Litany: Music News Covering Skinny Puppy, Download, ohGr and Related Projects

This short clip of Key's Japan trip just hit Youtube:::

cEvin Key has given a new interview with the website for Elektron Music Machines. In it he discusses plans for future Subconscious releases and the new Skinny Puppy album. Read the whole thing here. Below is a clip on the new SP record:::

We've actually been using methods and techniques similar to those we used when we made Remission, our first record. The new album will contain a lot of crunch and a lot of rhythms that don't sound so much like those on Mythmaker, our previous album. Everything will be more mechanical and 12-bit sounding. We've been using the Elektron gear a lot for this.

Everyone's been wondering what's going on regarding new Skinny Puppy. Ogre was recently asked about this in an online Repo! chat and mentioned some tentative plans. This, of course, hit our forum and resulted in some wild speculation. So here's the scoop straight from Ogre to you, the Litany home reader:::

i just wanted to extinguish any fires by giving you the skinny. i was asked through an impromptu chat re: repo what was going on at present. i stated we are moving towards a late oct. 2009 release and tour. i realize there is a lot of information floating around regarding release dates and previews of music. to the best of my understanding we are working towards this date. the nature of the chat was repo so i was not expecting to be asked by darren (director) anything re: SP.

So the current plan (repeated for emphasis) current plan is for an October release and tour. This fits in well with my personal goal of having an excuse to roam around the continent again taking pictures of a hat in odd places. New Orleans, I will be back!

William Morrison will presenting the American Memory Project in 3D HD this Friday at MassArt's Pozen Center in Boston, MA. The showing will be part of a presentation called Dark Arts: A Look At Uncompromising And Controversial Works of 5 Artists.

Here's the info as cut & pasted from Facebook and sent in to me by SPtravel:::

Dark Arts: A Look At Uncompromising And Controversial Works of 5 Artists
Art & Mysticism are one. The art world is a world of magic - All artists are occultists.
Host: Doug Mesner: Process.org
Start Time: Friday, April 24, 2009 at 7:00pm
Location:
MassArt's Pozen Center
621 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA

Description
Dark Arts Offers A Look At Uncompromising And Controversial Works of 5 Artists

The artists presented here are some of the uncompromising few in America today, each has taken a road of creativity and ritual, each has stayed the course no matter the bumps. These artists have travelled diverse routes to this destination and chosen a myriad of mediums for expression, but they have one thing in common, they take their art as life, as ritual and as important as the air they breathe, they take their work as their career whether it is popular or not, whether it makes money or not, whether there is a market waiting for it or not. These artists offer the strength, vision, and commitment that few in this world of disposable goals and apathy of mind.

In our over civilized world man has become detached from ritual and from creativity, yet both are required for very survival of the human race. Magic and art are one and the same, different sides of the same coin, artists are magicians, occultists are creatives.

On April 24 meet five incredible American artists and experience their method, their madness, and their vision, as they share the hows and whys of their work. This will be a multimedia event that includes video, audio and visual art displays, as well as advice and explanation.

William Morrison is the long time video artist for the innovative band Skinny Puppy, he will be presenting his new video work, the 'American Memory Project' in 3D HD.

Dave Archer the elder of the group has created "Glamour Art" for some 50 years, he paints with a Tesla Coil, sculpts, and writes, his new book is called 'Survival Art' and though his name may not be familiar nearly every American has seen his art, which has even appeared on Slurpee cups and his paintings have decorated Star Treks Starship Enterprise.

Steven Leyba is a Native American painter whose mixed media works include his own blood and semen, he is also a controversial performance artist, author, and spoken word artist. Art critic Carlo McCormick called Leyba "The father of Sexpressionism".

Shane and Amy Bugbee have been a creative team and married for over a decade. They collectively publish banned books, make short films, created their own soda pop and were literally run out of town on a rail for the way they think. The couple recently spent over a year of their lives traveling America during the election year, trying to figure out if America and it's free speech is all it's cracked up to be. A documentary and book of their travels is in the works.

Many people call their various works "Dark" or even "Satanic", but these artists understand that all art is mystical in nature, it is all about selfishness, self expression, and the individual. All art is ritual, and ritual and creativity are vital for our survival.

