SKiN GRAFT News for You's

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

updated: September 12th, 2008

AIDS WOLF "Cities Of Glass" CD

NEW RELEASES

The CHINESE STARS "TV Grows Arms" EP
WHITE VINYL 12"

IN THE NEWS:

AIDS WOLF
vv - Cities Of Glass - the new album!
The CHINESE STARS
vv - TV Grows Arms 12" EP on White Vinyl & new video!
ARAB ON RADAR
vv - Taking pre-orders: DVD and Yahweh: Vinyl Reference Master!
MADE IN MEXICO
vv - New album this November & far-out fashion photos!
SIDES 11-14
vv - The revolutionary SIDES line-up revealed!

Salütes Sound Seekers ( ! )
SKiN GRAFT's Ace Reporter, "Jazzy" Joe Romita here with another staggering summary of the frankly phenomenal feats fathered at the famed fount of flabbergast... the forever favored, far-from faddish, far-flung frontiersmen of the fashionable Fort SKiN GRAFT!!!! Face front, frenzied ones!!!!

Greetings O' Gallant Glommers of Graft! Welcome to another winning weblog of warm and witty wisdom, woven by your way-out wunderkind, Jazzy Joe Romita! This is the update the first through fourth worlds have been clamoring for - so lets get to it - right about NOW!

Cities Of Glass

ITEM! Here it is! Those months of impatient pittering, weeks of pine-filled pattering, and days of panic stricken putzing have (to put it plainly) positively past! Your punctual pals at the palace of perfection have heard your pained, impassioned pleas - (!) - stick a fork in it fellows - AIDS WOLF has arrived!!!

"Cities Of Glass" is the trump card listeners have feared AIDS Wolf would play. In a studio setting, "producer par perfecta-mundo" Weasel Walter has captured the unbound brutality, soured hardcore riff-agility and punishing power-ability listeners have experienced at AIDS Wolf's live shows, put it to tape and now your fast-buck fashionistas at Skin Graft Rex have replicated said songs for mass consumption! The press release follows...

The Nine Principles of AIDS Wolf
1. Maintain a Daily Ritual. Music is like breathing, eating, sleeping, pissing, and, with any luck, fucking. Music must be a physical need and a mental compulsion.

2. Live Aesthetic Immersion. There is no reason a sonic composition cannot be inspired by or contribute to a drawing, a tasty curry, or one's choice of socks.

3. When in Doubt, Bum Them Out. If you can't convert 'em, make 'em run crying and holding their ears.

4. Get in the Van.

5. Seek Strength through Strength. Gear's gotta be carried, sleep must be forsaken, and tours have to be survived.

6. Join the Family. Camaraderie with other bands is not only inspiring but also serves as a vital metrics by which to measure one's own perceived worth.

7. Allow for Sonic Fields of Nothing. The use of negative space in music creates new dynamics, abstracts the obvious, and challenges both the creator and the audience.

8. Lift Anchor and Set Sail. De-anchoring compositions by dispensing with a bass guitar allows AIDS Wolf to make rhythm the central feature of its performances.

9. Become the Weird Punks. Remember when punk was weird and when weird was punk? Destroy genre straight jackets and move out of the comfortable.

Now that you have committed these principles to memory, we encourage further study through “Cities Of Glass”, the second album from AIDS Wolf. Once immersed in these tenets, you can be assured of finding failure and misery as you bring them with you into the wider world.

The first reviews are in courtesy of Canada's HOUR Magazine:
"Montreal's best band adds a boatload of kerosene to the ferocious firestorms on record number two, the pounding, beautified and crystallized Cities of Glass. The sophomore effort is a lesson in skronk and buzz, a no-nonsense twin guitar air raid on the senses..."

Here's the Hour article and CD Review in full:
AIDS WOLF: A Band of Principles
AIDS WOLF: Cities Of Glass Review
AIDS Wolf practice what they preach and will be touring big time in support of Cities of Glass - the first round of live dates has just been added to the Tours page HERE!

