Clavius Productions presents:
Tuesday, October 30
Velvet Lounge
915 U St NW WDC
http://www.velvetloungedc.com 202-462-3213
$10, doors at 9pm, 18+
Old Time Relijun (Olympia, K Records)
Aidswolf (Montreal, Skin Graft)
Double Dagger (Baltimore)
Old Time Relijun http://www.krecs.com/oldtimerelijun/ CONFRONTATIONAL DANCE MUSIC TAKES OVER THE WORLD!
The End of Oppression!
From the backwood jungles of Olympia, Washington, Old Time Relijun is the barest of the "bare bones" you will ever meet. With a nearly incomprehensible blend of primitive swamp stomp 'n' swagger meets gutsy fucked-up free jazz and throat-singing punk gospel, they are the true and original American Primitive Deconstructionist Visionaries. That this mélange is blatantly, infectiously danceable in a "this world is an illusion burning up so let's get sweaty" kind of a way gives further evidence of Old Time Relijun's claims to prophecy in a new era of fiery, sexy, soul-punk rebellion.
Drummer Jamie Peterson thumps furiously against the tyranny of the ages, while upright bassist Aaron Hartman underpins the erotic earthquake with a sinister subliminal groove that unlocks the trap door to hypnotic oblivion. These Forces of Nature are conducted by the bug-eyed brilliance of preacher's kid-gone-bad Arrington de Dionyso's symbiotic churning of one-note guitar scrapings within the hallucinatory world of yelps, yawps, howls and other proto-musical utterances that make the bulk of his lyrics. (Arrington is an acknowledged master of Tuvan throat singing, with a degree in ethnomusicology!)
A little angst goes a long way, and in Arrington DeDionyso's case, he got a whole career out of it. It would be foolish to expect him to be mellowing out after more than a decade in the business, and Lost Light delivers the tense goods you'd expect. The stripped-down-sounding trio of DeDionyso, double bassist Aaron Hartman, and drummer Rives Elliot plays taut funk-punk rhythms behind the frontman's yelps, which sound like a fire-and-brimstone sermonizer who's definitely taken a turn for the darker side. It's music of integrity, but not of great variety, recalling some of the more atonal aspects of the early New York punk-new wave scene, perhaps with a funkier bent and an even gloomier outlook, as if Jandek had decided to get a real band together. Images of closed doors, vampires, immersion in threatening waters, "10,000 tigers gnashing teeth," and the like permeate the songs, the hellish organ of "Cold Water" adding to the sense of impending doom. Not a cheerful listen, no siree. But the band isn't all about vocal thrash, throwing in arty instrumentals to keep listeners a little off balance â??- "Music of the Spheres" has some eerie upper-register tinkles and wildly upward zoom guitar slides atop the thud, and "Cold Water, Deep Underwater" is a little like the most way-out early Velvet Underground instrumentals in its gnarly guitar textures. (Richie Unterberger, AMG)
AIDS Wolf http://www.myspace.com/aidswolf http://aidswolfs.blogspot.com/ If you hear a nasty rumbling, a sound that compels you to fear for your very sanity, seek out the nearest art space, club, or rock mecca. It is AIDS Wolf you hear. There is nothing wrong.
AIDS Wolf is four people, all with long histories in the noise/punk fold, who play harmoniously grating noise. Their sound is agitated, driving, and filled with twitchy energy.
Their name came to them when they spotted it scrawled as graffiti. The odd combination of words seemed weirdly discordant, the word equivalent of their own sound. They've continued to use strange word juxtapositions, making reference to diseases, medieval creatures, and nonsensical languages in their lyrics and titles.
In January 2006, AIDS Wolf released
The Lovvers LP, their first full-length with the CD on Lovepump United, the 12" on Skin Graft. They've also released splits, mini-CDs, and improv freakouts on tape. Their upcoming releases for late 2006 include a four-band split (on two 7") with Dmonstrations, Pre, and Crack and Ultra Excema on Lovepump United.
In early 2007, AIDS Wolf released a collaborative album with Providence's ATHLETIC AUTOMATON under the moniker AIDS WOLF VERSUS ATHLETIC AUTOMATON titled "Clash Of The Life-Force Warriors".
AIDS Wolf's latest release is a bootleg split 7" with London's PRE titled
Live Dates. Illegally pressed by SINRAFT Records and containing a calendar sleeve of compromising band photos, the 7" has been seized by Skin Graft Records for lawful distribution.
They are currently recording their next album
Cities of Glass for release on Skin Graft Records in 2008.
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