FOR THE REST OF TIME

Welcome once again to Drag City’s monthly update! Sure, since the last time you heard from us, you’ve heard from everyone else — well, let’s see…half a dozen times a day on Twitter, Facebook updates, then all those texts times…something like a month a half – Good Lord, we’ve been quadrupi-lapped (at least!) by the rest of the world! And we haven’t shaved or changed our drawers, either. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that life-changing music hasn’t ceased rolling off of our dock in the interim — and once it’s out there, it’s potentially part of the landfill now and forever, whether it’s poly-bagged on your shelf, taking up a few megs on the drive or up on eBay for some insultingly low price. This shit is forever, people! Let’s live with it accordingly — which from our perspective means, to each their own (should they want it) and enough for all. You can blog however you feel, but that’s how we see it.

NU GENERATION

The last time we were dropping several thousand word-tons of science-bombs on you (friendly fire, people!), it was the dead of summer. Nothing was going on — just releases by the half-dozens and a website hanging around our neck like a rotten old albatross (who comes up with these old sayings, anyway? An albatross never stopped us from getting our shit together — but then again, we’ve actually never seen an albatross. Wait — is “albatross” code for a dildo-shaped bong?. Today’s a different day though. And a different dildo bong.

Welcome to the first-ever Newsletter on the still baby-fresh (can’t you smell that new code smell?) new Drag City website. It’s a new era that begs for new things to be done new and different, and we’ve got a few sprigs of the new stubbling out of our e-soil right now, take a look around. Pardon us though if we move on to the ever-changing topic at hand — what’s nu?

NEW! NEWER! NEWEST!

We’re in one of those rapid-fire parts of the year where every time you turn around, you’re standing on top of another discharge of a new release — and you’re not complainin’, you’re just sayin’. And hopefully, you’ve got the change in your pocket to afford the price of admission — for what glorious fuckin’ shits await you!

In order to give you something you that counts, we’ve spread out a crop of hot new ones from late August into mid-November —but in order to accommodate the volume of awesomeness, the 2009 harvest has commenced with four release dates over the course of nine golden (and slightly chilly) weeks. Ten full-length records! Well, one’s an EP — but one has a CD and a DVD, so that evens the score.

THE SIX-CHANGE RATE

It started on August 18th, with the release of the new Six Organs of Admittance album, Luminous Night. At this early point, it kind of looks like LN is Six-O’s Forever Changes. You know, when that now-classic album came out, its soothing intensities seemed lost on many — it sold to a solid base of Love fans and starting rolling, accumulating a reputation for velvet-lined, string-laden peace-and-despair that finally exploded a couple decades later, in time for Arthur Lee to cash in on his timeless music a few times before he passed away. This is what we hope for Ben Chasny, people — because what he’s made here is a lush, plush ode to existential crisis that might just say it all for the bunch of misbegotten pukes he’s singing to — not to mention the future-pukes who’ll one day idealize dumpy ol’ 2009 while getting off to tunes like “Bar-Nasha” and “Ursa Minor.” Luminous Night is just that good, folks. Ben’ll be proving it in a live setting during a number of live dates this fall, when he squares off for a fortnight of fireworks with OM out east. This is only the beginning…

WORKS OF ARK

Also just taking off are the ethereal duo of Espvall & Batoh . As in ‘Helena & Masaki,’ OK? Their debut last year was a hard thing to pin down, as they Rome’d the range from no-take improvisations to ancient music and traditionals, effluviated by the occasional space jam. Coming back a year later with Overloaded Ark just about overloads ark minds, ya know? HE&MB continue to sink down into their shared self, finding depth in fresh inspiration, making the music of all time and space their own. This means: more pan-cultural music than you can shake a staff at (maybe four languages sung in this time?), music more ancient than before (one more year ancient — gotcha!), and more epic jams too. It’s just beauty and hope shining through the darkness, a musical beam needed in this day and age.

