B A L L P E E N ( ! ) B U L L E T I N S

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updated: December 11th, 2019

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Holiday card art by John Vernon Forbes
of TIJUANA HERCULES

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updated: October 18th, 2019

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- - - NOW - - -

CHILD ABUSE
"Imaginary Enemy"
Vinyl LP / MOD CD / Ultimate Edition / Digital

CHILD ABUSE "IMAGINARY ENEMY":
- The First WRITE-UPs are in:
"The long-running Brooklyn experimental trio are releasing their new album, and they’ll celebrate with a hometown Saturday matinee release show the next day. A portion of the proceeds from the show will go to a prevention organization for actual child abuse, and the band notes that the all-ages 2 PM matinee is “kid friendly.”
- BROOKLYN VEGAN

"a go-for-broke blast of rapid-fire drumming, rubbery bass line gumption, screeching bass guitar skeins, menacing, echoed death metal growls, and munchkin-like tweaked vocals..."
- REBEL NOISE

"awkwardly named, beautifully intense...!"
- The ORGAN UK

" Its absolute refusal to bow down to times could be seen as a political gesture in itself."
- I HEART NOISE

"...a pioneer of the Electrogrind Apocalypse"
- SKUG MAGAZINE

" You can not find a better, weird noise band on the planet."
- The OTHER ROCK SHOW

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CHILD ABUSE PDF One-Sheet cat #: GR137CD/LP/Digital

ABOUT CHILD ABUSE:
"...keeping the "fuck you" spirit of punk rock alive, actualizing their very own genre defying, almost avant-garde psychosis .." - EXCLAIM!

"The math-y riffs and beats could sound clinical (the band cites composers Karlheinz Stockhausen and Charles Ives as influences ), but the sweat and grime it takes to execute them is wisely left intact. Let your pupils dilate and your brain liquefy… " - PITCHFORK

"New York's Child Abuse is a gloriously confrontational band, mixing the incoherent glugs of death metal, the dissonant meander of 12-tone composition, the atonal squonk of free-jazz, blasts of ucky noise, and a wet gob of old fashioned punk rock.” - VILLAGE VOICE

“The fits and starts and electronic buzzsaw effects are not unlike their labelmates HEALTH, and it lends the paradoxical appeal of being both grotesquely hardcore and liable for a Crystal Castles remix.” - POPMATTERS

“The Brooklyn noise mongers blew me away opening for The Flying Luttenbachers and their full-length delivers the same relentlessly technical, bruising wallop of their live show. Imagine a combination of Foetus, Whitehouse and The Locust, and you will have a pretty vivid sense of the aural beating you're in for.” - BIG TAKEOVER

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ABOUT THE NAME:
"Oran Canfield (musician, author and son of Jack Canfield of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series - which has more than 500 million copies in print in over 40 languages) writes that his birth in 1974 was presided over by 10 Buddhist monks who chanted throughout the 72-hour delivery. His parents, Timothy Leary-types who ran a holistic health centre in Massachusetts, dined on the placenta. As Canfield describes in his memoir of growing up in a dysfunctional family, he was cared for by "a community of weird therapists, early self-help freaks and drug-experimenting hippies" for the first year of his life... - THE GUARDIAN

"Child Abuse? Well, what monster is in favor of that? Some victims of it will recoil at the phrase; others can deal with it just fine. The band Child Abuse has been around for a decade and plays a noisy, jazzy brand of metal. They’re not a bunch of juvenile fools, but rather a serious group who feature Tim Dahl, a member also of Lydia Lunch Retrovirus. The thing is, provocative, puerile names have for decades inhabited punk and other styles of rock, as well as hiphop. And those of dainty sensibilities should probably never venture into extreme metal, where monikers like Anal Cunt, Goatwhore, and Napalm Death reign. These names usually serve as blatant code for a certain type of person who fancies him/herself a nonconformist, a connoisseur of shock...” - THE STRANGER

"When we started, Oran was playing a real small drum set and I was playing this crappy Casio keyboard, which I’m still playing, and it seemed really descriptive. It was like this real brutal children’s music. I don’t think we realized the weight behind the name in terms of the varying responses we have gotten,” he says. “But there’s no escaping it now. It would be a cop-out if we changed the name.” - THE WASHINGTON POST

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4"x4" VINYL MAGNET

In their 15 years of existence, CHILD ABUSE have become much more than a jarring name. The NY trio has fused elements of Noise, Death Metal, Free Jazz, Modern Classical and Grind (among other things) into something entirely their own, all the while becoming one of the most innovative, and polarizing bands in New York. ”Imaginary Enemy”, the band's 4th full-length album, expands on their forays into previously uncharted musical territory, while remaining true to their unmistakable sound.

