david garland

what was new

February 22, 2008—Solo performance at Barbes, Thursday, March 13, 8 pm. 376 9th St. (corner of 6th Ave.) Park Slope, Brooklyn

Barbes is a lovely little venue, and I’ll be using its intimate size to present an entirely acoustic set of recent, old, and brand new songs, accompanying myself on 12-string guitar. I will stand and play my music. At times I may sit, and possibly utilize other theatrical contrivances and innovations in the service of Song. Listeners will have the opportunity to exercise their art (listening, responding, etc.). People in white lab coats will be taking notes. Please come and skew the results.

New Year's Eve, 2007, New York City (photos by Kenji Garland, 12/31/07)

My job is to toss music into the air. I can’t know who will receive it, and I don’t always know if it’s been received at all. A couple blocks away in Times Square lots of people are gathering right now, preparing to toss things into the air and make a lot of noise. I’ve been doing that all year long.

My album “Noise In You” was released in July, 2007, and it has shown up on “year's best” lists from Israel’s daily newspaper Maariv, and a Serbian blogger (for whom it was number one!). Thanks very much to those of you who took the time to get to know and enjoy the album.

A lot of my work involves tossing other people’s music into the air. Recording and producing an in-studio session for Spinning On Air is a lot like producing and mastering an album, and I did that 32 times in 2007, the 20th anniversary year of the program. My wonderful guests ranged from the well-known to the unknown, but all were eloquent innovators with something original and interesting to say in their music and interviews: The Fiery Furnaces, James Blackshaw, Sufjan Stevens, Deerhoof, Peter Walker, Essie Jain, Bitch, Noah Georgeson, Natalie Rose LeBrecht, Apothecary Hymns, Holcombe Waller, Larkin Grimm (twice), Scott Matthew, Glenn Jones, Rio en Medio, Jana Hunter, Viking Moses, Phosphorescent, Castenets, Gretchen Phillips (for whom I played piano), Cameron Hull, Christy & Emily, Bridget St. John, Dave Deporis, Corey Dargel, Spider, The Valerie Project, Sean Smith, Ora Cogan, Milo Jones, Orion Rigel Dommisse, and Common Rotation. There were also extensive interviews (but not sessions) with Andy Partridge, Robert Wyatt, and Stew. It was a pleasure to give some exposure to their music. The shows are all available in the WNYC archive—links to the archives and to session photos are on my radio page.

On many Saturday nights during 2007 on WNYC I presented interviews with musicians and composers who brought along recordings of their music to present. Recently these interviews have been called “Ear to Ear,” and the emphasis has been on composers born in other parts of the world who are bringing new influences to American music. Guests have come from India, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Israel, Serbia, France, Japan, Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, and Lebanon, and have included Eyal Maoz, Amir ElSaffar, Paola Prestini, Olivier Conan, Hiroya Miura, Milica Paranosic, Theo Bleckmann, Ezequiel Viñao, Cyro Baptista, Haleh Abghari, Iva Bittova, Anat Fort, Rudresh Mahanthappa. Earlier in 2007 a similar Saturday night show, Spotlight, featured in-depth interviews with musicians Michael Cain, Ricky Ian Gordon, Erik Friedlander, Garrett Fisher, May Nasr, Geri Allen, Rob Schwimmer, Helga Davis, Marta Eggerth, Vijay Iyer, Brandon Ross, Robert Sherman on Clara Rockmore, and others. All of these Ear to Ears and Spotlights can be heard in the archive at WNYC (follow the above links).

It was also a pleasure this year to be a musician on other people’s projects, like the Angel’s of Light album “We Are Him,” and the soundtrack for the movie Rocket Science.

To those of you who have opened your ears to any of these offerings, I’m grateful for your receptivity, and I hope 2008 brings good things to you and to all of us. —David

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December 15, 2007—“Noise In You” is for me a very important album of 2007, but modesty kept it off the “Top 10” list I was invited to prepare for npr.org/music—a newly launched website meant as a hub for music from NPR and NPR affiliates like WNYC. So far they’ve been quite focused on the mainstream, so I was glad for the chance to broaden their scope.

December 7, 2007—I revised and up-dated my MySpace page with different songs from “Noise In You,” and press quotes galore. Also, I’ve got some wonderful Spinning On Air guests coming up: December 9—Orion Rigel Dommisse; December 16—The Fiery Furnaces; December 30—Common Rotation.

October 24, 2007—Music from Sufjan Stevens’ “The BQE” premiers on Spinning On Air October 28. Info and video on the radio page.

October 23, 2007—There’s an enthusiastic review of Noise In You in the new issue of Harp magazine: “Garland strikes a perfect balance between folkish timelessness, Tin Pan Alley pop smarts and fearless invention.” Full review on the press page.

October 8, 2007—Last night’s Spinning On Air 20th anniversary live broadcast from Joe’s Pub with Larkin Grimm, Dave Deporis, and Bridget St. John, was a big success! The performers were wonderful, and the crowd had a great time. I'm so grateful to the musicians and all the folks who attended! If you weren't there or missed it on the radio, you can hear it in WNYC's Spinning On Air archive.

Noise In You is available from Family Vineyard, Amazon, iTunes, Other Music, and elsewhere.

