Messages

31

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Re: Mister Fuckhead & Company Handmade & Standard Tape Release

« on: February 21, 2010, 08:01:36 AM »

My mind is boggled that so much care, work, and attention to detail has been put into cassettes. I'm not a tape-hater, but if you've been working on an album for 5 years, wouldn't you wanna slap that bitch on wax?

There's a track that is almost 33 minutes long. The whole thing is just under 60 minutes.  I originally was going to cut it apart and do a triple 10 inch, but I got a little humble along the way, and I didn't want to mess with continuity.   I don't like CDs.  I'm eventually going to sit down and see if I can edit to an LP version but it's unlikely.   99 copies on tape is definitely not the final destination, but hell if I know where to go from there.   I'm listening to test copies right now.   

32

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Re: Mister Fuckhead & Company Handmade & Standard Tape Release

« on: February 21, 2010, 07:25:27 AM »

http://auxiliaryout.blogspot.com/2010/02/mister-fuckhead-and-company-mister.html

Review from Auxiliary Out:




This project was masterminded by Arvo Zylo, unfortunately better known as Mister Fuckhead. The "company" in question is a huge series of collaborators he recruited to produce these 90 minutes. The tape consists of six live recordings and two recorded in a meat locker and the line-up ranges from Arvo and one other to like eight people, all huffing away on brass instruments, manipulating tapes and electronics or just plain out banging on shit. It's one of the most monstrous 90 minutes I've come across, and perhaps a bit too much to take in in one sitting but taken a few performances at a time it's pretty enjoyable.

The tape starts off with one of the strongest performances. It's a live recording from 2008 featuring a quartet on drums, tape loops, guitar, scrap metal and electronics. I can't quite make out the samples from the tapes, it could be some kind of fucked classical piece or folk tune but at times it even seems a little like a 70's disco/funk jam. Anyway, so you got someone messing with samples meanwhile the world is basically collapsing. The rest of the crew gets really heavy and moves like a fucking juggernaut, splintering everything in its path. The drummer hits them like a bastard and the guitar gives it a steady rock n roll underpinning that really ties the jam together with a sludgy bow on top. The quartet builds to such a relentless, unholy racket it's quite staggering. It's phenomenal really.

The second piece, recorded in 2007, switches gears with a duo formation on scrap metal, electronics, glass and vacuum. Rather than the monolithic skull crushing of the previous piece, it moves along somewhere in between mild harsh noise and free-percussion crews like Albero Rovesciato. The piece is navigated through jangling percussion, sharp blasts of feedback, synth filter sweeps and electronic rumble. It's a good track, well-paced and the duo definitely have a handle the rhythm of the piece. I'd be curious to see what else this duo formation would come up with.

The final piece of the side was recorded under a year ago and it expands the ensemble to 7 people. One or more people are credited to all of these things: baritone sax, electronics, guitar, electric drill, scrap metal, saxophone, modified trumpet, bass, cymbals, blood, coronet and vocals which is pretty insane. Looking at a line-up like that I was expecting another noise assault a la the first track but they actually deliver something much more unsettling. Someone's crooning about temptation against brass and reed squeals, metallic clinks and clangs and fearsome power drill work. There's way more space in this piece than previous tracks making it feel a lot more ominous and disjointed. The second half of it finds lilting brass met with shrieks from a modulated power drill and its real disconcerting.

The second side houses five pieces. The first two are shorter and were recorded by a wind ensemble in a meat locker. Five people play baritone sax, coronet, saxophone and trumpet. The first piece somehow manages to recreate some of power drill-like grind from the last piece. Maybe I accredited it incorrectly before. The piece flowers (or wilts) into polyphonic disharmony. The next piece finds Mr. Fuckhead layering various recordings from the meat locker on top of one another, creating a much more unyielding, dissonant plate of sound than the previous track. Both are cool pieces particularly the second one and they show another facet to the Fuckhead and Co. identity.

