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garbageface · 6 years

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garbageface 2017 year-in-review / 2018 almanac

[photo by chris parker, ottawa]

YEAR IN REVIEW:

total shows played: 53 total garbageface shows to date: 300 km travelled for shows in 2017: ~15,000 shows played in cities i had never played before until 2017: 3 (Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, Sudbury) new songs written/recorded: 12/8 (i recorded 8 new tracks this past year, 7 of which appeared on the 7HR33 51X mixtape, plus 1 track that appeared on my split with Cold Eye. the remaining 3 tracks haven’t been released or played live, nor properly recorded.) coffee cups drank: ~600+ (holding pattern) cars exploded: 0 (holding strong)

THE ALMANAC:

well, here i am. 2017 was nuts, in the same way that 2016 was nuts. i managed to release two albums this year (APOSTASY LP and the 7HR33 51X mixtape), and played 53 shows across several tours with some amazing people. it was a similar to the last few years, going hard and feeling good about it. but The Spill, my creative home and community hub, closed. to say i was gutted would be an understatement.

i realized in the aftermath of that how tired i was. i mean, i had already been feeling tired – from playing 100 shows since the Spring of 2016, from releasing so much music since 2014, from being my own social media manager and graphic designer, from trying to get traction in an increasingly dissipated music scene seemingly more beholden to payola than ever – but when The Spill closed, and i let it sink in, i realized that i wasn’t just tired. i was very fucking tired.

so, the almanac is looking a little different this year. i’m scaling way back on shows. i’m taking time for the first half of the year to revamp / rework my live setup to make it more exciting for me, and hopefully more exciting for you too. going forward, any touring i do will be more condensed, more intense, and more intentional. i suppose if you like watching garbageface live, that may be “the bad news,” because it means there will be fewer shows, especially in peterborough. but i hope that the intentions behind it and the results will make it worth it. i love touring, but it started to become a thing where it felt like i was on auto-pilot… and whenever i’m on autopilot, i know it’s time to shake the shit up. i want to keep challenging myself, and you too.

as far as music i’m working on goes, 2018 is shaping up to be very busy and i’m very, very excited for it. currently, i am:

still chipping away at Unreliable Narrator, working with two most excellent live drummers who will be working their magic on it

working away at lyrics for a somewhat sci-fi themed EP with ptbo’s Dastard Hand… this was originally started in 2015, but goddamn did life ever come at me fast, picking it up again has been invigorating.

just started a brand new collaborative album with a drummer and keyboard player who have been so kind to let me cut and snip and manipulate and add layers to their tracks… this will be a weird and wonderful one. holy moly i’m excited for it!

a couple of other collaborations which are still tentative and haven’t quite taken shape yet.

if all i did was work on this new music this year, i would have more than enough to do. i’m going to try to do that, and a bit more. i feel so excited by making music still, i can see myself doing this for many many years to come. the past three years were a big long cycle in my process, and the next cycle is just beginning.

***

the final thing worth mentioning on this thing is the subject of social media and my relationship with it. with a couple of exceptions, i really dislike it. i hit a wall near the end of this year where i just felt both addicted to and beholden to social media. it’s increasingly difficult to be an artist without being yr own brand manager, constantly spending time updating various accounts and “creating content” to feed the beast. so often, that content has virtually nothing to do with the art at hand… i had a weird moment recently where i thought about how much time i had spent updating my instagram account, and how much none of that really contributed to my artistic practice. but i know that if i don’t update people at least semi regularly across various platforms, there is just so much going on that i’ll fade fast in people’s memories. so, i keep the beast fed. and truthfully, it’s easy to get a degree of validation from all the “likes.” and even more truthfully, sometimes i like it! sometimes i hate it! what a weird game.

on the flipside, i’ve connected with, and stay in touch with, so many awesome people through various platforms. it’s really fucking cool, and i can’t discount that or make that seem unimportant. the amount of support that i’ve gotten from people, even some people i’ve never met, is unreal. i don’t take it for granted for a second, and want to continue being an artist that is both real and reachable.

i don’t want to make it seem like i think social media is “bad” and people who use it are “bad.” i don’t. but i do think a lot about that old chomsky-an adage: if you are getting something for free, you are the product.*** the point of facebook (for example) isn’t to connect us; it’s to deliver eyeballs to advertisers. there are so many artists who spend whatever little money they can to take out questionably effective facebook and instagram ads, in hopes that they can get their content in front of the people who want to see it… the promise of social media as a way for independent artists to make a name for themselves is a dystopian un-reality. artists are given a “free” platform to try to share their work with the world, only to find their content becoming just another leverage point for companies making billions upon billions from ad revenue. i’m tired of giving so much time to creating content to fill my various feeds, when i know the platforms i’m using don’t actually give a shit whether i live or die. in fact, they barely even “allow” my content to reach the people who want it to reach them, without me paying for it. crazy, right? when i got into making music, it was just the major label artists that were being used by big corporations as a commodity. now artists at every level of the career can count themselves so “lucky.”

