I Am The Black Wizards x3

So good...

...and for comparison:

Luke

I shot this portrait of my friend Luke on the eve of his departure for a three-month stint in Nepal. Follow his adventures here.

Happy Midsummer

Ceremony

Cake Shop, NYC, 6/19/10

I love matinee shows in the Summer...

The Songs That Saved Your Life

Some time back, my friend Mathyld tagged me with "10 songs that built me and / or changed my life." Normally I don't go for this sort of thing, but in this case, I thought that it was a really great idea, and somewhat appropriate here since music and sound play into what I do and am interested in with my work.

So, in no particular order:

1:

Seele Brennt, Einstürzende Neubauten

I bought the EN compilation Strategies Against Architecture II from a used record store while I was in Junior High. I had no idea what to expect, knowing only that they were "a bunch of weird German who built their instruments out of trash."

Listening to this record the first time scared me, being so far removed from anything that I had ever heard before. The CD set came with extensive liner notes, which were as interesting to me as the music itself. The components of each song were explained in detail, from lyrics to the purpose behind each noise-making object used. Looking back, besides opening up my musical horizons, I think that this album became sort of foundational to my later artmaking practice, instilling this idea that the process and the materials can be just as important as the final object.

Seele Brennt is an emotionally and physically draining song. It makes me hurt a little every time I hear it. The lyrics are whispered, due to Blixa having lost his voice before recording. As he raises his voice to a shriek at about 4:38 into the song, you can hear the precise moment that something in his vocal cords breaks. Amazing.

2:

Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, The Smiths

I could substitute pretty much any Smiths song here, but this is the first Smiths song that I remember hearing where something buzzed and resonated inside my ears and brain. I am eternally grateful to Morrissey and company for helping get me through so much.

3:

(You're My) Radio One, Henry's Dress

Much like the Smiths, this could be anything from the Henry's Dress discography. The fuzzed out noisy bass and jangly guitar will always sound like Summer 1994.

4:

February Fourteenth, Lilys

Dry Summer nights, driving through the desert with the windows down, mix tapes.

5:

Firecracker, Frail

One of the first hardcore records that I ever bought was Frail's Idle Hands Hold Nothing 7" and it came into my life at a period when I was getting involved with a punk scene that was emotional, politically engaged, participatory and totally at odds with the more meatheaded aspects of hardcore. This song sums up that amazing period that was DIY hardcore in the '90s for me. I came away from it having gained so many of the guiding principles in my life--veganism, straight edge, political awareness, a sense of personal responsibility, and a love for DIY culture.

6:

New Jersey vs Valhalla, Orchid

This pretty much sums up the horrible, horrible Summer of 2000 for me. Seeing Orchid play this at ABC No Rio early that fall and getting hurt in the process was just the cathartic release that I needed.

7:

The Accidental Protégé, Death In June

Dodgy aesthetic politics aside, Death In June were an absolutely perfect band, especially circa the albums What Ends When the Symbols Shatter and Roseclouds of Holocaust. One of my favorite images that I've made was inspired by a misheard lyric from this song.

8:

The Drowning, Christian Death

A tad embarassing, this one, although I still do love this song. When I would visit my Mother in Kentucky during the Summer as a kid, I would trade tapes with my friend's brother. One of the first things he taped for me was Christian Death's Catastrophe Ballet, thus beginning my proto-goth phase in 8th grade. The take-away lesson from this was that I look horrible with black hair.

9:

Attitude, Bad Brains

Probably the best (if not only) punk song inspired by the book "Think and Grow Rich." Seriously, how amazing is HR's dancing in this video? Positively positive.

10:

Babysbreath, Lovesliescrushing

I once planned for this to be the last song that I would ever hear. It's perfect.

That's it...it's difficult to narrow it down to only ten... I had to leave out so many things-- The Cranes' Beautiful Friend, Minor Threat's In My Eyes, Babes In Toyland's Real Eyes, Big A Little A by Crass, and Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger, etc. etc. So many crucial songs...

That's it for this very long post. Please see Mathyld's original post and list here.

New Sketches...

The end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010 has been incredibly busy for me--with travel home, travel overseas, and general day job craziness--and as a result, I've neglected this place. Starting just recently, I've been able to add more studio time to my schedule, and so I'll be posting more work and work in progress here. In the mean time, here are a few recent preparatory sketches in color that I've done for a project in progress:

A bit different than my usual stuff, but it should all make sense together in the end.

"This Day, Anything Goes..."

Happy Hallowe'en and Merry Samhain y'all. Be sure to get into loads of trouble.

Happy Birthday, Ursula K. LeGuin!

Last week, my favorite Gorgeous Lady of Writing turned 80.