September 21, 2007—French rock and culture magazine Les Inrockuptibles just posted a rave review of “Noise In You”: “‘Noise In You’ is one of those beacons that enduringly illuminate the life of a music lover. Garland is a master musician whose brilliantly human art stimulates the brain and cheers the heart.” Read a translation of the full review.

The record label Asthmatic Kitty recently posted an item about “Noise In You”: “Garland’s new album is a tour de force.” More here.

WNYC recently celebrated the music of John Cage, and I recorded a short commentary that includes reference to the anecdote recounted in my song “Noise In You.” Listen here.

“We Are Him,” the new album by Michael Gira’s Angels of Light, is getting deservedly great reviews.As I have on other recent Angels of Light albums, I play on “We Are Him”—I love being involved in the process and hearing the end result. Michael tells of putting the album together: “…next came the estimable musical encyclopedia and flute player (and multi instrumentalist) of true finesse David Garland. He played flute on a few songs, and also did some rather deep backing vocs. He’s another great presence to have in the studio, though he’s a little intimidating because he’s such a repository of all things musical. … David’s also a songwriter/singer and should be checked out too!”

August 10, 2007—The movie Rocket Science includes in its soundtrack a recording I made with accordionist Guy Klucevsek of “The Blob,” a crazy Burt Bacharach song. The full song is on the soundtrack album; in the film they use the song’s intro, featuring Guy’s playing and my whistling, clapping and mouth-popping (it’s heard when the Korean neighbors walk to the protagonist’s home). The film is fun in an angsty way, and the soundtrack album makes good listening, with Eef Barzelay’s score and songs, songs by The Violent Femmes, and “The Blob.”

Hear some, including the complete “Blob,” at their MySpace page.

July 30, 2007—Live performance on Irene Trudel’s show on WFMU; hear it here (about an hour and 10 minutes into the show—use the “listen to this show” links). Photos from the session below.

July 19, 2007—The first Noise In You reviews are coming in (and the stars are coming out):

Time Out New York—5 stars (out of 6): “In olden times, this would have been called alchemy; these days, we can recognize it more precisely as a gift for spinning the mundane into threads of poetry. … Garland’s voice has never sounded warmer than in these tender vignettes that examine the science of being alive. … he mixes high art, personal craft and gentle whimsy into something anyone can use.”

All Music Guide—4 1/2 stars (out of 5)—“…witty, delicate, utterly-original-yet-so-easy-to-appreciate… in terms of songwriting, musicianship, and production, Noise in You is [Garland’s] most accomplished work to date and may very well prove to become his most timeless slice of music.”

July 16, 2007—Live performance & interview on WNYC’s Soundcheck; hear it here.

July 2, 2007—This website has just been updated and redesigned. For example, the Radio page is now full of links to Spinning On Air audio, pictures, and info, with an alphabetized list of guests to help inform your listening.

May 23, 2007—Some nice advance notice on Pitchfork about Noise In You: They’ve posted a free mp3, and yesterday ran a news item on the album. Characterizing me as a “widely respected downtown dude,” they offer the song “Every Bird”—“a charming contemplation of avian mysteries.”

 

May 1, 2007—BIG NEWS! My Noise In You album will be released on Family Vineyard on July 24, 2007. I just updated my MySpace page with new photos and final mastered tracks for four of the album’s 16 songs, which feature Sufjan Stevens, Diane Cluck, Viking Moses, Mira Romantschuk (of Mi and L'au), and others. “Friend” me!

web update February 4, 2007: I think my next album of songs, Noise In You may be my best work. As I prepare it for release, I’ve gotten interested in offering a more complete picture of my personal musical past, so new listeners will know where I’m coming from. I’ve dug into old boxes of reel-to-reel tapes to find some music that’s important to me, but hasn’t been released. It’s never been easier than it is now to make music available. Free mp3s of these old recordings are on my Downloads page, and some hand-made CDRs are available if anyone wants an object.

The first of these free downloads is Long Song, a piece recorded at The Kitchen in 1981. It’s a 14:17 composition for two singers, banjo, cello, and marimba. I was one of the singers, and I also played bowed psaltery and recorders. It’s sort of a folk-minimalist piece. It’s my intention to follow “Long Song” in a month or so with “Harbor Seen,” a solo concert recorded in 1977, in which I performed some idiosyncratic improvisations on electric piano, drums, and flute. I’ve also added a few additional tracks from various CDs to the Downloads page, including two from my hard-to-find album of Brian Wilson songs, I Guess I Just Made for These Times. Three songs from my forthcoming album Noise In You, featuring Sufjan Stevens, Diane Cluck, and others, can be heard (though not downloaded) at myspace.com/davidgarlandmusic. Info about my solo acoustic album “Reveal” is here.

