BLASST 97: HARRIET BROWN - TRACKLIST + NOTES

TRACKLIST

1. Glenn Underground - “Madzone”

2. 702 - “Finally”

3. Harriet Brown - “Holy Place (Shinin’)”

4. Prince - “Strange But True”

 5. Janet Jackson - “Someone to Call My Lover”

LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD
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NOTES
Today's episode features my conversation with the endlessly talented Harriet Brown, a funky storm of a soul from Los Angeles, California who will be hitting the Rio Grande Valley next Wednesday, July 3rd. 

Harriet and I talk about his journey through music, his experiences growing up in the Bay area and finding a place for himself in the big, bad, mad City of Angels while also struggling to find a place for himself within himself, and of course, his music. 
His new album, Mall of Fortune, is a complex offering of rnb and soul inspired by some of the challenges Harriet experienced in the past year while navigating the music industry as a person of color as well as a desire to look deeper into himself and put those parts of him in his music. We chat for a bit about the technology behind his work as well, diving into some of his preferred pieces of equipment, as well as the myriad of influences and inspirations for his art. 

It was the first interview I've ever done with an artist that I did not know prior to recording, and I think it went really well. It's been some time since I've conducted interviews with touring artists, but I'm relieved to know that (even though it's happening on the home-stretch of BLASST's existence) I'm still capable of doing something like this. It was everything I've ever wanted out of an interview with a touring artist on this show. Since the beginning, I've envisioned being able to sit down with an artist and talk in-depth about their music, their lives, sharing and exchanging bits of information with them and making a true connection, perhaps leaving ourselves enriched afterward. Those are my favorite kinds of interviews—the ones where an artist isn't simply going over the usual talking points or parroting their pre-determined marketing messaging for the Nth time, and instead being themselves, revealing a bit of the personality behind the curtain, and (the way I see it) giving further context to the music we already appreciate. In fact, the track Harriet chose off of Mall of Fortune to play on the show is prefaced with a little bit of background that completely enhanced my perception of it. That was one of my favorite parts of this interview. That—and the chunk of time we dedicate to talking about Prince, where I learn a bit more about an era of his career that I had regrettably looked over.

This episode is a truly great achievement in BLASST history, and I hope y'all enjoy it. I'm pretty proud of it. 

Furthermore, I hope to see everyone throwing it down at HB's show on July 3rd at the Tropicana Lounge in Edinburg with Carmen Castillo and Gusto Gusto. It's not only got a perfect lineup, it's an early show, and most importantly, it's FREE. Bring your friends—hell, bring your grandma.

-A

BLASST 96 - TRACKLIST + NOTES

TRACKLIST
1. Les Reines Prochaines - "Opfer dieses Liedes"
2. Rockabye Baby - "Heroes"
3. Vivienne Styg - "Hellhound"
4. Kaleidoscope - "After The Futures"
5. Exercise - "Catastrophizer"
6. Nosferatu - "Under the Sun"
7. Institute - "Shangri-La"
8. Notekillers - "Ricochet"
9. Sleater-Kinney - "Start Together"
10. Jayne Cortez & The Firespitters - "If The Drum Is A Woman"
11. Einsturzende Neubauten - "Horen Mit Schmerzen"
12. Dump - "International Airport"
13. Temple of Angels - "Cerise Dream"
14. Taleen - "Baby Love"
15. 7FO - "Ten"
16. Harriet Brown - "Obsession"

LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD
LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS

NOTES
What a week. Ever since getting back from my trip, it's been one thing after another. First, I'm sick the first week back. The worst kind of sick, too. I resembled more of a human mucous fountain than anything else. I certainly couldn't think like a human being for that week, that's for sure. Too much cold medicine. Why are so many of us plagued with allergies?

Anyway, after being sick, I lost my wallet, which threw a big wrench in a lot of my plans. I had to cancel my cards and order new ones, which put most of my services on pause, INCLUDING this show's hosting services. Eventually, it turned up, but the damage had been done. Getting settled has been a slow process, altogether. It's left me feeling very discombobulated and disorganized, despite the fact that I am continuing to organize things in my life. Namely, the 13th U-Punk show, which will feature Houston's yee haw post-punk outfit Vivienne Styg in the place of out-of-town band, supported by several great local groups that I'll be announcing later this week. Promo flyer below.

