Kayo Dot / Maudlin of the Well

How do I help? I want this to end up being in Charlotte, NC. The perfect club for this type of music: www.milestoneclub.com

1. is the new album any good
2. i ask this because the two older ones are fucking amazing

I'm probably in the minority on this, but I was pretty disappointed in the new one. Way more refined and structured, much less "metal" than anything before and much more "classical". I was hoping for a couple freak-out moments, but it stays pretty restrained throughout.

Yeah, I think it's OK but not brilliant.

i've heard a lot of "meh" about the new one, but haven't checked it out yet.

the new one is just toby and one other person, right? cuz there isn't really a "band" anymore, i don't think. maybe he should have released it under his own name to avoid unfair comparisons.

Toby and the violin playing girl, blanking on her name right now, but also a whole bunch of guest musicians this time around.

yeah he kicked out everyone he wasn't fucking

Yeah, pretty uneven, but last three tracks are strong. My review will be on paperthinwalls sometime.

I love the new one, seems like a natural progression from the first two. KD seem to be becoming increasingly fluid and slippery. the lack of explosive moments just enhances their impact when they finally do arrive.

Yeah, I agree with your last point. Here'e the review I mentioned:
http://www.paperthinwalls.com/singlefile/item?id=1594

Like anime--Toby Driver makes me see Vampire Hunter D, mebbe the same kind of contradictions ("I am blood-celibate, as I hunt my kind under the Law," vs. "I am vast, I *contain*: art, rock, desolation and creation")Triumph Of The Will.

When "___on limpid form" is the most accurate musical rendition of one's mood, you're in a pretty fucking dark place. I think the 24 hours without food and massive alcohol consumption might have something to do with this. Regardless, it's probably one of the best 20 songs of the decade.

I think I like this a lot but I am basically new to this band and this album is kinda different to what I was expecting.... like I fuck with jazz-rock but feel largely unqualified to say anything intelligent or conclusive about music made in the style

Have you only got the new record? That's the only one I don't have. The first two are sorta ambient-jazz-metal but even weirder and more esoteric than that sounds.

Kayo Dot mainman Toby Driver will resurrect his original outfit maudlin of the Well. The cult avant-metal outfit were active from 1996 to 2003 with members going on to form Kayo Dot after its demise, but Driver aims to bring it back by next Spring with a new LP. Speaking to Rock-A-Rolla, he stated: “We should be finished by early Spring. I’m trying to get as many of the members involved as possible… Let me be very clear that all the material is very old - it won’t have anything to do with my current compositional mind and the purpose of this revival project is to just bring these old pieces to the fans. The music will be released completely for free.”

Well, cool.

I tried hard to like the new album, but couldn't, and wrote about why here, sort of:

http://blog.rhapsody.com/2008/11/oh-well-guess-w.html

i don't think i ever got around to hearing the last album.

that maudlin of the well news is, um... a little confusing. are they just recording
old stuff that they never got around to recording the first time or re-recording
stuff that did get recorded back then.

in any case, i am totally the grinch of reunions/reformations. i rarely get excited about stuff
like that.

Recordings of old songs that were never recorded.
Scott, I thought you would've been excited by this. It's why I posted it here.

aw, sorry, i'm a bummer. like i said, i am seriously ho-hum about reunions or whatever. like poo posting about seeing flux of pink indians, only one of my all-time fave bands, and it doesn't excite me a bit. don't get me wrong, i've seen some enjoyable greybeard shows, chameleons and pretty things being two, but they are too dime a dozen these days. it's easier to name the bands that HAVEN'T gotten back together for some shows then the ones that have. did you know that EVERY SINGLE BAND THAT EVER PLAYED THRASH METAL IN THE 80'S, even if they were only together for a month, has toured between 2000 and 2008. it's true.

