Newsletter No. 23: IN LIKE A KILLER, OUT LIKE A LIGHT

Newsletter No. 23: IN LIKE A KILLER, OUT LIKE A LIGHT
"On their side are the resources of a mighty empire, strength
unimpaired, habituation to victory, endurance of toil, unity,
discipline, frugality, and watchfulness. On our side is public
poverty, private luxury, impaired strength, broken spirit, lack of
endurance and training; the soldiers are insubordinate, the officers
avaricious; THERE IS CONTEMPT FOR DISCIPLINE; LICENSE,
RECKLESSNESS, DRUNKENNESS, AND DEBAUCHERY ARE RIFE; and
worst of all, the enemy is accustomed to victory, and we to defeat.
Can we doubt what the result will be?" - Busbecq
"Thirsty... and buck naked. With a knife..." - RZA
And 2003 is upon us like a Ketamine-high. We're seized from the
life raft of 2002 And yanked around by the totally arbitrary
designation of 2003 like a large bird of prey, leaving our prostrate
forms mumbling on aforementioned life raft wondering what the
fuck happened.
Well we'll tell you what happened.
Everything: Norway, Wales, Ecstasy, Strangulation for fun and profit,
Vegas, Porn, Guns, Money (and large lack thereof), Streetfights,
murdering days and nights with more, more, moreŠ
The whole best of times, worst of times rap, but even more so and
greater than were the excessive excesses and the prevailingly long
and extended bouts of either suicidal depression or homicidal joy.
We know, we know you'd like to think we're speaking figuratively.
But we're literalists and so NO. This is the god's honest truth.
Especially if you think God is a sex offender.
So we've mixed the Cassis with the champagne and will drink and
think about what we missed that you should know and so here we
go.
YES YES YES
So we hit on you. So what?!?! Don't act so surprised. Yeah, yeah,
yeah, we shouldn't have. So what? Like it was a total surprise that
THAT happened anyway. Chalk it up to your hot piece of ass
standing. Or our total lack of morality. We ain't apologizing for shit.
Just deal with it, Mom.
"BUT WHY DO THEY HATE YOU HERE?" - ANDREAS BUSCHE, GERMAN
OXBOW FAN on seeing our SF Pound show with 49 other desperate
souls. The Crying of Lot 49 indeed.
After selling out the ICA in London to 600 some odd people,
coming back to playing the Pound with our friends the dear and
departed Lost Goat and a crowd of 49 people was a nice good
chunk of OXBOW world view:
They don't give a shit.
Andreas Busche, who has never seen us play in Germany to a less
than sold out crowd, was mystified and his above question was
genuine. There is no real answer except that they should. Hate us.
We would were we not us. Hate us, that is. Who needs fucking
Jeremiahs like us? Chaos makers... fuck us. We just want to be left
alone. WE just want to be left alone too, but for us this goddamned
OXBOW music is the clearest path to that heaven. Sorry that
someone convinced you you should go. Stay home next time. I
would.
"I MEAN IF SUICIDE'S NOT THE ONLY OPTION HERE I DON'T
KNOW WHAT IS." - GABRIEL FERREIRA on seeing our Phoenix
Theater show to a crazy crowd of 12 in Petaluma.
First time is a fluke. Two times is stone cold lead pipe wake up:
start playing fucking SKA music.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HANGING OUT WITH THAT DISGUSTING
LOSER. WALK ME TO MY CAR." - KATE FOLEY on seeing Eugene
talking to JELLO BIAFRA at the OXBOW/SAHARA HOTNIGHTS show.
Biafra hit Eugene up for not ONE but TWO OXBOW CDs. He paid for
neither as he had spent "all of my money" on Sahara HotNights
merchandise. Add whichever editorial suits you here.
"FUCK YOU... I'M STILL FIGHTING, I'M STILL, AGGHHHH..." - THE GUY
AT THE EAGLE who Eugene choked and left laying on the sidewalk
by the back door at the last OXBOW/Eagle show.
