Stuart Bogie: What's New

The last month has been quite a ride! Antibalas enjoyed a great tour of Europe, where we got to play in state of the art concert halls, old castles and chateaus, and an old bus factory! It was a solid 3 weeks of music and growth together. A week after our return we zipped up to Canada to play the Evolve, festival then over to Vermont to play another joyous festival with none other than Gogol Bordello. They blew my mind! I was left with limited mental resources to perform when they were done. I hope we get to play with them again - next time BEFORE them so I can freely join the mosh pit like i was 19 again! Ha!

Last weekend I had a rare and beatiful experience visiting my friends Celebration in Baltimore. Sean, David, Katrina, and Rob, are some of the most wonderful peeople I've ever had the pleasure of playing music with and I believe the future holds more oportunities to celebrate life with them! We played at the Ottobar down there in Baltimore and it was one of my best experiences playing music ever. Then we drove up to play a show at Joe's pub with the Dragons of Zynth. The Dragons are a force to be rekoned with! Look out world!

Now just last night Antibalas played at Marcus Garvey park up in Harlem (on Gavery's birthday no less!). We had the last minute cameo of the Extra-action maching band - they came up during our song "indicment" and put another 5 tons of brass, drums, and humanity behind our call for a federal house cleaning. Thank you, extra action! See you in Oakland!

So coming next week is the Sway Machinery's trip to London for a week. Wish us luck!

Stay healthy,
Stuart

Antibalas is off to Europe for a short tour of France, Germany, Austria and Portugal. We are all very excited to see these new places. I hope to try some Port in Port!

We've been working away at a new Jeremiah Lockwood record mixed to songs this weekend. They are something new and I hope you get to hear them when they are released.

Antibalas had a blast sitting in with TV on the Radio at Prospect Park and then playing a set of our new material the very next at Central Park Summer Stage! We shared a bill with Bulkan Beat Box and they rocked the park! Especialy with Jeremiah Lockwood on guitar! I've heard there's a video of the TVOTR concert uploaded to You Tube but better than that - they got an eight camera crew to film the whole shebang so maybe there'll be DVD out sometime.

check out the photos for some new shots!

Take Care,
Stuart

Well in a couple days, I begin my collaboration with ventrilaquist Carla Rhoades - co-hosting a monday comedy variety show. I've seen lots of these and always like them. I mean if you get bored of variety then you need some help.

Speaking of help - i need some help. I have ahorrible cheese addiction. i like cheese for every meal, and even when full can eat more cheese. Lemme know if you have a cure.

Also this June The FunkeyMonkeys have thier last show of the summer! So if got kids or are one come on out and see us! We play at Makor on the 18th! You also have a couple chances to see the Sway Machinery blaze through our cantorial hysteria so check the calender if you like!

good luck out there!
-stuart

Other than that I'll just be working with Matt Durant (the Rana), Eric Biando, and Jeremiah Lockwood producing some recorded moments of beauty and pain.

What a great weekend Antibalas ejoyed at Southpaw in Park Slope! The guys in charge there are first class and treated us great. Eveybody I know loves playing there. We played three days of shows (added one on sunday). I am BEAT. Before the weekend we did a horn session with this band the Grimace Federation. They have some cool music and I can't wait to hear how it comes together. Lots of vibraphone and extend guitar chords. and now lots of horns too!

I also had the pleasure of playing with the group Padre Pio, a group doing work sort of like Roxy Music, Psychedelic Furs, etc. Also sitting in was keyboardist/producer/composer Joe McGinty. I had a wonderful time, despite not really hearing myself and think their music is something to seek out and enjoy! They are currently finishing an EP with Joe (featuring a few sax lines in there, too).

Right now, Antibalas is gearing up for a session of Bob Marley covers for a Palm Pictures DVD. The boys have come up with some hot arrangments and looking forward to recording them this week.

I put up some new/old pics so have a look and sign the guestbook! God Bless us, everyone.

