The Time Being | Steve Kilbey

picking up an insistent distant beat

fuck who am i ?

i incarnate on this cold street

i manifest in some shady hotel

i sit in the lobby reading a newspaper

the dates are all wrong

the pictures are all blurry and vague

out into the empty streets i go

i stand outside a restaurant

hell which town is this

drug deals cops n robbers

i see all good people turn their heads each day so satisfied

im on my way

hey my show sold out i say to someones shadow

yeah which show was that ? asks a big black shape

i dont uh i uh i dont remember i say as i walk away

there is much laughter in the darkness around me

i stand in front of this restaurant

mexican food mission style

i go in only an old man working there

a wonderfully humble descendent of some incan king

what would you like sir he asks and smiles

i get lost in his smile

his accent is thick and my fucking ears are ringing

i’m sorry i stumble about

what would you like sir , some beans and rice ….

is there…..i begin to ask

no meat or lard in black beans sir he says

he look at me

i know who you are he say

i know exactly who you are even if you dont

the man laugh laugh

i know who you are he repeat

who am i i ask who am i then

oh senor you know who you are

oh senor you know me before oh yes

oh senor we go back a long way my friend

suddenly we are interrupted

a woman comes out of the kitchen

this is my daughter but he already know that… says the man

i think the daughter is young

but the closer she gets i see she is almost as old as me

he doesnt remember says the daughter smiling

no he doesnt remember says the man and serves up my dinner

the food is delicious

they close up the shop

they sit down around me

in some weird corner of some dirty northern city

in some obscure cafe

the man pours out some sangria

he lights a cigarette

he sits back looking at me

what is your name now? he asks

i cant fucking think of my name for the life of me

he dont remember that either smiles the daughter

he dont remember much……she concludes

she is youthful but old looking

the combination is quite confusing

what you looking at …? she smirks triumphantly

the man puffs on his cigarette and chuckles

hes looking at you maria

maria long dead glide through this tonite i say

the daughter smiles but shakes her head

the man nods ah yes maybe you do know who you used to be

who i used to be i ask

i’m sitting in their flat somewhere above the cafe

some freaky feeling in the air

i know you had the vine i know you seen the light says someone

i know you partook of that san pedro cactus that showeth man miracles

lemuria ? i say

the man laughs

the daughter pours herself another sangria

lemuria ….  she says

now what have you come for….this….? asks the man

he pours a little mountain of white powder on the table

go on he says you love the stuff

the daughter says no this is what he likes

she lifts up her skirt

no… both!  someone says and they all laugh

it is true i mustve known you  somewhere once i say

yes they say

that is true

i stand up and leave

you know where we are the daughter says

just around the corner from any hotel says the man

the night is cold bitterly cold

a siren blasting the street

desperate transaction in alleyway

guy walking his poodle

crazy person filthy looking like a monster

i see the most hideous   hag

and i see this once handsome lad

they stand whispering in the lamplight at the end of lonely street

i wonder which drug had brought them undone

and then i saw the vodka bottle flash from a pocket and poured into a cup

vodka had undone these wretches

they were like characters youd see at a medieval witch burning

cant find my way home

i hear some whispering going on around me

up to my coldwater room

full of clothes strewn everywhere

i sink on the sagging bed

i blow my nose

i rub my eyes

sleep comes like a merciful angel eventually

in the deepest warmest dreams i wander lonely as a frickin’ cloud

oh sleep always such a friend to me

have i ever been awake in my whole time here?

seattle hot spots

how do i do it what do i do

i pick up a bass

i sing the words

i move to a sound

my fingers know where to go

my heart knows when to beat

the words fill my head

the band play on around me

we finish one song we start another

i take off my bass and i wander round singing

my words of woof and warp in fabric of life

i met greg dulli and we got on very well

what a nice geezer he is

i got the new twilight singers record and its very very good

i do sell outs in san fran and seattle 2 nights

chicago looking like a possibility

oh yes we are back better than ever

why is that why arent we getting hokier n hokier…?

