Kayo Dot / Maudlin of the Well

more than ever, tbh

I tried to get into Time of Orchids, but they just seemed too "pleasant sounding" for my tastes, which is my standard issue with a lot of prog and prog-influenced music.

The thing with Time of Orchids for me was underneath the lush harmonies there were usually these churning jagged riffs and all sorts of stuff going on underneath. Pleasant a lot of the time but a lot more going on underneath. I don't think many people like them as much as I do to be honest which is probably why they broke up!!!

They were a good band. I booked them at my venue back in the day. I just felt like had the stuff that was going on "underneath" been more on the surface I would have liked them more.

I never heard them sound *merely* pleasant---more like lulling you, while slipping the needle in---then, yes, a lot more going on underneath(maybe it worked better in the studio?)

I am perfectly willing to be in the minority on this one. It's hard for me to articulate sometimes why some music gives me the "close but no cigar" feeling, and as far as Time of Orchids goes, I definitely had that feeling, as opposed to the more common, "no." A friend of mine once said that he liked his prog to be less "nice" and more "garlicky" -- and I feel like Time of Orchids didn't have enough garlic for me to adore.

Maybe this belongs here rather than on Rolling Metal:

I saw Zvi (Rob Zvi Varod of Kayo Dot) on Saturday night. He's doing some interesting work with solo processed guitar (+ a synth box) and vocals: more dark doom/drone-like compared to Kayo Dot. At times, it reminds me a bit of Cathedral; sometimes a bit Sunn O))) (?); sometimes he just uses subtle drones, hums, and noises to support the vocals: http://ronzvivarod.bandcamp.com/album/zvi

I've been streaming to the album since then and enjoying

it

cool, will scope out! weirdly enough kayo dot have just today previewed a song from their new album:

https://soundcloud.com/flenserrecords/kayo-dot-library-subterranean

i can't hear that right now either due to internet difficulties. you'll have to fill me in

I guess everything on the Bandcamp is guitar + voice, actually.

OK so I've listened to the new song a couple of times now and I'm somewhat impressed.

It starts like something off Coyote but prettier, with some great basslines then goes into the 'song' section which sounds like Vaura and is somewhat conventional. I don't really like the synth sounds or some of the vocal affectations much (I've already voiced my reservations about retro 80s gubbins). After that though it gets proggy as fuck, some nice polyrhythmic stuff in there. I really really like the riff that covers the last third or so of the track, but I'm a little bit disappointed that it just sort of rattles along for a few minutes before having a sax solo and ending abruptly. The drumming is fucking phenomenal, though.

But I must say for the first time to me KD sounds more like an actual 'band' than ever before than a Toby Driver project (though I know it's just that), probably because for the first time there's been two albums in a row with largely the same lineup.

...I write more about this band than any other for some reason. Well, someone has to.

Yeah I really liked it right up until that fucking saxophone clodded clumsily in, as if to remind us all why Hubardo was a signal case of 'too many cooks'. Until then, much better than almost all of Hubardo, which I mostly thought dull (sorry), the big exception (as stated) being the monolithic opener (which everyone else hated for some reason)

But yeah, the section just before the sax is kinda awesome & I'm somewhat excited. Think Driver's a precious wanker obv (it's mostly the lyrics) but an enlightened one

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/kayo-dot-coffins-on-io-stream

First two tracks are fucking awesome. They sound nothing like Kayo Dot, really - synth-led gothic excursions - as if Coyote was the blueprint for some darkwave reinvention

like, people who liked the Brendan Perry solo album from a few years back would dig this

OK so I really like this. It's very atmospheric, and it's good how it's still recognisably KD (to me anyway), though in a different form. It's kind of odd hearing them sound so 'pop'.

My biggest criticism is that a few sections outstay their welcome, the outros to Offramp Cycle and Library Subterranean in particular. They don't seem to go anywhere, in contrast to, say, the last part Abyss Hinge pt. 2 where there are a lot of little variations over the repetitive bass riff.

