Tudedomoon

Live a Thousand Lives By Picture: 

The Weird Library of Art's first show was opening for Steven Brown of Tuxedomoon at the Opera House in Toronto in 1992. 

We played with Steven again a few years later. He guested with us opening for Spectrum at Club Shanghai.

Steven Brown

Steven Brown, Myself Nicholas Marcilio (with bad hair) and  Malcolm Abbow Lewis




Here is a shot of Spectrum. I'm not sure whey everything looks red from this show, it didn't seem that way at the time.


So a few days later Weird Library Of Art played at Symptom Hall for a Tuxedmoon film release party, but still no performance by the complete Tuxedomoon. At that point they were all over the place. Steven in Mexico, Blaine in Athens, Peter in New York. We almost convinced Steven to get Peter to come to Toronto; but he said something like "Peter only does things that are well organized". 

       A few years later (August 14th 1999 to be specific)  Weird Library of Art



played with Peter Principle's band Echo Bravo at the Knitting Factory at 74 Leonard St in New York, opening for that il fated Colin Newman & Malka Spigel tour.



 I have photos of that but I'd feel bad posting them because everyone has the "Why are we traveling around in such a crap van" look on their face. Though that back seat of the van did become my sofa for a few years afterwards, long after the Chevy Astro, that Elio Gelmini sold me, went to van heaven. Elio was the one who organized that Steven Brown show at the Opera House and Steven had done some music for a couple of Elio's movies.  I also heard stories from Malka about how Minimal Compact had borrowed a former ambulance from Tuxedomoon to tour Europe in.  That was supposed to be a "well it could be worse" story; at least she tried.

So I finally got to see a full Tuxedomoon show, Blaine Reininger included,  just like the folks in Europe get to do, more often than us at the Leonard St  Knitting Factory in 2004 or 2005. I have a video somewhere of most of that show. I'll post or transfer it some day.. catches a few great moments, I think there are some stills from the next night when they played unannounced at the Tribeca Grand Hotel.

Well here are just a few pictures from Tuxedomoon's last appearance in New York City at Le Poisson Rouge September 18th 2008 .  Their most recent visit to New York and North America.  I think they have some shows in Mexico in November. maybe i can talk Carlos into sending them north in the cold, or better yet figure out how I can get to Mexico and see them there. 

iPhone 1's limited quality makes for blurred memories. 

The Amazing Visuals and lighting effects were by Tuxedomoon collaborator The Weathermen's Bruce Geduldig.  If North America is ever  lucky enough to get a return visit from the living legends, Tuxedomoon, it will not be the same. without Bruce, but Tuxedomoon has never been about being the same. 

the TV set really is the "Eye of Hell"; No Joke. 

Nicholas MARCILIO 

Nicholas MARCILIO 

Nick Marcilio

NICK MARCILIO 

Nick Marcilio

all photos:
Nicholas Marcilio

The Monochrome Set

A new favourite from an old favourite.

 Still releasing great material

Here are some photos from the 2012 show at Stereo in Glasgow
The Monochrome Set. Here they were playing songs from their then current release Platinum Coils. Platinum Coils is up there with any of the classic Monochrome set records.

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Who were those girls from Lerwick?  Hope you found your coats the next night in Edinburgh. Glasgow was way more fun, I'd much rather go to Stereo than the VooDoo Rooms. Though the VooDoo Rooms is pretty and I did have fun.



And then I had the luck of seeing the Monochrome Set once again on their brief tour of North America.  Here is the setlist from their Bowery Electric show of May 27th 2013.

   

I think Andy was about to say something when I snapped this one.

This was the first time the band had visited North America in a long time.

A couple of days later caught them at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn. 

Well either I have to get back to the UK, or we the Monochrome Set need to Return to North America.  They are playing Stereo Glasgow again in a few weeks, to promote the new album,  Cosmonaut.  Wish I could be there. 

Here is a new one from them called "Iceman" . They are back at Stereo November 12th 2016. 

all photos:
Nicholas Marcilio

Nicholas Marcilio World: The Gospel According to The Stranglers

Nicholas Marcilio World: The Gospel According to The Stranglers:       Well they had somewhat gone off for a while, but both factions are back. More or less.  Perhaps I was ignoring my younge...

The Gospel According to The Stranglers

     

Well they had somewhat gone off for a while, but both factions are back. More or less. 

