Clavius Productions presents:
Wednesday, August 30
Warehouse Next Door
1017 7th St NW WDC
$8, all ages
doors at 8:30
USAISAMONSTER (Load Records)
Ostinato (ex-Hidden Hand, atmospheric post-punk)
Ca$h $lave Clique (DC improv psych/noise, mem. of 36/Nimrod/Radon Ensemble/Nik Tunrer/Acid Mothers Temple)
Ingrid (mem. of Mass Movement of the Moth, DC noise-rock duo)
USAISAMONSTER http://www.usaisamonster.com USAISAMONSTER started as an epiphany in 2000, taking inspiration from various leftist organizations, zines, and hardcore punk. The name represents an awakening and realization to the truth and history of world power struggle and manipulation, murder, and lies. Colin Matthews and Tom Hohmann met through an ad in a record store while living in Boston in January 1996. We did this band for 4 years called Bull-Roarer who rocked as hard as we could and paid for our own records and did some DIY touring and meant the world to us. Bass player J.K. moved to Mexico. Col and Tom decide to keep on rocking and moved to Charlottesville, VA. Founded a rad show space called the Pudhouse that was about as rad as every other wild DIY freak out fun show venue. Did a bunch of one night only bands with Hot Tang. Got Jero Harris down there, jammed, got 3 of his buddies (Vlad, Chris, and A.T.) down there, jammed, made a CDR entitled "1", then did a week long southern hardcore tour as a 7-piece noise symphony rock chaos outfit. The most newsworthy thing that happened on that tour was we played at 2 a.m. in a convenience store in Greensboro, and that show was covered signifigantly in many zines revolving around the Crimethinc organization. Returning home, we became a 4-piece with Jero and A.T. Spent summer 2001 swimming and making 3 releases: "Trippy Yet Wholesome" CDR, "Weed Blood" CDR, and "Soul Jerker" 7-inch. Each release showcased different styles. "Trippy" is folk rock, "Weedblood" is stoner metal, and the 7-inch is art-punk. The 4-piece did a week long tour up north predecided of breaking up as soon as the tour was over. After tour Tom breaks his arm, switches to bass, Colin switches to drums, Hot Tang joins the band again on Farfisa and screaming. A CDR is made entitled "5". Just a few shows are played in this lineup. Somewhere in there we also did a CDR and 10-day tour called Elvish Presley with A.T., Jonah Rapino, and Jarrod Hood and recorded a split 7? that never came out, the mystery 6th usaisamonster recording. Tom gets his cast off and the current 2-piece (Tom on drums, Colin on guitar) is formed. Songs are written quickly, a CDR is made entitled "7", and a 3-month tour is booked. Boys move outta C-Ville summer 2001. Turn vagabond. Drive around USA, rock and sightsee. Have tons of days off, play tons of shows, touring for a spell with facedowninshit. Settle in Tucson with the express intention of immediately getting jobs, booking the tour, DIY rerecording CDR "7" to become an LP, writing the next record, and leaving in 3 months. On Christmas day 2001 our beloved friends Tim and Sam offer to found a label and put out our LP. "Citizens of the Universe" is released on Infrasound Records. 4 month tour begins in January 2002. Shows proceed through USA and Europe, with even a show in Hermosilla, Mexico. Europe tour is a completely uninvited event. We just set our minds to it, and folks were wicked helpful. Friends gave contacts and friends of friends, and we made friends. Borrowed all equipment every show and took the train, bus, and hitchhiked. Went to Slovenia, England, Poland, and tons more. Returned home, recorded "Masonic Chronic", took a break, moved to different towns. Tom writes Black Elf Speaks in NYC. Colin moves back to Virginia, releases split 7-inch with Lazy Magnet. Black Elf Speaks one month every night USA tour happens in October 2002 featuring same elf band members except Chiara Giovando replaces Jonah. "Black Elf Speaks" CD is released on Bulb Records. "Masonic Chronic" is released on Infrasound. USAISAMONSTER gets back together in Portland, Oregon in January 2003, practices all day every day for 3 months, books the tour and records Joshua Tree demo CDR with Kamilsky in Joshua Tree, plays 7 weeks of shows in the USA, again touring with facedowninshit. Then the dudes move to NYC. Then Load Records agrees to put out an album. USA is a monster goes to KeyClub studios in Michigan to record "Tashyena Compost." Record comes out, big month-long tour with Lightning Bolt in October 2003. 10-week USA, UK, Canada spring 2004 touring with Koonda Holaa, Corndawg, Vialka, and Burning Hull.
"...That??s why filing USAISAMONSTER under Load Records?? "noise rock" umbrella just doesn??t work. The duo essentially rumble and quirk their way through 10 brick-heavy prog-rock songs, saluting punk, pop, and even wailing hair metal on the way. The diversity suggests a careful commentary on American crassness and cultural bleakness more than any brand of inter-band confusion -?? there??s no gratuitous speaker-frying sludge here (not that there??s anything wrong with that). Like the most adventurous progressive bands, distinction and clarity merely build a frame for the actual substance, and, thankfully, the albums shining production projects each simmering note loud and clear, with Hohmann??s deep snare splattering huge throughout the mix. When it comes to year-end recognition,
Tasheyana Compost stands above most." (Dusted)
Ostinato http://www.ostinatoproject.com Ostinato construct their sound in the same sporadic way the mind changes: Emotional impulses are often overwhelming and rampant. Their songs are structured in the same fashion, capturing the inexplicable exhilaration or devastating anger that is often so hard to translate. The result is a rich blend of melodic stimulation which evokes feeling, sonic guitar, swelling drums, and a fibrous flow of bass mesh harmoniously to produce a unique ethereal vibe, surprisingly created by only three musicians. Ostinato, an Italian musical term meaning "a recurring melodic fragment," is a name perfectly suited to the band.
Ostinato hails from the Virginia/Washington DC area. After years of friendship and relaxed free form music creation, Ostinato was officially baptised in 1997. Jeremy Ramirez (bass), David Hennessy (guitar and vocals), and Matthew Clark (drums) rented a house and got focused, eventually amassing the material which was recorded for the 1998 self-release
<unusable signal>. Extensive gigging in Washington DC and Virginia followed, as did several extended hiatuses. Their second record was recorded throughout summer 2003 and was released on June 24th 2004 on Exile On Mainstream Records.
