Boyd Rice Film Screening at Anthology Films in NYC

ICONOCLAST: BOYD RICE

An Epic Film about the life of Boyd Rice

by Larry Wessel

SPECIAL SCREENINGS AT NEW YORK’S INFLUENTIAL ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES

August 20 – Anthology Film Archives, NYC - 7pm

August 21 – Anthology Film Archives, NYC - 7pm

Four hours in length and six years in the making, Larry Wessel’s documentary about the “Godfather of Noise Music” and industrial music pioneer has two screenings lined up on August 20th and 21st at the iconic Anthology Film Archive cinema in New York. To purchase tickets visithttp://anthologyfilmarchives.org

ICONOCLAST is an epic view of the controversial life of American underground artist/musicianBoyd Rice. Currently finishing his forthcoming NON album set for release on Mute in 2012, Boyd recently performed in the UK at the Roundhouse for Mute’s Short Circuit festival. Boyd Rice first came to prominence in the 1970s as one of the founders of the genre known as Industrial Music. Since then, Rice has enjoyed a career spanning four decades, encompassing the worlds of pop culture, music, art, and film. He has been dubbed ‘The Godfather of Noise Music’, authored several books, exhibited his art in a number of one-man gallery shows, and even lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, despite having been a high-school dropout.

Told through the words of the provocative raconteur himself, ICONOCLAST is a roller coaster ride through the fevered mindscape of one of the most controversial artists of the modern age. From Charles Manson to Marilyn Manson, tiki bars to industrial noise, this kaleidoscopic magnum opus features dozens and dozens of interview subjects, including filmmaker Allison Anders, televangelist Bob Larson, satanist Blanche Barton, and disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer.

"My life, says Boyd Rice, "is a testament to the idea that you can achieve whatever the hell you want if you possess a modicum of creativity, and a certain amount of naiveté concerning what is and isn't possible in this world. I've had one-man shows of my paintings in New York, but I'm not a painter. I've authored several books, but I'm not a writer. I've made a living as a recording artist for the last 30 years, but I can't read a note of music or play any instrument. I've somehow managed to make a career out of doing a great number of things I'm in no way qualified to do."

Along the way, Rice worked as a celebrity bodyguard (protecting the likes of Julie Newmar and Maureen McCormack), owned a Tiki Bar (Tiki Boyd's), starred in an exploitation movie (Pearls Before Swine), and co-edited an influential book on low budget cult films (Incredibly Strange Films).

Check out the film’s website for more info, trailer, cast & credits:

http://www.iconoclastmovie.com/wp/

**

About Anthology Film Archives:  Founded in 1969 by Jonas Mekas, Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka, and Stan Brakhage, Anthology in its original conception was a showcase for the Essential Cinema Repertory collection. Its mission is to preserve, exhibit, and promote public and scholarly understanding of independent, classic, and avant-gardecinema. Anthology screens more than 900 film and video programs per year, publishes books and catalogs annually, and has preserved more than 800 films to date.

Four hours in length and six years in the making, Larry Wessel’s documentary about the “Godfather of Noise Music” and industrial music pioneer has two screenings lined up on August 20th and 21st at the iconic Anthology Film Archive cinema in New York. To purchase tickets visithttp://anthologyfilmarchives.org ICONOCLAST is an epic view of the controversial life of American underground artist/musicianBoyd Rice. Currently finishing his forthcoming NON album set for release on Mute in 2012, Boyd recently performed in the UK at the Roundhouse for Mute’s Short Circuit festival. Boyd Rice first came to prominence in the 1970s as one of the founders of the genre known as Industrial Music. Since then, Rice has enjoyed a career spanning four decades, encompassing the worlds of pop culture, music, art, and film. He has been dubbed ‘The Godfather of Noise Music’, authored several books, exhibited his art in a number of one-man gallery shows, and even lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, despite having been a high-school dropout. Told through the words of the provocative raconteur himself, ICONOCLAST is a roller coaster ride through the fevered mindscape of one of the most controversial artists of the modern age. From Charles Manson to Marilyn Manson, tiki bars to industrial noise, this kaleidoscopic magnum opus features dozens and dozens of interview subjects, including filmmaker Allison Anders, televangelist Bob Larson, satanist Blanche Barton, and disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer. "My life, says Boyd Rice, "is a testament to the idea that you can achieve whatever the hell you want if you possess a modicum of creativity, and a certain amount of naiveté concerning what is and isn't possible in this world. I've had one-man shows of my paintings in New York, but I'm not a painter. I've authored several books, but I'm not a writer. I've made a living as a recording artist for the last 30 years, but I can't read a note of music or play any instrument. I've somehow managed to make a career out of doing a great number of things I'm in no way qualified to do." Along the way, Rice worked as a celebrity bodyguard (protecting the likes of Julie Newmar and Maureen McCormack), owned a Tiki Bar (Tiki Boyd's), starred in an exploitation movie (Pearls Before Swine), and co-edited an influential book on low budget cult films (Incredibly Strange Films). Check out the film’s website for more info, trailer, cast & credits: http://www.iconoclastmovie.com/wp/ ** About Anthology Film Archives:  Founded in 1969 by Jonas Mekas, Jerome Hill, P. Adams Sitney, Peter Kubelka, and Stan Brakhage, Anthology in its original conception was a showcase for the Essential Cinema Repertory collection. Its mission is to preserve, exhibit, and promote public and scholarly understanding of independent, classic, and avant-gardecinema. Anthology screens more than 900 film and video programs per year, publishes books and catalogs annually, and has preserved more than 800 films to date.