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HIGHLIGHTS / SELLING POINTS:

CHILD ABUSE is bassist / vocalist Tim Dahl (renowned for his work with the likes of Lydia Lunch, The Flying Luttenbachers, Eugene Chadbourne and Tatsuya Yoshida), multi-instrumentalist Eric Lau, drummer / author Oran Canfield (whose Memoire: “Long Past Stopping ” was released by Harper Collins) - plus guest vocalist Eric Paul (of Psychic Graveyard / Arab On Radar).
Cover art by Albert Oehlen
“The foremost painter of the era." - The NEW YORKER
Ultimate Edition includes a 4 x 4 inch square High Gloss Vinyl Magnet insert bundled with the MOD Compact Disc and Vinyl LP.
CHILD ABUSE have recently performed in both North and South America and have just completed a European tour.

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CHILD ABUSE "Imaginary Enemy"is now available -
visit the SKiN GRAFT Paypal Shop or Bandcamp Store.

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ITEM!: YOWIE "Cryptooology" turns FIFTEEN!
- - On Sale This Weekend - Only at our BANDCAMP Page!

Defenestrator writes:
Fifteen years ago, Yowie’s first album, Cryptooology, was released (note: there is no “z” in the title, and that’s not a typo). This was a raucous time in each of the band members’ lives for various reasons. I was in grad school working 80 hours a week and pulling in $500 a month, living in Jennings, Missouri (for those unaware, Jennings is adjacent to the much more affluent Ferguson). Every spare minute, for years, we refined our structures on the chalk board, forcing ourselves to play parts that were as non-intuitive as possible, while trying to trim out any whiff of redundancy. Never having had a drum lesson or musical training of any kind, we created a method of notation based on mathematics, and our own idiosyncratic system of symbols. We experimented around with various ways to break the general “rules” of music we had intuited from more standard songwriting (even the weirder stuff), despite not really knowing the foundations they were based on in any formal way. The tunings, the stringing, the meters, the number of bars, the basic structure of the drum beats; everything was the subject of scrutiny and assault. The music was a form of protest, but also a means of challenging ourselves and any listeners we might happen upon, which at the time was mostly a group of 7-8 dudes standing with their arms folded, looking confused and asking questions like, “Are they improvising?”

I was rattled, going into the studio for the first time in my life. Being in an artificial environment, with mics in my way at awkward angles, listening to a very strange mix of the guitars coming in, while reciting large strings of numbers in my head…really felt like a form of torture. I still loathe studio work to this day. Out of economic necessity, we recorded the album in one day, and the guy who ran the studio let Lil’ Pumpkin record some overdubs the next day for free. We were completely broke, so the $390 we spent on that day and a half in the studio tapped us out. We got a hold of a (let’s call it complimentary) music editing/mixing/mastering program, and, again, not having any idea what we were doing, just dove in and spent the next year learning how to operate the program, ending up with dozens of different mix and master combinations that we listened to on ghetto ass computer speakers. Looking back on it, it was a laughably clusterfucked process, and what we lacked in talent and resources we tried to make up for in sheer determination that turned into a truly unreasonable numbers of hours at each stage.

It was only once we were nearly finished with this process that Skin Graft Records saw us open for Cheer-Accident, and offered to put out our brainchild, which was far beyond anything we had even considered for it. We were absolutely stoked, but we were so focused on our own esoteric thing, which included not giving a shit about details of “being in a band” that we didn’t even have song names or so much as an idea for album art. I remember telling Skin Graft that we just didn’t care about stuff like that, and them telling us that “no album art of any kind is not an option.” Being an obstinate pain in the ass, I replied, “We really don’t care about the art; we’ll just make some crayola marks on a bar napkin,” but when it turned out that Mark Fischer and Rob Syers were willing to make the album art for our budget (a.k.a. $0), and had ideas that worked with what we were doing, a non-crayola option won the day.

