Closing out the Blas-Travaganza, the final selection by the Dead Air Fresheners with myself on vocals, “The End.” This was a fantastic way to close out two days of merriment, insanity, and excellent music, and as the show drew to an end, this was the only way I could imagine wrapping things up.
Day 2
I have to say, putting together this show was a really transformative event. I’ve put on shows in the past, have DJed on the air and in front of crowds, and even have a birthday show for my 30th that was pretty wild, but this really blew all of that out of the water. Over two days every kind of emotion and thought went through me, and having my friends and favorite bands there for me was a feeling that really awoke in me a sense of accomplishment. I am not a perfect person, and there will always be rough edges and flaws in the things I do and become involved with. However, those flaws make me love this stuff even more, and as I’ve become more comfortable in my skin, I can only imagine the things I’ll be able to accomplish in the next 15th years.
Special thanks to my incredible girlfriend, who is supportive and understanding, in a way that few people in this world are. She makes all of this possible, as much as I do.
Composed of many of my friends, and members of other bands I’ve loved over the years, Gordon Taylor – or, THE Gordon Taylor, according to their drummer – might be my favorite band of all time. It is hard to tell exactly what it is about them that really makes me love them so much. They have a quality to their earnestness, and a sense of wonder that captures my intellectual interests, as well as my libidinal desire to rock. Each of them has a skill with their instrument of choice that really allows themselves to cut loose in ways they don’t normally. Every time I’ve been able to see them is a moment that I treasure to this day, and when I heard that they would play as part of the Blas-Travaganza, I knew they would be the perfect headliners for Day 2.
Day 2
The Gordon Taylor is one of those things that defies description, and instead just begs you to dance. While no official document of their work has ever been released, the two times they played on my show, and the time I was allowed to join them on tour, are some of the most important moments of my life. They have always been honest with me, in every way, and the fact that they were willing to join me for this show means the world to me.
I love them, and I can only hope that you love them as much as I do, too.
Continuing to bring you the fantastic recordings made as part of our Blas-Travaganza, next up we have the incredible sounds of Moth Hunter. No stranger to our show, Moth Hunter has been building and recording with his home-made oddities for some time, but rarely performs in front of an audience, instead reclining in his home studio. After some negotiations, he was more than happy to make one of these appearances as part of our show, and he managed to blow the top off of Slim’s with his mind-melting electronic psychedelia.
Day 2
Our recent radio collaborations have been really impressive, and he’s been able to stretch out and deliver some of his most incredible work as part of our show. He also contributed the final track to our digital compilation, Lost In The Supermarket, where he delivers a fantastic solo composition that is pretty intense. It is alway a pleasure to work with him, and I can only hope that this performance is as impressive to you as it is to me.
Like an overlooked Greek Play, the second act our our Dead Air trilogy – “The Middle” – is the half-way point in Day 2 of the Blas-Travaganza. Things get confusing, the mood shifts, this becomes that, and everything changes, briefly, as we interlude into the final act of our program.
Day 2
Working with The Dead Air Fresheners is odd, in that you are never really sure who you are working with, and therefore aren’t always able to plan around them. Working on these pieces has also been challenging for me, as I have had to meet them on their turf, territory which I haven’t traveled in quite some time. However, I feel like we managed to get into a groove, and I’m quite fond of the performances we gave this night.
One of my favorite parts of hosting a radio program is introducing people to new music and new bands… and specifically, featuring bands that are brand-spankin’ new. Snatch Wagon isn’t quite new-new – they’ve played one song out here and there, under a different name – but this incarnation of their down-and-dirty music is fairly new-ish, and it was real honor to be able to bring them to you as part of the Blas-Travaganza.
Day 2
Their performance was very multi-media, with a narrator, slides illustrating the story, and songs (and covers) performed to help introduce you to the lifestyle of the Eastern-Portland denizen known as the “Crank Skank.” As nasty as they wanna be, these girls deliver the trailer park rock opera like you’ve never heard it before, and you can catch it all (minus the visuals) in this stellar download.
Probably one of the high-points of my life was been meeting their drummer, who introduced me to so many incredible artists that there isn’t a day that passes where I’m not listening to somethings she turned me onto. It only seems appropriate to have her be a part of the Blas-Travaganza, and I hope you enjoy this recording as much as I do.
