Vortex Remover, LIVE! (#48)

Among the many reasons that I have become a huge supporter of these home-town heroes is that they have songs about tea.  (And, as rumor would have it, a forthcoming release that will feature a number of songs about tea in various ways.)  So any chance I get to put the kettle on for these gents just feels right.  There is a certain amount of Douglas Adams in me that constantly feels like I’m wandering around in my dressing gown trying to find a creature comfort that just doesn’t exist in this universe, and when you meet people like Vortex Remover, you have to respond with healthy enthusiasm, because you get the impression that they feel that way, too.

In some ways, this might veer a little off the “experimental” path, so for those of you who are already loosing interest because they don’t make harsh noise or drones, fear not.  While some elements of what they do might veer into the world of rock music, their is a strangeness to the instrumentation, the songwriting… Vortex Remover is probably more experimental than some of the noise guys I’ve worked with just in terms of their lo-fi, stripped-down, anything-goes approach, and they are painfully DIY, given that they build their own gear, do all their own recording, and create some of the most compelling sounds I’ve heard out of a drum stick and mini-amp.  Vortex Remover might have a little more “pop” and “rock” in their tunes than a lot of the stuff I play usually does, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t one of the weirdest things you’ll ever hear, and you’ll get what I mean when you start to hear them play.

What follows is a casual, technical-difficulty-laden, but otherwise very fun evening with a pair who have such a specific vision for the music they make that words truly fail to describe them, and if that sounds exciting to you, then you’ll get why I’m such a fan.  While they are of few words when it comes to the interview portion of this program, they more than deliver in terms of excellent live music, which just gets better as the show goes on.  (And, if you would like a little more conversation, might I recommend the recent interview that Julie and I did with them on our podcast.) Couple that with a short DJ set of their favorite tunes, and another installment of Dimestore Radio Theater, and this is a practically a super-sized broadcast.

Here’s to ridding your own house of any unneeded vortexes that may be in your home.  These guys are pros.

Enjoy.

Spinitron Playlist

Vortex Remover, LIVE! 

Part I: electro Atlas 

01.) Austin FM Theme * Paco Jones * Austin FM Theme * Self-Released (2016)
02.) Engine Hum * The Enterprise * Star Trek: The Next Generation * Paramount (1987)
03.) Atlas Holding Up the Celestial Spheres * Vortex Remover * Rawkward Phase * Self-Released (2017)
04.) electro ambience * Leigh Stevens * electro ambience * self-released (????)

Part II: LIVE VR

05.) Live Set 1 * Vortex Remover * 21 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
06.) Interview * Vortex Remover * 21 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)
07.) Live Set 2 * Vortex Remover * 21 April 2017 * Mid-Valley Mutations (2017)

Part III: The VR DJ Set

08.) Tumble Bumble * Vortex Remover * Rawkward Phase * Self-Released (2017)
09.) Farmer Girl * Sustentacula * Farmer Girl * Self-Released (????)
10.) Conduct This Misfortune * Shepherds of Ontario * Conduct This Misfortune * YouTube.com (2009)
11.) Pornogirl * 40lb Suit of Bees * Pornogirl * Self-Released (????)
12.) Starting Over (Bad Habits) * Typhoon * Hunger and Thirst * Tender Loving Empire (2010)
13.) Making Me Feel * Kylie Burbank * Demos * Self-Released (2015)

Part IV: Dimestore Radio Theater

14.) Universe * X-Minus 1 * 15 May 1955 * NBC (1955)