“number four, bobby orr, what a future he’s got”
watched "the friends of eddie coyle" last night and it rules
For those of you who have gotten in touch with me over Facebook over the last two years, thank you thank you for saying hello and offering your support. I’m currently not using the site for updates or anything else, so please get in touch with me here or at buttonpushing (at) gmail (dot) com. I’m also on Twitter, you can “follow” me there.
The new cd on Students Of Decay is out and available directly from the label, Aquarius Records and Mimiroglu Music Sales. Thanks to everyone who has picked it up so far.
Currently in production is a sidelong piece for a split LP with Perespirit. It’s a collaboration with Boston vocalist/improvisor Noell Dorsey (she of Guillermo Sexo, Beautiful Weekend, Jajuno Trio) and is tenatively titled “Birches and Marksman Graves”. Noell has provided me with raw recordings of her formidable vocal skills which I am working into a new composition. It’s pretty scary so far. More on that soon.
Also headed to NYC in a couple of weeks to finish recording the first Hell Hoarse record. Hell Hoarse is me and Chuck Bettis. We’ll be looking for shows in Boston and NYC shortly after that, hit me up if you have ideas.
More soon. Here’s stuff I dig:
Prurient/Cold Cave “Stars Explode” CS
Cold Cave “Love Comes Close” 12″
Hecker “Acid In The Style Of David Tudor” CD
Pedestrian Deposit “Austere” CD
Jason Kahn “Vanishing Point” CD
Arnold Dreyblatt “Resonant Relations” CD
Julianna Barwick “Florine”EP
Science Is Fiction: The Films Of Jean Painleve 3DVD
Roberto Bolano-2666 book
Record Release Show this SUNDAY in Boston
I’m playing a record release show with some of my favorite bands this Sunday over at Great Scott in Boston. Red Horse is also celebrating the release of their new LP, Danny L is bringing Oneohtrix Point Never up from NYC on the heels of the LP he’s just reissued on No Fun Productions and Eat Cloud is coming up from Providence to tear it up. Howard Stelzer and DJ Won’t will be DJ’ing between sets. I’d love to see you there.
Brendan Murray
Red Horse
Oneohtrix Point Never
Eat Cloud
DJ Howard Stelzer
DJ Won’t
Sunday April 12th 2009
Great Scott
1222 Commonwealth Ave. (take the Green Line B train to Harvard Ave. stop)
Boston MA
9pm, 7 dollars, 18+
San Francisco April 2009
Details now final for this exciting event!
23FIVE INCORPORATED & SFCINEMATHEQUE PRESENT TONY CONRAD
23Five Incorporated’s annual Activating The Medium festival for 2009 is a co-presentation with SFCinematheque, showcasing the work by the legendary minimalist and filmmaker Tony Conrad. The first evening is a lecture on Friday, April 3. The second features a performance from Mr. Conrad on Saturday, April 4 as well as a collaborative performance between filmmaker Paul Clipson and composer Brendan Murray. The final night features screenings of Mr. Conrad’s later video works on Sunday, April 5. All events will take place at the San Francisco Art Institute.
FRIDAY, APRIL 3
Tony Conrad: Lecture
Flickering Jewel – Window, Perspective, Shadows
presented in association with SFAI’s Spheres of Interest Lecture Series
5:00 PM
Free
SATURDAY, APRIL 4
Tony Conrad
Brendan Murray & Paul Clipson
sound and video performances
8:00 PM
$15.00 general admission
$10.00 members of SFCinematheque
free to SFAI students and staff
SUNDAY, APRIL 5
Tony Conrad
Flicker and Process Films/Works on Video
films include Redressing Down and Tony’s Oscular Pets
7:30 PM
$10.00 general admission
$6.00 members of SFCinematheque
free to SFAI students and staff
Tickets for the Saturday performance and the Sunday screening are available at http://www.23five.org.