A SIC DAY’S WORK

Also laid down with these two songs of the time in August was a massive white slab of double-(black)vinyl from Sic Alps. Nothing new here, technically — their 2008 singles-and-elsewhere comp A Long Way Around to A Shortcut repackaged for the eternal format. Of course, the music itself feels fresh and new still, a representative of the ever-deconstructing time, while reminding historians among us of prior eras (like early 90s and mid-60s!) among the parade of scruffy ditties, screeching sound-pomes and woozy atmospheres. It was great stuff — and it will be again, but in the meantime, we’ve sold out of the first pressing! If you’ve been out on the nod, better get it into gear and scare you up a copy (the handy-and-handless “Store Locator” on our very website can help!). We’ll see if we can terrify up another batch as well.

SEPTEMBERLY

Suddenly, it’s September. The days are shortening, seasons are ending, and there’s still so much more to do! Like release four albums over two release dates

THE VISITOR HAS ARRIVED

Jim O’Rourke’s got a name that just won’t die, even though the man hasn’t put out a new album proper in the better part of a decade. That’s a barometer of how much he contributed with the releases Bad Timing, Eureka, “Halfway to a Threeway,” and Insignificance — not to mention a bunch of other, more avant-garde releases under his own name, plus collaborative efforts in Gastr del Sol and Loose Fur as well as production jobs out the ass (or rock-tum, for you Emily Post-types!). Over the past couple years, we’ve reissued a mid-90s solo album of modern wackery (Tamper) and Streamline put out a previously-unheard mega-drone from the early 90s early 90s (long night). Still, those couldn’t possibly hope to fill the aching void created by Jim with his popular music albums. Well, now there’s something to put in that gaping hole — a new Jim O’Rourke album. It’s called The Visitor and it’s a Bad Timing-like trip through ever-changing instrumental pastures. That’s right, you hungry mini-masses: no vocals – but instead, the sounds of O’Rourke capering about from idea to idea, enriching his inspirations by playing every instrument on the record and mixing it all for maximum laughs and maximum tears. There’s a bit of something for everyone’s ears on The Visitor, a forty-minute fun ride that will appeal to the sentimentalist as well as the futurist. Welcome back, Jim — and get busy on that next record! Eight years can get behind your behind in a hurry.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN MONOTONIX MADE IT HAPPEN?

Then there’s the other side of eight years – Monotonix, who played the same amount of shows last year that some groups do in eight! They’re in a rush, that’s for sure. To where? Just to the Israeli Mount Everest of rock, that’s all. They want to play. And few bands can whip up the kind of churning fury in a crowd that Monotonix do in just fifteen minutes! Perhaps this year, they’ll play a half an hour — that’s how much new music they’ve introduced on their new album, Where Were You When It Happened? Adding some great new tunes to the mini-batch of their debut EP ”Body Language,” WWYWIH? also delves deep into the seemingly fun-loving psyche of Monotonix, finding love and longing underneath their multi-fluid (human and animal)-soaked skins (human and animal), in addition to other rocking emotions. Meanwhile, the production also draws closer to the stinking beast of Monotonix in concert, where their anything-goes (up the ass – just kidding, only the microphone goes up the ass!) attitude has made them the ultimate show around the world. For more and better of everything that is Monotonix, try Where Were You When It Happened? Feeling dirty never felt so filthy!

Jim O’Rourke and Monotonix are out now! What’s next? We’re telling you, OK?

OM-G!

Late September brings ever-darkening skies, a return to the halls of learning, and a near-fatal musical combination of both those things: a new OM album. After two years of listening, vibrating and growing, OM is back with their new album, God Is Good. Joining Al Cisneros in the duo is Emil Amos (of Grails), making his debut on the drum throne as OM ascends to new peaks of spirit and imagination. What was eternal remains, and is now joined with God Is Good, out September 29th.

A CURE FOR THE HIGGINS-UPS

Also out on September 29th, a second album nobody ever expected from a man whose first record took thirty years to be properly heard. That’s right, Gary Higgins is back with Seconds., thirty-five years after Red Hash fell into the free world with all the weight of a feather. Since then, it’s been reclaimed by a new generation and stands as a classic piece of psychedelic folk music as well as a landmark of independent production. Beyond all such frothy hype, the music of Red Hash is the music of Gary Higgins, of which Seconds. is more – from an more experienced, but no less dark perspective. The pitfalls of aging, love and ambition as well as the eternal struggles against armed conflict are measured against the joys of the same (gasp! Even armed conflict?!) – and with some of the Red Hash gang in tow, Gary’s arrangements are filled with the delicate, melodic work that his one album was known for. Now, for all those who wondered what happened after that happening record happened, there’s Seconds..