2006

web update November 14, 2006: David Garland meets David Helfand. My friend Dorian Devins, host of talk shows about science and the arts on WFMU, has invited me to perform for her Secret Science Club, Wednesday December 6, Union Hall bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn (photo at top). The event begins at 8 pm. The Secret Science Club is a series of talks by scientists followed by music. It’s open to the public and meets the first Wednesday of every month in the basement of Union Hall bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Union Hall is at 702 Union St. (at 5th Ave.) in Park Slope. I’ll accompany myself on 12-string guitar, and sing new and recent songs about connections, cloud formations, simple drawings, brief lives, birds, damnable dreams, love and loss. Astronomer David Helfand will speak on “Intelligent Life in the Universe?? Earth to Space. Earth to Space. Come in please.” Helfand is Co-Director, Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory; Chair, Department of Astronomy; Professor, Department of Astronomy, Columbia University.

web update October 24, 2006: Photo from last night’s Tonic performance, at right. And, hear four (of 16) songs from my just-completed album, “Noise In You,”at www.myspace.com/davidgarlandmusic. I wrote the songs, and perform them with some special guests: Sufjan Stevens sings and plays oboe on several songs, and Diane Cluck, Mira Romantschuk (of Mi & L’au), Brendon Massei (Viking Moses), and David Deporis all weave their voices with my own.

web update October 22, 2006: David Garland & W-S Burn double bill at Tonic, Monday, October 23rd, at 8 pm. I’ll sing new and recent songs about connections, cloud formations, simple drawings, brief lives, birds, damn dreams, love and loss—accompanying myself on a plugged-in 12-string guitar. This is a double bill with W-S Burn, an unusual male/female duo from Knoxville, TN, who like to dim the lights and perform intense, rhapsodic songs. In fact a lamp is one of their instruments. In fact, I play a lamp (or at least part of one) too. In fact this is a unique concert of vocalists, guitarists, and lampists. I’m scheduled play at 8 pm; W-S Burn at 9 pm. Tonic is at 107 Norfolk St., north of Delancey in NYC.

web update September 29, 2006: You can hear four (of 16) songs from my just-completed album, “Noise In You,” on this brand-new My Space page:www.myspace.com/davidgarlandmusic. I wrote the songs, and perform them with some special guests: Sufjan Stevens sings and plays oboe on several songs, and Diane Cluck, Mira Romantschuk (of Mi & L’au), Brendon Massei (Viking Moses), and David Deporis all weave their voices with my own. It was a great pleasure to collaborate with these folks, and I hope you can listen, if only to hear Sufjan sing the word “pterodactyls” in a bluesy, sexy way. The album isn’t out yet, but I want some of it to be heard. Perhaps that will lead to someone wanting to release it... I have a performance coming up Monday, October 23, 8 pm, at Tonic, 107 Norfolk St., NYC. It’s a double bill with the duo W-S-Burn from Tennessee. More photos of Spinning On Air guests posted on the radio page.

web update August 14, 2006: I’ve just completed most of the work on a big project—large in scale and large in intensity of feeling. It’s a new album of 16 songs which I’ve been composing and recording for the last two years. For me it’s a major creative statement and accomplishment. The final session for the album took place last Friday when Sufjan Stevens joined me in my studio for an enjoyable 10-hour marathon of recording during which he sang and played oboe on several songs (we took an hour out to eat, too). Sufjan’s voice now joins those of some of my favorite musicians who’ve already contributed their voices and talents to the album: Diane Cluck, Brendon Massei (Viking Moses), David Deporis, and Mira Romantchuk (of Mi & L’au). I’m not yet sure when and how the album will be released, but I am pretty sure it’s my best work. It will be called “Noise In You.”

web update June 29, 2006: My recent concert at The Stone was fun. Thanks to those of you who came out to hear me perform my songs with a group that included my son Kenji Garland on bass and “contraption,” Lucas Crane (of Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice) playing his unique cassette/electronics set-up, Mike McGinnis (of The Four Bags) on bass and soprano clarinets, and Dave Deporis singing and playing acoustic six-string guitar. I sang and played my 12-string.

I really enjoyed having the shoe on the other foot, or microphone at the other mouth, or however you might describe my performance on Irene Trudel’s WFMU show. If you missed the broadcast on June 12th, you can listen to the archive of the show here. Just as I present in-studio performances and interviews on Spinning On Air, Irene invited me to perform and talk about my own music on her show. I think the session gives you a good introduction to my songs and thoughts about them. My segment runs about 90 minutes, and begins at about an hour into the show. In addition to the songs which I played live, accompanying myself on guitar, you can hear two recordings from my album-in-progress, “Noise In You,” and a track from “I Guess I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times,” my album of Brian Wilson covers. There are lots of wonderful in-studio sessions with extraordinary musicians coming up on Spinning On Air. July 9: Metallic Falcons; July 16: Nomi; and planned, but not yet scheduled: Juana Molina, Bridget St. John, Vetiver, Lisa Germano, and a new session with Akron/Family!

web update May 23, 2006: Two performances coming up in June—On Monday afternoon, June 12th, I’ll perform live on Irene Trudel’s WFMU radio show, heard at 91.1 FM and on wfmu.org between 3 and 6 pm. So instead of hosting a radio show, I get to let Irene do that part, and I’ll be her guest, singing and accompanying myself on 12-string guitar. I’m a long-time FMU listener, and I’ve occasionally been on the air there before, but I’m really looking forward to playing for the first time on Irene’s wonderful program. On Wednesday, June 21st at 8 pm I’ll perform at The Stone, at the corner of Avenue C and 2nd St. I’ll present my songs about dioramas, dreams, and more, performed solo, in duet, and with sprawling ensembles. A special group will assemble for the evening: David Garland (voice, 12-string acoustic guitar), Mike McGinnis (bass clarinet, etc.), G. Lucas Crane (electronics), Kenji Garland (bass guitar), Dave Deporis (voice, acoustic guitar). I’m grateful to old friend Ikue Mori for inviting me to do this concert!