AIDS WOLF "Cities Of Glass" is in-stock now and the initial run of CD's includes a fantastic retina-frying fluorescent orange ink amorously added to the to the full-color artwork. Seripop (Chloe and Yannick - 2/4ths of AIDS Wolf) have designed a handful of hand-crafted screen printed posters to celebrate the release and said posters are available in a special mailorder bundle combining the stunning CD and the lovely LPU LP (A bundle consisting of just the Gatefold LP and CD is also available for cavepersons who's walls are already scribbled full). And to keep options open, a limited number of posters are also available for purchase individually (rolled in a tube). To order, visit the PAYPAL Shop and fill her up! If you prefer your music in a more ethereal format - you'll find Cities Of Glass available for digital downloading at all of your favorite content providers. And if grandma is gonna take some convincing before she parts with the plentiful pennies in her purse, take her to our sampling center at the SKiN GRAFT AUDIO page and crank the hearing aid up to 11!

Join us for more on AIDS Wolf info next time!

The CHINESE STARS Left Brain Video:

ITEM! The wizened among you might recall a while back when we offered Kitty Play's CHINESE STARS "TV Grow Arms"12" vinyl release for direct distribution through our hurdy-sturdy Skin Graft shop. They went awfully quick, and in the time since, hundreds of harried non-hearers have written, wondering if we just so happened to have any spare copies lying around. Take down the noose, natives - we are happy announce that we can once again offer the TV Grows arms 12" - and this time it's better than ever (!) cuz this extremely limited run has been pressed on wondrous white wax! Yes, the wait is over and no longer will hepcats hankering for 12 inches of virginal white vinyl succumb to the temptation to dip their black vinyl platters in buckets of bleach to enjoy that milky white goodness on their turntable. Sporting art by the ever-effluent Matt Brinkman, you can bet your bottom it's another jackpot, with 12 inches sure to please even the loosest of slots.

And The CHINESE STARS have just completed their new video for the track "Left Brain" (viewable up top), from the aptly-titled "Listen To Your Left Brain" LP (available from Skin Graft on contrasting black vinyl). To order, surf thee HERE. Need directions? You'll find "Listen To Your Left Brain in the "LP" section and "TV Grows Arms" in the "Everything Else" Department.

Yahweh ltd edition LP

Sunshine DVD

ITEM! And shipping soon - (!) - A double whammy from those legendary loud-makers - ARAB ON RADAR! First up, the hyper-limited, mailorder-only ARAB ON RADAR “Yahweh Or The Highway: vinyl reference master” LP! This companion piece to this summer's “Soak The Saddle: vinyl reference master” has been produced in a limited edition of 144 hand-numbered copies! And second up - the ARAB ON RADAR Sunshine For Shady People DVD - assembled from a multitude of sources by the band themselves, Sunshine retells the story of the band for those too young to have been there or too high to remember. This one is coming at us care of 31G - and we are pleased to offer an exclusive deal on both AOR items at a discounted price to our frankly fucked-up fan base. To lock you orders in at the cheapie price - visit the Paypal Shop lickety split!

ITEM! It's been a long time coming, but this one is worth it's wait in gold - the magnificent MADE IN MEXICO have just put the finishing touches on their new long-player "Guerillaton"! Even Jazzy hasn't heard this one yet, but my early eared informant has described it thusly: "Hey Jazzy -Yeah, I just heard it! It's wild - sorta No Wave crossed with Reggaeton!!? Like Teenage Jesus and the Jerks mixed with Calle 13, or Daddy Yankee or.... You know that song "Yes We Can" from Guitar Hero II? That one's on there. It totals 13 tracks. Fuck, man - You'll have to hear it yourself!"

Rest assured, by the time we reconvene with our next update, Jazzy will have taken this one in and your nifty newsman is prepared to promise a first look at the cover art to boot! In the meantime, MIM's fab frontwoman Rebecca Mitchell is above the covers of the new issue of PROVIDENCE MONTHLY - and is featured in a multi-page pictorial titled "Glitter and Glam" gussied up in all the latest looks (but Rebecca provided the sunglasses!)! For you non-Providence peoples, the mag has graciously agreed to put the pics up on-line, so visit HERE!

COMING THIS NOVEMBER:

ITEM! Ever since word leaked that the long-promised fourth installment of the SIDES 7" and comic book series would be released before the year's end, speculation as to the line-up has run rampant. Well, we hope all those bets have been placed, because we can now announce the bands participating in the palette-pickling pair of platters we call the SIDES 11-14 double 7" and comic book set!

YOWIE

COLOSSAMITE

SIDE 11) YOWIE
"Dunderdruck“
Their first recording since the killer "Cryptooology", the newly reformed YOWIE debuts with "Dunderdruck" geometrically inspired by "Thunderstruck" to take the listener on a technically impeccable, hyper-alien-math-rock sugar high - played with spaghetti-strung guitars and stop on a dime drums.

