Beard on Subcity 29.9.08

From hurricane lashed Texas to a dreich Glasgow, Beard co-founder Neil Jaques is back for our latest show! And he's brought some amazing old records from his father-in-law's collection with him. Meanwhile, Stewart will be dropping some recently acquired bombs. So after a barrage of new releases for our first show, we fancied going for a kind of new old theme this week. So we'll be winding back a couple of years, then back to the 1940s, before beaming right back through time again, like music geek timelords.

Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - I Love You Big Dummy (Lick My Decals Off) Reprise
Rammelzee - Pogo (The Bi-Conicals Of...) Gomma
Yes - Beyond and Before (Yes) Atlantic
Jelly Roll Morton - Dead Man's Blues (compilation on Bluebird)
Kelis - Good Stuff (Kaleidoscope)
June Tabor & Maddy Prior - My Husband's Got No Courage In Him (Silly Sisters)
Olivier Messiaen - Liturgie De Cristal
(Quartet For The End of Time - Deutsche Gramophon recording with Daniel Beironbom)
Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry (New York Tendaberry) Columbia
Ornette Coleman - Free (Change Of The Century) Atlantic
Charlie Feathers - Uh Huh Honey (Uh Huh Honey) Norton
Minor Threat - Betray (Out Of Step) Dischord
Nas - New York State of Mind (Illmatic) Columbia

Beard Radio on Subcity 22.09.08

Tributes to the late, great Norman Whitfield and Rick Wright. Some very noisy stuff from two of our favourite Glasgow acts! Some very pretty music! Some nonsensical banter. It can only be Beard Radio!

Gather round ye feral children and worshippers of Pogon. Fire up the crystal set and let Beard Radio lift you heavenward on radiant beams of feedback and breath. Or in other words, tune in to hear Stewart and regular guest Matt, aka Guanoman, mumble and miscue some very good records. Huzzah!

Temptations - Psychedelic Shack Tamla Motown
Pink Floyd - Paint Box EMI
Abe Vigoda - Dead City PPM
Zach Hill - Dark Arts Ipecac
Mick Barr & Zach Hill - Desert Glass Bubble Kill Rock Stars
Baby Dee - Big Tittie Bee Girl Drag City
Desalvo - Tongue Scraper Pts 1 & 2 Rock Action
Rolo Tomassi - I Love Turbulence Hassle
Fred Frith - King Dawn Tzadik
Kasai Allstars - Kafuulu Balu Crammed Disc
Made Out Of Babies - Peew The End
Kylie Minoise - Neck Brace Art Appreciation Club Kovorox Sound

Desalvo's album launch takes place on Sunday 28th September at Stereo. Support comes from the equally mighty Kylie Minoise!

The Return of Beard Radio!

Yes! Your favourite follically minded radio show is back back back on Monday 15th September at 7pm on Subcity Radio.

We've got a summer's worth of musical discoveries to share with you, as well as some hot new releases. Not quite sure what Monday's show will bring, although there's a fair bet we'll play some of the acts from Colour Out Of Space, as well as new tunes from some Beard radio favourites.

Look forward to new jingles, special guests and our hapless attempts to get to grips with the station's new mixing board!

Colour Out Of Space

Behold the Lovecraftian beast emerging slobbering and shrieking from the English channel this weekend! Yes, it's Colour Out Of Space in Brighton this weekend. Organised by Dylan Nyoukis [of Decaer Pinga, Blood Stereo and the label Chocolate Monk], it's one of Britain's best underground and experimental music shindigs, featuring noise both psychedelic and harsh, dadaist sound poetry, free improv, DIY scuzz and all kinds of uncategorisable brain wobble and throat gush. Did I just write that? Anyway, ignore my sub-Coley guff, and know this: Colour Out Of Space is fucking necessary. See you there.

Save The Common Place!

Posting this on the behalf of Dom of Leeds collective Chinchilla and the mighty CHOPS. Leeds has a healthy underground music scene, renowned for its drone based improv and noise rock, and is a key part of the UK's DIY infrastructure. So the potential closure of one of its best venues is more than a local matter. Sign the online petition and leave your comments. Take it away Dom!

The Common Place is a volunteer run venue, activist centre, meeting space and vegan cafe in Leeds.