web update April 30, 2006: New photos of Spinning On Air guests posted on the radio page. And see the new Spinning On Air Flickr page for more photos of musicians taken during Spinning On Air recording sessions.

web update April 25, 2006: The downloads of my Reveal album are no longer available, but the album itself is still available for purchase here, as a limited-edition CD in hand-made packaging. What do the critics say about Reveal? They don’t even know about it. Here’s what some thoughtful listeners have said: “Your new album has given me enormous pleasure to listen to. It’s extremely delicate—almost on the brink of being fragile. It’s complex and soothing at the same time, unsettling and comforting. Simply wonderful.” —Harry Lachner, Bavarian 2 Radio … “Thanks for the terrific music. You bring such originality and freshness to what is usually a cliche-ridden genre.” —Robert Wyatt, musician (Soft Machine, etc., etc.)

web update April 1, 2006: This Thursday, April 6th at 8 pm, I’ll perform a set of my songs accompanying myself on 12-string guitar. I’ll sing about dioramas, furniture, alienation, intimacy, and a few other things. I’ll be at the misleadingly named, comfortable and diminutive Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen street, between E. Houston and Stanton streets.

web update March 25, 2006: The final five songs from my Reveal album are available for free download now, through April 20. The limited edition CD can be purchased here. My Spinning On Air featuring an interview and live studio performance with Vashti Bunyan (her first in the U.S.) will broadcast on WNYC-FM and wnyc.org Sunday, March 26, from 7 to 8 pm, and then in the archive. Her new, second album, “Lookaftering,” was released 35 years after her first album, and the story of her earlier dashed dreams and current renewal of creativity is moving and fascinating. (That’s her, in the photo below.) On Thursday, April 6 at 8 pm I’ll be performing my songs at Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street between E. Houston and Stanton, in Manhattan.

web update March 7, 2006 • This coming Friday, March 10 at 8 pm, I’ll join Mi & L’au (left) to accompany them for a couple of their songs at Tonic, 107 Norfolk Street in Manhattan. I’ll probably play bowed psaltery, maybe flute, and I don’t know what else. Mi & L’au have been on the road in the US for several weeks now, and it’ll be nice to see and hear them again before they return to Europe.

Also on Friday, March 10 (at 8:45 pm), and again Monday, March 13 at 7:30, JL Aronson’s “Danielson: A Family Movie” will be screened at Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Ave at E. 2nd Street) as part of the New York Underground Film Festival. This documentary intriguingly tells the story of one-of-a-kind songwriter Daniel Smith and his band Danielson Famile. Sprinkled throughout the film are scenes of my Spinning On Air interview with Daniel Smith. Radio on the silver screen! I’m proud that I (and my note pad) could be part of it.

Yesterday (3/6) I recorded a really nice session for Spinning On Air. I learned to my surprise a few days ago that British songwriter Vashti Bunyan was in New York and available to visit Spinning On Air for her first American radio interview and performance. Her new, second album, “Lookaftering,” was released 35 years after her first album, and the story of her earlier dashed dreams and current renewal of creativity is moving and fascinating. The show will broadcast on WNYC-FM and wnyc.org on Sunday, March 26, from 7 to 8 pm. I like this photo I took of Vashti (right)—the pastoral songwriter in the big city.

On Thursday, April 6 at 8 pm I’ll be performing my songs at Rockwood Music Hall, 196 Allen Street between E. Houston and Stanton, in Manhattan.

The second group of songs from my Reveal album are available for download now.

New Yorkers! Nearly all of my albums are currently available at Other Music, 15 East 4th Street. That includes the new “Reveal.” The only exception is my album of Brian Wilson covers, “I Guess I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times,” which shows up once in while on Ebay.

REVEAL I have a new album available. It was recorded just a couple weeks ago in my living room. “Reveal” reveals some of my songs in their essential form. If you know my other albums, you know I can get very into the possibilities of orchestration, using many instruments to explore new possibilities. But on this recording I present my newly devised, innovative performance format: guy with guitar. Recently I’ve been inspired by some of the wonderful guests on my radio show Spinning On Air to see what might happen if I perform my unconventional songs conventionally. All of these arrangements were developed in the last half of 2005, using a 12-string guitar I bought for $99. Half of these songs were composed in 2005, some are from recent years, and others go way back (“I Am With You” is from about 1982). The final song is by a woman named Connie Converse who, for a while in the 1950s, wrote and performed her songs in New York City. Later, she notified a few friends that she was changing her life, and disappeared. Except for an unreleased recording by Converse herself, as far as I know no one else has recorded her extraordinary “One By One.”

This is the first album I’ve issued myself, and I’m making it available two different ways. One is as a limited edition (300 copies) CD in hand-made packaging. Each is signed and numbered (hey, I went to art school decades ago, and I’m just now making my first “signed and numbered” edition of something). The CDs themselves are being pressed (or whatever is the right term for CDs), and aren’t just CDRs. Reveal is $15, including domestic postage, and can be purchased via PayPal. International orders can also use PayPal, but should add three dollars (total $18) to cover postage.

