Straight off the bat, we’re going to have to deal with the name of this outfit: Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble. Believe it or not, it measures in at a whopping 15 syllables, which almost qualifies as a whole sentence, if not a short story. Yeah, the name is pretty much way too long for its own good. It’s so painfully long, I’ll bet no human has ever uttered it out loud because it would require too much energy; like you would have to eat three meals during the course of saying it. Let’s give it a try. Come on, repeat after me: “Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble.” Whew! I got tired just typing it right then. The name also sounds generic, kind of like if I started a rock group and named it Rock Group.
Yogi Proctor’s Total Confusion is Popular art show flyer.
Yogi Proctor is a fine artist and art director / graphic designer who has been working since the 1990s. Yogi has done graphic design for musical artists and skateboard brands, among many others. His fine artworks are often conceptual with a lot of deep thought behind them. In the fine art world, perhaps Yogi’s most well-known works are the fake photocopy machine he built by hand, and other similar pieces he calls decoys. “A decoy is a copy that, when placed in proximity to the original, reconfigures the perception of both…destabilizing notions of ‘artist’ and ‘originality’ with wit and agility.”–Yogi Proctor. That concept vaguely reminds me of Andy Warhol’s Brillo boxes. Enjoy a few photos from one of Yogi’s early art shows, Total Confusion is Popular, back in 2003. (Note: The pieces in this show are not decoys.) (Additional note: This note is not a decoy of the previous note.) (Final note: This note is not a decoy of any past, present or future notes.)
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA Los Angeles, California January 30 – February 1, 2015
Printed Matter is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of publications made by artists. The companion to their NY Art Book Fair, which has been held every fall since 2006 in New York, the third LA Art Book Fair boasted scores of artists, curators, dealers, book buyers, collectors, independent publishers and other enthusiasts. It was a unique international event for artists’ books, art catalogs, monographs, periodicals and zines presented by more than 180 international presses, independent publishers, booksellers, antiquarians and artists from 18 countries. Lectures, workshops, video and live performances also raised a ruckus throughout the weekend.–Press Release
Rich Jacobs at the Printed Matter LA Art Book Fair 2015.
“Well, I’m smokin’ to live.” Alvarius B performs at Resident in Los Angeles, California on May 6, 2018.
Los Angeles, California
May 6, 2018
Alvarius B is one of the alter egos of Alan Bishop, who is best known as one third of the legendary third eye staring band the Sun City Girls, who existed from 1981-2007. In more recent years, AB has led two outfits based in Cairo, Egypt: the rock band The Invisible Hands and The Dwarfs of East Agouza, who play highly improvised music. As a solo performer, Alan occasionally appears as the aforementioned songsmith Alvarius B or, much less frequently, the cantankerous spoken word artist, Uncle Jim. He is also one of the founders of the Sublime Frequencies label, who release raw music mainly from Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Sir Richard Bishop performs at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles, California on May 4, 2017.
Los Angeles, California
May 4, 2017
Upon arriving at the venue, the first thing I noticed was that it’s called the Bootleg Theater. I’m pretty sure that means if you fellas go to a show there, you’re automatically officially authorized to make bootleg recordings, GUYS. First up was Sir Robert Millis, a six-string slinger from Seattle who won’t hesitate to vigorously apply patches of modeling clay to every area of your face if you so much as glance in his direction. Mr. Millis completely dominated the stage, stomping around like King Kong (as you can see in the photo below) on a rampage through the pre-Keiji Haino city of Tokyo. He played several songs off of, I assume, his numerous albums. I’m not sure exactly which ones, so feel free to hire an attorney and take me to court. What the hell do I look like, the Discogs database?
Sir Robert Millis performs at the Whistle Stop in San Diego, California on April 25, 2015.
San Diego, California
April 25, 2015
Sir Richard Bishop is a seller of rare books and guitar player who is best known as a member of the Sun City Girls, a one-of-a-kind band that was busy churning out Top 10 hits (at least in a few peoples’ households) from 1981-2007. Sir Robert Millis is a writer, videographer and musician who is part of an experimental outfit called the Climax Golden Twins. (According to the invisible friend inside my mind, their name is a tribute to the Climax Blues Band, Golden Earring and the Thompson Twins.) Both Rick and Rob are also world travelers who have contributed to the Sublime Frequencies label of raw international music.
Sublime Frequences at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles, California on August 6, 2013.
Los Angeles, California
August 6, 2013
“Sublime Frequencies is a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, and other forms of human and natural expression not documented sufficiently through all channels of academic research, the modern recording industry, media, or corporate foundations. Sublime Frequencies is focused on an aesthetic of extra-geography and soulful experience inspired by music and culture, world travel, research, and the pioneering recording labels of the past including Ocora, Smithsonian Folkways, Ethnic Folkways, Lyrichord, Nonesuch Explorer, Musicaphone, Baronreiter, Unesco, Playasound, Musical Atlas, Chant Du Monde, B.A.M., Tangent and Topic.”
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