Assassination of Adam is probably my favourite track, it captures the same kind of roiling chaos as many Hubardo cuts without the 'metal.'

Anyway, I'm surprised at how much I like this considering the eye-rolling disdain I have for much of the record's influences.

Wow, this sounds very nice, even though the descriptions left me a little unsure.

I love the new record. It's very similar to the David Sylvian records made w/ Robert Fripp. The Brendan Perry comparison is pretty on the nose too.

Oct 28, 2006 23:23 ET, Apparently, in addition to being KO'd, Ott injured his ankle as he fell to the ice and will be out of action for quite some time.

I don't know the Sylvian/Fripp records! I'll definitely listen to them. I mostly just know the track Sylvian did with Fennesz, which is awesome.

Note free show in Miami (like Miami needs any more gifties)

Hey folks,

Kayo Dot is headed down the U.S. East Coast this week for a string of shows in support of our latest album, "Coffins on Io." The dates are listed below, and here's a link to the Facebook event page for the whole tour– you can add yourself to the guest list to receive general updates.

https://www.facebook.com/events/778414258862658/

Hope to see you out there!

Thursday, January 8, 2015
Gallery 5
200 W Marshall St., Richmond, VA

Friday, January 9, 2015
The Milestone Club
3400 Tuckaseegee Rd., Charlotte, NC

Saturday, January 10, 2015
The Pilot Light
106 E Jackson Ave., Knoxville, TN

Sunday, January 11, 2015
The Mothlight with AHLEUCHATISTAS
701 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC

Monday, January 12, 2015
Local 506
Chapel Hill, NC

Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Conundrum
626 Meeting Street, West Columbia, SC

Wednesday, January 14, 2015
TBA in Savannah, GA

Thursday, January 15, 2015
The Orpheum
1902 Republica de Cuba Ave., Tampa, FL

Friday, January 16, 2015
Gramps Bar
176 Northwest 24th Street, Miami, FL
Free show!

Saturday, January 17, 2015
Backbooth
37 W Pine St., Orlando, FL

Sunday, January 18, 2015
TBA - Gainesville, FL or Birmingham, AL

Monday, January 19, 2015
529 Bar
529 Flat Shoals Avenue Southeast, Atlanta, GA

Tuesday, January 20, 2015
TBA - Greensboro, NC

Wednesday, January 21, 2015
The Metro Gallery
1700 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD

Thursday, January 22, 2015
Johnny Brenda's
with PLANNING FOR BURIAL and INFINIEN
1201 N Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, PA

Friday, January 23, 2015
Just Be Cause
1013 West State Street, Ithaca, NY

Saturday, January 24, 2015
The Shop with GNAW and SANGUINISTAS
234 Starr St., Brooklyn, NY

Many thanks,
Toby Driver
on behalf of Kayo Dot
http://kayodot.net
http://kayodot.bandcamp.com

West Coast dates, also note Maudlin later on:

Hello all! Just a quick message to let you know about some MASSIVE live actions this summer.

Firstly, Kayo Dot will be touring the US West Coast, beginning next week, accompanied by Seattle's DUST MOTH (ex-members of These Arms Are Snakes, Minus the Bear, Shift). It's our first West Coast tour since 2011, and will include our first Las Vegas appearance ever. Here are the dates:

Thursday, June 25, 2015
Hemlock Tavern
1131 Polk St., San Francisco, CA
Also Playing: Dust Moth, Kowloon Walled City

Friday, June 26, 2015
Sweet Springs Saloon
990 Los Osos Valley Road, Los Osos CA
Also Playing: Dust Moth

Saturday, June 27, 2015
The Tower Bar
4757 University Avenue, San Diego, CA
Also Playing: Dust Moth

Sunday, June 28, 2015
Complex
Los Angeles, CA
Also Playing: Dust Moth

Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Bunkhouse Saloon
124 S 11th St., Las Vegas, NV
Also Playing: Dust Moth

Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Kilby Court
741 S Kilby Ct., Salt Lake City, UT
Also Playing: Dust Moth

Thursday, July 2, 2015
Crazy Horse
Boise, ID
Also playing: Dust Moth

Friday, July 3, 2015
The Hindenburg
Vancouver, BC
Also Playing: Dust Moth

Saturday, July 4, 2015
Highline
210 Broadway East, Seattle, WA
Also Playing: Dust Moth, Dama/Libra

Sunday, July 5, 2015
Panic Room (formerly Tonic)
Portland, OR
Also Playing: Dust Moth

--------------------------------------

Shortly after that, in late August, I'll be having a residency/retrospective at The Stone in New York City. Two concerts per night, each one different, featuring music and musicians from my entire career up until this point. The calendar is below. If you can make it to NYC in August for any of these shows, it would mean a lot to me. Please note: The capacity of the venue is about 70, and there are no advance ticket sales. So if you come from out of town, you should expect to show up a couple hours early to wait in line. The weather here should be nice and sunny, but not too humid, during that week. :) http://thestonenyc.com/

8 and 10 pm
Maudlin of the Well
Toby Driver (guitar, vocals) Greg Massi, Josh Seipp (guitars) Sam Gutterman (drums) Terran Olson (woodwinds, keys) Jason Byron (vocals, keys) Special Guests Ron Varod (bass) Mia Matsumiya (violin)
mOTW's first performances in 14 years. Two different sets, TWENTY DOLLARS each

8/26 Wednesday
8 pm
Kayo Dot plays Choirs of the Eye
Toby Driver (guitar, bass, vocals) Greg Massi, Ron Varod (guitars) Sam Gutterman (guitar, bass) Keith Abrams (drums) Dan Means (woodwinds, keys) Mia Matsumiya (violin) Tim Byrnes (brass, keys) Terran Olson (woodwinds, keys)
TWENTY DOLLARS

10 pm
Ichneumonidae, and Kayo Dot plays Stained Glass
Toby Driver (guitar, bass, vocals) Timba Harris (violin) Russell Greenberg (percussion) Terran Olson (rhodes, synth) Keith Abrams (drums) Tim Byrnes (synth) Ron Varod (guitar) Mia Matsumiya (violin) Dan Means (clarinet, sax, keys)

8/27 Thursday
8 pm
Tartar Lamb: Sixty Metonymies
Toby Driver (guitar) Mia Matsumiya (violin) Jeremiah Cymerman (clarinet, electronics) Tim Byrnes (trumpet) David Bodie (percussion)

10 pm
Toby Driver: New Chamber Works
Timba Harris (violin)
New compositions for violin.

8/28 Friday
8 pm
Toby Driver, Greg Massi, and Nick Hudson
Toby Driver (guitar, voice) Greg Massi (guitar) Nick Hudson (piano, voice)
A special collaboration between these MOTWOGs and the brilliant British songwriter and composer from Academy of Sun.

10 pm
Toby Driver: Ballads
Toby Driver (piano, guitar, voice)
For the haters.

8/29 Saturday
8 pm
Stern
Chuck Stern (vocals, composition) Toby Driver (guitar, vocals) Keith Abrams (drums) Tim Byrnes (synth)
Sinewy, through-composed pop-as-distress-signal.

10 pm
Kayo Dot plays Coyote
Toby Driver (bass, vocals) Mia Matsumiya (violin) Terran Olson (keys) Keith Abrams (drums) David Bodie (percussion) Dan Means (alto sax) Tim Byrnes (trumpet) Ron Varod (synth)

8/30 Sunday

8 pm
The Tanks
Ches Smith (drums) Brandon Seabrook (guitar) Toby Driver (bass)
Loud.

10 pm
Kayo Dot plays current material
Toby Driver (bass, synths, voice) Ron Varod (guitar) Keith Abrams (drums) Daniel Means (sax, synths)

----------------

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you at a show!