John Fahey- Requia

Fahey was a master at the finger-picking style of guitar playing. The British guitarist James Blackshaw is a fine current example of this difficult style and Philadelphia songwriter Kurt Vile has also listed Fahey as a big influence. When Requia was released in 1968 it received mixed reviews. Fahey broke the record into two parts: the first half, just Fahey and his guitar, are requiems for dead musicians utilizing the folk and blues styles that Fahey had explored with his earlier work. The work is engaging and often beautiful. The second half of the record consists of his attempt at "musique concrete", a combination of white noise and sound collages consisting of found sounds, speeches, clanging pans, animal noises, you get the idea. It was this style that turned critics off, even Fahey mentioned that he was disappointed with his initial attempts at this musical style. Oddly, perhaps by coincidence, The Beatles released their own "musique concrete experiment, "Revolution No. 9", at almost the same time as Requia. John Fahey should be required listening for any aspiring guitarist.

Buy this record if you wanna make your fingers bleed.

www.johnfahey.com

The Power of the Riff Festival Taking Place in LA, Seattle, and SF

8/13/2011 Echo/Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA
Pentagram, Eyehategod, Winter , Pelican, Trap Them, All Pigs Must Die, Acephalix, Black Cobra, Skin Like Iron, Baptists, Masakari, Alpinist, Seven Sisters of Sleep, Aeges, Early Graves, Slave, Black Breath, Harrassor, Plagues.
Doors @ Noon
TICKETS

8/15/2011 Elbo Room – San Francisco, CA
Winter, Noothgrush, Trap Them, Black Breath, All Pigs Must Die, Acephalix
Doors @ 7:00pm
TICKETS

8/16/2011 – The Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA
Pentagram, Pelican, Alpinist , Masakari, Early Graves, Baptists, Aeges
Doors @ 6:30pm
TICKETS

8/18/2011 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Winter, Pelican, Noothgrush, All Pigs Must Die, Alpinist, Masakari, Aeges
Doors @ 6:00pm
TICKETS

8/20/2011 The Highline – Seattle, WA
From Ashes Rise, Black Breath, Trap Them, Baptists and Special Guests.
Doors @ 8:00pm
TICKETS

www.thepoweroftheriff.com 

Mathieu Santos- Massachusetts

With Cheers, the Berkshires, and Ben & Matt, what's not to love? Naming your record Massachusetts is a sure way to engender good vibes. Naming your album Nebraska, however, might have a much different effect. Oh wait, Springsteen already did that. Well, Santos is the bassist for the Syracuse, NY based band Ra Ra Riot, a prime example of the current music industry's hype machine in that they were playing large festivals shortly after being "discovered". Ra Ra Riot's drummer accidentally drowned in a Massachusetts bay in 2007 so the title may be an homage to him. Knowing such, there is an eeriness to the seagull and maritime sounds that buffer the title track, a track that borrows derivative African vocal and melody patterns, similar to those found in Paul Simon and Vampire Weekend songs. Santos vocal effects also resemble the echo/reverb effects used by Animal Collective, a layered chorus in an empty cathedral sound. "Wait To Get Up" sounds like the synth exercise for a Police song. The album's charm lies in it's lo-fi pop aesthetic and fans of Animal Collective will be especially appreciative of it.

Buy this record if you're stuck in Rhode Island with a broken fuel pump and no windshield wiper fluid.

www.myspace.com/mathieusantos

FRKWYS Vol. 5: Mirror Mirror

This is the second review I've done for the FRKWYS series. This volume was released in April of 2011 and features remixes of three songs from the Brooklyn-based duo Mirror Mirror, plus an original composition from Mirror Mirror and Stuart Argabright, of Ike's Yard, Comet Crew, and Dominatrix. Remixes are handled by British stalwarts Stuart Moxham of Young Marble Giants, Alig Fodder of Family Fodder, and Rico Conning of The Lines. The people responsible for the FRKWYS series, RVNG Intl., are big Mirror Mirror fans and wanted to bring more attention to the band while allowing some respected older British musicians to showcase their talents as well. Mirror Mirror's sound is an homage to 60's British psych pop and the British musicians enlisted to remix it do an outstanding job expounding on the originals' intentions, turning young artists musings into psychedelic masterpieces resplendent with meaty hooks, kaleidoscopic atmosphere, and varied nuance. It's a shame that the one new song here, "Nau Ser Ser Bil Uma Rah Rab", which stands amply on its own, didn't get the same remix treatment. However, with only four tracks this volume feels like a teaser and would benefit from a full player treatment, in case the good folks at RVNG Intl are listening.

