Soft Abuse Newsletter: Mad Nanna tour & upcoming 7", Matthew De Gennaro's forthcoming LP, It Hurts debut 7" out now, ...more!

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Aug 20, 2013, 12:10:11 AM8/20/13
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Hi everyone!

It's been a while (as usual) - hope this finds you all well & enjoying your summertime. 
Things are good here in Minneapolis after a shitty winter/spring. I lost my job under nefarious circumstances and scraped by for a few months before landing a great new thing that I seriously love & enjoy going to each day (rare, I know!). Still in some debt from those months of not working, but I'm climbing out slowly & surely. Things are looking up!

On to some biz: there are some new and recent records of note on Soft Abuse! That's right... I'm behind schedule a bit due to the fiscal woes, but have a few things to fill you all in on, like the brilliant upcoming LP release from Matthew De Gennaro, an upcoming 7" from Mad Nanna in celebration of their US/EU tour (dates to immediate follow), and two recent goodies (both available now!) from It Hurts (7") and the peerless Blackout Beach (LP). All great of course! Rather than waste yr time, let's dive in to the particulars, starting with some concrete info on the Mad Nanna tour happening now....



Yes! Mad Nanna have made the long trip over to the US - their first such endeavor - so let's not let them down, OK? Be sure to go & see them and let your friends know they should, too. It'll be great. Join them tomorrow (that is, Tuesday 8/20) from 3-6 PM ET when the boys will appear LIVE on Brian Turner's show on WFMU. Listen live (along with me) at www.wfmu.org. And here's the full list of gigs as of this moment:

08/20 - Jersey City, NJ - WFMU (live session on Brian Turner's show, 3-6 PM)
08/22 - Brooklyn, NY - Steve's Loft [252 Norman Ave, Greenpoint] (with Blues Control)
08/23 - Baltimore, MD - Club K (with Rosemary Krust, Mold Omen, Comfort Link)
08/24 - Philadelphia, PA - TBD (with Birds of Maya)
08/25 - Richmond, VA - TBD
08/26 - Columbus, OH - Cat Science Necromansion (with Pink Reason, The Bibs, Quiet Pepsi)
08/27 - Detroit, MI - M.U.G. (with Stare Case, The Bibs, DJ Kevin Boyer)
08/28 - Chicago, IL - Permanent Records (with The Bibs, 6 PM)
08/28 - Chicago, IL - The Burlington (with The Bibs, Matthew De Gennaro)
08/29 - Minneapolis, MN - Hexagon (with Myrrh, Rollerblade, film from Trevor Adams)
08/30 - Mankato, MN - What's Up Lounge (with Crash Cuddle, John Zuma St. Pelvyn)
09/01 - Cleveland, OH - Now That's Class (with Scarcity Of Tanks, The Bibs)
09/03 - Allston, MA - Great Scott (with Richard Youngs, Damon & Naomi)
09/04 - Northampton, MA - King Street Manor (with Savage Young Taterbug, Tracey Trance)
09/05 - Hudson, NY - The Spotty Dog (with Pigeons)
09/11 - London, UK - Cafe Oto (with Sky Needle, The Pheromoans)
09/13 - Brighton, UK - Cowley Club (with Sky Needle, Sweat Tongue, Dylan Nyoukis, Pheromoans, Men Oh Pause)
09/14 - Manchester, UK - TBA
09/15 - Bristol, UK - Shh Festival (with Sky Needle and Yuko Kono)
09/19 - Amsterdam, NL - Icol (with Sky Needle, Sweat Tongue)
09/20 - Rotterdam, NL - Worm (Sky Needle, The Rebel)
09/21 - Hasselt, BE - KC Belgie (Sky Needle, Maan, Unwar, Joel Stern, Sweat Tongue, Films and Screenings)
09/26 - Paris, FR - TBA (with Sky Needle)
09/29 - Berlin, DE - TBA (with Sky Needle)

More holes are being filled sporadically - be sure to check the Soft Abuse Events pg for the latest.

And on to the new releases...


