As Mr. Shears stated, if you’re in Lexington, KY, tonight, head down to Al’s Bar for the Garden Gate Records showcase. (Also note that The High Water Marks are playing there November 28th.) Buddha Electrostorm is available now from the Garden Gate Records website.

At the 2007 Athens Popfest, on what festival organizer Mike Turner was informally calling “Elephant 6 Night,” a band took the 40 Watt’s stage with little buzz–”Thee American Revolution? Whuzzat?”–but everyone pulled tighter to the stage when they recognized Robert Schneider, Apples in Stereo frontman, stepping up to the microphone in sunglasses and ceremonial robe. A throne was placed stage right, and a mysterious man known only as “William Shears” (not Ringo Starr), also in sunglasses, claimed his rightful place as master of ceremonies. With brother-in-law Craig Morris (then of Ideal Free Distribution, who’d played a stunning set to a smaller crowd earlier in the evening), they kicked out the jams and almost literally blew out the speakers, and between each song turned to the seated Mr. Wm. Shears, American Revolution mentor, who would issue his silent approval with a royal nod of the head.  His approval is something, as the band’s message and means is 60’s-style psychedelic rock, and Shears is a British musician of 60’s psych pedigree who recently moved to Lexington, where Robert & Craig are located.  His identity is intended to be a mystery, as is the exact role he plays in this outfit.  (Was he controlling them with his presence, like a psychic puppetmaster?  Perhaps.)  We are told the band united under William’s direction, and also out of the new collective that’s solidified after Robert moved his Pet Sounds Studio from Denver to Lexington a long time ago; Craig, too, has a studio, and their enthusiasm for this particular musical genre gives their album Buddha Electrostorm an interesting mix of sincerity and self-parody.  The long, feedback-driven guitar intros are both utterly ridiculous and definitely awesome.  Until now their releases and live appearances have been sporadic and mysterious; an impromptu show in Lexington, or MP3s passed along to this website from Robert, Craig, or William as a 4th of July present.  Still, it wasn’t meant to take this long: a certain indie label was intended to release this record some years ago, so Buddha Electrostorm is far from “brand new.”  After a complicated birth, it’s finally out from Garden Gate Records, the psych-specialty label started by Craig and his sister, Marci Schneider, and which released the superb Laminated Cat record in September.  I’d like to imagine a shop in San Francisco selling medical marijuana, Tarot Cards, X-rated comix, and Garden Gate records.

To those finally getting a chance to hear the Electrostorm, it’s a blast: the band sounds like acne-faced teens starting a band and hitting proms and parties in L.A. circa 1966, too anxious for stardom, playing bigger than they are.  Of course, winking at you, there’s a sophistication beneath this sloppy exterior; it’s a bit too clever to be just what it appears.  The sure-footedness to step between a straightforward, we-will-rock-you, riff-driven anthem like “Power House” and a more melodic, handclapping number like “Blow My Mind” can’t help but display the experience of the minds behind it all.  What does it all mean?  Nothing, thank Christ.  This is anti-intellectual, take-your-pants-off fun.  Like “Grit Magazine,” named after those ads in the back of old comics asking you to waste your childhood acting as their cheap magazine’s door-to-door salesman; that premise is married with great ceremony to Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” monster riff.  Not a similar riff, mind you.  The exact same riff.  What else can you do with this but set aside nitpicking and turn it all the way up?  Granted, this is the most shameless track on the album: you’ll feel less guilty, if any guilt remains, blasting the genuinely very good “She’s Coming Down” and “Haircut,” and dammit if “Electric Flame” wouldn’t do honor to the last Apples in Stereo album, because it even has a little bit of polish to it.  Not that conventional polish is welcome here.  The bursts of between-take dialogue, ear-punching feedback, and random misplaced noise are all deliberately arranged.  It’s like a Jackson Pollock.  E6 fans will be able to easily place it in Robert’s discography, but then, despite all his side-projects, he’s always been barking up the same tree.  The psych of Fun Trick Noisemaker and Her Wallpaper Reverie blossoms here, as do the experiments with harsher, dressed-down live sound in Velocity of Sound and the Ulysses record.  And it’s appropriate that Will Hart (Circulatory System) provides the artwork, as there’s an early E6-tapes vibe here too (”Blow My Mind” in particular).  For Apples in Stereo fans, it’s essential listening, but the appeal should be broader.  The real American revolution was rock and roll, and Thee American Revolution wallow in it, shamelessly, irresistibly.  Hopefully this record won’t stay underground.

Buddha Electrostorm,
by Thee American Revolution

1. She’s Coming Down
2. Grit Magazine
3. Electric Flame
4. Haircut
5. Power House
6. Blow My Mind
7. Shoeshine Blues
8. Little Girl
9. Saturn Daze
10. In Your Dream/Japanese Clone

You can buy it now at Garden Gate Records.