SIDE 12) COLOSSAMITE
"Anti-Christ Devil Child“
The members of Gorge Trio (John and Ed of Deerhoof plus percussionist Chad Popple) and Nick Sakes (vocalist of Dazzling Killmen / Sicbay) unite one final time!

SIDE 13) PRE
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap“
London’s lovely No Wave naughties apply their merry-go-round grind to the certified classic “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”.

SIDE 14) MULE
"Have A Drink On Me“
Vaulted for 10 years and previously unreleased, here is the final recording from the legendary Touch and Go / Quarterstick Recording artist, featuring the restrained redneck blues of PW Long on vocals and guitar.

PLUS:
The whole kit and kaboodle comes complete with a densely illustrated 20 page wraparound comic book sleeve written and drawn by Skin Graft's Mark Fischer. An initial eyeing of the front cover can take place up-top!

PRE will be touring the US with select dates this Fall (Chicago that means you) - and both YOWIE and PRE are preparing new albums for release in 2009! Woo!

Look for SIDES 11-14 this November alongside MADE IN MEXICO's "Guerillaton".

And that, pals, is that! Be here next time when I'll razzle you with more info on AIDS WOLF's "Cities Of Glass", frazzle you with the skinnies on the aforementioned ARAB ON RADAR “Yahweh Or The Highway: vinyl reference master” LP and Sunshine For Shady People DVD, and dazzle you with your first peak at the cover art for MADE IN MEXICO's "Guerillaton"! Til then, be good to yourself - and each other, preferably by promptly purchasing countless copies of our rambunctious releases from your local record retailer or direct via our ever-lovin' paypal shop. Nothing, but nothing says I Love You like AIDS Wolf Cities Of Glass (on ice)!

Brrrr! Chills!

Excel-sore!

"JAZZY" JOE ROMITA

MORE NEW NEWS:

updated: July 28th, 2008

LAKE OF DRACULA "S/T: Special Edition" CD

NOW TAKING ORDERS

LAKE OF DRACULA "SiNRAFT Live: 1996" CD

KOENJIHYAKKEI "070531" DVD

AIDS WOLF / NIGHT WOUNDS "Split" LP

IN THE NEWS:

LAKE OF DRACULA
vv - SELF-TITLED debut and SINRAFT bootleg: both remastered!
KOENJIHYAKKEI
vv - New DVD in stock now!
AIDS WOLF / NIGHT WOUNDS
vv - Split 12" now in stock!
PRE
vv - Some PRE-liminary Plans: USA Tour and next album?

Salütes Sound Seekers ( ! )
SKiN GRAFT's Ace Reporter, "Jazzy" Joe Romita here with another staggering summary of the frankly phenomenal feats fathered at the famed fount of flabbergast... the forever favored, far-from faddish, far-flung frontiersmen of the fashionable Fort SKiN GRAFT!!!! Face front, frenzied ones!!!!

Many moons ago when the last of the LAKE OF DRACULA "Self-titled" discs set sail for some lucky mailorder customer, an executive order came down from above - "Stop The Presses" - and at that very moment, LOD's sole studio full-length went out of print. The months that followed saw peni plummet and suicides soar as earnest ears tried time and again to order this monumental masterwork to no avail...

SKiN GRAFT version

ITEM! But now, the methods to our madness can be made clear as we unveil LAKE OF DRACULA's magnum opus ANEW (!) - in A NEW special edition! For this re-release "Wily" Weasel Walter went back to the original recordings, masterfully remastering the audio for maximum penetration! Now you and your fair-weather friend can enjoy hits like "Plague Of Frogs", "Cherries And Socks" and "Dracula VS Frankenstein" as never before!

But that's not all - in addition to the complete studio album, we've also unearthed the master tapes of the notorious SiNRAFT bootleg 7" that captured LAKE OF DRACULA LIVE at the height of their powers - and these tracks too have been remastered for inclusion on this new LOD special edition - at no extra cost to you!!!

Here's the official press release:

Relive No Wave's summer of love! L.O.D. layer vicious, angular guitar and obtuse, howling vocals over propulsive, throbbing dance beats in an unprecedented melange of excitement and alienation! Assembled from the lineups of THE FLYING LUTTENBACHERS, COUCH, SCISSOR GIRLS and U.S. MAPLE; LAKE OF DRACULA raise the wooden stakes for all them so-called "Super Groups". It's Clobberin' Time! 16 incomparable tracks - produced by Jim O'Rourke (Brise-Glace, Yona-Kit, Sonic Youth) and remastered by Weasel Walter.

