Really just starting this thread to say C. Saw him open for Om + Lichens in Seattle last week. Fucking brilliant. Was mostly there for SRB, on the hells of last year's While My Gtr Violently Bleeds + Polytheistic Fragments, but didn't know what to expect - I'm not a Sun City Girls fan. Played solo electric steel, accompanied by various effects and loops. Passionate, musical improv virtuoso stuff. Fahey-style combo of Appalachiana and "Eastern" ragas, but distinctive and personal. Was almost moved to (entirely sober) tears during the final piece. Spoke w/ him afterwards: said it was the first time he's played electric in quite a while. Nice guy. Bought 3 homemade CDRs off him: Fingering the Devil, Staged, and Knucklehead Freefall. All great. Anybody got any info, tales, tips, etc?
ALSO: Lichens were/was very bad. Nearly inaudible, wordless crooning over rudimentary guitar manipulation + loops. Anybody know if he was having voice problems or something? Otherwise, I can't see the appeal.
ALSO: Anybody think Om don't do such a good job integrating the quiet w/ the loud? On record, it all flows together. Live, though, the loud stuff crushes while the quiet parts bore.
― contenderizer, Friday, 25 January 2008 18:59 (sixteen years ago) link
for purposes of this thread, hells = heels
Dammit, I meant to go to that show.
― clotpoll, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:04 (sixteen years ago) link
SRB is really a very different beast solo than with the Girls. I think it's all classic. Fingering The Devil is probably my favorite. The two older ones (Improvika and Salvador Kali) are good, but not worth spending collector prices on.
― sleeve, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:05 (sixteen years ago) link
I think I had a brief post about SRB's solo stuff on one of the Sun City Girls' threads. Anyways, complete classic. In just the past month, I picked up Improvika, While My Guitar... and Polytheistic Fragments and they are all incredible. I'm probably liking Improvika the most right now but I play them all interchangeably. SRB's stuff has gotten me on a big solo acoustic guitar kick lately.
On a similar note, any fans of SRB should check out the other stuff on Locust Music's Wooden Guitar series (the series which released 'Improvika') - this stuff is awesome too. Eric Carbonara's Exodus Bulldornadius is outstanding, and Steffen Basho-Junghans's album is good too. I need to check out more Locust's catalog, they seem like a cool label.
but yea, SRB's stuff is amazing. total classic.
― Mark Clemente, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:11 (sixteen years ago) link
SRB + Lichens + Om, wow that sounds like an awesome show, btw.
― Mark Clemente, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:12 (sixteen years ago) link
this will be the least controversial c/d ev!
― 69, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:12 (sixteen years ago) link
The first one on Revenant is my favorite although the newest one has it's moments too.
― Alex in SF, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:14 (sixteen years ago) link
While My Guitar Violently Bleeds is SRB's winner so far. The other stuff is wonderful as well. But this album is just an angry motherfucker of an album without resorting to any stereotypes of "angry sounds",if that makes sense.
― Mackro Mackro, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:17 (sixteen years ago) link
I dunno, I was kind of sad about that lengthy noise/drone/whatever track on While My Guitar....mostly because he's so damn good at playing normal that I don't need any of that stuff. Fingering the Devil is my favorite for that reason--1 day in the studio, solo acoustic and he absolutely kills it. Gotta see him live sometime.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:47 (sixteen years ago) link
I go to the other albums for individual songs, but as a whole album, it's While My Guitar.... Does it matter how well he plays? (rhetorically asking) I know he's good, but that's not the deciding factor on why his stuff works or doesn't for me.
― Mackro Mackro, Friday, 25 January 2008 19:50 (sixteen years ago) link
I hear what you're saying but I think it matters to me. I really like unaccompanied guitar but finding someone who is technically skilled enough to play good unaccompanied guitar while also not being totally clinical is tough to do. A lot of what I feel in his stuff is a result of how good he is--his command of dynamics, the way he can back off and then come in and crush you, his musical vocabulary, etc.--lesser guitarists can't really do that stuff.
― call all destroyer, Friday, 25 January 2008 20:28 (sixteen years ago) link
What you say is true, cad, but I agree w/ Mackro2. While My Guitar... witholds the blazing technique, but it's as rich and emotionally connected as any of his other work. (Though the best and most moving piece in the live show was Abydos, from Fingering the Devil.)
