B A L L P E E N ( ! ) B U L L E T I N S
MERRY XXX-MAS everybody!
updated: December 22nd, 2005
ITEM! Ho! Ho! Ho! It's none other than Jazzy Joe! Up top is a link to this year's SKiN GRAFT X-Mas Card, scribbled together by our hometown homies, Messrs. Mark and Rob. Thanks to everyone who made this such a great year here at ye ol' SGRAFT - you better believe we wouldn't do it without ya! Now take that stocking out of your pants, cuz we've got one more virtual stuffer to help you ding-a-ling in the new year- none other than a hottt new MP3 from the up and coming AIDS Wolf album, "The Lovvers" LP!!!! It's up and at 'em at the AUDIO page now! Click HERE to give it a spin.
Here's hoping Santa brings you all the Graft goodies on your list, and tosses in a little peace on earth while he's at it! Gab at ya in 2006!
MORE NEW NEWS!
updated: Decmber 1st, 2005
Salütes Sound Seekers ( ! )
SKiN GRAFT's Ace Reporter, "Jazzy" Joe Romita here with another staggering summary of the frankly phenomenal feats fathered at the famed fount of flabbergast... the forever favored, far-from faddish, far-flung frontiersmen of the fashionable Fort SKiN GRAFT!!!! Face front, frenzied ones!!!!
IN THE NEWS:
vv Mailorder-Only Holiday Special
$ and KOENJIHYAKKEI
vv New Releases cause Worldwide Panic
V >Ears Mandatory; Pants Optional
vv Bad Pussy update
V >Ex-Arab On Radar Jock-core in 2006!
How goes it, homebuddies? Your omnipotent anecdotist accepts your virtual curtsey and welcomes you once again to the nifty, neoteric news pages of the mighty SG dot com. Lets kick off this Ballpeen edition with a little leveling. Now, each and every week, the Jazzy One receives a torrent of queries from noise-nicks coast to coast to coast complaining about how tough it is to find ALL of that Graft greatness at their local record haunt. In some corners of the world, our new releases seem to sell out overnight, while other back catalog beauts may never get reordered! With a catalog as girthy as SG's, it can be difficult for your favorite record retailer to keep so much awe-inspiring audio in-stock at all times. Many of you have suggested that we open a chain of Skin Graft retail stores that would specialize solely in Skin Graft's magnificent musics & merch - so serious collectors would have easy access to their favorite Graft goodies. That, friends, is a terrific idea, but for the time being, we urge you to let your buddy behind the counter at your favorite record store know that you crave more Graft greatness at their esteemed emporium. A word from you just might sway them in the wrong direction - after all - the customer is always right! If, after all that, they have too much wax in the ears to heed your wizened advice, then allow the Jazzy One to remind you of the power of paypal and the magic of mailorder, which puts that dream Skin Graft shop of yours right in your ever-loving lap!
And that, pals, is the perfect segue to our next...
ITEM! Also clogging your magnificent man-god's email arteries are pleas from to and fro wondering if the mighty SG would be offering up anything special for the holidays this year. Now natch, if we were not, the Jazzy One wouldn't have brought it up at all, turning a deaf ear as he does his nagging ex-wife and her alimony death threats. Here, in all it's glory, is the scoop! A few months back, the glorious gals of Blueghost Publicity Inc. threw a party in NYC that coincided with the CMJ New Music Fest. Always eager to dazzle the razzled, the SG marketing team put together an exclusive Skin Graft sampler titled "THE BLUEGHOST PARTY FAVOR" for the first 100 or so attendees. Culled primarily from the rollicking recent releases you've grown accustomed to hearing Jazzy gab on and on about, the disc sports 21 tracks from 12 bands, including: MADE IN MEXICO, KOENJIHYAKKEI, GORGE TRIO, POINT LINE PLANE, YOWIE, RUINS, CHEER-ACCIDENT, QUINTRON, THE FLYING LUTTENBACHERS, THE CHINESE STARS, STRANGULATED BEATOFFS and ARAB ON RADAR. Each copy is individually hand-numbered, comes packed in a jewel case (this ain't no flimsy wallet sleeved comp done on the cheap!) and includes a full-color fold-out Gumballhead the Cat comic by Rob Syers and Mark Fischer! Now, the forward thinking flunkies upstairs realized that there would likely be a few folks outside of NYC who'd want to get their mitts on one of these, so extra copies were made just to offer up to our loyal mailorder-ers as a year-end holiday scooby snack. This one, gang, is NOT available in stores. With any paypal or mailorder of $12.00 or more, the compilation is available to you for the measly price of $6.25. If you want to order the compilation all by itself, the money grubbers will gouge you a little extra at $7.85. These won't last forever, so order away! Visit the SKiN GRAFT paypal shop HERE or send checks and money orders to the P.O. Box at the top of this page. A complete track listing and more details are HERE.
