Bye...

I have new website/blog at wordpress now, which allows me to use fransdewaard.com, so I moving to there and this is the final post here... follow me...

Zebra in Venlo

Titmachine

Ok, so when I started to create music 25 years ago, the one thing I never was really interested in was playing in a band. Getting every week together in some stinky rehearsal space, to do those same songs over and over again, just simply seemed a drag. But then I never counted on no wave. One of my local favorites is the Titmachine who play a bunch of covers. Pascale and Jodi who play bass and drums pretty much keep things together and Jana screams the lyrics, while Djarmilla absolutely can't play the guitar but with a distortion pedal: who cares. So, I saw them a couple of times and their funny inept playing makes a great performance.
This week local synth pop meister Bertin said he and Titmachine would be playing at some art-do in 's-Hertogenbosch and said he place in the car for me, so why blow a chance to see the machine again? When we arrived it turned out that Djarmilla couldn't come, so Pascale and Jodi (while waiting for Jana), asked me to play her guitar... I said I never played guitar, let alone in public, it was even better for their no wave. I tried to lie a way out if, by saying I didn't know which songs they would be playing, but then got an ipod handed: go ahead and have a listen. So with a distortion pedal full on during the soundcheck, I decided to do it. It was pretty nerve racking, but its really like improvisation: you just react to what others do and try to stop all at the same time. There is a short film, which I will try to get hold of, but for now Bertin's pictures to proof the event.

Komeet

I 'forgot' to tell you that the first release by Ezdanitoff was released by My Own Little Label, but this week Redbol, while designing the cover for the Kapotte Muziek 25th anniversary live cd (more later), gave me a bunch of comic books, digitally. Included was Agent 327 and the first one I read was 'Dossier Zevenslaper' and on page one we come across a small tribute to Herge's Ezdanitoff, see picture above. Order a copy of 'Komeet' here

Moon About

No doubt I get into big trouble for posting this. June 11 at Extrapool Phil Milstein talks about Songpoems. This where people write a lyric and a band plays ad lib music to that. You could get in for free that night by handing a lyric. I was there with Elise, who didn't write anything when entering but then had an idea for a lyric. I wrote it down together with her name and lo and behold it was performed later that evening, of course with her name being part of the lyric. So I repost that song, about a cat, here
The complete concert by Moon About can be heard here

Corona Rewind

Corona Rewind is the name of my latest release. I have been back in contact with Mark Schomburg, to some better known as Abo, and also the person who released the second Kapotte Muziek 'Utilities' in 1991. Off and on he returns and now he's back releasing tapes on his labels Incubator and Petri Supply. One of his old, ongoing projects is Composcila, in which he send some recording of 'electrical plasma' to the oldest person to remix, which I believe was David Lee Myers. Then it went onto Jeph Jerman, AMK, Achim Wollscheid, me - or maybe in a different order, it has to do birthdays. I remember doing a remix of it by playing a four track tape on end, so the whole remix I did lasts over an hour. I no longer have a copy. But the four track tape I still have, so on queensday I went into my studio and did an impromptu mix of that, resulting in a pretty dense and noisy piece (actually three). Mark did a really nice cover and its available in an edition of 100 copies. No website, but write to Mark: I have no copies (yet) for sale.

A Curious Coincidence

I could bore you with some talk about how the concerts were in Rotterdam and Venlo (they were great actually, but also tiring, especially a long weekend in Venlo), but this is about something else. My father was born in Venlo and through a surviving brother of his, I found where he was born and which other street they lived. The first curious coincidence is that the B& B Roel and I were staying was on the same street as my father lived after moving from the street he was born. Sunday morning we spend driving to both addresses, and then went for a coffee at Roel's parents, who still are in nearby Velden. We talked a bit about my father and the fact he lived in Venlo and after a while, Roel's father asked me wether I knew 'a Jopie de Waard'. Obviously we referred to him as Joop de Waard, but I am aware in his childhood he was called Jopie. So I said he was my father and it turns out Roel's father and my father went to the same school in their childhood days. What wonders me, later on, is the fact that my father knew Roel Meelkop, but never mentioned he was in a class with Mat Meelkop - I am sure his memory didn't store that after all these years. Now we can no longer ask him.

Rotterdam & Venlo

Next week I'll be playing a solo concert in Rotterdam at Foundation Bad's Aether #4. Also playing is DJ Pedagog from the UK and the lovely Mariette Groot from the excellent Worm shop tells us about five records that matter. More info here
I'll be staying in Rotterdam so Roel and me can prepare some for our concert(s) in Venlo on the 19th and the 20th. Apparently we play as Zebra on Saturday night and sunday (afternoon?) solo's and a Kapotte Muziek concert. Maybe things are different. The location is De Romijnen. I don't know a website to tell you more about this....