This week was a hot one! I've been writing some parts for a group called the Grimace Federation out of Phili, they've hired the antibalas horns to play on their record. The music is textured groove type stuff, like tortoise meets weather report. I love writing some parts! You never know know what's going to end up on the page and there's always a moment we're just say "what the hell! what if we just played "@#$%^&^!" and it usually works out. Like bold strokes on the canvas you know?

Thursday night was a busy one: I made my first Loser's Lounge appearance doing Johnny Cash's A Boy Named Sue. This song is all lyrics, and remembering them was hard enough! Like so many things in life you think of all this cool sutff you could of done on your way home from the gig, ha! Colin Stetson calls that "Getting slapped back to comeback school." But it was fun, fun, fun. I was a nervous wreck backstage but was entertained and calmed down by my friend and Ventrilaquist (sp?) Carla Rhoades, and the other performers. When we finaly did the song we did it so fast! Man, it was cooking! I shouln't done a little country scat to warm it up "down bowm bowm down down" (comeback school) but i went right into it and next thing i knew i was out on the street looking for a cab to get to Union Pool for the secret TV on the Radio show with DOZ and Celebration and Eye and Ear Control.

Unfortunately i missed the Dragons of Zynth (sometimes i fortunate enough to sit in with them) and I also missed Eye and Ear Control (a beatiful free jazz trio with Rayn Sawyer, Matt Lavelle, and Matt Heyner) but I got there in the middle of Celebration's set - just in time to hit the stage for WAR and Animals. They have a combination that makes me shake like a holy ghost snake handler. Every element of the group seems so balanced yet hot and explosive. They are one of the greatest bands I've ever had the pleasure to perform with and I hope to play with them for years and years to come. Dave Sitek was Rocking the percussion and the music heats up so much when those drums get going! With no exaggeration - it is a pure experience.

TVOTR rocked it like i've never seen them. I think that newest joint was my favorite (Kyp also spoke about how much he loved this song). I think its the first song on the upcoming record and it is scorching. They for their last number they had celebration plus Ryan Sawyer (from Eye and Ear Control) on a floor tom that took a beautiful. The encore was the best!! Just in case it's a surprice i don't wanna say what it was but it was so sweet and perfect, all i could do was reach out to my girlfriend in boston to share the moment with her. Thank goodness for cell phones!

Hey Friends,
Ben Walker has an interesting interveiw with Jeremiah Lockwood where they discuss the music of the Sway Machinery. I was in the room at the time and was really moved my Jeremiah's words. Check it out: http://www.toeradio.org/archives/2006/04/toe_040806_sway.html

Hello folks,
This week was a week of funtime in the studio! I worked on a song with good friends Paul Cox and Hernon Santiago, had a session with Jody from the band Fountains of Wayne, and recorded for a cool new band called Padre Pio - they have a Roxy music kind of style that lets me charge up the rock sax. ha! it's been a fun week!

Several of friends just had an impromtu session with Lauren Hill, she sang and played guitar and had us try some different things. I think she's tyring to put a group together - we weren't totaly clear about. anyways it was fun, she's got some great new stuff in the works, it seems.

Hi Friends,
This week was exciting and hectic. Last weekend had antibalas in langarado, what a great festival it was this year! We missed the duo, meters, and flaming lips but got to see Wilco, yeah! The following night we had a Sway Machinery show for Porim and tore Makor up! I have to say: the audience and staff at that place can be less than ideal for the tranference of creative forces. The man who books it is cool, and I love the sound guy, but security is unprofessional and even offensive. But no silly business will thwart the rise of the say machinery!! I want to open up for the trio Celebration some day! I sat in with them (Celebration) at SXSW this week and had another beautiful experience. Everytime i see them play it gets deeper for me. To play with them is digging in fertile soil. i can't get enough. I also played with Martin Perna' Ocote Soul Sounds in austin and they have some good things on, too! Members of Groupo Fantasmo rocked it alongside members of the El Michaels Affair. Earlier in the day we backed up the Wu-Tang Clan - Raekwon said my beatup old clarks look like plantaines, ha! I told him i'd be applying for a raise next time to get some new ones. All in all, we had a fun time with the Wu, and I think it'll probably happen again sooner or later.