Perhaps I was ignoring my younger days, but when I had the chance to see the Stranglers at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline Scotland, I couldn't pass it up. The band were promoting their most recent album Giants

     After a bus ride from St Andrew's to Dunfermline which seemed to take forever I found the pub that said "Stranglers Fans Welcome" (really) just down the street from the venue.   The good folks at P.J Molloy & Sons knew a Stranglers crowd, were their type of people.  You don't see Pubs that welcome Stranglers followers too often in North America. Well not since the Toronto Chapter of the "Down in the Sewer Drinking Club" ceased activities in the late 1980s. 

   

That photo is my main pretty well all one needs to say. Well that and don't start talking about sectarian Scottish Football with Stranglers fans after a few pints. It was actually hard to avoid. Even the "I'm from Canada, what do I know about Hibs and Hearts, Celtic and Rangers and all that" didn't seem to work.  I really should follow football so I know what I'm on about on that front, because ignorance is no excuse, unfortunately.  I managed to escape almost unscathed. 

On to the Show! 

Last time I saw the Stranglers was in the  first phase of the post Hugh Cornwall era. March 25th 1997. It seems like longer ago. That show seems in the very distant past, like the 87 Tour. 

Well the big thing is, they were better in Dunfermline that night than they were in 1987.  The new album "Giants" sounds like it should of been between The Raven and Black & White.

And as far as I know this was one of  the last nights that Jet Black played a full set with the band. He played the next night in Glasgow, and one show after that. 

Without Jet Black they played in New York at very crowded Highline Ballroom on June 3rd 2013. It was a good show, but They missed Jet more than this version of the band misses Hugh Cornwell . 

Shows you how the heart of a rock band ( I can't think of a better term than rock, sorry Stranglers) is the drummer. 

And as luck would have it, a few months later Hugh Cornwell  played a far better show for a far  less crowded Highline Ballroom. 

Maybe if people knew the opening act "Ian Rubish" was actually Fred Armisen. 

He Did the Rubish skit for a bit, but then it just degenerated into people yelling out accents and him doing the accents. He was doing a French guy, and I yelled out to "Do a French Canadian Guy" ( gotta represent my people ya know). Amazingly he was able to do an impressive French Canadian accent that didn't devolve into a Jean Chrétien  impersonation.  

And then the lost Strangler took the stage. 

I'm not sure if people just don't know the name, or don't remember that he was the singer of the Stranglers.  The crowd that was at the 2/4 Stranglers show should of been at this show. It was great. 

 I  didn't think he played enough off the "Hoover Dam" album. You can download it for free from the link. ( Well worth it ha ha . I'd actually buy the vinyl, if it was available) 

Both "Totem & Taboo" and "Hoover Dam" are great albums, I'd rather hear him play that stuff than old Stranglers songs. 

And capping off the night Fred Armisen  came out and played No More Heroes with the band. 

Here is the set list, if you missed it,  or if you need to label your tape ( do people still tape? ) 

  

And at the end of the night, Hugh was there signing merch and letting fans take selfies with him. 

Well there you go, my more current experiences going to see Strangler related music all over the world. 

If there were only cell phone cameras back in 83 or 80 when they were one big happy family and I saw them in Toronto.  

Nick Marcilio
Nicholas Marcilio
Nicholas Nick Marcilio

all photos:
Nicholas Marcilio




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      Got to meet the guys from DEVO!!

     Yes, on October 10th 2014 I was at the Premier  of  Hardcore Devo in New York, and the band was there.

     "Hardcore Devo" is a concert movie of Devo playing music from before the first album. The material is a little crazier than what was recorded,

"From the basements of Akron Ohio" "Songs with no commercial intent"

The movie is a tribute to Bob Casale, who died of heart failure  on February 17, 2014. 

 I've been listening to their music since I was 13 when they appeared on SNL back in 1979 .

They seemed like old friends, though we'd never met.

Hope Mark gets that Raymond Scott music composing machine The Electronium working.  I knew that he had  obtained The Electronium, but didn't know if it was functional. Apparently not 100%.  Definitely a Duty Now For The Future!

Two  days after the movie premier Devo played a great show up at Time Square as part of the CBGB's festival.

 

Booji Boy!! 

Are We Not Men? 

My baby Gave me a Surprise!! 




all photos:
Nicholas Marcilio