All this went out on a mailout last night... If any of you want to be added to the mailing list, mail alpharelish@hotmail.com. Thanks. UPCOMING ALPHA RELISH EVENTS: ++++++++++++++ SUGAR & SPIKES ++++++++++++++ Friday 17/01/03: Sugar & Spikes at The Sugar Club, Leeson St. (7:30 pm sharp) Live: The Connect 4 Orchestra, Giraffe Running DJs: 9 Bar (Del 9) Visuals: Del 9 Cabaret: The Camembert Quartet Adm: 10 Euro, Bar open until 3 am. Friday 24/01/03: Sugar & Spikes at The Sugar Club, Leeson St. (7:30 pm sharp) Live: Formika, + Special Guest TBC DJs: Manitoba Visuals: Del 9 Cabaret: The Camembert Quartet Adm: 10 Euro, Bar open until 3 am. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CHEVAL DE FRISE IRISH TOUR 2003 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Thursday 13/02/03 Whelans (Dublin) w. The Redneck Manifesto & Daemien Frost (12.50 Euro, 8 pm) * Friday 14/02/03 Costelloes (Limerick) w. The Connect 4 Orchestra & Daemien Frost (Time & Price TBC) Saturday 15/02/03 The Zoo (Kilkenny) w. The Redneck Manifesto / Daemien Frost (Time & Price TBC) Cheval De Frise formed in 1998. Stemming from the French post-hardcore scene, these two musicians have since acquired an empirical and sincere technique. Their compositions reveal a contained, almost baroque sense of urgency, restrained by determination and rhythmical rigor. A bee trapped in a bottle? An astonishing duet/duel comprising of amplified acoustic guitar and drums, they develop a unique, peculiar and scheming "avant-rock" musical language. There was a time when the modernity of certain demanding rock music was suddenly considered obsolete. Since the market wanted at all cost to create an artificial "generation gap", those courageous (and modern) explorators were sent to hell. Thus, they are still moving, as Racaille demonstrated when he composed the music for the Decouflé opening of the olympic winter games, or as the active Cutler on his multiple frontlines. Here, with a certain impertinence, they re-compose (sounds, lives, stories…). AMI commissioned them, hoping for their best juice. And the "generation balloon" suddenly deflates, as the duet Cheval de Frise plays, probably one of the most promising rising-stars of the "young" French rock, hyper-composed, hyper-fuzzed, bared to the bone, cutting away connections with the greasy jazz-rock, and talking (loud and clear) the same language as Cutler-and-friends (even though the accents ...) CHEVAL DE FRISE s/t (Sonore) CD French duo of acoustic (but not quiet!) guitar and drums that play in an instrumental 'post-rock' vein -- a shorthand description would be to call them a cross between Don Caballero and Gastr del Sol (but better!). Complex, dynamic, and full of that delicate post-rock beauty...although we can't figure out why bands like this, with musicians this good, don't play metal instead. On the same label that brought us the last two Ruins releases. Releases & Tours: Their first album was released Sonore Records (Alboth!, Ruins, etc.). Split 7" with Roselicoeur on RuminanCe (Oxbow, Chevreuil, Red Crayola, etc.). New album to be released in January 2003 “Fresques sur les parois secretes du crane” on RuminanCe. 1 track on the “House of stairs” (UK) compilation (with Sweep the leg Johnny, American Heritage, Guapo, etc.) Have toured France, Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic and Belgium. Starting a six week tour of Europe in 2003, 4 weeks alone and 2 weeks in Scandinavia and Germany with Gorge Trio (ex. Colossamite - Skin Graft). +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE SHIPPING NEWS IRISH TOUR 2003 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ http://www.southern.net/southern/band/SHIPN/ Thursday 27/02/03 The Zoo (Kilkenny) w. Daemien Frost / The Connect 4 Orchestra (Time & Price TBC) Friday 28/02/03 Whelans (Dublin) w. Daemien Frost / The Coldspoon Conspiracy (12.50 Euro, 8 pm) * Saturday 01/03/03 The Savoy (Limerick) w. The Redneck Manifesto / Daemein Frost Sunday 02/03/03 Auntie Annie's (Belfast) w. Daemien Frost Shipping News began in the Fall of 1996 when Jeff Mueller and Jason Noble wrote and recorded music for the NPR program "This American Life". They had previously worked together in the seminal post-hardcore band Rodan, based in Louisville, Kentucky. When Rodan split up in 1995, Jeff Mueller went on to play in June of 44 whilst Jason Noble formed the chamber ensemble Rachel's. Like Rodan, both of these bands have garnered critical acclaim in many lands. In Spring of 1997, Kyle Crabtree began collaborating with them. The recording project became a full band, its voice dropped, legs got hairy and started reading Henry Miller. They recorded their first album, Save Everything, in a shotgun house in Louisville and then finished in Chicago with Bob Weston on deck. Released in September of 1997, it was met with much enthusiasm and occasional disgust. A split EP with the band MetroSchifter soon followed in May of 1998. In Autumn of 1998 they traveled to Catania, Sicily to participate in the Mappe Arts Festival....playing outside in a harbour at night, history gushing out with dust and sound, looking around amazed at how music travels, amazed at everything.... For the next two and a half years, Jeff Kyle and Jason set about writing their next album, Very Soon, and in Pleasant Company. Then, in Spring of 2000 they set up shop in an old dairy warehouse in Louisville (Lucky Anchor Studios) to document the new songs. Kyle, Jeff, Jason and long time friend and collaborator Christina Files, did the final mixes in Boston at Sonics Studios just as a fleet of 122 Tall Ships entered the harbour just after the Fourth of July holiday. The band followed this up with several tours of the US and Europe, culminating in an appearance at the Shellac curated All Tomorrows Parties in 2002. During this time the band individually recorded three EPs. These EPs were treated almost as solo projects with no discussion taking place between the members of the band as to what they were doing. The EPs were given very limited releases over the course of a 12 months on Quaterstick records. They were then brought together, along with a couple of unreleased tracks, as an album "Three-Four" to be released (also on Quarterstick) in February 2003. The band will be touring across Europe around the time of the release. Shipping News appropriated their name from the acclaimed novel 'The Shipping News' by E.Annie Proulx. *Please note: Tickets for the Cheval De Frise and The Shipping News shows will go on sale exclusively from Road Records (16 B Fade St., Dublin 2) towards the end of this week. Tickets for each show are 12.50 Euros. Get tickets for the 2 shows at a knockdown 20 Euros! That's a massive saving of 20%!!! http://www.roadrecs.com/ +++++++++++++++++++++ SXSW AND OTHER NEWS +++++++++++++++++++++ The following bands have been accepted to play this year's SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST festival in Austin, Texas, in March of this year: The Redneck Manifesto The Jimmy Cake Daemien Frost Estel Joan Of Arse The Connect 4 Orchestra Daemien Frost embark on a 2-week tour of France, Switzerland and Italy in the latter half of March 2003. They hope to record their next CD in Lyon at the end of the tour, and if it turns out okay, Red-F records may have a hand in releasing it at a later date... Daemien Frost now has 2 bass players, the new one being Greg who also plays in Joan Of Arse. Said Greg and sad Hapi (Daemien Frost) flaunt their anti-girl manrock this week in the form of Giraffe Running at Sugar and Spikes in The Sugar Club on Friday 17th of January. The www.AlphaRelish.com and www.DaemienFrost.com sites will be updated over the next week. The next Road Relish 7" will feature The Chalets www.TheChalets.com and Neosupervital www.Neosupervital.com