He was drunk. He was mauling Eugene's shirt front. We mean all in
GOOD fun. Eugene said "you're about to get fucked." His friend
shoved a tube of lube in Eugene's face. He rammed his head into
Eugene's mid-section. Eugene guillotined him. As we pulled off in
the van we see him lying on the sidewalk. Perfect end to a perfect
evening. Now if we could only get Waycross's fans to stay and watch
us play next time.
"WE WERE HOPING YOU'D RUB YOUR COCK ALL OVER OUR FRIEND
HAMMIE'S FACE HERE." - BRIAN from SACTO with his Russian
"Friend" Hammie at the Stork Club show.
We played with the fellas who used to be in UNSANE and that was
nice. But the actual show? You mean the one that sucked? The one
with only 15 people? Oh. IT was GREAT.
BRING ON THE TRANNIES...
"I'd like my music career to start late in the morning, when the sun
is nice and worm, There would large breasted girls to wake me, and
have sex. After 5 min of that, A nice hot breakfast of coffee and
sunny side up eggs maybe some fruit. then I can open the checks
that have come in that night and have my accountant tally up the
take. to which we would laugh and laugh, He would say "I can't
believe it's this much". later I'm naked standing on the front terrace
overlooking the estate weeping, Thinking I am dammed for there
are no more worlds to conquer." - Greg Davis, OXBOW
AND BECAUSE WE'RE TOTAL GLUTTONS FOR FUCKING PUNISHMENT
SAN FRANCISCO
JANUARY 11, 2003, Saturday: OXBOW: The POUND SF, 415-2731169 With Ringchildren, Monkeybred?, Six Liter, B-Phase
We play at midnight. Come early, leave before we come on, laugh
about it later with your friends, we'll never know.
THE WORLD DEBATES
KARL DEMATA: COCKSUCKING JUDAS or UNFAIRLY MALIGNED
FRIEND OF THE COMMON MAN
See Newsletter No. 22 for background on the whole KARL DEMATA
debacle.
"For some reason, I'm appalled, but not shocked. People have pulled
the stupidest things on me during my short music business tenure.
Seems to me that everyone thinks that THEY are the next Col.
Parker and everyone ELSE are cheap con-artists... Needless to say,
that guy can't really do anything other than whine about your
content (which is yours and not Neurot's or PhD's) and seeing as
you're protected by free speech laws, that's too fuckin' bad, pal. He
doesn't like it? He can choose not to read it. He can also know he's
effectively gaining a shitty reputation in the US, souring relations
with Neurot (who are hopefully looking into new contacts as we
speak), and pointing out what an ass he is. - Amanda, Boston
"IM GOING TO SUE YOU AND THEN BEAT YOU UP." - ANDY CAPPER,
VICE MAGAZINE, UK
"niko, eugene, et al - interesting reading, as ever. you might want
to point out, first of all, to the genius at plastichead that you're
assuming he meant "the number of the british consul, or
consulate", as opposed to the "british console", which might make
more attentive readers (and lawyers) visualize nintendo gaming
systems and the like...............not to be pedantic or anything........ conor devlin, San Francisco
Cocksucking Motherfuckers ARE GO!
"To be called a "cocksucking motherfucker" by Mr. Robinson is, to
me, an honor. I have also heard and read that when you entered the
realms of GG Allin, El Duce & The Mentors, Lester Bangs, Peter
Laughner, The Happy Mondays, Plan 9, Peter Grant, Don Arden or
Flipper that similar responsibilities needed to be taken for one's
own actions. In a word: If you allow yourself to enter the rock and
roll world and especially into the realm of performers other than,
say, Donnie & Marie, and into the realm of performers who are
known for not being dickless wimpy shitheads who take it up the
ass and in the mouth while getting 1/16th of a penny per 100
albums sold (will i be sued for making this claim?) and instead will
gladly show you how nice and easy their fists and words can slide
up your ass without the help of E-Z lube, then understand that
some mud, undoubtably unclean, will be flung in your direction if
you fuck up. The ass biting, gossip throwing, shit spearing, back
stabbing, misunderstanding, and general no-balls anger that
permeates every aspect of the music business is well known to all of
us and it is part of the reason that I have recently gone back to
being just a mere spectator in this bloodsport called entertainment.
