Snailhook...

Clavius Productions presents:

Masaki Batoh (of Ghost, Drag City)
Kohoutek (Prophase/Music Fellowship/Pilz)
Insect Factory

Tuesday, November 2
Velvet Lounge
915 U St. NW, WDC
http://www.velvetloungedc.com/
202-462-3213
$10, doors at 8:30pm, 18+


Masaki Batoh:

Masaki Batoh is the leader of the long running Japanese Psychedelic group Ghost.?Tom Rapp is a touchstone for many songs, as well as other fey folk like Nick Drake and Robyn Hitchcock. At moments, though, Batoh seems close to surpassing even such eminent sources. ?World of Pain,? at least, couldn?t be much more perfect ? from Batoh?s odd English pronunciation; to the bleak swirls of acoustic guitar, like gusts of snow seen through glass; to the false ending three quarters through, a momentary crescendo that tries to stop and then almost immediately stumbles forward again? - NoahBerlatsky/Made Loud


Kohoutek:

"The album starts gently enough, hauntingly evocative night-sounds punctured by the distant siren?s wail of approaching guitar drone led by a lone flautist. Random elements of percussion are gradually introduced as the marching army of psychonauts crest the brow of the hill, the sounds become ever more destructive, one punching at your midriff as another screws with your mind as it traces space-rock curlicues in the sky above you and then suddenly BAM! at the ten minute point or thereabouts a guitar announces the onslaught with an utterly captivating fuzz of feedbackery, there?s an explosion of sound all around you and battle commences. Side two continues along much the same improvisational freakout path throughout, charting the band?s own unique guitar-led journey through the outer edges of space-rock and hypnotic kosmisch." - Terrscope review of ?Lossless Loss? LP


Insect Factory:

Insect Factory is the music of Silver Spring, MD guitarist Jeff Barsky. His playing creates thick waves of textured sound, building hypnotic and atmospheric drone fields.

In the mid-'90s, Barsky spent several years studying classical guitar and composition at the Hartt School of Music. Since then, he has continuously played in bands and improvisational collectives, performing frequently on the East Coast of the U.S., and also in Canada, throughout Europe, and Japan.

Insect Factory live performances frequently incorporate additional instrumentation, and Barsky has also collaborated onstage with the likes of avant-trumpeter Forbes Graham (of Tzadik?s Kayo Dot), bass player Joe Lally (of Fugazi), and the DC improv collective Kohoutek, which combines elements of abstract noise, heavy rhythms, free jazz, and psychedelic rock.

Barsky also co-runs the label Insect Fields, which serves as an outlet for sharing musical projects he is involved with, as well as his contemporaries. His first proper CD, ?Air Traffic Control Sleep?, was released on Insect Fields in the late summer of 2007, to acclaim from the likes of Washington Post, the Wire, and Terrascope.

Barsky?s various projects have shared the stage with acts as diverse as Bardo Pond, Mazen Kerbaj, Peter Wright, Richard Pinhas, Acid Mothers Temple, and Carla Bozulich, and he has performed at Suoni Il Per Popolo festival in Montreal, D.C.?s Sonic Circuits festival, and Terrastock 7 in Louisville, KY.
Wino/Scott Kelly could easily fill Velvet.
wino will always havea show at the velvet.  all he has to do is ask.

updated upcoming clavius shows:

12/9 @ the cherch: kuschty rye ergot, woody sullender & seamus cater, layne garrett
1/19 @ velvet lounge: sleeping states (misra/bela union), black telephone, the homophones
1/22 @ the red door: khan jamal
1/27 @ velvet lounge: weasel walter & rat bastard, thee ultimate vag, plums
1/28 @ highwire gallery in philly: weasel walter & rat bastard
3/8 @ tba, philly: sic alps, magik markers (no dc show this tour)
may: mecca normal
june: bobb trimble

Nice review of Thursday.


She should've mentioned something about KRE and Layne but otherwise, it's good.


Another new DC-centric music blog that covers shows like this is always welcome, though.
What's weird is that there's a picture of Layne and I, but none of Woody and Seamus. It would have been nice to have some words from a new reviewer. Layne's set was especially terrific that night.

Do you know Stephanie Glass? Seems that she's unaware of Clavius Productions and the fact that I set this show up and did 611 for five years. There's obviously a direct correlation between what I did then and what Cole's doing now.
I talked to her for a bit that night but that was pretty much it. Cole did tell her that you set the show up, though. And he also mentioned that you did house shows in the past at 611.
I am almost sure he pointed you out to her when you came in, too. So yeah, it is a bit surprising that she didn't talk to you for this piece.
i know shannon wright is already attached to some dates that yann tiersen is playing. if there is anyway you can grab her for a solo show in or around dc, i'd be forever grateful.
What's this about Yann Tiersen?
shannon wright is great, haven't seen her in years, since she opened for dirty three in 2004 maybe. is she booking herself these days or does she have an agent? i don't know who yann tiersen is. enlighten me.
ah, so yann tiersen is the guy who composed the "amelie" soundtrack. and he and shannon collaborated on a record in 2004. i guess i'm out of the loop. i have her first few quarterstick records.

i just looked on her myspace page, and she lists 2/15 at black cat, and 2/17 at the first unitarian church in philly. i'd love to book her at the velvet.
ahh! i didn't notice that she has a new myspace page. i just clicked on the first result google gave me, which was her previous one.

would've much preferred velvet lounge but i'll take this!
snailhook wrote:
ah, so yann tiersen is the guy who composed the "amelie" soundtrack. and he and shannon collaborated on a record in 2004. i guess i'm out of the loop. i have her first few quarterstick records.

The Amelie soundtrack is too precious for me. Good Bye Lenin is what I was interested in.
Tiersen at 930 on 2/15 at 10:00.

I guess this means Shannon Wright is doing double duty that night? Or maybe she isn't playing that show at the club.
We need this.
Magik Markers:
3/4/11
The Stone
New York
NY   
3/7/11
The Layabout
Durham
NC 
w/ Sic Alps 
3/8/11
Rotunda
Philadelphia
PA 
w/ Sic Alps 
3/9/11
Monster Island Basement
Brooklyn
NY 
w/ Sic Alps 
3/10/11
Old Firehouse
New York
NY 
w/ Sic Alps 
3/11/11
Bard College
Annandale-On-Hudson
NY 
w/ Sic Alps 
3/12/11
The Shop
Pittsburgh
PA 
w/ Sic Alps


Obvious date would be between The Stone and Durham.

Six Organs of Admittance also playing a gig at The Stone on 3/5. A Six Organs/Magik Markers/Sic Alps show at Velvet on the 6th would be huge.
i'm doing the rotunda show in philly, so i already asked about a dc date. they're skipping it this time around.
Rotunda it is for me then, I guess.
the rotunda show might have purling hiss opening.  i asked blues control but they couldn't play.  if purling hiss can't play, kohoutek might open as a warm-up for our south tour.
get the hiss if you can

that richie lp rages hard
in agreement.  i really dig both purling hiss albums.  mike's interested, and they'd be perfect on that bill.
michael chapman is touring the states mid-april to mid-may.  i'm trying to do philly and dc shows, maybe more.