Along with this show, I've also begun practicing with Slow Attack for a show we'll be playing later this month, 6/29 at Sauce House, flyer for THAT below:

So those practices have been going very well. No matter how long a break we take from playing together, we always fall back in-line really quickly. I really like that about the band. It makes the collaborative relationship we share truly rich and worthwhile. In a final bit of band news, I'm also working on getting Super off the ground again. That poor band has suffered from a lack of momentum for years now. It sucks, because that's usually my main creative outlet. I also think that I've been having trouble wading through depressive episodes to get things done and find motivation to overcome those obstacles that the band's been facing. We could find a drum machine, or maybe pick up a fill-in drummer, but that takes a little work, and perhaps in the past it's been more daunting to me than usual.

I think moving out of my apartment has provided some sort of stress relief. I feel less weight on my shoulders, despite still feeling the pressure to have my shit together and things in order. Like, I still get the "what are you working on now" question from people when I run into them in public, and it's like I want to say "nothing. nothing at all. I've been stuck in depression loops since you last saw me, and sometimes can't tell if I'm doing things to appear as if I'm productive or because I genuinely want to do them. That kind of disillusionment is something that has left me with the move. I feel more comfortable than ever with dropping everything and disappearing off the face of the earth, but my current endeavors require otherwise. To compensate, I've tried to find more peaceful uses of my time that can help my brain breathe, despite the cramping sensation of time slipping away. It's truly helped. Okay, I'm rambling and haven't even talked about today's episode. I supposed that's because there isn't a big theme associated with this one. No one (that I admire) has died today or recently, so I've put together a collection of stuff I've heard over the past couple of weeks. A little trip through some sonic exploration, if you will. This week's cover photo features Jayne Cortez, an essential poet, writer, and performance artist of the Black Arts Movement, known for her distinct vocal range that is often associated with strong political discourse and critique. She released several albums in collaboration with various groups of musicians that she identified with politically. Today's selection is from There It Is. I hope you enjoy it and look her up afterward!

Next week's broadcast will be fun though. We'll be talking to LA's funk emissary Harriet Brown about their music, inspirations, and their new record, Mall of Fortune, while playing some tracks of their choosing. It'll be one of my last interviews on the show, so I'm thankful for the privilege of having this conversation.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Seeya next week.

-A

BLASST 95: STUFF I FOUND IN NEW YORK CITY RECORD STORES

TRACKLIST
1. Brian Eno - “Microsoft Windows 95 Theme”

2. Blu Anxxiety - “I Haunt Myself”

3. J.V.C.F.O.R.C.E.  - “Strong Island”

4. C. Memi & Neo Matisse - “No Chocolate”

5. Mikan Mukku - “Kan”

6. Kimio Eto - “Yuki No Genso (Snow Fantasy)”

7. Los Diablos Rojos - “El Guapo”

8. Los Babys - “Jinetes En El Cielo”

9. Babatunde Olatunji - “Akiwowo (Chant of the Trainman)”

10. Farmers - “House of Pancakes”

11. Really Red - “Youth Culture For Sale”

12. Wire -  “A Question of Degree”

13. Albert Ayler Trio - “The Wizard”

14. C. Memi & Neo Matisse - “ホロラヴァーズ ”

15. Juma - “化石になる日”

LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD

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NOTES: On my recent trip to New York City, I made a point of visiting as many record stores as possible. I've been to the city twice before and on neither trip did I find the time to visit a record store. Granted, I had other stuff to do—the city is pretty big after all—and with my pick of things to do to pass the time, I found myself quite busy without spending all of my hard-earned on a handful of cherished records.

This time around, I swore things would be different. I was going to be in town for a week, so I knew I had to at least visit one shop in that time. There's gotta be at least 10 in the five boroughs, I figure. So, fast forward a week of bagels and more walking than I've ever done in my life, and I'm throwing away clothes to make room for my records in my carry-on bag. I packed clothes that I could part with in the event that this would need to happen, and lo and behold, I was right. I brought home 26 records from 7 different shops: Material World, Brooklyn Music Exchange, Academy Records, Record Grouch, The Thing, Rough Trade, and Alberto & Sons. The last place was a thrift shop that had a sizeable record collection, and considering I left with two Kraftwerk LPs and an Eno/Fripp collab, I deem it on the same level as my other record shopping experiences. 