Today the FunkeyMonkeys rocked Long Island with a new Passover story that featured me as the Plague of Frogs, muhahahaha! We had a delicious dinner at Josh's mom's house and Mike Gold was in full form with the antics - he is one of the funniest men i have ever met. I hope to be a fraction of that when we do our comedy improv class show this tuesday - wish me luck! thanks and be well,
stuart

I had an exciting time playing with the inimitable group celebration last thursday. Katrina, Sean and Dave drive a mean emotional hotrod straight through my heart. I hope we get to rock it withe them at South by Southwest next!! I'm getting excited to see our friends Gomez, Caural, The Sharp Things, Todd Simon, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and so many others!
Not to mention i gotta learn some music to back up the one and only Wu-Tang. Time to brush up on my Chess Boxing. Have a good week, friends!

Well a wonderful weekend was had as antibalas played sold out shows in Burlington and Boston. Jeremiah Lockwood opened up and i got to play some of my favorite songs with him, Going to Brooklyn and Jimmy Reed's Baby What you want me to do. The V Ron records studio has officaly begun and we are starting to bang out some new Lockwood tracks that are hard and raw. Nick Movshon is the Drums and Bass, enough said. I recorded with some new friends, the Icarus Line and their upcoming record should be something to behold. I can't wait to hear it. They are a pleasure to work with. The FunkeyMOnkeys have discovered secret new steam room to enjoy a post performance shvitz. Hope you are well out there, love
stuart

We had a lovely trip to Rochester where our friends Andy and Rachel had us as their guests. We ploayed at the JCC there and got to try out the spa afterwards! Special thanks to the whole Weiner family!! Ribbit.

Celebration performed at the plug awards and Biando and I Had the pleasure of sitting in. We played two songs with them, Diamonds and War. We loved it! It was an incredible rush to play that music. I hope we get to do it again soon.

-last night i had the pleasure of recording with the group massive attack under the producer Dave Sitek. the music was beautiful and very calming. I sat in there for hours listening to the same loops. Also in attendance: the Dragons of Zynth, Nick Zinner of the Yeah yeah Yeahs, sick percussionist Ryan Sawyer, and goof friend Eric Biando. I was telling Dave how much I would love to perform with Celebration and within 3 minutes he had called Katrina - they play tonight, i found out - and set me up! So tonight i get to feel the live power of Celebration resonate through my lungs and out to Webser Hall. i can't wait!

I've been back and running all over NYC with another sold out show for the FunkeyMonkeys at Makor. Olia Toporovsky sang her modern classic "you - are cute" and tore it up!

- Volney Litmus played a fun filled show later on that night where Del Stribling joined in and Kieran Maghee premiered his lap steel. he sounded incredible! We are going into a higher gear this year and putting together a whole new show, so watch out!

- I saw my good friends Noba play Saturday at Piano's and they are tight! They put all their energy into each note and you can feel it. Jeremy Gilotti, of Volney Litmus, is their bass player. They've been rocking since '93 I think - whoa!

- On Friday Jan 27th i sat in with the Dragons of Zynth. They were beautiful and i hope to play with them again soon. I don't know if their record is out yet but it was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and its ceerrrazzyyyy.

- Fire of Space played one of our best shows ever last tuesday at Zebulon. We will be there monthly and I highly recommend checking it out!

- Last monday Antibalas premiered our piece Beaten Metal at the APAP convention. Also on the bill were The Bell Orcheste and Martha Wainwright. It was an honor to play with such talent! and how cool is it to see diverse music! After the show we went out singing and drinking with Joe McGinty at the Lucky Cat (Grand between Driggs and Roebling in Brooklyn). Joe does a piano Karaoke there every monday - i am there 80 percent of the time. The guys and gals from bell orcheste (also from Arcade Fire) joined us in versions of hits never to be remembered or spoke of again. Sarah, of the Bell Orcheste, has a great voice!

- Transmission played a show with a 4 sax lineup that is pretty wild. We'll be doing more shows this year - stay tuned.

