Jandek is the musical project of an outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical information. Jandek often plays a highly idiosyncratic and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek’s music is unique, but the lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of East Texas. The name “Jandek” is most commonly used to refer specifically to the main—often sole—performer, rather than to the project. [via]
Jandek is perhaps one of the most fascinating performances that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing about, as his being is a performance in itself and it is not until he appears onstage that some type of resolution is offered. He will be offering a rare live performance at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn this Sunday with Ryan Sawyer (of Stars Like Fleas), Susan Alcorn, Shahzad Ismaily, C. Spencer Yeh and the Nate Wooley Trio. I’m not the most knowledgeable on his music, but it doesn’t take starry eyes to see the magic in the man.
Jandek – Kick
[photo cred: joanna newsom]
Bill Callahan, also known as Smog, is an American singer-songwriter. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre of underground rock, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four track tape recorders. Later he began releasing albums with the label Drag City, to which he remains signed today.
Those who know Bill Callahan love the timbre of the man’s voice, the way he lightly strums his guitar and the time that he and Joanna Newsom spent as a couple (and collaboration on A River Ain’t Too Much To Love). Callahan’s music embraces discomfort, like creeping into an open window you’re invited to witness his most personal and alienating thoughts. Smog is difficult to dive headfirst into, as there are different layers to understand the aerial view that Callahan has displayed. If you peek into his earlier cassettes and Sewn to the Sky what you’ll hear is instrumental Jandek-influenced dissonance with melodic structure teetering on the experimental. After signing to Drag City Records and releasing Forgotten Foundation in ‘92, Callahan’s tunes began to shift from their lo-fi nature and contain a greater variety of sounds and instruments. It’s been a long road between ‘92 and ‘09 that the rest of the internet is filled with stories of, but if you’ve ever seen High Fidelity then maybe you remember “Cold Blooded Old Times” from the soundtrack (and the subtle shot of an of Montreal poster). Going into this post I didn’t even realize this, but Callahan is slated to release Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle on April 14, aka tomorrow, via Drag City! This release will be his second credited to Bill Callahan and not Smog. Pre-order the LP here. And for starters, here are a couple of my favorite Smog tunes that I hope you dig as well.
Smog – The Weightlifter
Smog – Came Blue
Smog – The Desert
