Amish Records News

SUNWATCHERS 'Brave Rats' EP 12"/Digital

:: EP RELEASE DATE MAY 1, 2020 :: VINYL 12” PRE-ORDER :: SONG AVAILABLE NOW :: EAST COAST TOUR DATES WITH HOWLIN RAIN ::

 

 

For immediate release

Amish is pleased to announce a May 1, 2020 release of SUNWATCHERS' Brave Rats EP (AMI 051), the band's third Amish-related release (also see: 3 Characters with Eugene Chadbourne and Arthur Doyle’s First House).  Quick on the heels of the band’s fourth full-length, Oh Yeah? (Trouble in Mind) coming April 10, 2020, Brave Rats celebrates Sunwatchers and the EP format, well after the moment of the latter’s extinction.  

 

 

PRE-ORDER THE DIGITAL OR 12" EP (Limited to 500 copies) HERE

 

The title track delivers Sunwatchers’ most anthemic pop music to date, while the other five tracks mix the political with the punk, street toughs aligning with the avant-garde.  Guitarist Jim McHugh recounts the origins of both the title song and the EP itself:

I was walking home very late at night from a short-lived bartending gig on the Lower East Side during a period when I had been reading books about the struggles of working-class people and immigrants and squatters in those neighborhoods. Coming across the Williamsburg Bridge, I decided to go by our old practice space on South 4th, across from Pies-N-Thighs—where I very briefly worked as a line cook.  This was the night the restaurant had reopened in their new location—and out front there was an enormous cadre of grease emboldened rats.  I kept thinking about the rats in relation to the new residents of the Lower East Side and North Brooklyn.  I hoped for those rats to be brazen and Brave in the face of the extermination efforts that they/we all face. 

Other tracks on the EP include: a hypnotic and vaguely psychedelic cover of Sonny Sharrock’s “Blind Willie” taken from Sunwatchers’ first recorded studio session in March 2015; an alternate version of “Everybody Play”; an esoteric and extended deep dive with “Saxz”; and a live version of Alice Coltrane’s “Ptah, The El Daoud,” recorded when Sunwatchers opened for Bill Callahan in Brooklyn June 2016.  The EP closes with “Pedal One,” an outtake from Sunwatchers’ score to Ian Olds’ film Burn Country (2016). 

Artist Joey Whiteley/Merz supplies the front and back cover art.  The EP is housed inside a 12” die-cut sleeve. 

A-Side spins at 45 RPM.  B-Side spins at 33 1/3.  Like so many 7”s in the ‘90s and the transgressive UK 12”s of the ‘80s, Amish and Sunwatchers view Brave Rats honoring the staying power of these older formats, while cautioning against what comes next: Be Brave!

 

    

TRACKLISTING total running time 28:23

1. Brave Rats (4:49)
2. Blind Willie (5:44)
3. Everybody Play! (alternate version) (4:39)
4. Sazx (4:14)
5. Ptah, The El Daoud (live version) (5:19)
6. Pedal One (3:01)

 

HOWLIN RAIN +SUNWATCHERS EAST COAST TOUR DATES

2.21 UNION POOL, BROOKLYN, NY
2.23 JOE SQUARED, BALTIMORE, MD
2.25 KINGS, RALEIGH, NC
2.26 THE EARL, ATLANTA, GA
2.27 CHARLESTON POUR HOOUSE, CHARLESTON, NC
2.28 RICHMOND MUSIC HALL, RICHMOND, VA

TIM BARNES :: DE∆D-LOOP LP

Tim Barnes DE∆D-LOOP LP (AMI038R/W) is now officially out both digitally and physically.

Tim Barnes :: DE∆D-LOOP (AMI038R/W) :: album announcement :: song available now :: album pre-order

Amish is pleased to announce Tim Barnes’ latest full-length: DE∆D-LOOP (AMI 038R/W), his first solo release since 2002’s All Acoustics.  DE∆D-LOOP offers another arm in Barnes’ wide-ranging body of music and work, as well as supplying an additional thread connecting the House, pop and sound art conversations the album engages. 

