These guys have defined my summer of sorts. I am on a quest to read all of McCarthy's books and have been going through Beefheart's discography.
I think both artists are quite different when talking about how one reacts to their art; McCarthy's books make one experience the cosmic-awe of nature and ponder the inexplicable tragedies and ways of man. While Beefheart serves as the ying to this yang and seems to challenge this notion of determinism. He courts the shadow of the laws of nature, chaos.
However, these two artists are quite similar. Both are intensely reclusive and really give interviews if at all, both are extremely inspired by the desert, and their art owes much to the past as it is a part of it. They recycle-reuse-and-reinvent the past and return it to the cannon as if it was there all along. They borrow from the rich history of American folk culture; oral story telling, mythology, tale tales, folk, and blues. They take this ancient wisdom and shine its relevance, its timelessness.
I posted a couple of videos. The first is a short autobiographical documentary on Beefheart that sees him briefly talking about Miles Davis and has David Lynch pitching him a few questions.
The second series of videos is two excellent lectures on McCarthy's Blood Meridian by Professor Amy Hungerford from Yale University. I understand it is part of a series of courses from Yale that are available free online, check it out here.
McCarthy's Blood Meridian is widely regarded as one of best pieces of literature to come out in the last century. A heads up to people wanting to check out the lectures, it definitely helps if you have read the book but also if you were an english major it might remind you too much of school. Anyways the lecture is very well put together and sure to get you thinking. It sort of made me wish I had an english degree.
Hello all I'll be artist in res at CKUT this month and hosting the Montreal Sessions radio show. I'm pretty stoked to be doing this and going to be trying some new stuff on air. All shows are archived in case you miss it. First week is Dirty Beaches!
MONTREAL SESSIONS AUGUST: ZACHARY DEVEREUX FAIRBROTHER August 2, 2010 by ckutmusic
Zachary Devereux Fairbrother is a musician from rural Nova Scotia. His music has touched many genres including psychedelic rock and folk, noise, drone,improvisation, and black metal. He lived and studied in Halifax for a number of years, playing in a band called Omon Ra and helping out with the Obey Convention Musical Festival. In May 2009 he graduated with a music degree in composition while studying under Jerome Blais and took off and left for Montreal. In the last year Zachary played many shows with his new group Omon Ra II and toured to Alberta to play Wyrd Fest and all the way east to for an appearance at the Obey Convention. In 2010 his music will score a film by director Salomon Nagler call *Black Salt Water Elegy *and he’ll be moving to Philadelphia for who knows what but he’ll be bringing along and cutting his teeth with his newest project entitled Lantern. He has written papers on Japanese Proto-Noise, Black Metal, is a contributor to Weird Canada , and keeps his own musings at a blog called Avant-Lard.
Zachary is thrilled to be hosting the Montreal Sessions for August. He is no stranger to radio having hosted a couple of shows on Halifax’s CKDU that were known for their enthusiasm for desperately diverse styles of music. Here is what he has planned…
August 3rd – Dirty Beaches will perform
August 10th – D’eon will perform
August 17th – Cabral Jacobs + TBA
August 21st – Lantern
Also planned are interviews with Halifax group The Ether and Divorce Records owner Darcy Spidel.
I am moving to Philadelphia come fall and I am moving on with musical projects as well.
I am starting a new project called Lantern and I feel its the best material I have ever written. I am not sure what direction this group will head but it plans to have lots of collaborations and explore the map of American musics from folk, blues, jazz, rock, experimental, and minimalist. I have a few tracks up on this here myspace and some more stashed away. I hope yall dig...
My good friend Dirty Beaches has just released a new 7" on San Diego label Zoo Music. It's the True Blue EP and the title track I guarantee will be your favorite track of the year! Weird Doo-whop, in the temple of Phil Spector worship.
Dirty Beaches rockin' the rooftop. Photo by Caley Jones
Alex Zhang Hungtai is the conduit for the one man band Dirty Beaches. The project, now in its 5th year, has taken Alex wide and far, literally and metaphorically. Alex has performed in China, and in the last year completed two US tours. His music has also traveled a long way; initially a more introverted, experimental project, Dirty Beaches has evolved into a full on violent-twist-jive-rockabilly-whiskey throw down, with a penchant for doo-woppy ballads. 2009 was a breakout year for Alex, with releases on Night People and Fixture. In 2010 Alex has been busy on the road and lining up a solid release schedule, including a full length LP on Night People, splits with fellow Obey Performers U.S. Girls and my group Omon Ra II (On Campaign for Infinity), and an archival release on Beijing label Rose Mansion Analog. I am over-the-top-excited to have Alex perform at this year's festival. Alex is a tremendous artist and I know his visceral and veracious performances will have a profound affect on the Halifax audiences. Below is a short interview I conducted with Alex last week:
Z - Since you moved from Montreal to Vancouver you've been incredibly busy. Why do you think 2009-2010 was/has been such a break-through year for you?
