We’ve worked with the fine people at Akashic Books on a few events now, and we’re happy to announce that we’ll be teaming up with them again to celebrate the release of the new book from Scott Crawford, the writer, editor, and filmmaker behind the documentary Salad Days.
“As a Lyricist, I’ve Always Been a Collagist”: An Interview With Katie Eastburn
The first time I heard Katie Eastburn play music was well over a decade ago, at a show at which Young People, the band she was in at the time, was playing. Young People’s songs came at you sideways–they could channel unpredictable pop or take a moodier approach, and the result was a constantly rewarding sound that repeatedly surprised. This summer brought with it Out All Night, the first album from her new project, KATIEE, which finds her backed by […]
Pop Gone Strange, Cities Gone Surreal: Listening to Kim Gordon’s Latest
If you’ve been reading Vol.1 Brooklyn for a while, you’re probably aware that we like Sonic Youth, as well as the music made by many of its members since that band’s breakup a few years ago. Kim Gordon has had one of the most eclectic post-SY careers, releasing a memoir and a collection of writings on art, making music in the duo Body/Head, and continuing to work as a visual artist.
The Art and the Sound: A Visit to “Danger Came Smiling”
The first thing I saw when I walked into Danger Came Smiling: Feminist Art and Popular Music, an exhibit at Stamford’s Franklin Street Works, was a diamond-shaped portrait featuring the faces of two iconic musicians. Shizu Saldamando’s Alice Bag and Martin Crudo juxtaposed the images of two punk vocalists who have decades’ worth of presence and inspiration between them. It was a memorable introduction to the exhibit to come, which both ventured into dynamic cultural spaces and repurposed musical imagery […]
“Bands Should Have to Sweat it Out”: Talking LPs, Covers, and History With SAVAK
I first met SAVAK singer/guitarist Sohrab Habibion a few years ago, when Obits, the band he was playing in at the time, were just starting to play shows. Three albums and a handful of singles later, Obits called it a day and Habibion returned to music with SAVAK, a taut and intense guitar-driven group whose members boast an impressive musical resume. Earlier this summer, they released their debut album, Best of Luck in Future Endeavors, an intense and catchy collection […]
“We Like Variety”: Seattle’s VATS on “Green Glass Room,” Outmoded Technology, and More
Seattle’s VATS make offbeat and compelling post-punk that never comes at you from the same angle. Their new album Green Glass Room abounds with strange cityscapes, intense declarations about humanity’s relationship with technology, and energetic musical arrangements. The trio is currently in the midst of a US tour–they’ll be at Alphaville this Sunday–and it was from the road that we talked with Jessica James about the album, the tour, and more.
This Ain’t Heaven: DIY in Wichita, Kansas
Daniel Davis is an enigma in Wichita, Kansas, and for the fortunate ones, the Midwest in general. For me, he’s a legend. I knew about Dan, had seen numerous incarnations of bands he was in, almost ten years before I finally met the man. His bands have ranged in dynamic, genre, and loudness over the years—from Ricky Fitts to Weather is Happening to Muscle Worship to the very excellent D/D/J/G, this dude is a born ripper, not to mention one […]
“Biography With One Foot in the Fantastic”: A Review of “The Incantations of Daniel Johnston”
The fist time I read The Incantations of Daniel Johnston I was stuck at San Diego International Airport on my way to LA. Airports are great places to read because they give you time, but they’re also awful places to read because you’re briefly uprooted and thus vulnerable; you’re in a non-space where people come and go at an accelerated speed and where you momentarily embody a floating signifier. The Incantations of Daniel Johnston struck me as a perfect read […]