Wilgira

Been awhile since I did a friend of the show post. My old buddy Keif, from WALTZ BOP SHOP was in a very cool band after our break-up. Wilgira allowed Keif to go more out than WALTZ ever went. Just saw that their stuff is on bandcamp. Check it out.

 

Putting the links for other music below, for your convenience. 

You can, of course, browse through the pages for artists. 

aboombong: apophenia

aboombong: asynartetic

aboombong: AGNOSIS
ABOOMBONG: articulations

ABOOMBONG: Aprhonesis
ABOOMBONG: adumbral

ABOOMBONG: anaphora

ABOOMBONG: atrophic

ABOOMBONG: admixture

ABOOMBONG: amnemonic
ABOOMBONG: asynchronic
ABOOMBONG: aboombong

Boom Dispenser: A Chronic Groove Feeder

dustdevil & crow: accidental music

dustdevil & crow : .​.​.​and chuang tzu dreamed that he was me
dustdevil & crow: while speaking softly you can hear the insects sing
ABOOMBONG (w/ dustdevil & crow): Taking Blue Mountain by Stages

AZWARM: shelter
AZWARM: a morning's work

¡para!helion: Midaq Alley
¡para!helion: 3 Miles From Mecca
¡para!helion: >3
¡para!helion: When Technology Fails
¡para!helion: Harpers Bizarre Film Festival
Icastico: The-ambient-Sundae bar
Icastico: Étude for Six Mirrored Hands

Blotter: Once and Again - Minus Four - in Stereono
Blotter: Sludge the Butcher
Blotter: Songs for Mommy
DJJ: Throw it out there, not away

Psychic Enemies Network: Valis (with bonus tracks)
Psychic Enemies Network: P.E.N. (with bonus tracks)

Punk; No-wave; Post-punk, etc.
Thorn: solace of noise

Waltz Bop Shop: All My Idears are Flawed in Sum Way + Quartet
Waltz Bop Shop: Name Dropping at Angela's and Melting
Waltz Bop Shop: All my idears are played live today
Waltz Bop Shop: A whisper in the airwaves

The Jonny Cats: Last- Ode to Sergio
The Johnny Cats: Burns Rubber 7"
Swayback: Outer Space Tonight

AOS: Rip It up! + live tracks
AOS: live and Raw in the Pit also (some cleaned-up live tracks)
Shoegaze; Rock; etc.
Choke: Choke (e.p.)
Choke: Hard to Swallow
Choke: Gauze/Total Reverence
[redacted]: left blank
Super Naam: two rough cuts

Cat, Canary & the Grins

Cat, Canary + the Grins is the latest project from Clay Christopher Harris. I can think of no one who better fits the term "outsider musician" than Clay. Clay collaborated with Keif from Waltz Bop Shop in Gehenna Noi$e Choir in the 1980's and has stayed true to that form since.This is a soundcloud sampler. 

Also check out his previous project Shiny Brites



Take the time to let this sink in...then listen again. You won't be disappointed.

Thanksgiving - giving music

 Happy Thanksgiving all. Just thought I would post the download links to all the music available here on Pen & Mallet. Not sure how many hours worth it ends up, but it would take ya all Thanksgiving day to listen to it, at least.

 ambient; experimental; noise; drone; improv; dream pop, warped, psych-folk, etc. 
ABOOMBONG: anaphora

ABOOMBONG: atrophic

ABOOMBONG: admixture

ABOOMBONG: amnemonic 
ABOOMBONG: asynchronic 
ABOOMBONG: aboombong 
ABOOMBONG (w/ dustdevil & crow): Taking Blue Mountain by Stages 
dustdevil & crow: accidental music

dustdevil & crow : .​.​.​and chuang tzu dreamed that he was me
dustdevil & crow: while speaking softly you can hear the insects sing 
Boom Dispenser: A Chronic Groove Feeder 
AZWARM: shelter 
AZWARM: a morning's work 
¡para!helion: Midaq Alley 
¡para!helion: 3 Miles From Mecca
¡para!helion: >3
¡para!helion: When Technology Fails
¡para!helion: Harpers Bizarre Film Festival
Icastico: The-ambient-Sundae bar 
Icastico: Étude for Six Mirrored Hands
Blotter: Once and Again - Minus Four - in Stereono 
Blotter: Sludge the Butcher
Blotter: Songs for Mommy
Psychic Enemies Network: Valis (with bonus tracks)
Psychic Enemies Network: P.E.N. (with bonus tracks)