Creativity is part of survival, and surviving as a creative is possible if one is willing to work tirelessly, think in non-typical ways, and sacrifice for the sake of a bigger picture. This presentation is a must for anyone planning to pursue a career as a true non-commercial artist.

To my knowledge, this is the premiere of William and Justin's project in it's 3D incarnation. If the teaser we got on the ohGr tour is any indication it will be an impressive and immersive experience. If you're in the area, don't miss it.

Mark Spybey (Download, Beehatch, Dead Voices on Air) and fellow former Zoviet-France member Robin Storey are releasing a new boxed set of material from their Reformed Faction project entitled I Am the Source of Light, I Am Not a Mirror. The three disc set is available in two different editions, both lavishly packaged in a unique metal box.

I haven't heard it yet myself, so rather than cut and paste the standard press kit info, I thought I'd ask Mark to summarize for you guys. Here's what he has to say about the release:::

Dear Litanists,
'I am the source of light, I am not a mirror,' is the third album from Reformed Faction, Mark Spybey and Robin Storey's post zoviet-france ensemble.

You are likely familiar with the work of both Mark and Robin. If you are not, then this album will give you a fairly clear indication of their desire to evolve.

Some of you have commented that this album has taken a long time to be released. When you hold the metal box in your hands and take out the three CDs containing 3 and a half hours of music, including appearances from David 'Not Breathing' Wright, the Dresdeners 'Scatology' (including Beehatch live bass player eNni_w) and Tommy Grenas (living legend, Nik Turners Hawkwind, Anubian Lights, Lydia Lunch, Farflung, Damo Suzuki et al); when you look at the ridiculous lengths Soleilmoon Records have taken to create a unique package, working with the acclaimed East German artist Ira Tannhauser and when, when, when...

If you drop this box it will not break.

We have some modest exclusive goodies available to celebrate this release but you will have to go to www.myspace.com/reformedfaction to find out how you can get your mitts on them.

Watch this and that space.
We are Reformed Fraktion.

I Am the Source of Light, I Am Not a Mirror is available now. to listen, get more info, or order visit their myspace or Soleilmoon Records.

So, in case you're wondering what you missed out on by not being at Key's Tokyo Dj gig, here's a shot he sent in of himself with some crowd members:::

He also had this to say:::

Tokyo Decadence could teach a thing or 2 to the world's Goth scene. The shows have been very cool. Still one more at Trump Room on the 25th. Also possibly an improv at Bullets this week.

And don't forget about the Vancouver gig coming up next month.

Let's take a moment from our usual updates for something I thought was cool and tangentially related enough to share. Here's a pair of video clips I shot at last night's Throbbing Gristle show in Brooklyn:::





If they're coming near your way, make sure you catch this show.

Also, here's wishing cEvin Key well on the first of his Japanese DJ gigs tomorrow night! Hopefully some of the Litany readers from the east will report backwards in time from the tomorrow that lies just across the dateline to tell us about the gig.

Todd Zachritz, former steward of the grand vessel that is the SP Discography and official holder of the last-name-most-often-mistyped-by-Corey award, pointed out that Ogre makes a guest appearance on a new CD by the artist Joe Moe. In addition to the Hawaiian music heritage in his blood, Joe Moe was the assistant to Forrest J Ackerman, father of the much beloved Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. The album, Mainland, includes Ogre on the song Mosque of Bones. It also features a guest appearance by the legendary Van Dyke Parks and, from the small world file, was co-produced by Brian Woodbury, who a few years ago sent me his (quite good) CD after seeing some playlists for my radio show online. The Joe Moe CD is available here.

In other Ogre stalking news, our favorite frontman will be appearing at Fangoria's Weekend of Horror convention in LA this Sunday along with fellow cast and crew members from Repo! the Genetic Opera. For more details visit here.

off topic blog-worthy addendum::: I'll be at Thursday night's Throbbing Gristle show in NYC. If you're there, feel free to say hello to the guy that looks like me. Hell, feel free to say hello even if you're not there.

In advance of their upcoming DJ set at Celebrities in Vancouver, cEvin Key and Steven Gilmore (the man responsible for designing most of Puppy's artwork over the years) have been interviewed for Alt: Rock Culture and Lifestyle magazine.