As an extra special bonus, this new edition of Lake Of Dracula's studio album has been augmented with the four legendary tracks from the infamous SINRAFT Bootleg 7" single - recorded live at the FIRESIDE BOWL in Chicago - and also remixed exclusively for this release.

Video of LAKE OF DRACULA at the FIRESIDE BOWL:

PRESS QUOTES:
o "(Weasel) Walter adds layers and layers of cacophonous distortion... Vocalist Marlon Magas drowns in reverb U.S. Maple frontman Al Johnson (aka the Manhattanite) adds background vocals... Scissor Girls drummer Heather Melowic adds simplistic, yet furious, drumming... Lake of Dracula manages to create a big noise that's not soon forgotten." - All Music Guide

o "The best Now Wave No Wave album ever.” - Runny Noise

SiNRAFT Version

Now, as fate would have it, just as we were going to press, the rabble rousers at SINRAFT Records have simultaneously re-issued the remastered LAKE OF DRACULA bootleg 7" on CD - and just so happened to include the LOD studio album as 16 bonus tracks!!! Naturally, the SKiN GRAFT port authorities have seized all 300 copies and for a limited time, we are offering them for distribution worldwide.

So now the difficult part: Which to choose? While the awe-inpiring audio is identical among the two releases, the packaging is completely different.

The new SKiN GRAFT produced Special Edition comes complete with a painstaking reproduction of the original LAKE OF DRACULA "self-titled" artwork - utilizing the legendary cover art and interior artwork that defined the neo-no wave genre.

The SiNRAFT produced bootleg version is packaged with entirely different artwork including incomprehensible Norwegian Liner Notes and stark, mysterious band photos.

Difficult decisions such as these have been know to send lesser listeners on a downward spiral to despair, resulting in pep-pill popping and devastating drinking binges. But have NO FEAR- Jazzy's here to take the boozing out of the choosing with a win-win option designed to please the even the staunchest of Skin Graft completists!!!!

We're pleased to present a special 2-Fer Deal that delivers both the SKiN GRAFT and SiNRAFT versions to your cage at a hearty discount for the simultaneous double dipper! This gives YOU all of the illustrious art you crave and the additional coinage helps to offset the sales we lost when the aforementioned SG fanatics offed themselves during the months LOD's Self-Titled" album was out of print. To order the SKiN GRAFT edition, SiNRAFT Edition or BOTH - click to the PAYPAL Shop and load up your shopping cart! And to hear what all the hubbub is about, we've put up not one, not three, but TWO MP3's at the SKiN GRAFT AUDIO page!

ITEM! And speaking of currently unavailable items, one of the most oft-requested distributed items from our catalog is the long sold-out KOENJIHYAKKEI "Live At Doors" DVD.

And its still sold out.

Yes, not a single, solitary copy sits in stock - but put away that pistol put-upon ones, your DVD Demigod has got even better news (!): a BRAND NEW live DVD from KOENJIHYAKKEI titled "070531" is now IN-STOCK and READY TO SELL OUT! Recorded on May 31st, 2007, this incredible performance includes an unforgettable line-up of musicians: Yoshida Tatsuya on drums and vocals, Sakamoto Kengo on bass, Komori Keiko performing soprano sax and clarinet, Kubota Aki on vocals with with special guests Imahori Tsuneo (guitarist of Tipographica) and Tsuboy Akihisa (violinist of KBB), plus Ishibashi Eiko and Hoppy Kamiyama on dualing keyboards.

These have been imported directly from Japan and they are ready to ship. Quantities are limited and we can not guarantee that we'll be able to restock them once our initial quantity sells out. To order, visit the “Everything Else” section of the Paypal Shop!

ITEM! With the release of AIDS Wolf's new full-length "Cities Of Glass" fast-approaching, anticipation is reaching a fever-pitch! Even as Jazzy types today's titillating trash and trivia tidbits, kountless kids are clutching their craniums, clamoring for the coronary -causing, kick to the keister kreativity that only AIDS Wolf can conceive! To soothe you savage beasts, the good ship SKiN GRAFT has brought aboard freshly minted copies of the brand-new AIDS WOLF / NIGHT WOUNDS split 12" LP! Pressed by those nutty no-good-nicks at NITCO, this peerless platter provides no less than FIVE cuts above from our own AW, plus another FIVE toe-tapping tunes from our from those nifty no-wavers NIGHT WOUNDS! Pleased purchasers will find kooky cover art by Seripop, so - to get what's coming to you - surf to the “Everything Else” section of the Paypal Shop forthwith!

