Head Trauma

With so many remakes and remodels of former film glories littering the floors of theaters across the world, it’s always a nice surprise to see a genuinely skilled and talented director through his hat into the ring.

The latest film from Lance Weiler (of The Last Broadcast) is an unsettling and masterfully directed movie that disturbs the audience in the vein of the great psychological thrillers that are so lacking nowadays. Expertly shot, the film also boasts an equally shocking soundtrack of ambient noise that stretches around the viewer, creating a unique environment of horror (unless you have a cheap mono system, I guess).

The movie concerns the life of wandering George Walker who we witness stumbling back to his grandmother’s house after being away from his home town for years. George is a mess. He lives like a hobo in a sleeping bag in the wild and once inside the home he grew up in, he still insists on living in a makeshift tent. As he attempts to clear the remains of numerous squatters who have slept in the house, he discovers a religious pamphlet in the vein of ‘Jack Chick’ which tells the tale of a lost soul on the road to damnation.

George then starts seeing half-glimpsed shadows at first of a hooded person in the house. In time, the hooded person becomes a dark creature haunting George as he steadily goes insane. All the while, a next door neighbor Julian is trying to help George at the insistence of his mother. Just like George himself, Julian isn’t sure if the intruder is in George’s head or not and tries to make sense of his crazy neighbor through illustration (provided by comic book great Steve Bisette).

The film spirals into progressively more unsettling and disturbing visuals as George starts to think he is going to Hell.

Trailer

After the release of the DVD, Weiler and crew have ‘remixed’ Head Trauma as a multi-media experience that is currently touring the country. Last month, the film played at the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC to rave reviews as seen below:

“Can things possibly get more intense from here? Of course. Horror 2.0 stalks the MoMI with indie auteur Lance Weiler’s multimedia expansion of his psycho-chiller Head Trauma: Audience members will receive menacing text messages and cell-phone calls, some even after the show. “I want to disturb people,” Weiler admits in what sounds like a motto for our times. Slashing at apathy, this is a genre whose dire warnings we ignore at our peril. One way or another, horror follows us home.”

- THE VILLAGE VOICE

“Lance Weiler’s first film, The Last Broadcast – often called the original Blair Witch Project – was shot for less than $1,000. Yet it grossed $4.5 million and became the first film to be transmitted via satellite directly to theaters. His encore? A traveling live-music mashup involving cell phones, big screens, indie rockers and meandering actors… “This is one of the only films where you’ll be asked to keep your cell phone on during the screening,” says Weiler.”

- WIRED

For info on how you can witness this unique version of the movie and for all the data on his next upcoming project, check out his site: lanceweiler.com

On Amazon

Head Trauma

Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam

The latest release from Animal Collective entitled Strawberry Jam came out just yesterday yet I feel like I’m the last guy to actually hear it.

That’s modern living for you.

Peacebone

I was lucky enough to see Animal Collective in Boston last year with my mate Scott and was astounded at the sounds that they managed to generate live. They remain the only band I’ve ever seen to make music out of seemingly random screaming and banging. In a lesser band, the result would be the dreaded endless jam band session, but Animal Collective manages to wring a tune out of sounds rarely heard outside of a psychotic episode in an enclosed space.

Though they are considered a New York band, Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin, and the Geologist operated separately out of both Boston and NYC before finally releasing the album Here Comes The Indian on their own label Paw Tracks in 2003.

Their two subsequent albums, Sung Tongs and Feels (both on Fat Cat Records) have generated increased indy music buzz, often placing the band’s sound in the unlikely genre of freak folk. Not that it helps, but personally, I describe them as ‘noise music.’ It’s not much better than freak folk, but keeps them from the company of Sunburnt Hand of the Man, Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart… who have nothing on Animal Collective.

Fireworks

As can be seen by this 2003 interview, the group was heavily influenced by their environment. The New York vibe permeated their Sung Tongs album, bringing a different energy and artistic maturity to their songs than had been seen before. Whereas previous efforts like Campfire Songs were more soundscapes bordering on ambient music, Sung Tongs featured more fully formed results.

In time, their song writing skills would continue to grow along with their ability to make mad sounds, culminating in their critically acclaimed follow up album Feels.

It’s strange to see how far they have come in recent years (odd to see the Geologist without his mass of hair).

2003 MTV Interview

Their newest album is their most polished and expertly produced project to date. As I listened to it in the car ride from Schookids Records yesterday my car hummed along with the sounds and I was ‘one of those people’ who listens to music too loud.

While I cannot sing their praises enough, I should recognize that this is a definite ‘might not be your thing’ kind of band. Even my friend Scott loved the band in concert yet felt ho-hum about the studio albums.

So in a bizarre twist, I highly recommend seeing them live rather than buying their albums.

(Bro, take note that they are coming Norman, OK!)

Below are concert dates:

September 2007
14 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
15 – Vancouver, British Columbia – Commodore Ballroom
16 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
17 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore Auditorium
18 – Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theater
20 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theater
21 – El Paso, TX – Club 101
22 – Austin, TX – Emo’s
23 – Norman, OK – Bricktown Ballroom
24 – St. Louis, MO – Gargoyle Club
25 – Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom
26 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
27 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
28 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
29 – Philadelphia, PA – Starlight Ballroom
30 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

October 2007
1 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

In case you can’t make any of those dates, their albums are available on Amazon.
Strawberry Jam
Feels
Sung Tongs