"The United States has over 700 military bases on foreign soil in sovereign countries, where we have no declaration of war. ( Occupation/Preoccupation ) seeks to gather covers by American musicians of songs that originate from each of these places." - occupationpreoccupation.org Brian Mumford of Dragging an Ox Through Water 's ambitious new project Occupation/Preoccupation is an inspiring example of music's potential to mobilize people into political action. In protest of the hundreds of American military occupations throughout the [...]
Dragging An Ox Through Water They're Gonna Send Me To The Dead Mumford 7" (2010, Stank House Records) RIYL = Ghost To Falco, Alex Tedesco, Castanets I'm so behind on reviews. I've missed a million of them. The fact that I almost forgot to post about this gem just goes to show how big of a slacker I am. And you should know that I rarely post on EPs or 7 inchers. But, of course, this isn't just anyone here. This is Forest Gospel favourite, Dragging An Ox Through [...]
In an elaborate press release sent out today, Jeff Hylton Simmons of Radio 23 announced the official launch party for the new, streaming, 24-hour radio station Cascade Community Radio . CCR, which we wrote about last month , will stream free-form shows from Pacific Northwest DJs as well as live shows taking place in the Northwest. The launch party, taking place April 23, features a number of Portland supergroups* and longtime LocalCut favorite Dragging an Ox through Water—plus a handful of crazy bonus features (Into the Woods screenings? Slim Moon and Maggie Vail DJing? Elks Lodgers singing karaoke?). [...]
Dragging An Ox Through Water Tropics of Phenomenon (Awesome Vistas/Freedom To Spend, 2008/ 2009) The sound of Dragging An Ox Through Water sounds more like the sound of dragging a folk song through a junk yard. On Tropics of Phenomenon, Brian Mumford (the man behind the ox dragging) has created one of the most incredible debut albums of the decade by combining acoustic guitar based songwriting (albeit somewhat unconventional songwriting) with wire board fritzing noise. It's quite a beautiful marriage and one that is much too sweet to be [...]
'Sup my twine suckas? In light of some hefty essays and finals that I will be (and am) engulfed in for the next couple weeks, I think it is safe to say that I won't be seeking out any new music in 2009 before it comes to a close. Fortunately, I have already listened to pretty much everything that has been released this year (except for most of it) so I think I am pretty well ready to get this over with. Also, no blurbs. Everything on here (with the exception of one album) has been reviewed on Forest Gospel [...]
Dragging An Ox Through Water The Tropics of Phenomenon (04.2009, Freedom To Spend) RIYL = Kurt Weisman, Ursula Bogner, complete awesomeness This...now this is something. Like whoa! My updates have been sparse as of the last couple weeks and are likely to continue to be so for a couple more as I finish out this semester. Oh man, Summer has been a long time coming huh? Well I had to break this little silence, if only momentarily for what is quite possibly the most ridiculously radical (= ridiculous, right Grant?) record I have heard [...]
I've said it before and I'll say it now (and likely again in the future): I love the internet! Maybe a little too much lately. A lot too much lately. I thought the disappearance of the TV from my living room would be a new start and open my schedule up for more noble pursuits such as taking up reading things other than Wikipedia again or finishing long-gestating projects I've had in my head, among other things. But alas the internet is a powerful tool. There's always something more to read and download—and, regardless of moments of divine inspiration, I [...]
Photo by Luciana LopezDragging an Ox Through Water celebrated the release of his latest 12" at Backspace on Saturday night. Electro/acoustic experimentalist Dragging an Ox Through Water celebrated the release of a new 12" at Backspace on Saturday night, "The...
Nilina's post got me thinking of my favorite political songs, one of which is "Peaceful Protest" by Dragging an Ox through Water, a.k.a. Portland noise-folk artist Brian Mumford. Not a lot of hope in the tune, at least until the last line, wherein Mumford suggests direct action and/or Ghandi-style transformation ("Be the change that you want to see in the world," right?) as a means to changing an oppressive system. This particular stripped-down recording of the tune comes via ex- WW intern Jim Sandberg's back-in-the-day radio show on KWVA in Eugene (yeah, it's admittedly a bit inbred), [...]
In the hustle and bustle of putting this week's paper together, we forgot to add a very special show. Tonight at Rotture (S.E. 3rd and Pine), some of Portland's finest—post-punkers Reporter (ex-Wet Confetti), experimental folky Dragging an Ox Through Water , nearly broken-up Bjork-inspired pop outfit Sukey Tawdry , plus singer/songwriters Justin King and Louis Soto —join together to raise money for a friend with Hodgkin's Lymphoma (which is really, really shitty, from what I hear—hence the "crabby"). In addition to the crazy lineup, there will be prizes and all sorts of treats, [...]
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