A Wide Array of Everything

If you read the last entry, you are aware that I didn't hold up to my promise of "at least two new posts" on that given week. Well, I had to make a trip to California and that fuzzed things up a bit but honestly, I slammed a wall. I wanted something to write about and I feverishly combed the internet but found nothing that really peaked my interest. Not enough to write an entire piece on. I've found that that this generation and I are plagued with the a.d.d. and a.d.h.d. and there really is no way of holding anyone's attention for any substantial length of time. Plus, I read this article: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127370598&sc=fb&cc=fp
Which TBOTZ posted on Facebook. That is when I realized that it isn't that people are becoming stupid as much as instant gratification has hit it's climax. We're ejaculating information and it is terribly difficult for anyone to sit still without writhing about in fits of anguish. Which is why I intend on continuing the theme of covering several bands in a very short manner. Also, to aid your brain, there will be pictures/videos/etc to accompany your reading experience. After you leave here, scoot on over to that NPR article.

TORO Y MOI
Here is the video for "Talamak":

There has been a lot of buzz about Toro y Moi as of late, especially in the South. Being from South Carolina and only a short hour or so drive from Columbia it's terribly difficult to ignore such an act. In fact, a band from my neck of the woods has begun representing Columbia instead of Spartanburg after befriending this fellow from Toro y Moi, or so I've noticed on their myspace. I will refrain from naming this band as they are already embarrassing themselves enough but, before I escape this point, I would like to say that this 'local' band reminds me of ICP when they were claiming Detroit and as Eminem said, "Y'all live twenty miles away." But I digress...
Toro Y Moi is a band that, by name alone, disinterests me. I have to admit that it seemed ill-contrived and pretentious, and the whole deal may very well be. However, upon listening intently to only two songs, I found that I can actually relate to Toro Y Moi a great deal and, although he is not my favorite artist nor is he part of any genre that I enjoy very much, I actually dig the two songs that I have analyzed thus far. "Talamak" and "Blessa" are genuinely great songs, especially the latter. At risk of giving you, the reader, the wrong impression of Toro y Moi, I feel it very important to point out that the song "Blessa" has an almost '90's hip-hop feel which is really what hooked me. Of course, there is no rapping. Nevertheless, I believe that there is potential for rap/hip-hop artists to sample these tunes and drop one hell of a beat on them. In fact, there is an astounding amount material to be 'remixed' with Toro y Moi and that alone sells me. The songs are classy, friendly and would most definitely provide a great soundtrack to a movie about youth and summer or something. Carpark Records has without a doubt found themselves a very promising act in Toro y Moi and to them and the artist I say kudos.
If you're interested in listening to Toro y Moi please proceed to;
http://www.myspace.com/toroymoi
http://toroymoi.blogspot.com/

The Emotron

It's amazing how many people hate the Emotron. Contradictory to that, it's truly amazing how much of a following that the Emotron has gathered, and rightfully so on both sides. I personally can not quite fathom how anyone could hate The Emotron as I have spent many wonderful nights at Emotron shows. I suppose that one looking at the Emotron from the perspective of a musician analyzing musical talent could possibly see him as talentless and tasteless but, they would be very wrong in such an analysis. The Emotron's songs play out like a fond memory of 1986 turned sour with drugs and bizarre humor. In a way the music, instrumentally, mirrors some very odd children's shows of the early '90's that I used to watch. Standing tall above the strange and pulsing notes lies the two most important parts of the Emotron to me, personally. First of all, his lyrics are hilarious, deviously poignant and
almost obnoxiously eccentric. I mean obnoxious in a good way, of course. Speaking of obnoxious, I have heard people refer to music such as the Emotron as "absurdist". Whatever that means.
The Emotron, though I doubt that "they" would admit it, bare strong similarities to acts such as Dan Deacon, Liam Lynch and Atom and His Package. However, I would venture to say that three aforementioned artists couldn't quite hold a candle to the Emotron on any front because they are all so different in their own little ways and most of all, the latter is supremely talented in making the viewer both uncomfortable and euphoric at the same time. The bands compared to the Emotron merely sound similar. Not to insult those other artists but I doubt that their live shows can live up to the expectations that an Emotron show provides. Which is a mixture of sexually driven awkwardness entwined with masochism, severe sarcasm, cultural stereotypes (especially of the South) and props galore (so many unique props in fact, that Carrot Top, were he dead, would be spinning in his ginger grave).
The last time that I saw the Emotron, which was about a week ago now, he "flipped the script" as some may say and took his performance in a very different direction. Many of his shows start out with him in some sort of cowboy attire bouncing around (at one point in time he had the top of his head shaved to give the appearance of male pattern hair loss) and singing lyrics such as;
"I want a hurricane to have a black girls name
I want a hurricane a hurricane

Lets play a drinkin' game lets get drunk and sang
About how these god dern gas prices are lame

I want my middle name to be my middle name
I don't want my middle name to be my first one

What is your username please don't be ashamed
That you had that sucker since nineteen ninety seven

You had that sucker since 1997
You had that sucker since 1997
Since 1997"
But this particular show that I witnessed was quite different. The night began with the Emotron dressed as a Cowboy in all black with a hunch on his back. He set up several TVs and a VHS player, an animals food or water bowl, chicken wire separating him from the audience, several bags of paper shavings in that designated area and finally, he crawled under the stage at Ground Zero for a little while. When he came out he was almost nearly naked and covered in a mixture of body paint, mud (maybe it was mud..or poop...or just paint as well I suppose), strange bits of panty hose ripped and strewn from his shoulders to his groin and peculiar nylon sacks here and there. He crawled, legs dragging behind him, in front of the TVs that were now playing these odd clips of bugs mating, rubbing their legs together and so forth. He had what appeared to be turkey calls in his mouth and he was making a noise that to the everyday square would have surely been disturbing. In fact, many people seemed very disturbed. He proceeded to sing songs that I couldn't recall from his previous shows or the one CD of his that I own. Between lines he drank a strange brown liquid from the pet food/water bowl and howled loudly with the neon green turkey calls in his mouth. I watched as people shook their heads, shuddered in disbelief and a few even turned around and walked away.

A good friend of mine arrived to the show late, in the middle of the Emotron's set and as he walked down the stairs of Ground Zero, to where this glorious act of comedy and mocked avant-garde was well underway, he said that he felt as if he were entering the ranks of a clandestine meeting of some fucked up cult. This friend then rushed over to me, grabbed my shoulder and whipped me around saying, "What the fuck is going on here?". I felt as if my father had caught me masturbating to Hentai or something. For a moment I almost felt ashamed and then I remembered that this friend is from California and as far as I know, nothing like the Emotron has ever happened in that state. As the evening progressed and the Emotron's performance came to an end the majority of the audience still in attendance were seated on the stage or sat cross-legged in the floor (which only added to the cult-like feeling in the air). I heard people complaining that the Emotron, "...didn't set his dick on fire!". Some even proclaimed that, "It wasn't his best show by any means." A little later, I caught the Emotron upstairs of Ground Zero talking with the owner and he said, "Some kids in the parking lot shot me with a paintball gun and said, 'You didn't show your dick!'". Which made for the perfect end to hands down the best Emotron show that I've ever seen. Everything was well in perspective and for once, I didn't so much see the Emotron as this disgusting schizophrenic episode interpreted into live art as much as a very clever individual doing precisely what he pleases.
If you're interested in learning more about the Emotron and ways that you can help please check out;
http://www.myspace.com/theemotron
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emotron

I apologize for any grammatical errors in this piece. I had little time to edit, as I am already late for a kegger at some frat kids fag party. GP forever!

Your friend forever and always,
DHAGZ