BRIAN J. BEATRICE

Europa – Sunday April 17th in Greenpoint with Locrian, Martial Canterel and Blacklist. $10, 7pm. Sunday show. Our set should be 9pm. This show is hosted and promoted by Stereogum, Pitchfork, Slate etc contributor Brandon “Show No Mercy” Stosuy.

The Studio at Webster Hall – Saturday April 23rd with Kayo Dot & Retro Grave (featuring original Trouble drummer Oly Olson) $10, 8pm show and Webster Hall clears by 10:30 so that people can get their dance on afterwards. Be there on time.
http://www.websterhall.com/events/show_event_sub.php?id=1334&size=small&cdate=2011-04-23

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Gnaw is an experimental drone / noise band from New York City, New York, United States formed in 2006 by Alan Dubin. Gnaw is the sawblade-wrapped-in-razorwire brainchild of Alan Dubin (Khanate, OLD), Carter Thornton (Enos Slaughter), Jun Mizumachi (Ike Yard), and Jamie Sykes (Thorr’s Hammer, Burning Witch). Their 2009 debut for Conspiracy Records “This Face” was further infected and finally delivered by engineer Brian Beatrice before being wrought for stage deployment with additional drummer Eric Neuser.

Locrian is an experimental / drone three-piece band from Chicago, Illinois, United States formed in late 2005. The band’s music was described by Allmusic as an “eclectic mixture of black metal, electronics, drone, and noise rock”. Allmusic writer Ned Raggett also identified progressive rock influences on The Crystal World. The band have identified krautrock and 1990s death metal as influences.

In 2006, Olson formed Retro Grave while still playing drums for Trouble. The debut, self-titled EP was released on June 5, 2007 and was written, recorded, and performed in its entirety by Olson with lyricist Paull Goodchild. The following year Mike Schermuly and J Cortes were recruited by Olson to participate in the debut full length, “Again”. The album was initially released in December 2008 as a digital release only via the band’s website.

Kayo Dot is an avant-garde group originally from Boston, Massachusetts, United States (now based in Brooklyn, New York) that was formed in 2003 by Toby Driver after the disband of maudlin of the Well. They released their debut album Choirs of the Eye on John Zorn’s Tzadik label that year.

The HIWATT SA210, 2×10″, 20 watt combo – Serial Number AB0520, purchased at 30^th Street Guitars on December 30^th, 2010.

I had my eye on this combo in the shop since I bought my Les Paul Custom in June. I kept to the idea that if it was still in the shop in the new year, it was meant to be. Ok, so I fell a couple days short, but had to have it for the weekend.

It is difficult to date this combo. It was manufactured by Audio Brothers, as noted by the “AB” in the serial number, during the mid-nineties. It is the only model amplifier that Audio Brothers added to HIWATT line.

From a post, a fellow SA210 owner says: It differs from the current reissues in retaining the GZ34 valve rectifier stage, and only putting out 13.5W rather than 20W. Very, very solidly put together, ultra-neat wiring, sounds fantastic. No idea how rare these specific models are these days. The Audio Bros stuff doesn’t seem to surface on the secondhand market much these days…but then again, owning one myself, I can fully understand why!

From the Gear Pages :

The Audio Brothers amps are generally regarded as the best of the HIWATT reissues.

Apparently the amp was made in 94′ by a company called Audio Brothers in England. Fernandes owned Hiwatt at the time (after the 80′s when Hiwatt went through some weird changes in owners and build quality) and Fernandes wasn’t tooled to build these so during the mid 90′s they contracted Audio Brothers to make them to the EXACT spec of the original Hylight era Hiwatts; same manufacturers of the materials, and the same military build quality that it was lacking in the 80′s. The people at the Hiwatt forum at the Plexi Palace say that these are perfect clones as far as quality and sound as the 70′s hylight’s but in some ways are a better deal because the caps aren’t 30 years old and won’t need changing for a good while.

From hiwatt.org:

HIWATT – THE AUDIO BROTHERS YEARS

The U.K. Firm THE AUDIO BROTHERS which was headed up by Steve Gibbs and Richard Senior, was contracted by Fernandes Guitars and Biacrown to make reissue versions of several classic models of 70s era HIWATTS from 1992 to 1998.

Using schematics from early 70s models,Gibbs and Senior faithfully reproduced the hand-wired chassis and robust cabinetry that had marked HIWATTS glory years under Hylight Electronics. Sourcing the original suppliers of parts helped produce what was to be the closest likeness to the original HIWATTS that had been achieved since the demise of Hylight Electronics in 1982.

Original reproductions included the DR103 and DR504 AP amplifiers,the SE4123 speaker enclosure and SA112 combination amplifier.The Audio Brothers also brought their own entries into the HIWATT legacy by re-designing the configuration of the original SA212 combo,giving it a vertical cabinet construction, and by introducing two new pieces; the brilliant SA210 combo,and a 4 X 10 speaker enclosure. When they were still in business, Audio Brothers provided paper schematics for their customers, and they looked very much like the ones on hiwatt.com.

More and better pictures will follow, especially if I open up to view the much lauded point to point wiring etc. Sound clips will also invariably follow at some point.

I have yet to sort through things and get a year end list together, but based simply on my recent listening, no other record knocked me over like this one.

