Stormcellar Band Home Page

Howdy!

I’ve been getting into what I would call ‘anti-guitar’ lately. It most definitely does involve guitar but the playing is anything but traditional. I’m talking about where the musician has taken an approach that’s wilfully going for the ‘wrong notes’ … or completely abandoned ‘proper’ playing and gone for sheer mayhem, some might say ‘primitivism’ (I wouldn’t) … I would call it feeling, expression, sonic impressionism. How they get there doesn’t matter – whether it’s through learning the ‘rules’ and then breaking them or not paying regard to rules in the first place. They may go out of key wilfully or be completely unfettered by such concepts as being ‘in key’ to start with. Here are some examples.

Marc Ribot / Tom Waits – Way Down in the Hole

Mr Ribot spent many years working with Tom Waits – I can’t tell whether Marc comes at it from the studied angle – but having listed to a bunch of the different projects I think it’s more in the camp of breaking the rules. No easy feat.

Marc Ribot / John Zorn - Anulikwutsayl

Then there’s this piece he worked on with NY avant garde composer John Zorn (also worth checking out if you fancy a walk on the wild side. In a separate project Mr Zorn released an album of music to do with Mike Hammer, of the Micky Spillane detective series – Albert Collins is on it – worth hearing). But back to the collaboration with Ribot, this is called Anulikwutsayl from the album The Dreamers – there are parts where he’s not exactly out of key … but he’s not exactly in key. Be warned there are parts which are definitely not for the faint of heart:

Richard Void & the Voidoids - Blank Generation

I’ve only listened to the one song from this band – ‘Blank Generation’ – pretty sure the approach to the solo was from the ‘fk the rules’ camp. It’s good ‘n skronky. Take a listen and you’ll know what I mean. I do like in the chorus on the second rep of the name of the song he leaves a space where ‘Blank’ should be – I like it:

The Monks - Higgle Dy Piggle Dy

And then there’s The Monks … although not always easy listening there is so much that I like about these guys. Here’s a link to more information on them and their album Black Monk Time. They had some great song titles: Boys are Boys and Girls are Choice; I Hate You; and Shut Up. So freaken good! This is my favourite tune from these guys and the solo is the single most unhinged piece of mayhem I’ve ever heard. When he steps on the fuzz box duck back into the bunker and put on a helmet (I put this one in the category of “what means ‘rules’”). This is called Higgle Dy Piggle Dy:

It's great stuff - hope you found something in it. What's it all for without adventure!

Cheers,

Rosie

Iit's that time of self reflection as society grinds towards the solstice holiday. Sorry if I offeneded any Druids out there by reference to their holy days.

To be fair, I did the self reflection thing during our 3 day management conference a few months back.

Yes much of this exists purely in my head, but where safer?

The other day, Steve W. casually congratulated us on a big year. It made me stop to think about it.

Inward reflection again! Yay! How exciting! Rather than post new music or a new vid, lets stick another semi confessional but artfully propagandist blog out there. 

Ok, kick back and chill for a moment.  I still have the dregs of my coffee and some music going. Nice.

It has been a big year.

We toured DC Bellamy on the East Coast of Aus. 

We recorded two albums.

We released an album.

We did our 3rd US tour.

Each of those is a reasonable achievement for any given year, let alone getting four done in one. That makes a year in the stormcellar like a dog year.

BTW Dog years are actually 4:1 rather than 7:1, contrary to popular belief, but the first two are like 10:1, confusing, but...too much math you say>? Ok.

We've been well fortunate, to borrow an Ali-g-ism, and we don't confuse Luck with Skill. We've been bloody lucky.

There are a lot of talented, excellent musicians out there, that don't get to do as much fun stuff as we do.

We're fortunate to have the support we do from so many people, and it's entirely likely, Dear Reader, that you are one of those people. So thank you.

Else why are you here? Go watch cat videos already.

Hmm.

Kitty.

Anyway.

Group cohesion? Check.

Morale? Check.

Batcrap crazy planned workload for 2016? Check! Why not.

I've been battling tech disaster with my mutant hotrod PC and hopefully once I have won that battle i can finally put some more vds up.

Stay tuned, we're busy as all get out.

Bugger. Metroscreen's closing. 

From affordable gear hire to mentorship, Metroscreen were the Indy film makers friend.

As the band member responsible for making the vids, I've relied on the underground help from groups such as Metroscreen to be able to afford to make even basic videos.

You might not know it, but we can record and release a commercial grade album for the same prices a 1 single commercial grade videoclip. Far out. 

I sometimes think that's why bands have either weird/shitty/low rent clips. A videocrew can run easily to 3-4 people without being silly about it. And thats before props, effects, makeup, editing, titles, clearances, omfg yadda yadda and even with all that it can still look awful unless you know what you're doing or you're lucky.

I've relied on help from cinematographers and crew trained by metroscreen to make our stuff look a little more pro, without the dough.

Thank you metroscreen. I'll miss ya.

I am still convinced that the CD's days are numbered.

Ironic, thusly, that I now need to do another short run of Cd's because other people want them.

Message me or buy one here. Once again these are the only ones i intend to make unelss obliged to do more. Jeez. There is this whole thing called the internet with files and such. Get'em electrically here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stormcellar19

 OR if you still want Physical CD Copies, pre buy one here.

 SC1501 - Everywhere feels like home - Audio CD $20 plus postage in Aus.

I hope to get them before christmas and get them sent out pronto, i'll know shortly and post up here.

Heh. Just talking to a long time cellar dweller about Everywhere feels like home. I thought we'd taken yet another risk and I am quite surprised by how well it's being received.

No really. 'Sonic bliss'? Outstanding Marine!

I dig it. I mean, we do it. I can be excused from some degree of self delusion. Maybe. But I've had a number of cellar dwellers dig this far more than I had expected. I mean, a soundtrack fer cryin out loud?

Theo said something interesting tonight. Quite unlike The Curious Assembly, this album definitely has a linked sonic quality. Maybe that makes it more accessible as a whole, which suggests in a way that our objective of having each of the songs on The Curious Assembly sound different was, if anything, too successful (spinning it like a pro baby, yeah).

Then again I still feel we're in a Single Track universe of playlists these days and most of the folks who have commented on Everywhere Feels Like Home are what i'd call 'album' listeners. They're listening to the whole thing, hoping to find a new 'favourite' track.

That means that they take the musical journey of the album, through the narrative of the main theme, just as we did in putting it together.

YES we have achieved Total Artistic Wanker Status!

Ah...like my self-hating-nihilist-heroes in T.I.S.M

Ok, so I admit it, we got a bit arty. Hence my expectation that other people might go.

Oh. Err. Um.

Ah.

Yeah.

A few instrumentals eh?

I figured there was enough there for it to be a respectable release, but I am really quite delighted that some of our long time compadres are getting into it in a way I didnt expect. They're getting into the peaceful vibe, putting on headphones, listening to Bloomington and then telling me what they imagine as they listen.

That's awesome.

I'm gonna go do that now.