 

First track "Byeek" 

 

DE∆D-LOOP will be released digitally 12/27/2019 and on LP 1/10/2020. PRE-ORDER THE ALBUM 

 

In many ways DE∆D-LOOP is House music that takes a sideways approach to the language of dance music.  As both a concept and a practice, Barnes aims to turn House on its side, reconsidering its structure and form.  The tracks on DE∆D-LOOP reflect Barnes’ status as a renowned percussionist, offering rhythms and textures that both draw the listener in and maintain a spatial and temporal distance/uncertainty.  This distance can best be heard on the quiet closing track “NAKU,” but also in the hyperactive and layered percussion of “AEMO” and “GUALA.”  This record isn’t all concept, however, as the lead off tracks “HORNA” and “KONQR” sound like something you might hear at rave, albeit standing outside the club in the middle of day after everyone has crashed.  The foggy celebration continues on this record, however; listen to “JAPE” and its play with language, cracking words open and hearing what comes out of the space between syllable and sound.    

Since 1995, Tim Barnes has been internationally acclaimed as a musician, having played with a range of artists including Tony Conrad, Ikue Mori, Sonic Youth, Glenn Kotche, P.G. Six, Mike Watt, Royal Trux, Stereolab, Jim O’Rourke, Beth Orton, among others.  Barnes has most recently become known for his radical site-specific sound art duo with Jeph Jerman (Erstwhile, IDEA Intermedia, Feeding Tube).  Working across both genre and instrumentation, Barnes’ singular history as a musician reflects his versatile ear and performance range.     

Barnes has also done important research and work as an archivist and engineer, most notably through his Quakebasket-imprint.  Quakebasket made available and distributed the work of artists like Henry Flynt, Pandit Pran Nath, Christopher Tree and, most notably, Angus MacLise.  In looking forward, Quakebasket released music by Michael J. Schumacher, Tetuzi Akiyama, Nick Hennies, and Valerio Tricoli, among many others. 

DE∆D-LOOP is the latest installment of Amish’s in-house label Required Wreckers, pairing music and sound art with visual artists who share a thematic or process-based methodology.  DE∆D-LOOP features the work of American-born and French-based artist/filmmaker and current Guggenheim Fellow Erick Baudelaire’s Blind Walls series.  These recordings were mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi.

 

 

TRACKLISTING: 

1. HORNA (3:19
2. KONQR (4:29)
3. JAPE (2:30)
4. AEMO (5:48)
5. GUALA (4:38)
6. XAY (4:58)
7. BYEEK (4:34)
8. NAKU (4:30)

Total running time: 35 minutes

 

photo: Erica Bricking 

GOSPEL OF MARS LIVE :: JULY

 

GOSPEL OF MARS LIVE

Thu July 11 8PM
Desertion Trio / Gospel of Mars / Smiley and Nazary
Ceremony224 224 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn

Sat July 13 9PM
Derek Monypeny / David Watson / Gospel of Mars
Hart Bar 538 Hart Street, Brooklyn

Mon July 29 7:30PM
Andrew Livingston featuring ThingNY with Holy Hell / Gospel of Mars / Joe White
Sunnyvale 1031 Grand Street, Brooklyn

 

BUY GOSPEL OF MARS MUSIC 

 

 

 

SUNWATCHERS w/ EUGENE CHADBOURNE :: EAST COAST DATES :: ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

Sunwatchers have been on the road almost constantly since the release of their excellent third album, ILLEGAL MOVES, earlier this year. But in celebration of the release of the band's double LP, 3 CHARACTERS, that they made with Doc Eugene Chadbourne... the band and Doc are doing a short run of East Coast shows (before heading to Europe) including a special album release show in New York City on May 10.

Saturday, May 4th
Sunwatchers w/ Guerilla Toss, others at Waking Windows (Winooski VT)

 

Sunday, May 5th
Sunwatchers w/ Guerilla Toss & Dan Friel at Hawks & Reed (Greenfield MA) 

 

Thursday, May 9th

Sunwatchers & Eugene Chadbourne at Quinn’s (Beacon NY)

 

Friday, May 10th

Sunwatchers & Eugene Chadbourne ‘3 Characters’ 2xLP Release w/ Dire Wolves at Nublu Classic (NYC)

 

Saturday May 11th

Eugene Chadbourne & the Modified Sunboys w/ Dire Wolves at Jerry’s on Front (Philadelphia)

 

 

EUROPEAN SHOWS 

 

Sunwatchers + Eugene Chadborne "3 Characters" Album Release show

The Sunwatchers have been pretty busy releasing records and playing across the US but we are happy to announce that the band are playing a show to celebrate the release of their album with Eugene Chadbourne from late last year.