It’s always fun when I get to work with any of the Battlesnakes, and they have been big supporters of our show since 2009. I’ve had the pleasure of living with half of this band, and chatting about records with both of them, and any chance you get to enjoy an Alpha Protist song, you know you are doing something right. That is why I was extremely excited to have them offer to cover for Josh Jones, when he had to cancel his performance for the Blas-Travaganza. It was sad not to get them on the bill initially, and excellent news when I found out we could make it work anyway.
Day 2
For a two-piece writing fairly mid-tempo music, they managed to fill Slim’s with a triumphant cacophony that really made me happy. Reference points may be useless when trying to describe them, but let it be said that they are passionate, dedicated, and earnest artists creating a racket that is extremely pleasing to the ears. While there isn’t an Alpha Protist track on the comp, a few of the Battlesnakes do turn up on Lost In The Supermarket, and I recommend you checking out their work on our Bandcamp site.
In the meantime, you can also enjoy this live performance… for now! They were gentlemen and scholars, and it was fantastic to have them as part of the Blas-Travaganza.
Lines
Lousse
The Old Wives
Darkened Car (Little Wings cover)
You Only Know How to Stop
Karmon Hadron
Frown Town
Sic Eros
Pioneering Dark
The Book I Write
Paint Over the Locks
Day 2 of our incredible Blas-Travaganza found us back in Historic St. John’s, and the excellent watering hole Slim’s, for a stellar line-up of weird and wonderful acts that were as wide ranging as they were rocking. Kicking off the show, I managed to work with none other than The Dead Air Fresheners, and presented a short piece we’ve been working on known as “The Beginning.”
Day 2
Getting to work with The Dead Air Fresheners has been one of the highlights of recent memory. I used to perform as a solo experimental artist under the name A.C.R.O.N.Y.M., and while I have been running sound and getting to know these guys over the last several years, performing with them has been a real treat. I’ve been lucky enough to work out these pieces with them over the last month, and our “debut” at Habesha Lounge on the 13th was fantastic. (Which will also be available soon from this very site.) They were also kind enough to donate a track to our comp, Lost In The Supermarket, which you can easily hear (and download) from our Bandcamp site, and I couldn’t be happier with the way this introduction to the show turned out.
This post will be available for the time being, but will eventually go away, so get it now! This performance is part of three pieces I did with The Dead Air Fresheners throughout the night, each of which adding to the overall awesomeness of this show. Enjoy!
Closing out Day 1 of our incredible Blas-Travaganza: the immortal Guyve! Now a three piece, and celebrating their 20th anniversary as a working band, Guyve have been friends of the show for a while, and every time I see them they have new chops that just blow my mind. Guyve create textures and atmospheres of metal and psychedelia that continue to mystify and blow minds. Guyve are not to be messed with, and when they agreed to play this show, I knew Day 1 would be fantastic.
Day 1
These guys have always been cool guys, and the number of examples I have of their incredible awesomeness would fill a blog post of it’s own. They were also kind enough to contribute a fantastic song for our just-released comp, Lost In The Supermarket, available now on our Bandcamp site. Their last album – their first ever vinyl release – is a fantastic representation of their show, and as a three piece, they not only have an even fuller sound, but they are even cool with more nice band members. Really, I couldn’t have been happier to have them on the bill, and my only regret is that there were so many people who did not get to see them.
Fortunately, you can enjoy this podcast for the time being. Thanks again to all the people at East End, and all the people who attended the show, and got to see this awesome show. Day 2 downloads should be available soon, but in the meantime: enjoy!
As we get into the back-end of the show, Thrust takes the stage to deliver their peculiar brand of psychedelic indie-rock. A fairly new outfit, their tight performances of largely instrumental music makes a good pairing with the headliners after them. While I only know the drummer (who used to play in Cathead), their guitar player manages to cut through the tangle of guitar lines to melodies and riffs that will open up your mind, and beg you to listen.
Day 1
It was incredibly considerate of them to come up from Eugene for this performance, and I really owe them a debt of gratitude for rounding out the bill. Keep an eye peeled for them as you make a tour through the Willamette valley, and until then, you can download this performance and check them out.
This show did not start out as an opportunity for Cathead to reform. Let’s make that abundantly clear up front. This was never the intention, nor the desire from the start. However, as several of us began to realize that we would be in the same room together, it wasn’t long before WANC Records contacted us about a “Contractual Obligation Performance” required at the 20 year mark of our first forming. We hemmed and hawed, and really tried to resist, but in the end it was apparent: Cathead would take the stage again.