Chinchilla have put on a load of gigs there, including involvement in the monthly Funder Strikes x2 bands and club night.

The Council have revoked The Common Place's Club licence, which is the major source of funding for rent, etc. The Council believe that the Club does not satisfy the conditions for being a ‘qualifying club’ in relation to a qualifying club activity to which the certificate relates (section 61, Licensing Act 2003). This doesn't exactly give a reason for why they have revoked the licence, but it probably has something to do with The Common Place showing a film called 'On the Verge', which is a film about Smash EDO, an anti arms/anti war campaign from Brighton. "The film has become notorious, not so much because of the material it contains but because of the reaction of police forces and local authorities to it. Made for less than £500, the film tells how a small but committed group of activists, smashEDO, are taking on the Brighton base of an international arms manufacturer and, in the process, their local constabulary. The police, who are not shown in a good light in the film, intervened to stop the movie's premiere at a cinema in Brighton, and since then police officers and council officials have been paying calls to venues across the country where On the Verge (so called because the smashEDO protesters were confined for a while to a narrow grass verge opposite the factory they were targeting) is due to be shown, suggesting that it is not a good idea to show the film." (The Guardian - http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/27/ethicalliving.activists).

We believe that the Council's actions are totally unwarranted. The Common Place is the only independent, self-financed community, cultural and political space in the city centre. As a private members club, it serves as a vital resource for hundreds of local residents as well as supporting voluntary and community activity, particularly around homelessness, housing, environmental, womens' and asylum issues.

By revoking the Common Place's Club Premises Certificate, the Council is removing the Common Place's ability to generate much-needed funding through licensed events, meaning almost certain closure. We believe this is exactly the kind of venture Leeds City Council should be supporting to increase active citizenship in the city.

If you could spend a minute of your time signing this petition to the Council, it could help make the difference.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/thecommonplace

http://www.thecommonplace.org.uk

Student Radio Awards 2008

Beard Radio is delighted to be one of Subcity's nominations for Best Specialist Programme in the BBC Radio 1 Student Radio Awards. We're very flattered to be chosen. You can listen to the clip we've submitted, as well as those of the other nominated Subcity shows here.

Hopefully we'll be back with more Beard radio in the new term. In the meantime, we're working our little beardy socks off to bring you the long-awaited Beard issue 7. Huzzah!

Live! Tonight! Team Brick! RememberRemember! Guanoman! Noma!

We're not promoting this, but we're great fans of the artists involved, so we're only too happy to spread the word. Yes, tonight sees Team Brick return to Glasgow for his first solo show here in almost a year. Team Brick's debut album proper is due for release at some point this year on Geoff Barrow's label Invada. Like his live show, it's hard to know exactly what to expect, other than total brilliance. Psychedelic noise, looped and delayed instruments and objects (whatever he has to hand really), heavy riffage, manic skronk are all a possibility. One certainty, however, is his intense, hugely powerful vocals. He's a Bristolian Mike Patton, a West Country C Spencer Yeh!, intoning Biblical threats, projecting stentorian odes and screaming blue murder. Whatever, he rules and you don't want to miss him. Here's what he did in Glasgow last year...



RememberRemember, signed to Rock Action, needs no introduction. Beautiful minimalist post-rock, spun from loops of guitar, glockenspiel, toys and whatever else he has lying around.

Super psyched about the live return of the mighty Guanoman. It's been a year since his last show, but this bizarro rock thunder beast has been busy concocting new prog-doom epics and siring a Guanochild. Huzzah!

Completing the bill is Noma, creating buzzing drones and ambient brain massage with a guitar and reclaimed home electronics. Watch out for his pink vibrator!

Diskant is ten!

Glasgow based music and pop culture website Diskant is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a fabulous all singing, all dancing party at the CCA. Live music comes from much fancied bliss-popstrels Findo Gask and existential electronic punks Sunnyvale Noise Sub-Element, while I'll be manning the decks for one of my mildly shambolic, but hopefully funky and righteous, DJ sets. And what's more, there's an indie tombola, where you can get the chance to win some top prizes. See you there!