The third piece of the side is another live performance that expands the ensemble to eight, now including trombone, tuba and french horn(!) It's awesome, a throbbing, swollen mass of resonance. There are nearly imperceptible melodies hidden deep within the swampy brass drones. It's a pretty brilliant piece of creepy horn-blowing. The next track finds the group in a seven piece formation still with many horns in tow but with the addition of electronics (and kazoo.) A couple minutes in, after establishing some core drone waves, a few trumpets and possibly coronet start soloing and it's pretty fucking cool! The ensemble creates this swirling vortex of brass and reeds lead by a great central melody continually contorted and modified by that group of trumpets/coronet. It's odd because out of nowhere on this rather dark and noisy tape there's a fascinating centerpiece of beauty. Around halfway through a really bassy sound starts wiggling around and a few filter sweeps worm their way in as well. That horn melody continues but it's slowly dro(w)ned out by jittery electronics but makes occasional resurgences before the track splinters and slowly sputters to a halt. It's a fantastic 15 minutes, quite possibly the best work of the whole tape.

The final piece features three people with tapes, electronics and field recordings at their disposal, kicking off with classical music in a cloud of noise. It's a weird track cause there's this pervasive prickly static but occasional intimations of melodies underneath the white noise. I think the piece suffers from following the previous one because the majority of it comes off as significantly less dynamic. I really like the final five minutes of it though, lots of weird loops intermingle freely with a little melodic undercurrent before bringing the tape to a close.

The thing I like most about the tape is that Zylo has assembled a burgeoning group of individuals with an even larger tool chest to explore the many sonic products possible from their collaboration while simultaneously creating a unified aesthetic over the course of 90 minutes (and a couple years.) Well done.
The c93 is limited to 93 copies, it's a lot of bang for six bucks and the tape looks really nice, with matching labels and matching red shells and cases; you can tell a lot care went into the packaging just as well as the music. There's also a special edition triple cassette version with handmade art and whatnot available as well. Check here or record stores around Chicago for copies.

----------------------------------------------

http://www.nopartofit.blogspot.com

Many thanks to Drew, he has a good radio show/podcast on his page too...


The C93 is sold out, I have one copy of the 3XCS left for sale. 

There are copies at Reckless Records http://www.reckless.com/index.php?RcSes=3dd70fda2314edd9e766ce24a839c5f9&keywords=mister+fuckhead+company&format=&cond=&store=&is_search=true&srch=Search

And there might still be one at Permanent Records http://www.permanentrecordschicago.com

33

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Re: Mister Fuckhead & Company Handmade & Standard Tape Release

« on: January 24, 2010, 07:17:36 AM »

I have one C93 left and one 3XCS.  There were also copies of the 3XCS left at reckless records and permanent records in Chicago.

I did put up excerpts of "333" at www.myspace.com/misterfuckhead, and there's an excerpt from a future vinyl release where I used material from the recordings inside of the meat locker.

Thanks to everybody who ordered and showed support.

34

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Re: Mister Fuckhead & Company Handmade & Standard Tape Release

« on: January 19, 2010, 02:18:11 PM »

Mastered by Clayton Counts

Wow!  Put me down for two.

Arvo, ordinarily I'd jump at the opportunity to purchase a quantity of these cassette tapes for my distro and to trade for other records here on Termbo, but in light of the current economic climate I feel I need a little more persuasion before I PayPal you a chunk of my son's college fund.  Pray tell, what distinguishes your particular C66 from the dozens of unsolicited hand-decorated noise / scrape / dadaist escapades gathering cobwebs on my shelf?  And what are commercial noise ideas?  As a rapacious market capitalist (they don't call me Bull for nothing), I'm eager to learn of new ways in which noise performances can be integrated into a retail setting.

Ha. Thanks!  The "commercial noise idea" was a response to the review which said my MF & Company tape "revolves around the DIY ideas in the noise genre", and there you have it, I'm apparently trying to exploit the DIY paradigm and pollute the earth with post-ironic waste.   But I'm afraid I can't offer much advice about the retail setting. 


Previous to Clayton's mastering, there is an excerpt of the "333" album called "DEADBEAT" at www.myspace.com/misterfuckhead  It is rough, it doesn't do the material justice, but if I sat down to make an excerpt right now I would be here for hours. 

Since then, Clayton and I met up in June and probably spent 5 8 hour days mastering the recordings.  I was incredibly obsessive, but he was not only alarmingly patient but also highly resourceful and informed.  We had to re-record the entire thing and start from scratch in order for me to be happy with it. 

This one is distinctively different from the hand decorated, or otherwise simple and crude group release.  I only did that kind of art because I don't want to attach some very artistic presence on top of the work of other contributors, and also because the 3xCS comes with a photograph of a pile of blood drenched cymbals, from one of our performances.  The blood and circular shapes became a point of departure for the art.  I admit, it could be called sloppy, but it wasn't thoughtless, and ultimately it was the only way I could find closure in framing the recordings. 