ITEM! We'll have more info on AIDS Wolf, as well as the upcoming MADE IN MEXICO and SIDES 11-14 releases in the updates to come, but before he bids you adieu, Jazzy has just one last item to tickle your fancy. After their wildly successful tour of the US of A's West Coast a few months back, PRE is prepping for yet another jaunt to the USA this October! And while visiting, will lay down the follow up long-player to their unforgettable debut "Epic Fits" at Chicago's Electrical Audio - with the esteemed engineer who pressed "record" for such luminaries as DAZZLING KILLMEN, SHORTY and YONA-KIT! Yep, none other than Mr. Steve Albini will be at the controls this Fall!

OKAY- heavy those hearts and get that head to hanging, heroes, the time has come for the Jazzy One to bring his spellbinding sermon to a close. But before handing you the keys to the cage, let me leave you with those immortal words first uttered by Swiss Soothsayer Moritz Del Taco: "Bana Kweef Bolo Teaf!", which, when translated, comes out something like...

Excel-sore!

"JAZZY" JOE ROMITA

MORE NEW NEWS:

updated: June 30th, 2008

RARE ONES, WELL DONE

IN THE NEWS:

ARAB ON RADAR
vv - Soak The Saddle: vinyl reference master LP
CHEER-ACCIDENT
vv- "Sever Roots, Tree Dies" CD and more!
ERIC PAUL
vv - "I Offered Myself As The Sea" paperback
LAKE OF DRACULA
vv - Remastered CD plus 7" tracks coming soon
! KOENJIHYAKKEI
vv - Hundred Sights Of Koenji" CD reviewed
UPCOMING
vv - what's in the works?

Salütes Sound Seekers ( ! )
SKiN GRAFT's Ace Reporter, "Jazzy" Joe Romita here with another staggering summary of the frankly phenomenal feats fathered at the famed fount of flabbergast... the forever favored, far-from faddish, far-flung frontiersmen of the fashionable Fort SKiN GRAFT!!!! Face front, frenzied ones!!!!

Aloha Outcasts, Miscasts and Miscreants! Jazzy Joe is back with another batty barrage of bombastic bulletins, bursting with boisterous banter, bare-faced banality and bushels of unabashed bull! Kick off your high heels, hoist your heinie heavenward and lets hunker down with this week's motherload of misinformation! !!!

ITEM! Come a little closer kimosabee – this initial item is so hush hush, that we've stationed extra security at the entrances, demanded absolute radio silence and sent the interns out for pizza! The SKiN GRAFT vaults have been pried open to present you, the finicky, fustian-filled, fine-ear - a class-a collectible – the ARAB ON RADAR “Soak The Saddle: vinyl reference master” LP! Produced in a hyper-limited edition of 80 hand-numbered copies, this 12” vinyl record, painstakingly pressed from the original analog metal stampers - reproduces ARAB ON RADAR's “Soak The Saddle” album in it's entirety. In the past few months, we've allowed a few to slip out to distributors, friends and colleagues - and now the handful remaining are up for grabs via direct mailorder.

For those unfamiliar with ARAB ON RADAR's SKiN GRAFT debut, here's what the critics had to say back in the day:

"Soak the Saddle is jumbled, blathering, and spastic - shifting in and out of coherence, rambling on about quirky dirty-sex abstractions and childish dirty-diaper themes. This is experimental art punk with a large set of balls - kicked an uncountable number of times."- Blake Butler / All Music Guide

"The Ultimate Arab On Radar." - Deep Pockets

More info? You'll find a free MP3 sample at the SKiN GRAFT AUDIO page and can read more at AOR's BAND page. For mailorder instructions, go to the CATALOG Page, or click and pay your way to poverty by visiting the PAYPAL Shop! Please: Limit ONE copy per customer. Special Note: the ARAB ON RADAR retrospective film has been completed and will be manufactured on DVD by our pals at ThreeoneG Records. We are pleased to announce that we will be offering the ARAB ON RADAR "Sunshine For Shady People" DVD direct - along with a special offer for the Skin Graft elite! Watch this space!