HAVE (ANOTHER) ‘LANCHE

October and November don’t lack for brilliant new releases, either – but we don’t want to talk ourselves out here, so we’ll just name some names. Espers III; Alasdair Roberts “The Wyrd Meme” EP; Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa CD + DVD; the Final Flesh DVD (from Vernon Chatman of Wondershowzen in-fame); a new **Galactic Zoo Disk from Ryan Trevor; and new Luc Ferrari and David Grubbs from Blue Chopsticks**. Whew! Plus vinyl versions of those three great Bert Jansch reissues! And singles from Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Bachelorette! Wha?!?

SEE WITH YOUR ALL OF YOUR SENSES, NO JUST YOUR EYES — JERK!

Now that you’ve had a couple weeks to take it all in, we’re sure you’ll clasp hands with us and intone just like the Indians of old: shit-fuck, what a sweet new website we’ve got! It does so many things, it’s easy to take it for granted (and we’ve already started!) — but when you can tap into any of our new releases and listen to samples of each and every song…why, this is a great way to preview the record and decide whether or not it’s for you! It’s like the year 2000 all over again around here. And while you’re waiting for the same function to “go live” on such long-lost Drag City classics as Gastr del Sol’s ”Mirror Repair” EP, Edith Frost’s *eponymous debut EP**, Smog’s ”Look Now” single, Scene Creamers’ I Suck On That Emotion and Ludwig’s Law by * Moebius/Plank/Thompson (among many others! And they’re coming as fast as we can upload ‘em on our vintage dial-up, kids!), you can check out other OOP titles like The Fucking Champs’ V and The Red Krayola Singles and even download ‘em – like in the future of six years ago, when there are no CDs or retailers and everything is shopped online, glory glory be!

But that’s not all – we’re determined to continue to post that slippery non-consumer entertainment item known as “content” in exchange for your continued enjoyment and interest in the artists who wander the streets of Drag City. Men and women like Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (and honestly folks, ain’t he a little bit of both, him whose restless wanderings have led him through so many video shoots as to be almost uncountable (especially if you’re bad at the maths)). I mean, check him out! Rare, broadcast-only commercials for Beware. Commercials for The Letting Go! All manner of videos – including the recently-posted promotional clip for the”Chijimi” 10”s ”How About Thank You,” directed by Mike Aho (which we find well stupid — in the British sense! – and hope you will as well). But he’s not the only one! There’s video bits from Six Organs of Admittance, Ghost, RTX, Silver Jews and Magik Markers – with, once again, much requested bits from many others (like Bill Callahan, who has quite a few cool videos in the midst (get it?) of the Smog archives). And never-before-seen live footage from the Drag City doom-and-gloom rooms `as well!

It’s about music, sure – but you have to use all of your senses (especially your taste, yo!) to make it come alive here on dragcity.com. Set it off with whatever limbs you got (yes, retard, a dick counts, sigh) – our world is like an oyster with a mouthful of pearly whites, ready to yawn open at your command. Now I done gots meself a-horny!

MUZIK 4 CASH

Ah, records, records…who gives a fuck? Now that we’ve discovered the ultimate bootlegging sites of our dreams, it’ll all end in tears anyway. And record labels will be forced to evolve into providers of some other kind of service. Don’t be surprised if you check back into this wonderful website, you might find “Drag City Concert Promotion[„¢”, or “Pissing In The Digital Stream (sponsored by DCCP [„¢).” Or who knows, maybe Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy brand “Iced Suck Sticks ([„¢, bitch!).” We might just have to get creative when the bottom falls out of the making music for cash game.

C U @ ICA?