ITEM! Just in case you forgot to pay your internet bill, were temporarily struck blind, deaf, or are just plain dumb; the year-end Skin Graft releases are now out and about! See the previous update to read the Jazzy One's soothing soliloquies on MADE IN MEXICO's "Zodiac Zoo" CD & Gatefold pop-up LP, KOENJIHYAKKEI's "Angherr Shisspa" CD and RUINS "Pallaschtom" CD. These platters are guaranteed great. If you're not 100% satisfied, then simply return your purchase for a swift kick in the pants.
A photogallery of KOENJIHYKKEI is up at the PHOTO section now. Mucho arygato to Sakamoto Kengo for the pics, taken at various recent Koenji shows in Japan. We can all hope that the US and Europe will be so lucky soon! And if there was any doubt that the underground is covertly burrowing beneath the faltering foothold of the unenlightened masses, this should make it clear: MADE IN MEXICO is featured on the new Playstation 2 video game, GUITAR HERO! In a nutshell, the player's goal is to advance to expert after weeks of play - and as players' progress within the game, they'll also unlock more venues, songs and guitars. Tucked among those "unlockable" songs is none other than "Farewell Myth", as heard on Made In Mexico's brand-spanking new LP! GUITAR HERO is out now and has already been nominated for a Spike TV Video Game Award - for Best Soundtrack! Details on the game can be found HERE.
ITEM! The word is out that AIDS Wolf will make their debut splash here early next year with Twelve voluptuous vinyl inches of supersonic freeform, freedom-filled, fuckery. Now, Jazzy, for one; and you, for two; hate to wait, so to get an earful of what the ruckus is all about, we've brought aboard the brand spanking new Blood Of The
Drash vinyl split 7" from none other than AIDS WOLF and The FUGUE. AIDS Wolf drop three songs: "Fuck You Mclean", "Doctorate In Philosophy", and "Laundry Day Lament", while The Fugue contribute "Blow Yr Chrome". Surf thee to the Everything Else section of the paypal shop for the skinny. Now, the full length, entitled "The Lovvers LP" will be released at the tip top of next year - the CD version will come correct from the fine-feathered fellows at Lovepump United, while the LP will come special delivery from SKiN GRAFT Rex. Packaging on this one is ALL THE WAY out - we're talking a DOUBLE-sided, four-color process screenprinted 24" x 24" fold-out poster sleeve (lovingly printed by the mighty Seripop outfit), complete with a lush, blush-inducing centerfold of the band to boot! No, kimosabee, we're NOT taking advance orders yet, set aside a little of grandma's Christmas money to rocket our way mid-January. And in just-as-exciting news, to coincide with "The Lovvers LP" splash, AIDS Wolf is preparing to hit Europe(!) where they will take on any and all comers. Tour is in February and the confirmed dates are HERE. For Euro booking inquires, contact Alex Auche of Highfood.org at aauche@highfood.org - ASAP!
