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Posted by tgl on 2005-07-14 01:12:34 +0000

Laswell - Patton - Zorn It's like the holy trinity. Hamid Drake?

Posted by frame609 on 2005-07-14 03:17:22 +0000

Jandek sez: Holy trinity my ass!

Posted by rladew on 2005-07-14 15:35:19 +0000

Drake is an accomplished improviser tied into the Chicago scene (Ken Vandermark, Bob Weston, Petr Brotzmann, the Tortoise guys in the Thrill Jockey realm et al...) Also a hell of a nice guy... he studied percussion in Ghana w/ some of the same people as my bud Mike Vercelli. Anyhoo, The drum seat in Painkiller is usually occupied by Mick Harris (Napalm Death, Scorn) and Mr. Harris was a lot more technical and precise in execution w/ a lot of reverberating thuds of the tom (the well miced drum effect you hear of Dave Lombardo's work in Slayer comes to mind). Mr. Drake, is more "swinging" and fluid and has leant a new outlook to Painkiller. Ive had bootlegs of this show for awhile, but am extremely excited to a get a better recorded "legit" copy if you will... _______________________________

Posted by tgl on 2005-07-14 15:58:53 +0000

Everytime I see the name Ken Vandermark I think of this really horrible double cassette I own from "Van Der Graaf Generator". Unfortunate.

Posted by rladew on 2005-07-14 16:22:23 +0000

Dont make me go get Oshea Jackson..... _______________________________

Posted by rladew on 2005-07-14 16:26:11 +0000

Brings to mind the quote on the Ayler box I got a while back: [img]http://www.revenantrecords.com/ayler/ayler_sash.gif[/img] _______________________________

Posted by tgl on 2005-07-14 16:29:45 +0000

I had picked up "Pharoah's First" on Actual at Twisted Village about a month ago. Need to set up the stereo in the new home to take another listen.

Posted by rladew on 2005-07-14 16:32:50 +0000

Ayler's set @ John Coltrane's funeral (on the H. Ghost box) is bonechilling... Since someone recorded Ayler, Im searching / hoping someone has the recording of Ornette Coleman's performance from the same gathering.. _______________________________

Posted by rladew on 2005-07-14 16:48:07 +0000

yeah I got some last words.... FUCK ALL YALL SWITCH! _______________________________

Posted by bizquig3000 on 2005-07-14 19:41:52 +0000

[img]http://www.su.ukc.ac.uk/societies/mountaineering/images/cat-lakes-01.jpg[/img]

Posted by rladew on 2005-07-14 19:54:17 +0000

is this the "Rich is a wanker" image? I thought so... _______________________________

Posted by rladew on 2005-10-05 12:53:49 +0000

Inhale, exhale, I just got an ounce of Painkiller in the mail! review to follow shortly... These photos are from Downtownmusic.net which I would highly reccomend checkin out, BTW. _______________________________