i don’t plan to step away from social media entirely, as i feel like it’d be a death sentence, in a weird way. and as i mentioned, the people that connect with my music are so dedicated, and it’s very fucking humbling, and i don’t want to lose that. i want to stay connected to those people as best as i can, and find ways to bring more people in, in a meaningful way. i’m still not sure how to do that, but i hope you’ll be patient with me as i try to figure that out. if you have ideas on how i can do that, my email is always open: [email protected]. in the meantime, i hope you’ll join me over on my mailing list over here. i am gonna be prioritizing some slower, more thoughtful communication this way as i sort through all the rest. and i’ll save some extra cool shit for the mailing list to make a signup worth it.

anyhoo… we’re really living in some weird times, and i think it’s getting harder and harder to really know what’s what, you know? there is a lot that terrifies me, and a lot that gives me hope, and a lot that i find funny, and a lot i don’t give a shit about. i hope yr all doing well and being good to the people in yr lives. life is fucking short, even though sometimes it feels interminable. i’m trying my best to not let cultural entropy harden me and breed cynicism. i hope you do too.

xo, garbageface.

***my homie ELMS has also been struggling with these questions, and in a recent newsletter, pointed people to this article with some thoughts about why. i strongly encourage people to check it out, and if you wanna discuss it, please feel free to email me or talk to me if you see me in the realosphere. i appreciate what ELMS is doing so much, and as with so much of his music, am inspired by it.

#bloggo #garbageface

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garbageface · 6 years

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MY FAVOURITE MUSIC OF 2017 IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

every year that i make a list of my favourite music, i realize two things: first, i realize that, for the most part, i consume “local” music... though that mostly means music from peterborough, it also means that i consume a lot of music that is “local” to somewhere else - the people who write it and record it and put it out are people that you can probably see ripping up a stage for $5-10 or less, and you can talk to them, and get to know them. secondly, i realize that so many of my favourite bands are made up of friends, acquaintances, and other music colleagues who i am honoured and privileged to say are part of my circles. here’s some of the best from the last year, if i missed stuff, it’s probably unintentional. don’t hate.

[click the titles to go to consumable links]

aubergine - mildly good, reasonably okay: oh boy, as much as i wanna get into why this was an important EP, instead i’ll just say... this is very nicely crafted pop that picks at some very deep wounds in the way that Rivers Cuomo tries to but doesn’t quite get at, or hasn’t for more than a decade and a half. hummable and heart-rendering.

bedwetter - flick your tongue against your teeth and describe the present: in early 2017 Lil Ugly Mane self-hospitalized and when he came out he made this. so strap the eff in and get ready for a weird and heavy ride.

Beef Boys - Melted Like A Witch: another loaded one, but... whatever, it rips and i can’t argue with that.

Big Sean - I Decided: as much as i like this one, i feel like i want to like it even more. big sean albums used to be about working, but this album feels like it’s a private conversation between sean and a friend after a long work day. come on into the mansion, lemme ask Alexa to turn down the mood lighting and turn up the bass, lemme tell you a story.

CEP - drawing the target around the arrow: think about the ocean, only made of sine waves. think about a forest, only made of thin strands of smoke. draw yrself, as you see yrself. draw yrself in.

cold eye - As the Past swells and crests into the Present, the Future ebbs: i’ve had the good fortune and privilege of watching this project morph and mutate into what it is now... it’s not in its “final form,” and likely will never be, and that’s part of the beauty in it. still, bennett bedoukian is now standing on this name and concept with both feet planted firmly, and the result is so worth it.

Daniel Romano - Modern Pressure: perfect roadtrip music. beautiful, soaring melodies, instrumentation that is insanely orchestral and yet also rock af. i hate how good daniel romano is at everything. fucking hate this dude.

Decomposure - Grow Together: when yr make a collage of photographs and trying to get it to look good, you have to pay extra attention to bodies, expressions, eyelines, posture, and how those jigsaw pieces come together. you want it to look seamless, even though the sources are anything but.

DOXX - ii: i’ve only ever had the chance to see this band live once, on a bill i put together in ptbo, but boy howdy, do they rip. this album is closer to that live feeling that the previous (and excellent) s/t album, so put it on very loud in yr living room and mosh yrself to eviction.

ELMS - Integrity: the third instalment of ELMS music is more beautifully crafted and finer detailed than ever, with lyrics that will wither your heart and somehow soothe it at the same time. alex lives in the countryside of ptbo and makes music that sounds like the night of the first snowstorm of the season, and the feeling of the morning after.

Emay - Ilah: a history of one person’s life. a history of a family. a history of a nation. a history of half the world. a history of humankind. history, folding out and back in upon itself. expert level rap in a novice level world.

E.L.E - Bucket Of Shit: subtle like a jackhammer.

Flaws - Vesta: chesterville working punks Muelkik died and Flaws is what rose from the ashes. this two-track, one-atmosphere release rips and roils, and thanks to slick and screaming production, it sounds as good recorded as it feels live.