i guess like an old fashioned team of craftsmen we are committed to quality

i know you people need some challenges and leeway and here it is

untitled 23 and for more mystery p=a

and at the end let off some steam with starfish its that easy

tonite 2nd nite triple door

gonna make sure to rock extra hard i suppose

its going very well so far

the audiences are dream audiences

its good

thank you

it was my pleasure

sk

http://www.69facesofrock.com/the_church_interview.html

by Mark Kadzielawa

http://thequietus.com/articles/05653-the-church-interview

The Past, Present & Future Of The Church: An Interview With Peter Koppes
Ned Raggett , February 7th, 2011 09:18

king canute in portland

from the 1950s whence i once escaped

i dream i’m in a black van speeding up the road

everything i am everything ive been

no one loves you

no women no children no one out there at all now

its dark and its uncomfortable in your dream

you tear past towns and shops and lights and signs

music playing somewhere else you catch the drift

no one is at home no one is at work no one is anywhere at all

unfathomable depths youre drifting in

you not awake in this sleep never dreaming or not

how far is it now someone with a voice like yours croaks out

300 miles steve says a voice from beyond the barrier

a voice on the other side of consciousness

a voice coming in from a universal parallel

a voice i cling to the idea a voice

in my dream im fighting in a war

sometimes i win sometimes i lose but its struggle all the way

the  big black van rushes headlong into the big black night

its all there is all there ever was

we chase the future heedlessly

we move through the void surrounding us

we negotiate our passage

is  it black velvet or black steel out there i cant tell

i cant see

i can hear something

the throb of the engines the rumble of the wheels

the singing road like a chorus of greek women

we never seem any closer or any futher

my head lolls my back hurts my legs cant stretch out

i only feel numbness everywhere

where are we now?

i dunno someone says

i fall backwards into my own head

goodnight whoever you are

im so tired and confused

goodnight

sisyphus on demand

lightheaded

la and san fran

we played great

and they verily did come to dig it

and lo it was dug

now i write to you from a van speeding up the west coast maan

bridges and huge rivers and cars speedpast

hurtle into the night heading north

the  church seems to have turned a corner

we are playing very well

i have to go

its too hard to type in a moving vehicle

please post reviews in comments!

sk

Archive: Newsletter 1st Feb 2011

KEXP presents an in-studio session with THE CHURCH!

Live performance on The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters on Tuesday, February 8th at 12:00 pm PST!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=162360990480242

You can download a link from KEXP to your i-tunes and stream this in high quality.

http://soundcheck.ocregister.com/2011/02/04/the-church-wows-at-three-album-tour-kickoff/43450/

Once a band is tenacious enough to reach the 30-year mark, its creative output usually slows down significantly. Not the Church. From a steady stream of official albums and solo projects to art and books, members of the influential Australian quartet never stay idle too long.

Last spring, the group’s career milestone was commemorated here by An Intimate Space acoustic tour, with setlists containing a song from every studio release, mainly performed in reverse order. Back Down Under in October, they were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame (equivalent to NARAS, which oversees the Grammys).

More recently, longtime fans have been able to revel in Second Motion Records’ back-catalog reissue campaign, starting with the first four albums: Of Skins and Heart (1981), The Blurred Crusade (’82), Séance(’83) and Heyday (’86). All were remastered and now include rare photos and bonus tracks, plus guitarist/singer Marty Willson-Piper’s fascinating liner notes about the church’s history and recording sessions. The Michigan record label also put out Deep in the Shallows, a double-disc singles compilation. Four subsequent studio releases and a limited edition EP box set are expected in the months ahead.

Next week brings White Magic, lead singer/bassist Steve Kilbey’s second collaboration with Martin Kennedy of Aussie electronic group All India Radio, arrives at music retailers.

And this week the church launched its Future Past Perfect tour, a month-long electric counterpart to last year’s stripped-down outing, which kicked off Wednesday night at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. (As a bonus, everyone in attendance received a free updated mini-souvenir program, something you don’t see very often.)