One Other Unpaid Job

I was out this afternoon cycling. The weather is great, sunny but a bit windy, so my muscles hurt quite a bit. When I got back home the mail had arrived and brought me a copy of 'Transmission Nederlands', a compilation CD by Infrastation. It features The Dutch Cold Wave from 1980 to 1986 with tracks by Bazooka, Catastrophe Bizarre, Coitus Int, Das Wesen, Desert Corbusier, Ensemble Pittoresque, Flue, Mecano, Mekanik Kommando, Nasmak, Neon, Nexda, Pee Dee, Storung, The Gentry, The Visitor, Ton Lebbink and Vice. And 'liner notes' by me. I was in contact with the label when I bought their re-issue of Das Wesen and they asked me to write about this cold wave, which I did on various train journeys in the cold winter of 2010. This is the third release that has my liner notes of this year, and certainly one more to come. Its an unpaid job I like, especially when I can ramble about the old days. Its an excellent comp, great selection, of course its to be debated why these bands and not others, or why these tracks (why 'Stil Thuis' by Ton Lebbink and not his 'Voetbalknieen'). Anyway I recommend you all buy a copy! The liner notes are also on the labels website.

From Last Week

another video, this time from the jamsession with Roel Meelkop, Claus van Bebber, Staplerfahrer, Wouter Jaspers, made by Joanne Linders, who will organise a concert by Staplerfahrer, Wouter Jaspers and Zebra on June 19th in Venlo

Ezdanitoff

Its now official, the new name under which Wouter Jaspers and I work together is Ezdanitoff, named after the Tin-tin character. Our concert in Budapest went well, and we did some more hotel room recordings, so except some physical object soon, a 3"CDR 'Komeet' on My Own Little Label.

Sharing...

Since Ottersum is not easy to be reached, or perhaps some couldn't be bothered, here is the full documentation. The Beequeen concert, the Kapotte Muziek concert and two films for Beequeen.

Its a Fine day:



The Honeythief:

concert this monday

Ok, no doubt lots of news. We're still working on the new Beequeen CD, my record for Ini.itu is almost completed and in the weekend of the 22 and 23 of May, there is Kapotte Muziek (22), Beequeen (23) and a jamsession with Wouter Jaspers, Roel Meelkop, Staplerfahrer, all at Roepean, see my previous entry. There might be a concert in Venlo as Zebra on the 19th of June.
And, believe it or not, I'm seriously working on a novel. As yet untitled. To be classified as 'Fantasy'. Mainly because I kept telling people it would be easy to write. I like writing this, and have done maybe 1/4, 1/3 of it. I have two co-readers who advise and I read it as story to Elise, who likes it, and said it might be more of youth book thing.
But this monday there is a concert by Origami. Its organised by Ray from the Dots at trianon, down the road from where I life. I am spinning a few records there that night. Its an unlikely place for such a concert, I know, but if you are in the area, drop by!

Interview

A new interview with me about Korm Plastics just popped online
This afternoon I will hopefully pick up the covers for the next cassette only release (and oh a download somewhere soon), 'Devascapes' by Edward Ka-spel. Limited to 100 copies only, so order today.

Concerts some forthcoming (and some not)

A brief update on some concerts. Unfortunately the concert in Kalinagrad and the one in Vilnius have been cancelled. Vilnius has no money and in Kalinagrad the venue closed down. Also I was planning a short tour early May with Franz Fjodor/Wouter Jaspers, but in the end only one materialized in Graz. I looked very hard into this and its impossible to get there cheap, unless I take the bike. So that one is cancelled though. The good news is that Wouter and me play in Budapest on May 28th at something that is called 3. Relative (Cross)Hearings International Contemporary Music Meeting. also playing:

28-05-2010

BA Group (H)
Ivan Palacky & Filip Cenek (CZ)
Wouter Jaspers – Frans de Waard (NL)
Orrect LiveAct (H)

29-05-2010
Don't Eat Group feat. Ahad & Christian Skjødt (H/DK)
Violet (USA)
Rinus van Alebeek (D/NL)
Desert Chaos (H)

On May 23rd Wouter and me are part of a sound laboratory in Ottersum together with Roel Meelkop, Claus van Bebber and Steffan de Turck. On the same day, same place Beequeen will also play (full line up including Olga Wallis). Busy day that. More Beequeen concerts are at Lux in Nijmegen (perhaps June 11), together with The Legendary Pink Dots and The Use Of Ashes, also with a full Beequeen line up. Much later on, 12th November 2010 we play with Beequeen in Wroclaw. Depending on the cost of the travel there will be just me and Freek - we'll see. In November I might be delivering a talk about cassette releases from a historical perspective at Strp (if it happens) as well as solo tour in the UK. Get in contact if you think you can be of any help.