San Francisco Art Institute
Lecture Hall
800 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
Elemental to Tony Conrad’s oeuvre is his work as a violinist, in which primal, enveloping drones create an oscillating ritual theater. In 1962 he co-founded the groundbreaking ensemble known as the Dream Syndicate. Wielding a drone both aggressively confrontational and subtly mesmerizing, he and his collaborators – including La Monte Young and future Velvet Underground co-founders John Cale and Angus MacLise – created some of the most revolutionary music of that (or any) decade. Utilizing long durations, precise pitch and blistering volume, Conrad and company forged a “Dream Music” that articulated the Big Bang of “minimalism.” With his return in the 1990s to recording, publishing and touring, Conrad engaged an entirely new generation of listeners with his unique and uncompromisingly antisocial, raging music. — Steve Polta / SFCinematheque
We hungered for music almost seething beyond control – or even something just beyond music, a violent feeling of soaring unstoppably, powered by immense angular machinery across abrupt and torrential seas of pounding blood. Walt Whitman wrote that ‘all music is what awakes from you when you are reminded by the instruments.’ So it must be my conscious blood, in my veins, that swells behind my eyes on the unstanchable tide of the music’s careening violence; a voicelessly shrieking glee, gushing and unfulfilled; anger coming from somewhere; sweetness of virulence, energy, heated eyes, tension unrelenting, shrill shuddering lust endlessly recalculated in its spasm; focus of power. – Tony Conrad
Founded in 1993, 23five Incorporated is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and increased awareness of sound works in the public arena, and to the support and education of artists working with and discussing the medium of sound. 23five Incorporated has remained at the forefront in bringing the most adventurous elements of sound art to the San Francisco Bay area. 23five has served as an important benefactor to artists such as CM von Hausswolff, Christina Kubisch, Francisco Lopez, Olivia Block, Matt Heckert, Zbigniew Karkowski, Atau Tanaka, and many more.
for more information:
http://www.23five.org
http://www.sfcinematheque.org
lots to talk about….
Tomorrow, I’ll be heading to Kittery, ME for a special performance as part of Sean Reardon’s Unique States series. This is an exciting opportunity to play in another section of New England with some great musicians. Here’s the deal:
The show will consist of three solo sets: myself, id m theft able and Nat Baldwin. We will then play as a trio. If you are in the area, come by and say hello!
Details: Unique States at BUOY – 2 Government St. Kittery, ME 03904. Should get going around 8.
Bhob Rainey and I played our first set as a duo at the Outpost in Cambridge last week. Thanks to all who came out on a cold night. Bhob and I were most pleased and you’ll be hearing from us again.
The 2009 release schedule is getting a little bananas. So be it.
I’m happy to announce that my duo cd with NYC sound artist Richard Garet is out now on Unframed Recordings. Details are coming together for a March release show in Brooklyn as I type, watch this space for information.
My new, self-titled/untitled solo cd on Students of Decay is heading into production. The first 100 copies are being offered with a bonus cdr for a special price. The bonus is a live recording from the Swedenborg Chapel in Cambridge, MA last year called “The Cold Piano”. Also out on Students of Decay in the coming months is a rethink of some soundtrack music I did a few years ago for the film Human Heart Explodes. The cdr is called “Exploding Heart Mixes” and is an expansion of some of the cues I developed along with string players Vic Rawlings, Mike Bullock and Katt Hernandez. I’m pleased that this music is seeing the light of day.
There’s lots of other stuff in the works. I shouldn’t talk about it too much.
As mentioned previously, I will be making my first trip to the West Coast in April to be part of the Activating The Medium festival in San Francisco. Tony Conrad will headline the bill and I’ll be collaborating with film maker Paul Clipson on what is shaping up to be an exciting piece for sound and video.
I’ll be in SF/Oakland for a few days. It will be all about record shopping, burritos and omokase. Pretty psyched.
Speaking of SF, Jefre-Cantu Ledesma had me do some Q and A for his great Root Blog recently. Check it out.
As always, get in touch if you like. See you soon.
sf april 09
from 23five:
“2009 promises to be another adventurous year of programming and releases for 23five, with two confirmed sets of recordings from Tarab and Jason Kahn. We are also in negotiations with SF Cinematheque to complete the programming for Activating The Medium with performances and screenings by Tony Conrad with a supporting performance between Brendan Murray and Paul Clipson. More details on all of these will be forthcoming.”
Exciting!
recent interview w/koonoklast
Andrew Bowman wrote recently to say hello and came up with some questions about Commonwealth and my plans for 2009. Check it out. Thanks Andrew!
http://koonoklast.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/interview-with-brendan-murray/
my favorite band from the 1980’s, forever and ever
I bought the reissue of “Drum” by Hugo Largo on cassette at Peaches Records in Altomonte Springs, FL. I listened to it every day for two years. I have very strong memories of seeing them on a special that VH1 broadcast about Brian Eno, who was responsible for the reissue of “Drum” and later issued “Mettle” on his Opal imprint. This is not that paticular footage, but I really love it nonetheless.
I have no idea why I love this band so much. There’s nothing else really like it. There’s some performance art gestures happening that place it squarely in the time it was made, but I really don’t care.
