPIE – February 13th at CINDERS GALLERY

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Maya Hayuk, creator of the “Mallard’s-head-and-reindeer-pummel on a rainbow dagger” ARTHUR t-shirt, is a dynamic and prolific painter, drawer, muralist, collaborator, and beacon of good vibes for the new century and beyond. Her new paintings have totally been blowing my mind. If you’re in New York, be sure to check out her opening at Cinders Gallery. Don’t let the fact that it’s on Friday the 13th freak you out – these paintings create a force field of positive energy that even Jason or Freddie couldn’t penetrate.

Date & Time: Opening Friday, February 13th 7-10PM. Closing March 15th.
Venue: CINDERS GALLERY (BROOKLYN)
Location: 103 Havemayer St. / Brooklyn, NY 11211
Price: Free

To see more of Maya’s work, visit http://www.mayahayuk.com