- And last week we premiered the new Sway Machinery line up that will crush all haters from here to Zion. Drums, Guitar, Tenor, Trumpet, and BASS SAXOPHONE rocked Makor and will be rocking John Zorn's Stone club very soon.

take it easy!
-stuart

- a nice gentleman came to my apartment today and sold me some internets. In exchange, I get YOU. I'd say I got the better deal!! Stay Tuned for more regular news.

This week has been jam packed with exciting projects!

-New Years Eve with Antibalas, Sharon Jones, and Amayo's Fu was great. Some people called the show incindiery (sp?). I guess that means it was good. It felt like a long time since antibalas played - but i guess it had only been 2 months, which is a long time considering how often we've been playing. tomarrow we go down to Florida to start the "Jamcruise." He goes nothing! It's good to be playing again.

- We did 3 days of TV on the Radio/Antibalas sessions with 2 of TVOTR's best songs. We have new afrobeat-a-tized styles with them and full on horn madness. Nick Zinner from The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sean of Celebration also came through and rocked some other worldly sounds, and.

- Also recording an album with Dave Sitek is Stephonic, a one woman world of engaging rhythms, narrative melodies, and a variety of vocal approachs that evoke vibe similar to Devo, Cars, and other great early 80s music. We worked for hours with her on a few different songs. She write the coolest stuff and i can't wait to hear the record when its done!

- I also got to sit in with Rana at the knitting factory and they ripped it! Me and Colin played together - it made me want to rehearse and really work out some cool shuff with them. I woke up with one of their songs in my head the other day and couldn't place the band - i could only remember the "hell, yeah!!!" feeling it gave me. i officialy LOVE rana.

- During this crazy 3 day period i squeezed in a rehearsal with the new sway machinery set up. Jeremiah and Tomer rocked out some big horn (Colin plays the bass sax!)and guitar arrangments of traditional Jewish music. Who says Jewish music has to be Klezmer? This music is deep and heavy and Jeremiah is drawing on his family history of Cantoring, or Cantorializing, or Cantorfy-ing - uh, but yeah - our first gig will be at the Jewish Film Festival's after party and I can't wait! We're also playing Porim! see you there!

We just finished mixing the song ICE for the next antibalas record. Once again, John McEntire came with best sounds I've ever heard in the studio and created a coherent experience out of a song that had previously felt fractured in several places. This one will surprise antibalas fans and foes alike. ha! It's a musical meditation on the coming ice age I.C.E. - Ice Covers England. all this and a fresh beat!

so merry christmas friends!

- 2 nights ago i get a call at 4am from producerDave Sitek (from TV on the Radio), he working on a track with Acu (sp.?) from the Dragons of Zynth and wants horns. I felt like a detective getting called in to identify a body. The music was beautiful - like Al Green meets, well, Dave and Acu.

- also last week, my main man Josh Sitron of the children's group The Funkey Monkeys signed a lease on a new workspace in Brooklyn. Its huge!! with sooo much light!! we'll be rehearsing there and concocting oodles of sounds and stuctures for all ages.

- i had the pleasure of producing and engineering the first wave of sessions for the next Jeremiah Lockwood record. We built a kids style "fort" out of my sofa-bed with pillows and sme plexiglass for Nick Movshon, the drummer. He played his ass off and the neighbors didn't say a thing! maybe it was the carrot cake i left them. the music is wonderful! more varied than last time, deeper, and more developed. But just as raw!

- also got to have an old fasioned beat making session with my friend Paul Cox and NYC hip-hop staple Hernon Santiago. Hernon just mixed a record for the ultra magnetic mcs, and he's no joke with the beats. we built up some textures of clav, guitar, synths, perc., then i fell asleep while Paul wrestled with the bass line. I woke up and Hernon had put the drums in and holy s#%t. It was like putting the eyes in the face. it really tied the room together.

- last but not least check out www.alexhamlin.com and see the latest video. Beyondo takes it to a new level!

the antibalas horns sat in with Madeski Martin and Wood in this 2000 year old roman theater in Viene, France. It was the first time I wasnt nervous. i found out later my mic was off! no wonder i felt less pressure! after we tasted the greatest wine ever, those guys know wine for sure. They are always so nice to us! and they tore it up, needless to say.