"Whatever lies in my past
Or what is yet in the future
Time passes so fast
Suppose there's always the danger
I won't pull through
I'll have to think this thing through
Despite my fear it helps to
Share my nostalgia with you

Tomorrow I'll remember yesterday
Tomorrow I remember yesterday
Tomorrow, remember yesterday
Tomorrow, remember yesterday

Tomorrow, remember yesterday...
Tomorrow, nostalgia will lead me away"

but i would probably buy a maudlin of the well album of new material. cuz it's not like they were around THAT long ago and their stuff would still sound fresh and creative today, i'm sure.

Hah, I was about to say I bet you still buy it.

mia's hot

Yayyy! I'm really ecstatic about the way this album turned out. I think it's really gorgeous and exciting music!

I'm not sure if you guys know the story behind this album, but maudlin of the well was basically pre-Kayo Dot. Toby Driver (the composer of both bands) had really wanted to record some maudlin of the well albums way, way in the past but just never had enough money to do it. He blogged about the possibility of a fan-funded album to be released online for free and to his surprise, fans actually seemed to be interested! So 86 awesome fans in all donated to make this record possible. I think the result is really fantastic!

I'm really happy because I've always loved maudlin of the well's music but was always kinda bummed that I wasn't a part of it.

Anyway, Toby made some awesome artwork for the album too, that you can view on the streaming tracks. Check it out! It's kind of like Kayo Dot and maudlin of the Well had an awesome car crash.

http://www.maudlinofthewell.net

Enjoy!

xo
Mia

cool. i'll listen tonight at home.

Ah, his Yoko

Well, her violin and vocals are always welcome; regarding any possibly Ono-esque ambition, consider the following show preview (writ by yr. humble servant)

Kayo Dot’s chamber/pit rock has been called “post-metal,” with some trace elements of the anime character Vampire Hunter D, now hunting his own kind, in the shadows of justice. Kayo Dot’s own tension lines can twist all too slowly, but co-founders Toby Driver and Mia Matisumiya (touring with four other multi-instrumentalists) can raise valleys and drop mountains, sounding like Mia’s blog promises. Everything’s screwed, but she’s unscrewing it, literally: “One day the world will go Crash! For lack of screws, and I will be Queen of the Universe!” Kayo Dot’s passing through the purpose-driven afterlife.

(brags about collapsing a booth in a Tokyo MacDonald's, for inst)

I just listened to Blue Lambency Downward. There's some really great stuff on there. Like a manly Thinking Plague or something. Their other albums are similar?

That is the most of its kind (and mostly what my show preview was thinking of).

Was mostly joking about Mia being his Yoko upthread...she's pretty ace

However, I'm reviving this thread because

When "___on limpid form" is the most accurate musical rendition of one's mood, you're in a pretty fucking dark place. Regardless, it's probably one of the best 20 3 songs of the decade.

― Just got offed, Friday, 20 June 2008 00:31 (11 months ago) Bookmark

needed to be amended, the thing is simply and utterly mind-melting

Now I listen to that new motW thingy

is sweet

but nothing on it is quite as face-slappingly essential, as atavistically primal, as fundamentally kickass as ___on limpid form

hmmm i have difficulties enjoying this band

:(

Blue Lambency Downward was my default car album for the last week or two.

(Wavering Radiant before that.)

JJ I insist you hear the following, if you have not already heard it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=173XU6OE55Q

If you liked that, then get the goddamn studio version. Not often I'd say an album is worth *buying* for one song alone (and there's actually 3 genuinely great pieces on the record, adding up to like 35 minutes of music), but this one most certainly is. 18 minutes of life-changing, head-rattling insanity.

whiney, why did you not say

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2010/02/premiere_kayo_d.php

am listening to this preview track and basically YES OH GOD YES

2010 is actually blowing my mind

"Not really any guitar on this album," says frontman Toby Driver. "A tiny bit, but it doesn't even sound like guitar, so it perhaps doesn't really count. There's that quest to make some brutal rock sans guitar."

i know your album is going to be fucking amazing and a unique vision and all but VdGG kinda won that quest 40 years ago

griping over. get stoked.

