Bored To Death
Full sets from Gay Kiss and Mynx at the bridge show this previous Friday with NSU! We’re still grieving the loss of Unit B…but this shows what a community of musicians (and music lovers) can accomplish with a generator and some amps. HUGE thanks to Kevin Scott Kurz of Handicapped Productions for letting us share his awesome videos.
There are few things that are truly worth savoring anymore. First kisses, the way the clouds paint themselves across the sky, dope ass sunsets and luckily for us a new Whirr EP to spin. Their first effort after the beautifully lush Pipe Dreams, Around both picks up where the band left off while drudging on into more ambient but wonderfully fleshed out territory. Drain, which has become my new favorite Whirr song, comes in quite softly with some mellow strumming giving way to a somber melody. (Can someone explain to me how these dudes are playing guitar but make me feel like I’m listening to a fucking harp? That shit keeps blowing my mind.) Then the song simply opens up and pours all over you. The collision of guitars and drums sounds borderline industrial while insane riffs and those oh so heavenly vocals sweep in and wash your feelings ashore. Once the tide recedes Swoon kicks in with an orgiastic bombardment of guitar, bass and drum hammering you into the ground. I’m assuming they wanted you to be locked in place as the rest of the song is pretty much you sitting through standard Whirr fare: angelic voices that almost sound like an exhale through walls of noise and a gentle stroke of fuzz for good measure. Keep follows third but comes through strongest with moments of dissonant hush and melodic splendor. The EP wraps up with its namesake - Around and delightfully the bush it does beat. A sprawling seven minute jam of penultimate excellence not because of jarring guitars or bombastic drums but because of its slow post-rock like mellowness that slowly trails off into silence. I don’t know what it is about Whirr songs that feel like slowly trudging through a snow storm. Maybe it’s the strange warmth that comes from something that sounds oddly cold. Around all at once feels hopeful and lost while still dripping melancholy in an oh so excellent fashion. Whirr delivers again, though I’m not as surprised this time around. With the shortest track clocking in a smidge under the six minute mark Whirr’s latest offering boasts a fuller sound and some straight jammers. I highly recommend. It’ll be dropping July 9th on Graveface Records.
- Trelias
We all know you have a facebook
Introduction to the Footing of the Oldest Dance: Chance, Life, Science, Synchronicities, and Chaos Magick.
A year ago a friend of mine asked me “do you dance”, I said very quickly and loudly with a laugh, maybe even rudely “No” this was in 2012 right before I would go around the country in an aggressive tour that would change my focus on life. If she asked me again now, after that span of travel I would say very calmly, “Yes”. The dance I learned and studied was how to dance with the universe and move with it, I also took a ballet class. Luckily I had a knack for these forms of dance, the esoteric and the literal, but I want to stress; it is all about footing and balance, anyone can learn it in some way or form. And I am going to encourage it the simplest way I can, by explaining how I came to it, and what I believe it can do for the reader.
I feel now is an adequate time to clear up some of the fog on myself and the occult. The word occult for better or worse, I am still not entirely sure, has a very hefty amount of connotation sewn into its side. My background as a former Marine Biology Major should indicate at least a slight assumption that my background is that of a skeptic, which is true. My lifelong obsession of the occult and esoteric started very young, as a catholic this was the next logical step, it was all fascination at this stage in my life from about 2000-2010. What I would find is that most phenomena could be explained simply by cross referencing any strange occurrence or myth with a trip to the school library, or for a more modern form, the internet. It is my very simple background in research and cross referencing that led me to fully embrace Chaos magick as the next science.
In 2011, I made the discovery that all art was based of the arts but I would not necessarily practice any real magick. These flirtations had made me more open to reading texts, which in the past I would laugh derisively at. In the summer of 2012 I went along on tour of the US, what happened very shortly on tour, was a friend of mine had brought a wonderfully intact version of Austin Osman Spare’s The Anathema The Zos: The Sermon to the Hypocrites. I read a good portion of it and was enthralled, unfortunately on the third night of tour when we arrived in Texas; the Border Patrol ravaged our van, and tore up the copy, along with a very early printing of Hunter S. Thompson’s Hells Angels, dumped out all the merch, and other belongings mysteriously “vanished”. Apart from that “vanishing act” the tour became a religious experience with my having realized that dreams I had before years ago were all premonitions for the tour cycle, and most of my possessions would be lost or destroyed beyond my control. This level of detachment from time, money, objects, and sleep, as well as unintentional fasting and constant synchronicities would continue throughout. These were places and people I would have never even had a reference too even two years prior that had appeared in dreams around three years prior.
