Optical Atlas

There’s bad news and great news coming out of Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records.

Their ongoing singles club was scheduled to feature Circulatory System and Sound Houses (aka The New Sound of Numbers) on a split 7″.  Unfortunately Sound Houses dropped out, and the Circulatory System material is already featured on the forthcoming full-length Signal Morning, so HHBTM’s Mike Turner has announced the single will be replaced by a 7″ featuring rare early tracks from Elephant 6 Recording Company projects The Sunshine Fix and Always Red Society.  Imagine, if you will, getting an early-90’s Olivia Tremor Control single, because that’s basically what this is: Bill Doss on one side, Will Cullen Hart on the other, both recording right before they joined forces.  In other singles club news, High Water Marks has replaced Tender Forever on a split with The Love Letter Band.  Also soon to be released are splits featuring of Montreal & James Husband, The Apples in Stereo & Patience Please, and All Girl Summer Fun Band & Cars Can Be Blue.  Subscribers can expect their singles to ship round late June.  If you’re a latecomer who wants to join the club, I’d recommend heading over to HHBTM’s website and sending a message to check availability.

Flagpole has a nice tribute up to Randy Bewley (Pylon, Supercluster, Sound Houses), who passed away last week.  Contributors to the piece include Robin Bewley, Hugo Burnham (Gang of Four), Kay Stanton (Casper & the Cookies), and more.

While catching up on emails from last week, I came across Sound Houses‘ MySpace posting regarding guitarist Randy Bewley.  Bewley, a member of both Sound Houses and the legendary Athens band Pylon, passed away on Monday, February 23rd, from a heart attack.  I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family and friends.  Here is the note originally posted on Pylon’s MySpace blog:

This past Monday evening, Randy Bewley had a heart attack while driving his van on Barber Street in Athens, GA. He was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center. Today, our bandmate and brother passed away at a little before 5 p.m. with his family and friends at his side. He will be missed, even as we celebrate his life and creativity. His guitar sound was as special as he was and always will be. Randy’s guitar work defined not only a generation of sound but Randy himself. His visual art, painting and photos, combined with his signature sound formed a loose set of boundaries that helps understand him. His quiet devotion to family and friends will become a benchmark for those he leaves behind.

Here is Online Athens coverage with more details.

Casper & the Cookies have announced via their MySpace blog the release date for their upcoming album Modern Silence: May 12th.  Both CD and vinyl will be available.  Catch the Cookies at SXSW next month.

Hannah Jones continues to update the Sound Houses MySpace page with new music – rough mixes of songs from an upcoming record.  She will also be selling her artwork at this weekend’s AUX 3 festival.  If you’re in Athens, you can catch Sound Houses live on February 27th at Tasty World, and March 14th and Secret Squirrel.

This week has gotten away from me, so I apologize for the lack of posts. I’ll be back in just a little bit with a brand new installment of The Elephant 6 Show. But in the meantime, here’s the full lineup for this weekend’s AUX 3 experimental music and art festival, to be held in Athens, GA, courtesy curator Heather McIntosh.

AUX 3 – Saturday, Feb. 21st, @ Little Kings and Ciné

3:00 Little Kings Dark Meat
3:30 Ciné Youth Movement Workshop
4:00 Little Kings GLASSPACKS
4:30 Ciné Killick
5:00 Little Kings A Horse is a Sphere
5:30 Ciné The Rectanglers
6:00 Little Kings Howling Jelly
6:00 Cine Video Program I
6:30 Ciné Our New Silence
7:00 Little Kings Dream Scene
7:30 Ciné Some Meat Out of the Eater
8:00 Little Kings Mercer Street
8:30 Ciné Lisa Yaconelli
Denise Posnak and Page Campbell
Julie Rothschild and Shawn Copeland
9:00 Ciné Video Program II
9:30 Ciné Maps and Transit
10:00 Little Kings Bill Doss presents the Flashcard Orchestra
10:30 Little Kings Brave New Citizen
11:00 Little Kings Spirit of the Falcon-XL
11:30 Ciné Medaglia d’Oro
12:30 Little Kings Icy Demons

Video

Ash Sechler
Daniel Osborne
Eddie Whelan
Javier Morales
John Michael Boling
John Crowe
Micki Davis
Robert Peterson
Seth Stephens
Winston Parker

Artist Market

Gypsies Tramps & Thieves
Laurel Hill
Rhys May
IPullPrints
Gilannie Jewelry Studios
Cherry Matador Jewelry & Soaps
CAP MAN (if he can bring his truck)
Melin Pieces Hats
Christy Wooke
Daisycakes Soaps
Genevieve Swinford
The Orchard Jewelry
Kenneth Kase
Matt Blanks
Hannah Jones
Kristen Bach
Organic Twist

Random things happening around the world of Elephant 6:

• Kelly at the official Elephant 6 website is looking for content suggestions for their upcoming relaunch.  Give your ideas in this thread.  (My request?  Don’t lose all the old stuff when making way for the new, as there was some invaluable information on the site.  But I’m thrilled for the new, as well!)
• Southern Shelter has posted the recent Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power set at the 40 Watt from February 7th.
• Sound Houses has posted another brand new song, “New Dance,” at their MySpace page.
• The Music Tapes have updated their Orbiting Human Circus website with a new message regarding their upcoming tour with Nana Grizol. 

Sound Houses, formerly known as The New Sound of Numbers (and fronted by Hannah Jones, who has recorded as Lorkakar for Cloud Recordings), has debuted a new song on their MySpace page, “Connections.”  Though it’s a rough mix, it’s also the first recorded material you can hear from the band; they’re compiling a new album now.  The sound on this track is very much in line with the NSON album, Liberty Seeds, a mixture of garage and new wave.  The lineup now features Charlie Johnston, of 63 Crayons and Circulatory System.

Sound Houses (formerly The New Sound of Numbers) will be among the artists performing at this weekend’s Roanoke Arts Festival in Roanoke, Virginia’s Elmwood Park.  On Saturday at approximately 4pm the band will be playing the free concert, “The Magic Twig Community Super Friends Fest.”  Also on the bill: Super Friends The Sad Cobras, The Young Sinclairs, Sunking!, The Bastards of Fate, Turbo P, Hot Lava, Mommies, Rootstone, and Reading Rainbow.