ITEM! Four feet of fur, fury and un-neutered mayhem - that would be none other than the inimitable GUMBALLHEAD THE CAT - and it's time to check in on everyone's favorite fuzzy-faced, funny-paper feline. Not long ago, Gummy clawedhis way into a full color comic series in Chi-town's wondrous weekly paper, the Chicago Reader. Since then, Misters Roberto J. Syers and Markus D. Fischer have been delivering the goods in spades - while mail rockets in from parts all round pleading for more sample strips for on-line ogling... Friends, Jazzy's got a real treat for you this time around - up and at 'em now are not one, but TWO new cataclysmic comics culled from Gummy's wily, weekly wonders! Visit the COMICS page to commence amazement! Now for those itching to take a new stick of Gummy home, in between the weekly gig, rowdy Rob Syers has been plowing forward on the multi-part Gumballhead saga currently chronicled in the pages of Roctober Magazine. The next chapter tips a hat to Danzig's old act with the title "All Hell Breaks Loose", and will be presented in beauteous black and white. Watch for the next issue of Roctober early next year & visit the LINKS page to hop to the website. AND(!), on top of all that, Rob and Mark have been cooking up a very special full page comic section for the Chicago Reader's year-end issue! Chicago-ittes, look for the massive "HOW TO DRAW COMICS THE SKiN GRAFT WAY" instructional funny page this December- in glorious Technicolor!
ITEM! Take My Member Please Dept: Yes, it is true, last year's inductees into the SG Hall of Hotshots, YOWIE and POINT LINE PLANE are each one member shorter. Yowie has been auditioning replacements to fill the void left by second axeman Jeremiah Wonsewitz, but have vowed to not fill the spot 'til it's just right. During this transition period, Jonathan Hischke did a Hella-va job filling in for the band's recent show with RUINS - not too shabby for a few hours practice! Up north, Point Line Plane's Howard Gillam has stepped out as well; in this case, it looks likely the band will be continuing as a two-piece. That won't be too hard - as you eager Einstein's will be quick to point out - PLP was born a two piece, as is dynamically documented on their self-titled debut album! During the down time, both bands have been taking anything but a holiday - Yowie is refining some raw AC/DC ore; while Point Line Plane has been scoring the documentary feature film "Haunters". Now - while these bands regroup, Jazzy strongly suggests that any stragglers who haven't scored POINT LINE PLANE's "Smoke Signals" or YOWIE's "Cryptoology" do themselves a favor and put them both at the tip-top of that list you'll be secreting to Santa this X-Mas. Nothing, but nothing says Happy Holidays like Skin Graft sliding down the chimney with the fat man!
ITEM! Jesus H. Key-rist - You kids and your F'ing MY SPACE pages! All right already, we got one, registered by Mr. Fischer himself, but would you believe he's taken extreme measures to hide the password from your nosey news-hound? Unbelievable. All I can say is don't expect it be much fun... That said, we at Skin Graft can use all the friends we can get, so send your friend requests and send them often. Much of the SG roster has My Space pages already up and at 'em, and you are urged to visit them. Links have been cobbled together for your surfing ease HERE. Tell 'em all Jazzy said "Hi"!
ITEM! And speaking of SG bands - Here's a new one on ya - (!) - put your heads together for the mighty ATHLETIC AUTOMATON! Yes, 'tis our old buddy Steve from Arab On Radar, paired with parchment pounder, Pat Crump, formerly of Pellum 1-2-3 and Saturday Night Palsy. You may be familiar with them from their split CD with Made In Mexico (available HERE) or maybe you've heard their debut album, "Five Days In Africa", currently making the rounds as a superbly spiffy CD-R. Come 2006, AA will be busting loose BIG TIME, so better put on your crash helmet now! And - rumor has it that Athletic Automaton and another recently brought aboard batch of badasses will be collaborating on a very special recording - that might just be making it's way this-a-way to be released in two-oh-oh-six. Hmmm...
Ladies, meet me in the broom closet in five minutes. Gentleman, that's all I got for you. The hands on my wristwatch all point to log off, so I am officially outta here. Your Jazzy One suspects he'll check in with you for one brief, shining holiday hug before the year is out, but 'til then, be good to yourself and your mother. I'll be under the mistletoe.
Excel-sore!
"JAZZY" JOE ROMITA
MORE NEW NEWS!
updated: October 17th, 2005
Salütes Sound Seekers ( ! )
SKiN GRAFT's Ace Reporter, "Jazzy" Joe Romita here with another staggering summary of the frankly phenomenal feats fathered at the famed fount of flabbergast... the forever favored, far-from faddish, far-flung frontiersmen of the fashionable Fort SKiN GRAFT!!!! Face front, frenzied ones!!!!