In a word then to Mr. Damata (and to quote my co-worker Geoff
Foster): "dude, grow a pair". - Nick Blakey, Boston
A LAWYER, A GUN, SOME MONEY
To whom it may concern,
As a third party with financial as well as personal interests in the
entity referred to herein as 'Oxbow' I've perused the minutes below
of the dispatches between Mr. Robinson and Mr. Demata and have
subsequently submitted them to my attorneys for review. Against
their advice and with full disclosure having been provided to my
business partners, I have come to the decision that in the interest of
maintaining the level of goodwill Oxbow has enjoyed abroad, i.e.
precious little, and my growing concern that Mr. Demata has never
actually met Mr. Robinson in the flesh and therefore does not know
what very real sort of pain he might be inviting upon himself, to
make a cash settlement equivalent to Oxbow's holdings, as of this
date, described here as monies made 1) on the sale of merchandise
including but not limited to recorded music, clothing, pipe bombs
and sex aids, 2) for performances of Oxbow's music and the
occasional rendition of Joan Jett's 'I Love Rock'n'Roll' and 3) for
personal appearances at openings of local convenience stores,
children's hospitals and ammunition wholesalers.
It should be noted that monies made by individual members of the
band are not included in the financial assessment of Oxbow's
holdings and furthermore that in accepting this cash settlement you
agree to relinquish any future claims on monies made by Mr.
Robinson for the sale of merkins, 'magic powders' and beatings,
monies made by Mr. Adams for the invention of a baby laxative
applicator's lubricated nipple with clamp, monies made by Mr.
Wenner for professional preening and publicly funded displays of
aloofness and/or monies made by Mr. Davis from his personal
website's online sale of video downloads of the nude Mr. Davis
drenched in Crisco while under the influence of the drug commonly
known as 'Ecstacy'.
To conclude, I have directed my accounting department to issue
you a cashier's check in the amount of $10.00 US which, as it turns
out, is $2.52 US more than Oxbow's actual fiscal worth, in the hope
that Mr. Demata will purchase a package of chewing gum as I
imagine that sucking a motherfucker's cock must leave the palate
quite gamey.
All the best,
Dr. Gabriel Ferreira
The Institute for Higher Misanthropy
Monte Rio, Ca.
SAYS:
THE LEGAL TEAM OF DUDES EUGENE KNOWS FROM THE GYM
"I am stunned....you have just created the best possible Exhibit A to
be attached to your affidavit in support of a summary judgment
motion denying the existence of a triable issue of fact in the case of
DeMata v. Robinson.....this is genius, really....this is good, really
good....At first we thought you were crazy to take this tack, but
after reading through the entire newsletter, i realized you
accomplished two things: you refused to compromise your
principles, AND, you made a very convincing case for any judge who
would be reading it as an exhibit in a lawsuit that a) everything you
were complaining of actually happened, b) you were not really name
calling but parodying it on your website and c) karl demata is petty
and stupid. Case closed.
OXBOW UNFAIR TO MOTHERFUCKING COCKSUCKERS!
"hmmm... now, "motherfuckers", if it weren't for them (the fathers),
well there'd be none of us wonderful children (and subsequent
mother/father fuckers) running around, making the world so much
fun for everyone else. and "cocksucker", why, that's what I consider
a beautiful thing, or at very least it's a somewhat neutral
description. now, if you had called him a "lousy/beginner"
cocksucker, or said that he gave bad, all gag, tooth-scraping head,
then I could see why he'd be so mad. pride'll make a man crazy, you
know.
maybe you just need to choose your insults more appropriately?
you being a guy who I assume loves getting a good cocksucking, it
seems silly to use it as a put-down. I can never understand that.
just trying to take back the word. - Doug Hilsinger, San Francisco
IF THERE'S KILLING INVOLVED
"You seem to just get angrier and angrier and angrier. I don't see a
good ending to all of this. Please take it outside of the state if you
can."‹Will Moran, San Francisco
DIE OXBOW DIE!!!