“Reveal” is also available for free download, a bit at a time. There are 13 songs in all, and the second four are available now. On March 15th, the final five will be available.

more Spinning On Air guest pictures added / February 2006 schedule • The radio page has been updated, and includes new photos of Spinning On Air guests.All shows are broadcast on WNYC-FM 93.9 and wnyc.org Sunday evenings from 7 to 8 pm.

web update February 6, 2006: Performances in February: Saturday, Feb. 11th at 8:30—Now and then Joe McGinty invites me to sing a song in one of his Losers Lounge songwriter tribute concerts, and I love doing them because it’s a joy to be surrounded by all that talent and glitz. I’ve done Brian Wilson, Henry Mancini, XTC, Paul Williams, and Burt Bacharach. Now Lincoln Center wants in on the fun, and has invited Losers Lounge to do their Bacharach tribute as part of their American Songbook series. The concert is one night only, and takes place in the Allen Room, the most gorgeous concert hall in New York City. I’m thrilled. Come hear us! The Allen Room is located on the 5th floor of the Time Warner Center at Broadway and 60th St (Columbus Circle).

8 pm, Monday, Feb. 13th—Two days later I’ll sing my own songs at Lucky Cat in Williamsburg. It might be a cold night; it might even be snowing. Perfect! Lucky Cat is the coziest club I know. I heard Diane Cluck there on a snowy night last year and loved the atmosphere. I’ll accompany myself on 12-string guitar, as I do on my new CD Reveal. After my set, Joe McGinty (of Losers Lounge) and Mike McGinness (of The Four Bags and Losers Lounge) will perform, so stay for that, too, and celebrate Valentine’s Eve with us. Lucky Cat is at 245 Grand Street (between Driggs and Roebling), Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 718-782-0437

2005

web update November 2005: The concert November 8th at The Living Room allowed me to give a pretty effective debut to my newly-devised, innovative performance format: guy with guitar. I played new songs and new arrangements of some older songs, which I sang accompanying myself on 12-string guitar. Thanks to Michael Holt for organizing the evening. I’m planning to do more such performances, and will post info here. Here are some photos taken that night by my son Kenji Garland:

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Later that evening I accompanied, on piano, Dave Deporis when he played a set of his songs. Dave was on Spinning On Air a year ago, back when he was known as David Delaware. We’ve been working together off and on since then, recording versions of his songs for a potential album. Some day Dave will sift through his many recordings of his many songs (every take is good, and every take is different!), and a really great album will be revealed. Dave’s songs are tender, fearsome incantations, and his voice has a bluesy power that gives his other-worldliness some deep roots. Thomas Bartlett’s salon.com Audiofile column featured some mp3s of Dave Deporis’ songs. Included is an early mix of “Ghostly Baby” on which I play bass and piano.

Folks have told me that the stripped-down format I presented at The Living Room makes a good introduction to my songs, and have suggested I record them that way. There are already a couple solo acoustic recordings you can find on my downloads page, but in the next couple weeks I’ll record the whole set of 15 or so songs, and then decide how to make them available. I think it’ll be a downloadable album, with a specially packaged CD version available in a very limited edition. If you’re interested in reserving one of these limited copies, let me know.

Meanwhile, I’m nearing completion of my next album of new songs (no release date yet). On some songs I’ve been able to include singers whose voices mean a lot to me: Diane Cluck, Dave Deporis, and Brendon Massei (Viking Moses). It’s an honor and a great musical pleasure to have their contributions! This album (no title yet) won’t be out until 2006, so more about it later.

Just released is the first album by Mi and L’au, on Young God Records. Several months ago I spent a very pleasant afternoon with Laurent Leclere (“L’au”), Michael Gira, and the members of Akron/Family, playing flute, recorder, and bowed psaltery on some tracks for the album. Since I play on it, I’ve had the album to listen to for months, and it turns out to be number one in plays on my iPod. Now it’s out in the world, and I hope you’ll give a listen to its lovely, moody world.

Web update September 15, 2005: On Friday, September 16th at 11 pm I’m accompanying my friend Sport Murphy in a set of his great songs. Sport’s music hasn’t had a good hearing in a while, but at recent rehearsals I think the band is starting to do it justice. The group has turned out to be a double-keyboard bundle of energy with me on Wurlitzer electric piano and guitar, pop scholar (and songwriter) Steve Espinola on organ/piano, and the Wonder Stuff’s Andres Karu on drums. For hours of fun and mulling, see Sport’s blog.

Beginning Sunday, September 18th, I have an precedented series of in-studio performances featured on Spinning On Air. With the help of my engineer Rob Christiansen we’re getting a great sound in the WNYC studio, and these shows feature some genre-defeating bands and performers playing beautifully and speaking insightfully about their music. Some, like Akron/Family and The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band, have a kind of underground reputation, others are less known. All are worth hearing! All shows are broadcast on WNYC-FM 93.9 and wnyc.org Sunday evenings from 7 to 8 pm.

Web update August 9, 2005: It’s been a while since the last update. That’s actually because it’s been an eventful year, and now there are a few things to announce:

WNYC schedule changes— After 15 years of planning and presenting weekday Evening Music on WNYC-FM, I’m moving to the weekend evenings. Spinning On Air moves to the new, more accessible time of Sunday evenings at 7 pm, following the show This American Life. I’ll host Evening Music Fridays from 7 to 11 pm, Saturdays from 8 to 11 pm, and Sundays 8 to 10 pm. The show will continue to offer a rich range of classical music old and new, and I’m looking forward to more interaction with listeners, inviting listener knowledge (WNYC listeners are an amazing resource), comments, and requests.