Her work is brilliant, and a chance purchase of "A Wizard of Earthsea" at a used book shop when I was in 4th grade had a major impact on wee Jeremy's early development, and still manages to influence and inspire me. Every few years or so I reread the Earthsea Cycle or Always Coming Home and I'm amazed that every single time the experience is fresh. The Earthsea Cycle in particular, though written for "middle readers," feels like it grows up along with me and that I can come back to it again and again, with my lived experience enriching each subsequent read.

There are very few writers that I can think of who are able to address issues of race, class, or gender with a smattering of cultural anthropology and Taoism thrown in to boot in such a subtle way, especially in a science fictional or fantastical framework. Besides, she is a woman of impeccable integrity and wit.

Seriously, words can't adequately express how fond I am of this lady. Now go and read The Left Hand of Darkness already!

"We Do Our Part" at Envoy Enterprises

I have work in a one-day show curated by my friend John that opens at Envoy on Thursday. There are some rad artists in the show and it should be a good time.

Here are the details:

"Please join us Thursday, October 22 at Envoy Enterprises for the
reception of "We Do Our Part"

"We Do Our Part" features eight young New York City based artists
working in a variety of mediums. The first in a multi-part exhibition
focusing on the cyclical nature of history and society, this portion
examines a collapsing of culture and forgotten histories. The title,
originally used as a slogan during FDR's National Recovery
Administration, indicts the artists and viewers as accomplices in
failure while also referencing the possibilities of rebuilding
communities.

Gallery hours are 12pm-8pm, Reception is from 6pm-8pm. DJ's
Jibberish & Clubmoss will be downstairs at Home Sweet Home with drink
specials till 9.

Afterparty at Lit Lounge, 11pm - 93 2nd Ave btw 5th and 6th streets."

NYC peeps, I hope to see you there!

Ed Arnaud

I've known Ed for a while now, from back when we used to fight crime together in Tucson. He knocked my socks off with his stories and amazing photographs from punk shows in the early 80's that I would have killed to have been at:

Black Flag:

Circle Jerks:

JFA:

You can see more of Ed's concert photos here: www.edarnaud.com

My War

"Bonfire" at Uppercase Gallery

I have a piece in a bonfire themed show at Uppercase Gallery in Calgary, Canada. It's a great show (well, the bits of it I've see online at any rate--Calgary is a bit too far for me to travel to right now) and the theme is close to my heart.

From the gallery press release:
"What makes a bonfire blaze bright in the night sky? Where does its power to captivate, mesmerize and unify come from? Towering flames, chants and folk songs, flying ash, crackling wood, secret pagan rituals and seasonal rites of passage, the pungent scent of burning embers and melting marshmallows; the secret allure of the bonfire is in its sensory experience. Across history and culture, bonfires have offered diverse communities a unique ceremonial experience of open air fire. This fall, UPPERCASE gallery celebrates the tradition, lore, and enigmatic beauty of bonfires in an exhibition of visual art."

The show is up until at least the end of October. If you happen to find yourself near Calgary, please stop by.
The gallery is located in the upper level of Art Central, on the corner of 7th Ave SW and Centre St in downtown Calgary.


My piece from the show is also being featured in Issue Three of Uppercase Journal. It's a beautiful magazine, and I'm very happy to have been included. You can find out more (including a preview of the entire issue) here: http://www.uppercasegallery.ca/

Into Infinite Obscurity

...as played on harp by a guy with a foot fetish. Genius.

Svartkonst "Folk/Low-Key"

I just received the second issue of Svartkonst from Sweden, themed around the idea of "folk/low-key." It features some great art, including new work by Brian Willmont, Logan Caldbeck, and Anne Guro Larsmon, and has some work by me in it as well. This is the first publication that my work has been featured in, and it couldn't have been a more positive experience. Many thanks to Robin Westrin.

You can see more here: http://www.svartkonst.net

Stella Natura

I just got back last Monday from the Stella Natura festival outside of Nevada City and I'm only now feeling like I've somewhat recovered.

I still haven't fully processed the experience--It was an incredible and intense weekend, made all the more surreal by the severe sleep deprivation due to travel and work in the week prior.

The setting itself was beautiful and bizarre--the grounds themselves seemed to be a Girls' Summer Camp, with a small creek and waterfalls in the woods around the site itself.

The whole thing felt like some sort of Hessian version of Summer camp, with hiking and swimming during the day, and winding horn, ritual drumming and blackened noise echoing through the woods by night.

The performances themselves ran the full spectrum, from Black Metal to Folk to Ritual Ambient and every point in between and were (for the most part) absolutely incredible.

Ruhr Hunter was the main reason I decided to attend--Stella Natura marked Ruhr Hunter's first performance in the 15 years it has existed, and it was beyond description.