There's no way in hell I'll make it to these. Wrong side of the Atlantic and poor. I just hope some of it is recorded esp. the motW sets.

Is anyone else looking forward to their new album?

sounds glorious! " a hopeless dead and polluted world transitioning into artifice and mechanism and reacting by being self-destructive, either to the point of utter obliteration or a glorious transhuman condition."

Apparently it's out next month?

i feel bad cuz i listened to a maudlin of the well album the other day and i wasn't feeling it. i think i'm too old now. they were probably really young when they made that stuff. just the juxtapositions of emo/heavy/etc didn't grab me like when i first heard it. but i should play the other ones too. i think i played Bath. haven't played any of them in so long.

I considered bringing this up but I thought I was the only one to give a shit. I was hoping they'd leave behind the whole 80s thing this time and they certainly haven't if the new track's anything to go by but I quite like it anyway.

i maybe 70% give a shit

Kind of cringing at my posts upthread about Coffins on Io since in hindsight it's definitely my least favourite KD album.

https://soundcloud.com/flenserrecords/kayo-dot-magnetism

this sounds...ok

It's grown on me a bit tbh. There's an instrumental lineup floating around that suggests this will be a lot more detailed than the last one... on the other tracks it seems. Trying not to have expectations either way though

hey I really like it now

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/kayo-dot-plastic-house-on-base-of-sky-stream

this is p cool

Not really feeling this one too much sadly. On paper I would really dig a Kayo Dot album inspired by Japanese avant-pop but that stuff is usually quite eccentric and playful; Driver's musical sensibilities are too gloomy to pull it off that convincingly.

what was the consensus then

The consensus seems to be that this is one of the best things KD have ever done, which to me is madness since it's easily the worst. If I heard PHOBOS blind I probably would have dismissed it as 80s fetishist hipster crap... it's probably better than that though. Probably.

Youre too hard on that stuff tbh

Yeah, maybe... I'm really not a fan of those sorts of sounds though, as I can't help but make clear. But, sometimes it's taken me a few years and another couple of releases to put a KD album into context before I get into it more so there's a chance I'll warm to this down the line.

just got this e-mail:

We're heading out today for a 3-week run in the US (and Toronto), in support of our new album, PLASTIC HOUSE ON BASE OF SKY ( via http://nowflensing.com/ )! Check the dates here or at http://www.kayodot.net/ to see if there's one near you!

10/21 @ Gorham Brothers Music
Syracuse, NY

10/22 @ The Baby G -
Toronto, ON, Canada

10/23 @ Cobra Lounge -
Chicago, IL

10/24 @ Vaudeville Mews -
Des Moines, IA

10/25 @ Fubar - St Louis, MO

10/27 @ The Lost Well -
Austin, TX

10/29 @ Mammal Gallery -
Atlanta, GA

10/30 @ Upsidedown Plaza -
Birmingham, AL

10/31 @ The Milestone Club -
Charlotte, NC

11/1 @ Neptune's -
Raleigh, NC

11/2 @ Strange Matter -
Richmond, VA

11/3 @ Orion Sound Studios -
Baltimore, MD

11/4 @ Trans-Pecos -
NYC (Ridgewood), NY

11/5 @ Kung Fu Necktie
Philadelphia, PA

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you!

Toby Driver/Kayo Dot

From Toby Driver:

Just wanted to send a quick note out about a couple big dealie shows and releases happening these next two months. Thanks for your eyes and ears–

Coming in a few weeks (April 21), The Flenser will be releasing my long-awaited solo ballads album, MADONNAWHORE. The album also features members of Kayo Dot on various songs. Simultaneously, The Flenser will be releasing a repress of Kayo Dot's 2013 triple-vinyl LP, HUBARDO (on both 3xLP and CD). You can preorder both now, via http://nowflensing.com in the Americas or http://www.deathwishinc.eu/products/587443-toby-driver-madonnawhore for Europeans.

