If you like your folkish Americana with a large twist of David Lynch, then Bee & Flower should be right up your deserted stretch of backwoods road. It’s maybe hard to push boundaries in this particular genre, but then I guess that that’s not really the point. It’s more about atmosphere and quality songwriting, and those are things that Bee & Flower have in spades.

The group was formed at the start of the century by the multi-talented Dana Schechter, who up til then had been playing in Michael Gira’s post-Swans group Angels of Light. Since then she has gone on to collaborate with a veritable who’s who of alt-Americana, including members of Sparklehorse, Calexico and The Bad Seeds, not to mention having string arrangements supplied by Jim “Foetus” Thirwell. If a collab list like that doesn’t pique your interest, then truly I fear for your soul. If you’re after more tangible evidence, however, here’s some music:

Bee & Flower - “I Know Your Name”
 

 
Bee & Flower - “Homeland”
 

 
Bee & Flower - “Green Glasses”
 

Although Bee & Flower formed in Brooklyn, Schechter now resides in Berlin where the last couple of B&F albums were recorded (2007’s Last Sight Of Land and the upcoming Suspension). Tonight however she and the band will be back in Brooklyn for a one-off, free gig at the Zebulon (258 Wythe Ave) along with four other acts. They will also be giving away copies of their 7” single “Dust & Sparks” to 3 lucky people to help celebrate Record Store Day.

Yes, I said the show is free (the favored price of the next generation) so if you are around be sure to check it out. If you’re not lucky enough to live in Brooklyn or New York, here is a live video of B&F in Berlin from 2007.

Bee & Flower - “Don’t Say Don’t Worry”
 

For more info on Bee & Flower, this is their official website, and here is band’s tumblr.

 
Professional and amateur footage captured with cell phones, camcorders and Super 8 from over 200 sources combine to create the kinetic documentary All Tomorrow’s Parties. Compiled by director by Jonathan Caouette (Tarnation), ATP is a tightly edited collage of live performances, interviews and archival movies which captures the D.I.Y. spirit of one of the best and most fiercely independent music fests on the planet.

With performances by Grinderman, Dirty Three , Sonic Youth, Animal Collective, Lightning Bolt, Patti Smith, Portishead, Slint, Mogwai, Grizzly Bear, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Iggy and The Stooges.

And for our Spanish speaking friends, it has Spanish subtitles.
 

 
Parts two through six after the jump…

 
For a week in February of 1972 John Lennon and Yoko Ono co-hosted the Mike Douglas Show and America was introduced to macrobiotics, experimental film, bio-feedback, Elephant’s Memory, Yippee prankster Jerry Rubin and Chuck Berry sitting yoga-style watching it all pass before his bemused eyes.

The footage of John and Yoko playing “Johnny B. Goode” and “Memphis” with Chuck Berry is all over YouTube. It’s not included here. The clips that I’m sharing have been less available ever since they went out of print. While not as musically historic as the footage of Berry and Lennon playing together, these conversations with John and Yoko are a charming and inspiring look at one of rock and roll’s great marriages. The love and respect between Lennon and Ono is palpable and you can feel the creative energy that is sparking between them. And their earnest enthusiasm in turning people on to new ways of treating their bodies and brains is testimony to John and Yoko’s continuing journey in raising consciousness, ours and theirs. Their message is refreshingly free of cynicism and rock star jadedness.

Mike Douglas seems genuinely engaged by John and Yoko.

We begin with day two of John and Yoko’s residency, February 16,1972.
 

 
Berry and bio-feedback after the jump…

 
Crazy audio and visual fan-made project for Twin Peaks nuts titled “A Witch House & Okkvlt Guide to Twin Peaks“ by various artists. You can get the CD here.

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
“Diane…” the Twin Peaks tapes of Agent Cooper

(via Nerdcore)

 
Charles Laufer creator of Tiger Beat magazine has died.

For teenyboppers of the 1960s Tiger Beat magazine spoke to them loud and clearly about the things they loved the most: pop stars, cute boys, fashion and rock and roll. With its colorful covers and bold poster-like graphics, Tiger Beat was a gateway magazine to Creem and Rolling Stone.

Charles Laufer, who as a high school teacher in 1955 despaired that his students had nothing entertaining to read and responded with magazines aimed at teenage girls desperate to know much, much more about the lives of their favorite cute stars, died April 5 in Northridge, Calif. He was 87.

Mr. Laufer’s best-known magazine was Tiger Beat, published monthly. With its spinoff publications and its competitors, of which the most popular was 16 Magazine, Tiger Beat had it all covered — or at least what mattered most to girls from about 8 to 14. The Beach Boys’ loves! Jan and Dean’s comeback! The private lives of the Beatles!”