IN THE NEWS:
vv "Zodiac Zoo " CD / Gatefold Pop-Up LP
vv "Angherr Shisspa" CD
vv "Pallaschtom" & European Tour
V >Post-Hurricane USA Tour
V >Super-Villain Team Up in 2006
ITEM! Fan your fevered forehead fellows, cause Jazzy Joe has another dose of nonconformist, now wave noodling to dish and the news is so sizzling, it's a sure shot six of seven shall spontaneously combust in sheer supersonic elation (!) - and the rag-tag-tag team of lawyers here at Camp Skin Graft have advised your Odin of the Offbeat to serve fair warning before you proceed to peeping.
How do we do it? How does SKiN GRAFT Records, already certified as the superior sound solicitor from sea to shining sea, improve upon a rock-solid record of peerless perfection in it's pursuit of providing pulse-pounding platters to the panting, impassioned peoples? Sorry Sammy, we ain't givin' away ANY trade secrets. See, Jazzy's grown a trifle fond of those dumpsters of dough delivered daily to his doorstep, and if he starts sharing any recipes for success, what's to prevent the sad sacks from stealing a few cues from the SG cookbook?
Time's a'wastin' and these sleeves are itching something fierce, so let's hop to it and pull out this pair of aces right now! Hello MADE IN MEXICO! Hi There KOENJIHYAKKEI!
Please bow your heads, publicist Charlie Nite with a few words:
Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, these ex-members of Arab On Radar, La Machine, and Bossman play music. The kind that inspired Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore to buy them drinks the last time they played Brooklyn. MADE IN MEXICO came into being when Rebecca Mitchell moved to Providence from Oklahoma... and was asked by Dare Matheson and Jon Loper (members of Providence's psychedelic freak-out ensemble La Machine) to start a band. Jon recalls that "Rebecca called and asked if I was into the idea of dragging Jeff Schneider out. Schneider was a guitarist in Arab On Radar. I'd played with him before so it seemed like a good enough idea to try."
The beginning rehearsals went strangely at first. Everyone tried their best to ease the tension by playing music they mutually agreed was good: Captain Beefheart, Devo, Chrome, Amon Duul II, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Sleetmute / Nightmute - and that's when writing began. The band debuted before a packed show at the Safari Lounge located in downtown Providence, Schneider wielding his trademark Travis Bean aluminum-necked guitar. As far as the people in attendance were concerned, everything they loved about these artists was back better than ever.
Is it ever armadillos! Not only is MADE IN MEXICO's dynamic debut available on the venerable CD format, but it's also available on VINYL, with different cover art than the CD, and in a big, glossy gatefold POP-UP sleeve that when opened, looks something like this:
A special deal on a MADE IN MEXICO LP & CD set is up at the paypal shop for those who'd like to combine the ease of digital playback with the snubbing rights that comes with the owning a certified collectable.
Next up, is Japan's inimitable KOENJIHYAKKEI. Before we turn it over to Charlie Nite, lets put this seasoned quote from Alternative Press front and center:
RE: KOENJIHYAKKEI:
"I'm probably going out on a limb here, but from my vantage point, this is not only the most brilliant of all of contemporary Japanese bands, but perhaps the greatest group currently operating in the world." -Alternative Press
Some bands you just have to hear. Japan's KOENJIHYAKKEI (aka Koenji Hyakkei aka Hundred Sights of Koenji) are just such a band. Headed by vocalist / composer / drummer extraordinaire Tatsuya Yoshida (of the renowned bass and drum duo RUINS), KOENJIHYAKKEI is Area and ELP at their most excessive; Deus Ex Machina with tempo changes multiplied by 100; and Magma at their orff-ian choral, fusion jazz, overcharged gospel peak. All of which is meaningless to those unfamiliar with the aforementioned bands. Maybe that explains why advance listens have yielded head-scratching comments comparing KOENJIHYAKKEI's fourth album (and USA debut) "Angherr Shisspa" to Stereolab, Yes, Queen, Melt-Banana and "something so far off Broadway it's on the moon".