Punk; No-wave; Post-punk, etc.
Waltz Bop Shop: All My Idears are Flawed in Sum Way + Quartet
Waltz Bop Shop: Name Dropping at Angela's and Melting
Waltz Bop Shop: All my idears are played live today
Waltz Bop Shop: A whisper in the airwaves
The Jonny Cats: Last- Ode to Sergio
The Johnny Cats: Burns Rubber 7"
Swayback: Outer Space Tonight
AOS: Rip It up! + live tracks
AOS: live and Raw in the Pit also (some cleaned-up live tracks)
DJJ: Throw it out there, not away

Shoegaze; Rock; etc.
Choke: Choke (e.p.)
Choke: Hard to Swallow
Choke: Gauze/Total Reverence
[redacted]: left blank 
Super Naam: two rough cuts

 Most of these links will allow you to download in FLAC, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. Let me know if you have a request for a FLAC/WAV version of any of the other MP3 only files.

Splayfeet - live August 11th, 1988

Back in the 80's I was a founding member of Splayfeet. I came up with the name and pretended that I would be able to play bass and guitar. They wisely kicked me out after the 2nd rehearsal and then became one of my favorite bands. This is a video of a concert at the same venue, The Corbett Center Pit, where A.O.S. was playing in this video. The band name and the bass line from the second track are the only evidence of my involvement in the project. Splayfeet features Mark Earnest (of Dirt Communion, Mr. Vague, The Young Pros), David Liso (from Choke), Rodney Cupp (of Waltz Bop Shop, Cranky), and Jon Nicholls. Also, watch for Dave Chavez from The Jonny Cats and his bitchin' pimp hat taking care of sound. Thanks to David Liso for posting this over at the internet archive(click on the link if the embedded player doesn't work...it's been acting kinda wonky).

Waltz Bop Shop

A bilingual interview with the smart-ass drummer from Waltz Bop Shop over at Daily Music - Cup of Sound. Also includes a video so you can look at a picture while you listen to the album "The Quartet."

Speaking in Tongues: Waltz Bop Shop Live @ Wavy Brain (video)

This one is from 1994 (95?). A show at the height of Waltz Bop Shop's Math-Punk Noisiness. A fun show dedicated to Marc Bolan with all the bands doing at least one cover penned by Bolan. Held in Wavy Brain Video (RIP). Features some good shots of the hardest working guitar amp in Albuquerque: Grant's Marshall. Enjoy.





And, of course - the mandatory plug for the new aboombong: asynchronic. Available (set your own price) in pretty much any digital format you could want.

Wil Gira: Math Rock from WBS guitarist Keif Henley

Wil Gira was a band Keif put together in the final years of Waltz Bop Shop. This is a recording of a show that I recorded for them at a house party they played with WBS (see last post for a WBS song from that party).

Artist: Wil Gira
Album: Live on Arno
Players:
Jeff G - Bass
Mike D - Drums
Joey F - Trombone
Keif H - Guitar


Tracklist:
1)Fellini Circus
2)Herpetology
3)In the Dancing Cage
4)Next

Jeff G is also featured below in DJJ. He tells me that this is the only recorded version of In the Dancing Cage. Available in WAV, FLAC,Ogg Vorbis, MP3. Enjoy.

Waltz Bop Shop: Name Dropping at Angela's and Melting

Today we have the final two tracks that will be posted from Waltz Bop Shop (although there is a concert on video tape that I might take the time to digitize at some point). The first song, And Melting was recorded at a house party in my living room (stay tuned for more from Wil Gira, who also played). The other is an A Capella version of Name Dropping At Angela's that Jenette recorded at my house in the mountains after Waltz Bop Shop had broken up. The spoken word piece overdubbed onto And Melting was recorded on the same day and is a reading of an excerpt from a short story I published in the mid 90's.

