Doom & Gloom Dispatch #28: Sunset Dust
Cosmic Econo, Neil Michael Hagerty, Elkhorn, Stephen Malkmus, Sonic Youth
North Carolina’s Cosmic Econo collaborative trio (Zeke Graves, Matthew O'Connell, Ben Clack) is new to me, but I’m more or less in love — extremely tasty sounds that run the gamut from moody spiritual jazz-leaning moves to minimal house-inflected situations. And more! Each member of Cosmic Econo seems to have their own thing going on, and that means that 2 is all over the place, but in a great way, each tune a miniature masterwork, free-flowing, melodic and FUN. Jam, Econo, jam!
Neil Hagerty Mental Health & Legal Defense Fund
You may have seen that Neil Michael Hagerty (Royal Trux / Howling Hex / Pussy Galore etc) has been having a very rough time lately. His wife reports that he “was arrested after an unfortunate encounter with Denver Police on April 14th, following a welfare check. It is important to note that Neil has been struggling with mental health issues for a long time and this concerning incident highlights the urgent need for Neil to receive proper mental health treatment.”
There was a GoFundMe to help out, but for various reasons, that has been shut down. Now, it’s over on GiveSendGo — I think that if you haven’t received a refund from GoFundMe, your donation has gone through. But please give what you can! (I’ve been informed that GiveSendGo is sort of an iffy platform politically speaking, but I’m making an exception this time around? Do what you think is right!)
Some other ways to help out: grab this amazing NMH live jam with Ryley Walker and Ryan Jewell; get yourself a copy of the awesome Hagerty-Toth Band LP via Three Lobed; or just buy some stuff via the Howling Hex Bandcamp page. Let me know if you know of other ways to get some cash to Neil and his family.
Neil has been out here in Colorado for over a decade and I’ve been fortunate enough to see him in action a bunch of times; in particular, some of the Howling Hex shows circa 2013-15 were phenomenal and indescribable in the best way possible. The guy is some kind of genius and he deserves our support right now …
Elkhorn 2023
A very busy year so far for the Elkhorn guys. Let’s get caught up … First, the duo has a new LP out on Centripetal Force — On The Whole Universe In All Directions, which features Drew Gardner on vibes throughout instead of his usual electric guitar. The change-up works magnificently. (Oh and I reviewed it in a recent issue of Uncut.)
Next, we’ve got some Aquarium Drunkard action: a great Transmissions episode with Gardner and 12-string-er Jesse Sheppard chatting with Jason P. Woodbury for an hour and change. And! The pair also taped a fresh Lagniappe Session for AD — just one song, but it’s a doozy, an inspired re-interpretation of Miles Davis’ interpretation of David Crosby’s “Guinnevere.” Did you get all that??
What else? Definitely head over to NYC Taper to dig into a recent Elkhorn live set taped by Kliked at Tubby’s; here, Gardner and Sheppard are joined by ace drummer Ian McColm for a set of heavy/heady jams.
And definitely get Gardner’s latest solo album, Flowers In Space, where the guitarist reunites with the all-star rhythm team of Andy Cush (Garcia Peoples) and Ryan Jewell (everybody) for four long and groovy explorations. Brent Sirota calls it a “slab of sympathetic magic from what amounts to a veritable dad psych supergroup.” And he’s right!
Finally, there’s The Return, a previously unheard archival release from a Gardner group that played together in San Francisco in the 1990s. Over a quarter century old, but its spiritual jazz modes sound as fresh as ever.
Stephen Malkmus - Mr. T’s Bowl, Highland Park, California, August 13, 1998
More solo SM! We’ve checked out the previous night’s recording of Malkmus in Long Beach. Now, thanks to Daniel, we’ve finally got this recording of the man in Highland Park. He’s playing mostly the same set — a Silver Jews tune, a Steeleye Span cover, some random lost songs and a bunch of in-progress Terror Twilight numbers. Extremely loose and ramble-y, occasionally a little awkward, but ultimately very sweet, with Steve playing along to some homespun backing tracks and various loops. Maybe a more relaxed situation compared to the LBC gig, which was an odd setting, to say the least (I was there!).
