Like driftwood, words, phrases and severed sentences come floating by. Part fisherman, part scavenger, I spread my net and rescue these bits of debris from the deep. I can’t say why certain severed statements catch my eye. Floating fragments of meaning, they sparkle and speak to me. And by a peculiar lure beyond my conscious ken, they sometimes come together. The pairings are not always opportune. Some sniff at each other’s nether parts in passing, as dogs do, and promptly part in pursuit of other more enticing scents. But on occasion something clicks. This is my second published assemblage of such felicitous couplings. Some readers may relish the result. If not, just toss it back into the tide. Available at better independent brick and mortar bookstores (first in line worthy of your support), direct from us and online everywhere.
The Sounds of Pomona Exhibit at The dA opening Saturday November 11th
I am thrilled to have had a small hand in working with all the musicians, artists and historians who have been involved in the exhibition at The dA Center for the Arts in Pomona entitled The Sounds of Pomona: Coming of Age in the Golden Era of Music 1955-1975. This exhibit and series celebrates the stories of youth, music and community in Pomona featuring a visual and audio journey from the birth of Rock n’ Roll in 1955 and a through line of this first wave of musicians through the mid 70’s, charting the social clubs, garage bands, visual art and music from the time drawn from oral histories with Mexican Americans and African Americans who lived this history.
Ronny and the Pomona Casuals, The Sir Guys, Velveteens, The Pace Setters and a myriad of other artists of this era put Pomona on the map as a musical epicenter of Southern California and it is a fantastic chance to celebrate these architects of all that would come in Pomona.
Peter Wortsman trailer premieres for his new Bamboo Dart Press book “Driftwood at the River’s Edge”
Peter Wortsman’s second book for us is a bookend to last years Borrowed Words book. Wortsman writes: “Like driftwood, words, phrases and severed sentences come floating by. Part fisherman, part scavenger, I spread my net and rescue these bits of debris from the deep. I can’t say why certain severed statements catch my eye. Floating fragments of meaning, they sparkle and speak to me. And by a peculiar lure beyond my conscious ken, they sometimes come together. The pairings are not always opportune. Some sniff at each other’s nether parts in passing, as dogs do, and promptly part in pursuit of other more enticing scents. But on occasion something clicks. This is my second published assemblage of such felicitous couplings. Some readers may relish the result. If not, just toss it back into the tide. “
Check out the trailer below featuring poems from the new book Driftwood at the River’s Edge which is out November 15th.
Brian Bendlin and Linda Smith, limited edition deluxe CDR with book out today
Bamboo Dart Press is celebrating our third birthday with a bang. Every year we issue a special project, which is a Bamboo Dart Press book coupled with music. The first year saw the deluxe vinyl edition of Refrigerator’s So Long to Farewell paired with a BDP book written, photographed and drawn by the band. Last year, David Lester and Wendy Atkinson’s second Horde of Two record was paired as a CD with their sublime book that couples the life of Buenaventura Durruti with firsthand notes from the frontline of creating and working outside of the lines in I Knew I Was a Rebel Then.
Today sees the release of Brian Bendlin and Linda Smith’s Opposite of Shadow book. The book features fiction and non-fiction by Brian Bendlin and paintings by Linda Smith. The two of them were in the band The Woods in the early 1980’s and this reunion of sorts brings with the new paintings and writings, some old writings as well as a record of beautiful instrumentals recorded by Bendlin in 1987. Each book includes a QR code allowing readers access to download this record. Additionally, there is a deluxe limited edition version that comes with a CDR including artwork and liner notes for the CD.
This project has been a labor of love for Linda, Brian and Bamboo Dart Press over the course of the last few years and we are honored to offer it to you as we celebrate our third anniversary these two wonderful writers, artists and musicians whose unique vision makes this a book like no other.
Brian Bendlin and Linda Smith trailer premiere for their new book/music special project on Bamboo Dart Press
How best to describe Opposite of Shadow, the book featuring a thin line of fiction and non-fiction by Brian Bendlin, paintings by Linda Smith and a lovely instrumental hours worth of music from 1987 by Bendlin? Start with the friendship the two of them forged in the early eighties in their band The Woods? The music and creative work that they both continued to turn over after the break-up of the band? The reunion that is this work which happened by chance? After two years of working on this lovely project, it is landing on October 13th. Check out the trailer below which sews together the three different aspects of the book, words, images and sound. Pre-orders are ongoing at the link above.
Brian Bendlin and Linda Smith “Opposite of Shadow” Book and limited edition Book with CDR out October 13th on Bamboo Dart Press
Brian Bendlin and Linda Smith were members of The Woods, whose sole 1985 single has just been reissued along with a harvest of previously unreleased recordings on a Sundazed LP/CD. Linda would go on to record a plethora of gorgeous solo albums (including her cassette only release on Shrimper in 1996, I So Liked Spring) and has been releasing sublime solo and collaborative records since the demise of the band. Brian continued recording with Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer of The Woods after the band broke up. In 1987, Bendlin recorded a pastoral instrumental album titled 13 Groves as a cassette only release. It has been remastered and is seeing the light of day once more with Linda and Brian’s first collaborative work since the break up of the band in this package.
Opposite of Shadow features the meditative writings of Bendlin, the paintings of Smith and includes a QR code with a download to the 13 Groves album. Additionally there is a limited edition version of the book that includes a CDR of the entire album in a full color card stock slipcase. The book and the deluxe book with CDR is out October 13th and both versions are available for preorder from us here.
Bill Chen Vs. Dennis Callaci KSPC radio show renewed for another year
Join My dear pal and fellow punching bag Bill Chen and I every Wednesday morning from 9am to noon PST for our three hour radio show on the commercial free public airwaves of legendary KSPC 88.7 fm. Listen live on the radio or online at www.kspc.org as we battle to near death weekly. We don’t sign contracts or anything like that, but it all seemed very formal when the head boss Erica and the clipper ship mechanic Dia gave us the card keys and said they would not expire until September of 2024.
1000 hand drawn and painted cassette covers by Dennis Callaci
Dennis Callaci is drawing and painting with some Dewey Redman on the turntable and coffee at his side. Get a one of a kind cassette J-Card drawn, painted, signed and numbered by him with your choice of artist and title (real or imagined) for $25. The finished artwork will be mailed out to you (Artwork only, no cassette nor shell). Email shrimperrecordsandtapes@gmail.com and send along your email address, ship to address, artist & title request and you will be contacted with payment info and schedule for completion and delivery. These J-cards are hand folded to fit into a cassette shell of your own. Turn around is currently 2-4 days.
Sloppy Heads “Sometimes, Just One Second” CD, limited edition cassette & digital out today
The sophomore release by Sloppy Heads has finally landed and is available now. I am going to add an exclamation point to that. The CD is in stores everywhere and elsewhere & the digital rivers floweth over starting now for the phone digit juggling music afficionado. There is also limited edition lo-fi cassette version that is limited to 80 copies with hand painted covers and alternate cover art by Dennis Callaci.
Sloppy Heads new one is out this Friday, check out this interview with The Jarnow’s as they discuss touchstones of the new record
The new Sloppy Heads CD/Digital and cassette is out this Friday. Read the following Aquarium Drunkard interview w/ member Jesse Jarnow as he hot glues the artists involved in the record that also served as influences along with his artist father Al Jarnow whose work you will surely recognize. The trio includes Ariella Stok and Bill the Drummer who are joined by James McNew on most of the record which is a near 80 minute barn burner of a short story for the heart and ear. The physical editions are available at your favorite physical haunts and the digital busies itself on them sites which will have broken links in a decade.