Second Life

Last year I started to work with the IODA who are handling worldwide online sales of MP3s. Much of the Korm Plastics is available through their sources (Itunes, Amazon, Emusic and such like). Today I added some more, including many items from old releases which are long gone (such as releases on Bake Records and Microwave), so a second life for this great music. Here's a complete list of what is currently available:

- The entire Moll catalogue except Moll 036
- Goem albums "Reduktie", "Disco", "Lokatie", "FDW - Japan 2007"
- Freiband albums "Homeward", "Microbes"
- Beequeen albums 'Treatise', 'Sugarbush', 'Der Holzweg - 13th Anniversary Edition', "Seltenturm - Beesides 1989-2000", 'Gund"
- Quest albums 'Hic Locus Quest', 'Q.E.D.', 'The First Hour', "Recovered Files"
- Kapotte Muziek albums 'The Malevolent Ear', "Curing Without Killing", "Add"
- The Tobacconists 7"
- Mirko Uhlig's "VIVMMI"
- Frans de Waard albums "Omgeving", "Vijf Profielen", "Trein", "Klankschap 1999 - 2005"
- Edward Ka-spel "Trapped in Amber / Christmas on the Moon"
- "The Year 25 - 25 Years Of Korm Plastics"
- Francisco Lopez/Richard Francis - In De Blaauwe Hand
- Andrea Belfi/Machinefabriek - Pulses & Places
- Surge "Landslide" and "First"
- ~Slo-fi album from Microwave
- Captain Black - "Light The Pipe"
- De Fabriek - Neveleiland
- Felix Kubin & Coolhaven - Suppe Für Die Nacht
- Flim - "Holiday Diary" & "Ohne Titel 1916"
- Frank Bretschneider & Peter Duimelinks - "Fflux"
- Giuseppe Ielasi & Howard Stelzer - "Night Life"
- Greg Malcolm & Tetuzi Akiyama - "Six Strings"
- Joe Colley & Jason Lescalleet - "Annihilate This Week"
- Ralf Wehowsky & Johannes Frisch - "Tränende Würger"
- Jon Mueller & Martijn Tellinga - "Bowl, Hellicopter"
- Kapotte Muziek by Toshiya Tsunoda
- Kapotte Muziek by Peter Rehberg
- Kodi & Pausa - "In One Week And New Toys To Play"
- Paul Panhuysen - "A Magic Square Of 5 To Look At"
- Pick-up - "Loop End"
- Shifts - "Seven Dots", "Mechanica", "Afterthought 1-8"
- Kapotte Muziek by Stephan Mathieu
- Steve Roden & Jason Kahn - "Shimmer / Flicker / Waver / Quiver"
- The Legendary Pink Dots - "Crushed Mementos"
- Kapotte Muziek by Thurston Moore
- Epitaph For John

Korm Plastics 25!

A busy week this is. Two concerts/events by Kapotte Muziek, celebrating 25 years of great music with visits from Howard Stelzer, Radboud Mens, DJ DMDN, Jos Smolders and Asmus Tietchens (only in Nijmegen) and Asra (in Amsterdam). In Extrapool there will be a small exhibition of CD/LP/Cassette covers and posters, and the first 25 paying customers get a free CD. That night is also the official launch of the another celebration, 25 years of Korm Plastics. The only thing I'm doing for that is to release a casstte, just like I started the label in 1984: a compilation. Its already out, so have peep here. It looks absolutely great! Also there are three new releases on My Own Little Label, including a collaboration 3"CDR with Machinefabriek, from our joint set from last week in Berlin. Have a look and listen here.

Koken Met Sneeuw

Just back from my studio where I am busy preparing a so-called piece for 2010. I have serious intentions of playing live more than I did, solo or otherwise and therefore I am preparing one piece which is kinda open ended, leaving room for various interpretations. It will be not an exclusive laptop thing - we've seen that, right? - but also involves cassettes, contact microphones, an organ and a crackle box. The 'premiere' (ho-hum) will be on the 13th in Berlin as part of a Staalplaat showcase together with Machinefabriek. Rutger and I intend to play together as well, 'OHUA' live. Following concerts are planned in Vilnius (april 30th), Kallingrad (perhaps April 28th) and in may with Franz Fjodor on a small tour (please let me know if you want to book this tour!). And hopefully many more. So I got back home and found a CD 'Oude Koeien' by Roel Meelkop in the mail, which basically has the four records I released from Roel on Korm Plastics, plus his 7" of Beequeen reworking and a new piece. I wrote the liner notes for this, called 'Koken Met Sneeuw' - its been a harsh winter! Buy a copy of it today!