This "333" tape will have a double sided 3 panel insert, the edition will have 3 different colored tapes throughout, color labels on both sides, with 3 different designs for those as well, and it will very likely include a transparency. 

Here is another crop from the collage art:



The reason it took me 5 years is because when someone spurred me to start playing live, I would sit and write material for sometimes 24 hours straight before a show, and then go play it for 10-15 people. From that material I released a CDR in an edition of 30 or 40 copies, that Clayton also mastered, and I became weary of it.  I went back and reworked the material down to finite details over and over and over.  I think it captures the elements of chance, but at the same time, is overseen by a considerable amount of quality control.   It's not a simple noise release, or dadaistic per se, but it's not a "sound design" either, I'm not in the realm of being stuffy or academic like that.  I'm only using a YAMAHA RM1X sequencer, I used just that for about 6 years.  I've used it in punk bands, I was in an "electro cabaret" band called the Walkie-Talkies where I used it, and most recently I was using it in Loto Ball Show (ex-Phantom Limbs).  I incorporate glitches that have an organic feel to them, not like some kind of triflin' 8 Bit stuff, but the album also has sort of pseudo classical elements to it, and rhythmic parts. I've used the glitches at times to make entire compositions that were featured at art shows and experimental fests, and I also contributed to performances by the Guild of Acquired Technology without knowing how to circuit bend a damn thing.   I'm not afraid to make music, I'm not trying to make any kind of statements against music vs noise or anything like that, but I still know very little technically about music, just enough to get what I want I guess.  Without sounding bloated here, I feel like it's a stream of consciousness without the loftiness.  There are noisy experimental parts but that's not the foundation of it. 

My point is I'm not one of these people to shit out releases.  There isn't a single aspect of this album that I would do differently or that I feel is compromised in any way.  If you think there's anything else I can do to aid the element of persuasion, please feel free to let me know. 

And THANKS FOR THE INTEREST!

Arvo

35

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Re: Mister Fuckhead & Company Handmade & Standard Tape Release

« on: January 19, 2010, 12:05:36 PM »

http://www.vitalweekly.net/714.html

Review from Vital Weekly (thanks to Bloodlust! for sending this to me):


90 + minutes of a compilation "junk metal scrape, chains, vacuums, glass, drills, guitar, keyboards, field recordings, classical samples, and tape loops.." from Travis (ONO), Daniel Burke (Illusion of Safety), Michael Kendrick (Lovely Little Girls, ex-Rope, Redemer, etc), Mike Krause (Death Factory), Dave Purdie (Silver Abuse, Satan2000), Richard Syska (Dummy Antenna), Andy Ortmann (Panicsville), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Right-Eye Rita, Brian Klein, Christopher ILTH (Daily Void, ex-Functional Blackouts), Alejandro Morales (PISSPISSPISSMOANMOANMOAN), Rik Garrett, Rupert Glimm, Bobby Danger (Black Bear Combo), and Allison Lake (Pommel).

I suspect revolves around the DIY ideas in the noise genre, which I suppose I should say something about. I think it's a continuum of the very free improv work on the outskirts of jazz / avant gardism / fluxus which will it seems continue to exist as its kind of found an ecological niche within contemporary modernity / post-modernity, a niche similar to a biological one through perhaps in terms of Dawkins' "meme" - though I must admit to not liking the idea which seems self contradictory especially here as I cant see how this music can have the desire to sustain itself anymore than DNA.

The ideological processes that gave the left field avant improv is no longer active, which is proclaimed by the current practitioners, but that perhaps is the whole point - an ironic positing of the no longer theory laden intellectualism of the new wave, more an oily swell of pollution and dead seabirds. Interesting, poignant even and ultimately nice.(jliat)[/i]

Address http://nopartofit.blogspot.com/
[/color]

Some things worth noting:

1: I don't like jazz very much at all. I like jazz about as much as I like ideological processes.

2.  Most of this material is not what I would call improvised. LIVE, yes.  Improvised, NO.   There are "chance happenings" that go along with any live performances, but there were pretty distinct directions for every track, and I edited the hell out of those recordings, some of them should be considered remixes. 

