2007 Recap/Caural on Visionaire and Earthtones & Concrete

2007- a fairly crazy year for me- is slowly drawing to a close. Beginning in January, Busdriver and I set out with Deerhoof and the Harlem Shakes for a trip throughout the south, then had the amazing experience of playing the Coachella Valley Music Festival’s opening night for tens of thousands of sweaty attendees. With a couple breaths of New York’s fresh air in between, and the launching of my website (www.caural.net), my springtime ended with our prematurely aborted tour with CocoRosie in Vancouver: Canadian officials denied their French band mates re-entry to the States.

After that fiasco, I had a only a couple weeks to move out of my apartment in Brooklyn, put nearly everything I owned in storage, and gear up for a three-month organic farming fellowship in Connecticut. As quickly as it began, it was over. Suddenly, it was early September, and the insanity of my summer ended with a two day, 160 mile fundraising bike ride back to New York City. I flew to Chicago the next day, then returned to New York two weeks later to begin co-producing my good friend Stuart Bogie’s new project, Super Human Happiness, finding time to model and bartend for (probably) the last time and drink far too much. Three busy, sunny weeks later, my sister and I drove back to Chicago and my childhood home, and it is from there I write this now.

As the progress of certain side projects has slowed due to label schedules, I have recently begun work on my first new material as Caural for the first time in a year! There is no set plan for now other than to experiment and have fun, but I’m aiming to have my next album finished by August… As their respective shelf dates in 2008 approach, I’ll let you know about new remixes and compilation appearances of mine to check out. Meanwhile, I am excited to announce these recent releases for which I am proud and grateful:

Caural on Visionaire 53. SOUND

I am thrilled to have my piece “The Plain Silvery Side of This Disc…” included on the 53rd issue of New York’s revolutionary Visionaire Magazine, “Sound.”

(from www.visionaireworld.com)

Visionaire 53 Sound

A portable record player with over 100 minutes of sound on 5 12″ vinyl record picture discs and 2 CDs, Visionaire 53. SOUND will consist of five 12-inch vinyl records, imprinted with images (picture discs), containing approximately 100 minutes of sound content featuring audio experiments, unreleased songs, samples, and spoken word pieces. The 5 records are packaged inside a domed case that also houses a custom-made MINI Clubman “Vinyl Killer” Record Player: a battery-operated toy car containing speakers and a needle. As the little car drives along the record’s groove, it plays each track, acting as a fully portable record player and sound system. The issue also includes 2 CD’s with all the sound content, and a booklet of credits and instructions. Sound is a limited edition of 4,000 numbered copies and retails for a starting price of $250. However SOUND is included in a standard subscription to Visionaire at no additional cost.

Contributors include: Musicians David Byrne, U2, Michael Stipe, Courtney Love, Laurie Anderson, Cat Power, Adrock, Lee Ranaldo, Antony & the Johnsons, Thurston Moore & Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), Malcolm McLaren, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Sylvian, Andrew WK, Danger Mouse; Artists Yoko Ono, Cerith Wyn Evans, Helmut Lang, Christian Marclay, Doug Aitken, Robert Wilson, Gary Hill, Sylvie Fleury, Vito Acconci, Mariko Mori, Carl Michael Von Hausswolff; Bands The Knife, Littl’ans, Unkle, Animal Collective, SunnO))), Gang Gang Dance; DJ’s Paul D. Miller (DJ Spooky), miss kittin, Trevor Jackson, Towa Tei, Nigo, Hiroshi Fujiwara; Fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen, Stefano Pilati; and many more…

Orders ship in December 2007 in time for the winter gift giving season.

If you are in the Miami area, the issue will launch during Art Basel Miami Beach (December 5-9), and is available in stores and on Visionaire’s website.

Caural Collaboration with Take on His Earthtones & Concrete LP

Some time ago, my close friend Take and I took a week to slave away in his Los Angeles studio, and developed material for his new full-length Earthtones & Concrete. The result, his lush and moody album closer “Los Angeles Is Outside” (lamenting the fact that we weren’t, in fact, leaving his living room- save for trips to Trader Joe’s or hikes at Runyon Canyon) is out now on Innercurrent Recordings. The song features live instrumentation courtesy of Take and yours truly, as well as vocals by LA chanteuse Gaby Hernandez and Beth Grisa. Some goofing off led to one of the album’s interlude’s “Thinking of Courtney” (Take thought it was funny that I picked up our waitress at brunch one day). The album is available on three different formats: beautiful gatefold 2xLP, CD, and digital.

Visit Take here.