Concerts:

March 16: I'll be performing some of these ballads at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and will be hanging out there for the week. Check out (and add) my Facebook page for further details: http://facebook.com/tobydriverofficial

March 21: I'll be presenting the songs from MADONNAWHORE, plus an entire set of completely new, never-before-heard ballads, accompanied by a band that includes violins, grand piano, organ, and percussion, at the beautiful theatre of Roulette Intermedium in downtown Brooklyn, NY. This is very likely the only time this music will ever be presented this way, so don't miss it. Check out the event page and preorder your tickets: http://roulette.org/event/toby-driver-madonnawhore-with-string-noise/

March 23-31: Kayo Dot will be joining the awesome PALLBEARER and MARISSA NADLER for a short tour. We're the opening band (we play at 8pm), so come early! Dates are listed below, and visit http://kayodot.net for any updates as they happen. I'm also excited to announce that David Bodie, who recorded with us on our 2010 album, COYOTE, and toured with the band from 2009-2011, will be handling drum duties for this tour. In addition, I'm very happy to announce the addition of a new, second guitarist, Matthew Serra, for this tour. Some of the shows will feature two guitarists (Ron and Matt) and some will have just one. Kayo Dot hasn't had a guitar-guitar-bass-drums configuration onstage in a long time, so this will be a real heavy treat.

THU 23 MARCH
The End, Nashville, TN

SAT 25 MARCH
Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

SUN 26 MARCH (Marissa Nadler and Kayo Dot - no Pallbearer on this show)
WFMU Monty Hall, Jersey City, NJ

TUE 28 MARCH
Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH

WED 29 MARCH
Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids, MI

THU 30 MARCH
The 5th Quarter Lounge, Indianapolis, IN

FRI 31 MARCH
Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL

of course that's what his album of solo ballads is called

probably the worst lyricist in the avant-garde scene, maybe the worst ever

From May of '08, here's the KD review I mentioned way upthread, for the long-gone Paper Thin Walls, where we spotlit new tracks --the ones cleared for posting were not always the best on the album, but this selection was pretty good.

Kayo Dot: “Symmetrical Arizona”
from Blue Lambency Downward (Hydra Head)
Out Now rating: 7.0

Kayo Dot, led by the versatile singer/multi-instrumentalists Toby Driver and Mia Matsumiya (who is especially evocative on violin), have a way of trailing guitars, bass, drums, sax, vibes, clarinet, gamelan, keyboards, et cetera, through traces of metal, avant jazz, and Late 20th Century-based Western takes on Eastern music, sometimes sketching out vast dayscapes of seemingly emptied beauty, along the way. Yet there’s also a furtive, sometimes tingling sense of possibilities, too, for Those Who Know: hooded figures, bowed but still standing on the verge of getting it on, one more time. So their albums are tantalizing enough, though promising passages through the vastness can knock up against too many dramatic pauses, too many creeping beats. Still, Blue Lambency Downward eventually lives up (and down) to its title, with a concluding arc of tracks, saving the best for last. “The Awkward Wind Wheel” keeps wobbling until it’s pulled through an avalanche by bass and drums, right through trees of smoke and ganglia (strings and woodwinds), on through the parting spikes of “The Useless Ladder,” into “Symmetrical Arizona,” where damn if woodwinds and maybe cellos don’t grown and press contemplation into the hollow heads of abandoned gods of vanished cliff-dwellers, as thee coalescing image of a prodigious prodigal, no bigger than a Kayo Dot, gauges and gouges a valley of personal mythology(dropping in: percussive beads, talons, wine-streaked sheet music, flapping like wings), until it’s raised from the dry undertow of his affectations, casting and rattling real-enough shadows across my virtual attention span, for quite a while.