ITEM! Unheard of! That's the response when quizzed on the near-mythical CHEER-ACCIDENT “Sever Roots, Tree Dies” LP. Yes, back in the Stone-Age, Cheer-Accident's debut album (editors note: following the “Life isn't like that” cassette) was available , but only in an edition of 500 copies - and THAT was it – until now! It is our pleasure to offer the brand-spanking new German import CD of CHEER-ACCIDENT “Sever Roots, Tree Dies” from our pals at Freakshow Productions

Here's a quickie review:
"Sever Roots, Tree Dies was Cheer-Accident's first release, and while the overused term 'avant-garde' is relevant, what I hear is a combination of '70s RIO (Henry Cow et al.), '80s King Crimson and some weirder shit. Its hidden depths release their murky secrets; there's an awful lot going on here - far more than the average brain can assimilate in a single sitting."
- Planet Mellotron

We've also brought abord some other CHEER-ACCIDENT rarities - including "Babies Shouldn't Smoke", The Why Album", "What Sequel" and Thymme Jones' "While" CD. You'll find them all tucked away in the “Everything Else” section of the paypal shop! And as promised in our last update, here is the Thymme Jones CHEER-ACCIDENT European Tour Report!

europe.

well... that was quite possibly the most nerve-wracking two weeks of our lives. but first let me tell you about some of the arduousness that went down before we even left the country...

first of all, i had to learn how to drive a car with stick shift. yep, that's right: all of those years delivering pizzas and i'd never learned how to drive a car with manual transmission. i must admit to feeling a bit of trepidation about this undertaking. dan burke had tried to teach me seventeen years ago on the way to colorado where we were to play a couple of illusion of safety shows. "you're a drummer. you've got coordination. it'll be a breeze." nope... [dan, haven't you ever noticed HOW i play the drums? i have no four-way coordination whatsoever-- my left foot doesn't do anything-- and i look like a complete imbecile. i also happen to be more than a little "mechanically challenged" in general. i inherited this from my dad, which reminds me... here's a joke i came up with after observing my dad trying to change the light bulb on the front porch of my parents' home in palatine a few thanksgivings ago: how many wendell joneses does it take to change a light bulb? more than one!! {two sisters, two nieces, a brother in law, and mom peered through the window of the front door, laughing uncontrollably, as the housing for the porch light came crashing down on my dad's head}]... (CONTINED HERE)

ITEM! Author! Author! Dept. Reading is fun-da-mental when it comes to Eric Paul, aka Mr. Pottymouth aka the vocalist of Arab On Radar, aka the vocalist of The Chinese Stars. His new Heartworm Press publication “I Offered Myself as the Sea” is a plentiful collection of painstakingly penned poems printed within a perfect bound paperback - under a Allison Cole cover! Like Eric's first book, Pussy Pow Wow, we are offering these through our paypal shop for a limited time. And best of all, Eric has signed a limited number of copies exclusively for Skin Graft customers!

Here's an early review from Andrew at Skyscraper Magazine:

"It is a commonly uttered cliché that great works of art – literature especially, and poetry in particular – are said to stir the emotions, causing observers to both laugh and cry. But rare is the collection of verse that takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster from ecstatic joy to heartfelt tears… and then leaves them puking over the railing. Reading Eric Paul’s I Offered Myself as the Sea is just such an experience." - Skyscraper

You'll find “I Offered Myself as the Sea” tucked away in the “Everything Else” section of the PAYPAL SHOP!

ITEM! What's next on the SKiN GRAFT schedule proper? As you, my adroit and assiduous confidant are well aware, SKiN GRAFT Records has made making history our principal priority since way back when the mommy mummy was in band-aides. And in fielding your requests, one title in particular received such a groundswelling quotient of queries, the critical mass was weighing down our email boxes - FIERCE!!! Produced by Jim O'Rourke and newly remastered for extra-asskick by Weasel Walter - the sole studio album from LAKE OF DRACULA is coming back to print in a big way! In addition to the 16 tracks found on the original recording, the entire Live bootleg 7” (originally released by those snot-noses at SINRAFT Records) has also been remastered - and those tracks have been added into the mix! Plans called for an early summer release, but the first audio remaster was lost en route to the Skin Graft European HQ - mysteriously misdirected by USPS to Oslo, Norway(?!). But never fear - the disc has been located and is currently in production. Prepare to pour those pennies from your pockets - the new, improved LAKE OF DRACULA CD will be available for ordering soon! - More info next time!