And speaking of live shows, don’t you dare miss The Red Krayola at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London! They’ve played in Merry Olde like once in the past twenty-five years and even though they’re still engaged in music-making (some — us and YOU! — would say the best of their career), The Red Krayola don’t play a lot of gigs. This one’ll be a deluxe affair with many members past and present contributing to their musical socialism (which hopefully doesn’t equate with evil for our clear-thinking readership — Christ, what moronic times we still seem to be living in!). A night to remember for sure: November 19, 2009 at London’s fabled ICA.

As far as special shows around the globe are concerned, that’s hardly it. What about Ghost in Berlin on October 15th, that’s pretty hot! Or Six Organs of Admittance and OM in a vibrational duel royale up and down the American eastern seaboard throughout mid-October? Too much! What about Monotonix Over America from mid-September to mid-October — where will you be when that happens?

Then there’s Sic Alps taking their soiled mod togs over the water and back to the ruins of that ancient land where gods like The Who once rocked. Those guys barely play in America, and they’re touring their low-fi duo-tasm over there? Those shows are going to be heavy on a number of levels.

Also on the heavy front, coming up later in September of are the Death resurrection shows, with the two surviving Hackney brothers teaming up with guitarist Bobbie Duncan to bring Death to Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland once and for all. We’re canceling several vacations and cross-country migrations just to make sure we don’t miss all that rock and roll, played as it was invented. Or at least that’s what Dante Smith tells us.

And you know what? You don’t have to either. Check out the Tour Page and see who else you’re in danger of seeing starting sometime soon. Can you accept the challenge of live?

SEEGER ON THE OTHER SIDE

Join us in sending our best energies to the Seeger friends and family, to whom the loss of Mike Seeger must be resonating. He passed away at the age of 75 on August 9th. Mike’s recordings of Nimrod Workman were issued on Drag City via Twos and Fews late last year, and the continued issue of recordings he made on other folk artists out there will continue to revive the traditional music that he played, collected and propagated with unparalleled knowledge and passion.Mike Seeger, y’all.

UNTIL THE END OF TIME

We’re here with you, until it’s all over. Or is that “until October”? Check in next time to discover the chilling truth —

Rian Murphy Drag City Incorporated September 2009FOR THE REST OF TIME

Welcome once again to Drag City’s monthly update! Sure, since the last time you heard from us, you’ve heard from everyone else — well, let’s see…half a dozen times a day on Twitter, Facebook updates, then all those texts times…something like a month a half – Good Lord, we’ve been quadrupi-lapped (at least!) by the rest of the world! And we haven’t shaved or changed our drawers, either. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that life-changing music hasn’t ceased rolling off of our dock in the interim — and once it’s out there, it’s potentially part of the landfill now and forever, whether it’s poly-bagged on your shelf, taking up a few megs on the drive or up on eBay for some insultingly low price. This shit is forever, people! Let’s live with it accordingly — which from our perspective means, to each their own (should they want it) and enough for all. You can blog however you feel, but that’s how we see it.

NU GENERATION

The last time we were dropping several thousand word-tons of science-bombs on you (friendly fire, people!), it was the dead of summer. Nothing was going on — just releases by the half-dozens and a website hanging around our neck like a rotten old albatross (who comes up with these old sayings, anyway? An albatross never stopped us from getting our shit together — but then again, we’ve actually never seen an albatross. Wait — is “albatross” code for a dildo-shaped bong?. Today’s a different day though. And a different dildo bong.

Welcome to the first-ever Newsletter on the still baby-fresh (can’t you smell that new code smell?) new Drag City website. It’s a new era that begs for new things to be done new and different, and we’ve got a few sprigs of the new stubbling out of our e-soil right now, take a look around. Pardon us though if we move on to the ever-changing topic at hand — what’s nu?

NEW! NEWER! NEWEST!

We’re in one of those rapid-fire parts of the year where every time you turn around, you’re standing on top of another discharge of a new release — and you’re not complainin’, you’re just sayin’. And hopefully, you’ve got the change in your pocket to afford the price of admission — for what glorious fuckin’ shits await you!

In order to give you something you that counts, we’ve spread out a crop of hot new ones from late August into mid-November —but in order to accommodate the volume of awesomeness, the 2009 harvest has commenced with four release dates over the course of nine golden (and slightly chilly) weeks. Ten full-length records! Well, one’s an EP — but one has a CD and a DVD, so that evens the score.