"You are sick, sad, retarded motherfuckers pissing in your beds for
attention. At least GG Allin had the decency to die." - Christine
Frka" ([email protected])
WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY YELLING?
MORE WORD ON THE LARGE SAC'D AND EIGHTH WONDER OF THE
FUCKING MODERN WORLD: OXBOW'S AN EVIL HEAT
Oxbow "an evil heat" cd neurot Hundreds of years since their last
release, bay area savagerians oxbow return with another painracked fuck-rock sex-hate explosion. Nine shuddering tracks of
unbridled anger, lubricious longing, and tense crawl-out-of-yourskin dementia. Dynamic, daring, and deadly. Woof and howl!
Http://www.amanitarecords.com/new/18_09_02.txt
ICA - NOXAGT and OXBOW: yes, I missed Nought. I maybe was ill
and a bit upset. I can't see the fuss about Noxagt, just because they
have a viola. The sound is Melvins doing instrumentals, and melvins
have never been one of my favourite band. What the fuck, just write
some songs. And that guy wouldn't for certain change the world of
violin, in the last 10 years the only violinist worth remembering is
only Warren Ellis, not even Mark Feldham. Slow and noise. Sorry, I
prefer Coldplay, at least they have some songs. With Oxbow it went
a bit better, maybe because they have a real great drummer.
UNFORTUNATELY EVERYTHING WAS SPOILED BY THE HUGE
FRONTMAN, WHO SPENT ALL OF HIS TIME IN UNDERWEAR,
SCREECHING LIKE SOME OLD MAD TRAMP, SQUEEZING HIS DICK TO
THE EXCITED CROWD AND THUMPING HIMSELF. AND I COULDN'T
CARE LESS ABOUT HIS DICK. IT'S NOT PROVOCATIVE, IT'S NOT
CLEVER, IT'S NOT ART, IT IS JUST MUSICALLY USELESS. SO
DISGUSTING. Just sing some good good tunes, that's one of the
most difficult thing in the world. Institute of contemporary arts ?
Sorry, I prefer Coldplay, at least they have some songs.
http://artrocker.com/default.php?action=show&pageid=34
Oxbow - An Evil heat
(album)
neurot
Oxbow are a band from San Fransisco that have been going for over
12 years. I saw/heard them for the first time back in May this year
when they did a very put-together-at-the-last-minute tour of the
UK. Not knowing what to expect at all, and not expecting much,
their live show turned out to be one of the most astonishing things
I've ever seen. This record definitely does the band justice too!
Oxbow play slack bluesy rock, but with a really droney/avant garde
element to it also. This cd brings to mind bands such as Led
Zeppelin, Neurosis, Jesus Lizard, the Boredoms and the Birthday
Party. Any fans of twisted rock music will like this, so buy it.- luke
younger
http://www.collectivezine.co.uk/reviews/revs/july2002/oxbow.html
L'Oeil Electrique n°25 ­ septembre 2002
Oxbow : An Evil Heat
Neurot recordings, United Musics Company
Oxbow : Let Me Be A Woman
Ruminance, Chronowax
Dans la chaleur de l'enfer. Pochette incandescente. Oxbow annonce
la couleur et ferait boire la tasse à n'importe quel surfeur peroxydé
dont le groupe n'est en rien l'étendard. Bien qu'originaire de San
Francisco (la Californie et tous les clichés "easy life" qui vont avecŠ),
Oxbow pratique un rock sombre et torturé. Son cinquième album,
sur le label de Neurosis, est une incantation lugubre, une pratique
vaudou tout en électricité. Une longue plainte issue des cendres de
Birthday Party, mariée pour le pire et surtout le meilleur aux
sonorités de la scène noise américaine. La musique d'Oxbow
s'écoute comme un road-movie. Narrative, elle obéit à des
structures dont la complexité peut désarçonner de prime abord.