While The Beatles and Beach Boys sold magazines, it was The Monkees that put Tiger Beat on the map and turned it into a profitable enterprise.

Recognizing the Monkees’ potential, he put them on the cover of Tiger Beat. That put the still-struggling publication in the black, and he signed an exclusive deal for special Monkee magazines, Monkee picture books and Monkee love beads, which added to the bonanza.”

 

 
Tiger Beat looked like pop music sounded, fun!
 

 
Obituary at the New York Times.

 
TV On The Radio’s new album Nine Types Of Light was released today and it’s the most accessible collection they’ve made to date and will undoubtedly attract a shitload of new fans. And it deserves it. The band has created an album of lush surfaces underpinned by deep grooves and beautiful hooks. I started listening last night and it’s that rare album that hangs together as a whole satisfying work, capturing you immediately and revealing new pleasures with each listening. This sucker has legs.

The band put together a film for Nine Types Of Light.

The movie is meant to be a visual re-imagining of the record, and includes a music video for every song on the album. The band personally asked their friends and the filmmakers they admired to help direct the music videos. Tunde Adebimpe, the director for the full Nine Types of Light movie, storybooked the music videos together with interviews from local New Yorkers on various topics, including dreams, love, fame and the future. Tunde also directed the music video for Forgotten.”

This when the Internet and music coalesce in a way that rocks my world. What a blessing.

Adebimpe’s take on the film: “We as a band always have so many ideas for things that aren’t just musical… And for less than the price of a Maroon 5 video, you can make a full-length feature.”

Watch it and listen.
 

 
It’s time to even out the love for Throbbing Gristle members Genesis P. Orridge and Peter Christopherson here on DM, with some overdue appreciation of the original “Other Two,” Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti. If you need an introduction, I will refer you back to yesterday’s post on the excellent interview with the pair at their home studio, courtesy of Electric Independence. 

Electronic music pioneers, and also of dance music strains that went on to be called “Italo” and “Industrial,” C&C have been re-issuing their back catalog over the past few months. The first two albums of four, Heartbeat and Trance came out in 2010 the duo’s own CTI label, and the final two in a series of four, Exotika and Songs Of Love And Lust were re-issued earlier this year. The releases have been remastered and repackaged for limited edition vinyl, and are also available to download digitally.

The closest comparison between the works of Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey (now known as Carter Tutti) would probably be that of Joy Division and New Order. Without sounding particularly similar, both TG and Joy Division were dark, intense, noisy and at times morbid bands who gave birth to projects that took electronic music in a much more upbeat, danceable, poppy direction. It’s complete supposition on my part, but I can’t help but think that tracks like “October Love Song” had a big influence on Sumner & chums:

Chris & Cosey - “October Love Song”
 

 
Chris & Cosey - “Walking Through Heaven”
 

 
Chris & Cosey - “Exotika”
 

 
Chris & Cosey - “Re-Education Through Labour”
 

 
The albums I mentioned above are linked to their respective purchase/listen pages on Boomkat—however there is LOTS more C&C material that can be purchased on the site (two pages worth)—just type in “Chris & Cosey” and have a look.

 
In 1983 Serge Gainsbourg paid homage to Screaming Jay Hawkins on French TV by singing his praises and joining Mr. Hawkins in a down and dirty rendition of “Constipation Blues.”

The first couple minutes of the clip are a portion of the performance in a rarely seen high quality version followed by the performance in full in less than stellar looking form. But it all sounds good.

There’s not alot of artists who could shut Serge up but Screaming Jay does a pretty good job of it. The mad man of Paris may have met his match.
 

 
Alan “The Yodelmeister” Arnopole of Peju Winery in Napa Valley has developed some skilz beyond his knowledge of wine. 

Can Eminem do this?
 

 
Via PCL.

 
A new episode of Electric Independence has gone online at VBS.tv, and it features an excellent interview with Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni Tutti (aka Carter-Tutti/Chris & Cosey) seminal electronic musicians and one half of Throbbing Gristle.  We find out how the couple met, how they were introduced to electronic music and their life in (and after) Throbbing Gristle. Gear heads are also in for a treat as the duo talk about the synths and equipment they use and have used, including some rare home made synths by Carter. It’s also heartening to see them keeping bang up to date with technology, including the use of Kaoss pads and BC8 synths, and recording their music with Ableton Live on a MacBook.
 

 
Previously on DM:
Happy Birthday Chris Carter: ‘The Spaces Between’ LP re-issue