It still amazes me that this cartoonishly chaotic sounding music, made by amateurs living in abject poverty in a Jennings basement, who had no plan and no ambition for it outside of its intrinsic value, has allowed us to travel the world playing it. Having multiple American and European tours, and being able to share the stage with truly fantastic musicians, has been the most bizarre honor. Showing up in countries I’ve never visited and meeting people who were interested in or even inspired by this music is profoundly moving and simultaneously befuddling. It still makes me chuckle that somehow this worked out as well as it did. There’s lots more I could say about the craziness of how this all came to happen, but suffice it to say that this music had all of the odds stacked against it. There were so many barriers to it that I can’t even mention publicly. But here it is, 15 years old, and people still want to hear it live. It’s a pretty safe bet you will be able to hear it in new forms, coming soon. Soon in Yowie terms. As with everything with this band, you know, shit’s complicated.

Thank you to every single one of you who gives a damn.

Much love.

Defenestrator

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We have a special for the album in honor of its anniversary this weekend, just in case you have been waiting 15 years for your copy.

P.S.: One of the coolest things about maintaining this website all of these years is that we can look back and see where we were back in the day. HERE is what was written about Cryptooology at sg dot com back on the eve of its release - way back in 2004!

Thanks!

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MORE NEW NEWS:

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updated: September 20th, 2019

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- - - NOW STREAMING - - -

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KOENJIHYAKKEI PDF One-Sheet cat #: GR136 LP/CD

Hello Everyone -

This is Mark filling on for the perpetually absent Jazzy Joe Romita.

Today marks the release of KOENJIHYAKKEI "Angherr Shisspa: Revisited", a very special resissue of KOENJIHYAKKEI's fourth album that SKiN GRAFT originally released back in 2005. This time it's being made available on LP / CD / Digital - and in an Ultimate Edition that brings together a Poster-Lyric sheet, a Colored Vinyl LP and the CD with Three Bonus Live tracks.

One of those bonus tracks - "Fettim Paillu (Live 2005)" - takes center stage in a rare live performance video that just premeired over at the Everything Is Noise website. The recording shows the line-up that recorded "Angherr Shisspa" at the peak of their powers.

At the time - Tatsuya Yoshida, Sakamoto Kengo and Keiko Komori were joined by vocalist Kyoko Yamamoto and keyboardist Miyako Kanazaw. For contrast, EIN is also hosting live videos of "Angherr Shisspa" and "Rattims Friezz" performed by the current line-up (sans Kei who joined the band on guitar just prior to the recording of last year's "Dhorimviskha" album). Those videos are just a few of the many songs found on the "Live At Koenji High" DVD, which is available HERE.

- And to push our celebration just a few steps further, a gallery of rare photos of the 2005 line-up has been gathered together and can be found below.

Early coverage of "Angherr Shisspa: Revisted" has started coming in. Here are some samples...

"A dizzying labyrinth of a record that leads you on a twisting, turning journey without ever running into a dead end." - JOYZINE

"Tatsuya Yoshida and Zeuhl masters, Koenjihyakkei, will soon present an updated version of their classic “Angherr Shisspa” album and “Rattims Friezz (Live 2005)” emphatically proves the ability of the band to play their exacting music in a live setting. - PROGZILLA

"Performed with superhuman technique in confoundingly catchy, complex arrangements... Japan’s Post-Math Core, Avant Progressive band Koenjhyakkei will reissue their landmark fourth album “Angherr Shisspa” on vinyl, in a new compact disc edition with three bonus CD only tracks, and as a mailorder-only Ultimate Edition." - UNITE ASIA

"The band showcase their unusual approach to arrangement, song structure, rhythm, and melody to provide an intense and immersive extravanganza of a track, one that will lift the listener into otherworldly spheres." - EVERYTHING IS NOISE

"One of Zeuhl’s greatest artists!" - THE PROGRESSIVE TRACKS SHOW

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KOENJIHYAKKEI "Angherr Shisspa: Revisited" is now shipping and can be ordered at both the SKiN GRAFT Paypal Shop and the SKiN GRAFT Bandcamp Store.  You'll find much more info on this release in our July 5th, 2019 update HERE.

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AVAILABLE to ORDER at the

or the SKiN GRAFT Records BANDCAMP Store.

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MORE NEW NEWS:

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updated: August 30th, 2019

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- NOW UP FOR PRE-ORDERS -

CHILD ABUSE
"Imaginary Enemy"
Vinyl LP / MOD CD / Ultimate Edition / Digital

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CHILD ABUSE "Imaginary Enemy" will be released on October 18th, 2019 and is now available to pre-order at the SKiN GRAFT Paypal Shop and the SKiN GRAFT Bandcamp Store. 

For more details, check out this PDF one-sheet!