Mad Nanna - I Wanna See You (7" / DL)


Coming soon to a merch table near you - this beaut of a single feaures two hitherto-unreleased tracks from Mad Nanna, and is the first release of new music (aside from the KRAAK comp single) to appear this year. The first side offers chugging and desperate anthem (is it love or lust? or..?), while the flip provides a thorny basement bramble environ wherein to wander and wonder. Most importantly: go and see them, shower them with your money and hospitality, and why not go ahead and buy this dandy little single while you're at it.

Stream / download the B-side "The Nectarine Tree" here: https://soundcloud.com/soft-abuse/mad-nanna-the-nectarine-tree

These will be shipping - most likely - in early September. 



Matthew De Gennaro - Chuang Tzu Motherfucker (LP / DL)



"Flying Saucer Attack might have raised the flag for rural psychedelia in England, but it flies in Michigan now." - Bill Meyer

Matthew De Gennaro's music revels in fortuitous situations. From his start in the public ear, coaxing harmonic drones from steel cables in tandem with Alastair Galbraith up thru the present, where the beauty of chance eases into his reverent compositions. His unassailable new solo LP, Chuang Tzu Motherfucker, the tenth he's produced to date, unfurls like a deep, sustained exhalation. With guitar, organs, claves and plaintive fiddle, De Gennaro crafts a series of beautifully melancholic pieces informed by the isolated environs of his home and studio in rural Michigan. His is out-of-time music that touches the heart before the brain can react, and despite this, Matthew De Gennaro has operated in relative obscurity for nearly 15 years. He's been a favorite of mine since first hearing his great Last Visible Dog release Humbled Down, but everything since has been exponentially better than what came before, which leads us to the new LP....

This one is a pre-order, currently slated for October. there've been some test press issues with this record, which I hope to have sorted soon.

Stream / download the song 'The Plum Line / Bells for Mompou" (which features Scott Tuma) here: https://soundcloud.com/soft-abuse/matthew-de-gennaro-the-plumb

Digital fans will find the album available from iTunes, Other Music digital, & all other places as of today. 


It Hurts - 33 Tears (7" / DL) now available



It Hurts is Beth, Angeline and Claire, an all-female trio from New Zealand. Each have been involved with various musical projects over the years (Futurians, Currer Bells, Octopus, etc), but didn't converge as It Hurts until the torrid summer of 2011 in Auckland. They've thus far released two limited tapes (one on Albert's Basement, the other self-released); 33 Tears is their debut 7". These two songs offer a beautiful summation of the crude ooze they've issued so far in one easily digestible dose. Imagine Indian War Whoop played by Heathen Earth-era Throbbing Gristle with a heavy emphasis on fuzzed blues histrionics. Reined to tape quite well by Stefan "Pumice" Neville.

Stream / download the song "Earth Sun Moon Us" here: https://soundcloud.com/soft-abuse/it-hurts-earth-sun-moon-us


Blackout Beach - Blues Trip (LP / DL) now available



Blues Trip is a retooling/retelling of the album Fuck Death, released under as Blackout Beach o a perplexed public in 2011 via Dead Oceans. Carey Mercer and his “blues trio” Blackout Beach lineup (wife and Frog Eyes conspirator Melanie Campbell on drums & ex-Wolf Parader Dante DeCaro on bass) revisited the Fuck Death songs in a quick session at a remote studio & birthed this behemoth. Blues Trip eschews the source album's synth incantations in favor of a more immediate, traditional rockist approach (insofar that something akin to Frog Eyes is traditional). The results are as rewarding as could be imagined; in several instances, his new versions vary greatly from those presented on Fuck Death. New light is shed, etc. This music is primal and emotional, with Mercer's howl and tone-perfect guitar at the fore.



New Distributed Stuff!

Some of this may be a repeat from last time - my apologies if so! As always supplies are limited, so pounce if you see something of interest... 
Not listed or on the site yet are new singles from Exiles From Clowntown and Mole House - these are $7.00 each, write me if interested.