Day 1
Cathead was never about being fantastic performers, or even about having songs or music, per se. Our avant-punk stylings were more about a sort of abstract performance art, a sort of loaf-core-taken-to-the-next-level band, where all of our most terrible, awful, and despicable ideas were funneled into one band. We had a rule in Cathead: when you say, “I have a really bad idea,” no other band member can refuse the suggestion, and pretty soon it wasn’t hard to get behind a one-off reunion.
This hadn’t been the first time the idea came up. In 2006, the idea of a reunion came up, and we even went so far as to write two new songs, which both appear in this performance, in addition to a sort of “tour” through Cathead’s catalog, focusing on the songs we wrote with Syd Louse. (Die-hard Cathead fans will remember that there was a later incarnation, minus Syd. However, we could not locate Scratchy The Raving Derelict for this performance, and thus decided to drop our later-period songs.) In typical Cathead fashion, we practiced once before this show.
I would like to thank Duckfuzz – yet again – for completely failing to open for us.
In a way, the show was exactly like old Cathead shows, with the added exceptions that we were drinking, something we would have never added to our chemical compositions back in the day, and we actually sounded a little better than we ever did back then. This is probably going to be the final statement of this particular brand of expression, only because some of us may not make it to the 50 Year reunion outlined in our awful contract with WANC.
Included are a few shots from the audience.
Thanks again for letting me put a quarter in the ride, and enjoying one last march across the stage.
Part II of our fantastic Blas-Travaganza includes the gride-core stylings of /root_DIR!
Day 1
I’ve known Semi-Colin for quite some time, both from his days in Cathead with me, but also from his various other strange and incredible musical projects. His Catatonic Studios has become a bit of a mainstay of the Eugene, OR music scene, and when he’s not recording High School punks in exchange for beer, he’s creating crazy music that is not only fun to listen to, but pushes the boundaries of both muisic and Grind.
/root_DIR were also kind enough to supply a track to our digital compilation, Lost In The Supermarket. I know we’re plugging it a lot right now, but that’s because we’re really proud of the results, and think it includes some amazing work by some of our best musical friends. There are a few tracks on this disc recorded at Catatonic, and we are very happy to have this kind of partnership with such awesome dudes.
The Blas-Travaganza was a complete success, and while I have some specific ideas of how I would like to present all the amazing material that we documented over the two days, I just can’t wait to bring you the music that we were excited for on those days. So, first up, here is the complete performance by Portland’s very own, The Nervous!
Day 1
I love booking shows with my friends bands, not only because I like their music (honestly – there are a lot of friends I didn’t ask to play this event), but also because they are really easy to work with, and a lot of fun! I’ve known these guys for ages, and both Chris and Jesse have been a part of this show dating back to the ’90’s incarnation. As The Nervous, they are no strangers to the show, either, allowing me to interview them prior to any kind of live, public performances, and their Groundhog Day debut show is still in the archive, and will surface at some point in the future. (You can watch the video over here, if you just can’t wait.)
While you’re enjoying some music and whatnot, why not check out our digital compilation, released at this show, and featuring a track by The Nervous? Lost In The Supermarket is a collection of songs recorded by friends of the program, and is available now to stream, and for a small donation, to download as well. Attendees managed to receive free download codes, packaged with a blank CD to use any way they see fit. You can get this per-assembled version from me, or download the entire collection from the link above. The Nervous were really kind enough to donate a track, and I was very happy to include them.
I was really happy to have them kick-off the Blas-Travaganza. Not only are they a lot of fun, but they set a good mood and tone for the weekend, and I was really happy to include them on the bill. As more and more A/V is uncovered and available, I’ll be posting more and more stuff to connect with these recordings. Additionally, these will only be available in their unedited format for a limited time, as I have some sneaky plans for both the video and audio.
But in the meantime, enjoy this fantastic nerd-rock treat. Please: send you photos, videos, and anything else you captured of these guys. All of it will be used in some form or another!
Nine Bands! Two Reunions! Two Venues! Two Digital Album Releases! Live Radio! Come witness an event that only happens once every 15 Years, as we bring you:
The 15th Anniversary Blas-Travaganza!