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MORE NEW NEWS:

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updated: August 16th, 2019

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NOW AVAILABLE AT BANDCAMP:

PSYCHIC GRAVEYARD: EAST COAST
TOUR DATES:
8/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
8/23 Youngstown, OH @ Western Bowl
8/24 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
8/25 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Lounge
8/26 Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus Lounge
w/ The Flying Luttenbachers
10/18 Providence, RI @ AS220
10/19 Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw w/ Oh Sees
10/20 Boston, MA @ Great Scott

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"The NEXT WORLD" AVAILABLE to ORDER at the

or the SKiN GRAFT Records BANDCAMP Store.

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MORE DETAILS BELOW!

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updated: July 19th, 2019

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- UP FOR PRE-ORDERS -


PSYCHIC GRAVEYARD
"The Next World"
Five-Song MOD COMPACT DISC EP
( out August 16th, 2019 )

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- WORLD PREMIERE -

PSYCHIC GRAVEYARD "The Next World" Video
streaming debut at ALTERNATIVE PRESS Magazine

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PSYCHIC GRAVEYARD PDF One-Sheet cat #: GR135CD

"Aren’t you weary of dudes with bad haircuts and sleeves rendered by tremens-laden tat artists whose best years were up during the first Monsters Of Rock tour? Psychic Graveyard's “The Next World” is weird enough to corrupt all the songs in your phone and slinky enough to watch your honey dance to it as the cough syrup they slipped you starts to take effect." - Jason Pettigrew / Editor in Chief, ALTERNATIVE PRESS

"..formerly of noise-rock greats Arab On Radar, he and the rest of the group have not mellowed."
- BROOKLYN VEGAN

"If you want to hear the future now, here it is." - GET INTO THIS

"The pulse lies in the minimal, but forceful thump of the drums and the thick veneer of synth tones… it’s industrial, menacing, and claustrophobic..." - BOSTON HASSLE

“A brutal, improbable electro-experimental sound performed with disconcerting mastery, sometimes inching towards synth punk, but really beyond influence."
- METAL ORGIE

"BREAKING: “The recently formed four-piece will tour the UK and Europe in support of “Loud As Laughter”.
- THE QUIETUS



ITEM! “The Next World”; the new Five Song follow up EP to Psychic Graveyard’s debut album “Loud As Laughter”; finds the band taking new risks and marks a startling leap forward. Founded by noise rock pioneers Eric Paul (Arab On Radar, The Chinese Stars, Doomsday Student), Paul Vieira (The Chinese Stars, Doomsday Student) and Nathan Joyner (Some Girls, All Leather, Hot Nerds), Psychic Graveyard have slipped past the boundaries of genre, interpenetrated the digital and physical realms and pieced together the soundtrack to the new aesthetic.

According to the band, the process of writing “Loud As Laughter” involved constant exploration - at points the album focused heavily on guitars and live drums, at others - the songs were constructed primarily with synths, found sounds and synthetic beats; but with the “The Next World” EP all of these disparate elements have coalesced into a cohesive, unmistakable sound.

After a series of remix singles, the band elected to bring in an outside party to enhance the EP’s original tracks. “The Next World” was mixed by Seth Manchester of Machines With Magnets, a studio known for working extensively with The Body, Lightning Bolt, Battles, Fang Island, Daughters and Deer Tick to name a few. A music video of the title track, animated by Eric Livingston (director of Dead Cross: Seizure and Desist), is out now.

PSYCHIC GRAVEYARD "The Next World" will be released on August 16th, 2019 and is now available to pre-order at the SKiN GRAFT Paypal Shop and the SKiN GRAFT Bandcamp Store. 

Physical and digital orders placed at Bandcamp will include an immediate download of the title track.

For more details, check out the PDF one-sheetabove
- and if you are in the vicinity, catch them on tour - dates below!

WEST COAST TOUR DATES:
7/25 Seattle, WA @ Funhouse
7/26 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
7/27 Portland, OR @ Twilight 
7/29 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
7/30 Los Angeles, CA @ Resident 
7/31 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
8/1 Tijuana, MX @ Lycanthro Pub

EAST COAST TOUR DATES:
8/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage Lounge
8/23 Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
8/24 Richmond, VA @ Richmond Music Hall
8/25 @ Baltimore, MD @ Metro Lounge
8/26 Brooklyn, NY @ St. Vitus Lounge
w/ The Flying Luttenbachers
10/20 Boston, MA @ Great Scott

"The NEXT WORLD" AVAILABLE for PRE-ORDER at the

or the SKiN GRAFT Records BANDCAMP Store.

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CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS

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