Buy this record for the Ferris Wheel ride with a root beer float in hand.

www.igetrvng.com/discography/91

Amy Winehouse- Demos

I wanted to avoid exploiting Amy Winehouse's death by writing anything about her, but several people have called her out as a talentless hack, saying that other people are responsible for her success. Then this demo bootleg fell into my lap. First off, Amy Winehouse had been singing since a very early age, she was frequently reprimanded in grade school for singing in class, and she learned to play guitar when she was 13. She was no musical novice when her career took off. Now Mark Ronson could be accused of engineering her success. He produced her Back To Black record, helping mold the voice and music into the final product that we all hear. But it's obvious from these demos that Winehouse wasn't just some hack singer who could be auto-tuned into acceptable listening. People have also speculated that her success was due largely to her being white. Well, I would make that argument for almost the entirety of the rock genre, as well as the blues. Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis were just the first of countless white artists to benefit from African and African-American musicians hard work. Conversely, I could make the argument that the Dap Kings, a predominately white, Jewish group of musicians who backed up Amy on her Back To Black record, are guilty of reaping the rewards of their black predecessors. So that finger can be pointed in many directions. Amy Winehouse was not successful because she was white or because four individuals played music on her record, she was a gifted singer song-writer.  You may not like her style of music, but it's hard to deny the artistry in her songs. It also remains to be seen if her name will be mentioned with the likes of Joplin, Morrison, Hendrix, et al in twenty years, but it'll be interesting to see how her legacy plays out. That being said, this demo contains four songs from the Back To Black sessions: "Rehab" and "Back To Black" showcase Amy singing early versions with the live band, while "He Can Only Hold Her" has Amy singing her vocal track over pre-recorded music. The real gem on this bootleg is a beautiful version of "Love Is A Losing Game" that features just Amy and an acoustic guitar, creating the air of a personal living room show. This particular song is a great reminder of Amy's singular talent.

Buy this record if you don't care about the context.

www.amywinehouse.com

Fun Fun Fun Fest Lineup Announced!

FUN FUN FUN FEST 2011 ANNOUNCES FULL LINEUP

FEATURING: 

PASSION PIT, PUBLIC ENEMY, THE DAMNED, MAJOR LAZER, SLAYER, HUM, LYKKE LI, HENRY ROLLINS, GIRLS, DANZIG LEGACY TOUR (DANZIG/SAMHAIN/DANZIG & DOYLE PERFORMING MISFITS), M83, DIPLO, ODD FUTURE (OFWGKTA), BLONDE REDHEAD, HOT SNAKES, AND MORE

-- WEEKEND PASSES NOW ON SALE --

AUSTIN, TX (August 1, 2011) – Fun Fun Fun Fest is proud to announce the current lineup for the 6^th annual Fun Fun Fun Fest to be held November 4 – 6, 2011 at Auditorium Shores in Austin, TX. 

The Transmission Entertainment team, who produces Fun Fun Fun Fest, once again has delivered on an exciting and genre-blurring (from hip hop to indie rock, punk rock to dance, metal to comedy) mix of old and new acts, while keeping their reputation for being a festival offering a unique genre based stage system, rarely-seen performances, newly discovered talent, and anticipated reunions.

The 2011 headliners include everything from indie dance darlings Passion Pit to heavy metal gods Slayer, from hip hop legends Public Enemy to punk icons The Damned. This year, FFF reunions include Hot Snakes, who disbanded in 2005 at the height of their popularity, Hum, who have not been consistently active as a recording or touring group since 2000, and Glenn Danzig playing Misfits songs for the first time in years with original Misfits guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein. More bands are planned to be added to the full FFF line up in Aug/Sep.

When asked about this year's event, Graham Williams, FFF Founder had this to say: “It’s been so hard to keep the lid on everything we have been working on, there are so many exciting bands and acts this year, and so many more to come.” He added “This is clearly the best bill we have ever put together, and I can’t wait to watch it all happen in November.”