The above makes the band sound indecipherable and impenetrable. Fortunately, that's not the case, there's plenty to latch onto, densely packed into the album's 50 minute running time. In the heady, heavy prog-circles, Koenji is already firmly established; renowned as the ultimate contemporary progressive rock outfit; with three albums and a live dvd released in their native Japan (and heavily exported around the world). KOENJIHYAKKEI explodes with glittery keyboard lines, speedy bass/drum workouts, emotive reed respites, and operatic female vocals that take the listener from sheer exuberance to absolute apocalypse... And all this performed with superhuman technique in extremely catchy, addictive arrangements.
MADE IN MEXICO "Zodiac Zoo" and KOENJIHYAKKEI "Angherr Shisspa" can be ordered by visiting the SKiN GRAFT paypal shop HERE. For snail mail, send checks and money orders in the amounts found at the shop to the P.O. Box at the top of this page. To hear what you're getting yourself into, visit the AUDIO page for MP3 samples and you'll find even more details at each band's respective BAND page.
ITEM! Y'all might recall that Jazzy got a jump on RUINS' astonishing, just-released "Pallaschtom" CD in the previous update. With that groundwork firmly laid, our hirsute hero is ready to dazzle with another incredible announcement. Now just this last summer, the US of A was fortunate to receive Yoshida Tatsuya on it's soil for the whirlwind RUINS "Bassist Wanted" Tour - and now it's Europe's turn as it readies itself for the JAPANESE NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL - with no less than SEVEN INCREDIBLE ACTS!: - RUINS ALONE! - ZUBI ZUVA X! - AKATEN! - SHRINP WARK! - ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE! - ZOFFY! - SWRSEIKAZOKU! The tour starts on HALLOWEEN Night in Gothenberg and no self respecting music-lover within a zillion kilometers of these shows is gonna want to miss out! Hop Thee to the TOUR PAGE for details!
ITEM! The boss has written plenty on the plight of our pals QUINTRON and MISS PUSSYCAT, both on these pages and in SG mailing list notices circulated around the internet, so Jazzy's not going to do tread on familiar territory. Q and P's website has been updated with photos of New Orleans post-hurricane and they've issued the following statement: LODGE UPDATE/ Oct 13, 2005 - Don't drink the water no matter what C-Ray say! Pukey pukey yuk baaaaaad. Also, don't go into your house to save all your records and think that a wet t-shirt around the face is gonna keep the mold out. More Pukey, dizzy, fall down, feel soooooo hot! New Orleans is officially the Wild West ... Dudes paradise. Oh yeah.... message to the fake SPCA truck disaster tourists coming in to "save pets" (break in to people's homes unlawfully and steal their cat)... STAY AWAY!!.... WE HAVE GUNS AND POLICE VEEEERY BUSY IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD LIKE FRENCH QUARTER!! GO BACK TO PORTLAND!! You are idiots... this is really a nuisance... where the fuck were you people at Mardi Gras? The Blessing of the Boats? Dogs and cats are wild horses here... go home. R.I.P. Pablo - founding member of drum buddy baddass and full blooded state canine.
QUINTRON and MISS PUSSYCAT are taking the show on the road to give the Spellcaster Lodge time to dry out. For dates, visit the TOURS page and get ready to Go! Go! GO! Grass roots response to the call for help has been amazing to say the least, and while sincereity is sincerely at odds with the Jazzy one's base instincts, even he must bow before your magnificence... Those with paypal accounts wishing to lend a helping buck can send donations to Quintron and Miss Pussycat's Rhinestone Records account at: rhinestonerecords@hotmail.com. More details are in the previous update.
ITEM! Two-Thousand Six Crystal Balls Department:
From Montreal, Canada, welcome AIDS Wolf!
- - - ' Nuff said!
Join Jazzy next time, when he'll dish the delish on AIDS WOLF's screenprinted, poster-sleeved, vinyl-only splash here at the outhouse of ideas, and we'll take a gander at the latest adventures of that fuzzy-faced comic-sensation GUMBALLHEAD THE CAT!
'Til next time...
Excel-sore!
"JAZZY" JOE ROMITA
MORE NEW NEWS!
updated: September 12th, 2005
IN THE NEWS:
vv Finally available in the US of A!
V >