I DO hate that title, but

probably the worst lyricist in the avant-garde scene, maybe the worst ever

― an uptempo Pop/Hip Hop mentality (imago), Thursday, 16 March 2017 19:55 (fifteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

...hardly, and I'm not huge on his lyrics, though tbh most of what he sings is written by Jason Byron anyway.

I quite like that new track, I have a feeling I'll probably enjoy this more than the last KD album

oh that's true re: Byron

the fact that Kayo Dot are the opening act for Pallbearer and Nadler just proves again how little justice there is in this tasteless, ridiculous world

We're having a big year in the Kayo Dot camp... one of those years that feels like all the work we've put in is finally paying off. I'm super excited to let you know about a few of these upcoming items:

1. Summer tour dates!

We're going all around the U.S. and Canada this summer opening up for a couple killer bands. In July, we'll be opening up for TODAY IS THE DAY– a band that changed the way I see live performance and heaviness the first time I saw them back in 1999. Their singer, Steve Austin, has been one of my biggest vocal influences since then, and it's a honor to join them on this trip. Then we head out in late August once again with the mighty PALLBEARER, a band we had the pleasure of opening for in March this year, and we're so stoked to continue cracking open the cosmos with them across Canada and America. Here are all the dates!

with TODAY IS THE DAY

Jul 06 @ Saint Vitus, Brooklyn, NY
Jul 07 @ Bungalow, Manchester, NH
Jul 08 @ The Depot, Washington, DC
Jul 09 @ The Backstage at Championship Bar, Trenton, NJ
Jul 10 @ Charlie's American Cafe, Norfolk, VA
Jul 11 @ Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
Jul 12 @ The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
Jul 13 @ Walters Downtown, Houston, TX
Jul 14 @ Spanish Moon, Baton Rouge, LA
Jul 15 @ The Curtain Club, Dallas, TX
Jul 16 @ The Lost Well, Austin, TX
Jul 19 @ Joe's Grotto, Phoenix, AZ
Jul 20 @ Gideon's Hall, Upland, CA
Jul 21 @ DNA Lounge, San Francisco, CA
Jul 22 @ Tonic Lounge, Portland, OR
Jul 23 @ Highline, Seattle, WA
Jul 25 @ Club X, Salt Lake City, UT
Jul 26 @ Marquis Theater, Denver, CO
Jul 27 @ The Riot Room, Kansas City, MO
Jul 28 @ The Token Lounge, Westland, MI
Jul 29 @ Hard Luck, Toronto, ON
Jul 30 @ L’Esco, Montreal, QC

with PALLBEARER

8/22 Regina, SK @ The Exchange
8/23 Winnipeg, MB @ The Good Will @ Social Club
8/24 Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
8/25 Iowa City, IA @ Blue Moose Tap House
8/26 Dekalb, IL @ The House Cafe
8/27 Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
8/29 Detroit, MI @ El Club
8/30 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
8/31 Ottawa, ON @ The Brass Monkey
9/1 Quebec City, QC @ Bar L'Anti
9/2 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB
9/5 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
9/6 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
9/7 Raleigh, NC @ Hopscotch Festival
9/8 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
9/9 Knoxville, TN @ The International - Knoxville

2. Choirs of the Eye vinyl!!!

Finally! After 14 years of asking our first label, Tzadik, we've been granted permission to self-release our debut album CHOIRS OF THE EYE on vinyl! We're running a pre-order now, and there are some special bonus items available for anyone who pre-orders. Grab your copy before they're gone! http://kayodot.bigcartel.com

3. Sacrum Profanum Festival in Krakow

I'm happy to let you all know that I've been commissioned to compose a chamber orchestra piece for the ensemble Spółdzielnia Muzyczna to appear at Sacrum Profanum Festival this year in Krakow, Poland. The programme will also be featuring new commissions from Aaron Turner (Isis, Sumac) and Faith Coloccia (Mammiffer), Aidan Baker (Nadja), Mika Rättö and Jussi Lehtisalo (Circle), and Paweł Kulczyński (Wilhelm Brass). I'm extremely excited for this cool opportunity! http://sacrumprofanum.com

