Back in April, 2010, I spent a day at Oneida’s famed Ocropolis studio recording a version of my song “Bleached Beach” with Shahin Motia behind the board.  Two years later, I’m happy to see the release of the recording on this special digital compilation benefiting Japan.  From the JagJaguwar web site:

“It was an idea hatched during a Nov 7th birthday brunch for Kid Millions by Showtime. We would create a Stax-like studio band based around Oneida’s now defunct Ocropolis studio. We would record and produce one song each from a list of our favorite local musicians — the sky was the limit. We both realized that we had about 2 years left in our amazing paradise of a recording studio and while we had done a lot. . .we still hadn’t really taken full advantage of the studio. We hadn’t made good on our mandate to become a resource for the community of musicians with whom we shared a home. Unlike many of the half-baked ideas which emerge from the Brah Records boardroom — this one had legs.

We quickly abandoned the idea of being Brooklyn’s backing band and decided that straight recordings — kind of a Brooklyn waterfront Peel session — would be a better and more interesting goal. Bands would be given four hours to set up and record their track and then allotted four additional hours for mixing. Even within the imposed limits on the project, we vastly underestimated the time and resources this project would require. We also kept adding bands; we couldn’t say no. After all was said and done, twenty two bands recorded material over the course of three months in 2010. We mixed about half of these and then we burned out. Everything stopped. I can’t even remember why — but about 12 sessions remained in the can, untouched.

Cut to about a year later, the Ocropolis’s imminent destruction looming, and our shame at setting aside the project drove us back into the studio to finish. We had to cut a couple tracks from the comp for copyright reasons — so we’re left with 20. All bands generously agreed to donate proceeds from the compilation to two Japanese charities (Ashinaga and JOICFP) picked for us by Shinji Masuko from DMBQ and Boredoms.

So welcome to Koozies, Woodies and Beer — An Ocropolis Japan Benefit Project.”

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ALBUM

Tracks

1. Liturgy — Tragic Laurel
2. Akron Family — Out To Love
3. Sloppy Heads — Resistance, Baby!
4. Knyfe Hyts — We Know When the Sun Goes Down
5. Fireworks — Sheets of Easter
6. Noveller — Bleached Beach
7. Oakley Hall — Puppets on the Wheel
8. Wingdale Community Singers — So What
9. Audrey Chen — Squalling
10. DubKnowDub — Dubcropolis Dub
11. Zombi — Escape Velocity
12. Birdlaw — Attention Survivor
13. Samara Lubelski & Marcia Bassett — Energy Amiss
14. Chaw Mank — Still Yetting
15. Mark Morgan — Take It In Trade
16. Notekillers — Braindance ‘Splosion
17. Red Dawn II — Killed by a Murderer
18. Christy & Emily — Japanese T-shirt
19. White Hills — Spiritual Warfare

Tickets for the premiere performance of “Into the Midnight Sun” on April 14th at the Center Stage at Reston Community Center are basically sold out!  Don’t worry, you can still gain entry to the show and a VIP reception while also helping fund the rehearsal time that the Low End String Quartet musicians need to make the performance spectacular by donating to our fundraising campaign at USA Projects.  We have donation incentives at several different levels to show our appreciation for your generosity, including a private Noveller concert for you and your friends in NYC!  Please watch the above video to learn more about our fundraising campaign and click here to make a donation.  Your donations will be generously matched by the Cheswatyr Music Commissioning Fund (ACF), so each contribution goes a long way. Thanks!

The Low End String Quartet’s alternative instrumentation features electric guitar, electric violin, amplified cello, and electric upright bass, so I was able to incorporate elements of my signature guitar sound while at the same time reaching beyond my usual compositional restraints and letting ideas for string parts run wild.  The result of many months of writing, listening, and recording, is my first quartet piece, “Into the Midnight Sun”.

The Low End String Quartet premieres “Into the Midnight Sun,” as well as a new commissioned work by cellist Zoe Keating, on April 14th at the Center Stage at the Reston Community Center in Reston, VA.  In addition to the premiere of these two new exciting pieces, both myself and Zoe Keating will perform solo sets.  Tickets are available for purchase here.

