Optical Atlas

AUX is an Athens-based collective of experimental audio and visual artists whose curators include Heather McIntosh (The Instruments). A couple of years ago they put together a festival in Athens which featured performers such as Lorkakar (The New Sound of Numbers‘ Hannah Jones), and Vortex of Withering (Circulatory System’s W. Cullen Hart and Elf Power’s Andrew Rieger); they also released a limited-edition compilation CD featuring Korena Pang (Jeff Mangum), W. Cullen Hart, Heather McIntosh, Paul Thomas, Hannah Jones, and more. Next month will be AUX 2, a second live event with video, artwork, and performance. The event will be held on Saturday, February 23rd, across three venues: Cine, Little Kings, and Flicker. Heather has released the initial lineup, which is as follows (more artists to be added):

Musicians:
A Horse is a Sphere (Leslie Grove and friends)
Black Swan Network (members of Olivia Tremor Control and Circulatory System)
Lorkakar (Hannah Jones)
Dark Meat/ Pterodactyl Wingspan
Dream Circle (members of Quiet Hooves)
Howling Jelly (Andrew Rieger from Elf Power and Mark Tissenbaum)
Auk Theatre (Dr. Irene Moon)
Paul Thomas
Kid Pork
Eyes and Arms of Smoke (members of Von Hemmling, Ulysses, and Hair Police)

Dancers:
Kate Schoenke
Julie Rothschild
Laura Glenn
Maryn Vance
Andrea Trombetta

Video Artists:
Jonathan Railey
Dickie Cox
Dixie Blood Mustache
Kevin Hoth
Jorge Torres
Mark Callahan

Visual artists:
Kristen Bach
Matt Blanks
Lou Kregel
Hannah Jones
Jocelyn Negron
Winston Parker

Here’s the official AUX website, where you can still purchase the first CD compilation.

I was catching up on the Southern Shelter live music blog and noticed that a Japancakes set was posted last week. It’s from 2004, at Atlanta’s Echo Lounge, and you can download all ten tracks in either MP3 or lossless FLAC right here.

The band just recently released two new albums rapid-fire, the first being Giving Machines, the other being the critically acclaimed My Bloody Valentine cover album Loveless.

The Ladybug Transistor will be playing with The Instruments and Spectrum on Saturday, January 26th, at The Knitting Factory (74 Leonard Street, New York, NY). Thanks to Gary for the head’s up.

Rockfood Zine has conducted an interview with Jeremy Barnes of A Hawk and a Hacksaw, and you can read it in its entirety at the AHAAH MySpace blog.  What’s most interesting about the interview is his statement, “We are not an eastern-European cover band. Our influences are a lot wider than what people are used to, which freaks them out a bit. We are authentic A Hawk and a Hacksaw music and that is it.  If we turn a few punters on to the sounds of Romania then I am over the moon. But our music, I feel, is very American. But not in the George Bush sense of the term.”  (He then proceeds to expand on that idea a little.)  He’s defining AHAAH as the immigrant experience, a melting pot of styles.  Read more here, or have a listen to their track ”The Sparrow” at the Optical Atlas streaming jukebox.

Big Fresh is Lexington, Kentucky’s eclectic pop outfit led by John Ferguson (The Apples in Stereo, Ulysses) and Jeremy Midkiff. They’ve released three albums so far, and their fourth, B.F.F., due for release January 24th, will be the first release on Garden Gate Records, a label started by members of Ideal Free Distribution. B.F.F. plays like a great lost prog-rock album, as though Brian Wilson had tried to revisit Smile in the 70’s with help from ELO. Standouts include “WLUV,” a semi-ironic Summer of Love anthem which nonetheless is catchy as hell, and “WTO,” an acidic piece of politics set to a churning beat. Joined by Ben Fulton (Ulysses), Daniel Coy, and Dave Farris, Big Fresh has matured into a pretty amazing band. Their album was mastered by Robert Schneider, and will be released next Thursday, with a record release party at The Icehouse in Lexington. You can listen to their music at the band’s MySpace page, and “WLUV” has been added to the newly-updated Optical Atlas streaming jukebox.

1. Secret Public
2. WLUV
3. Janius
4. WTO
5. Joybomb #1
6. Large Crowds
7. Losing Friends to War
8. Entertainment
9. International Dateline
10. Joybomb #2
11. Satan, No
12. Jean Jammin’
13. Heat Death of the Universe

A beautiful new song from a forthcoming single.

The Instruments and Great Lakes have been added to the Optical Atlas Gallery.

UPDATE: Beulah’s gallery is now up as well.

of Montreal will be one of the featured artists on the 2-CD/DVD release The Green Owl Comp: A Benefit for the Energy Action Coalition. Also featured on this release from Green Owl Records are Feist, Bloc Party, Deerhoof, Muse, Juliana Hatfield, and more. The OM track is “Feminine Effects.” This will be available in February, and all proceeds go to the Energy Action Coalition. More info here.