and more:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=318775091& blogId=506353463
More autumn releases from Ecstatic Peace:
12th October - White Out (Thurston Moore & Jim O'Rourke) - 'Senso'
19th October - Hush Arbors - 'Yankee Reality'
26th October - MV+EE - 'Barn Nova'
2nd November - Sunburned - 'A'
9th November - John Blum - 'In The Shade Of The Sun'
Some info below,
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MV+EE - 'Barn Nova''
Still harvesting and sustaining in the deep woods of Vermont , MV & EE
(Matt "MV" Valentine, once the brawn of the Tower Recordings, and Erika
"EE" Elder, CEO of Heroine Celestial Agriculture and The MV & EE
Medicine Show) are following their 2008 release Drone Trailer with
their feature-film-for-the-blind "Barn Nova", which marks their return
to the Ecstatic Peace! label. MV & EE aspire to the sort of beautifully
rewarding standard in their documented output that Sun Ra or The
Grateful Dead achieved. It is with Ecstatic Peace! that their most
consistent works have been born and continue reach fans with The Golden
Road, their most constant band. Together with Doc Dunn (pedal steel,
rhythm guitar, vocals, drums) and Mike Smith (Rickenbacker 4001,
vocals) who appeared on Drone Trailer as well as J Mascis (drums,
guitar, plate reverb) and Woods' Jeremy Earl (vocal, drums) they take
you on the ride now known as Barn Nova and here they jam. Justin
Pizzoferrato also appears contributing percussion, space echo and
aiding once again at the controls. This album was recorded at MV &
EE's own home studio "Maximum Arousal Farm" as well as their current
local New England rooms of choice, "Bank Row" (an old mid 1900's bank)
and J's home studio "Bisquiteen." These kindred spirits share a wealth
of ideas including a serious reverence and desire to upgrade/expand the
classic-rock idiom. Barn Nova marks the return of "Spectrasound," MV's
production technique that places tones dancing all around the stereo
sound field: it has to be heard to be believed. This effect is all the
more impressive that the majority of it was created recording live,
rather than conjured through studio post-production during mixing.
Especially potent on the A side-ending stomp "Summer Magic" where
Erika's economical leads go head-to-head with J's on a particularly
mind-blowing live-in-studio effort; It brings to mind the vibe of
"Green Blues", "Mother Of Thousands" and even an electric "Moon Jook"
with matured songwriting. Inspired by the likes of Jerry Garcia, John
Cipollina and Tom Verlaine, Matt Valentine displays an insatiable
appetite to play in various idioms with constant exploration and
development. Meanwhile, Elder's harmony leads recall the glorious
twinned guitar lines of Canned Heat's Al Wilson & Henry Vestine at
their most potent.
Sunburned - 'A'
'A' is Sunburned's second album with producer Kieran Hebden, a.k.a.
Fourtet. Directed by Kieran like actors in a film, Sunburned is taken
off the bandana smokestage of their previous collaboration - Fire
Escape - and put onto a sweat-soaked 4am lysergic dance floor. Kieran
uses the band like his live instrument laptop and sampler. The results
are truly stunning which makes this record into one of the best moments
of each artists respective musical careers. With artwork by California
visionary and band favorite Raymond Pettibon - A - has looks that kill
along with the sounds that thrill.
John Blum - 'In The Shade Of The Sun'
John Blum was born in New York City, April 15, 1968 and has been a
mainstay of the free-jazz community there for over 15 years. While in
Europe in 1992, he recorded with Clarinetist Tony Scott’s Trio which
included Antonio Grippi on Alto Sax. Upon returning to New York City,
Blum became a member of the Improvisers Collective (1993-1995) and also
initiated projects as a soloist and a group leader. By early 1998 he
joined together with Antonio Grippi on Saxophone, William Parker on
Bass, and Denis Charles on Drums to form The” Astrogeny Quartet”. A CD
of this group was released on Eremite records in 2005. In 2001 Blum
recorded a solo piano CD for Drimala Records entitled “Naked Mirror”,
and was also featured on Butch Morris’ “Conduction 117” released on
JumpArts Records. In 2003, Blum recorded with Sabir Mateen on Tenor Sax
in Sunny Murray’s Trio and is featured on Murray’s CD “Perles Noires
Volume 2” on Eremite Records. He joined the Steve Swell Quintet in 2005
and a CD was released on NotTwo Records of their 2006 NYC Vision
Festival performance. In addition to this Trio recorded in 2008, Blum
also recorded a solo CD “Who Begat Eye” to be released on Konnex
Records in 2009. “I first heard John at Bennington (where I teach
part-time in the college’s Writing Seminars), affectionately kicking
around some bebop and Thelonious Monk tunes with a bassist and a
drummer. His chops, inventiveness and taste—how many pianists would
think to pull out Monk’s “Pannonica”?—caught my attention immediately,
but I didn’t hear the real John Blum until he sent me the CD you now
have in your hands. Not only is he a master musician—if a pitcher were
this fast and pinpoint-precise, he’d be out-earning Johan Santana and
C.C. Sabathia combined— but his playing seems to encapsulate the whole
history of jazz piano: if you listen hard, you’ll catch bits of Harlem
stride, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Monk and Taylor, all recombined in a
flow almost—but not quite—too rapid for the ear to absorb and the mind
to process. Like every great jazz improviser, from Louis Armstrong on,
he’s a self-portraitist, registering the play of his own thoughts and
intuitions as they arise. His abundance of ideas—and ideas springing
from those ideas and morphing into yet other ideas—suggests a teeming,
almost Joyceian inner world. The titles of his pieces allude to the
context of struggle in which this world exists; but the music itself,
sometimes majestic, sometimes frightening, sometimes witty,
many-colored and ceaselessly inventive, is an ideal universe of
freedom. John Blum and his collaborators [William Parker and Sunny
Murray] have created work of enduring value and endless fascination. As
many times as I listen to these pieces, I always hear something fresh
and surprising: further revelations, deeper interconnections. It’s a
gift fromgenerous spirits, straight from their hearts and minds to
yours.” David Gates, Senior Writer Newsweek
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Also available