Venture Bros Season Four Part Two out now on DVD

Venture Bros Season Four Part Two is now available on DVD. The disc contain eight episodes, including the double length season closer “Operation P.R.O.M.”, and is brimming with new scores by JG Thirlwell, as well as commentary on each episode by Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer. It is available at Amazon, the Adult Swim store and many fine retailers.

Blank City at the IFC Center NYC

The documentary Blank City is currently enjoying a successful theatrical run at the IFC center in New York. Directed by French newcomer Céline Danhier, Blank City weaves together an oral history of the “No Wave Cinema” and “Cinema of Transgression” movements. JG Thirlwell is interviewed in the film regarding his involvement with R.Kern’s Deathtrip Films and the Cinema of Transgression. It also features interviews with Jim Jarmusch, John Waters, Steve Buscemi, Debbie Harry, Richard Kern, Nick Zedd, Amos Poe, James Nares, Lydia Lunch, James Chance, Eric Mitchell, Susan Seidelman, Beth B, Scott B, Charlie Ahearn and many more. Clips featuring Thirlwell’s scores for Kern’s Deathtrip films appear in the documentary, along with many other illuminating extracts from the films of that era. Click here for the New York Times review of the film.

Manorexia confirmed for Portishead ATP event in Asbury Park

JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia will be playing at the All Tomorrows Parties event curated and headlined by Portishead on Oct 2nd.

The event will span a three day weekend: Sep 30th, Oct 1st and Oct 2nd. Jeff Mangum (Ex Neutral Milk Hotel) will curate and play on the 30th. October 1st and 2nd will be curated by Portishead, and they will play both nights.

This event marks All Tomorrow’s Parties return to the USA in the new location of Asbury Park, N.J., bringing an “I’ll Be Your Mirror” event to the iconic Asbury Park waterfront. This will also mark Portishead’s first East Coast appearence since 1998.

Other acts confirmed over the weekend are Battles, the Pop Group, Swans, Deerhoof, Mogwai, Shellac, Bonnie Prince Billy, Ultramagnetic MCs, Beak>, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Cults, Earth and many more.

For full details and tickets vist the All Tomorrows Parties website.

The new Manorexia album, Dinoflagellate Blooms, will be released in May 2011 on Ectopic Ents. The special package will contain both stereo and 5.1 mixes of the album.

New Steroid Maximus live videos posted

Four videos from the Steroid Maximus at Prospect Park bandshell in Brooklyn show last summer have just been posted in the video section of foetus.org. For the show (which was part of the Celebrate Brooklyn festival),  JG Thirlwell assembled and conducted a twenty piece mini-orchestra.

Among the clips is an edited version of a Venture Bros medley which includes versions of “Fumblestealth”, “Bolly” and “No Vacancy (Venture Bros Theme)”,  as well as an explosive version of “Gawker” from the Venture Bros soundtrack and two tracks from the Steroid Maximus album Ectopia: “L’espion Qui A Pleure” and “Aclectasis”.

The videos were shot by Drew Ravani and Margarita Jimeno, and edited by Rimma Dreyband.

Manorexia to perform at concert to benefit Japan Earthquake Relief

JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia will perform at Abrons Art Center in NYC on April 8 2011 in a concert to support recovery efforts in Japan. Organized by John Zorn, 100% of the money from the concert will be going to the Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund. Tickets are on sale here. There will be two sets, with two separate admissions. Manorexia will be playing in the second set, which begins at 9.30pm.

6.30 pm

Thurston Moore
Matthew Shipp
Gyan Riley
Masada String Trio
Ned Rothenberg
Alhambra Trio with Rob Burger
Erik Friedlander
Lizzy Wright & Aya Nishina
Miya Masaoka
Jamie Saft And New Zion Trio
Ikue Mori & John Zorn
Elliott Sharp
Mark Feldman & Sylvie Courvoisier
Milford Graves
Jack Quartert

9.30 pm

Norah Jones
Jesse Harris
Vinicius Cantuaria
Buke and Gass
JG Thirlwell’s Manorexia
Elysian Fields
Sex Mob

Kronos play Thirlwell’s Eremikophobia in Athens

On May 5 2011, Kronos Quartet will perform at the Onassis Cultural Center in Athens, Greece. They will once again be playing JG Thirlwell’s second commission for them Eremikophobia, as well as pieces by Terry Riley, Michael Gordon, Missy Mazzoli, Bryce Dessner, Laurie Anderson and Steve Reich.

JG Thirlwell speaks at Brooklyn College

JG Thirlwell will be giving a lecture about his history and processes at Brooklyn College on March 2 2011. This free lecture is presented by the graduate programs in Performance and Interactive Media Arts (PIMA) and is open to the public. This presentation is cosponsored by Artists and Audience exchange, a public program administered by New York Foundation of The Arts (NYFA) with leadership support from the New York State Council on the Arts. JG Thirlwell is a 2010 Artists’ Fellowship recipient of NYFA.

Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College Library
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11210
6pm, Wednesday, March 2

JG Thirlwell plays with Elliot Sharp ensemble

JG Thirlwell will be sitting in with Elliot Sharp in honor of his 60th birthday in an improvised ensemble at a concert at Issue Project Room on March 5 2011. Under the title Bootstrappers, the ensemble will consist of JG Thirlwell-electronics, Carl Stone-electronics, Anthony Coleman-piano, Melvin Gibbs-bass, Don McKenzie-drums, E#-guitar (30′).
Bootstrappers is scheduled to happen at 10.40pm, but the whole show begins at 5pm, showing many sides of Mr Sharp. You can view the whole schedule here.
Issue Project Room is at the Old American Can Factory, 230 3rd Street Brooklyn 11215