Attention Kentuckians: There will be a Garden Gate Records Showcase on Friday, November 20th at Al’s Bar in Lexington, KY, featuring live performances by Thee American Revolution, Big Fresh, and Laminated Cat.

I’m a day late with this because I was away from email yesterday, but here’s a reason to extend your Fourth of July celebrating: Thee American Revolution have made available a brand new song in honor of Independence Day, “National Parade.”  As you may or may not know, Thee American Revolution is the psych/garage rock band fronted by Robert Schneider, and “mentored” by the mysterious William Shears, a psych legend himself (he has been known to sit on a throne onstage while Robert sings his music). 

Shears writes, “Thee American Revolution recorded this new song, entitled ‘National Parade,’ in honour of the Colonies’ historic secession from the British Empire. The group hopes that you might share it with the erudite readers of your Web Log on Independence Day, in order that they may rock.” Well put.

This song also continues an on-and-off tradition here–previous Thee American Revolution songs debuted on this website on July 4th include “She’s Coming Down” and “Powerhouse.”  I’m also pleased to announce that their long, long, long-awaited full-length (which has both of those songs), Buddha Electrostorm, will be coming out in November of this year from Garden Gate Records.  Photo by Daniella Maria.

Thee American Revolution – National Parade 

Optical Atlas readers may know of the fiasco from a couple weeks ago when I reported that Marc Maron of Air America’s video podcast Break Room Live (aka Maron Vs. Seder) praised The Gerbils after a recent visit to SXSW.  Turns out he meant to say The Thermals (he corrected himself a couple days later). Now, at last, Optical Atlas is proud to report the emergence of an E6 connection to our favorite show. Last week saw a visit from PC Magazine’s Brian Heater, delivering a European product called “E-Cigarettes” to Marc Maron (they glow blue, and emit water vapor instead of smoke, but deliver the nicotine fix with, as Sam Seder put it, the taste of damp ashtray). This is the same Brian Heater who wrote a primer on Elephant 6 for SPIN Magazine, as well as the excellent oral history of E6 for PopMatters (which you can read here), and the final Beulah interview, posted at Optical Atlas a couple years back (here).  Sure enough, in yesterday’s BRL episode Brian Heater returned as the “pusher man,” now wearing a green Elephant 6 tee-shirt.  Now maybe he can “push” some Gerbils CDs onto Mr. Maron…  (Thanks to Carol at PC Magazine for the correction to the above post.)

This week is the 2008 Athens Popfest! Posted below is the finalized schedule per the Popfest website:

Tuesday, August 12
Cine
8:00 PM – Fish Schticks
8:35 PM – Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars
9:10 PM – Allison Weiss
9:45 PM – Titans of Filth

Wednesday, August 13
Little Kings
2:00 PM – Boy Genius
2:35 PM – the Hotwalls
3:15 PM – Amo Joy!
4:00 PM – Afternoon Naps
4:45 PM – Nervous Systems
5:30 PM – Oh Sanders
8:00 PM – Supercluster
8:35 PM – Blondie-Grunt
9:10 PM – Nana Grizol
9:45 PM – Hot Pants Romance
10:20 PM – the Coathangers
11:00 PM – Whistling School for Boys
11:30 PM – Judi Chicago
12:00 AM – Spring Tigers
12:35 AM – the Selmanaires
01:15 AM – We Versus the Shark

Thursday, August 14
The 40 Watt Club
8:00 PM – Patience Please
8:30 PM – Velcro Stars
9:00 PM – Bunnygrunt
9:30 PM – Cars Can Be Blue
10:15 PM – Great Lakes
11:00 PM – the Love Letter Band
11:45 PM – Dark Meat
12:30 AM – Roky Erickson & the Explosives

Little Kings
2:00 PM – That’s My Daughter
2:40 PM – Little Birds
3:20 PM – A Faulty Chromosome
4:00 PM – Panda Riot
4:45 PM – Averkiou

Flicker Theater and Bar
6:00 PM – Night Driving in Small Towns
6:45 PM – Good Graces
7:30 PM – Mary O Harrison

Caledonia
8:30 PM – the Ocelots
9:30 PM – Tom Gorrio (Baby Calendar)
10:30 PM – Twin Tigers
11:30 PM – Dead Confederate

Friday, August 15
The 40 Watt Club
8:00 PM – Cryptacize
8:30 PM – Secret History
9:10 PM – the Faintest Ideas
9:50 PM – Ruby Isle
10:30 PM – the Buddy System
11:00 PM – the Lolligags
11:30 PM – Fishboy
12:15 AM – the Apes
01:00 AM – Boyracer

Little Kings
2:00 PM – Railcars
2:40 PM – Tendaberry
3:20 PM – One Happy Island
4:00 PM – Hat Company
4:30 PM – Fat Planet