April 19th & 20th At East End & Slim’s
The Nervous, /root_DIR, Cathead, Thurst, Guyve, The Dead Air Fresheners, Moth Hunter, Snatch Wagon & Gordon Taylor join Austin Rich, as he broadcasts two Live Shows from two different venues on the anniversary of Dick Clark’s Death! For the first time ever, Blasphuphmus Radio will come to you live from a venue, to bring you music, audio hijinx, plenty of live guests, and a celebration of this peculiar thing he calls a hobby.
On the 15th of April, 1998, Austin Rich drunkenly stumbled into the KWVA studios in Eugene, OR, insisting that he was a DJ who worked as a clergyman for The Church of Blasphuphmus (Not Jesus). Surprisingly, he was not kicked out, but instead was offered a steady position, jockeying discs, interviewing locals, and trying to make sense of the elaborate musical tapestry that the universe consistently weaves. 15 years later, after stints at four different stations, he is still at it, creating and disseminating radiophonic memories from historic St. John’s every Tuesday. The complete Blasphuphmus Radio archives now reside at their very own website, where you can stream or download a large portion of the existing back episodes. You can also subscribe to the show in iTunes. However, the best way to enjoy the show is to come see it Live, April 19th & 20th of 2013, for music, merriment, and Live Radio from the comfort of your bar of choice. A Blas-Travaganza like this won’t happen again until the next time we do it, so Save The Date!
Day 1
Day 1: East End at 9 PM! $8.00 Cover gets you a free download card of Lost In The Supermarket, a Blasphuphmus Radio digital compilation!
East End (203 SE Grand Ave) has kindly offered their space for us to kick off our party, and what better way to get things started than a loud and rock show! As the Master of Ceremonies, Austin Rich will be hosting this evening of rock music, nostalgia, and anniversaries. We will also be releasing our very first digital release, Lost In The Supermarket, a collection of original compositions by many friends of the show! The price of admission gets you a free download card for this comp, and the chance to see our killer line-up, taking attendees through the world of Punk Rock, Metal, and all points in-between. We start with:
The Nervous
The Nervous(from Portland, OR)
In what will be their third live performance for local audiences, The Nervous will bring their special nerd-rock blend to East End for a full-on punk explosion! Reborn out of the ashes of Mondale, The Nervous are the perfect band to kick things off with as they present songs about girls, D’n’D, and achieving your PHD. The Nervous will anxiously introduce you to the weekend’s proceedings.
/root_DIR
/root_DIR (from Eugene, OR)
Within the corporate music industry’s system of continuous improvement, very little attention has been paid to the synergistic relations of business strategies such as 5-S, Six Sigma, SMED, and ISO 9004. This is where /root_DIR can satisfy consumer requirements by using results oriented grindcore management. By identifying any given series of musical notes and beats as a system, related resources can be managed systematically to achieve the most efficient and effective means of conveying sonic brutality. The leadership team of /root_DIR, Capps Lock and Semi-Colin, are specialists in their field. With a combined 25 years of grind, post-punk, heavy metal, and hardcore experience, /root_DIR is poised to become the premiere manufacturer of high quality power violence, crust punk, and grind core, all with with the lean-production efficiency of a two-piece band. For /root_DIR, our real product is the trust we build with our customers. Together, we can achieve excellence!!!!!
Cathead, 11 May 1995
Cathead 20th Anniversary Reunion! (from Globe, OR)
Performing live for the first time since 1996, and celebrating 20 years since their original formation, Cathead will be bring you a full live set to really get your motor runnin’. Having seen action from 1993 – 1996, Cathead brought their particular brand of avant-punk nonsense to stages in Eugene before splitting up in what was called, “The Most Sensible Thing They Band Has Every Done.” Now, in what they are calling “The Contractual Obligation Performance Of The Decade,” Performance Art vets Cathead will bring you all the sHits, new compositions written in 2006, and their own brand of subverted rock music, offering a rare chance to see this obscure outfit from the ‘90’s. Voted “Worst Band To Play Icky’s Teahouse” by none other than Sunshine himself, this will be a reunion not to be missed. Cathead will be selling, for the first time ever, download cards for their expanded edition of In Loving Memory Of Harold, a final document of their recorded output.