3.  This revolves around commercial noise ideas. 


--------

MORE POLLUTION ON DECK: a cassette version of an album I worked on for nearly 5 years, "333" will be out in march.  Mastered by Clayton Counts,  it will be a c66 with a double sided 3 panel j card.  Edition of 99.  Here is a crop from the collage art:



Please feel free to get in touch if you're interested in ordering or carrying this release.

PAYPAL/CONTACT: misterfvckhead AT yahoo.com
3XC33: $18 ppd everywhere
C93: $6 USA, $9 World

36

Music Shit / Re: Marilyn Manson Parking Lot

« on: January 18, 2010, 02:23:50 PM »

I was at the show in Chicago the day of the shooting, I found out about the shooting right before Manson went on.  I skipped school drinking whiskey with friends all day so I didn't hear about it. There weren't any protesters outside  in Chicago.  Thanks for sharing. I actually just saw Heavy Metal Parking Lot two weeks ago

37

Music Shit / Re: ONO - Avant Industrial Gospel Noise Post Punk

« on: January 17, 2010, 12:29:51 PM »

I'd love to get a hold of a copy myself.  Thanks for reading!

38

Music Shit / ONO - Avant Industrial Gospel Noise Post Punk

« on: January 17, 2010, 07:52:43 AM »

on Mutant sounds: http://mutant-sounds.blogspot.com/2009/02/ono-machines-that-kil.html

from http://punkdatabase.com/wiki/Ono

ONO - Industrial - Avant - Gospel- Noise Band - founded in 1980 and played all over the Chicago and parts of the Midwest till the mid 80's.


The Band rehearsed weekly in a finished basement on the South Side near the affluent "PILL HILL" area. ONO shared the space with End Result at their inception July 1980 till they moved to the Mercy Mission.


First Show - At the Original EXIT on Wells- On the bill were Special Affect( Frankie Fun & Al Jorgenson) and Naked Raygun (Jeff and Mark-O -Santiago and Jim) ONO went on well after midnight after a late Raygun set. Line UP was P. Michael, travis and Marc the audience consisted of members from the 2 other bands and Debra Cadaver

http://musiquemachine.com/articles/articles_template.php?id=159

An article I just finished on them ^

39

Music Shit / Re: Best albums of 2009

« on: January 04, 2010, 06:41:30 PM »

The guy at MusiqueMachine.com asked me to do a list:
http://musiquemachine.com/articles/articles_template.php?id=158


1:Foetus - LIMB (ectopic ents)
2:Jarboe - Mahakali (the end)
3:Zola Jesus - Spoils (sacred bones)
4:Tuluum Shimmering - Khual Yaang: To Summon The Spirits (self released DVDr)
5:Dave Phillips - They Live (RRR)
6:RRR - 1000 (RRR)
7:Nathan Carpenter - No Friend. Sin.  The Ground.  (ever-reviled)
8:Twig Harper - Music For Higher Dimensional Consciousness (heresee)
9:Fielded - The Lord Reigns, Let The People Tremble (catholic)
10:Controlled Bleeding - Gibbering Canker Opera Slaves 5 CD Box (ultra mail)

40

Music Shit / Re: What are you listening to and what do you have to say about it? Part IV

« on: January 04, 2010, 06:30:04 PM »

Beethoven - Allegretto Symphony 7
Vivenza - Machines
Esplendor Geometrico
Georges Montalba
Coil

41

New Releases For Sale/Distro Updates / Mister Fuckhead & Company Handmade & Standard Tape Release

« on: January 04, 2010, 06:22:09 PM »

MISTER FUCKHEAD & COMPANY

Editions:
C93
3 X C33 Cassette Album
Approximate running time: 91 minutes

The initial idea for this project started with a brass group on April Fool's Day that just did reverb-laden drones.  Later we incorporated junk metal scrape, chains, vacuums, glass, drills, guitar, keyboards, field recordings, classical samples, and tape loops.  This is a live document from the last 2 years or so; edited, and recontextualized.  Contributors featured are Travis Dobbs (ONO), Daniel Burke (Illusion of Safety), Michael Kendrick (Lovely Little Girls, ex-Rope, Redemer, etc), Mike Krause (Death Factory), Dave Purdie (Silver Abuse, Satan2000), Richard Syska (Dummy Antenna), Andy Ortmann (Panicsville), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Right-Eye Rita, Brian Klein, Christopher ILTH (Daily Void, ex-Functional Blackouts), Alejandro Morales (PISSPISSPISSMOANMOANMOAN), Rik Garrett, Rupert Glimm, Bobby Danger (Black Bear Combo), and Allison Lake (Pommel).