3 CHARACTERS ALBUM RELEASE SHOW

FRIDAY MAY 10
8PM
NUBLU
62 Avenue A

SUNWATCHERS & EUGENE CHADBOURNE
DIRE WOLVES

 

3 Characters still available

 

BANDCAMP

APPLE

SPOTIFY

SUNWATCHERS ON WORLDWIDE TOUR NOW !!

 

SUNWATCHERS "Beautiful Crystals" live at Babys Alright 12.9.18 

Sunwatchers2018-12-09babys-01

 

SUNWATCHERS are criss-crossing the US, UK and EU over the next few months supporting their new record, 'Illegal Moves', out now on Trouble in Mind Records which is a real burner and their Amish Records release SUNWATCHERS and EUGENE CHADBORNE 'Three Characters' (AMI050) that was released a few months back.  Some venues are still TBA.

Sunwatchers are on the west coast now! 

SUNWATCHERS ON THE WEST COAST
3/14 - LA - Zebulon FREE
3/15 - Oakland - Martial Arts
3/16 - San Franciso - El Rio (w CCR Headcleaner)
3/17 - Reno - The Loving Cup
3/19 - Portland - TurnTurnTurn
3/20 - Seattle - South Gate Roller Rink (w Mega Bog)
3/21 - Sisters, OR - Freedom Garden West
3/22 - Sacramento - Gold Lion Arts
3/23 - Santa Cruz - The Church House
3/24 - LA - Rec Center

SUNWATCHERS IN THE MIDWEST
4/11- Madison, WI - Mickey's Tavern
4/12 - Milwaukee, WI - Milwaukee Psych Fest
4/13 - Chicago, IL - The Moustache

SUNWATCHERS NORTHEAST SHOWS W GUERILLA TOSS
5/4 - Burlington, VT - Waking Window Fest
5/5 - Greenfield, MA -  Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center 

SUNWATCHERS & EUGENE CHADBOURNE "THREE CHARACTERS"  BELATED RECORD RELEASE SHOW!**
5/10 - NYC - NuBlu(w Dire Wolves)

SUNWATCHERS UK/EU TOUR
5/18 - UK London, The Shacklewell Arms
5/19 - UK Manchester, The Soup Kitchen
5/20 - UK Brighton, East Street Tap
5/21 - UK Bristol
5/22 - FR Paris, L'Atalante
5/23 - ES San Sebastian
5/24 - ES Madrid, El Perro de la Parte de Atràs del Coche 
5/25 - ES Valencia, Magazine
5/26 - ES Barcelona, Sala Vol
5/27 - FR Montpelier
5/28 - FR Marseille
5/29 - IT Genoa, Teatro Bloser
5/30 - IT Faenza, Clan Destino
5/31 - IT Milan, Zuma Festival 
6/01 - IT
6/02 - CH Geneva, Cave 12
6/03 - CH 
6/04 - CH Zurich
6/05 - FR Strasbourg
6/06 - BE Brussels, Chaff
6/07  - NL Amsterdam
6/08  - NL Rotterdam, Herman

   

Sunwatchers + Eugene Chadborne collab now available on 2xLP :: Sunwatchers live this week

SUNWATCHERS And Eugene Chadborne-  3 Characters (AMI050) 2xLP/DA AVAILABLE !!

Firstly, for those who have not yet had the privilege, Eugene "Doc Chad" Chadbourne is an incredibly prolific artist, guitarist, improvisor,writer and interpreter of music of all origins who's hundreds of releases over five decades run the gamut from the seminal 1980's avant-punk band, Shockabilly, to collaborations with Violent Femmes, Camper Van Beethoven, Jimmy Carl Back, John Zorn, Sun City Girls, Susan Alcorn, Anthony Braxton, and on and on. He's also the author Dreamory, an 1000 page semi-autobigraphical novel. 

