Blissmas!

 

 

 

This is a bunch of stuff I did over the summer. I was a little all over the place and really only got around to non-committal experimenting. But it was great and I loved it.
The first guy is a design for Dr. Caterwaul's Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps and the second guy was a promo flier for Wood Spider's summer tour.

Next month, I'm starting an internship at Plymptoon Studios under Bill Plympton. Isn't that cool?!

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Crumbs - Hallow Tongue

Download: Bandcamp or Dat Fire
Tags: freak folk, experimental acoustic punk stuff, sassy junk, percussive bliss

It's like some crazy tribal jam of a bunch of raggedy kids who are all amazing percussionists and they're shifting from sassy stomps to punk ass steel drum grooves. And they sing hauntingly and ugh! It's all so great!

"I just think he's the devil."

Sweet Street Symphony - "Sweet Wood"

Download: Bandcamp (free)

Tags: ragtime, new orleans, street jazz, punk

Look! Wood Spider helped produce another band's album. Sweet Street Symphony is a New Orleans punky kinda-street-jazzy outfit but for a couple of tours up North, some members of Wood Spider provided backup. Mike did sound production and I did the artwork. The collaboration was deemed "Sweet Wood".

I just dunno.

Sorry, Blogspot. No hard feelings.

I'm making this post in my last ever class of college.*

*Well, this actually isn't MY class. That was this morning. I'm making up a project here. Anti-climactic, I know.

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Jason the Swamp - As Is The Sun

Download: Bandcamp (free)

Tags: singer-songwriter, freak-folk, lo-fi, ambient

I don't really know much about Jason the Swamp. I was glad I stumbled across it when I did because it made for nice listening while wearily designing some iPad layouts. There's some nice minimal vocals accented by giant heavy, textural percussive swells.

I dunno. It's cool. It's free. Listen to it.

Happy finalz.

A reinterpretation of Jack Skellington's discovery of Christmas Town in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Created with traditional media assembled in After Effects.

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Big Blood - Old Time Primitives

Download: Free Music Archive

Tags: freak folk, psychedlic, experimental pop

Yay! Big Blood has a new album and you should support their willingness to give it away for free and download it. They're staying true to that beautiful atmosphere between ethereal and dense but are always experimenting. The title track is rockin'.

Go listen.

Lots of news!

NEWSSSSS!

News item numero uno!

I'm tabling at the Museum of Comic and Cartooning Art Festival this year! Come by and check out of MA WAREZ. I'll have zines, patches, prints, mini books and OTHER STUFF.

News item numero dos!

I am in the 2012 FIT Illustration Senior Show! The reception is May 8th at the FIT Museum or you can just check out everything here. There's a lot of talent in my graduating class and I'm glad I've had the four years to grow closer with them. I'd love to get more sappy about it, but I've been doing that all week.

News item numero tres!

I HAVE A TUMBLRRRRRR! I'll still be maintaining this blog in addition to it.

Big sap.

Uh oh, Alex is getting all sentimental about everything again.

FR IE ND S!




Material possessions!


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The Duchess & The Duke - She's the Duchess, He's the Duke

Download: Mediafire
Tags: indie, folk pop, acoustic

This is the first album of the folky Rolling Stonesy duo, The Duchess & The Duke. I hosted their second album a couple years ago and I don't know why because I've always liked this one so much more.
I listened to this a few summers ago when I was getting to know the lazier side of my hometown. It works just as well, if not better for springtime. It's a really cute, fairly short album that's great for feeling antsy on a nice day or thinking about someone who isn't around or when a friend is cutting your hair outside.

Things're so good.

Someone new and fun.

Someone old and timeless.

Who wants to take bets on how soon I get a Tumblr?

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The Great Valley - Holiday, Holinight EP

Download: Bandcamp (free)
Tags: pretend-pop, summertime, lo-fi

I remember it was this time last year that I was taking my first cracks at animation and rockin' to this EP. Now it's a year later and I'm still "just starting" so why not continue listening to it?
Yo, the Great Valley is the best. They describe themselves as "pretend-pop", which can mean whatever but I think it makes sense. This is my favorite release of theirs and it's full of so many catchy riffs and warm, pleasing textural sounds. The whole thing was recorded to an 8-track, for you analog dorks out there!