A - Being isolated from your friends always encourages productivity, albeit painful at times. My definition of friendship is much like the concept of family. I grew up without my family after age 14, so I spent a lot of time with friends growing up. There were older brother figures that I looked up to, and it has shaped me into the person I am at right now. Without them and those experiences, I am nothing. Those experiences morph into soundscapes in my music, or themes, even. They will always be there, like re-occurring characters.
Another reason for this year's intense schedule would be credited to my release on Night People, ever since my first tape release with them, I have been getting a lot of offers from labels, tour requests, etc, along with blog reviews. I hate letting people down, so I put the mileages into it. Been very lucky on those tours, making just enough money to get from one city to the next, with gas and what not into consideration as well. Met a lot of kind people on the road that gave us a little extra cash just so we could make it, and to the people that bought my merch, my thanks goes out to them.
Z - What's it like making music for you on the West Coast?
A - This year's winter in Vancouver has been so mild in comparison to Montreal that I almost secretly chuckle to myself whenever I look out the window. The area I live in (Hastings Sunrise) has a lot of trees, mountains, and old people. When I first arrived in October 09, I would listen to the twin peaks soundtrack my friend Conor got me for my birthday, and take little walks. However, there is one similar coincidence that my Montreal apartment shares with the Vancouver one: they are both very close to the train tracks. I love trains. oh boy. I like how they look, how they sound, I love walking on train tracks, I love riding trains, I love everything about them. Sometimes at night you can hear the train whistle, and it makes you want to be on that train, and just leave town. But that's just me. In China you can still smoke on trains, too. Although that's slowly changing now. I heard they banned indoor smoking in Shanghai this year. I hope it was only a rumor.
Z - One of things I really dig about Dirty Beaches is its exploration of minimalism. For the last five years you have used basically the same simple equipment and have created a world of sound, always light on resources but heavy in sound and spirit. Can you explain your approach and how you keep things fresh?
A - The approach to minimalism came out of necessity. My first release on Fixture was recorded with multiple tracks, with overdubs and layers. The problem was, I could never play it live. I had a hard time dealing with other people playing them, because they never got it right. I hate being the tyrant type too cuz I've been in bands with them when I was younger. So I never wanted to become that person where you write all the stuff and force, trick or manipulate other people to play the parts that you wrote. That shit is whack. And fucked up too. I think Bands should be formed out of friendship, and the idea of collaboration in mind.
Once I got over the idea that I was not going to be in a band, but a solo performing artist, things started to open up. I began recording my materials LIVE, almost identical to my live set up so I could translate my performances onto recording.
Whenever I'm out of ideas, I just watch a shit ton of films that have been on my watchlist. Lately I've been really into Tsai Ming-Liang, and Hou Hsiao Hsien (both based in Taiwan) and random forgotten gems from the 80's (like Willem Dafoe's first role in THE LOVELESS). Nick Cage and Val Kilmer flicks in the 80's are great too. I watch them when I'm sad and Val always cheers me up. He's the best.
Z - Given now that you are in your 5th year of the project, how do you hear the next 5 years of Dirty Beaches? How can we expect your sound to evolve or change?
A - I know I will always be making instrumental music. I've been doing that for the past 10 years. So I don't think that's gonna stop anytime soon. I've also started to make videos, and am currently working on my first short film, which is kind of a pilot for a digital download series part detective/film noir and other genres mixed in, starring my friend Bernadino Femminielli, who is a amazingly gifted musician based in Montreal. It will be fun to score it.
In terms of more ambitious ideas for dirty beaches, I'd like to try making sound installations for DIY spaces. I had an idea for the album HORROR that I put out on Fixture, but it was too costly financially to realize.
Z - Will Dirty Beaches always be a one man band and are you working on any collaborations?
A - I think dirty beaches will always be a one man project. Like films, that main character will always be longing for a place where he does not belong. An eternal damnation from home, misplaced, in exile, with nothing to hold onto.
However, I would love to throw it all away and start a new band that's not about any of that stuff I just mentioned.
Last summer my friend Erika Ellsworth hosted a show at the King's University theatre; a dark basement theatre without any windows. The show's aim was to match bands with visual artists. My friend's band The Ether teamed up with Heather Rappard to make a seriously twisted showfeaturing broken glass, blood, booze, crazy fat clowns with two foot drumsticks, and deep throated mics, all in front of a weird sparkly cloud blanket. Check out the videos below of the chaos.
The Ether have a new record coming out on Patente records called Folly and features yours truly on a track. I also hear that they might be packing up and switching HQs to Montreal.
Some groovy-ass African music. From Benin's capitol Cotonou. They appear on several comps such as A Real Thing and African Scream Contest. Check out some archival recordings of the group on the label Analog Africa.
Zach lives in Philadelphia, with is wife Christina and their dog, Snowflake. He plays in a band called Ghösh.
He is originally from Nova Scotia.
Email me at zacharyfairbrother@gmail.com