Brute Heart - The Cabinet of Dr Caligari CS
Last copies of this brilliant soundtrack from Brute Heart, with guests John Marks (synth) and Jonathan Kaiser (cello). Commissioned by the Walker Art Center.



Futurians - Chaos Manner LP
Last copies of this demented release for Last Visible Dog (RIP).


Mad Nanna / Pumice / Kraus / Slug Guts - Surrealistic Pillow 7"
Dream comp of contemporary Australian and New Zealand bands... Given to us by the gods at KRAAK in Belgium.


Matthew De Gennaro / Stefan Neville - Women CS
Must-have duo set from MDG and Stefan... Ruminations over women - things get surly at times. Privately released by MDG. Restocked.


Matthew De Gennaro - Humbled Down CD
Last copies of this brilliant 2005 album from MDG, release via Last Visible Dog (RIP).


Matthew De Gennaro - A Guide for the Perplexed CD
Rare sealed copies of this 2006 CD from MDG, self-released. 


Alastair Galbraith / Matthew De Gennaro - Long Wires in Dark Museums Vol. 2 CD
Sealed copies from the fruitful duo sessions of AG and MDG. This is their second duo release. 

...and while we're at it, I'm now housing all existing inventory from the late, great Last Visible Dog label. Chris Moon ran the label for a good many years before deciding to toss in the towel late in 2012. A few things are listed for sale at softabuse.com, even more is available via my own personal Discogs page, including LVD releases from The Terminals, Marineville, Stefan Neville (and Pumice), Up-Tight, and dozens more. Speaking of Discogs - feel free to buy all of the other stuff listed, too! Lots on offer there that didn't really strike my fancy...


Band News & Updates

Nathan Bowles
NB has a new duo record out on MIE with Scott Verrastro that is well worth yr time & coin. The same label also release the must-have Pelt 2LP Effigy & a bunch of other essentials. Nathan is also set to play this year's Hopscotch Festival in a few weeks, sharing the stage with our pal Group and Angel Olsen, and recently completed his "Muggy Nuts" solo banjo tour of the south.
09/05 - Raleigh, NC - Hopscotch Festival 

Brute Heart
Things have been quiet in camp BH following a very busy few years. The three will re-emerge for a quality gig in Mpls next month.
09/23 - Minneapolis, MN - Cause (with Circuit Des Yeux, Food Pyramid, Spires That in the Sunset Rise)

Matthew De Gennaro
With his new masterpiece set to arrive soon, it's not too soon to announce that his follow-up is already in the can & will see release on Soft Abuse in late 2013 or early 2014, likely as a cassette. Title TBA. MDG also plays live next week in support of Mad Nanna.
08/28 - Chicago, IL - The Burlington (with Mad Nanna, The Bibs)

Exiles From Clowntown
We're proud to announce the release of the debut LP from Exiles on Soft Abuse, to happen hopefully before year-end or early next. Its called Tape Scissors Rock. Check out the new 7" on Ever/Never in the meantime...

Frog Eyes
Our old pals Frog Eyes have a new record complete - more info to come on this exciting development!

Mad Nanna
Massive US/EU tour is underway (dates up above), and a new single happening soon, too. 

Myrrh
The band will soon self-release a lathe-cut (10" I think), and are at work on another proper full-length... 
08/29 - Minneapolis, MN - Hexagon (with Mad Nanna, Rollerblade, a film from Trevor Adams)

Pigeons
Clark and Wednesday recently escaped NYC for upstate, and have been working on new recordings ever since. Something's bound to happen with these new songs, but its too early to announce yet... Check out their KILLER live set on WFMU if you haven't already.
09/05 - hudson, NY - The Spotty Dog (with Mad Nanna)

Ulaan Khol
SRS is hard at work on the next installment from 'Khol, which is definitely too early to really mention here but... I'm excited.

Ulaan Markhor
The new album is completely finished & ready to go. This should have already been released by us by now (tsk), and we hope to have it out in the next few months. It's a monster.



That's all for now! Thanks for reading this far, and of course thanks for the continued support. 

Take care,
Chris / Soft Abuse

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SOFT ABUSE
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