THE SIX-CHANGE RATE

It started on August 18th, with the release of the new Six Organs of Admittance album, Luminous Night. At this early point, it kind of looks like LN is Six-O’s Forever Changes. You know, when that now-classic album came out, its soothing intensities seemed lost on many — it sold to a solid base of Love fans and starting rolling, accumulating a reputation for velvet-lined, string-laden peace-and-despair that finally exploded a couple decades later, in time for Arthur Lee to cash in on his timeless music a few times before he passed away. This is what we hope for Ben Chasny, people — because what he’s made here is a lush, plush ode to existential crisis that might just say it all for the bunch of misbegotten pukes he’s singing to — not to mention the future-pukes who’ll one day idealize dumpy ol’ 2009 while getting off to tunes like “Bar-Nasha” and “Ursa Minor.” Luminous Night is just that good, folks. Ben’ll be proving it in a live setting during a number of live dates this fall, when he squares off for a fortnight of fireworks with OM out east. This is only the beginning…

WORKS OF ARK

Also just taking off are the ethereal duo of Espvall & Batoh . As in ‘Helena & Masaki,’ OK? Their debut last year was a hard thing to pin down, as they Rome’d the range from no-take improvisations to ancient music and traditionals, effluviated by the occasional space jam. Coming back a year later with Overloaded Ark just about overloads ark minds, ya know? HE&MB continue to sink down into their shared self, finding depth in fresh inspiration, making the music of all time and space their own. This means: more pan-cultural music than you can shake a staff at (maybe four languages sung in this time?), music more ancient than before (one more year ancient — gotcha!), and more epic jams too. It’s just beauty and hope shining through the darkness, a musical beam needed in this day and age.

A SIC DAY’S WORK

Also laid down with these two songs of the time in August was a massive white slab of double-(black)vinyl from Sic Alps. Nothing new here, technically — their 2008 singles-and-elsewhere comp A Long Way Around to A Shortcut repackaged for the eternal format. Of course, the music itself feels fresh and new still, a representative of the ever-deconstructing time, while reminding historians among us of prior eras (like early 90s and mid-60s!) among the parade of scruffy ditties, screeching sound-pomes and woozy atmospheres. It was great stuff — and it will be again, but in the meantime, we’ve sold out of the first pressing! If you’ve been out on the nod, better get it into gear and scare you up a copy (the handy-and-handless “Store Locator” on our very website can help!). We’ll see if we can terrify up another batch as well.

SEPTEMBERLY

Suddenly, it’s September. The days are shortening, seasons are ending, and there’s still so much more to do! Like release four albums over two release dates

THE VISITOR HAS ARRIVED

Jim O’Rourke’s got a name that just won’t die, even though the man hasn’t put out a new album proper in the better part of a decade. That’s a barometer of how much he contributed with the releases Bad Timing, Eureka, “Halfway to a Threeway,” and Insignificance — not to mention a bunch of other, more avant-garde releases under his own name, plus collaborative efforts in Gastr del Sol and Loose Fur as well as production jobs out the ass (or rock-tum, for you Emily Post-types!). Over the past couple years, we’ve reissued a mid-90s solo album of modern wackery (Tamper) and Streamline put out a previously-unheard mega-drone from the early 90s early 90s (long night). Still, those couldn’t possibly hope to fill the aching void created by Jim with his popular music albums. Well, now there’s something to put in that gaping hole — a new Jim O’Rourke album. It’s called The Visitor and it’s a Bad Timing-like trip through ever-changing instrumental pastures. That’s right, you hungry mini-masses: no vocals – but instead, the sounds of O’Rourke capering about from idea to idea, enriching his inspirations by playing every instrument on the record and mixing it all for maximum laughs and maximum tears. There’s a bit of something for everyone’s ears on The Visitor, a forty-minute fun ride that will appeal to the sentimentalist as well as the futurist. Welcome back, Jim — and get busy on that next record! Eight years can get behind your behind in a hurry.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN MONOTONIX MADE IT HAPPEN?