When I returned home I had some extra money, mainly as a result of not being able to buy food after my debit card was devoured in Dayton Ohio. It was also in Dayton where I was also mistaken for an Eskimo; which was invaluably entertaining as I needed it to cheer me up after we found an Arnold Schoenberg tape at the local goodwill, and an immaculate hysteria inducing blouse I knew I needed; I got neither. The first thing I did was purchase the Writings of Austin Osman Spare (an immensely invaluable, common, and affordable compilation of some key works), VALIS by Phillip K. Dick, and any other texts that I could cross reference with AOS (the Disinformtaiton Book of Lies, and Thee Psychick Bible ended up being key pieces. I found out a few things, the first one being that this form of intention based magick centering on art was revived in the 80’s and called Chaos Magick (Liber Null is a key work for that).The Second discovery that I inevitably found out about Chaos magic was in many ways what Stephen Hawking was referencing about essentially blips in the universe, black holes which would in a sense open up other dimensions. The fourth dimension, one of instant materialization, would in many ways explain mystical, miraculous, religious and magical occurrences.
The third discovery that through a series of synchronicities I came upon, is very simple, essentially all forms of “worship” whichever way it is focused is simply focused and realized psychic intention. It was through this realization that I would believe for myself Chaos Magick in many ways was the oldest form of art and magick. Going back to the ancient cave paintings they were channeling down their intention and desires into simple shapes and works. It is the many branches of devotional esoterics that the common strand is intention. Chaos Magick appealed to me and in a way I felt called me.
As an artist Chaos Magick is invaluable, as a functioning being with intention and no judgment of where the energy comes from chaos magick is ideal. Attributed to its modern birth by Austin Osman Spare, Chaos magick was performed through his art, so much so he reportedly merged with it.a way of completing this Sigil Magick is taking a phrase, reducing and removing repeated consonants, and vowels, reducing it to a form, and then meditating on it, one can find power in the most basic and essential of the Arts. Another way that really spoke to me was the Automatic Drawings which he would practice, which I had been doing my entire life since I could hold a pencil (or crayon, marker, chalk, brush, etc). AOS was labeled “the Black Brother of Thelema” by contemporary Aleister Crowley, (essentially the bane of it) this of course intrigued me, however it is most likely in its quickness and simplicity, it effectively removed the orgy in many ways, but it does not have too . Another reason is that in chaos magick, the universe is being called to all sources of delivered intention is not clear. One is literally staring into the abyss, and accepting what will come.
It is of course that when studying something with complete intention that information will reveal itself. Books, words and people will start to appear seemingly out of thin air. 2010 marked my first real venture to the arts, and 2012 marked my complete immersion in it. I can honestly say that everything I work on is intended to be an extension of my Magick chance based life. I have had many encounters on this very recent path, in the third dimensional plane or otherwise, that have some connection big or small. Chaos magick can be used in daily life, and it gets results. It is very simple to forget that in many places of the world, magick is still a daily practice.
In 2012 I decided to only continue in what I believed could be called Psychic Art. Chaos Magick is the path I follow, all great art is in one way or another embodied intention, it is the call that many artists hear, but few listen too. The call that is older than the Chauvet Caves, it is the call that nothing is true and everything is permitted. The last and final synchronicity that followed was this, in 2008 I had a dream where a giant Ouroboros Was staring at its tail and in it were some other ourobori, interrupted from their meal. The symbol appealed to me and I made it my own. It wasn’t until my practice that I realized this. “The Ouroboros that stares into the other Ouroboros that it grasps in its tail, risks being devoured, however if it succeeds, the consumption will be sublime and beyond any plane of enjoyment. The infinite eater will begin it’s ingestion of the infinite.”
Vampires—Austin Osman Spare
Effloration—Austin Osman Spare
Coming is a 3-piece band from LA that put out a 4 song EP titled “Lonely”.
The EP leaves no empty space and keeps you pulled in from the intro to the last song. The intro starts off with screams, bass and synth. Then BLAST into a deep bellowing verse that hits you before you realize the second track has started. ‘Repeat’, the second track, hypes you up with a groovy bass line and leading guitar that stabs hard. It then goes into the title track ‘Lonely’ that continues the dark vibe from the previous track, and introduces a dirtier tone that keeps your head bobbing. The closer, ‘Slip’, hypnotizes you with the spiral sounding guitar riff and cradles you into a dark trance where you put together what you just listened to… Then you play it again.