Posted by rladew on 2005-10-05 17:58:41 +0000

Painkiller history and review of 'Painkiller' (Vol. 12 50th Birthday series) a bit of background first: If ever there was a free improv group to thrash around to, Painkiller would definitely be it. Painkiller came to be after John Zorn's adoration of grind-core pioneers Napalm Death in the late 1980s. ND (in its original lineup of Lee Dorian / Bill Steer / Mick Harris) played a final set of farewell gigs in Japan that Zorn attended and became fast friends with drummer Harris. Harris visited Zorn in NYC, where the two talked about playing music together. Harris listed soundscape / ambient / bass player extraordinaire Bill Laswell as a key influence, and Zorn suggested they call him up directly and get to work. As Harris had only played in hardcore and thrash groups, Zorn and Laswell had to help Harris accumulate to an improv environment. Painkiller quickly became an excellent mix of three very distinct styles: Zorn's screech/skronk intensified with bursts of circular breathing punctuated with "Rahsaan Roland Kirk on PCP" guttural growls and yelps through his sax, Laswell's thick reverberating dub-influenced bass lines (complete with cheeky Black Sabbath references in live performances from time to time) and all kinds of fun under-waterish sound effects, and Harris's industrial creepiness: a kind of Napalm Death meats Godflesh meets ambient doom (after hearing Painkiller Harris, you can see how he built on this style in his other group SCORN)... Finally, throw in Zorn / Harris trading castration-without-anesthesia-caliber vocal stylings and there you have it. Painkiller toured and recorded sporadically throughout the first half of the 90's, releasing records on Napalm Death's Earache label in the US and UK as well as Toy's Factory in Japan. Pankiller also had a short-lived stint on a Laswell label subsidiary of Caroline called Subharmonic. Each recorded improv was named on the spot, sometimes for events going on in the world at the time (1991's 'Scud Attack', some to just alarm and offend 'Purgatory of Fiery Vulvas'. Photos of disemboweled bodies accompanied with insanely detailed oriental-rug style borders (framing said medical disaster photos) ensured controversy / revulsion from the mainstream and even got banned / confiscated by Scotland Yard - how's that for free publicity??.. Painkiller then became dormant, with some posthumous Tzadik releases in the latter half of the decade here and there to satisfy Zorn's minions. Enter September 2003, where NYC nightclub TONIC had a "Zorn's 50th birthday" feature / gimmick. 30 nights of various Zorn performances: Masada (mutations of performed Masada included chamber, electric, acoustic), Cobra, Locus Solus, game pieces such as fencing, lacrosse, hockey, film scores, Kristallnacht, and most conceivable past Zorn projects, with the exception of Naked City, were on the bill. Painkiller, at least in name, was naturally on the roster. Featuring Zorn and Laswell, with Harris absent. While many were sad about Harris's absence, many percussion lovers listening to 'out jazz' flipped when it was announced Hamid Drake would be the drummer for this performance. Finally, a certain Mike Patton on guest vocals didn't hurt the attendance that evening either. The live recording "John Zorn's 50th Birthday Celebration: Vol 12 Painkiller" (Tzadik TZ 5012) documents this performance of a (mutated) but still crushing and fucking awesome (lets be objective here) band. While Harris's drumming could center much more around violent and/or attack oriented blasts, the varied textures and dynamics of Drake's drumming not only provide Zorn and Laswell with an excellent foundation to improv with, but also gave the sessions a rich pallate of percussive variety: poly rhythms, snare / hi hat pyrotechnics ,etc. Drake and Harris both seem to have telepathy playing with Zorn and Laswell, but Drake responds with his drums to the playing of Laswell and Zorn in a multitude of ways, whereas, Harris's telepathy was always focused to a handful of distinct styles. Patton, while doing all the aggro vocal duties one comes to expect from Painkiller (along with many of Patton's other outfits for that matter), also adds sounds reminiscent of shortwaveradio transmissions, syncopated syllables further assisting the rhythm section, and some good ol' fashioned enthusiasm and humor to preclude an academic or clinical feel to the performance (a spoon full of sugar helps the (free-improv / naval gazing) medicine go down for the masses attending this event) Zorn is pretty much Zorn on this recording. Scrawls, bleeps, some hardbop-ish strands of notes from time to time. Normally, Zorn's miked sax sounds pretty clean, but Laswell must have some influence over the soundboard of the recording, as there are massive delay effects going on to accompany the murky underwater asthetic. finally, the real star of the evening would have to be Laswell. In addition to the melodic, brick shit house thick bass lines, the warbles, wavers, hums, and drones Laswell adds to the horizon of this music makes it a treat to listen to. here's hoping the new version of Painkiller does a followup to its last Cambridge appearance in 1995 @ the Middle East... _______________________________

Posted by rladew on 2005-10-07 18:32:01 +0000

I worked SO hard on the review, history for this, and I didn't even get a sarcastic or disparaging remark from bizquig or frame. _______________________________

Posted by frame609 on 2005-10-08 07:13:36 +0000

Sorry. Niggaz need to go to work and shit. Hang on: Fuck all y'all Zorn! There!

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-10-08 16:19:27 +0000

I actually haven't read the review yet. But, trust me, I'll give a disparaging remark in a couple days.

Posted by rladew on 2005-10-08 21:55:11 +0000

thanks db, sorry for the earlier bellyache... _______________________________