Then there’s the other side of eight years – Monotonix, who played the same amount of shows last year that some groups do in eight! They’re in a rush, that’s for sure. To where? Just to the Israeli Mount Everest of rock, that’s all. They want to play. And few bands can whip up the kind of churning fury in a crowd that Monotonix do in just fifteen minutes! Perhaps this year, they’ll play a half an hour — that’s how much new music they’ve introduced on their new album, Where Were You When It Happened? Adding some great new tunes to the mini-batch of their debut EP ”Body Language,” WWYWIH? also delves deep into the seemingly fun-loving psyche of Monotonix, finding love and longing underneath their multi-fluid (human and animal)-soaked skins (human and animal), in addition to other rocking emotions. Meanwhile, the production also draws closer to the stinking beast of Monotonix in concert, where their anything-goes (up the ass – just kidding, only the microphone goes up the ass!) attitude has made them the ultimate show around the world. For more and better of everything that is Monotonix, try Where Were You When It Happened? Feeling dirty never felt so filthy!

Jim O’Rourke and Monotonix are out now! What’s next? We’re telling you, OK?

OM-G!

Late September brings ever-darkening skies, a return to the halls of learning, and a near-fatal musical combination of both those things: a new OM album. After two years of listening, vibrating and growing, OM is back with their new album, God Is Good. Joining Al Cisneros in the duo is Emil Amos (of Grails), making his debut on the drum throne as OM ascends to new peaks of spirit and imagination. What was eternal remains, and is now joined with God Is Good, out September 29th.

A CURE FOR THE HIGGINS-UPS

Also out on September 29th, a second album nobody ever expected from a man whose first record took thirty years to be properly heard. That’s right, Gary Higgins is back with Seconds., thirty-five years after Red Hash fell into the free world with all the weight of a feather. Since then, it’s been reclaimed by a new generation and stands as a classic piece of psychedelic folk music as well as a landmark of independent production. Beyond all such frothy hype, the music of Red Hash is the music of Gary Higgins, of which Seconds. is more – from an more experienced, but no less dark perspective. The pitfalls of aging, love and ambition as well as the eternal struggles against armed conflict are measured against the joys of the same (gasp! Even armed conflict?!) – and with some of the Red Hash gang in tow, Gary’s arrangements are filled with the delicate, melodic work that his one album was known for. Now, for all those who wondered what happened after that happening record happened, there’s Seconds..

HAVE (ANOTHER) ‘LANCHE

October and November don’t lack for brilliant new releases, either – but we don’t want to talk ourselves out here, so we’ll just name some names. Espers III; Alasdair Roberts “The Wyrd Meme” EP; Ouled Bambara: Portraits of Gnawa CD + DVD; the Final Flesh DVD (from Vernon Chatman of Wondershowzen in-fame); a new **Galactic Zoo Disk from Ryan Trevor; and new Luc Ferrari and David Grubbs from Blue Chopsticks**. Whew! Plus vinyl versions of those three great Bert Jansch reissues! And singles from Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and Bachelorette! Wha?!?

SEE WITH YOUR ALL OF YOUR SENSES, NO JUST YOUR EYES — JERK!

Now that you’ve had a couple weeks to take it all in, we’re sure you’ll clasp hands with us and intone just like the Indians of old: shit-fuck, what a sweet new website we’ve got! It does so many things, it’s easy to take it for granted (and we’ve already started!) — but when you can tap into any of our new releases and listen to samples of each and every song…why, this is a great way to preview the record and decide whether or not it’s for you! It’s like the year 2000 all over again around here. And while you’re waiting for the same function to “go live” on such long-lost Drag City classics as Gastr del Sol’s ”Mirror Repair” EP, Edith Frost’s *eponymous debut EP**, Smog’s ”Look Now” single, Scene Creamers’ I Suck On That Emotion and Ludwig’s Law by * Moebius/Plank/Thompson (among many others! And they’re coming as fast as we can upload ‘em on our vintage dial-up, kids!), you can check out other OOP titles like The Fucking Champs’ V and The Red Krayola Singles and even download ‘em – like in the future of six years ago, when there are no CDs or retailers and everything is shopped online, glory glory be!