4. Madonnawhore, and Hubardo reissue

If you haven't picked it up yet, my solo album, MADONNAWHORE, is now available from The Flenser on CD and vinyl. Simultaneously, The Flenser has reissued our 2013 concept album, HUBARDO, on 3xLP and CD. Get 'em! http://nowflensing.com

For more frequent updates, please follow us on social media:
http://facebook.com/kayodotofficial
http://instagram.com/kayodotofficial
http://twitter.com/kayodotofficial

Thanks so much for listening and for your continued support, and hope to see you out there this summer!

Hi folks, just a quick one!

I'm happy to announce the special limited release of this collection of choice cuts from my March 2017 concert at Roulette, featuring the wonderful work of K.M. Abrams, Kelly Moran*, and String Noise (Pauline Kim Harris and Conrad Harris), plus a bonus outtake from the 2015 "Madonnawhore" sessions.

https://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-roulette-march-2017

Please pick this up for a mere five bucks (or more! Your choice!) to help fund a proper studio recording of these live tracks and a few additional ones, to be completed this winter in New York. This collection will only be available until the end of 2017. Thanks for the support, and hope you enjoy!

All the best,
Toby Driver
* from The Nee Yorker:
Kelly Moran: “Hallucinations”

Moran, a composer and pianist, employs stylistic devices borrowed from Satie, Cowell, and Cage with the hands-on assurance of a classically trained performer; after growing up infatuated with electric jazz, minimalism, and metal, she cut her teeth in art-rock bands. “Bloodroot,” the album she released in March on the Brooklyn label Telegraph Harp, features appealing works for prepared piano and synthesizer; here, she concentrates on the former, introducing gently narcotic reveries accompanied by video projections of her own design.

Oct. 16 at 8.
Roulette

509 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn

From Toby:
Hi everyone,
I would just like to share some news of the past several months with you all, in regard to my various ongoing music projects.

1) PIGGY BLACK CROSS

I've started a new band with singer Bridget Bellavia. The music is electronic, dark industrial-influenced IDM. We just released our first EP a few days ago on Bandcamp, and would love if you go have a listen. We're starting a US West Coast tour **tomorrow** (August 22!!) in Los Angeles, going up to Seattle, and back down again, joined by the amazing THIEF (members of Botanist). If you like what you hear, please consider purchasing a download via the Bandcamp page to help us along the road.

https://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/always-just-out-of-r-e-a-c-h-robotic-eclosion-after-coming-hylozoic

Tour dates // PIGGY BLACK CROSS with THIEF:
Aug 22 - Los Angeles @ Resident (also with Deth Crux)
Aug 23 - Goleta @ Half Pipe House
Aug 24 - Modesto @ Still Smoking
Aug 25 - Portland @ Bit House Saloon (also with Jason W. Walton (Agalloch, Khorada))
Aug 26 - Seattle @ Highline (also with Jason W. Walton and Convictions)
Aug 27 - Olympia @ Cryptatropa (also with Harsh R and Seed Bed)
Aug 29 - Arcata @ The Miniplex
Aug 30 - Sacramento @ Old Ironsides (also with Killer Couture)
Aug 31 - Oakland @ Jack London Elbo Room (also with Botanist)

2) SOLO WORKS
I've also completed a new solo album of ballads, entitled "They Are The Shield," which will be released by Blood Music on September 21. This will be followed by tour dates in the US, Mexico, and Europe. You can have a listen to a preview track here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5LkZiboJy0

This album features some fantastic violin work by Conrad Harris and Pauline Kim Harris, drums by Brian Chase, piano by Kelly Moran, and guest vocals by Bridget Bellavia.