Chet and I have corresponded a bit over the last couple of years, and it was a pleasure to finally meet he and Rachel in the flesh.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Chet was planning on Ruhr Hunter becoming nearly completely an acoustic project, and if this performance was any indication, I can hardly wait to hear what is to come. Much respect to their craft.

Fauna's performance is the one that people will remember the most, I'm sure. It was the usual Fauna ritual (or so I am told--I hadn't seen them prior to this), with the addition of members of CoRE suspended from the trees surrounding the amphitheater. It was incredibly intense (the one word that seemed to be on everyone's lips after) and the sound was amazing. To be honest, though, the whole flesh-hook/suspension thing was a bit of a distraction for me, giving a slightly theatrical edge to an otherwise deeply affecting performance.

Halo Manash from Finland were the biggest and most pleasant surprise, performing twice during the festival. As the first performers on Friday, they set the tone for the rest of the weekend. They were the final performance in the outdoor amphitheater on Saturday night, with an unhurried set that was the absolute highlight of the weekend. Strangely, there was a lot of synchronicity with this performance and the work that I've been making lately, and I feel like I came away from it understanding my own work better. For want of a better term, it was a magickal experience.

I took very, very few photographs during the performances. Out of respect to the intentional space the performers were building, flash photography was prohibited (funnily enough, I was blamed during Fauna's set for someone else's flash. oh well...), and mostly I just wanted to be present in the moment, not worrying about image-making.

To give a sense of the performance space itself, here are a handful of the photographs I did take:

Halo Manash:

Velnias:

Fauna:

It was fantastic getting to spend a weekend in the woods with old friends, meeting new ones, and connecting with friends previously known only via the internet. Many thanks to Adam and Joshua for organizing this festival (not to mention helping me sort out my travel issues in advance). Perhaps we'll all meet again next year...

That Old Black Magick

"Love is the Law, Love Under Will"

or, as James Brown put it:

"The way I like it, that's the way it is."

Tonight was not such a positive night, but this video made everything a little bit better:

Seriously, incorporating the robot, the Black Power fist, and karate into a single dance? Brilliant.

Have Heart, RIP

Have Heart:End of a Year:
Foundation:
Stelton Baptist Church, Edison, NJ, 9/12/09

It's been a long, long time since I've left a show as scraped up

and bruised and soaked with other people's sweat as I did this

one. Good times.

Sun Boxes

I have a project that I'm dying to do in the Nevada desert and I've submitted it for consideration as part of the residency program at the Goldwell Open Air Museum in the last two open calls for entry that they've made. I keep making it to the final round, but each time I've ultimately lost out to other artists.

After seeing this installation piece by recent resident artist Craig Colorusso at the Museum's Rhyolite site, I totally understand why. This piece is so unbelievably good and absolutely perfect for the location:

"Sun Boxes is an environment to enter and exit. It’s comprised of twenty speakers operating independently each powered by solar panels. There is a different guitar sample in each box all playing together making the composition. The guitar samples are all of different lengths so the whole piece keeps evolving.

Participants are encouraged to walk amongst the speakers. It sounds different inside of the array. There is a different sense of space inside. Certain speakers will be closer and louder therefore the piece will sound different to different people in different positions throughout the array.. Creating a unique experience for everyone.

There are no batteries involved. The Sun Boxes are reliant on the sun.

When the sun sets the music stops. The piece changes as the length of the day changes. Making the participants aware of the cycle of the day".

— Craig Colorusso

In other matters, today was a very good day--I gave a talk in Ananda Cavalli's Summer photo class. Her students--junior high school students all--are incredibly perceptive and engaged. I had a great time, and some of the questions that I was asked were more insightful and difficult than those I was asked during grad school. Ananda is doing an incredible job with her class.

I also received some good news about a future project. Stay tuned.

Sadness Saturn - "She"

A while back I did the artwork and design for the Sadness Saturn cassette "She" and it's just now been released. This has been a really positive project for me--so much of my work is about creating visual interpretations of musical textures and sound, and this is the first project that I've done in collaboration with someone to make imagery for a specific set of music.

The release is limited to 100 copies, available via Frozen Veins Records in Tokyo.

You can hear tracks from the album and get more information here.

Ohrwurm

I have mixed feelings about Joanna Newsom's music, but I can't deny that Emily is an absolutely amazingly well-crafted song. So much so that it has been stuck in my head for weeks. Seriously, throughout the day, as I go to bed, when I get up for water in the middle of the night, and first thing in the morning, I hear Ms. Newsom's squeaky voice in perpetual repeat. It's maddening.

It is a good song, though.

Watch: Emily

NB--The cover art for Ys was painted by Infernal Proteus artist Benjamin Vierling. Both are well worth checking out.