W'Owfi Fest

Beard fully supports Wo'Owfi, a fantastic day of underground music and DIY fun in aid of Organisation For Women's Freedom In Iraq.
There's live music from Kylie Minoise, Skeleton Bob, Gummy Stumps, Jer and Shane, Mills & Boon, Mike & Solveig, James William Hindle and Calvin Halliday, Johnny & The Entries and some Taiko Drummers. Plus DJ sets from Katrina of the Pastels, Dep from Monorail, Simon from Lucky Luke, What's more, there's a zine stall, a food and book swap and a raffle, featuring prizes donated by Alisdair Roberts, The Pastels, Euros Childs and many more good people.

It all kicks off today at 3pm. Sorry we didn't post this sooner, we're useless disorganised mooks. Should be a great day. Photos and stories to follow.

Beard hijaks the Halt Bar Hijack! (for a couple of hours at least...)

Now then, now then, there's a fine FREE event a-happening this weekend (Fri 13-Sun 15 June) at the Halt Bar on Glasgow's Woodlands Road and yours truly has been asked by the marvellous young gents running it to spin a few top pop tunes. I'll be on from 5-8pm on Saturday, so come down and say hello.

The Halt Bar Hijack features Beard faves Kylie Minoise, Nackt Insecten, Noma, Vom, Super Adventure Club, Triple School, Plates (featuring Howie from the mighty Tattie Toes), Wounded Knee, Sparrow & The Workshop and much, much more. And did we mention it's FREE? Yes, we did, but it bears repeating.

The last Beard radio! (for now...)

Our last show! Myself, Neil, Guanoman and Chris. We can only apologise for Chris's offensive banter. He is a bad, bad man.

Sparks - Dick Around (Hello Young Lovers, 2006)
Cheap Trick - Surrender (Heaven Tonight, 1978)
Bo Diddley - Pretty Thing (1955)
Clipse - Mama I'm Sorry (Hell Hath No Fury, 2006)
Dananananaykroyd - The Greater Than Symbol And The Hash (Cissy Hits, 2008)
Shellac - Prayer To God (10000 Hurts)
Yo La Tengo - Did I Tell You? (Fakebook, 1991)
Fleetwood Mac - Sara (Tusk, 1979)
Erin Koray & Ter - Hor Gorme Garibi (Hava Nargile
Eat Skull - Punk Trips (Sick To Death, 2008)
THe Hospitals - Hairdryer Peace (Hairdryer Peace, 2008)
The Open Mind - Magic Potion
Patty Waters - Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair (ESP Disk, 1966)
Bo Diddley - Diddy Wah Diddy
Meshuggah - Combustion (Obzen, 2008)
Beach Boys - Solar System (Love You, 1977)
Gorguts - Nostalgia (Obscura, 1998)
Sparks - I've Never Been High (Exotic Creatures of The Deep, 2008)
Harvey Milk - The End (Special Wishes, 2003)
Robert Wyatt - Sea Song (Rock Bottom, 1974)
The Tornadoes - Telstar (Decca 7", 1962)
Velvet Underground - Afterhours (The Velvet Underground, 1968)

And then Black Static Transmission, with added Guanoman and Beard. Not for the easily offended. Again, we can only apologise...

VALET - Kehaar [ 'Naked Acid' ]
MOUTHUS - The Final Tribes [ 'For The Great Slave Lakes' ]
MELVINS - Dies Iraea [ 'Nude With Boots' ]
APPLEBLIM - Gold & Silver [ 'Soundboy Punishments' ]
FRACTION - Get Out of Her [ 'Moon Blood' ]
GROUND ZERO - Those Were The Days [ 'Plays Standards' ]
SKULLFLOWER - Fak Revolt [ 'Ponyland' ]
KASTANETZ & KATZ SINGING ORCHESTRAL CIRCUS - Rumble 69 [ 'Quick Joey Small' ]
ALICE COLTRANE + PHAROAH SNADERS - Journey In Satchidananda [ 'Journey...' ]

Beard Static Transmission - final radio show!

