Danny Malone - 'Balloons' CD Review (Austin 'Future-Folk')

Austin’s Danny Malone released his second full-length disc, Balloons, earlier this summer and, unfortunately, I had trouble getting past the John Waite-ish cover photo so this disc slipped to the bottom of my review queue. After finally giving this disc a spin over the weekend, I quickly realized that I had been missing out on some good music as Malone writes hazy, psychedelic folk-pop which has the eccentricities and demented genius of artists like Michael Gira (Swans, Angels of Light) and Roky Erickson.  It is easy to slip away into the haziness of Malone’s music but a careful listen to the lyrics quickly lets you know that Malone is trying to purge his soul through tales of loss, love, lust and addiction. Malone describes his “future-folk” music as “sexy, dirty, sad songs about the human condition”.

A brief snippet of an interview with Musiqtone says a lot about Malone’s state of mind:

LL: Do you have any fun memories or stories to share about any performances?
DM: No. I blackout before I play , like Beyoncé. Have you ever- Wait, didn’t she say that recently?

LL: Umm, I have no idea! I’ve never heard her say that before…
DM: There’s discussion that she’s involved with Satan and someone said, I think she said that she blacks out when she performs, and I just relate with that. And I do that…and that’s it! Wait, what was the question again?

This new disc was recorded in at Engelsholm Castle, a haunted castle in Denmark where Malone had been inspired to write a number of the songs on Balloons after attending a writers workshop at the castle the previous year. Returning to Engelsholm Castle, Malone and producer Matthew Smith recorded all 10 songs in 10 days, each in a different room of the castle, utilizing sounds that they found or created – such as slamming a piano lid shut, hitting a pool cue against a wall, and stomping the floor – for all the drum sounds. Malone said: “I only remember bits and pieces of recording each song because it feels like one big dream or something. It was great. It was like going to another world. Completely like another dimension to record it, and then coming back to reality to put it out.” (from the same Musiqtone interview).

The songs range from the darkly erotic “spiderlegs” (video below), which leads in with delicately picked guitar notes which build to electronic beats that wash over Malone’s vocals. This is followed by the shimmery and upbeat tune “sugarwater” which brings multi-part vocal harmonies to the forefront and features a “bop-shu-wop” sing-along chorus that hides that this is a tale about hypochondria. This is followed by “whitewhitelight”, which is a hazy psychedelic number that would float away if it weren’t anchored down by a shuffling percussive beat.



Live reviews have cited Malone as an extremely compelling live performer but, as he doesn’t have any tour dates currently posted to his website, those outside of Austin may be out of luck.

Links:
Danny Malone

Roky Erickson DVD Release Party at Southpaw on Tuesday, July 10th

The documentary on Roky Erickson, You're Gonna Miss Me, will be released on DVD on July 10th and Palm Pictures is having a release party at Southpaw that night.

The movie has gotten excellent reviews from its run in the theaters.

YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME charts his wonderful transformation as the reclusive, troubled Erickson re-enters his spiritual and artistic life after his younger brother takes legal custody of him. If you think every film about tormented geniuses has to end in tragedy, YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME will shock you.” – Ken Taylor, XLR8R

This film is directed by Keven McAlester and was recently nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary. The movie details the rise and fall of rock legend Roky Erickson, whose band, The 13th Floor Elevators,coined the 1960’s term “psychedelic rock.”

The DVD has a number of special features that weren't part of the theatrical release which include:
The Ultimate Roky Experience, an Hour and a half of ROKY RARITIES:
*Historic, Uncut Live Performances of: “COLD NIGHT FOR ALLIGATORS” & Intimate Acoustic Performances of
“BLOODY HAMMER,” “STARRY EYES,” “RIGHT TRACK NOW,” “DON’T SLANDER ME,” and many more
*The Complete “I KNOW THE HOLE IN BABY’S HEAD” and other readings by Roky
*The Collected Works of EVELYN ERICKSON
*POSTSCRIPT: Austin City Limits Festival Documentary (2005)
*POSTSCRIPT: Roky’s Emancipation Hearing (2007)
*DELETED SCENES & EXTRA DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE

Doors are at 8:00PM and the screening starts at 8:30PM.

