Super XX Man Volume III EP digitally reissued and expanded
Scott Garred, aka Super XX (pronounced "double-X") Man, began self-releasing his home recordings in the mid-'90s, while still fronting the popular indie-pop trio Silver Scooter. At the time, Super XX Man's four-tracked cassettes were simply a side project, but when Scott moved to Portland in 2002, he continued his solo recordings, eventually recruiting a full band and moving Super XX Man onto the stage and into the studio. Super XX Man has since been featuredtwice on NPR's All Songs Considered and has just released a new studio album, Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds, on Portland's Tender Loving Empire label.
When Peek-A-Boo Records originally released Super XX Man's Volume III EP in 1997, it was limited to six tracks due to the inherent limitations of the 7" format. However, Scott had recorded more than twice that number of tracks with the idea that, like the two preceding self-released cassettes, Volume III would hold 12 songs. With this digital re-issue, Volume III has finally been expanded and restored to include the missing tracks, among which you'll find a moving cover of East River Pipe's "Crawl Away."
The expanded reissue of Volume III is now available for download via iTunes and eMusic, and vinyl fans who purchase the original 7" version of the EP will receive a download code for the full digital release.
Here's a summary of appearances by Peek-A-Boo Records artists during SXSW 2009. More details can be found on the tour dates page.
The Octopus Project "An Evening With Rthrtha" music video screening Friday, March 13, 7:30 pm @ Alamo Lamar, Screen 3 Wednesday, March 18, 2:15 pm @ Alamo Ritz, Screen 2 Saturday, March 21st, 5:30 pm @ Alamo Ritz, Screen 2
MakeMusic TalkMusic SXSW Party Friday, March 13, 10 pm @ The Beauty Bar Peel, MVSCLZ, Nieliyo
All Tomorrow's Parties SXSW Party Tuesday, March 17 @ Emo's The Octopus Project, The Drones, Sleepy Sun, Micah P. Hinson
Autobus Records SXSW Party Saturday, March 21 @ Okay Mountain Gallery 1:00 pm - Peel 1:45 pm - The Wooden Birds 2:30 pm - The Shivers 3:15 pm - Canopy 4:00 pm - The Weird Weeds 4:45 pm - Callers 5:30 pm - Brazos 6:15 pm - Mellow Owl 7:00 pm - Mark D. Ashworth
Slip Productions SXSW Party Saturday, March 21 @ The Radio Room (main stage) 5:15 pm - Cursive 4:35 pm - Frodus 3:40 pm - The Van Pelt 2:45 pm - Silver Scooter 1:50 pm - Pinebender 1:15 pm - The Life and Times 12:35 pm - Young Widows 12:00 pm - The Poison Arrows 11:30 am - Head of Skulls!
Official SXSW Showcase Saturday, March 21 @ Smokin Music' 7:30 pm - Peel 8:30 pm - Scotland Yard Gospel Choir 9:30 pm - The Love Me Nots 10:30 pm - Ian Moore 11:30 pm - Greg Camp
The Agency Group Official SXSW Showcase Saturday, March 21 @ Emo's (main stage) 9:00 pm - The Octopus Project 10:00 pm - Yelle 11:00 pm - Trail of Dead 12:00 am - Grupo Fantasma 1:00 am - Daniel Johnston
New Diagonals video (featuring Black Lipstick's Steve Garcia)
In case you hadn't heard, Black Lipstick booming bass man and wicked guitar wizard Steve Garcia formed a new band called Diagonals. Diagonals have a new LP called Valley of the Cyclops, which just came out on Austin's Monofonus Press Records. Pick it up ASAP and prepare to have your mind melted.
In the meantime, check out the band's new video for "Clones," in which Garcia ponders some of the same theoretical issues explored by Michael Keaton in the groundbreaking 1996 sci-fi thriller Multiplicity.
"Clones" was directed by Nick Smith, who previously directed the video for The Octopus Project's "Music is Happiness."
Reunions can be so bittersweet. It's been a long time. What if doesn't work? What if the spark is gone? What if it's just... weird? Do you even want to dig up those feelings again? I mean, you're a different person now. You've grown. How could it be the same? And yet... won't you always wonder? Maybe you could just go — no strings attached — and just see how it goes. You know, just enjoy the moment. It could be nice. Maybe you've both changed for the better. It could be good... It could be amazing.