Weekend passes are on sale now, including PIP (Pretty Important People) passes. Single day passes, band set times, student discounts and more will be coming in September. Stay tuned for plenty of opportunities to win tickets in the member’s area at funfunfunfest.com, during Fun Fun Fun Fest’s infamous and annual Scavenger Hunt, the newly added Fun Fun Fun Olympics, and on Twitter/Facebook outlets. 

As always, Fun Fun Fun Fest will be working with Austin’s favorite local food and fashion vendors, dedicated to delivering a true Austin Experience for locals and travelers alike.

‘X’ will no longer be performing at Fun Fun Fun Fest as previously announced, as they are on a new tour. They have been replaced by legendary gothic punk band, The Damned, known for being the first UK punk rock group to release a single, an album, to have a record on the UK music charts and to tour the US.

FUN FUN FUN FEST 2011 CURRENT LINE UP:

ORANGE STAGE

Passion Pit  •  Lykke Li • M83 • Blonde Redhead • GIRLS • HUM • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah • Okkervil River • Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears • Architecture in Helsinki • Ted Leo & The Pharmacists • Heartless Bastards • Tune-Yards • Ra Ra Riot • Tinariwen • Radio Dept • Cold Cave • We Were Promised Jetpacks • Mates of State • The Joy Formidable • Cloud Nothings • The Boxer Rebellion • Asobi Seksu • Keep Shelly In Athens • Le Butcherettes • Jim Ward (Sparta/At The Drive-In) • Joe Lally (Fugazi) • Future Islands • Crooks • Lemuria • TV Torso • Manejo Beto 

BLACK STAGE

Slayer • Danzig Legacy (Danzig/Samhain/Danzig & Doyle Perform Misfits) • The Damned • Hot Snakes • Murder City Devils • Kid Dynamite• Boris • Cave In • Negative Approach • D-Generation • Eyehategod • Russian Circles • Thee Oh Sees • Zero Boys • Paint It Black  • Trash Talk • Youth Brigade • No Bunny • Davilla 666 • Bane • Earth Crisis • Graveyard • Doomriders • Ceremony • From Ashes to Rise • World Inferno/Friendship Society • Total Control (Member of Eddie Current Suppression Ring) • Death Grips • Touche Amore • Defeater • Mind Spiders • OBN III • Shapes Have Fangs • Schmillion • Thieves

BLUE STAGE

Public Enemy • Major Lazer • Odd Future (OFWGKTA) • Diplo • Flying Lotus • Neon Indian • Four Tet • Spank Rock • Dan Deacon • Cecil Otter & Swiss Andy present: WUGAZI • Childish Gambino • Budos Band • Rakim • Del The Funky Homosapien • Big Freedia • YACHT • Baths • MNDR • Austra • Dengue Fever • Black Milk • DJ Franki Chan • Ocote Soul Sounds • Auto Body • Bird Peterson • Brandt Brauer Fricke • Picture Plane • T-Bird and The Breaks • Cecil Otter (Doomtree) • G-side • Speak • Purity Ring • DJ Car Stereo (Wars) • B.L.A.C.K.I.E. • Fat Tony

YELLOW STAGE

Henry Rollins • Reggie Watts • Brian Posehn • Upright Citizens Brigade • Turquoise Jeep • Donald Glover • Ali Wong • Anarchy Championship Wrestling • Neal Brennan (Co-creator of Chappelle Show/Half Baked) • Best Fwends • Matt Bearden • Brody Stevens • Captured By Robots • Kenny “K-Strass” Strasser Yo-Yo Extravaganza • Whamcity Comedy Set • Louis Katz • Chris Trew • Veggie Hot Dog Eating Contest • JT Habersaat + the Altercation Punk Comedy Tour 

…With more announcements to come in August and September.

Fun Fun Fun Fest encourages you to travel smart by biking, walking or carpooling to the festival grounds, as parking will be limited and not permitted in surrounding neighborhood areas. Parking options and more can be found at funfunfunfest.com.

Go to www.funfunfunfest.com for updates and to purchase tickets. You can follow the fest on Twitter @funfunfunfest for up-to-the-minute news, ticket giveaways, or you can become a Fun Fun Fun Homie on Facebook @ facebook.com/funfunfunfest

Fun Fun Fun Fest would like to thank you to all of the partners who help make the festival possible, includingHeineken Light, Stanley-PMI and many more.

ABOUT FUN FUN FUN FEST

Fun Fun Fun Fest booked its first set of acts in 2006 in downtown Austin, leading with the likes of Spoon and The Circle Jerks… setting the tone for what would grow to be the darling of independent music festivals for music lovers and music makers in the United States for years to come. 

Now in its sixth year, Fun Fun Fun Fest is an independent genre based festival, known as one of the most relaxed, creative, and pioneering festivals in music today. Fun Fun Fun Fest is a fest that is custom booked for the most passionate underground and progressive musicians, comedians and fans around the world.