Spinning On Air has had a great year, with more unique in-studio performances than ever before. I’ve had some wonderful performing guests, including young innovators Sufjan Stevens, Antony and the Johnsons, Dirty Projectors, M. Ward, Mike Wexler, Laura Veirs, Rachel Lipson, Sylvain Chauveau, Devendra Banhart and his band, Hannah Marcus, Diane Cluck, Dave Deporis, Rokia Traore, Viking Moses, Jana Hunter, Spencer Kingman, and longtime greats Donovan and The Incredible String Band. Amy Kohn’s radio opera “1 Plum Sq.” was specially produced for the show, and Animal Collective, The Books, Michael Gira, and Akron/Family joined me for interviews and to present their recordings.

Spinning On Air will launch at its new time, Sundays at 7 pm, with an in-studio performance by The Wingdale Community Singers (Hannah Marcus, David Grubbs, and Rick Moody) this coming Sunday, August 14th. A few repeats will run while I take some time off, then in the fall more amazing guests will join me: Akron/Family will perform an hour-long set; the group Doveman offers their subtle, passionate songs; obscure-but-great songwriters Michael Holt and Brian Lipson will each play a set, Colleen will create cascades of acoustic/electronic sound, A Silver Mount Zion from Montreal will take over the studio, and Michael Gira’s Angels of Light (featuring Akron/Family) will erupt on the air.

During music hours (evening and overnight) wnyc.org offers a 96k mp3 stream, so our programming can be heard in high-fidelity stereo from anywhere in the world, through your computer. I think these schedule changes will work out well, giving me a more manageable work load, a better slot for Spinning On Air, and more nights off for things such as performing...

more old news (2001–2005)

Presenting films at Cinema Arts Centre, Huntington, Long Island
Raymond Scott Orchestrette, Sat., March 27
New album
New downloads
Stuff and Nonsense
Concert in NYC November 21st
Other projects
Radio
Site revised and updated
CDs available through Wayside Music
“Worlds of Love” reissue and new material
Large images of cover art
“Brain in a Box: The Science Fiction Collection”
Interview about science fiction and music on the CBC news magazine “As It Happens.”
Interview about Garland’s music

“Nightmare”! I’ve been invited to participate in the Critic’s Choice
series at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, Long Island, NY. Program organizer Dylan Skolnick is a listener to my WNYC shows, knows of my interest in film music, and asked me to choose a film to present. I knew I’d want to choose a movie in which music and sound were important. I considered some obvious possibilities, and then remembered seeing a startling film noir on TV many years ago. With a bit of detective work I identified the film, Dylan found a print, and we’ll give “Nightmare” what may be its first screening in decades on Tuesday, May 24th, 2005, at 7:30 pm. I’ll be there to introduce and view the film. There’s more info about the screening here. Dylan let me indulge my fondness for seeing an animated short before the feature film, so we’ll be screening the classic “Gerald McBoing-Boing,” too. If you’re in the area, please join us!

And the Cow Jumped Over the Moon on Saturday March 27 at 8:00 pm Once again I’ll sing the delightfully manic ditty “And the Cow Jumped Over the Moon” with the seven-piece Raymond Scott Orchestrette, this time at Merkin Concert Hall, 129 West 67th Street, Saturday, March 27, at 8:00 pm. The RSO is a fantastic group who perform their own arrangements of classic tunes by the 20th Century eccentric Raymond Scott. This concert will feature the band’s original all-star lineup: Wayne Barker (piano), Brian Dewan (electric zither, koto, piano, vocals), Mike Hashim (sax), Will Holshouser (accordion), George Rush (bass), Rob Thomas (violin), and Clem Waldmann (drums). Tickets: 212-501-3330. Also available online at kaufman-center.org More info on the venue and series: Kaufman-center.org/merkin.

New album “On The Other Side of the Window,” my album of new songs, is now available. In New York City you can buy it at Other Music, 15 E. 4th St., and on the web at Wayside Music. Very positive reviews are coming in from Europe (read some here), and who knows, someday maybe even an American journalist will write about it! It’s getting airplay in Germany, Canada, Poland, and on WFMU (and even WNYC). At the suggestion of French journalist Richard Robert, I sent an advance copy to one of my musical heroes, English singer (etc.)/songwriter Robert Wyatt. Wyatt gave it this endorsement: “‘On the Other Side of the Window’ is lovely, a great surprise—I recommend it. Don’t think you know what it is until you’ve heard it. It’ll make you feel good, this I guarantee.” Two songs are now available on the downloads page.

I suspect it’s my best yet. I sing, and play piano, acoustic bass guitar, and a bunch of other instruments. I’m joined by violinist Meredith Yayanos, trumpeter Ron Horton, and special guest vocalists Karen Mantler and Sport Murphy. The instruments are mostly acoustic, the arrangements are elaborate. The songs are interrelated musings on the topic of communication. One song has vocals recorded on location in Times Square, the subway, and on the phone. Another features breaking branches as a rhythm track. It continues my investigation into the possibilities of uncategorizable song, which can be heard on my first five albums. There’s a new page for the CD, with a series of pages featuring images and song lyrics.