Yes, that time has come: the final Beard radio of the term. Hopefully Subcity will let us come back for more shambolic broadcasting mayhem in the Autumn (when I'll actually be a real live student again!), but in the meantime prepare to wrap your lugs around a very special final show. This is no ordinary edition Beard radio, but an epic three hour jam with Black Static Transmission, who are normally on right after us. We'll do our normal show from 6-8pm, but with added noise mayhem and offensive banter from student radio legend Chris Storey (his Grind Your Mind show won an award for best specialist programme), before hanging around to invade his airspace from 9pm. We'll also have our good chum and jingle co-creator Guanoman in to drop some heavy bizarro rumbles and massage your third eye with some esoteric nuggets.

Doing the radio show has been an absolute blast, so we want to go out on a high. We'll be playing stuff we've always wanted to play along with some favourites from the past year. And we're taking requests! Bring it on: beardmag@yahoo.co.uk

No Age

Photo: Jeremy Hogan

Apologies for the lack of posts and radio show this past week - I've been jumping around to popular beat combos at Barcelona's glorious Primavera Sound festival. More on that coming soon, but in the meantime, here's something from No Age. Their Sub Pop debut Nouns is out now and it's chock full of scuzzy noise-pop gems. The LA duo werebitchin' at Primavera - catch 'em when they roll up in your area!

This is the full transcription of the interview with No Age I did for The List. I would liked to have asked more questions, but it was only for a short piece and I had limited time. But hats off to Dean Spunt for the righteous and fun things he has to say. They've played Glasgow by now, but hopefully they'll be back soon. You can read the published article here.

Tell me about how No Age started.

Dean Spunt:It started with Randy and I thinking about the type of music we wanted to hear. We wanted to make music we could listen to. Our first proper show was at the smell in April 2006. Randy and I love to play music together and it happens so natural that we decided to make it a two piece, instead of adding more members. The first songs we wrote were Dead Plane, Get Hurt and Neck Escaper.

The Smell scene has been gaining a lot of attention. How has being a part of that shaped you as people and as a band?

DS:The smell, for us, has always been a place we admired, so the attention is due i think. The amount of attention has nothing to do with us as people or as a band, we would still be doing the same thing (because we were!) if nobody had heard of us or the smell. In my mind the smell has been the coolest punk club around for the past ten years, so i have always seen it the same way, mystical and awesome. The Smell hasn't changed a bit either.

You have great merchandise, especially the bandanas. Any new lines being introduced for the next tour?

DS: We made a NEW ERA hat for the magazine FADER, designed shirts for the skateboard company ALTAMONT, a shirt for ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION, some sunglasses with a no age / void logo... void was a hardcore band from the 80's if you didn't know, one of the best bands to ever exist. Only the glasses will be on tour, everything else will be in stores or are super limited items..

Some bands "are all about the music" but for you there's so much more - art work, personal politics, a DIY ethos. Do you think it's important to represent something?

DS:It is important for us to represent ourselves, to be honest and just make music. The other things are important because they are what we do, and become what we are. We are both vegan, we enjoy playing in places other than rock clubs, we like art, punk rock, etc. don't get us wrong,
we are "all about the music" too.

Your live shows are inclusive and joyous. As you progress to larger venues and festival stages how will you maintain that quality?

DS: By doing the same thing! Trying harder to make it more fun, and hopefully we will be able to.

Along with Times New Viking, you favour a scuzzy lo-fi sound. Is this a reaction against increasingly slick indie-rock production or more of a reflection of your influences?

D: Both. But mainly for us it was because we couldn't afford to be in a studio. All we had was our friend who recorded some stuff on 1/4 inch tape for us and we had a digital twelve track. The new record was mainly recorded in studio's on very, very nice equipment. That was exciting for us, a new challenge. That didn't stop us from bringing tape recorders, broken microphones, mini disc players etc into the studio with us to record stuff as well, all that stuff ended up on the new record too.

Your last Glasgow show, with Mika Miko was a blast. Are you looking forward to playing Optimo?

DS: we are looking forward to it VERY MUCH! since Glasgow was our favorite show of that whole tour by far.

Beard goes to Primavera 26 May 2006

OM!
Lord Kitchener

Bit of a Primavera theme this week, with most of the show taken up with tracks from acts appearing at the Barcelona festival this week. But there's still room for Archie Shepp, Lightning Bolt, Bill Wells, Faust, Siouxie, Lord Kitchener, some Kiwi pop and Ethiopian jazz.