These flowers in my kitchen.

You apparently can't do this with a Tascam reel-to-reel.




My autumn of '09.



This is what thoughts look like.


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Ulaan Kohl - Ceremony. Vol. I

Download: Bandcamp
Tags: avant garde, experimental, psychedelic

Another Steven R. Smith project. This one is a lot more textural and droney. I hope y'all are into rockin' psychedelic soundscapes because it's all I've been listening to lately.

Painful yellow sunrise.

A moment from my travels in January.

HEY EVERYONE. I HAVE A POOOOOOORTFOOOOOLIOOOOOO SITE NOW. CHECK IT OUT!

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Hala Strana - Fielding

Download: Bandcamp
Tags: Experimental folk, psychedelic, Eastern European

So I've been recently introduced to the work of Steven R. Smith, a self-taught experimental guitarist that has released enough music to hold me over until I'm old and don't care about music anymore. This is merely the first album I was introduced to and I'm all about it right now.
Listen to it if you're down with atmospheric textures and peaceful dissonance (which I know doesn't make any sense). Stuff gets pretty heavy at points, as well.
Smith is also a crazy talented printmaker and is the artist responsible for most of his album covers.

"The Brain of Pooh"

Masha wears a sweater of nighttime.

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The Act of Estimating as Worthless - These Splintered Minds//Leaden Thoughts Sing Softly

Download: Bandcamp
Tags: indie-acoustic, folk, majestic, lo-fi

Act Of is quiet and cute but swells to glory and triumph. Everything on this album is loaded with beauty, from the songwriting to the production to the the gorgeous cassette packaging.
Listen to it at night while chopping garlic.

Water at yr knees.

I was hoping I could squeeze in one more post before March but ah, well. Look what I did yesterday!

Sketching at the New York Public Library. Admittedly, it was my first time there (horrible New Yorker). Holy God, that place is so extravagantly beautiful. That gold cherub-encrusted cloud triptych on the ceiling of the Reading Room? Jeez.

That's it for now!

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Selections from the Diner House Family Bands

Download: Bandcamp
Tags: acoustic, lo-fi, punx, folk, indie, buncha stuff

Look! My band is on a comp! It's a collection of songs from the various musical projects by the members of Diner House. There's a lot of diversity on the album but there are some similar approaches in aesthetics and production that indicate that all these people live together. And y'know, that's pretty cool.
I feel a lot of warmth when I listen through the whole thing because even though I don't live there, I've spent enough nights on their couch to feel like I kinda do.

Feelin' the best.

Here are some collaborations I did with Jen Liu.

The family gathering around for the morning drink.

The watering hole has been poisoned. They must leave.

An unfortunate ending under an alien moon.

Oh, yeah. And tour was crazy.

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Big Blood - Sew Your Wild Days Tour Vol. II

Download: Free Music Archive
Tags: freak-folk, psychedelic

Get ready for my new everything. I've been feeding off of Big Blood's stuff all winter and they've been kind enough to host twelve of their albums for free download on The Free Music Archive.
One thing I really appreciate about them is how beautiful all of their artwork is and how synchronized it is with their music. Both are pleasingly textural, super creative and above all else, beautiful in their simplicity.
I chose to display this album because I'm most familiar with it but know that I had a really, really hard time settling on one. Other favorites of mine include Already Gone I and The Grove.

Please love this at least half as much as I do.

Oh, the news!

Yo! My band, Wood Spider goes on tour today! We're traveling as a five piece through the Midwest down to New Orleans and back up the East Coast in promotion of our new album, In the Thick of It, which you can listen to the heck out of on our Bandcamp.
We'll also be curating a traveling art gallery and distro of prints, zines and stuff as representatives of the Spikedriver Arts collective. All of the shows we're playing are free/donation-based/stupid cheap so you have no reason to not attend every single one! Here are the dates!