New downloads Increased server space now allows for more mp3s on the new downloads page. “How To” features the amazing Karen Mantler, vocal and harmonica. I play the other instruments, and sing (eventually). “I’m Here” has vocals recorded in Times Square, in an empty hallway, on the phone, in the subway, and at home with friends. It’s a song that’s about what it is (or is what it’s about). There are also songs from each of my other five CDs. In exchange, please send your e-mail address and comments.

Stuff and Nonsense The Italian-based music website Clouds and Clocks recently added an interview with me, and a review of the new album, in which reviewer Beppe Colli writes, “On The Other Side Of The Window gets my personal prize for ‘surprise album of the year.’” Clouds and Clocks is in both English and Italian.

I’m proud to say I’m officially an American Maverick. American Mavericks is the name of a series of radio shows (I had nothing to do with making them) running nationally on Public Radio stations (including WNYC-FM, Sundays at 4pm). It’s hosted by Susanne Vega, and covers a whole lot of interesting music; learn more here. I was surprised to hear that I was included, but then saw that number 1 fan Kyle Gann is an advisor to the series. You can hear the shows on-line at their website. The one that includes me (briefly) is here. If Bush gets re-elected I think I’ll change my status from American Maverick to Maverick American. By the way, Kyle Gann’s blog at artsjournal.com is always interesting reading.

I had forgotten about this: the first item in my discography is an issue of the audio magazine Just Another Asshole, edited by Barbara Ess and Glenn Branca, originally issued on LP in 1981. It has 77 short tracks from contributors like Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Phill Niblock, Eric Bogosian, Rhys Chatham, Rudolph Grey, Z’ev, Shelley Hirsch, Nigel Rollings, and others, including me. It’s been reissued by Atavistic Records, and its listing on the Tower Records site (which can be slow to load) even has snippets from the tracks. My track, “Long Song,” is an arrangement of a little portion of what really was a long song: a 10-15 minute piece scored for two singers, banjo, marimba, cello, violin, bowed psaltery and recorder. It was performed at The Kitchen back in the ealry ’80s. The “Asshole” version is just me and electric piano. I wish I had been a better singer back then.

Concert in NYC November 21st The recent concert premiering my new songs got this blurb in Time Out New York: “David Garland, the amiable host of WNYC-FM’s invaluable Spinning On Air, has an uncanny knack for framing his keen observances of the mundane into highly personable art-pop songs. He coaxes his tales into devilishly catchy melodies, wraps them in beguiling orchestrations and delivers them with his warm, inviting baritone.” —Time Out New York, Nov. 22–27, 2003

The concert featured new songs from my recording “On the Other Side of the Window” with The Four Bags (Mike McGinnis, clarinet, saxophone; Tom Aldrich, accordion; Sean Moran, guitar; Brian Drye, trombone) and violinist/vocalist Meredith Yayanos, with Sport Murphy, guest vocalist. The concert was presented by Roulette and took place at Location One, 20-26 Greene St. in NYC. We all enjoyed playing, and look forward to doing more—so watch this space for more concert announcements. Photo, below: Roland Caroscostea.

Other projects I’m really proud and honored to have been involved in two recording projects released recently. Both are extraordinarily powerful and personal albums of songs. I’m going to resist the temptation to write at length about these CDs. Let me just recommend “Uncle” by Sport Murphy (on the Kill Rock Stars label), and “Everything is Good Here Please Come Home” by Michael Gira’s band Angels of Light (Young God Records).

For Sport’s album I arranged a few songs, sang back-up, and played piano, flute, guitar, etc. It’s a collection of songs Sport wrote after his nephew, a fireman, died in the World Trade Center attack. There’s no preaching on the album, no anthems; just the eloquent cry and uncertainty of one man’s heart, accomplished with very interesting music. (Yes, I think there’s such a thing as eloquent uncertainty.) Sport’s songs are smart and bold, sometimes esoteric, but also tuneful and communicative. For the final track, “Everybody’s Gone,” Sport asked me to play solo piano accompaniment in the combined styles of Hoagy Carmichael and Thelonius Monk. Of course it’s only my modest approximation, but it’s nice to have recorded my “jazz” piano playing.

“Everything is Good Here Please Come Home” continues the savage and elegant music Michael Gira has been making since his band Swans. I played flutes and accordion on this one, but I’m really just part of the amazing wall of sound that Michael created to accompany the special brutal beauty of his songs. I’m very glad to see that the CD is getting something like the attention it deserves, such as a cover article in the British music magazine The Wire (issue 233).

Both Michael and Sport are one-of-a-kind artists, and should be heard!