The first shop I stopped at, Material World, was also the one at which I spent the most money. I struck up a long conversation with the guy at the counter, Adam Whites, who it turned out co-owned the shop and also used to run a label called Katorga Works that's released a particular wealth of the releases that have helped shape the punk and punk-related scene of the past few years. These days though, Adam told me he runs a reissue label called Bitter Lake Recordings that has specialized in releasing a constant stream of underground gems from Japan's avant-garde 80s, forgotten tape collections, groups that no longer exist and have no interest in reliving their musical past in their present lives, and I got to hear a lot of it while hanging out in the shop. In fact, when my buddy Steven Salazar (of Shanghai Beach) and I walked in, Adam had been reviewing some masters on the shop sound system, and I was so taken with them, I pre-ordered a copy of the release they were going to be put on, along with most of the upcoming BLR catalog. Some of that is what you hear on the show today, C. Memi & Neo Matisse, Juma, Mikan Mukku, that stuff is all Bitter Lake. Once those new tapes drop in, I'll be sure to play those on the show, that is if they arrive before we reach episode 100!

Also a bit of personal news, I've moved to Weslaco for a few months to save money/pay off some debt. It's been a strange transition, but then again, when is moving not a completely discombobulating experience? Anyway, this little jumble my head has been in has given me some new priorities. I'm still going to pull the curtain on BLASST at 100 episodes, but perhaps it will not be gone forever. I just need to better manage my time so that I can pursue other projects. I want to do more design, I want to produce some zines, I also want to make some new music. More to come in the next few weeks. As always, thanks for listening. I lost my wallet a few days ago and cancelled my cards as a result, so my podcast hosting is suspended until I can reconnect a card to my account. That being said, all episodes of the show will only be on Mixcloud for the time being.

-A

BLASST 94: ROKY FOREVER

TRACKLIST 
1. Curse of the Demon - “The Demon Arrives”
2. Dengue Fever - “Both Sides Now”
3. The 13th Floor Elevators - “You’re Gonna Miss Me”
5. Jonathan Winters - “Airline Pilots”
6. The Red Krayola - “Hurricane Fighter Plane”
7. Veronica Falls - “Starry Eyes”
8. Roky Erickson - “Bermuda”
9. Ghost - “If You’ve Got Ghosts”
10. Roky Erickson & The Aliens - “Sputnick”
11. Roky Erickson - “Colors”
12. Jonathan Winters - “Magical Tour”
13. Roky Erickson - “Don’t Slander Me”
14. Butthole Surfers - “Earthquake”
15. Roky Erickson - “Please Judge”
16. Roky Erickson - “Warning (Social and Political Injustices)”
16. The Red Krayola - “Free Form Freak-Out”
17. Southern Pacific - “It's A Cold Night For Alligators”
18. Roky Erickson - “Never Say Goodbye”
19. Roky Erickson - “Goodbye Sweet Dreams”

LISTEN ON MIXCLOUD
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NOTES
Roky Erickson passed away last Friday. This is a loss not just felt here in Texas, but in the entire world. The impact his music and his spirit have had on the worlds of music and art is without measure or equal. A singular figure in the world of Psychedelic Rock music and a symbol of how one can absolutely overcome the worst odds of all time and end up on top, and by that I don't mean rolling in money and stardom, but alive and able to do what you love, which he did til he took his last breath. 

It feels so surreal to think of how he's gone, but in these situations, where people we care about die, I think it's best to spend time thinking about them and helping cement the memory you wish to remember most about them for the foreseeable future. For me, that memory is seeing Roky walking around downtown Austin with a tote bag slung on his shoulder at one of my very first South by Southwests. At the time, I had a negative association of men wearing bags like that, but seeing Roky wear one meant that clearly I was mistaken. From that day forward, a tote bag has been my bag of choice when going out and about. It's proven itself to be an incredibly utilitarian and valuable decision in my life, and it's all thanks to Roky Erickson. I get really sad when I think about it now, and that's okay. I'm going to watch the documentary on him tonight. I suggest you do too, if you haven't. 

A