Thrust
Thrust (from Eugene, OR)
Thrust is Brandon Skinner and Todd Zimmerman. It is their misguided attempt to play their favorite bedtime horrorshow lullabies at double or triple speed. It has once been said that if this music were ever actually done correctly, people in the audience would spontaneously throw extra pairs of underwear over their current underwear….you know, for backup. They have managed to carve out a sound all their own with half the instruments of your average rock band. A relatively new group with metal tinges to their set, Thurst will be diverging from the nonsense of the openers to bring tight, loud compositions for a crowd of discerning rockers.
Guyve
Guyve 20th Year Celebration! (from Portland, OR by way of Ft. Peck, Montana.)
GUYVE is an experi-metal trio originally formed in 1993 on the Ft. Peck Indian Reservation in eastern Montana. Calling Oregon home since 2002, the group continues to produce raw and undeniably genuine sounds. With more than a dozen self releases to their name, the band is currently writing new material for their follow-up to last years vinyl LP, Delaying the Inevitable. GUYVE manifests a timeless, organic moment, musically rendering listeners into a state susceptible to insight. Wrought by physical intensity and dynamic volume the resultant non-spatial, out of body soundscape is a full on aural experience; Soma/psyche-delic tones with visible decibels. Clubs change names and scenes and trends ebb and flow, yet GUYVE continues to rock harder than ever with unparalleled integrity. Get out and support GUYVE as they celebrate their 20th year.
Day 2 finds us at Slim’s (8635 N Lombard St), where the magic continues with some stranger rock bands. Again, Austin Rich will be our fantastic host, who will give you a behind-the-scenes look as to what the Blasphuphmus Radio studios are actually like during a show. We will also be offering Lost In The Supermarket download cards, and hosting some incredible live music, which includes:
The Dead Air Fresheners
Austin Rich w/ The Dead Air Fresheners! (from the I-5 Corridor)
Dead Air Fresheners will be embarking on the third leg of our spoken artist soundtrack trilogy when we present our world premiere of Austin Rich with the Dead Air Fresheners! We’ll be providing the aural icing to Austin’s spoken cake at the 15th Birthday Party for his long running radio show and podcast Blasphuphmus Radio. Austin will be performing one cover, and several original short compositions with them, as well as using their chance determinism as the launching pad for his vocal introductions.
Alpha Protist
Alpha Protist (from Portland, OR)
Alpha Protist was conjured in 2007 as the logical conclusion to a binge on Jason Molina, Tobin Sprout, and scotch whiskey. Curious garage folk/pop that will stay with you and probably wear out its welcome. Alpha Protist will revive old ghosts from 2007 – 2010 releases, and show some unreleased music the light of day. Alpha Protist are Joel Gaddis and Nil Jones, founding members of the Battlesnakes Records music collective based in Portland. Two full length releases – Feral Tributaries and Glass Animals – and the Chemical Men EP are available at battlesnakesnow.com/alphaprotist. For more information, contact alpha.protist@battlesnakesnow.com
Moth Hunter
Moth Hunter (from Portland, OR)
No stranger to our show, Moth Hunter brings home-brewed electronic wizardry an atmospheric noise to a level that sends shivers down your spine. He and I have worked together a few times in recent years, and his technical know-how and proficiency in delivering audio punishment is well known to discerning connoisseurs of experimental music. Catch him in a rare live performance during our second intermission for the show.
Snatch Wagon
Snatch Wagon (from Portland, OR)
While many would claim that the name says it all, Snatch Wagon is more than the sum of its parts. An all-female rock group with clever lyrics, Snatch Wagon will perform a set of original compositions about boys, booze, meth and knowing where the party is at.
Gordon Taylor
Gordon Taylor, after an extended absence, returns to the stage! (from Portland, OR)
Psychedelic Indie-Punk? Intellectual rock for the obliterated show goer? The eponym Gordon Taylor, a ‘fat, festering old king’ accused of ‘moving to the left’ would risk not a micro-reunion to bless 15 years of Blasphuphmus Radio. So why does Portland’s sole (neither pre- nor post-) during-rock outfit want to sock you in the rocks in 2013? Or why do they not? If you still haven’t heard GT’s Invisible City, a Calvino-drenched rocker, then you must be spanked with kid gloves and gently scalded. They are frenetic, joyous, and explode with jagged hooks. Like that guy from Hellraiser. With guitar.
Mid-Valley Mutations 