Release: Two Tracks, one recorded live at a house party (199?).
The Players:
Keif Henley on Guitar
Rodney Cupp on Bass
Me -Drum kit
Jenette Isaacson on vocals/spoken word.
Spoken word on "And Melting" overdubbed later...


Track List:
1) And Melting
2) Name Dropping At Angela's (A Capella Mix)

Enjoy.

Cranky: Our Cupp runneth over

For Waltz Bop Shop fans (our most popular attraction so far here at Pen & Mallet), today we have the current work of WBS's bass player- Cranky. This includes a great version of the WBS classic..."Please Yourself!"(from All my idears are played live today).

Album: Cranky - complete work so far
Style: electro-minimalism? Lo-fi High-brow?
Players: Uncle Dewdrop Pony (vocals, programming)

Serving up FLAC all day

As promised, lossless FLAC versions of recordings posted here at Pen & Mallet.

ABOOMBONG: aboombong
Waltz Bop Shop: All My Idears are Flawed in Sum Way + Quartet
Waltz Bop Shop: Name Dropping at Angela's and Melting
Choke: Choke (e.p.)
Choke: Hard to Swallow
Choke: (video) Live AIDS benefit Show
The Jonny Cats: Last- Ode to Sergio
Swayback: Outer Space Tonight
AOS: Rip It up! + live tracks
Psychic Enemies Network: Valis (with bonus tracks)

These links will, of course, also allow you to download in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis. Let me know if you have a request for a FLAC version of any of the other files already posted.

Waltz Bop Shop: Live on KUNM, the quartet, Grant's Marshall

Today we have music from phases 2 and 3 of Waltz Bop Shop.

Grant's Marshall:
Throughout my musical career I have had a lot of collaborators. Interestingly, the collaborator that has been involved in the most music was not a person, but a piece of equipment: Grant Garner's 2x12 50 watt Marshall guitar amp. Our first encounter was in Las Cruces New Mexico in the hardcore band Cattle Mutilators (with Dave Lamb from AOS) back in 1984-5. Next came Seizure Disorder and a series of guerrilla punk performances by the Archbishops Talent Exposure Collective (ATEC). These ATEC performances were a series of one-off groups with the mission statement "We never rehearse, we only perform." ATEC productions included a couple of infamous feedback drenched gigs in El Paso, Texas: The Exploding Archbishops opening for Tex and The Horseheads, and Fucked Up Nancy opening for Agent Orange and Blood on the Saddle. (Quote from a Horsehead. "We just did a gig with Jesus and Mary Chain. You guys are way better, and you're not assholes." That made me laugh). ATEC also produced The Asphalt Hamsters, Wargasm, Live Rat Pasties, The Cabbage Farmers, Harriet and The Matches (recording to follow), Legends in Our Own House, and others that I am sure I am forgetting and Grant's Marshall was there for them all. When I moved back to Albuquerque and Choke formed, Grant's Marshall was there again. Choke shared a rehearsal space with The Jonny Cats, Pueblo Dogs, a couple of reggae bands, and Waltz Bop Shop (and its predecessor Scat: A Logical Dog with Jon Jarden on vocals) and Grant's Marshall became the house guitar amp and got dragged to gigs by all the bands - playing for thousands of Albuquerque music fans. The fact that a large portion of these gigs did not involve Grant in any way is a testament to his generosity. Thanks Grant.

But, now to the music.

Waltz Bop Shop Phase 2:
Phase 2 of Waltz Bop Shop begins when Grant's Marshall leaves the picture and Keif buys a Fender Super Twin Reverb from my brother. With the cleaner sound of the Fender, the jazz elements that were always present in Waltz Bop Shop's work came to the forefront. From phase 2 we have two albums of live material that were both recorded on KUNM's Ear to the Ground. The first primarily features songs from All My Idears are Flawed in Sum Way, and the second includes songs from across the Waltz Bop Shop catalog.