ITEM! And speaking of radically remastered recordings, KOENJIHYAKKEI's debut album “Hundred Sights Of Koenji” has been garnering raves aplenty. Here's a few:

"By merging classic Magma-inspired Zeuhl with punk and noise rock aesthetics, Konejihyakkei have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the Zeuhl world, and probably the second biggest name in zeuhl, behind only Magma have dubbed themselves “The Japanese Magma”, and I’d like to clear up a few misconceptions about this tag. Koenjihyakkei is not a Magma clone by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, what the tag suggests is that Koenjihyakkei is re-inventing Zeuhl for the modern age (much as Magma invented it some thirty-five years ago). In that sense, they truly are the Japanese Magma. They are every bit as original, and pretty close to as good, with four excellent releases under their belt and (hopefully) more to come". - Prog Archives

"9.6 out of 10." - The Apparatus

"On their self-titled debut (Koenjihyakkei is Japanese for Hundred Sights of Koenji), Tatsuya and company have produced an undeniable Zeuhl classic, and their second best album to date (behind only their most recent, the ungodly Angherr Shisspa). Indeed, the biggest strength of Hundred Sights of Koenji is its consistency. Every track is at roughly the same level, and that level is fantastic." - Pnoom

Nuff Said!

ITEM! Yes, the time has come once again for your peerless pontiff to provide a proclamation he's positive will produce peerless, pulse-pounding pleasure to the plentiful populace people-ing this planet. Simply said, NOW is the time to announce what's in the works here at SG Rex! But before we make those up and coming release announcements, allow Jazzy to share this email that recently landed here at the outhouse of ideas:

Dear Jazzy,
I feel that Skin Graft is making a big mistake. Not being content to produce the best albums from the most dynamic bands operating today, you are allowing Skin Graft to turn into a fad, due to the tons of coverage your artists are receiving. If this isn't stopped, Skin Graft may suffer the fate of all other fads – rising in a burst of glory and then fading out until the once mighty Skin Graft is naught but a memory. Your albums are great enough to stand on their own merit without having SPIN magazine shill for them or Greyhound Bus lines exploiting your good name. Please! I was here at the dawn of Skin Graft records, I don't want to be here when it ends!

PFC Bruce Lang, C2-2, Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri

Bruce buddy – we really appreciate your concern, but we have a feeling the end isn't quite in sight yet. While it's true that both royalty and ragamuffin alike are eager to hop on the Skin Graft bandwagon - we are under the influence of our own muse and no primo press coverage or big buck endorsement will sway us to the dark side. Rest assured, all of us here at Camp Skin Graft are working as hard as ever to produce the best darned audio epics ever put to tape! So long as we can continue turning out the type of thrillers our legions of listeners enjoy, there's no reason for anyone to become a Skin Graft dropout. Skin Graft was founded on the unswerving principle that our listeners have the intelligence and good taste to recognize quality when they hear it, and thus are deserving of the best we can produce. We may not always swing a home run, but of this you can be certain, we'll always be in there swinging our hardest! And the day we start to slip – the day we start giving you less than our best, then we're the first to admit that we deserve whatever happens!

And here's what our bats will be pummeling into the stratosphere in the coming months! Along with the remastered LAKE OF DRACULA CD, you'll soon be hearing the gnarled new full length from AIDS Wolf “Cities Of Glass”, the long-awaited second album from MADE IN MEXICO (tentatively titled “Guerillaton”) and the even longer-awaited new installment of the SIDES split 7” and comic series - teaser image above!

We're Out!

Excel-sore!

"JAZZY" JOE ROMITA

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updated: April 23rd, 2008

TOURS GONE WILD

Hi Everybody,

This is Mark writing with an update on some of the major tours we've been gabbing about over the last few months. Seems that this tour season is nuttier than ever!

You'll find the info on all of these shows at the TOURS page HERE.

TOUR #1: The JAPANESE NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL (EUROPE)
Subheading: Festival of Two

The tour is now underway - but just days before the Fest was scheduled to leave Japan, our buddy Yoshida Tatsuya (RUINS, KOENJIHYAKKEI) sent this email out to all of the promoters:

Dear Everyone

We have a problem now.
Acid Mothers Temple has been touring the US for the last month and just came back to Japan 2 days ago.