All in all, this EP is awesome. Coming has concocted an untested formula for a very dark release. You’ll find yourself listening to it over and over again as well as re-visiting your old Bauhaus and Birthday Party records. Cheers.
-Jesse Boredom
LONG BEACH!! Tonight The Vapes of Wrath shop will be hosting the closing night of The Pen & The Palette art show featuring art work from UK artist Ben Fellows and US artist Sean Robertson. This is FREE with FREE beverages available. Scope out the event page for full info. Enjoy the preview of artwork that will be there tonight.
The Vapes of Wrath
4103 N Viking Way Ste D
Long Beach, CA
https://www.facebook.com/events/265471553591022/
art by Sean Robertson
New song from the 6-piece Bay Area band Whirr! The group is known for their unique style of shoegaze as well as work for their other project, Deafheaven. The layered guitars set a dark mood for the listener while the percussion blends and keeps perfect time with everything else. ’Swoon’ will be released on the 2013 EP out in July on Graveface Records.
Dreams less sweet, my machine of ever loving grace
I own a few pieces of art, I am a lover of art first, and an artist as a byproduct of that love. My collection is modest and varied collection contained to a 20’ x15’ room (approximately). I am being completely honest when I state that I love each as if they were original Francis Bacons or Don van Vliets. However I must admit; the piece I stare at the longest, and everyday, is my Brion Gysin dreamachine.
Stare at is not the correct term, neither is stare into. The dreamachine as Gysin has stated “I have made a simple flicker machine. You look at it with your eyes shut and the flicker plays over your eyelids.”
Created by Gysin Burroughs, and Ian Sommerville (who held a degree from Cambridge). The story is one as old and classic as any real archetype, taken from a diary entry on December 21, 1958 Gysin Wrote
“”Had a transcendental storm of colour visions today in the bus going to Marseilles. We ran through a long avenue of trees and I closed my eyes against the setting sun. An overwhelming flood of intensely bright colors exploded behind my eyelids: a multidimensional kaleidoscope whirling out through space. I was swept out of time. I was out in a world of infinite number. The vision stopped abruptly as we left the trees. Was that a vision? What happened to me?”
With the help of Electronics and CPU pioneer, and Burroughs then lover, Ian Sommerville, The three of them worked to replicate this. It would take the form of the dreamachine. Rotating and creating a flicker at 8-13 a second the dreamachine goes directly to the alpha waves in the brain. The first and obvious effect is the drugless hallucination playing into the eyelids, other possibilities, are relaxation, improved ability to visualize, focus, and euphoria.
Artistically I have seen for lack of better terms, “abstract paintings” from the past, take form in the dreamachine, The Nouroboros has presented itself once more through it as well. Ideas rush; the rate of words flowing and in the multiple languages I understand is phenomenal. I fire words and intentions right back into the dreamachine. Paintings, writings, and automatic drawings are all possible and improved after a session as small as seven minutes. I do not even drink coffee anymore; I simply use my dreamachine every morning of everyday. In the perfect world of Gysin’s, it would have replaced TV.
The dreamachine never caught on, whether this is because of the true psychic potential or bad marketing is debatable. When trying to sell it claiming that it would make people more awake, it had lost potential. Gysin however had botched the Deal with a Columbia records executive telling him that “one day records would be played without needles, that instead one day an “Electronic Eye” would scan the disc.” It is a hard sell for a stroboscopic device that produces a drugless hallucination, especially as a conglomerate with a lot of room for litigious matters. The flicker is a trick, and a hard one to sell confidently.
The Flicker effect, in many ways is the oldest trick in the book, It has been noted that Nostradamus would according to myth climb atop a building close his eyes tilt his head towards the sun and wave his fingers rapidly in front of his eyes, and receive visions, the same is said of tribes in North Africa. In the past Shamans would also stare into the flames for visions. The Dreamachine is a great way to focus and visualize sigils. Whether it is coincidence or not events have started happening at much greater speeds and forces than before I started to use my dreamachine.
Quoted by Gysin as “The First Piece of art to be viewed with the eyes closed” and “The end of art.” there is a lot to expect from a dreamachine What can be seen each time is its own indeterminate live work of the user, complete chance art, organic, temporary and ethereal. Had he used the terminology of academia he may have had more luck. No one described or rendered the dreamachine as well as Gysin, just look up the paintings to see them in the best representation of the otherworldly form. It’s a world of pulsations, reds, blues, pinks, and whites. The never ending flows and power would make the Nile cry into itself creating a feedback of streams, still unparallel to the Dreamachine.