While other groups might opt to perform an entire album or two over a multiple-night stand, the church chose to do three in one, each representing a different decade of its existence. “This is a world premiere,” Kilbey announced before the first hour-long set, covering 2009’s hypnotic Untitled #23. “We’ve never done this and never played some of these songs live before.”

“Or will again,” added a noticeably slimmer and better-groomed Willson-Piper, with a mischievous smile.

“Cobalt Blue” opened the nearly four-hour show on an ethereal note and immediately transfixed the seated audience. Willson-Piper quickly moved from one guitar to another and back again. “Deadman’s Hand” found Kilbey and drummer Tim Powles’ lush voices meshing superbly. “Space Saviour,” a slow chugging rocker, had all the musicians gradually building steam before ending in a noisy barrage.

Both Kilbey and Willson-Piper were in jovial moods. When one fan yelled “you kick ass,” the guitarist responded, “we try to do it more delicately these days.”

Tour multi-instrumentalist Craig Wilson provided airy keyboards for the subtle “On Angel Street,” during which Kilbey was quite animated, venturing to the front of the El Rey stage. Joined by female vocalist Tiare Helberg (a regular contributor on Church-related music) and a roadie on extra bass, the sad song “Anchorage” boasted a captivating, full-bodied sound. Kilbey used lyric sheets and dramatically waved them around while singing.

Following an intermission, the church returned for the second hour-long set, centered on 1992’s Priest=Aura, an esoteric collection that became a band and fan favorite despite modest sales.

This time, the music did all the talking. Audience members that provided polite applause before suddenly cheered loudly after Aura. Fittingly, floating ectoplasm images were projected on the backdrop. Guitarist Peter Koppes’ amazing whammy bar workout amid the triple axe attack on a psychedelic “Ripple” got an equally enthusiastic response (two guys behind me kept yelling “whoa” after every extended guitar solo).

Koppes also shined with some chiming tones and slide work on the poppier “Feel” while Willson-Piper shook his head and had fun while soloing. The cabaret vibe of “Witch Hunt” worked extremely well. A trippy take on “The Disillusionist” saw Kilbey using the lyric sheets again and providing one of the night’s most dramatic deliveries, robustly leading the sea-shanty chorus and ending with a poetic recitation. The crowd gave it a standing ovation.

Gradually unraveling songs are common from the church. The nearly 10-minute long “Chaos” — all claustrophobic sounds, sinister guitar effects and white noise — truly lived up to its title. Kilbey clutched his face in mock agony and fans cheered wildly. The set concluded with the instrumental “Film,” evoking a late-’80s Goth-rock mood.

Another half-hour intermission elapsed. Then it was time for what many Church followers had anticipated all night: 1988’s Starfish, the band’s biggest-selling album in America. It remains one of their strongest efforts, though Willson-Piper has gone on record with the opposite opinion; he writes that it engulfs you with “pure simplicity” in the tour program.

Kilbey’s understated vocals were nearly whispered during “Destination,” driven by Koppes’ searing leads and Willson-Piper’s inspired playing. The former used a spacey effect in place of the bagpipes on the signature hit “Under the Milky Way,” as the latter guitarist played a beat-up 12-string. The dreamy track still sounded transcendent and unique.

Seeing American currency displayed on the screen for an eerie “Blood Money” reminded me of its expert use in a Miami Vice episode; here, it sounded particularly sharp. The warm jangle enveloping “Lost” featured a brief lyric snatch from Springsteen’s “Backstreets.” Willson-Piper really proved his mettle amid the lightning-fast arpeggios in “North, South, East and West,” dazzling guitar work on the rocking “Spark” (for which he also ably handled lead vocals), an intense “Reptile” and smooth closer “Hotel Womb.”

All told, this was a brilliant show from the church. Hopefully they’ll film an upcoming tour stop for future DVD release.

– by George A Paul

“The church Wows at Three Album Tour Kickoff” – by George A Paul

http://soundcheck.ocregister.com/2011/02/04/the-church-wows-at-three-album-tour-kickoff/43450/