Metal In Opposition

New track is pretty awesome.

maudlin of the Well Limited Vinyl Box Set! **LESS THAN 40 COPIES LEFT**

Hey there,

We´re a Finnish non-profit, whose mission is the preservation of extreme metal culture.

We´re co-releasing a maudlin of the Well 4xLP + 7" Deluxe 200-gram Vinyl Box Set. Their records were written while in the course of astral projection (out of body experiences). Their CD´s have been out of print for a long time, and there are no plans to repress them.

Our limited deluxe vinyl box set has been available for pre-order for only a few weeks, and we´re very near selling out. There will be only 300 in total, and we have LESS THAN 40 COPIES LEFT!

There will be no repress afterwards, and only a VERY limited amount of barebones black LP gatefolds afterwards, with none of the extras (no 7", no box, no mp3 downloads, nothing).

The box set includes "Bath" and "Leaving Your Body Map" on 200gram colored vinyl. Also: "The Secret Song" on 7", a signed poster with new artwork by Toby Driver, deluxe hand-numbered box, motW guitar picks, mp3 download cards, and much more.

Here´s a promo for it:

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

Blood Music (Worldwide, except USA/Canada):
http://bloodmusic.bigcartel.com

Antithetic Records (USA/Canada ONLY):
http://antitheticrecords.storeenvy.com

Hey all,

We managed to get rights to re-release maudlin of the Well's albums on CD. "Bath" and "Leaving Your Body Map" are coming out with one bonus song each, as well as the never-before-released "Part the Second." 300 copies of each, with an option to buy one of 75 signed by Toby Driver.

Pre-orders of the CD's go live on March 1st at 10AM Finnish time. The CD's will be shipped on April 13th.

We'll also have 100 copies each of "Bath" and "LYBM" on black vinyl in gatefolds (none of the box set extras).

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm6tfF8jzYg

Sounds: http://soundcloud.com/bloodmusic-1/sets/maudlin-of-the-well/

Everything goes live at 10AM Finnish time, tomorrow (March 1st).

http://www.blood-music.com/store

Check your time zone, as it correlates to Helsinki:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Release date is in two days, and CDs will begin shipping then.

We've got roughly 50 copies left of each disc if anyone is still interested.

jesus, this thread title haunts me. i'm so fucking annoying. hurry up and sell your CDs.

haha didn't image there's a kayo dot thread

Hurrying, Scott! Almost gone.

This morning's update from Toby:
Hey guys, I'm writing to you from Santiago, Chile. Holy cow! Here's a really brief, uncharacteristically charmless message about the upcoming excruciatingly exciting weekend in NYC!

I'm premiering a brand new, 30+ minute piece at The Stone, this coming Saturday, callled "Ichneumonidae," which features me, Timba Harris (of Secret Chiefs 3, etc), and Michelle Morinaga. This one is super special to me for a number of reasons, and I really hope you can make it if you're in the area. I don't want to give away too much of the surprise, so I can't really give any more details, but trust me, it'll be a spectacle!
And it's ALL AGES. If you are planning on coming from far away for this, PLEASE let me know in advance so we can reserve a space for you... The Stone does fill up/ sell out quickly and there are no advance tickets.

I'm participating in a couple abutting events as well - make a weekend out of it! All this is part of CHIPPYFEST - thanks to Heung-Heung Chin!

Friday April 20 @ 11pm : Vaura acoustic renditions
(Toby Driver - piano, Kevin Hufnagel - guitar, Josh Strawn - guitar, Charlie Schmid - percussion)

Saturday April 21 @ 9:30pm : ICHNEUMONIDAE WORLD PREMIERE
(Toby Driver - guitar, Timba Harris - violin, Michelle Morinaga - Parasitomorphism, Butoh & percussion)

Saturday April 21 @ 11pm: Stern LIVE BAND
(Chuck Stern - voice, Tim Byrnes - keys, Toby Driver - guitar, Keith Abrams - drums)

And, if you're currently in Santiago or Sao Paulo, come say hi to me at one of the upcoming Secret Chiefs 3 shows this week! YeaaaahhH!!!