Radio I continue to program and present 20 hours a week of music on WNYC-FM 93.9 in New York City. Evening Music is heard Monday through Thursday from 7 to 11 and Fridays 7 to 9. On that show I feature about 900 years of classical music. I’m presenting classical music as a vital, interesting, lively, inclusive field, full of possible discoveries. Spinning On Air is heard Friday nights from 9 to 11, and focuses on the musical meeting points of Art and Pop. Recent guests include Sufjan Stevens, Robert Wyatt, and Lisa Germano, Adam Pierce of Mice Parade, Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore, They Might Be Giants, Aiko Shimada and Eyvind Kang, Andrew Broder of Fog, singers Gretchen Phillips and David Driver, songwriter Devendra Banhart, and composer John Zorn. There is a growing Spinning On Air audio archive at www.wnyc.org, with a new show added each week. These are full, two-hour programs that can be heard anytime, anywhere, via the internet, using the RealAudio program. (There is a link on the archive page for downloading the free RealAudio software.) Shows are listed by date, with brief descriptions of the featured music and guests. On my radio page you can link straight to some of the archived shows. More about Spinning On Air.

Website revised and updated The site has been changed and brought up to date, as of 03/04, including new links to the WNYC website. O the radio page you can link straight to some of the archived Spinning On Air shows. Other notable changes include several mp3 additions to the downloads page, new pages for On the Other Side of the Window, and “My Vortex Camera” lyrics. Also, photos that allowed for a lingering sense of youthfulness have been replaced with others which admit the inexorability of time. More updates will follow soon.

CDs available through Wayside Music My new CD, On the Other Side of the Window, can be purchased from Wayside Music for $16. Wayside is a distributor of lots of unusual recordings. The link above brings you to their ordering instructions. You can order via mail, fax or email. Payment can be by check or you may charge any size order to your VISA or MASTERCARD card. Wayside used to have my other CDs, too, though I don’t see them listed there as of 03/04. Postage is additional. Wayside’s mailing address and fax number: Wayside Music. P.O. Box 8427, Silver Spring, MD 20907, USA, fax (301) 589-1819

“My Vortex Camera” is also available from amazon.com.

Now, what about I Guess I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times (David Garland performs Brian Wilson)? (Go here for more information on this and the other releases.) IGIJWMFTT was licensed to Japanese company MSI in 1993 for distribution exclusively in Japan and Hong Kong. The recording is currently available to be licensed elsewhere. In 1998 MSI sublicensed to another Japanese company, Nippon Crown. Presumably it’s listed somewhere on their website, but that site is in Japanese. amazon.com has a listing for IGIJWMFTT (for $29.99!), but it really shouldn’t be available there, since the license restricts distribution to Japan and Hong Kong. If you have purchased IGIJWMFTT through Amazon, if you can read the Nippon Crown Records website, or if you want more info about IGIJWMFTT, please let us know.

CD from The Worlds of Love The Worlds of Love is a band consisting of David Garland, Ikue Mori (vocals, electronic percussion), and Cinnie Cole (vocals, banjo, synthesizer). The Worlds of Love prepared a reissue of their 1989 Review Records LP, and added to it new material created and recorded in the summer and fall of 2000. more info

Large images of cover art Large scans of my paintings for Worlds of Love and My Vortex Camera covers have been added to the site. (Click on the album covers on those pages to view large images.)

“Brain in a Box: The Science Fiction Collection” Now the truth can be told! After years of secret planning, Rhino Records has unleashed “Brain in a Box: The Science Fiction Collection” on an unsuspecting world. Back in about 1995 I began serving as a consultant on this ambitious five-CD boxed set, making compilation tapes of my musical recommendations, xeroxing record labels and covers, and ultimately writing an 11,000+ word essay that serves as the main liner notes in the set’s elaborate, 200-page hardcover booklet.

With this release Rhino has created their most lavish package to date—a seven-inch square metal and cardboard box with lenticular images of a suspended brain—enclosing five CDs and a hardcover book devoted to music of the Space Age. Each CD features a different facet of science fiction-related music: film scores, TV themes, pop songs, novelty songs, and “incidental/lounge.” In addition to including music which I recommended to them, Rhino also took the advice of fellow-consultant Irwin Chusid, and included my song “On Planet X,” from Control Songs, as the last track on the “incidental/lounge” CD!

As Spinning On Air listeners know, and as you can tell from a few of my songs, I have a great enthusiasm for and fascination with the wild, whimsical, and experimental music that has been recorded under the influence of flying saucers, rocketships, and other Space Age inspirations. My liner notes for “Brain in a Box” survey the cultural history of science fiction music, from the ancient Music of the Spheres through Jacques Offenbach’s late 19th Century opera “Le Voyage dans la Lune,” to SF fans’ “filk” songs, 1950’s novelty songs, Space Age bachelor pad music, 60s psychedelia, and the electronica of today. Examples of music references in science fiction are given, and SF’s contributions to the mainstream of movies, TV, radio, and comics are traced.

It has been a lot of fun to bring all this information together in one place, and Rhino has done a beautiful job with the lavishly illustrated book, and wide-ranging music included in “Brain in the Box: The Science Fiction Collection.

Interview about science fiction and music on the CBC On New Year’s Day, 2001, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ran a half-hour interview with me about science fiction and music. The interview was fun, and includes several examples from “Brain in the Box.” The piece ran on the daily news magazine “As It Happens,” and can be heard as a RealAudio file at the CBC web site. Select Part 2 of the 01/01/01 program; my segment begins 24:00 into that file (you can skip ahead to it).

Interview about Garland’s music A written interview with me was conducted by Mathias Baeumel via email in July, 2000. It was translated into German, and published in the August 14, 2000 edition of the newspaper Dresdner Neueste Nachrichten. You can read the English languge version here.