Optical Atlas

Tomorrow AUX, the Athens Experimental Arts Festival, will hold its fourth gathering featuring live performance, multi-media performance, visual art, and more.  Guests include Michael Columbia, Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone, John Fernandes (Circulatory System), The Visitations, Hannah Jones (Sound Houses), and the legendary Flash Card Orchestra, among many other performers.  A full list is below.  Little Kings and the Athens Ciné will be hosting the event, and $5 tickets are available at the door.

Special guests:
Michael Columbia (Chicago/Cincinnati)
and
Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone (NYC)

Performances:
3:00 Jeff Fallis (Little Kings)
3:30 Nutritional Peace (Cine)
4:00 Rah as Tempel (Little Kings)
4:30 The Visitors/Pocket Full of Claptonite (Cine)
5:00 Magic Tape Research (Little Kings)
5:15 John Fernandes (Little Kings)
5:30 Denise Posnak, Laura Hoffman, Amanda Martin (Cine)
6:00 The Visitations (Little Kings)
6:30 Steven Trimmer (Cine)
6:45 Hannah Jones (Cine)
7:00 MANS TRASH (Little Kings)
7:30 Aman Amun (Cine)
8:00 Dream Scene (Little Kings)
8:30 Case Quarter (Cine)
9:00 Geisterkatzen (Little Kings)
9:30 The Untanglers (Cine)
10:00 Flash Card Orchestra! (Little Kings)
10:30 The Odd Trio (Little Kings)
11:00 Video Program (Cine)
11:30 Brave New Citizen (Little Kings)
12:00 Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone (Cine)
1:00 Michael Columbia (Little Kings)

Installations:

Eye Gate
Dan Hole Pond
Justin Roberts

Video screenings:

25 minute program repeating at
3, 4:30, 9:30, and 11 in Ciné 2

Elliott Earls
Ashley Ohman
Joleen Toner
Chris Cogan
Eddie Whelan
Ash Sechler
Carlos Casas
Ries Straver
John Crowe
Seth Nicholas Stephens

Artist’s Market:

Gypsies Tramps & Thieves
Old Cat Died
Cathy Dailey
Cameoko
Christy Wooke
Beca Designs
Bacon Neckwear
Laurel Hill

Sponsors:

Little Kings
Ciné
Nuçi’s Space
Flagpole
Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE)

If you haven’t heard The Visitations‘ third (and best) album, The Conundrum Tree (released last fall on Orange Twin Records), you’re missing out – but the good news is that you may very well have a chance to experience Davey Wrathgabar and his Visitations live in a town near you, within the next couple of months, as he’ll be touring like mad. Here are the dates so far, still being finalized.

The Visitations – Winter 2009 Tour
01.20.09 Athens, GA @ Go Bar
01.22.09 Gainesville, FL @ The Kickstand
01.23.09 Orlando, FL @ AKA Lounge (Happy Hour Show)
01.24.09 Deeland, FL @ Cafe DaVinci
01.27.09 Charleston, SC @ Oasis
01.28.09 Greenville, SC @ R3v3rB
01.29.09 Wilmington, NC @ The Soapbox
01.30.09 Blacksburg, VA @ Prisses
01.31.09 Charlottesville, VA @ Tea Bazaar
02.02.09 Arlington, VA @ Galaxy Hut
02.03.09 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
02.04.09 Baltimore, MD @ Golden West
02.05.09 Marlboro, VT @ Marlboro College
02.06.09 Philadelphia, PA @ The Pilam
02.07.09 Pittsburgh, PA @ Garfield Artworks
02.08.09 New Haven, CT @ Bar
02.09.09 Brooklyn, NY @ Goodbye Blue
02.10.09 Providence, RI @ Manbeard House
02.11.09 Rochester, NY @ CoMMoN
02.12.09 Geneseo, NY @ SUNY Geneseo
02.13.09 Athens, OH @ Bruce Manor
02.14.09 Toledo, OH @ Center Stage
02.14.09 Bowling Green, OH @ Riot House
02.15.09 Columbus, OH @ Bernie’s Distillery
02.16.09 Morgantown, WV @ Blue Moose Cafe
02.17.09 Bloomington, IN @ Cinemat
02.18.09 Ypsilanti, MI @ Elbow Room
02.19.09 Lexington, KY @ 503 Oldham Court
02.20.09 Louisville, KY @ 6th & Oak
02.21.09 Naplate, IL @ The Village
02.23.09 Madison, WI @ The Frequency
02.24.09 DeKalb, IL @ The House
02.25.09 Omaha, NE @ TBA
02.26.09 Lawrence, KS @ Replay
02.27.09 Kansas City, MO @ Skinless Gallery
02.28.09 Manhattan, KS @ TBA
03.01.09 St. Louis, MO @ The Wedge
03.02.09 Little Rock, AR @ TBA
03.03.09 Denton, TX @ TBA
03.04.09 Austin, TX @ TBA
03.05.09 Lubbock, TX @ TBA
03.06.09 Santa Fe, NM @ TBA
03.07.09 Phoenix, AZ @ TBA