There are of course the natural dangers of the dreamachine, if one were to be susceptible to epilepsy; it should be used with caution, or not at all. There is also the ludicrous claims made by someone that may or may not be Courtney Love trying to blame his suicide on the dreamachine after a 72 hour usage. As Burroughs has put it the claims are “nonsense.”
A dreamachine is a tool, one that should be used responsibly, but with room for fun. for a while Museum grade Dreamachines were being manufactured with a proceed going to the master musicians of Jajouka (whose album pipes of pan recorded by Brian Jones was a favorite of Burroughs). There is a seller on ebay, who will make you a very nice dreamachine, and include a tape, light and socket, along with a 78 player. There is also of course the DIY element which Genesis P-Orridge Championed during the run of the Temple of Thee Psychick Youth.
http://www.interpc.fr/mapage/westernlands/dreamachine.html
The 1st official GRYPT show is happening Sunday June 30th with pop surrealist, Cindergarden and Paper Slang. GRYPT has been working hard at perfecting their witchy ceremonial performance. This is not something to miss out on!
info is as follows:
New Wave Bar//Electrocution club presenting
No Cover//Free Parking//21+
$3 Newcastle Pints & $3 Coronas!
8PM-2AM
17847 Lakewood Blvd, Bellflower CA
https://www.facebook.com/events/383370611779048/
New CØNDITIØN song off the ‘Bombed Out’ 7” out soon on RUST AND MACHINE records. You can purchase this (when it’s out) and the ‘Deteriorating’ 7” from the RUST AND MACHINE website.
3 new tracks from The Muddy Flowers! I’ve had these guys play many house shows and each time they slayed. Keep an ear out for future releases and shows.
NASA Space Universe and The Coltranes are heading out on a 18 day tour! First show will be in Kansas City on Tuesday May 21st, and ending at The Dial/Murrieta CA Friday June 7th. SPREAD THE WORD!
NASA Space Universe and The Coltranes- THE LAST STRAW TOUR ‘13
May 21- Kansas City, MO @ Badhaus w/Sucked Dry, Dark Ages
https://www.facebook.com/events/125433447652763/
May 22- St Louis, MO @ Blank Space w/ NRML PPL, Lumpy and the Dumpers, Nos Bos
https://www.facebook.com/events/580551978634849
May 23- Chicago, IL @ Live Wire Lounge (late show)
https://www.facebook.com/events/124285911103429/
May 24- Milwaukee, WI @ Quarters (21+) w/ Holy Shit!, Short Walk, Quitters
https://www.facebook.com/events/126843880837832
May 25- Cincinnati, OH @ Bama Mansion w/ Dog Fight, Crushed Velvet
https://www.facebook.com/events/542907052426395/
May 26- Raleigh, NC @ Kings w/ Double Negative, Hoax
https://www.facebook.com/events/527429173983083
(tickets)
http://kingsbarcade.com/2013/05/26/hoax
May 27- Nashville, TN @ Cirith Ungol w/ Pissbath, Fucked Ethos
https://www.facebook.com/events/482811548440983/
May 28- Chattanooga, TN @ Sluggo’s North w/ Xanax Squaredance, Prophets & Kings, Beard Wolf
https://www.facebook.com/events/521122471267967
May 29- New Orleans, LA @ United Bakery w/Sewn Leather, Hoax
May 30- Chaos
May 31- chaos @ beerland (21+) w/ UV Race, Violent Future, Spray Paint
June 1- chaos daytime @ Trailer Space w/ Negative Degree, Lumpy and the Dumpers, Sucked Dry, Nuke Cult, Breakout
+
chaos @ cheer up charlies w/ D UNIT, Merchandise, The Men
(no coltranes :(
June 2- chaos daytime house party
https://www.facebook.com/events/306908372773519/
June 3- Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves w/ Hoax, GAG, Asile, Sete Star Sept
https://www.facebook.com/events/548609171856390
June 4- Oklahoma City, OK @ Drunken Fry (21+) w/ Hoax, Knife Control
https://www.facebook.com/events/249423568536958/
June 5- off day
June 6- Phoenix, AZ @ Wallstreet w/ Mace Maniac
https://www.facebook.com/events/370350853069262
June 7- Murrieta, CA @ The Dial w/ Full of Hell, Creative Adult, Ghostlimb, Headwind,
https://www.facebook.com/events/334332690011106