Mais une fois rentré dans le scénario, c'est la machine infernale :
impossible de lâcher le morceau avant la fin. Des introductions
mystérieuses, l'énigme s'installe, la rythmique marque un midtempo à la tension constante, la bride se lâche, bien aidée par la
guitare de Nico Wenner (porte-flingue également de Swell), électron
libre et bavard. Des courses-poursuites, des morts comme dans
tout bon roman noir, du sang, de la noirceur, celle qui donne à
Oxbow de la profondeur à sa fureur. Et du sexe. Celui d'Eugene
Robinson, leader black charismatique, pilier de rugby à ses heures
perdues, acteur le reste du temps et adepte de "spoken word" (sorte
de concert où le seul instrument est la voix, dont l'intervenant se
sert pour haranguer la foule et lui asséner ses quatre vérités) avec
Lydia Lunch ou Henry Rollins. Cris, chuchotements, prière païenne,
des paroles à ne pas mettre entre toutes les oreilles, Eugène est
l'âme du groupe, la bête de scène, et irradie vers lui tous les maux
de la terre. An Evil Heat, malgré son dernier morceau qui n'en finit
pas, est une ¦uvre pleine, réussie et ambitieuse, qui prend des
risques comme rarement le rock ose le faire. Un pêché capital et
autorisé. A noter la réédition du troisième album d'Oxbow, Let me
be a Woman, un classique, sur le label parisien RuminanCe Records.
SKX.
Pop News ­ 24/09/02 OXBOW - Let me be a woman (Ruminance /
Chronowax)
Ruminance depuis ses débuts n'a de cesse de dénicher, fouiner
dans l'underground musical pour nous faire découvrir des groupes
à forte tendance non commerciale mais néanmoins doués. Ainsi,
sur le catalogue de Ruminance se côtoient Rroselicoeur, Cheval de
Frise, Chevreuil, Gordz ... se croisant même parfois sur des splitsingles encore moins commerciaux (d'autant que le vice est poussé
jusqu'au choix du vinyl comme support) mais tout autant inspirés.
La sortie de cet album d'Oxbow est donc une surprise puisque le
disque est vieux de sept ans et que le groupe n'est plus vraiment
inconnu (ou alors pas autant que les précités !). La passion est
pourtant encore une fois le moteur pour ressortir cet album jamais
distribué en France et pourtant considéré comme le meilleur des
californiens.
"Let me be a woman" doncŠ Huits morceaux acculant l'émotion
jusque dans ses retranchements. De véritables brûlots poussés à
bout par un chant accroché et des guitares hurlantes capturés par
le maître Albini (ici dans sa terre de prédilection). Ce style si
particulier de l'emo-noise pourra en rebuter plus d'un tant il peut
s'avérer difficile d'accès mais ce serait dommage de passer à côté
d'un morceau comme "1000". A écouter donc. Rodérick
Les Instants Chavirés ­ Arnaud Rivière ­ Septembre 2002 Ecorchée
et insidieuse la musique d_Oxbow n_en est pas moins subtile.
Véritable OVNI dans le monde du rock expérimental, Oxbow n_a
d_autre but que la confrontation avec le public et il n_est pas rare
qu_à l_écoute du groupe un sentiment d_inconfort puisse saisir les
spectateurs de leur rudes et inoubliables performances scéniques.