When I was a kid and playing in a hardcore band and telling everyone how they should really listen to Sonic Youth or fIREHOSE, the truth was I would go home and sit in my room and listen to Hugo Largo. I never told anyone to listen to them. They were “my” band.
tonight we smash
Ouest is playing the Smash Palace festival in Boston tonight. There’s lots of information here:
Tonight’s line up is:
11pm Bill Nace
10pm Moshimoshiiamthedecider
9pm Ouest
8pm Human Hairs
I encourage anyone local to the Boston area to take an evening (or two or three) and check this festival out. I am also Dj’ing the Saturday Matinee. Come by and say hello!
This is my last music performance of the year. I’ve played more shows this year than any other. I have no intention of slowing down next year. I’ll be travelling to places I’ve never played before and am looking into some new (to me) opportunities to develop my work.
The new solo cd should be out at the beginning of the year, with many others planned for the following 18 months.
In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be taking part in the time-honored and somewhat futile task of creating a Top 10 (or so) list of recordings that I liked this year. I’d like to see your list too. Send it along!
b
November and News
Thanks to everyone for coming to see Mike Shiflet and I on our tour. There’s some pictures I took on our trip here.
November is a busy month for shows as well.
November 14th 730-10pm
White Electric Coffee
711 Westminster Street.
Providence, RI
Area C
Brendan Murray
TBA
November 18th 9pm
The Middle East (Upstairs)
472 Mass Ave.
Cambridge MA
Lawrence Cook Disaster Unit
Thurston Moore / Bill Nace / Paul Flaherty (Ecstatic Peace)
Paper Summer
Work/Death
The rock band Paper Summer, in which I play drums/guitar, makes its last local appearance for awhile. The next time you’ll see us, we’ll have out first record done.
November 19th 8pm
The Outpost
186 1/2 Hampshire St.
Cambridge, MA
Noell Dorsey – voice
James Coleman – theremin
Jules Vasylenko – saxophone
Brendan Murray-solo electronics
James is one of the reasons I play music. This will be the first time I hear Jules and Noell. Excited.
November 20th 6pm
Dartmouth College
The Way To Go Out
Spheris Gallery
59 South Main St
Hanover NH
Brendan Murray
and
various ensembles performing the music of Christian Wolff and John Cage
I’ll be playing a solo. I was to play at Dartmouth in May, but had to cancel. I am grateful that they were able to have me back.
November 22 8pm
Third Life Studio
Open Sound
33 Union Square, Somerville, MA
Ouest (Howard Stelzer, Brendan Murray, Jay Sullivan
Yael Bat-Shimon, violin
Karen Bray, performance artist/dancer
Third Life is the room where 90 percent of all Ouest music has happened. We’ll be playing two extended sets of our music. Get comfy.
I am pleased to announce that my fifth solo cd will be released by Students Of Decay in 2009. This eponymous 6-track record was made in 2008 and is sourced from live shows, radio performances and studio work. Unlike Commonwealth, this record is six shorter pieces of music employing melodies, instrumentation and various recording methods/fidelities. I know it’s a little weird to have a self-titled record, but I had to for this one. Hopefully you’ll hear why. Look for it at the beginning of next year.
More soon…
MIKE SHIFLET AND BRENDAN MURRAY: SENTIMENTAL GENTLEMEN TOUR 2008
I am proud to announce the dates for the tour I am sharing with Mike Shiflet this October. Mike has not played the East Coast solo in some time. I am really excited for these performances and hope you can join us. Our first collaborative recording, “Come On And Feel Mike Shiflet and Brendan Murray” will be available at all the shows.
http://shiflet.gmby.net • • • http://myspace.com/mshiflet
http://www.brendanmurray.com • • • http://www.myspace.com/bpmwondersnevercease
TUE 10.14.08 (Shiflet only)
2217 Wightman St.
Pittsburgh, PA
w/ Rick Gribenas, Tusk Lord, Hunted Creatures
early show. 6:30 PM start
WED 10.15.08
Supreme Trading
Brooklyn, NYC
8PM
http://www.supremetradingny.com/directions.html
THU 10.16.08
People’s Center
New Haven, CT
w/ Sickness & Heaven People
8PM
FRI 10.17.08
Circle of Hope
Philadelphia, PA
w/ Nagle/Lentini duo
1125 S. Broad Street
http://phillysoundforum.org/
SAT 10.18.08
The Charleston
Brooklyn, NYC
w/ Workbench, Miami Beach Bob Bellerue, CM * Chaos Majik
174 Bedford Ave. N. 7th, Brooklyn, NY 11211
8PM
SUN 10.19.08
Hampshire College Dining Commons
Amherst, MA
8:30 PM
More info as we get it. See you at the shows!