In the late-'90s, Silver Scooter provided us with the songs that made us feel better when we were feeling bitter — a soundtrack filled with melody and melancholy for those lonely nights when regret set in at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night. All things must pass, though, and Silver Scooter said "Goodbye" eight years ago, when singer/guitarist Scott Garred sang, "I want to live in another town, uh-huh," and moved to Portland.
Next month, however, you'll have an opportunity to reminisce about the old-time slugs in a dirty little bar in downtown Austin, because the fine folks at Slip Productions and Lovitt Records have managed to talk the boys of Silver Scooter into getting the band back together for a one-off show during SXSW. On Saturday, March 21st, Slip + Lovitt will be throwing a day party with 17 bands on both stages of Transmission Entertainment's new venue, The Radio Room. Silver Scooter goes on at 2:45 p.m. on the big stage, but the club is sure to fill up fast, so come early.
This is not an official SXSW event, so SXSW badges are not required for entry and will not get you any special privileges. There will be a suggested donation of $10 at the door. If you want to be on the paid reserve list, you can go ahead and send $10 to crcooper@usa.com via PayPal. Those who do will get a show poster and other goodies.
I think it's gonna feel good... like an old lover should.
The Octopus Project's appreciation for obscure musical instruments and vintage electronics is already well-known, but later this month the band will pay homage to the moving image with a very special show at the Alamo Drafthouse theater. On Wednesday, February 25th, The Octopus Project presents Visual Music, a unique, one-night-only multi-media performance featuring brand new original music set to film.
When The Alamo Drafthouse invited The Octopus Project to do something with film & music at the downtown theater space, the band members hand-picked a series of short films spanning all eras of the past 70 years — ranging from crazy, psychedelic color explosions to quiet, sublime black and white animations — and then wrote original music to accompany the footage. The band will perform live while the films are projected onto the big screen. There will be two shows (7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.), but seating is limited, so don't wait to buy your tickets! Check the Alamo Drafthouse website for details.
On a recent tour through the northeast, Scott Garred (aka Super XX Man) was invited to stop by the NPR offices in Washington DC and perform a Tiny Desk Concert at the request of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The concert, available as streaming video on the NPR website and as a higher quality podcast via iTunes, features Scott giving an intimate accoustic performance of three songs, including two from the well-received recent album Volume XII: There'll Be Diamonds and one from 2003's Volume VI: Collecting Rocks. Boilen had previously reviewed Super XX Man's Volume X album on All Songs Considered back in 2006.
In other Super XX Man news, Scott recently discovered the master tapes from what became the Volume III EP, originally released on vinyl in 1997. While the EP only held six tracks due to the limitations of the 7" format, Garred had recorded more than 12 songs for Volume III and will be giving the tracks some special attention for a digital re-issue of the collection coming soon.
Pitchfork premieres new Octopus Project video "I Saw The Bright Shinies"
The Octopus Project's latest video, an animated short for the track "I Saw The Bright Shinies," premiered today on Pitchfork. This new video is the work of Austin freelance illustrator and animator Divya Srinivasan and depicts three sleepy ghost kids following a heterochromic fox through a snowy twilight. When the group discovers an impromptu critter disco in a forest clearing, the spirits and strays dance in harmony until a cranky babushka bemoans the noise and breaks up the party. Thus, the spectral youths return to the astral plane... but not without a final farewell to their new found animal friends.
"I Saw The Bright Shinies" is The Octopus Project's third video from the album Hello, Avalanche. Of the previous two, "Truck" has received over 400,000 views on YouTube, while "An Evening with Rthrtha" has received awards from such prestigious graphics publications as Stash and IDM.
Divya Srinivasan has previously created animated videos for Spoon ("Everything Hits at Once"), They Might Be Giants, The Sundance Channel and Wonder Showzen, and worked on Richard Linklater's Waking Life feature film. Divya's illustration portfolio includes numerous pieces for the New Yorker magazine, as well as the album artwork for Sufjan Stevens' Illinois and This American Life's Stories of Hope and Fear collection. You can see more of Divya's work in her portfolio.
The Octopus Project kicks off yet another tour this weekend on a string of dates up the east coast and into Canada. After several appearances at the CMJ Music Festival, the band will eventually make its way home for a date at Austin's Fun Fun Fun Festival in November.