Ils reviennent en France à l'occasion de la publication de l'album "let
me be a woman" par le label Ruminance.
http://www.chez.com/ruminance
Clarknova - Francis
oxbow [let me be a woman]
ruminance / chronowax
Enfin grâce à Fred Herouville Mr. RUMINANCE nous avons pu
acquérir le très attendu « LET ME BE A WOMAN » de OXBOW. Groupe
majeur de la scène noise américaine, ce quatuor vénal de San
Francisco propose ici un album écorché, brut entre puissance et
sensibilité. Pour mieux reproduire cette tension Albini a posé sa
fameuse patte pour l'enregistrement (normal tant la composition et
le son est proche de Shellac). L'auditeur est très vite poussé au bord
du gouffre avec de vertigineuses guitares saturées et une cohésion
basse/batterie lourdement agencée « the Stabbing Hand ». Le chant
accentue ce coté dramatique avec toute cette véhémence, cette
honnêteté. Mais au milieu de toute cette noirceur pointe des rayons
lumineux comme les meilleures peintures de Michel-Ange ou le ciel
tourmenté laisse apparaître le divin caractéristique « 1000 », «
Acker sound/Read all over ». Digne de la spécificité du Label
Ruminance cet album consolide les murs porteurs du très bon
Catalogue qui se joue des modes et reste intègre à son identité. Un
disque CCCP qui va à coup sur ravir la vielle garde Clarknoviste.
Francisco le rouge.
OXBOW RADIO REPORT 2002
RADIO 100 - BELGIUM
NEW ONES: Oxbow (masters of avant-rock back with a wonderful
and powerful cd; also a cd out on Neurot Recordings; but check this
cd on Ruminance out first) Amsterdam citizens can listen to
Senzor/Radio 100 through the ether: 99.3 FM. Others can listen to
Senzor/Radio 100 through the almighty www: www.radio100.nl
ARTIST - CD TITLE - SONG NUMBER+TITLE - (LABEL)
Oxbow - Let Me Be A Woman - 2. Gal - (Ruminance)
CANAL B - RENNES (FRANCE) ­ SEPTEMBRE 2002
OXBOW "sunday" (Let me be a woman CD) - Ruminance 02
OXBOW "lucky" (Serenade in red CD) - Crippled Dick Hot Wax 97
OXBOW "sorry" (An Evil Heat CD) - Neurot 02
RADIO CAMPUS GRENOBLE (IASTAR)
Programmation : Jean B. Figus ­ Octobre 2002
7 OXBOW Let Me Be A Woman RuminanCe / Chronowax
RADIO TROPIQUES FM - FRANCE
PLAYLIST DU MOIS D'OCTOBRE 2002 (suite)
OXBOW LET ME BE A WOMAN 2002
RADIO666 « LA TRAJECTOIRE OBLIQUE » - HEROUVILLE ST CLAIRE
Oxbow - Sunday
ALIGRE FM - 93.1 - HELTER SKELTER
Vendredi 06 décembre 2002
Pour écouter l'une des 3 parties de l'émission, cliquez sur le lien
correspondant ci-dessous ou rendez-vous sur le site de l'émission,
rubrique "live" : http://www.helterskelterfm.com
Session acoustique OXBOW
artiste - titre - format - nom de l'album/ep _ label
part1
oxbow _ s bar x _ cd3 _ (an evil heat) _ neurot
part2
session acoustique OXBOW enregistré à Philippe _ s House le
27.09.02 _
DAN ADAMS/bass, GREG DAVIS/drums, EUGENE ROBINSON/voice,
and NIKO WENNER/guitars
s bar x / stallkicker/ the valley/ daughter
oxbow - gal _ cd2 _ (let me be a woman) _ ruminance.
part3
Oxbow feat. Marianne Faithfull _ insane asylum _ cd _ (serenade in
red) _ sst
RADIO LOISIRS 94.1 F.M. 30/11/2002
ME AND THE MOON OXBOW CD LET ME BE A WOMAN RUMINANCE
NEXT ISSUE: THE INEVITABLY PUNISHING JANUARY 11TH SHOW AND
THE REAL WAKE UP BLOW BY BLOW DESCRIPTION OF EUGENE'
SAVAGE ASS-WHIPPING AT THE HANDS OF FRANCISCO BUENO IN
BEAUTIFUL RIO DE JANIERO, JANUARY 17TH.