yes, vacation is going pretty smooooooth. why there’s me and my biographer loren ptomaine, headed down to the beach! our faces look like that because we just ate lemons.
i’ve been reading a fair amount and trying to get back into a regular drawing habit. plus i’ve been monkeying all around newer england visiting and going to shows, which is rewarding and sometimes challenging but always something to think about. case in point, here’s some video i shot of the great western mass band greyskull, featuring george myers of the breaking world record label (whose releases we proudly stock), jeff “noise nomads” hartford (who had an art show at the store back in 2007 (that is so weird to say), and dan cashman, who has an art show coming up when we reopen in april! power trio!
so, maybe the thing to think about is, what’s happening? what is this caveman noise? let’s consult our old friend and inspiration barnett newman, whose signature motif is all over this confusing clip:
What is the explanation of the seemingly insane drive of man to be painter and poet if it is not an act of defiance against man’s fall and an assertion that they return to the Garden of Eden? For the artists are the first people.
tall order, barn, but OK! punks refuse to rule OK!
this rules! and there’s a beach boys cover (”don’t worry baby”). blue shift is scraping violins and close-mic’ed vocals, RT is greymarket mysticism and arcane ramblings, with drums. this is noise with no rock. letter pressed covers, green vinyl, awesome zine insert with lots of drawings of smoke. whatever, this rules. on RARE YOUTH.
barnacled’s sax man jason mcgill uncovered a heretofore ununcovered box of these records during a spring cleaning fit, and had the dear heart to send us a few. i would describe this record as disgusting, slightly green, and translucent, with pukey orange splatter. additionally, it is pressed on colored vinyl.
genre: JAZZ.
here’s an mp3 from the band but not from the several inch: cloud pump. here’s a youtube of the band in action: barnacled - slappodrome.
the body is a great doom metal band from providence (originally from little rock). they are the loudest band i’ve ever seen, and one of the slowest as well, and additionally they are total teddybears. they came to the store last week to check it out and drop some stuff off, then me and ML went back to rhode island with them to watch left behind (the kirk cameron movie about the rapture) and eat pancakes with fake, vegan bacon (which looked like huge strips of chewing gum printed with a bacon design on a food printer). it was great, it was like two weird futures that are also both the unmistakable present. lee is the drummer and he’s also the DJ in lorna doom, which is a rap act named after a punk bassist named after a cookie. chip is the guitar player and he’s also in the solo drone act “siege engine” and the yet-to-be-realized “timothy leary” rap persona (screaming in a li’l jon way, but more hoarse, and with no rhymes). in addition to the above items, lee (”dj glorious monster”) left us with some of his mix cds- one that’s all miami bass, one of african funk.
in addition to liking weird religious cult shit, they also really like pogs, and were really excited to see that all the talk about pogs finally sublimated into actual physical pogs.
lee, we need some of those jim jones “this world is not my home” t-shirts!
lorna doom slipmats for your turntable - $5
the body cds - $8
HBML sells new and old artifacts including but not limited to t-shirts, noise tapes, punk records, etc.. we also have our own line of products, including toys, clothing, perfume, electronic musical instruments, and mirrors with mustaches already drawn on them. there is also gallery space, a planetarium, and many other exhibits. we are on vacation for three months, until april 1st, so plan accordingly!
in the mean time you can still send love letters, bars of chocolate, and fairly flat packages to our regular street address (click for street view):