― contenderizer, Friday, 25 January 2008 20:51 (sixteen years ago) link
Improvika has been the best thing I've heard from him, but I also like Salvador Kali and (recently) Polytheistic Fragments...the last few times I've seen him, however, there were parts of the show where the improv seemed particularly uninspired
― Malcolm Money, Friday, 25 January 2008 21:09 (sixteen years ago) link
the last few times I've seen him, however, there were parts of the show where the improv seemed particularly uninspired
― contenderizer, Friday, 25 January 2008 21:15 (sixteen years ago) link
Or maybe not so indirectly...
― contenderizer, Friday, 25 January 2008 21:16 (sixteen years ago) link
sounds like he needs to stop playing gypsy jazz and Middle Eastern scales
― Malcolm Money, Friday, 25 January 2008 21:18 (sixteen years ago) link
“When I began my recording session back in December the first song I recorded was “Ka’an Azzaman” which is a cover song written by Elias Rahbani, born in 1938 and one of Lebanon’s finest song writers, arrangers and composers (I am half Lebanese just so you know). The version of this song that I was familiar with was an instrumental version by late Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid (1945-1981) who is one of my favorite guitar players of all time, and quite unknown to a lot of people.
<3<3<3<3<333333333333333
― wilter, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 10:50 (fourteen years ago) link
so good
― wilter, Wednesday, 22 April 2009 10:53 (fourteen years ago) link
Ka’an Azzaman rly is dope
― wilter, Thursday, 23 April 2009 10:46 (fourteen years ago) link
out when?
― stirmonster, Thursday, 23 April 2009 12:43 (fourteen years ago) link
26 may
― wilter, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 10:41 (fourteen years ago) link
My mom once told me I should play Dream Of The Lotus Eaters at her funeral.
― invitation to rabies (╓abies), Tuesday, 28 April 2009 12:44 (fourteen years ago) link
so i know nothing about Omar Khorshid, but I'm digging this new Bishop record a lot. Where should I go to check out Omar? Is there a comp or something?
― tylerw, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 14:30 (fourteen years ago) link
i only have polytheistic fragments but wow what a record. real talent.
― 4,000 hoes in blackburn, lancashire (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 28 April 2009 16:37 (fourteen years ago) link
Ricahrd Bishop's facebook status a few days ago was some anti-vaccination nonsense.
― ian, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:08 (fourteen years ago) link
:/
― Trip Maker, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:27 (fourteen years ago) link
If Omar Khorshid is who I think he is, I've always found him kind of cheesy, and not in a plasing way. But I will want to check this out. The Rahbanis of course wrote a lot of Fairouz's songs. (She was married to one of them, I forget which one.)
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:31 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.myspace.com/sirrichardbishop
I dunno, I've already got some stuff that sounds a lot like this that I never listen to.
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 20:36 (fourteen years ago) link
love srb. i try to buy all his vinyl shit. lately hearing a lot of fahey, blackshaw and ben chasny. all else bore me to tears.
check out also this japanese dude called yousei. he only has cdrs out and i hope he is working on a record deal on a proper label. check his shit out :
http://www.myspace.com/youseis
― doom23, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 21:16 (fourteen years ago) link
"Ricahrd Bishop's facebook status a few days ago was some anti-vaccination nonsense."
Yeah, unfortunately he (they?) seems to be a conspiracy nut.
― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 21:27 (fourteen years ago) link
It's hard to tell when he's pulling legs, though. Cuz I for one love conspiracy theories, and if I were a different type, I might play devil's advocate and harangue people even if I didn't believe in it.
There was some blog article a few weeks back abt the supposed anti-semitism in the SCG's output.
― ian, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 21:40 (fourteen years ago) link
xp Alex: Richard is fond of conspiracy theories.
― giving a shit when it isn't your turn to give a shit (sarahel), Tuesday, 28 April 2009 21:47 (fourteen years ago) link
Yes, let's rule out all conspiracy theories a priori, no matter how much evidence is staring us in the face.
(Not meant as a defense of anti-vaccination positions.)
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 22:18 (fourteen years ago) link
Who is ruling out all conspiracies? I'd say if you believe in the existence of more than oh let's say three conspiracies you are probably a nut.
― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 23:03 (fourteen years ago) link
i dunno, on an aesthetic level i sort of like the fact that they may be crazy conspiracy dudes
― Domm P))) (M@tt He1ges0n), Tuesday, 28 April 2009 23:37 (fourteen years ago) link
The fact that Bishop is a nut does nothing to detract from my enjoyment of his music.
― Alex in SF, Tuesday, 28 April 2009 23:44 (fourteen years ago) link
Half the time I can't tell when the SCG dudes are pullin my leg, which is at least one reason to <3 them.
― invitation to rabies (╓abies), Wednesday, 29 April 2009 01:12 (fourteen years ago) link
dude can play; that's all i really care about
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 01:25 (fourteen years ago) link
I guess. But it is kind of interesting that he's a bit shitnuts.
― wilter, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 02:24 (fourteen years ago) link
It certainly makes reading interviews (or viewing his facebook status) more exciting.
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 02:25 (fourteen years ago) link
guys, i really, really don't think that SRB (or Alan, or Charlie) "believed" all this crap ... it's soooo a part of their schtick. like Ian says, i've totally known lots of dudes who are waaaaay into this stuff, can recite all kinds of arcana, illuminati stuff, but don't actually BUY INTO IT. Like the Napoleon & Josephine thing and the Dante's Disneyland material ... they are just well-versed in the stuff and can riff on it at will
― Stormy Davis, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 02:54 (fourteen years ago) link
DN: You seem to mostly be mocking when you write anything political - have you ever felt that your fans don’t get it?
AB: Yes-only a small percentage is truly qualified to “get it”. That may change over time but I’m not always mocking – sometimes I’m dead serious—it just may not be clear which is which.
DN: …and of course, do you care?
AB: It is never wise to express weakness in any situation, regardless of how much the social engineers wax on about how much women love the “sensitive male”. It’s a scam. Beware!
Alan's always fun in interviews! I can't not read that second response in the Uncle Jim voice. (I even found myself inserting "fellas" at select points the first time I read it!)
But yeah, case in point, it's a lotta chain yankin / mockery. And occasionally they (or at least Alan) mean it.
― invitation to rabies (╓abies), Wednesday, 29 April 2009 12:35 (fourteen years ago) link
Maybe he watched the new episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit last night? Because it was ALL about anti-vaccination debate, and featured his evil twin in disguise Hilary Duff as well...
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Wednesday, 29 April 2009 17:49 (fourteen years ago) link
oh, speaking of SRB, it looks like 'Improvika' has just been reissued on vinyl:
http://www.reckless.com/index.php?keywords=Improvika&format=&cond=&store=&is_search=true&srch=Search
I already have the Bo Weevil lp pressing but nice to know it's back out there on wax
― Stormy Davis, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 18:01 (fourteen years ago) link
"Maybe he watched the new episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit last night? Because it was ALL about anti-vaccination debate, and featured his evil twin in disguise Hilary Duff as well..."
I knew I shouldn't have gone to bed after Biggest Loser!
― Alex in SF, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 18:07 (fourteen years ago) link
he is a dealer of esoteric literature.
― doom23, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 21:19 (fourteen years ago) link
http://shop.ebay.com.au/merchant/esotericbooks_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZ
this is him right?
― wilter, Wednesday, 29 April 2009 22:48 (fourteen years ago) link
Spoken like a true single-bullet man.
― _Rockist__Scientist_, Thursday, 7 May 2009 21:55 (fourteen years ago) link
Spoken like a true the Rockefeller's are behind it all man.
― Alex in SF, Thursday, 7 May 2009 21:58 (fourteen years ago) link
That scene with all those figures with their hands clapsed together is fantastic, especially dog-head man
― dschinghis kraan (NickB), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 20:51 (ten years ago) link
xp haha, yeah, some of them made me laff (i am a lame dad after all), but some of the things he's taking photos of are so amazing i kind of want a little more actual information.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 8 May 2013 20:54 (ten years ago) link
That's SCG/Sublime Frequencies all over though, isn't it. Driving up the mystique through never acknowledging their sources.
― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 21:33 (ten years ago) link
why learn when you can gape?