At the end of the US tour, bassist Tsuyama was infected with a malignant virus, and he entered the hospital soon after returning to Japan. It will take more than 2 weeks until he is better. Unfortunately, he can not come to Europe.

But Kawabata and I still want to carry out the tour as scheduled. We have already paid for the flights and we want to perform. I've discussed this with Kawabata and we will perform as 4 units with a total show time of about 2 hours:

1. Akaten (We'll try to do with me and Kawabata)
2. Ruins alone (this is no problem)
3. Kawabata Solo (this is no problem)
4. Acid Mothers Temple SWR (As a duo with a sampler and loops. Also if you know a good local bassist, we can collaborate with him)

Hope to see you soon,
Yoshida

I also want to reassure everyone that, having seen many earlier incarnations of the Japanese New Music Festival, I'm 100000% confident that Yoshida and Kawabata will put on a great show. They've never failed to completely entertain and leave me smiling.

TOUR #2: PRE (USA: West Coast)
Subheading: PRE Unplugged?

This tour is underway now too - and on the band's first day in the US of A, this email arrived from John:

Hi Mark,

Well, as you know, we shipped our guitars out before we left - matt's didn't turn up in L.A.!! Fed Ex are still trying to track it. It had all of our pedals in it as well.

loving being back on tour again though. wish you were here!
we had a jack in the box for breakfast this morning.

john x

- and the band continued on their myspace blog. Here's a snippet:
We're currently in l.a. - leaving for san diego shortly.

matt's bass went to memphis instead of l.a. for some odd reason. after hrs of TALK to fedex, it was down to be redelivered this morning. a guitar case came - we got psyched. we looked once.... twice... closed our eyes.... scrunched them up...

....it's not matt's bass. it's an acoustic guitar. JOKE SHOP. if nirvana can pull it off, then i guess we can... i'm currently trying to get hold of a meat puppet or two. our version of lake of fire is gonna slay.

So, west coasters, if you have an extra bass and some guitar pedals laying around your apartment, you might want to lug 'em along to the show.

TOUR #3: CHEER-ACCIDENT (Europe)
Subheading: Win Place Shows

The tour is a wrap! The band has just arrived back home and Thymme reports:

Made it back! quite exhausted-- haven't been able to give ringtones or ac/dc any thought yet, but as soon as i get some sleep...! Tell Jazzy i will be sending him a chunk of money tomorrow (put it on Lemon in the third). talk much more soon...!

and super-fan Ghislain had this message for Cheer-Accident:
We all had a great time with you last night, thanks for the inspiring music and energy! Have fun with "ZU" tonight!

So maybe this tour went off without incident? Naw - they never do. Full report forthcoming!

TOUR #4: AIDS WOLF (Europe)
Subheading: Pal to Pal

And AIDS Wolf's tour begins any minute now. It's been an interesting month leading up to the tour (to say the least). The band played a handful of shows in the states and just prior to those appearances, found themselves the subject of some artwork displayed by conceptual arteest Brendan Fowler, who finds their name to be "socially questionable". For more info on this, visit the band's blog HERE.

Let's hope this tour gets off to a good start. AIDS Wolf is going to be playing the Donaufestival here in Austria on May 2nd and I'll actually have Kawabata and Yoshida as houseguests at that time (It's their day off!), so if you're in Austria, look me up and say hi. I'll be the tall guy with glasses accompanied by the Japanese New Music Festival.

Leon of Subbacultcha is promoting the band's appearance in the Netherlands and he just emailed with a link to their new issue, which not only features a bit on the band, but also a sampler with some as yet unheard AIDS WOLF. You can check out a PDF of the zine HERE.

And speaking of unheard AIDS WOLF, as you probably know by now, the band has recorded their new album "Cities Of Glass" with our buddy Weasel Walter. Since laying the tracks to tape, Weasel has really gone to to town. At last count, he'd created over 70 different mixes - and only a handful of those will actually appear on the finished album. The final mixes sound fucking grand - and we're starting to get everything in order for a Fall Release...

Okay - so we're keeping everything under wraps for now because the release date is still a ways off - but for kicks, I've put a secret MP3 up at this LINK just for you Friends Of Old Skin Graft. This link will be dead in a couple of days and the song will vanish into the ether 'til a later date. Please don't go slapping the song up on some torrent site, host it on your blog for everyone to download or pass it on to those crooks at SiNRAFT Records. Let's keep this one between us - Pal to Pal, not Peer to Peer, okay?

Bye For Now,

Mark

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