But that’s not all – we’re determined to continue to post that slippery non-consumer entertainment item known as “content” in exchange for your continued enjoyment and interest in the artists who wander the streets of Drag City. Men and women like Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy (and honestly folks, ain’t he a little bit of both, him whose restless wanderings have led him through so many video shoots as to be almost uncountable (especially if you’re bad at the maths)). I mean, check him out! Rare, broadcast-only commercials for Beware. Commercials for The Letting Go! All manner of videos – including the recently-posted promotional clip for the”Chijimi” 10”s ”How About Thank You,” directed by Mike Aho (which we find well stupid — in the British sense! – and hope you will as well). But he’s not the only one! There’s video bits from Six Organs of Admittance, Ghost, RTX, Silver Jews and Magik Markers – with, once again, much requested bits from many others (like Bill Callahan, who has quite a few cool videos in the midst (get it?) of the Smog archives). And never-before-seen live footage from the Drag City doom-and-gloom rooms `as well!

It’s about music, sure – but you have to use all of your senses (especially your taste, yo!) to make it come alive here on dragcity.com. Set it off with whatever limbs you got (yes, retard, a dick counts, sigh) – our world is like an oyster with a mouthful of pearly whites, ready to yawn open at your command. Now I done gots meself a-horny!

MUZIK 4 CASH

Ah, records, records…who gives a fuck? Now that we’ve discovered the ultimate bootlegging sites of our dreams, it’ll all end in tears anyway. And record labels will be forced to evolve into providers of some other kind of service. Don’t be surprised if you check back into this wonderful website, you might find “Drag City Concert Promotion[„¢”, or “Pissing In The Digital Stream (sponsored by DCCP [„¢).” Or who knows, maybe Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy brand “Iced Suck Sticks ([„¢, bitch!).” We might just have to get creative when the bottom falls out of the making music for cash game.

C U @ ICA?

And speaking of live shows, don’t you dare miss The Red Krayola at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London! They’ve played in Merry Olde like once in the past twenty-five years and even though they’re still engaged in music-making (some — us and YOU! — would say the best of their career), The Red Krayola don’t play a lot of gigs. This one’ll be a deluxe affair with many members past and present contributing to their musical socialism (which hopefully doesn’t equate with evil for our clear-thinking readership — Christ, what moronic times we still seem to be living in!). A night to remember for sure: November 19, 2009 at London’s fabled ICA.

As far as special shows around the globe are concerned, that’s hardly it. What about Ghost in Berlin on October 15th, that’s pretty hot! Or Six Organs of Admittance and OM in a vibrational duel royale up and down the American eastern seaboard throughout mid-October? Too much! What about Monotonix Over America from mid-September to mid-October — where will you be when that happens?

Then there’s Sic Alps taking their soiled mod togs over the water and back to the ruins of that ancient land where gods like The Who once rocked. Those guys barely play in America, and they’re touring their low-fi duo-tasm over there? Those shows are going to be heavy on a number of levels.

Also on the heavy front, coming up later in September of are the Death resurrection shows, with the two surviving Hackney brothers teaming up with guitarist Bobbie Duncan to bring Death to Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland once and for all. We’re canceling several vacations and cross-country migrations just to make sure we don’t miss all that rock and roll, played as it was invented. Or at least that’s what Dante Smith tells us.

And you know what? You don’t have to either. Check out the Tour Page and see who else you’re in danger of seeing starting sometime soon. Can you accept the challenge of live?

SEEGER ON THE OTHER SIDE

Join us in sending our best energies to the Seeger friends and family, to whom the loss of Mike Seeger must be resonating. He passed away at the age of 75 on August 9th. Mike’s recordings of Nimrod Workman were issued on Drag City via Twos and Fews late last year, and the continued issue of recordings he made on other folk artists out there will continue to revive the traditional music that he played, collected and propagated with unparalleled knowledge and passion.Mike Seeger, y’all.

UNTIL THE END OF TIME

We’re here with you, until it’s all over. Or is that “until October”? Check in next time to discover the chilling truth —

Rian Murphy Drag City Incorporated September 2009