OCTOBER 15 / 9:00PM
21+ / $10 Advance

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Nectar Presenst:

The Dead C

Six Organs of Admittance

Kinski

THE DEAD C

Forerunners of post-rock and the modern-day revival of space rock, the Dead C were an improvisational, hugely prolific noise-rock fuckadelia. Challenging and mostly instrumental, they were a definite anomaly on the New Zealand scene, which was still known primarily for the jangly collegiate pop of the Flying Nun label when the band first emerged in the late 80s. Perhaps in part for that reason, the Dead C didn't attract much of a fan base in their home country; their audience was mostly international, developed initially through fanzine culture and word of mouth. They did, however, help spark a more experimental music scene around their native Dunedin, which was centered around bassist Bruce Russell's Xpressway label and boosted the careers of musicians like Alistair Galbraith and Peter Jefferies. They also influenced a broad range of bands, from the ambient post-rock of Flying Saucer Attack and Labradford to the neo-psychedelia of Bardo Pond to lo-fi indie-rockers like Pavement and Sebadoh. The Dead C's own music held elements of all those styles, and remained essentially the same for most of the band's life: murky, hazy, loosely structured drone rock, enveloped in a thick crust of avowedly low-fidelity guitar noise, and often warped with tape manipulations or studio treatments. Consistent almost to a fault, their catalog was generally very much of a piece, with minor variations here and there; this, combined with its size and scarcity, could make finding entry difficult, but experimental rock enthusiasts often found the rewards worth pursuing. The Dead C was formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1987, with a lineup of guitarist/occasional vocalist Michael Morley (a onetime member of the evocatively named Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos), bassist and Xpressway label head Bruce Russell, and drummer Robbie Yeats (formerly of the well-liked Kiwi pop band the Verlaines). In keeping with the early formats of Xpressway and Morley's own Precious Metal imprint, their earliest releases were only available on limited-run cassettes, but they also hooked up with Flying Nun in 1988 to issue their first LP, DR503 (which was retitled DR503b and DR503c for later reissues). A second Flying Nun LP, Eusa Kills, appeared in 1989 and featured a bizarre cover of T. Rex's "Children of the Revolution." The Dead C next forged a relationship with the Philadelphia-based indie Siltbreeze, which would issue the majority of their output over the 90s. The first was 1990's Helen Said This, which was later reissued on CD as part of a two-fer with the formerly cassette-only Trapdoor Fucking Exit (the latter's title was used for the CD). 1992's double-LP set Harsh 70s Reality is regarded by most as a high point -- perhaps the high point -- of the band's career, ranging from relatively concise songs to the side-long jam "Driver U.F.O." In its wake, Morley and Russell both launched side projects -- Gate and A Handful of Dust, respectively -- that allowed them to pursue even more esoteric avenues. A flood of Dead C material followed over 1993-94 as well: the improvisational The Operation of the Sonne, the outtakes/archival collection World Peace Hope Et Al (on the British label Shock), and the live album Clyma Est Mort. The Dead C hit another creative high point with 1995's The White House, another fan favorite that brought a touch more structure to the group's usually free-form compositions. Another live album, Repent, followed in 1996, while the next year's Tusk -- titled ironically after the Fleetwood Mac album -- proved to be their last effort for Siltbreeze. It also marked the end of their most prolific period, as the band subsequently spent an astonishing (for them) three years off record. They weren't inactive, though; when they finally returned in 2000, it was with an eponymously titled double-CD release of sessions conducted from 1995-99. The Dead C was released on the band's new Language Recordings label, which allowed them greater financial control. Their second Language album, 2002's New Electric Music, was the most electronically oriented item in their large discography to date. 2003's The Damned found a more widespread American release via the Starlight Furniture label.

SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE

Six Organs of Admittance is basically just one man (but what a man!) - Ben Chasny, along with whomever he ropes in for recording or for shows. This man-band started in 1997 when Ben self- released his first LP in an edition of 400, little dreaming that one day Six Organs of Admittance would sell 37 times as many records. It was just something that was destined to happen - but that was the beginning of the happening. Over the years, Six Organs of Admittance has had many releases on a variety of labels, most notably Holy Mountain. During this time, Six Organs of Admittance became one of the most infulential sounds in the free world. In 2005, Ben found a home at Drag City and released the landmark album, School of the Flower. Free jazz ninja drum master Chris Corsano joined Ben and the results were a perfect blend of melody, out-folk, minimalism and noise, getting much critical applause and ending up on year-end best-of-the-year lists by magazines such as Mojo, Wire, and Magnet. 2006 sees the release of the best Six Organs release yet. The Sun Awakens features some of the most feedback-drenched, dark, cult-chanting, completely beautiful music ever released by the band. The everlasting goal of expansion - any kind of expansion you can imagine - has been tapped once again by the living entity known as Six Organs of Admittance. Ben also appears .. City as one-half of August Born with his hero Hiroyuki Usui. He has played in the touring band of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy and plays guitar in the bands Current 93, Badgerlore, and Comets on Fire.

KINSKI

None of this is Kinski’s fault, but it has to be asked: What exactly are you looking for here? Awkwardly personal facts? A list of bands they’ve chummed it up with? None of that is too terribly important, at least not to the matter at hand: Down Below It’s Chaos, Kinski’s third or fourth (depending on how you count) album for their hometown label. What conclusions do you draw from the fact that Kinski has toured with Oneida, Acid Mothers and Tool? That they’re open-minded and up for rock & roll adventure. Surprise! What great band isn’t? Really, even their names are in your other hand, on the CD; am I to waste precious space repeating them here? Well, for tradition’s sake, I suppose I am. So for the nosy thrill-seekers out there, here are the correct (at press time) spellings of each member’s name, followed by the answer to one different, awkwardly personal question—but it’s down to you to guess the question: Lucy Atkinson (red); Chris Martin (Italian); Matthew Reid-Schwartz (yes); Barrett Wilke (none). What else? You want to know, like, what’s on the record? That seems counterproductive, since, again, you’re holding the CD right now. But we’re a service outfit here, and we please to .. Down Below It’s Chaos was recorded in Seattle by Randall Dunn, who also worked on Alpine Static, Kinski’s previous record, and by all accounts (from my ears, which work well) he really gets it. Just as quickly as “surge” became a bad word in our land, Kinski has won it back for us; their instruments may not kill fascists, but they can neuter right-wing governments. Ah yes, on the subject of words. I’ve heard tell that Kinski’s easy manner with and without them has upset a few applecarts out there. Fear not, true believer! I am happy to report that Down Below It’s Chaos is packed with lyrics. But—only a portion of them are in English. The rest come from The Dictionary of Rock Linguistics (Sixth Edition). No library is complete without it! Try Amazon’s Mexico site; or, you could always translate from the album itself. How much more specific do you need me to get? More important, do you seriously trust me more than your own ears? You want to hear from me about the ringing, howling power of “Plan, Steal, Drive”? The exhortation (or is that accusation?) of “Dayroom at Narita Int’l.”? You want to know what all their words and nonwords mean? Look, Kinski hasn’t approved any of this, but as their de facto advocate, I must say: They’ve done the work. Down Below It’s Chaos is in your hands. The only real question here is, what are you bringing to the table?

LINKS

• The Dead C on Myspace
• Six Organs of Admittance on Myspace
• Kinski on Myspace

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