Kismet and many emails between Doc and Sunwatcher Jim finally found Chadborne and Sunwatchers in the studio together for two days of recording in October 2016, the result of which is the double LP, 3 Characters. These sessions were dedicated exclusively to the music of the Minutemen, Doug Sahm and Henry Flynt.

"The three characters invoked on these recordings offer models for our current political and societal struggles. Creating a music that is both personal and political, artistic and activist, these three figures were/are soulful and practical examples of the artist-as-laborer, addressing a call for social justice and musical spontaneity. 3 Characters is a reverential labor of love, where musical labor becomes a form of both love and resistance. Mike Watt joins the conversation with spoken interpretations of lyrics, poetry, speeches and assorted agit-prop. Having Watt's contemporary voice alongside so many songs that he wrote and defined suggests this, and all artistic collaborations, function as part of a long continuum that inform future callings." 

Eugene's performance brings his incredible history and perspective as a voracious listener and interpreter- omnivorous in regards to idiom. He bonds these three voices together with an effortlessness that only comes with the experience of a life in music.  Backing him up and embodying this music with Sunwatchers was an all around expanding experience that you always hope to have. The tracks on this record are all first or second takes. Sometimes its a slog. Here it just poured out.

3 Characters is available as a double LP gatefold design by Meredyth Sparks featuring photographs kindly provided by.  Available in our store or get directly from the band (See below).

:: SHOWS THIS WEEK ::

THURSDAY 12/6 8PM
Union Pool
CAVE / SUNWATCHERS /  MACRODOSE LIGHTSHOW
$12

SUNDAY 12/9 8PM
Baby's Alright
ADHOC PRESENTS:  HERON OBLIVION / SUNWATCHERS / HEADROOM
$12 21+

Metabolismus & Samara Lubelski - Europe Tour 2018

TOUR DATES

Wed. 14th Nov. Strasbourg (F)– Diorama Doro
Thu. 15th Nov. Freiburg (D) – KTS
Fri. 16th Nov. Biel (CH) – Stadion Gurzelen
Sat. 17th Nov. Lyon (F) – Grrrnd Zero
Sun. 18th Nov. tba
Mon. 19th Nov. Paris (F) – Le Non Jazz/La Treize
Tue. 20th Nov. Amiens (F) – Acceuil Froid Nuke
Wed. 21st Nov. Brussels (BE) – La Cheminee
Thu. 22nd Nov. Antwerp (BE) - De Audio Plant
Fri. 23rd Nov. Gent (BE) – Estern Daze V/Kunstencentrum Vooruit
Sat. 24th Nov. Köln (D) – King Georg
Thu. 29th Nov Stuttgart (D) – Neue Schachtel

METABOLISMUS

    AMI009   METABOLISMUS Spriebwartsdrall LP/CD/DA

    AMI043   METABOLISMUS Mauser O.K. Seven Inch EP

    AMI046   METABOLISMUS SUS LP     

HALL OF FAME

    AMI006   HALL OF FAME s/t LP/CD/DA

    AMI008   HALL OF FAME Coliseum Rising Seven Inch Single

    AMI012   HALL OF FAME First Came Love, Then Came the Tree... CD/DA

 

KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY

Currently based in Melbourne, Australia, American composer Keith Fullerton Whitman pays rare visit to NYC for two intimate live performances at Control in Williamsburg on 10/2/18 and 10/3/18. KFW will be performing two of his landmark works "Redactions" and "Generators".

 

First known for his electroacousticrecordings for Kranky and his drill-n-bass project Hrvatski, Whitman's mature work involves a hybrid software and hardware system that, in his words, "attempt[s] to wrest a viable performance-based music out what had until then been a solitary set of sound-design tools."  Whitman's compositions also involve musique concrète elements and some of the most dynamic modular work of our generation. In short, Whitman is one of must rigorous and interesting composers working today.    

Amish released a split Ben Vida/Keith Fullerton Whitman (AMI033R/W) LP as part of its Required Wreckers series.