That's all for now - I hope this message was truly quick and unscrollable, although I guess that would've depended on your screen resolution. Thanks for making it this far!

Toby Driver

We've only got 19 copies of "Part the Second" left on CD :) Around 25 copies of "Bath" and "LYBM" left. :)

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

Toby Driver <td at kayodot.net>
Fri, Sep 6, 1:39 AM
to me

Hi, some words I'd like to share.

Having completed this album a year ago, along with a label change, a lineup change, and even a change in my city of residence, the past 12 months leading up to this release have been absolutely grueling in so many ways. I want you to know that a lot of these painful changes in my life have come as a direct result of me throwing every last bit of myself into this record. I fully exhausted my spirit with this one. To make this record happen, I had to relinquish many things that were important to me, things material and immaterial that I'd thought of as crucial. I needed to grow into another stage of existence, and that was terrifying and pummeling. Why do this? I have never known beyond compulsion.

I've been existing in a limbo state for the past year, feeling my future being pulled fearfully closer as a duality. Almost like Donnie Darko– you feel something coming and everything around you collapses at a faster rate as you approach. The bridge crumbles behind you as you run. I've felt that the past year was the longest year, and have felt that yesterday may have been my last good day. Blasphemy didn't seize power from me; I granted it fully to Her. She leads me, as the new timeline begins today at this moment.

I'm so proud of my collaborators Jason Byron, Ron Varod, Phillip Price, Leonardo Didkovsky, Randall Dunn, Jenya Chernoff, Matthew Serra, Casey Mathewson, and our team at Prophecy Productions for making this thing come to life and allowing me to push them into perhaps unfamiliar territory. I couldn't be more happy with the way the music and the packaging turned out, and if you have a chance to get the full experience with the lyrics, images, novel, and remix album, I highly encourage you to do so because that's all a major part of the release.

I want people to question why they're hearing what they are, why a decision was made, how things are constructed beyond the perfunctory. Creating music is always a perfect opportunity to express yourself, to be Extra AF when you might not be able to do so in your day-to-day life. I most greatly admire musicians who go to extremities in their work, whatever those may be. Musicians who will do the thing that the other people won't do. I try to do my best to live up to the example set by those I admire.

I'm thrilled, anxious, and proud to finally present this album to the world: Kayo Dot's BLASPHEMY.

https://spoti.fi/2m2MTTv

“A Masterpiece.” –Radical Research
9/10 –Metal Injection
9.5/10 –Ave Noctum
9.3/10 –Metal Trenches
8/10 –Metal Italia
R! Choice Pick –Rocking.gr
Pick of the Week –MeatMeadMetal
“Uncompromising in its vision and its execution.” –HeavyBlog
“Blasphemy is Kayo Dot at their most comfortable. It is effortless and hangs delicately in the sky, but carries the weight of Kayo Dot’s creativity with it.” –Invisible Oranges

Toby says giving up on current web host's mailing list practices, asks that we follow on bandcamp---gotta lotta stuff there: https://kayodot.bandcamp.com/

New one is p sick, and I've not said that in a very, very, very long time

Yeah this is very very good. The last one I liked was Coffins on Io, but this is probably the best since Hubardo.

been listening to coffins a bunch lately and its definitely my fav

broke: best since Hubardo

woke: best since Dowsing

nah, Hubardo is better than Dowsing, but only just.

The Knight Errant adds to their impressive litany of incredible opening tracks

Dear friends,

You may have heard me talk on the socials about my trio with Mario Diaz de Leon and Jeremiah Cymerman, Bloodmist, a lot in the past year and a half. It's all because of this album, Arc, which we recorded in Novermber 2020 and is just about to be released. We came up with a new sound for this one through some serious chemistry and situational vibrations, and I walked away from the session feeling like this band was a huge missing piece of the puzzle of my musical life. Making this record set my mind in a new direction and I haven't yet realized the affect it's going to have on all the other music I make– but it'll be huge.
The album comes out June 3, but we're releasing a intense and exciting premiere track today: "Battle Mountain." Check it out over at my Bandcamp page.
https://kayodot.bandcamp.com/album/arc
What's more, ICYMI we had good success trying out the Bandcamp vinyl pressing service a year ago with Bloodmist's previous album, Phos. Those LPs just came in a couple weeks ago, and we couldn't be happier with them. Because it went so well, we're making an attempt to get the new one, Arc pressed on vinyl through the same method. This one's a longer album so it'll be a 2xLP. Because Bloodmist's music is totally self-released and self-funded, the only way for us to get vinyl pressed is to go the pre-order/crowdfund way. If you're interesting in seeing this come to light, please don't hesitate to pledge to the campaign! There are some very special exclusive bonuses for supporters, too, and the campaign ends in just 30 days. The link for that is the same as the above.

I also wanted to let you know that Bloodmist will be playing at the very prestigious festival, FIMAV, in Quebec this month. We all couldn't be more excited about that. It's a festival I personally have wanted to be a part of since as long as I can remember, and for Bloodmist's first out-of-town appearance, this is an amazing standard to set. We feel extremely fortunate for the opportunity and for everyone's well-wishes.

Thanks very much for everything, and stay tuned for some more good news and announcements coming in the next few weeks.

Yours, Toby Driver

KAYO DOT announces full-album, original lineup "Choirs of the Eye" performance at Complexity Fest, Netherlands!
Hello,

I couldn't be more excited to share with you all that after a 3-year pandemic-related live hiatus, Kayo Dot will be returning with a performance at the next edition of Complexity Fest in the Netherlands, Feb 25, 2023! In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the band and our debut album, Choirs of the Eye, we have reassembled the original Choirs... lineup of maudlin of the Well ex-pats: Greg Massi, Terran Olson, Sam Gutterman, and myself, plus additional members Matt Serra (Wet Math!!!), violin and trumpet powerhouse Timba Harris (Secret Chiefs 3, Alora Crucible, Grails, etc), and woodwind multi-guy Jeff Tobias (Sunwatchers), to perform the album in-full! We have never before toured European shores with this music or lineup, despite some smatterings of reorchestrated Choirs... songs on a tour or two around 2010, so this is really exciting for us. Tt's been a long time coming. And furthermore, it's been a few years of Kayo Dot playing with a minimized lineup so I'm super stoked that we're now getting back to big!

Tickets are now onsale for Complexity Fest at this address:

One month away, Kayo Dot's “Choirs of the Eye” 20th Anniversary Tour begins

Toby Driver | Kayo Dot
Wed, Jan 25, 8:07 AM (2 days ago)

Hello, I'm writing this to you from the back of a tour van in the midst of a long, full-day drive from Grenoble to Brussels on a grey and snowy day. I've joined my friend Charlie Looker, playing bass for his crushing project Extra Life on this trip, which has lasted the full month of January and traversed almost the entire UK and France. The music and hangs have been deep, the hospitality has been loving, and the heating has been almost entirely nonexistent. After the past few years of staying off the road due to the wills of external forces, I'm so fortunate to have the opportunity to join Charlie on this run. I enjoy touring and find it to be an essential facet of my vocation on this Earth, even in the role of a backing musician, and the relative absence of it in my life in the past few years has hurt. But here I am again in the right place, blessed to travel and blessed to be with my head above the surface, engaged in the arts with immediacy.

Only three weeks after returning home from this trip with Charlie, I'll set out again, this time in the bandleader's role with my own long-running, chief project Kayo Dot. This year is the project's 20th Anniversary, and to honor the milestone, I've gathered the original lineup of the fellows who formed the band out of maudlin of the Well to perform our 2003 debut album, Choirs of the Eye in full. The first leg of the tour hits a few places UK and Europe (see below) because this music was never really presented over there. By the time Kayo Dot started touring Europe, Choirs of the Eye was a few albums in the past and the band no longer had an instrumentation that could support the music's proper orchestration. Some of the ex-maudlin guys that are coming along for this trip left the band before ever having the chance to go on a European tour, so this is exciting in many ways. To even further exploit that vibe, we're preparing a few additional songs from the Kayo Dot repertoire that have never once been played in Europe. How about that!

It's very meaningful for me, far beyond the words I can say, to have the opportunity to bring this music back on the road for you. For Choirs of the Eye, but also for Kayo Dot as a project in general. If I had it my way, Kayo Dot would tour all around the world for 150 shows a year. But, I think since 2016 Kayo Dot has only played about 60 times. In 7+ years. That's horrible. I really want to remedy that situation with a ton of music and a ton of live concerts, and this Choirs of the Eye tour is the first step towards that. So, I really hope to see you at one of these upcoming concerts to encourage me along this path. Make sure you buy pre-sale tickets as soon as possible because it allows us to know how to better plan for the trip in terms of merch production and other resource investment. The dates and the ticket links are below.

But first, one more very exciting thing. We're being joined on this tour by our longtime lyricist and former maudlin of the Well vocalist, Jason Byron, who has never been on the road before and was only seen once in public at the MOTW reunion performance at the Stone NYC in 2015. He's bringing copies of his two novels, Blasphemy and Amalia, to sell at the merch table. Kayo Dot fans will recognize those titles as being closely related to Byron's words and stories in our music– and the novels go a lot further to expand upon the universe. He is limiting this first printing to only 50 copies of each. Preceding each concert, we're holding a special pre-show event in which Byron will read a little from his books and then have a Q&A session with the audience and other members from MOTW. The pre-show events are limited-entry, and you can find out more about how to get access at the ticket links below.

24 Feb, London UK at Signature Brew Blackhorse Road
https://dice.fm/event/ayg5q-kayo-dot-uk-exclusive-24th-feb-signature-brew-blackhorse-road-london-tickets?lng=en
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25 Feb, Haarlem NL at Complexity Fest:
https://www.ticketmaster.nl/artist/complexity-fest-tickets/994553
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26 Feb, Berlin DE at Urban Spree
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usu-pres-kayo-dot-urban-spree-tickets-493975733717
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28 Feb, Warsaw PL at Hydrozagadka:
https://goout.net/pl/bilety/kayo-dot/acpq/
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01 Mar, Krakow PL at Klub RE:
Fb event: https://www.facebook.com/events/712136530028492/
Ticket link: https://goingapp.pl/wydarzenie/kayo-dot-us/marzec-2023
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02 Mar, Prague CZ at Underdogs:
Tickets: https://www.goforboom.com/events/kayo-dot-choirs-of-the-eye-20th-anniversary-tour/order

RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/666880521665504
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03 Mar, Belgrade SB at Elektropionir
(no tcket link available yet)
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04 Mar, Graz AT at Wakuum:
They sell memberships and it's a free show for members, or pay-what-you-wish.
www.wakmusic.at
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05 Mar, Mantova IT at The Academy:
https://k2music.bigcartel.com/product/kayo-dot-the-academy-mantova-biglietti

One final thing. Last week, I launched a fundraiser to help cushion some of the risk involved in undertaking such an ambitious tour. In the past week, we reached our goal thanks to our generous fans and friends, for which I'm profoundly grateful. If you would like to contribute, the fundraiser is still open, and everything raised will go towards making the tour an easier and less anxious experience. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your belief in what I do.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/kayo-dots-20th-anniversary-tour-fundraiser?qid=da48484f64450af2476a656eb81f0930

Many thanks for reading, and hope to see you out there! Any questions or desire to unsubscribe please let me know.

Toby td at kayodot dot net