Jon Lorenz (Wasteland Jazz Unit, Art Damage Radio) recorded and uploaded a live set of Palindrones (NSFW) from Cincinnati, Ohio. The lineup is made up of Chris Adams, Emilie and Brad from Pink Film, and Troy Gallagher. So what is this like? Well, just look in the subject line for this, genius!
Anyhoozle, it needs to be said that there's something special about the music that comes from places where the word "cornhole" is used to refer to a game that's a safe version of horse shoes, Christian rock and hardcore are considered cool, there's entire neighborhoods of racist rednecks who attempt to pull off Brooklyn accents, local talk radio is dominated by this guy, and there's nothing to do aside from eating out and going to one of a bazillion multiplexes and crappy shopping malls. There is nothing to do here (or anywhere in the Midwest, save Chicago). Which means that if you want to entertain yourself (or simply maintain your sanity), you're going to have to do it yourself. And the people making it don't simply stare into the abyss... they become it. So when they find an outlet, you better believe that even a flooded river isn't gonna keep the whole shithouse from goin' up in flames. 'Cuz that's just how it's done in the NO COAST, motherfucker.
You can look forward to the Palindrones making some noi... uh, i mean doing some stuff soon.
Audio from live set (3/11/2011)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=W738MDEU
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The same abyss, our 'scene' is what makes Cincinnati and other countless areas, at the MINIMUM, interesting. The new isolation brought on my modern media and soaring transportation cost may end up being a good thing when looked at through hindsight someday...
ReplyDeleteThat was actually my point. The noise and "garage rock" scenes here are partly reactions to the prevailing conservative religious culture here and lack of distractions (by that i mostly mean entertainment) from dealing with our "inner lives" (emotional and spiritual).
ReplyDeleteThat's part of why gospel, blues, and Appalachian folk are as deep and rich as they are. Some atheists have said that bluegrass and southern gospel are the "holiest music they've ever heard." Especially in relation to bands like 16 Horsepower and Woven Hand (both by the same guy, incidentally). And then, of course, you have the writings of Mark Twain and Flannery O'Connor (the two greatest authors in American history, in at least my opinion). And locally, we have several bands and noise projects who are well-known internationally and in some cases, have gone on to tour the nation and sometimes the world (Afghan Whigs, C. Spencer Yeh/Burning Star Core, Realicide (RIP), The National, The Greenhornes, Wussy, Buffalo Killers, etc...).
Btw when I said abyss, I wasn't applying it to the scene. I referenced the quote ("when you stare into the abyss, it stares back at you.") to apply it to the darkness in humanity and how it's exacerbated by the aforementioned prevailing religious culture, which tells us either that we're terrible, horrible no-good people who are soooooo hopeless that we're incapable of deciding to pursue God if He "picks us" to (one of the major teachings of John Calvin) or overwhelms us with "Catholic guilt" for different reasons. Both act as spiritual and emotional quicksand and are at the root of a lot of people's discontent and depression.
But yeah, what I'm saying is that there's this paradox of us having a lot to offer others because of how little our area has to "offer" us... :)
The abyss follows close by... its around each corner. It patted me on the back all day long at work snd sat under the table while I ate chicken and dumplings for dinner. I asked it to fetch me a third big k soda but it just laid there promising me another sleepless night.
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