My former bandmates in Parts & Labor have invited me to help them celebrate their 10 year anniversary with an absolutely stellar evening of rock ‘n noise at 285 Kent on Friday, February 24th.  Sadly, the guys have decided to take a permanent hiatus after this celebration, but instead of getting all weepy, let’s remember the good times and send the guys off with one last incredible show.  I’ll be opening the evening, followed by Neptune, Oneida, and of course, Parts & Labor.  Details below.

02.24.12
285 Kent- Brooklyn, NY
[285 Kent Ave.]

Parts & Labor
Oneida
Neptune
Noveller

Show 8PM
Advance Tickets $10

Join me on Friday, January 6th, at the World Financial Center Winter Garden for a live interpretation of Brian Eno’s Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks album. This free event kicks off the 2012 New York Guitar Festival.  More info below.

From the New York Guitar Festival’s web site:

“2012 marks the 30th anniversary of Brian Eno’s landmark tribute to the NASA moon landings, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. The New York Guitar Festival presents a rare live re-imagining of this masterpiece featuring the Brooklyn ambient ensemble Itsnotyouitsme, legendary NY guitar master Larry Campbell and special guests David Torn, Noveller, Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, and Phish’s Mike Gordon.

Originally commissioned as the soundtrack to Al Reinhardt’s Oscar nominated documentary, For All Mankind, the music captures the wonder of space travel, evoking what Buzz Aldrin would call its “magnificent desolation”. Eno and his collaborators guitarist/producer Daniel Lanois and instrumentalist brother Roger Eno, created a rich, deeply moving sonic landscape which melded cutting edge electronics and studio techniques with raw virtuosic guitar. A founder of the seminal rock band Roxy Music and known as the father of ambient music, Eno is highly influential for his work as a solo artist and producer of other artists including U2, Talking Heads, Coldplay, Devo, Depeche Mode, Laurie Anderson and Paul Simon. The album’s tracks have also been used to great effect in films such as 28 Days Later, Traffic and Trainspotting, who’s soundtrack has sold over four million copies.

The use of guitar on the record runs the gamut from the soaring minimalist harmonics of “Always Returning” to Lanois’ grounded pedal steel on “Deep Blue Day”, inspired by the astronaut’s decision to bring music by country legends Buck Owens and Merle Haggard and others as accompaniment to their nearly half million mile trek.

The performance will feature scenes from the documentary feature “Man In The Right Seat”, a work in progress by director Craig Teper, whose film “Vidal Sassoon The Movie”, was released in 2011. Man In The Right Seat is the chronicle of Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell, whose epiphany on the return flight from his moonwalk, would forever alter the course of his life and bridge the gap between scientific exploration and mystical experience. Mitchell’s first hand accounts of the journey to and from the moon will punctuate this evening of grand and gentle music at the foot of the newly rising World Trade Center.”

12.05.11
Shacklewell Arms- London, UK
[71 Shacklewell Lane]
with
Talk Normal

12.06.11
Kultuurkaffee- Brussels, Belgium
[Pleinlaan 2]
with
Young Colour

12.10.11
Kilbi Im Exil Festival- Zurich, Switzerland
with
Thurston Moore
Tyondai Braxton
Dillon
Za!
+ many more!

This Sunday, November 13th, the main branch of the New York Public Library hosts a performance of Ben Frost’s “Music for 6 Guitars”.  I’m excited to participate as one of the six guitarists in the ensemble.  The other performers include Tim Hecker, Shahzad Ismaily, Paul Corley, and Sarah Register from Talk Normal.  Read the Village Voice article about Ben Frost and the upcoming performance here.

Celebrate Halloween at 285 Kent tonight!  This all ages show starts at 8pm and features performances by Guardian Alien, Noveller, Amen Dunes, Gary War, and PC Worship.  Noveller set begins at 9:45pm.  Bring some candy corn.