After some folks on the forum inquired about how to get a copy, the editor posted this:::

I am the Owner The Seventh Wave Network (Publisher of ALT:) and Editor of ALT: Rock Culture and Lifestyle Magazine. I was forwarded this thread by AphexVancouver from Luv-A-Fair, and would like to give you a little more information on the Issue featuring Steven R. Gilmore and cEvin Key with photography by Brion Topolski.

The Article is 8 pages long, and features the cover, and 6 more pages of images, with a stunning set of photos of cEvin and Steven by acclaimed photographer Brion Topolski, with 4 samples of Stevens fine art.

The issue is currently available at Flaming Angels Boutique (644 Seymour Street Vancouver), Deadly Couture (317a Cambie Street Vancouver BC Canada) and Central City Comics (103 and King George Highway Surrey BC Canada).

By the end of the month we are aiming to have broken the provincial boundary with our expansion of retailers, and are committed to the idea of having retailers in the US.

You can also get a copy at select club nights in Vancouver: Luv-A-Fair @ Celebrities, FutureShapes @ Lick Club, Sanctuary @ Club 23 West, and Descent @ The Red Room Night Club

We will be setting up our online store today, and it will have all the available issues of ALT: Rock Culture and Lifestyle Magazine, including our previous issue where we featured exclusive photos from the recent OhGr show at The Red Room Night Club in Vancouver, a performance that was 13 years in the making.

The TSWNET/ALT: online store will feature prints and posters as well of all of our covers, and you will be able to by multiples at a discounted rate. We currently accept PayPal money transfer as our primary method of payment, and are actively seeking solutions for other payment forms.

When our online store is functional (within the next 24-48 hours) I will post another reply on this thread.

Feel free to message me here, or through our websites for additional information. Thank you for your interest in our magazine and we hope you like Vernard and Max's awesome Interview!

Visit their site here and don't forget about the DJ set on May 28th. And while we are covering upcoming Key DJ appearances, take a look at this flyer he just sent over for one of the Japanese dates:::

In case it isn't obvious already, yesterday's update was an April Fool's Day prank. No, that was not a rare Pigface video (though if I burned a few copies of it I might have gotten rich on Ebay).

If you're wondering where that video came from, it's actually footage from just outside of my cubicle at work. A few days ago I was there minding my own business, fingertips clattering away at the keyboard while the strains of Asphole poured out of my computer speakers, bathing my vomit-beige cube walls with the sweet rockoutitude of aural escape. Just then I heard someone call my name. I peaked my head up to discover the scene that you, dear viewer, have been gifted enough to witness via the strange mysticism of streaming internet video: two of my co-workers engaging in an explosion of spontaneous dance to Pigface of such grandeur and stirring spectacle as to rival Turbo's from Breakin' (not to mention putting Ogre's own legendary moves from the Smothered Hope video to eternal shame). In the space of that one minute and change my world was demolished and reconstituted anew. Since then, sweets taste far more sweet, the air around me breathes cleaner, and I no longer feel the need to spend my evenings huddled in the corner of the shower weeping into a bottle of scotch.

It's things like this that make a work day survivable, so I decided to share it (with the gracious permission of the performers) with the Litany populace in the form of our quasi-annual-if-I-get-around-to-it type prank. Think of it as my virtual toast of a margarita to Mr. Scott Graham as well as my public service announcement to never stop making your own fun.

Relive this moment of soul edifying beauty here.

THE FOLLOWING UPDATE IS NOT REAL. IT IS AN APRIL FOOL'S DAY PRANK

I've long held this video in the secret confines my vast private collection of Skinny Puppy related rarities, oddities, and lightly soiled garments. But I've decided to share it with you, the Litany readers, as a thank you for all the positive energy and sheer joy I've received from you over the years at shows and via the magic of email. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is a hitherto unseen video clip produced for Pigface's 1994 classic, Asphole, featuring the vocal stylings of Puppy's Ogre. It's a bit of a conceptual piece involving a dance troupe. I'm only sharing a segment of the song, because, after all, I don't want to devalue my collection by sharing the whole thing, now do I?

But this segment is my gift to you. Enjoy it here.