Flicker Theater and Bar
6:00 PM – Umbrella Tree
6:45 PM – Noisycrane
7:30 PM – Gospel Gossip

Cine
7:00 PM – “I Need That Record” screening

Caledonia
8:30 PM – Laminated Cat
9:30 PM – Ham 1
10:30 PM – My Teenage Stride
11:30 PM – A Armada
12:00 AM – DJ Other Voices, Other Rooms

Saturday, August 16
The 40 Watt Club
8:00 PM – the Smittens
8:30 PM – Big Fresh
9:00 PM – Thee American Revolution
9:30 PM – Pipes You See Pipes You Don’t
10:00 PM – Andy from Denver
10:30 PM – Casper & the Cookies
11:00 PM – Circulatory System
12:00 AM – Elf Power
01:00 AM – the Music Tapes

Little Kings
2:00 PM – Lognhalsmottagningen
2:15 PM – Bad Animal
3:00 PM – the Young Untold
3:30 PM – American Cheeseburger

Flicker Theater and Bar
6:00 PM – Oh Fortuna
6:45 PM – Marc with a C
7:30 PM – Hot Lava

Cine
4:15 PM – “I Need That Record” screening
7:00 PM – “I Need That Record” screening

Caledonia
8:30 PM – Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
9:30 PM -The Arcs
10:30 PM – Baak Gwai
11:30 PM – Man Factory
12:00 AM – DJ Other Voices, Other Rooms

Sunday, August 17
Cine
4:15 PM -”I Need That Record” screening
7:00 PM -”I Need That Record” screening

Full Festival Schedule

CINE 8.12.08
8:00 – Fish Schticks
8:35 – Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars
9:10 – Allison Weiss
9:45 – Titans of Filth

LITTLE KINGS 8.13.08
2:00 – Boy Genius
2:35 – the Hotwalls
3:15 – Amo Joy!
4:00 – Afternoon Naps
4:45 – Nervous Systems (not confirmed yet)
5:30 – Oh Sanders
(Break time!)
8:00 – Supercluster
8:35 – Blondie-Grunt
9:10 – Nana Grizol
9:45 – Hot Pants Romance
10:20 – the Coathangers
11:00 – Whistling School for Boys
11:30 – Judi Chicago
12:00 – Spring Tigers
12:35 – the Selmanaires
1:15 – We Versus the Shark

LITTLE KINGS 8.14.08
2:00 – That’s My Daughter
2:40 – Little Birds
3:20 – A Faulty Chromosome
4:00 – Panda Riot
4:45 – Averkiou

FLICKER 8.14.08
6:00 – Night Driving in Small Towns
6:45 – Good Graces
7:30 – Mary O Harrison

CALEDONIA 8.14.08
8:30 – the Ocelots
9:30 – the Besties
10:30 – Twin Tigers
11:30 – Dead Confederate

40 WATT CLUB 8.14.08
8:00 – Patience Please
8:30 – Velcro Stars
9:00 – Bunnygrunt
9:30 – Cars Can Be Blue
10:15 – Great Lakes
11:00 – the Love Letter Band
11:45 – Dark Meat
12:30 – Roky Erickson & the Explosives

LITTLE KINGS 8.15.08
2:00 – Railcars
2:40 – Tendaberry
3:20 – One Happy Island
4:00 – Hat Company
4:30 – Fat Planet

FLICKER 8.15.08
6:00 – Oh Fortuna
6:45 – Noisycrane
7:30 – Gospel Gossip

CALEDONIA 8.15.08
8:30 – Laminated Cat
9:30 – Ham 1
10:30 – My Teenage Stride
11:30 – Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies

40 WATT 8.15.08
8:00 – Cryptacize
8:30 – Secret History
9:00 – the Faintest Ideas
9:30 – Ruby Isle
10:00 – the Buddy System
10:30 – the Lolligags
11:00 – Fishboy
11:30 – the Apes
12:15 – Boyracer
1:00 – TBA

LITTLE KINGS 8.16.08
2:00 – Lognhalsmottagningen
2:15 – Bad Animal
3:00 – the Young Untold
3:30 – Bright Lights
4:15 – American Cheeseburger

FLICKER 8.16.08
6:00 – Oh Fortuna
6:45 – Marc with a C
7:30 – Hot Lava

CALEDONIA 8.16.08
8:30 – Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
9:30 – Thrushes
10:30 – the Sterns
11:30 – Man Factory

40 WATT 8.16.08
8:00 – the Smittens
8:30 – Big Fresh
9:00 – Thee American Revolution
9:30 – Pipes You See Pipes You Don’t
10:00 – Andy from Denver
10:30 – Casper & the Cookies
11:00 – Circulatory System
12:00 – Elf Power
1:00 – the Music Tapes