Best of all -- admission is FREE.

Roky Erickson - You're Gonna Miss Me Movie Premiers On June 8th

Kevin McAlester's documentary on Roky Erickson makes its premier at Cinema Village on June 8th. Cinema Village is at 22 E. 12th Street in the Village.

Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures will be releasing Keven McAlester’s directorial debut film YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME in theatres and on DVD. Recently nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, the film details the rise and fall of rock legend Roky Erickson, whose band, The 13th Floor Elevators, coined the 1960’s term “psychedelic rock.”

YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME will have a limited theatrical release starting in New York on June 8, and the DVD release shortly following on July 10th.

Outside Austin, Texas, a 53-year-old man sits in an apartment with four radios, three televisions, two amps, a radio scanner, and a Casio electric piano playing all at the same time. Loudly. He has three teeth, his hair is matted into one huge dreadlock, and he has a notarized document on his wall declaring himself an alien, "so whoever's putting shocks to my head will stop."

This is the story of Roky Erickson: the manic singer and front man for the legendary band, The 13th Floor Elevators who are considered by many to be the creators of psychedelic music and muse to Janis Joplin. YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME is a disturbingly intimate portrait of an imploding family and the struggle between modernized medicine and religion. Known for his colossal heroin and LSD binges and an ongoing struggle with schizophrenia, Roky has become one of music's legendary tragic figures.

First arrested for carrying one joint of marijuana, Roky enters an insanity plea, which lands him in a minimum-security mental hospital. After numerous attempts to escape, the state of Texas transfers him to Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane, where he undergoes a series of implausible shock treatments, leaving this rock virtuoso a scarce whisper of his former self.

Now kept under lock and key by his mother Evelyn---who refuses him any treatment beyond love, prayer, and a view of psychiatry gleaned from the shows that she has seen on television. Erickson becomes the centerpiece of a surreal family struggle and the blank screen onto which those around him project their re-imagined pasts and hopeful futures.

Roky appears to be getting back on his feet and is playing two shows in town this month (which are both sold out). Here is his current tour itinerary:

April 13 Brooklyn NY @ SOUTHPAW
April 15 New York, NY @ BOWERY BALLROOM
May 2 New Orleans, LA @ PONDEROSA STOMP
April 28 Indio, CA @ COACHELLA FESTIVAL
June 18 SWEDEN @ HULTSFRED FESTIVAL
Jule 6 DENMARK @ ROSKILDE FESTIVAL
July 8 FINLAND @ RUISROCK FESTIVAL
August 8-11 NORWAY @ OYA FESTIVAL

If anyone has an extra ticket for the Southpaw show, please drop me an email.

Links:
You're Gonna Miss Me Movie (www.rokymovie.com)
Roky Erickson's Main Site (www.rokyerickson.com)

Roky Erickson Is Playing Southpaw in Brooklyn

This has to be the show of the year for me. I know the year has just started but I can't imagine an artist that means more to me coming through town. Roky Erickson coming to town for his first East Coast show ever is the equivalent for me of seeing Captain Beefheart coming out of the desert and touring again or seeing Syd Barrett play live.

It kills me when I mentioned this show to some of the people I work with and they politely said "who's that". Everyone from Television to R.E.M. to the Jesus and Mary Chain cited Roky as an inspiration. For anyone unfamiliar with Roky, Wikipedia has a good overview of Roky and his career and Roky also has a new website.

Roky is playing Southpaw on Friday, April 13th. He has reunited with his 80's backing band The Explosives and Antietam and The Insomniacs are also on the bill. Tickets are $25 and I would expect them to go quickly.