Down Is Up discusses music that falls slightly under the radar of our usual coverage: demos and self-releases, as well as output from small or overlooked labels and communities. This week, Jenn Pelly highlights the January cassette program from Arizona's Ascetic House, as well as a public access television show in New York City that highlights underground music.
01 Ascetic House January Program - A primary goal of Ascetic House, the interdisciplinary artists circle in Tempe, Ariz., seems to be disorientation—tearing apart not only song structures but their methods of delivery, whether it's a live set that seems more like an exorcism or a tapes-to-prisoners program, a defiantly mysterious aesthetic or an air of drama in speech. "The only artists making money are con-artists," said Jes Aurelius, the guitarist in desert-punk band Destruction Unit and an Ascetic House fixture, last year. "And while we may have some shark blood in us, we are definitely not making any money. In fact, I'd say the slowest and most painful suicide is committing to life as an artist."
In its short existence, Ascetic House has produced philosophical pamphlets, psychedelic chapbooks, and around 50 noisy cassette titles from the likes of provocative performance art troupe Marshstepper, Providence-based post-punk band the Ukiah Drag, and defunct raw noise duo Foreplay, among others. By the end of January that number of tapes will nearly double, as Ascetic House embarks on its program of releasing one tape per day for the entire month. The catch is that each tape will only be available for 24 hours, through online mail-order, before it's replaced with a new one. At some point there will be tapes from Iceage and Puce Mary, the Danish power electronics artist behind last year's great Success, but it's unclear just when. The plan is outlined in their recently-shared February 2014 newsletter—here in full—a transmission from the future that feels lost in time. Even the schedules and bulletins from Ascetic House seem performative.
To celebrate the January Program, Ascetic House is sharing a free download at its website everyday, including Destruction Unit's Sandy Sessions (stream two songs above and check out the rest of their offerings here). Just as 2012's Hurricane Sandy was brewing, these heavy, blistering recordings were tracked at Heaven Street, the Brooklyn record shop/studio run by Sean Ragon of Cult of Youth. Soon after, Destruction Unit played a gig at the bar Don Pedro, one of the only venues that stayed open to stare down the storm.
Meanwhile, back in Arizona, Ascetic House just launched a new brick-and-mortar shop called the Ascetic Outhouse, which is apparently located inside the abandoned bathroom of a Phoenix arts collective. Whether it's worth visiting, I cannot say, but that sort of commitment to an idea is always inspiring. "The bathroom still doesn't work, but it's a good enough spot," Aurelius said. "If you happen to find yourself in Arizona, feel free to stop by anytime, have some wine, and listen to the sound of the future."
Frankie Cosmos & the Empiness on "The BJ Rubin Show"
02 "The BJ Rubin Show", Season 2 premiere - Until recently, public access television was something I admittedly thought only played a role in underground music in the 1970s and 80s. That changed last year when I heard about BJ Rubin, an endearingly goofy New Yorker who runs a label and blog called Pukekos and hosts the local cable access "BJ Rubin Show". The three-year-old program's second season premiered in December and the entire two-part variety show is now online (below or at Vimeo).
Relatively speaking, it is star-studded: Megan Remy of U.S. Girls sings a theme song; Maria Minerva does karaoke to Neil Young and the Miracles; ex-Parts & Labor member Dan Friel makes droning, abrasive noise; New York songwriter Frankie Cosmos sings about missing her dog and how high school made her cry; Colleen Green plays in front of a bunch of weed flowers; Alice Cohen performs her poised, buzzing synth pop lines. The entire production is full of awkward interviews, bad dancing, glitchy stop-action shots, green-screened New York cityscapes, comically deadpan talk of aliens and God. True weirdos. It is very psychedelic.
"The BJ Rubin Show" airs the first Thursday of each month on the Brooklyn Public Network at 2 p.m. It airs bi-weekly in Manhattan, every other Thursday on the Manhattan Neighhorhood Network at 4 p.m. Those in Brooklyn can catch a broadcast of Season 2/Part 2 on February 6 at 2 p.m.