The Sonics - Strychnine
Public Enemy - Night of The Living Baseheads (It Takes A Nation of Million, 1988)
Lightning Bolt - Dracula Mountain (Wonderful Rainbow, 2003)
Faust - It's A Rainy Day Sunshine Girl (Faust So Far, 1972)
Six Organs of Admittance - Jade Like Wine (Shelter From The Ash, 2007)
Om - At Gaza (Conference Of Birds, 2006)
Bill Wells & Aby Vulliami - Black Christmas (Loathsome Reel Book, 2008)
Archie Shepp - Girl From Ipanema (Fire Music, 1965)
Tindersticks - Travelling Light (This Is... 1994)
Cat Power - Cross Bones Style (Moon Pix, 1998)
The Fall - 50 Year Old Man (Imperial Wax Solvent, 2008)
Look Blue Go Purple - Circumspect Penelope (Tuatara: A Flying Nun Compilation, 1986)
The Chills - Satin Doll (Dunedin Double EP, 1981)
Lord Kitchener - My Wife's Nightie (London Is The Place For Me)
Mulatu Astatqe - Yekermo Sew (Very Best of Ethiopiques)
Young Marble Giants - Choco Lono (Collossal Youth, 1980)
Throbbing Gristle - Almost A Kiss (The Endless Not, 2006)
Animal Collective - Water Curses (Water Curses EP, 2008)
Siouxie & The Banshees - Slow Dive (Kissing In The Dreamhouse, 1982)
Edan feat Dagha - Rock N Roll (Beauty & The Beat, 2005)
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Shotgun Willie (Real Emotional Trash, 2008)
Shangri Las - Out On The Streets

Beard radio 19.05.08 - win tickets to Le Weekend!

Evan Parker

Hamid Drake & Raymond Boni

This week I'm joined again by Mark Haydn, who has brought his lovely tunes and dulcet Northern tones for your aural stimulation. Listening back to the show I realise we forgot to turn the jingle channel off during our opening bit of chat. Oooops!

We're previewing Le Weekend, Stirling's No Limits Music Festival, which kicks off at the Tolbooth on Friday 23 May, with a smattering of tunes from acts performing at this year's festival, as well as highlights from previous years. So that means William Parker, Hamid Drake, Evan Parker, Bill Wells, The Pastels, Thurston Moore and Borbetomagus. Tasty!

Win a Le Weekend festival pass!!!

Which of the following artists has Evan Parker not worked with?

(a) Robert Wyatt
(b) Charlie Watts' Big Band
(c) Michael Parkinson's House Band

Email your answers to beardmag@yahoo.co.uk

Here's our playlist, with Le Weekend connected artists highlighted.

De La Soul - Buddy (Three Feet High and Rising, 1989)
RZA - A Day To God is 1000 Years (Birth of a Prince, 2003)
Richard Thompson - Roll Over Vaughan Williams (Henry The Human Fly, 1972)
Ennio Morricone feat Edda Dell'Orso - Alla Serentina (Dell'Orso Sings Morricone, 2005)
William Parker & Hamid Drake - Sky (Summer Snow)
Tape - Sponge Chorus (Mileu, 2008)
Ex-Models - Chrome Hearts (Troubleman 2005)
The Blow - Fists Up (Paper Television, 2006)
Microphones - Bass Drum Dream (Song Islands
Roland Kirk - I Say A Little Prayer (Volunteered Slavery)
Tim Buckley - Starsailor (Starsailor, 1970)
The Pastels - Leaving This Island (Illumination, 1997)
Evan Parker Electro Acoustic Ensemble - Drawn Inward (Drawn Inward, 1999)
Richard Crandell - Etude in E (Spring Steel, 2007)
Reiko Kudo - Mrs Wheeler - (Rice filed silently riping in the night, 2000)
Noviciat de Soeurs Missionaires de Notre-Dame d'Afrique & four religious drummers - Yesu Mkwbaze (Lipa Kodiya City Council)
Jackie De Shannon - When You Walk In My Room (Her Own Kind Of Light, The Best of)
Thurston Moore - Neverday (Trees Against The Academy, 2007)
Alex Chilton - Alligator Man (Like Flies On Sherbert, 1980)
National Jazz Trio Of Scotland - Phantom Pain
Borbetomagus - Pink Pants

Beard radio 12.5.08

Mats Gustaffson & The Thing

Charlemagne Palestine

The Subcity Radiobot has now updated the links, so you can listen to the latest show right here!