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 23:46 (ten years ago) link
That's SCG/Sublime Frequencies all over though, isn't it.
No. Hisham Mayet was in Brooklyn for a lovely film series centered around Sublime Frequencies movies in March. Very forthcoming and candid about sources, musicians, context of all his movies/recordings. Never felt there was any "intentional mystery"/mystique to SF stuff, unlike the early Mississippi releases.
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Thursday, 9 May 2013 04:17 (ten years ago) link
it's true that some of their releases have decent liner notes. i guess this maybe applies more to some of the earlier releases like princess nicotine (which came out in the 80s right?)
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Thursday, 9 May 2013 06:07 (ten years ago) link
The original Princess Nicotine was compiled by Alan Bishop and released by Major in 1994. When it was reissued by SF in the 2000s, I believe there were liner notes added but I'm not sure.
― Badmotorfinger Debate Club (MFB), Thursday, 9 May 2013 17:23 (ten years ago) link
*Majora
the bishops/sublime frequencies can maybe be accused of focusing on the more "exotic/esoteric" side of various cultures, but at the same time, I don't doubt that they know a lot about these various cultures...i mean, they've been actually going to all of these countries for several decades, i'm sure the interest for them isn't just "lol how weird".
― tylerw, Thursday, 9 May 2013 17:33 (ten years ago) link
"lol how weird" is fine by me btw
― Bees Against Racism (Tom D.), Thursday, 9 May 2013 17:34 (ten years ago) link
haha, yeah the world is weird!
― tylerw, Thursday, 9 May 2013 17:36 (ten years ago) link
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/gms/3809089215.htmlyou can own sir richard's 88 Honda CRX! and some other stuff too.
― tylerw, Thursday, 16 May 2013 17:57 (ten years ago) link
I wonder where he is moving? Seems like more than your typical yard sale.
― Flat Of NAGLs (sleeve), Thursday, 16 May 2013 19:05 (ten years ago) link
Man $200 Sir Richard guitar a pretty sweet deal. May catch some of the magic from those fingers ....
― grandavis, Thursday, 16 May 2013 19:47 (ten years ago) link
that amp looks p nice
― random access mammaries (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 16 May 2013 20:04 (ten years ago) link
this dude loves having garage sales
― mizzell, Thursday, 16 May 2013 20:24 (ten years ago) link
4 new albums up for download over here: http://deliradio.com/sir-richard-bishop$11 seems kind of steep for mp3s, but...
― tylerw, Monday, 25 November 2013 16:00 (ten years ago) link
also worth your time - http://www.sixorgans.com/?p=261
― tylerw, Monday, 25 November 2013 16:04 (ten years ago) link
oh those are MP3?!? fuck that. I listened to three of them yesterday and liked what I heard, yay for streaming.
― sleeve, Monday, 25 November 2013 16:24 (ten years ago) link
well, i dunno, maybe you can get them in lossless? they do sound pretty good, but yeah...
― tylerw, Monday, 25 November 2013 16:25 (ten years ago) link
my favorite of the bunch seems to be mystery guild, but i haven't spent much time with them yet.
― the haxan 5 (get bent), Monday, 25 November 2013 20:20 (ten years ago) link
Fourteen SRB albums are now available for free to download until 1st September:
http://deliradio.com/sir-richard-bishop
― Duane Barry, Sunday, 24 August 2014 11:13 (nine years ago) link
Good grief, that's rather huge. Bump!
― before you die you see the rink (Jon Lewis), Sunday, 24 August 2014 17:12 (nine years ago) link
raaaaaaaaaaaaad. i only have four of those. thanks for the heads up dude!
― marcos, Monday, 25 August 2014 14:20 (nine years ago) link
http://www.sirrichardbishop.net/tourdates.htm
On the US east coast now but not in my neck of the woods. Oh well
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 4 September 2014 15:20 (nine years ago) link
He's playing in Brooklyn on Saturday but I don't know if I can make it...
― Evan, Thursday, 4 September 2014 15:30 (nine years ago) link
also those free downloads are still active
― marcos, Thursday, 4 September 2014 15:31 (nine years ago) link
somebody tell rick bishop :)
― I dunno. (amateurist), Thursday, 4 September 2014 18:23 (nine years ago) link
One of my favorite concerts of all time was this one: http://www.newyorknighttrain.com/zine/general/live/mar/live032206.html.