Here is a link to a media player/download page with sound samples:  http://www.divshare.com/download/8911141-c60





There is an edition of 33 with hand made inserts/labels and handwritten credits (samples below).  There are 3 red tinted c33 Type II High Bias tapes in a white cassette album and it comes with a 4x6 photo from the aftermath of one of our performances.  Fountain pen ink has been the main tool used, on varied sketch paper.  Available for $18 postage paid everywhere.  








There is also a solid red c93 in an edition of 93, containing the same material with two sided, perforated, black and white J cards based off of the handmade work; black and white labels, red norelco cases, printed credits.  Covers vary.  $6 US, $8 World.  




All orders will be shipped within 3 business days between 2 pieces of cardboard, inside a padded envelope.  

Paypal to misterfvckhead AT yahoo.com


The content is the same for the 3xc33 album and the c93.




A1:
Christopher ILTH (Daily Void): Tape Loops
Alejandro Morales (PissPissPissMoanMoanMoan): Drums
Mike Krause (Death Factory): Guitar, Electronics
Mister Fuckhead: Electronics, Scrap Metal, Tapes
Recorded live at The Empty Bottle, August 3rd, 2008 by Daniel Burke.  
Live sound by Kenny Rasmussen.

A2:
Mike Krause: Electronics, Scrap Metal
Mister Fuckhead: Electronics, Scrap Metal, Glass, Vacuum
Recorded live at South Union Arts, July 11th, 2007 by Joe Hahn.  
Live sound by Brian Klein.

A3:
Travis Dobbs (ONO): Vocals, Vocal Overdubs, Scrap Metal.
Daniel Burke (Illusion of Safety): Guitar, Electronics, Scrap Metal
Michael Kendrick (Lovely Little Girls, Ex-Rope, Redemer, Maco Sica, etc) - Scrap Metal, Trigger Pads, Blood
Richard Syska (Dummy Antenna): Bass, Modified Trumpet, Electronics
Mike Krause: Guitar, Electric Drill
Dave Purdie (Silver Abuse, Satan2000): Baritone Sax, Mouthpiece, Electronics
Mister Fuckhead: Scrap Metal, cymbals, Coronet
Recorded Live at Ronny's, March 18th 2009.  
Collaborative live sound by Brian Klein.





B1:
Taken from material recorded inside of a meat locker
above Grace Kulp's apartment on October 29th, 2008.
There were recorders in each corner for acoustic brass improvisations by:
Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Andy Ortmann (Panicsville), Dave Purdie, Brian Klein (The Machinist), and Mister Fuckhead.

B2:
Various carefully piled layers from each corner of the meat locker.

B3:  
Bobby Danger (Black Bear Combo): Tuba
Rupert Glimm: Trumpet
Right Eye Rita: French Horn
Rik Garrett: Trombone, Electronics
Brian Klein: Trumpet, Electronics
Richard Syska: Trumpet, Electronics
Dave Purdie: Baritone Sax, Electronics
Mister Fuckhead: Coronet
Excerpt from a live performance at Beat Kitchen, April 1st, 2007.
Recorded by Dan Demchuk.

B4:
Rupert Glimm: Trumpet
Rik Garrett: Trombone, Electronics
Richard Syska: Trumpet, Saxophone, Electronics
Allison Lake (Pommel): Kazoo, Electronics
Dave Purdie: Baritone Sax, Electronics, Buzzing
Brian Klein: Trumpet, Electronics
Mister Fuckhead: Coronet, Electronics
Recorded live at Darkroom Bar, May 20th, 2007, by Dan Demchuk.

B5:
Brian Klein: Tapes, Electronics
Mike Krause: Tapes, Electronics
Mister Fuckhead: Tapes, Field Recordings, Electronics
Recorded live at Elastic Arts, June 21st, 2008

All Material was edited, manipulated, and mastered by Mister Fuckhead.  

Duplication (and some further fine tuning assistance) By Andy Ortmann.


Here is (edited) video of the first group peformance on April Fool's Day 2007, 7 minutes of which is on this release. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZhK4omTPHg




3xc33: $18
c93: $6 US, $8 World
Paypal: misterfvckhead AT yahoo.com

At present time there are less than 5 of each edition still available.