WED JAN 4 - NEW HAVEN, CT - Neverending Books (810 State St) w/ Dr. Caterwaul's Cadre of Clarivoyant Claptraps, Tyler Bussey, Black is the Color

THR JAN 5 - ALLSTON, MA - Ted Saunders (Msg for address) w/ The Swaggerin' Growlers, Jake & the Infernal Machine, Andrew Eckel & the Undertones

FRI JAN 6 - HADLEY, MA - Emmett Island (8 Pine Hill Rd) w/ The Suitcase Junket, Asher (of Bella's Bartok), An Historic

SAT JAN 7 - HUSDSON, NY - Spotty Dog Books & Ale (440 Warren St) w/ Pocatello

SUN JAN 8 - ITHACA, NY - Ghost Cat Co-Op (514 N Aurora St) w/ Clog the System, It’s a Riot! Puppet Theater

MON JAN 9 - PITTSUBURGH, PA - Hambone's (4207 Butler St) w/ LRAD!, Gabe Acita & Ryan Williams

TUE JAN 10 - COLUMBUS, OH - Monster House

WED JAN 11 - COVINGTON, KY (Near Cincinnati) - Bangarang's of Covington (620 Scott Blvd)

THR JAN 12 - BELLEVILLE, IL (Near St. Louis) - Illegal Tone Recordings

FRI JAN 13 - MEMPHIS, TN - Courthouse Co-Op

SAT JAN 14 - NEW ORLEANS - We're taking the day off! Let's hang out!

SUN JAN 15 - NEW ORLEANS - Hi-Ho Lounge (2239 St Claude Ave) w/ Sweet Street Symphony

MON JAN 16 - MOBILE, AL - TBA

TUE JAN 17 - PENSACOLA, FL - TBA

WED JAN 18 - ATLANTA, GA - WonderRoot Community Arts Center (982 Memorial Dr) w/ Christ, Lord, Jesse & the Great Perhaps

THR JAN 19 - ROCK HILL, SC - The Hampton House

FRI JAN 20 - CHAPEL HILL, NC - Internationalist Books & Community Center

SAT JAN 21 - DURHAM, NC- Hillbilly Chateaux w/ All Your Science

SUN JAN 22 - RICHMOND, VA - Flying Brick Library

MON JAN 23 - BALTIMORE, MD - Curious Fucking Palace (126 S Arlington Ave) w/ Dee & the Warlocks

TUE JAN 24 - PHILADELPHIA, PA / NEW JERSEY / NEWARK, DE / EASTERN PA - HELP??

SAT JAN 28 - BROOKLYN, NY - The Hive (20 Cook St) w/ Dr. Caterwaul's Cadre of Clairvoyant Claptraps


Sounds fun, yeah? See ya 'round!
(Flier is designed by ME and we'll have a buttload of awesomely hand-printed merch also designed by ME.)

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Also! I'm really excited to announce that our tour distro is going to feature a story I've recently written/illustrated, Mathos & the Pursuit of Beauty. It's about a boy who struggles with the concept of creating beauty and goes on a quest for understanding. In his travels, he talks to a lot of colorful weirdos.

It's currently in zine format with around eight full-page charcoal illustrations and spot drawings. Wood Spider will have them on the road, so if getting one of these is up your alley, come out and see us!

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Wood Spider - In the Thick of It

Download: Bandcamp
Tags: folk punk, cabaret, freak folk, lo-fi

Our new album! Yayayay! Get ready for our most full, composed, personal, texturally oppressive release yet. It's six songs of energy and manic angst with banjo, cello, ukulele, accordion, saw, washboard and a bunch of other things all recorded to tape. We're crazy proud of it and if you're into those sweet archaic formats, we have 200 cassettes of it each in their own beautfilly handmade box-thing!

The insides are teeming with more stuff. Teeming.

'Kay. I'm done. I've got to pack now.