TOBY DRIVER solo US/Mexico tour dates:

SEP 22 Newark, DE @ Newark Bike Project
SEP 23 Philadelphia, PA @ Ortlieb's
SEP 24 Raleigh, NC @ Neptune's
SEP 25 Atlanta, GA @ The Bakery Atlanta
SEP 26 Little Rock, AR @ Vino's Pizza-Pub-Brewery
SEP 27 Florence, AL @ 116 E Mobile St
SEP 28 New Orleans, LA @ Poor Boys Bar
SEP 29 Houston, TX @ Vinal Edge Records
OCT 4-5 Mexico City, Mexico @ venue TBA
Oct 5-6 Monterrey Mexico @ venue TBA
Oct 9 Austin, Texas @ The Lost Well TBC
OCT 10 Denton TX @ The Mustard Zone
OCT 12 Chicago, IL @ Cobra Lounge
OCT 14 Lakewood, OH @ The Foundry Concert Club
OCT 15 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Blind Pig
OCT 16 Toronto, ON @ TBA
OCT 17 Hamilton, ON @ TBA
OCT 18 Ottawa, ON, Canada @ Mavericks
OCT 20 Providence, RI @ Machine’s with Alec K. Redfearn TBC
OCT 21 Allston, MA @ O'Brien's Pub
OCT 22 New Haven, CT @ cafe nine

3) KAYO DOT
I'm very happy to let you all know that Kayo Dot has signed to Prophecy Productions, a longstanding label from Germany who've just launched an American branch. We're proud to be in their first round of signings. We're just finishing up our new album now, details of which will be announced soon. We'll also be premiering some of the new material at Prophecy Fest in New York, November 2-3, alongside Alcest, Xasthur, and others!

----

If you haven't received your copy of the Choirs of the Eye vinyl yet, please know that I'm aware of the delay and am working on it. I got held up a bit this summer after mid-July mostly by the enormous cost of overseas shipping; it has slowed me down quite a bit and I'm only able to get a couple copies out the door per week. I'm trying to stay on top of it as best I can and I haven't forgotten about your shipment. I really appreciate your patience with this and apologize for the length of time. You can help move this along by picking up a download of the new Piggy Black Cross album - that money will go straight to us. https://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/always-just-out-of-r-e-a-c-h-robotic-eclosion-after-coming-hylozoic

As always, you can follow on my socials and get the most current news and ongoing updates on added shows and premiered tracks.
Thanks for reading and listening, and hope to see you out on the road soon!

Toby
http://instagram.com/tobydriver
http://facebook.com/tobydriverofficial
http://facebook.com/kayodotofficial
http://facebook.com/piggyblackcross

They Are the Shield is actually great! This song is the best thing he's done in some time imo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0YpoYE1VHc

Which makes me cautiously optimistic for the next Kayo Dot but we'll have to see

Some rare concerts coming up soon:

May 29, 2019: PIGGY BLACK CROSS at Arcadia!, an event at The VNYL Vintage New York Lifestyle, New York NY. 8pm.

Also very happy to announce that our album, Always Just Out of R.E.A.C.H., will be seeing a cassette release later this year through Tartarus Tapes.

June 6, 2019: TOBY DRIVER plays solo guitar at Best Video Film & Cultural Center, Hamden CT. I'll be trying out some new material, which will be recorded and released later this summer. Also playing will be my longtime friend, composer, singer, and accordionist Adam Matlock.

ASVA plays their only concert of 2019 at Litha Cascadia Festival, June 21-23 in Washington State. This promises to be a beautiful and unique experience all around. Asva will be premiering some new material and in this incarnation will feature not only Stuart Dahlquist and myself, but also Nick Hudson, Ron Varod, and Adam Dahlquist. So utterly stoked for this!

August 8-16, 2019: TOBY DRIVER and JEREMIAH CYMERMAN Northeast US and Canada tour. We have a few dates set up for this but are still trying to sort out the rest, and will then announce next month. Please let me know if you can help arrange something inside this window.
---Toby Driver td at kayodot.net