Francis & The Lights - Just For Us: this came out on December 30th, and i haven’t had a chance to fully absorb it yet, but goddamn everything he does is magic, and i can’t believe it’s almost been 10 years since i saw the video for The Top and had to pick my jaw up off the floor. FUCK!

Hus Kingpin & Big Ghost Ltd. - Cocaine Beach: i’m not sure if Big Ghost handpicks the MCs for his album-length collaborations, or vice versa, but his production always snaps and slaps without bending to trends and fads. oh and the rappers are always on fucking point. so here’s an album about a drug i won’t touch that actually makes it seem cool.

Jack Moves - I BEEN Working: 4 tight songs that taste great together. no nonsense.

Lingua Ignota - ALL BITCHES DIE: the current rightful heir to the throne of Diamanda Galás. if you can make it through this album in one sitting without getting goosebumps or feeling sick, i applaud you. gorgeous, heavy, challenging.

Nash The Slash - Various Reissues: sometimes you have to die before yr reborn, and i’m sad that was the case with Nash The Slash. still, the people at Artoffact Records did an amazing job here, and finally gave Nash the due he had looked for so hard over the years. all of these reissues were done with great care and honour to the original vision, and the result is a true monument to one of most important weird musicians in canadian history.

Nick Ferrio - Soothsayer: okay look, nick is a friend and i feel like when i say this around other people they think i’m trashing him, but i’ve also said this to his face: i never thought i would hear a Nick Ferrio album that rips! and this does! the band he put together for these songs do them so much justice, and though i’ve enjoyed nick’s quieter material, it’s great to hear this side. so solid.

Olias - A Case Of The Howlers: this was the first thing PTBO’s Olias put out this year, which would turn out to be an insanely prolific time for him. Olias didn’t unlock something with this one (that happened with 2016′s Hermian Sunrise), but this was the release that set the boulder rolling down the hill. now he seems to be putting out gorgeous and engaging drone / ambient synth music at a startling pace, and i hope it continues indefinitely.

people you meet outside of bars - culpable: there’s this picture floating around the internet of a kid’s playground near a graveyard. the word “melody” is written under the playground, and “lyrics” is written under the graveyard, and that’s the best way to describe this.

Prayers - Baptism Of Thieves: for a minute there, i was a bit worried that Prayers was starting to believe their own hype with their full album collaboration with Travis Barker, but this new album has helped me regain some trust. back to the roots, back to reality. these two don’t need fucking ANYONE else messing up their connection. it’s pure as it is.

Prime Junk - Ladybird: i’m adding this to the list conditionally... not because i don’t dig this album a lot (i do) and not because i believe they need to live up to my standards (they don’t). the conditionality is based on the fact that when i listen to this, i can’t help but feel like “this is the album before they release the one that really blasts.” and that’s a weird feeling, because again, i already really like this. as i listen to this though, i keep hearing a whisper in my ear, “motherfucker, you like what you hear? well just wait.” so i’m stoked on this, and what’s to come.

Priors - S/T: i think every time i play with or see this band, i tell their drummer drew “there’s no fucking way that this is the first band that Chance has been the singer of. no fucking way.” to which drew always replies in his characteristic good dude drawl, “i know, right?” i love this band, and at least two of the people in it.

P.O.S. - Chill, Dummy: this album came out in january and i knew right then and there it would be my favourite rap record of the year and guess what? it fucking is. this album is just so good and takes you on a fucking journey in the least cheesy way i could say that. the beats are engaging and intense, and the rhymes are funny, sad, and poignant. get this, listen to it, absorb it.��

SHREDDERS - Dangerous Jumps: oh and by the way, there’s a rap crew that P.O.S. is part of, and they ALSO put out a super tight album this year. if you like energetic, interesting rap, this is for you.

Tai Timbers - Cycles: i probably listened to this album most this year as “background music” and i don’t mean that to be an insult, far from it. this is a study in texture, songs that have melodies that you don’t necessarily hum or sing along to, but that you could paint a sky with.

Telekinetic Yeti - Abominable: is it possible that this was the only new stoner metal release that really caught my eye this year? well shit, maybe so. the riffs are strong with this one. take a shot each time this album makes you make the “badass riff face,” and you will be on the floor in no time, watching blurry bigfoot walk away into the forest like “my work here is done.”

The Sun Through A Telescope - Black Hole Smile: a new, immaculately constructed drone-doom album by one of the finest in that field. oh, and it’s inspired by the Beach Boys / Brian Wilson masterpiece Smile? so fucking into this one, the same way i was so into Smile. i’ve been sitting on the stems to a few songs from this album for a while, determined to make a remix and then every time i do, i just end up blasting the album again. *shruggy guy emoji*

Wiki - No Mountains In Manhattan: my only complaint about Wik at this point is that he’s gotten so good at what he does, that it sounds like he doesn’t have to try anymore. sounding effortless isn’t a bad thing, though, and Wiki proves that you can sound comfortable without sounding lazy, you can flow like a motherfucker without claiming kingship, and you can continue to advance yr craft while also enjoying yrself.

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