Ably assisted by my good chum Gary, we bring you some face melting Egyptologist black metal, vampire porn soundtracks, golden age hip-hop, heavy jazz action, Portuguese fado, some gorgeous minimalism, neo-prog from Richard Youngs and Andrew Paine, sweet pop, molten Japanese noise rock, and other curiosities. Yowza!

Keep an ear and an eye out for our competition to win a pass to Le Weekend, Stirling's Outer Limits Music Festival.

Erik B & Rakim - Microphone Fiend (Follow The Leader, 1988)
Divine Styler - Ain't Sayin' Nothin' (1988)
Beat Happening - Noise (You Turn Me On, 1992)
Pissed Jeans - Ice Cream (Hope For Men, 2007)
Boxcutter - Mya Rave (Planet Mu/Plan B comp 2008)
Carlos Ramos - Torre De Belem (Victrola Favorites)
Jonathan Richman - Corner Store (Jonathan Goes Country, 1992)
The Vampire Sound Inc - The Lions and The Cucumber (Vampyros Lesbos OST)
Portishead - Hunter (Third, 2008)
Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Nick Tete (Eclipse At Dawn, 1971)
Ivor Cutler - Life In A Scotch Sitting Room Vol 2 Episode 12
Melechesh - Tablets of Fate (Sphynx 2005)
Charlemagne Palestine - Excerpt 2 Duo Strumming For Two Harpsichords(Continuous Sound Forms, 1974)
Bill Wells Trio - Inadvertently Stolen (Live at Banchory, 2006)
Keiji Haino & Boris - From The Distance, with their own gentle eyes always fixed on us, they are affectionately gazing at the Black Implication Flooding (Black Implication Flooding, 1998)
Invisible Conga People - Cable Dazed (Italians Do It Better 12", 2008)
The Thing - Chiasma (Action Jazz, 2007)
Teiji Ito - Tenno III (Tenno, 1964)
Ilk - Honour's Prospect (Canticle, 2004)
Diamanda Galas - Iron Lady (Live, 1998)
Birthday Party - Sonny's Burning (The Bad Seed EP, 1983)

Beard Radio 5.5.08

I'm joined this week by Mr Mark Haydn, who has brought in some marvelous tunes from Bill Callahan (in wonky Afro-pop mode no less!), Orchestre Regional de Kayes, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Luftkluster and more! Today's show also featured further goodies from Dust To Digital's amazing Victrola Favorites collection, as well as kick ass new stuff from the Fall, some slow disco from Glass Candy and Chromatics, and some beautiful calypso from Lord Kitchener.

Guided By Voices - Tractor Rape Chain (Bee Thousand, 1994)
The Fall - Wolf Kidult Man (Imperial Wax Solvent, 2008)
Ramones - Gimme Shock Treatment (Leave Home, 1978)
Lord Kitchener - London Is The Place For Me (London Is The Place For Me, Honest Jons comp)
Bill Callahan - Taken (Diamond Dancer EP, 2007)
Orchestre Regional de Kayes - Nanyuman (S/T, 1970)
Charles Mingus - Freedom (Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Chromatics - Night Drive (Night Drive CD, Italians Do It Better 2007)
Mico - I See A Soul (Monika Barchen: Songs For Bruno, Knut & Tom, Monika Enterprise 2008)
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Arkansas Coal (Did You Ever?, 1971)
Religious Knives - The Sun (It's After Dark, 2007)
Parliament - Little Ol' Country Boy (Osmium, 1970)
Howling Hex - Activiy Risks (All-Night Fox, 2005)
Glass Candy - Computer Love (2007)
Luftkluster - We Pulled Roots (Oscillatone Records, 2006)
Noble Sissle Orchestra - Basement Blues (Victrola Favorites)
Tav Falco's Panther Burns - She Wants To Sell My Monkey (Pantherphobia, 2001)
Blind Mamie Forehand - Honey In The Rock (Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music)
Tara Jane O'Neill - Phoenix (To Trace A Raveling, 2007)
Vishnudan Shirali - Tabla Taranga (Victrola Favorites)
Babenzele Tribe - Four Voices Song (Bayaka)
Tom Waits - I Don't Want To Grow Up (Bone Machine, 1992)

The Herald hearts Beard

Beard gets a mention in The Herald, Scotland's leading quality newspaper. Thanks Simon!