In between songs, we get a lot of laid-back banter — Malkmus’ thoughts on the then-new Buffalo 66 (“Worth seeing just for the film quality”) and a surreal dream involving Courtney Love. It was the 1990s, kids! Did SM go bowling afterwards? I don’t know, but I’m fairly certain that he’s a good bowler.
Oh hey, did you see that Pavement just announced another NYC residency later in the year …? Hmmmmmmm!
[Image via Chickfactor]
Sonic Youth - Noise Fest, White Columns, New York City, June 18, 1981
It’s not summer yet, but I am kicking off this year’s listening project — #SonicSummer! Does anyone still use hashtags?! I guess I do. For the next however-many weeks, I'm taking an expressway through Sonic Youth's live legacy, 1981-2011. Thirty years of pure Sonic Death! Join me! The band is impressively well-documented ... even from close to the very beginning.
Which is where we are with this Noise Fest tape! If I’m not mistaken, it captures the band's first gig under the name Sonic Youth. It's not quite Sonic Youth, however. Instead of Lee Ranaldo, we’ve got Ann DeMarinis on keyboards/vocals joining Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Richard Edson for a set both familiar and strange. A lot of the early SY pieces are in place: pummeled guitar and thudding drums, vocals both yelped and strangled.
But there are some serious curveballs to come, including one piece that flirts dangerously with ska. DeMarinis’ keyboards are another odd wrinkle, but they’re kind of cool! She wouldn’t be long for the band, though — and even Edson was more focused on No-Wave funk practitioners KONK at the time. The White Columns crowd is pretty into this first glimpse of Sonic Youth though ... and that crowd did in fact include Lee Ranaldo, who would soon be drafted in time to record the band’s self-titled EP for Neutral, Glenn Branca’s label. Speaking of which, you should check out the reissue of that EP, which features more very early live SY (this time with Ranaldo in tow) ...
Sonic Youth Bandcamp | Merch | Concert Chronology
From the Doom & Gloom Archives
Pavement - Old Ironsides, Sacramento, California, May 10, 1993
After the glow of 1992, Pavement wasted no time in getting to work on Slanted and Enchanted’s followup, with Malkmus and Spiral heading back to Stockton to record at Gary Young’s new and improved Louder Than You Think Studio. SM had a ton of new songs stockpiled and you can hear what they put down on the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain deluxe edition. The band’s relationship with Young was falling apart, however — he’d leave Pavement that summer after a few shows in Australia and Europe.
But first! Likely sometime during those initial CR,CR sessions, Pavement dropped in at Sacramento’s oldest bar to play a set of their newest material, offering a glimpse of a classic LP in its earliest stages. It’s a loose show, even by Pavement standards — and a lot of fun, maybe more of an open rehearsal than a proper gig. They kick things off with the live debut of “Cut Your Hair,” dedicated to Fugazi (There’s even a video of this historic occasion — thanks to Daniel for passing it along!). As with most of these songs, Malkmus hasn’t quite written lyrics, but he’s got the general idea.
Along with the familiar-though-embryonic Crooked Rain stuff, there are several songs that never made it out of Stockton — some of which are pretty solid! “Allegheny Blues” and “She Won’t Be There” both sound like they’re a tweak or two away from being Pavement faves. And then there’s “All My Friends,” which is another great lost song (you can hear the glorious studio version on the aforementioned deluxe reissue); I’ve always suspected (with no real evidence) that Malkmus had this one pegged as the album’s opener until he came up with “Silence Kid.”
After an epic jam on “Fillmore Jive,” Pavement rewards the audience with a few old faves — “Two States” and “Box Elder.” And then, we say goodnight to the Gary Young Era …
Currently Reading: The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel