Assassins / Butterfly Child - rave, plus C/D

Oh yes, my friend. Oh yes. I've been waiting for something from Mr. Cassidy for a while -- so this Assassins is some new project? And what's the website?

"Beautiful Girls" is prob one of the most AR Kane -like vocals I've heard
I need to d/l Eucalyptus since Ned esteems it so high

I finally found Papa Sprain - May EP, on CD not vinyl :( and unfortunately it has a slight skip on the delectable "Bathtime"

I have that May EP, Paul, if you want a burn. Gorgeous stuff. And all the BC EPs are fantastic. I'm partial to the Ghetto Speak and Flaming Burlesque EPs.

Don't know about the Liz Fraser connection, but the idea that she inspired that song makes me smile.

News on the BC / Papa Sprain collaboration from BC post on FB: the butterfly child/ papa sprain collaboration known as My Bus release the album ‘our life in the desert’ january 31st 2020 on vinyl, cd and all the usual online services. keep an eye out for random street art in london. . My Bus FB page is https://www.facebook.com/mybusmusic/.

Wish Assassins would issue a follow-up disc.

what? new Papa Sprain? did not expect that!

Now there's a name I never thought I'd see again!

Having been enjoying Onomatopoeia recently though I think the Ghetto Speak EP is my favourite by them. Looking forward to hearing My Bus properly.

I've been listening to the Futures album lot lately, the one that came out of the blue a few years ago.

I've been friends with Joe Cassidy on FB for a while now -- very gently affable fellow, I'd say. Highly looking forward to this of course!

https://onophonic.wordpress.com/my-bus-our-life-in-the-desert/?fbclid=IwAR2jGBByPjo0rX2Xx7tjKI_WfT_d0oOwYLDamN1Rem8M7loFyGfwvQfU_wo

Searched Assassins today, and did find this note - On September 23rd 2016, NØISE (Shepard Fairey, Joe Cassidy, Merritt Lear and John Goff) released the single Little Lions/ Automatic on Obey Records along with a double 12" of remixes by the likes of Moby, The Crystal Method and Phil Hartnoll (Orbital).

So maybe under a different name? (and now I have to search out that release, 4 years on. GRR.) Merritt's voice with Joe's gives me the same sparks that Emily Haines did on the first Stars ep.

Almost disappointed at the easy search - http://www.noiseproject.com/shop. Thought I'd have to check ASCII code for NØISE.

Utterly love lots of the My Bus album. In my head, I'd banged on about it already but seemingly not really.

This is probably my favourite song from the album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=353dbTERKLU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PsH8iDFEjE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdaMw410apA

Insides have just Tweeted that Joe has died.

I could really do with this not being true.

SHIT.

*checks Facebook*

Fuck. It's true.

Sorry Ned. Know he means a lot to you.

Oh shit. He was part of informal hoot nights in Chicago in the early 2000s, saw him a lot in small clubs and was always genial then.

He was just a friendly funny guy, you know? One who had done a lot and ended up in America and seemed pretty happy with it, enjoying life in LA and Chicago. Not knowing the cause I won’t speculate but he had been hospitalized and it reminds me of nothing so much as my uncle’s sudden death some years back.

It appears pneumonia and then sepsis was the cause. What a tragedy.

Just awful. I've got a couple Chicago music industry friends that are just gutted about this tonight. Met him a couple of times & genuinely good bloke.

Yeah there’s a wrenching amount of posts on his FB page from Chicago folks, clearly his spiritual home. And from so many people worldwide — he never knew a stranger, it seems, and you can tell in the best way.

If there happen to be angels
I’ll swallow all my pride
I’ll kiss them all and say goodnight
And feel their words inside
Singing happily in nursery rhymes
On how I lived my little life.

But it wasn't little.

Not the news I expected on this revive. Very sad to lose such a talent. Condolences to all who knew him.

I've tried to remember Joe Cassidy. I've done my best.

That link doesn't work for me. Does this?

https://www.patreon.com/posts/life-that-was-53834871

Working on this end

A great tribute

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/features/remembering-joe-cassidy-40684867.html

That is decent.

https://thequietus.com/articles/30276-joe-cassidy-butterfly-child-obituary?fbclid=IwAR013iz44K0RQGktsG5ktj1LaUCIOpHh6FUn7L_NMx2El3_YdVB7ju4GAJs

Thanks for that link. Great tribute. "Big, bold balloons of unbridled joy (even – or is that especially – when they were fundamentally melancholy) Joe’s songs appeared as if they had always existed somewhere" sums up that seeming disparity in a lot of music I love, like AMC/Mark Eitzel.

Also answers the question that felt awkward to ask: "There will be (“with my eyes closed I swear to you”) further records released by Joe. At the time of his death (15 July, 11.50 CDT) Joe had a trio of albums very close to completion – his acoustic/ orchestral Butterfly Child album, a new album by Assassins and another under a third name." There was a band name mentioned years ago, starting with a Z, like Zzaxx or Zzazz, that he was involved in, but memory's meshing that name with a Marvel electric monster and a Was (Not Was) tune.

Kate Bush news has a small article as well, with a free download link to his "Top of the City" cover.

This Sun Times obit is quite lovely.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/7/29/22596221/joe-cassidy-musician-songwriter-producer-humboldt-park

Gary McKendry playlist for Joe ...

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4hXUM7QeKjPienWF9H8kZZ?si=WIUYWOCSQOOVqd143jePPA&dl_branch=1&fbclid=IwAR2zL5_tft2NFHmxBccD7BIcD7oaxtz0wehCsEqIDGgYLBHV7peXZJuUiTE&nd=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SezwkNwu6Y

His family has set up a site in memory, also with some award news:

https://softexplosives.co.uk/

THANK you, Ned! The Assassins album passed by my radar, so glad to see it available at https://snissassa.bandcamp.com/album/the-year-that-never-came, as well as at the Norman Records site linked on the family site.

Appreciate the care done to display his discography. Had forgotten, if I'd known, his involvement on the Chris Connelly album, which I own and like a lot.