Power-Lloyd "Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger" cassette (self released/2000)

Here is a rare slice of eastern Long Island tuneage courtesy of lo fi collage/noise pop trio Power-Lloyd. And God help you if you forget the damn hyphen! I am not sure if it was the water we drank, growing up near a nuclear power plant that never opened or just digging on the finest fuzz box happy indie/alternative rock that the 90s had to offer that caused a bunch of the bands in eastern Long Island to make so much darn noise in the late 90s/early 2000s. Armed with a four track (my old Fostex I believe) and a lineup of instruments that defy convention (seriously seeing Mark Gill play a vacuum cleaner is one of the best things I have ever seen) Power-Lloyd played lo fi collage/noise pop that was just the sound of three friends having a good time. No pretentions or anything like that. Like I said just three friends getting in front of a 4 track and saying "Go". What came out was a mystery to even them I presume much less listeners. But for you folks who need reference points to click "download here" to put things simply Power-Lloyd reminds me of a combination of the snippets of sound collage on Olivia Tremor Control records, Beck's Stereopathetic Soul Manure, Edith Presler and God is My Co-Pilot. In addition to jangly guitar chords, bass, and vocals added to the arsenal of sound were various children's toys that produced sounds, drum machine, various percussion, whistles, and various sound makers. Oh yeah did I mention a vacuum? I did but I like that so much that I'll mention it again.

Power-Lloyd consisted of Jason Cassara, who collaborated with me on the Stars Are Insane album Justin Age 8 and Chris Grant and Mark Gill both of whom were in my first band Pale Marble Movie. Gill was briefly the bassist of Prescott C and recorded the Low Flying Planes EP with them. Anyhow back to Power-Lloyd... They recorded their lone release which was packaged in a fun grab bag of goodies (which I have lost. Shame on me...) Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger for the most part on 4 track in various spaces in the Rocky Point/Shoreham area but two tracks I believe were recorded at the North Shore Public Library from the same show that Stars Are Insane performed. (See this post to download the Stars Are Insane set if you missed it.) And if you are wondering if Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger is a Doug reference, the answer is most certainly yes. In fact check out Power-Lloyd's re-imagining of The Beets' "One Little Voice" for further Doug references.

Power-Lloyd were a ton of fun the few times they played and so is Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger. Anyhow Power-Lloyd certainly isn't for everyone because quite simply most people don't know how to have fun. Somehow I have to convince Mark to make a guest appearance playing some vacuum on the next Stars Are Insane album...

Power-Lloyd Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger track listing
1. Jelly Belly Blues
2. Israeli Sub Machine Gun
3. Math Camp
4. Vegetable Bitch (A Chorus of Boris)
5. One Little Voice
6. Upwelling

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Stars Are Insane "Live Reading" (unreleased live recording/2000)

For those unaware Stars Are Insane is a home recording "solo" project that  I have been doing since 1998. The bulk of the material has been recorded by myself via four track but I have had accompaniment and collaboration at times on the recordings and for live performances. Through the six albums (as well as whole slew of unreleased stuff) I have done under the name I have channeled the influences of shoegaze, lo fi, Shrimper Records, tape labels, Sebadoh/Sentridoh, My Bloody Valentine and Dump amongst others. From 1999 to 2001 is when I was most active with the project mainly because of the laid back and secluded living situation I had at the time. In those years I released four full length cassette tapes as well recorded a unreleased album. At this point Stars Are Insane only existed in a live forum on a limited basis doing a few acoustic shows. But for the most part the Stars Are Insane project was mainly just a home recording project  to do the things that I felt I couldn't do with a band.

For the third Stars Are Insane album Justin Age 8 I collaborated with my friend Jason Cassara. After we finished recording the album we decided to test the material out live and the album I present to you here today is a recording of the first show that he and I did. Live Reading, is a name I devised to formally document our inaugural non solo performance at North Shore Public Library on July 7th 2000. Personally, I couldn't think of another venue back then that would have be as inviting for a project like this to exist in a live forum. A few of the songs "Big Circles, Moons and Stars" as well as "Gravity" were included on the So. I Dreamed of Noise four cd-r set that collected the first four albums as well as unreleased and live material. Additionally, the version of "Fuck Lando and His Gambling Problem" that appears here is the same that appears on Justin Age 8. Cassara and I  did a few more shows together and later on even did a couple with Dave Armone involved in the fray when the fourth cassette, Gay came out.

I don't want to rant on to much about my project but just the same I would like people to check out the music. Most of the releases are out of print, though I have a brand new cd-r called A Plan...A Perfect Disaster out now, though half the pressing is already gone. A "selected works" cd-r called Partial History  will be coming out soon. I shall post the complete discography below with links to the Bandcamp so you can at least stream everything. All the albums are on Last FM as well. I'll be working on music for new releases for later this year. If anyone out there is doing a compilation please let me know as I'd love to contribute something.

One last thing before I go...I didn't have any photos of Stars Are Insane shows so I posted a photo that I believe Jon Kaplan took at a show at The North Shore Library that Book Store and Bo Coach played. I was playing Velvet Underground's "Heroin" with Bo Coach and at the end I believe I ran into the audience and tackled Joey from Book Store to close it out in chaotic fashion.

Stars Are Insane Discography:

• Gracias cassette (Rok Lok Records)(September 1999) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Anonymously Yours cassette (Rok Lok Records) (February 2000) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Justin Age 8 cassette (Rok Lok Records) (July 2000) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Gay cassette (Rok Lok Records) (October 2000) (out of print) Listen on Last FM
• 9 Untitled Songs cd-r (Rok Lok Records) (August 2005) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• So. I Dreamed of Noise four cd-r set (Rok Lok Records)(January 2006) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• "I Said It" on I Know Why They Call It Pop cassette compilation (Rok Lok Records) (December 2010)
• A Plan...A Perfect Disaster cd-r (Rok Lok Records) (February 2011) Listen on Bandcamp

Stars Are Insane Live Reading 7/7/2000  track listing

1.The Admiral

2. Big Circles, Moons and Stars

3. Gravity

4. Those Are the Most Deadliest Scorpions I Have Ever Seen

5. I Stayed Up All Night Thinking of You (New Wave Reprise)

6. I Hereby Make An Anatomical Gift

7. Fuck Lando and His Gambling Problem

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