Deathspell Omega – Paracletus

I can not stop listening to this CD. It gets better with each listen. I continually listen to it front to back on my commute and in just 3 weeks it is creeping among the most played on my ipod.  I’ve really liked a few of their other CD’s, especially the split with S.V.E.S.T.,  but this is just a master work. It retains all the elements of their previous stuff and yet, despite its epic conception, it is more concise and driving. I can’t get enough of these discordant harmonies, the guitar layers, the lyrical themes, the insanely furious drumming…  Record of the year? At least I can say that it has been a while since something grabbed me and it took this record to drag me kicking and screaming from my recent early Maiden obsession.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathspell_Omega

Overdue perhaps, but it took a while to pare this one down. 2009 was a great year and, after an initially bloated and schizophrenic compilation, I managed to create a jumpy but very listen-able 68 minutes. As usual, depending on your tastes, you may have to sludge through the loud parts to get to the quiet or vice-versa. Download it at the following FTP link. Enjoy!

BB 2009 COMP

http://clients.bionic.tv

user: brian
password: brian

On December 8th, Brian Turner will host Gnaw for an in-studio live performance on his weekly WFMU radio program. Brian describes his show as “Order and disorder in a freeform haze of terribly played guitars, shorted-out electronics, found audio detritus, strange sounds from strange lands all around.” Gnaw should fit right in.

WFMU-FM is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station broadcasting at 91.1 Mhz FM in Jersey City, NJ, right across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. It is currently the longest running freeform radio station in the United States. Besides all that, it’s one of the best stations in the world.

Gnaw, Earthen Grave – featuring Ron Holzner from doom legends TROUBLE and virtuoso violinist Rachel Barton Pine , and Iron Man, Saturday, December 05th, 2009, Europa. It’s a fairly early show as they clear the club promptly at 10pm to get the dance party underway. Expect Gnaw onstage at 9PM.

Slightly More Info.

Again, Gnaw will be performing this Saturday, 11/14. The third annual Apex Noise Festival will now take place at S.I.R., at 520 West 25th street in Manhattan. Gnaw will begin promptly at 9pm and perform for a half hour. The other acts are listed below. The fest cost $25 per day or $40 for both. Support Arts and Music in NYC.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13
DOORS 7PM
(DJ)TENEBRE 7-7.30PM
(DJ)WINTERMUTE 7.30-8PM
STATIQBLOOM 8-8.30PM
CHAOS MAJIK 8.30-9PM
THEOLOGIAN 9-9.30PM
(DJ)ISADORA 9.30-10AM
(DJ)JAMES PLOTKIN 10-10.30PM
RISE OF BECAUSE 10.30-11PM
THE AUSTERITY PROGRAM 11-11.30PM
HECATE 11.30-12AM

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14
DOORS 4PM
(DJ) LEECH 4-4.30PM
(DJ) SEAN RAGON 4.30-5PM
THE BIRD CAGE THEATER 5-5.30PM
THE VOMIT ARSONIST 5.30-6PM
XIPHOID DEMENTIA 6-6.30PM
COREPHALLISM 6.30-7PM
SEWER GODDESS 7-7.30PM
T-FAKTOR 7.30-8PM
(DJ) DARRYL HELL 8-8.30PM
(DJ) CHRONIC YOUTH 8.30-9PM
GNAW 9-9.40PM
UNEARTHLY TRANCE 9.40-10.20PM
ADERLATING 10.20-11PM
STROM.EC 11PM-12AM

Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Dinosaur Jr – the Farm, Hellhammer, the XX, Sunn O))) – Monoliths and Dominions, the Pitchfork 500, although not recommended – it has no flow and its ridiculously broad scope leaves itself easily exposed for target practice.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 13
HECATE 12-1AM
(DJ) TENEBRE 11.45-12AM
THE AUSTERITY PROGRAM 11-11.45PM
(DJ) JAMES PLOTKIN 10.30-11PM
RISE OF BECAUSE 10-10.30PM
(DJ) THE BLACK OIL 9.30-10PM
APHELION 9-9.30PM
(DJ) WINTERMUTE 8.30-9PM
CHAOS MAJIK 8-8.30PM
THE BIRD CAGE THEATER 7.30-8PM
(DJ) ISADORA 7-7.30PM
DOORS 7PM

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 14
STROM.EC 11.30PM-12.30AM
ADERLATING 10.30-11.30PM
(DJ) TENEBRE 10.15-10.30PM
UNEARTHLY TRANCE 9.15-10.15PM
GNAW 8.30-9.15PM
T-FAKTOR 8-8.30PM
(DJ) DARRYL HELL 7.30-8PM
(DJ) CHRONIC YOUTH 7-7.30PM
[INTERMISSION]
SEWER GODDESS 6.30-7PM
COREPHALLISM 6-6.30PM
XIPHOID DEMENTIA 5.30-6PM
THE VOMIT ARSONIST 5-5.30PM
STATIQBLOOM 4.30-5PM
(DJ) LEECH & TENEBRE 4-4.30PM
DOORS 4PM

Help support music and arts in NYC.

Help support New York’s almost non existing avante music scene. In a rare Manhattan showing, Gnaw will perform on day 2 of the 3rd annual APEX fest. Gnaw will perform Saturday November 14th at 8:30pm.