Washed Out/Small Black/Pictureplane:
03-06 Hartford, CT - The Wadsworth Atheneum ^
03-07 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
03-08 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
03-09 Philadelphia, PA - The Barbary
03-10 Baltimore, MD - Floristree
03-11 Washington, DC - DC9
03-12 Charlottesville, VA - Tea Bazaar
03-14 Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
03-15 New Orleans, LA - The Den
03-17 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-18 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-19 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-20 Austin, TX - SXSW
03-24 Phoenix, AZ - The Black Forest Mill
03-25 San Diego, CA - Sushi Arts
03-26 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex *
03-28 San Francisco, CA - Riskshaw Shop
03-29 Portland, OR - Holocene #
03-30 Vancouver, British Columbia - Media Club $
03-31 Seattle, WA - The Vera Project
04-02 Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
04-05 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
04-06 Detroit, MI - The Cafe
04-07 Toronto, Ontario - Wrongbar $
04-08 Montreal, Quebec - Il Motore $
^ with Tanlines
* with YACHT
# with Tobbacco, the Hood Internet
$ without Pictureplane
In no particular order:
10. Genesis P-Orridge: 30 Years Of Being Cut Up
A thirty-year retrospective of P-Orridge's photo montage and collage "cut up" work. Beginning with pieces made during his/her collaborative relationship with Brion Gysin in the 70s to the successful alchemical fusion of body and mind with performance artist Lady Jaye Breyer, the exhibition was an incredible window into the mind and soul of an original and unorthodox genius. Truly sick.
9. Small Black
I was lucky enough to meet and play two shows with these dudes, and they blew me away. They sound like some sort of alternative cool kid house party that takes place in a movie from the 90s. A house party where everything goes right, you get the girl and jump in the pool with all your clothes on. Like the video for the Smashing Pumpkins' "1979".
8. Narwhalz (of Sound) at SXSW 2009
"If you hate someone in the art book store, you punch them in the fucking face!" This is real life. A true chaos magician. What life is all about. Puking on an art tour.
7. "Witch House"
2009 was the beginning of the "witch house" style. Also known as "black house" or "occult house." Coined and popularized by SHAMS and myself, two practitioners and advocators of the witch house movement. Mark our words, 2010 will be straight up witchy. Check the fabulously dark "In Your Eyes" by Denver/Amsterdam band Modern Witch, "Pillow Talk" by SHAMS, or the music video for "Goth Star" for examples of the witch house aesthetic.
6. Tearist
Bleeding over the lines of performance art and proto industrial dark wave while sounding totally fresh, unique, and mysterious, Tearist are in a world of their own creation. Its not goth, its not industrial, its just (white) magic. Probably my favorite band out right now. What up Los Angeles!
5. Wierd Records
I was just in New York chillin' with SHAMS and found myself in a dark basement bar filled with fog, a single red light, and cool creepy people dancing to all sorts of obscure cold wave minimal synth music. The night is put on every week by Wierd Records. Wierd puts out records of amazing bands like LED ER EST and Xeno and Oaklander, and seem to be at the cutting edge of the next wave of dark minimal synth bands. Seriously some true underground and wicked shit.
4. Katy Perry: "I Kissed a Girl (Rusko Chapstick Mix)"
I am not really a Katy Perry fan (I don't know anything about her, or care really), but Rusko is my shit. Something about this remix is so now. Pop and rap work so well over dubstep, in 2010 shit is going to sound like this on the radio here in America. Guaranteed. And I'm excited.
3. House of Ladosha: "Burning Like Paris"
Queer sex positive gender smashing crunk rap? Sign me up please. This shit is CULT. "Up in the club like a motherfucking cunt." What's up New York! The revolution is near.
2. Denver Bands/People
BDRMPPL, Alphabets, Josephine and the Mousepeople, Hideous Men, Hollagramz, Tit Wrench Crew, Sonic Bonk, Rhinoceropolis, and many many others... you are family and inspiration. Thanks for an amazing year.
1. HEALTH
Getting to go on two tours in 2009 with these dudes was an incredible experience. I have never met a more dedicated and professional band who are so true to a vision and yet so humble and down to earth. I owe a lot to these guys. Watching them blow minds consistently night after night was something I wont soon forget. One of the best bands doing it right now. They are going to drop a dark side. Watch. Splash!
9. Small Black
I was lucky enough to meet and play two shows with these dudes, and they blew me away. They sound like some sort of alternative cool kid house party that takes place in a movie from the 90s. A house party where everything goes right, you get the girl and jump in the pool with all your clothes on. Like the video for the Smashing Pumpkins' "1979".
8. Narwhalz (of Sound) at SXSW 2009
"If you hate someone in the art book store, you punch them in the fucking face!" This is real life. A true chaos magician. What life is all about. Puking on an art tour.
7. "Witch House"
2009 was the beginning of the "witch house" style. Also known as "black house" or "occult house." Coined and popularized by SHAMS and myself, two practitioners and advocators of the witch house movement. Mark our words, 2010 will be straight up witchy. Check the fabulously dark "In Your Eyes" by Denver/Amsterdam band Modern Witch, "Pillow Talk" by SHAMS, or the music video for "Goth Star" for examples of the witch house aesthetic.
6. Tearist
Bleeding over the lines of performance art and proto industrial dark wave while sounding totally fresh, unique, and mysterious, Tearist are in a world of their own creation. Its not goth, its not industrial, its just (white) magic. Probably my favorite band out right now. What up Los Angeles!
5. Wierd Records
I was just in New York chillin' with SHAMS and found myself in a dark basement bar filled with fog, a single red light, and cool creepy people dancing to all sorts of obscure cold wave minimal synth music. The night is put on every week by Wierd Records. Wierd puts out records of amazing bands like LED ER EST and Xeno and Oaklander, and seem to be at the cutting edge of the next wave of dark minimal synth bands. Seriously some true underground and wicked shit.
4. Katy Perry: "I Kissed a Girl (Rusko Chapstick Mix)"
I am not really a Katy Perry fan (I don't know anything about her, or care really), but Rusko is my shit. Something about this remix is so now. Pop and rap work so well over dubstep, in 2010 shit is going to sound like this on the radio here in America. Guaranteed. And I'm excited.
3. House of Ladosha: "Burning Like Paris"
Queer sex positive gender smashing crunk rap? Sign me up please. This shit is CULT. "Up in the club like a motherfucking cunt." What's up New York! The revolution is near.
2. Denver Bands/People
BDRMPPL, Alphabets, Josephine and the Mousepeople, Hideous Men, Hollagramz, Tit Wrench Crew, Sonic Bonk, Rhinoceropolis, and many many others... you are family and inspiration. Thanks for an amazing year.
1. HEALTH
Getting to go on two tours in 2009 with these dudes was an incredible experience. I have never met a more dedicated and professional band who are so true to a vision and yet so humble and down to earth. I owe a lot to these guys. Watching them blow minds consistently night after night was something I wont soon forget. One of the best bands doing it right now. They are going to drop a dark side. Watch. Splash!