Mogwai and friends, Tramway, Glasgow
SIMON STUART

Star rating: ****

THE last-ever Triptych Saturday began by illustrating the key flaw of its successor, the fans-choose-the-bands experiment that will be the Tennent's Mutual. Who - other than Mogwai or the staff of the estimable Beard magazine - would suggest the little-known RememberRemember to open a 10-hour music show? Graeme Ronald's web of loops was a breathtaking reminder of why curating is best left to curators.

The rest of the bill was short on surprises but exquisitely assembled. The only quibble being that the acoustic set from arch-miserablist Malcolm Middleton, while gorgeous, might have been better earlier in the evening. It was also a shame that whoever did the live mix for the borderline-godlike Errors apparently had no idea what they're meant to sound like: hear those slabs of skull-splitting synth? No, us neither - but their upcoming album should be one of the year's best. Frightened Rabbit, meanwhile, just get better and better: Celtic drone-folk (to coin a phrase) with - yes - a drum solo.

Watching Clinic power through their angry staccato stomps, a thought occurred: they should be The Fall. Seriously: next time Mark E Smith sacks his band, he should give them a call - and a much-needed kick up the backside. Still a great band, but one desperate for a sense of direction.
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I've been writing about Mogwai for 10 years now and have run out of superlatives. After a decade, one could take them for granted; here, though, in a majestic set bravely dominated by new material (all awesome, some transcendent) they were simply monumental. As one of Tennent's rivals might put it: probably the best rock band in the world.

Beard radio's panoply of esoteric and archaic delights 24.4.08

This week's Beard radio is one of our least rock orientated shows ever. Chinese opera, Buddhist Monks, Turkish surf-rock, Belgian chansons, fiery free improv blurts, kora laments, haunted electronics, Radiophonic mindfuckery, early jump blues, Easter Island singing groups, Sacred Harp singers...

Brigitte Fontaine & Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Comme A La Radio (Comme A La Radio, 1971)
Jacques Brel - Chanson Des Vieux Amants (J'Arrive)
Slim Lamain Orchestra - Memphis Step Up (Victrola Favorites)
Getachew Mekuria - one of his tunes from the Ethiopiques series
Black Future - Eu Sou O Rio (Nao Wave: Brazilian Post-Punk)
Benga & Coki - Night (Diary Of An Afro Warrior, 2008)
Deerhunter - Lake Somerset (Cryptograms, 2007)
Paul Flaherty & Chris Corsano - The Great Pine Tar Scandal (Beloved Music, 2006)
Alabama Sacred Harp Singers - Present Joys (Goodbye Babylon)
Lorke Lorke - Silvetler (Hava Narghile: Turkish Psychedelic Rock)
Easter Islands Men's Group - Hotu Matua (Secret Museum Of Mankind V)
Toumani Diabate - Ali Farka Toure (Mande Variations, 2008)
Mordant Music - Plant Room (Dead Air)
Delia Derbyshire - Pot Au Feu (Music From The Radiophonic Workshop)
Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Troupe - The Crow Flies Back to the Forest (Victrola Favorites)
Art Ensemble Of Chicago - Reese Pt 1 (Reese & The Smooth Ones, 1971)
Blind Boy Fuller - Step It Up (Victrola Favorites)
Yukie Kubo - Shin Shin Tankoubushi (Victrola Favorites)
Pere Ubu - Humor Me (The Modern Dance)
Chinese Buddhist Monks - Chanting The 10 Vows (Victrola Favorites)
Crevecouer - La Pievre (www.myspace.com//wearecrevecoeur )
John Jacob Niles - The Cherry Tree
Quack Quack - The Great Catsby (7" on Run of The Mill, 2006)
Loren Mazzacane Connors - The Death Of Shelly (Airs)

Club Swallows & Amazons

Come to this! I'm DJing!