Get All my idears are played live today

Tracklist:
1) Dress Code at Tito's
2) Kenneth! What's the Frequency
3) Self-congratulatory Non-conformist
4) Liquid Gang
5) Evening News
6) Feeble (Live)
7) Please yourself
8) One and three quarters
9) Tell ANYONE else

Get A whisper in the airwaves

Tracklist:
1) untitled
2) Tax Shelter
3) Tapeleader
4) Samba Groovie
5) small talk
6) Tower Jazz Song
7) Vegetarianism
8) We'll be leaving soon
9) Michael Dummett
10) Forgotten title

Waltz Bop Shop Phase 3:
Phase 3 of Waltz Bop Shop starts when we talked our good friend Jenette Isaacson into joining the group as a vocalist. Jenette was and is an actress active in local theatre (you may have seen her in a couple of movies too: Suspect Zero and Made in USA), and she brought a much needed dose of flair to our live show with her commanding stage presence. We only recorded 5 songs with Jenette. Which is too bad, because by the time Waltz Bop Shop final broke up in the late 90's, the stuff we were doing with Jenette was some of the best stuff the band had ever done. The recordings below (which I like a lot) give a glimmer of that later greater work.

Waltz Bop Shop (Phase Three):
Jenette Isaacson- vocals
Keif Henley - Guitar
Rodney Cupp - Bass
me - drum kit

Get The Quartet

Tracklist:
1) Name Dropping At Angela's
2) Midnight Drive
3) Insatiable
4) Sand Walker
5) We've Got A Problem
6) 3 by 5 stutter (bonus track)

Whew...

Waltz Bop Shop: All my idears are flawed in sum way

Album: All my idears are flawed in sum way
Style: post-punk proto-math-rock with a good dose of no-wave
Limited release cassette from 1994

Waltz Bop Shop:
Keif Henley- Guitar, rants, crying
Rodney Cupp - Bass, vocals, lyrics (aka Cranky)
Me- drum kit, samples

I am a terrible record keeper. My copy of the cassette master for this release has no cover, no information about recording date, and no song titles. I tried to remember the track names, but I know I got some of them wrong. I am guessing on the date based on the track Kenneth! What's the frequency? That cursed REM song came out a few months after we recorded Kenneth...and they couldn't even get the phrase right. Of course, Game Theory beat us to it by about 7 years anyway, so who are we to complain.

Update:
My much more together compatriot Rodney has sent me the corrected song titles (see below). I have updated the file names at the internet archive as well...looks like I only got 2 out of 8 right.

Tracklist:

1. Self-Congratulatory Non-Conformist

2. Tax Shelter
3. Kenneth! What's the Frequency
4. 8 1/2
5. Dress Code at Tito's
6. Liquid Gang
7. Evening News
8. Feeble (Kiss Me Boy! Kiss Me!)

Get it (FLAC,Ogg Vorbis,mp3) or original post.


Note: the player plays the whole album

covers: Waltz Bop Shop & Jonny Cats

Playing covers of other people's songs has never been a big part of any of the bands I have been in over the years. Today's post contains a couple of exceptions to that rule.

Up first is a cover of the T-Rex classic Liquid Gang performed by Waltz Bop Shop and recorded at KUNM. Waltz Bop Shop was a trio (and later a quartet) and was the longest lived project I have been involved in. Spanning most of the 90's Waltz Bop Shop played proto-math-rock and fractured jazz with a decidedly quirky mix of pop and experimental sensibilities.

Track: Liquid Gang
(from the cassette: All my idears are flawed in sum way)
Players:
Keif Henley - guitar
Rodney Cupp, ph.d. - bass, vocals, piano intro
me- drum kit

Get it here (@192)

Up next is a cover of Gun Club's Sex Beat by the infamous Jonny Cats. The Jonny Cats tore through the Albuquerque scene alongside bands like The Drags in the mid-90's playing surf-beat-cow-punk-mutherfucker. The Jonny Cats would have been household names if it weren't for a focused dedication to all of the most self-destructive aspects of the rock-n-roll life style. This track was recorded for a compilation cd that never happened.

Track: Sex Beat (unreleased)
The Jonny Cats were:
Kenta Henmi - lead guitar (now in The Violenta)
Dave Chavez - bass
Jonny Jarden - vocals, nudity
Jonny Reed - guitar
Johnny T- drum kit

Get it here (@ 192)

More tunes from both bands will follow.