Kevin Barnes and Bryan Poole of of Montreal recently stopped by WNYC’s Soundcheck for an interview and acoustic performance, and here’s the audio (you can watch some video from the appearance here):

Nina Barnes sells and distributes her art under the name Geminitactics, and now she is selling some Skeletal Lamping-themed prints at her Etsy store, with more to come.

In non-of Montreal news, Merge Records will continue celebrating its 20-year anniversary, not just through a massive subscription-series box set, but also through a 5-day music festival, “XX Merge”, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, July 22-26. No acts have been announced yet, but The Music Tapes might be a safe bet.

Oh, and I don’t think I ever mentioned that Orange Twin now has a digital store, where you can download albums by Vic Chesnutt & Elf Power, The Visitations, Nana Grizol, The Instruments, Ham1, Madeline, and Geoff Reacher. Very nice.

I will confess readily that Halloween is my favorite holiday: it will be a nonstop horror movie marathon tonight while the trick or treaters arrive and long after.  But for you I have just two treats: the Marbles‘ perennial holiday favorite “Dracula” (from the Happy Happy Birthday to Me singles club split with Casper & the Cookies), and a new track from The Visitations, “Bony Maurine,” off their new album The Conundrum Tree (Orange Twin Records).

MP3: Marbles – Dracula

MP3: The Visitations – Bony Maurine

Here’s the latest Visitations video, directed by Dickie Cox, from the upcoming album The Conundrum Tree (out on Orange Twin Records October 14th). Imagine watching Shrek 2 after dropping acid…

You can now purchase Orange Twin Records‘ two October releases, and they’ll ship when the release date approaches.  For Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power & the Amorphous Strums: Dark Developments, that would be October 28.  For the Visitations‘ third album, The Conundrum Tree, that would be October 14.  Plus the label has updated their “distributed titles” with more vinyl and rare CDs.

Check it all out in the Orange Twin store.

With the new album The Conundrum Tree due out October 14th on Orange Twin, The Visitations (aka Davey Wrathgabar) are hitting the road. Here are the dates (subject to change):

09.02.08 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews w/The Coast, Jason Reichenbacher and the Atudes
09.03.08 Minneapolis, MN @ New Pines House
09.04.08 Kansas City, MO @ Skinless Productions Gallery
09.05.08 Denver, CO @ The Lion’s Lair w/Mike Marchant, Fissure Mystic, The Pseudo Dates!
09.09.08 Vancouver, BC (Canada) @ Montmartre Cafe w/Calvin, Don’t Jump!
09.10.08 Portland, OR @ Dekum Manor
09.12.08 Portland, OR @ The Red Room w/Doctor Something, The Honus Huffhines, The Contestants
09.13.08 Arcata, CA @ Das Gast Haus w/Thelittlestillnotbigenough
09.14.08 San Francisco, CA @ Kimo’s
09.15.08 Berkeley, CA @ Love Underground Radio (in studio)
09.16.08 San Diego, CA @ Chaser’s
09.18.08 Santa Fe, NM @ TBA
09.19.08 Lubbox, TN @ KTXT (on air)
09.20.08 Denton, TX @ Robbie’s
09.20.08 Denton, TX @ The Fra House
09.22.08 Memphis, TN @ The Hi-Tone
09.23.08 Russellville, AK @ The Crazy Burrito
09.24.08 Springfield, MO @ The Outland Ballroom w/Molotov Latte
09.25.08 Bloomington, IN @ Cinemat
09.26.08 Louisville, KY @ 6th and Oak w/The Genius File

The third album from The Visitations, The Conundrum Tree, will be released by Orange Twin Records this August. It’s actually been available for streaming on the band’s MySpace page for a while, but an official release is welcome news; I think it’s the best work from them yet. (And I say “them” because I’m trying to avoid spelling Davey’s last name.) Below is a track listing, as well as the new Dickie Cox-directed video for the album, “Drugged Out Angel,” which lives up to its name…

The Conundrum Tree,
by The Visitations
1. Bony Maurine
2. The Conundrum Tree
3. Jonathan Asshole
4. There Was Sunshine
5. Fresh Dog
6. Drugged Out Angel
7. The Orge
8. Ms. Brown’s Robot
9. Dada
10. You Can Sing A Silly Song