KONO MICHI BLOG Dec 2008

BLOGGER: kono michi
LOCATION: brooklyn, new york
MICHI's MUSIC: kono michi
LABEL: shark batter records
WEBSITE: myspace.com/konomichi



DEC 5th: My First Tour Blog + 4 Star Review
Well, I'm back. Tour was awesome and totally consuming. I ditched most of my horsehair and explored a new electric sound with my bandmates, who worked their asses off memorizing parts both instrumental and vocal. It was like going on the road with built-in barbershop quintet slash bodyguards slash brothers.

The crowds were small but appreciative and I found my love for singing growing and growing, especially after playing the venerable Roadhouse in Manchester where the sound guy basically sprinkled some powdered sugar all over my voice before sending it back through the monitors. My drunk self accosted him after the show to tell him he was "SOOOOOOOO talented!" and for a tough guy all done up with tatts and piercings, he seemed to reach for his pepper spray pretty quick.

The sound we explored ranged from atmospheric to hardcore gypsy power drones and it was creatively fascinating to interpret all my violin, viola and and cello parts for those instruments largely reserved for wanking. Yes, I'm talking about guitars all you Erik Klaptons and Ginny Pages. One of the sound guys asked which was the lead guitar and I was all like "Um, there IS no lead guitar!"

I got a great review at one of my least-populated gigs, thus turning a potential loss into a welcome trade-off. Word on the cobblestone street says 4 stars is good:

SCOTSMAN: 4-STAR REVIEW OF KONO MICHI'S GLASGOW GIG

Thanks to all you who attended the shows. If you bought a T-shirt, send me a picture of you wearing it and I'll post it for all to see. If you bought a Kono Michi soap, send me a picture of you looking spectacularly clean and sweet-smelling.

Most importantly, thanks to my boys and rockstarz Mike Small, RogerSIMIAN, Cameron Jack, Dave and Craig who made it all happen, and happen good.



DEC 8th: Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day
Blog on the Theme of my MySpace Status Update. Today on the Staten Island Ferry I sat across from a man sporting loud-print neon MC Hammer pants, Reebok high-tops and a flat-top haircut. What I didn't have room in my status update to add is that he also had a 360 band of pictures and shapes shaved into and around his head, downstairs from the flat-top. He was also wearing a fanny-pack, the material of which was made out of purple old-school bandanna.

(I'm obligated to point out to my British friends that I'm well aware of what "fanny" means over there. That's not what I mean. You know what I mean.)

An observant fellow MySpacer pointed out to me in my comment box that today was Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day. I thought he was making it up, but he's not, it's today - December 8th. The reason I'm blogging about it isn't because I'm a blogger but because I believe this man came to us from 1988 to celebrate Pretend To Be a Time Traveler Day, except the weird thing is that I don't think he was pretending. It wasn't retro, it wasn't ironic, it wasn't vintage. It was 100% sincere.

How does that happen? And does it only happen on Staten Island?

XO,
KM

PROFILE: THREADBANGER.COM - DIY HANDMADE CRAFTS & FASHION

BLOGGER: shark batter diy
LOCATION: scottish borders & brooklyn, new york
WEBSITE: sharkbatter.com
MYSPACE: myspace.com/sharkbatterrecords



WHAT IS THREADBANGER?
Threadbanger is a network for people who love to DIY, recreate, refashion and craft. Forget about corporate stores, we’re here to help you create and find your own style! From our episodes, forum and blog to our newsletter and contests, there is something for everyone. Our goal is to bring together people who can share their ideas, tips and advice with others and help make the world more fashionable – Threadbanger style!



THREAD HEADS SERIES
Thread Heads was the first show to debut on Threadbanger.com, with new episodes every Friday. Hosted by Rob Czar and Corinne Leigh, they scoured the streets looking for indie designers and crafters who could share their passion with the rest of us. Not only have they discovered a variety of different designers, they’ve shared secrets of their own in the form of how-to lessons. Want to learn to knit? They’ll show you how. Have extra coffee grounds laying around? Dye your jeans with them! They’ve now traveled all over the US, hitting up local craft fairs and supporting budding artists. And they love the fans just as much as the fans love them. They’ll answer viewer questions and feature projects you’ve made on their show. So if you’ve got a DIY fashion question, the Thread Heads have the answer!



MEET THE HOSTS
Rob Czar first learned the art of DIY while touring the world with Rock Bands and having to constantly reconstruct a limited wardrobe of band t shirts with Safety pins and spray paint. Since then he's graduated onto sewing machines and scissors and hasn't looked back. Rob currently hangs out in Brooklyn NY , loves psychedelic folk rock, and Horror Movies.

Corinne Leigh has been an environmental activist since elementary school when she learned about the three R's (reduce, reuse, recycle) and endangered animals. She started a non-profit organization in 2002 to help people in impoverished nations, working mostly in Haiti, where she opened a safe haven for the children of Port-au-prince. After receiving a youth scholarship to attend the Bioneers Conference she became very inspired to help educate other people about how they can reduce the negative impact they have on the environment and future generations. She takes great pride in making things with her hands especially trash art. Her many passions include playing dress-up and dancing in swirly skirts.

She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF FLAGWOMAN

BLOGGER: paul vickers
LOCATION: edinburgh
PAUL'S BANDS: paul vickers and the leg, dawn of the replicants
LABEL: sl records

KONO MICHI / STONE GHOST COLLECTIVE: TOUR, EP & MINI-DOCUMENTARY

BLOGGER: shark batter records
LOCATION: scottish borders & brooklyn, new york
WEBSITE: sharkbatter.com
MYSPACE: myspace.com/sharkbatterrecords



KONO MICHI: 'WAY DOWN IN FRANCE' mini-documentary
Brooklyn based songwriter & violinist Kono Michi joined her buddies from Shark Batter Records in France & Switzerland in October 2008 to rehearse songs for her upcoming UK tour, to film some music videos and practice saying stuff in French. So wrap your peepers around the tres belle mini documentary above.


