NIXONOISE

I’ve been wrestling with the best way to put it to good use, and I think I’ve simply landed on this approach: you figure it out in the doing. It’s the way that I create the music that I make, it’s the way that my dissertation was written…it’s the way that I do just about anything in my life.

So without belaboring it too much, I’ll say this. I appreciate those of you who are still here and still reading. I hope that this finds you well, in an existence that seems hellbent on snuffing out life and creativity.

Now onto the fun stuff!

I’m very stoked to share that the first Philip K. Discs release of 2025 is coming January 21! My buddy Kirk Gauthier, creator of Food Desert Recordings and featured in this profile right here on CM6, has a new harsh noise/field recordings project, Touching Grass. He recorded his first EP, NIXONOISE, over the course of several months last year.

As you probably guessed from the title, it was inspired by the criminal behavior of former President Nixon, as well as similarities between him and former (and soon-to-be current) President Trump. It’s a timely release and it’s no mistake that I chose to put it out next Tuesday, the day after Trump is inaugurated once again. As Kirk himself reflected,

“It will take an inordinate amount of work to undo the damage both men have caused to the balance of equality between white Americans and Americans of color, but we should never give up the fight. Because giving up means you’ve let them win.”

It’s maddening that we are here once again, but in it’s own foolish way, I hope that this release (and PKD itself as a label) can be a bright spot of joyful, noisy rebellion. We are here for our friends and those in need, and we won’t ever back down. NIXONOISE will be available digitally, on CD and as a special edition that comes with the CD, a packet of grass seeds, and a small trowel for digging in the dirt and spreading the seeds.

Again, there’s a strong sense within that some of this (all of this?) is downright ridiculous in the face of what we’re up against, but I believe to my core that art and beauty are elements of our existence that remind us of our shared dignity, and our imaginations need tending and nourishing. How else will we dream up a better way forward?

That’s enough for today. Work continues on future projects, including but not limited to, the return of Territorial Pissants and the debut of Moss & The Cowpunchers. Oh and something new and ridiculous from Aint Pancakes!

Take care y’all…