The delivery of Hydroze Plus

os045-mailing-1The collaboration between JG Thirlwell and Fred Bigot is now finally released by the French art/music label Optical Sound.
Under the name Hydroze Plus, the release is a clear vinyl ten inch EP. The EP consists of the songs “Overcoat” and “Calm Calm”, as well as  JG’s remix of “Overcoat”, which is entitled “Epi-Dose”, and Bigot’s remix of “Calm Calm”, which is entitled “Belladonna”.

The packaging, designed by JG Thirlwell, is particularly unusual and unique. It is designed to resemble an anatomical text book with transparent layers. The eyeball appears on the label which is overlaid by a transparent plastic sheet which is screenprinted with the face’s musculature. The card behind the transparent record depicts the skull., and it is wrapped around with a flap that contains the credit.
This is an extremely limited vinyl-only release only available from Optical Sound. It will be available digitally from Ectopic Ents at a later date.

Steroid Maximus live in New York!

steroidmaxiumus-live-in-ny

JG Thirlwell will be performing his Steroid Maximus dsc_0076project as a twenty piece band with brass section and strings at Prospect Park for the Celebrate Brooklyn Festival on June 18. Steroid Maximus will be performing the Ectopia album and selections from the score of The Venture Bros. Rain or shine, and it’s free – mark your calendars for this once-in-a-lifetime show! JG will be joined by long-time colleague Steven Bernstein as musical director and on trumpet; the rest of the musicians will be announced shortly. Dr Lonnie Smith will support.

JG Thirlwell remixes Extra Life

4476901723_0506b52c98_bJG Thirlwell has completed a remix  for NYC’s angular post-avant band Extra Life . JG’s mutated version of the song “The Body is True” will be featured on an EP entitled Splayed Flesh, to be released by Sockets Records in July 2010. The EP also features Extra Life remixes by Tyondai Braxton (Battles), Caley Monahan Ward and Justin K. Broadrick, along with album versions of the songs that are remixed.

Manorexia Record Release show in NYC April 4

JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia will be performing live at Le Poisson Rouge, celebrating the release of The Mesopelagic Waters on Tzadik. The show will be on April 4 2010 at 7pm and tickets are $15.00. This is the only Manorexia show scheduled for the US in 2010.
Buy advance tickets at Le Poisson Rouge’s site.
The group at the concert will consist of
JG Thirlwell – Keys / Samples / Electronics
Peter Wise – Vibraphone / Glockenspiel / percussion
David Broome – Piano / Toy Piano
Leyna Marika Papach – Violin
Elena Moon Park – Violin
Karen Waltch – Viola
Alex Waterman – Cello

Kronos perform JG Thirlwell at Carnegie Hall

Kronos Quartet will be performing a newly commissioned piece by JG Thirlwell at Zankel Hall in Carnegie Hall in New York City on March 12. Entitled Eremikophobia, which means fear of deserts and sand, the multi-movement eighteen minute piece will open the evening. The evening’s program also features toy piano virtuoso Margaret Leng Tan and Portuguese instrument builder Victor Gama. To conclude, Kronos will be joined by Matmos in a tribute to Terry Riley.

Read further, buy tickets and see a clip of David Harrington of Kronos Quartet talking about the evening here. Additionally, you can read Thirlwell’s notes about his composition . There are currently no plans to record Eremikophobia, so don’t miss it!

Update 03/14/2010: JGT thanks everyone who came out to the Kronos Quartet concert at Carnegie Hall last Friday for the premiere of “Eremikophobia”, and discusses his composition.

Ripped T-Shirts: JG Thirlwell appears in a new book by Cesar Padilla entitled Ripped : T-shirts from the Underground.

JG Thirlwell appears in a new book by Cesar Padilla entitled Ripped : T-shirts from the Underground. Described as a “A visual history of counterculture music T-shirts, spanning the defining era of indie music.”, the book features several Foetus and Wiseblood shirt designs, as well as writings by JG Thirlwell about Swans and Lydia Lunch. Lydia also penned the introduction to the book, which also contains contributions from Thurston Moore, Betsey Johnson and more. You can purchase your very own copy here!

Manorexia: The Mesopelagic Waters released on Tzadik label

The new album from Manorexia is out now on John Zorn’s Tzadik label. Entitled The Mesopelagic Waters, the album is 50 minutes long and contains eight tracks, radically rearranged from the first two Manorexia albums. You can order the album here.
Mano_MesoIt is performed by the chamber ensemble version of Manorexia in the arrangements that JG has been performing and perfecting over the last couple of years. The album features the playing of David Cossin on percussion, Leyna Marika Papach on violin, Elena Moon Park on violin, Karen Waltuch on viola, Felix Fan on cello, David Broome on piano and JG Thirlwell on samples/keys, compositions.It was recorded and mixed at Eastside Studios in NYC and engineered by Marc Urselli.

Yet another Manorexia album will be released toward the end of 2010. As yet untitled, this studio album of all-new material will be released in stereo and 5:1 surround sound.