KONO MICHI: UK TOUR DATES (November)
KM has put together a group for her first ever UK shows made up of members of fellow Shark Batter bands, The Stone Ghost Collective and The Stark Palace.

The dates are:

Tuesday Nov 25th - The Brickyard, Carlisle
Wednesday Nov 26th - Nice 'n' Sleazy, Glasgow
Thursday Nov 27th - Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh
Sunday Nov 30th - The Roadhouse, Manchester
Monday Dec 1st - Korova, Liverpool


KONO MICHI & THE STONE GHOST COLLECTIVE
A collaborative EP by Kono Michi & The Stone Ghost Collective - 'Grey Eulogy' - will be released by Shark Batter Records on Monday 24th November. The idea for the collaboration came together when Stone Ghost Mike was in New York a few months ago.

The track-listing:
1/ The Look Of Love (Bacharach/David)
2/ War Correspondence (Small/McAndrew)
3/ Grey Eulogy (Small/McAndrew)
4/ Baby, It's Cold Outside (Loesser)

rogerS (the stark palace)

WELCOME TO THE NEW LOOK SHARKBATTER.com

BLOGGER: shark batter records
LOCATION: scottish borders & brooklyn, new york
WEBSITE: sharkbatter.com
MYSPACE: myspace.com/sharkbatterrecords

It's still a work in progress, as I'm writing this, but for your delight and wonderment we now present to you, dear friends, the new look sharkbatter.com. I particularly like the fact that the jukebox carries on playing while you explore the site.

2008 has been a busy year for the label. We had six releases in the space of six months by: The Stone Ghost Collective, The Stark Palace, Vacuum Spasm Babies and Kono Michi. We got quite a bit of UK radio play for each of those. Vic Galloway has played all four acts on his Radio 1 in Scotland show and Tom Robinson and Nemone at BBC 6Music have been keen supporters of the label. Mr Robinson has even been using The Stark Palace's "CroMagnon Man" as an "audio bed" on his Introducing... show, after the band were invited to record a session in the hub.

With the release of Kono Michi's Living Room Disappearance EP we were invited into the refined chambers of Radio 3, in our fanciest tuxes and evening frocks (metaphorically speaking) when Lopa Kothari played "When I Don't Come Back" on her World on 3 show. Yum!

Plans are afoot for a couple of more releases before the year's out. Gigs too: Kono Michi will be playing her first solo UK dates from the end of November and there should be a few Vacuum Spasm Babies shows too in the months ahead.

roger (the stark palace)

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF FLAGWOMAN

BLOGGER: paul vickers
LOCATION: edinburgh
PAUL'S BANDS: paul vickers and the leg, dawn of the replicants
LABEL: sl records

VACUUM SPASM BLOG June 08

BLOGGER: charles s bravo
LOCATION: scottish borders
BAND: vacuum spasm babies
LABEL: shark batter records

Drummer Wanted?

This week I have been in Liverpool, London and Glasgow for work, so not a lot of time or energy for VSB related maters, although I find sleep deprivation and the hypnotic flash of the passing countryside from a train window a great catalysts for the creative process.

Liverpool is a brilliant city to visit, and we’re still hugely impressed that two presenters at BBC Radio Merseyside have played a track each from our Thin Man E.P. Dave Monks does a show called ‘The Pool’ on a Sunday night where he plays a lot of local bands (and us) and that’s followed on by their alternative music show ‘Pure Musical Sensations’ with Roger Hill. Liverpool has been voted England's most musical city in a national campaign set up by the Arts Council and part of that has to be down to the local BBC station getting behind new music.

London still stinks..

Although the E.P has been out for a while now, we’re still finding great reviews like this from Penny Black Music popping up, which is just brilliant.

http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Review.aspx?id=5913

Stoneghost Mike is in New York recoding with Michi Wiancko for their Mike & Michi project, and developing the interests of the Sharkbatter label over there. Roger Simian is in Orkney after working hard to get the Kimo Michi E.P on the radio and in the press, so it’s a quiet time for Vacuum Spasm Babies.

We’re taking this opportunity to plan how we’re going to manage to play the album plus some of the new tracks we’re working on live. I’m hugely proud of the way the album sounds. It’s down to my brothers’ ability to manipulate me and our recording technology to produce something that’s not too awful or offensive to the ear. The main difficulty is that although we’ve got what I think are some great songs, when it comes down to it I’m a terrible musician and at best can only just get by as a singer. Having been sacked from one band and not played in front of anyone for about 15 years, we’re going to need some very fine people playing live with us.

So we’re lucky (and honoured) that Roger Simian and Cameron Jack (otherwise known as Sharkbatter Records stars The Stark Palace) are going to help out. Hopefully then between us we can knock a set together, play some gigs and get the money together for our next release. Somewhere in the contract there’s a line that says something about Vacuum Spasm Babies returning the favour, I imagine playing Stark Palace songs live would a riot and in terms of things to do before I’m 40 comes in quite near the top, just after arranging a lock-in with Lords Summerisle & Byron, Mrs Bravo and me.

Drummer wanted? It looks like this. Our album was never meant to be played live. I’m 35 and live in a house in the country, I’ve got responsibilities and have no business playing on a stage, and if previous experience has anything to go by, very little chance of facing an audience without the best part of a bottle of reasonably good red wine inside me. I’m not set up for that kind of trauma. But if we need to do it, we’ll do it. So as we get the four of us into a soundproofed room and start to hammer guitars in time with the drum tracks lifted off the album, hopefully it will all come together.