SRB's set was perfectly placed between different varieties of nutso noise.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Friday, 5 September 2014 02:55 (nine years ago) link
i'm doing the saturday gig; he's also playing sunday at the new WFMU Monty Hall
― the other song about butts in the top 5 (forksclovetofu), Friday, 5 September 2014 07:09 (nine years ago) link
Crap the tickets link from issue project room's website says sold out. It's through brownpapertickets-- maybe it's just one of those things where they stop selling them online the day of the show?
― Rand McNulty (Jon Lewis), Saturday, 6 September 2014 16:44 (nine years ago) link
No, it was sold out. Great show! Dont miss the wfmu thing tomorrow.
― the other song about butts in the top 5 (forksclovetofu), Sunday, 7 September 2014 04:30 (nine years ago) link
Anyone else here at Monty ATM?
― Evan, Sunday, 7 September 2014 23:40 (nine years ago) link
Well, the show was fantastic!
― Evan, Monday, 8 September 2014 03:34 (nine years ago) link
so hamish kilgour sat in with bishop? man, that would be cool to see.
― tylerw, Monday, 8 September 2014 15:13 (nine years ago) link
He did! He just kinda casually screwed around with a plastic djembe and a few other percussion instruments. They did an unrehearsed little jam for a few minutes as the last number.
Richard was amazing overall though!
Tashi's set was very cool as well. Lots of tension and great use of sound with little experiments involving a bobby pin, a piece of foam & a safety pin.
― Evan, Monday, 8 September 2014 15:22 (nine years ago) link
oh man that would be coolhamish has such a weird drumming style! i like it.
kinda bummed that i missed srb show here but o well
― cross over the mushroom circle (La Lechera), Monday, 8 September 2014 15:58 (nine years ago) link
I was afraid I would! I drove to the venue and found a spot around the corner. Was kind of failing at parallel parking for 6 minutes as Richard sat on the sidewalk next to me smoking a hand rolled cigarette or perhaps a joint. I decided not to say hi...
― Evan, Monday, 8 September 2014 16:07 (nine years ago) link
wait fuck tashi dorji played the sunday night show as well? dammit. After saturday sold out I didn't try to get it together for sunday bc I really wanted to see dorji as much as SRB. I'm stupid.
― Rand McNulty (Jon Lewis), Monday, 8 September 2014 16:44 (nine years ago) link
He's playing Union Pool tomorrow night! There are still tickets. I've been asked to spread the word.
― demonic mnevice (Jon Lewis), Friday, 10 April 2015 04:36 (nine years ago) link
he's amazing live and i strongly recommend going
― Maybe in 100 years someone will say damn Dawn was dope. (forksclovetofu), Friday, 10 April 2015 04:41 (nine years ago) link
He sure is. Opener is Robert Millis (not a known name to me)
― demonic mnevice (Jon Lewis), Friday, 10 April 2015 04:43 (nine years ago) link
Millis was way more trad singer/acoustic guitar strummer than I expected but he did play one more experimental piece in the beginning.
― groundless round (La Lechera), Friday, 10 April 2015 13:18 (nine years ago) link
Bishop is in Arlington, VA Saturday night
― curmudgeon, Friday, 10 April 2015 13:24 (nine years ago) link
Robert Millis was in Climax Golden Twins, they are old friends
― sleeve, Friday, 10 April 2015 15:00 (nine years ago) link
ohhh climax golden twins ok
― demonic mnevice (Jon Lewis), Friday, 10 April 2015 15:36 (nine years ago) link
Drag City announces Sir Richard Bishop August and September 2023 US tour
― curmudgeon, Friday, 30 June 2023 18:25 (nine months ago) link
He’s coming to Baltimore, I may need to see this.
― The Triumphant Return of Bernard & Stubbs (Raymond Cummings), Saturday, 1 July 2023 02:21 (nine months ago) link
he's great live, it's amazing to watch him shred IRL
― out-of-print LaserDisc edition (sleeve), Saturday, 1 July 2023 02:22 (nine months ago) link
he'll be in Minneapolis tomorrow night. i think i may go.
― budo jeru, Saturday, 5 August 2023 16:14 (eight months ago) link