CHARLIE MCALISTER “TWISTED DESIRE” (SPEW GEYSER)

Well well well well well. The whole neighborhood is going to shit. They are saying this area is turning into the south side. I don’t really know much of what they mean, but I am taking it as its spit out. The time that takes place throughout the days on this planet, I tend to staying indoors. I havnt grown too old for the bars and such, but I have drank more than my fill of sauce, and understand finally how lame I become with that outside atmosphere. Hey, I might be growing old, or maybe I am enjoying my own sauce inside. I enjoy all types of sauces. I enjoy mineral spirits breathed heavy from a cut 2 liter bottle. I enjoy tape head cleaners, the smell of dust and mildew, old pages, new pages, sticky liquid, varnish, etc. I also enjoy on occasion stewing and simmering and hearing object sound. Abjeck. ?? sound ?? there is too much talk of sound.

Here we witness some of that sound. I have bantered enough about Mcalister. And you can google or droogle or whatever have you all you want and keep the mysteries going and failing and falling and rising and birthing. But what you get on “TWISTED DESIRE” – the new cassette tape from mcalister and celie d. – is more birthright. Real stomp. Real heat. Fake heat too. A fake tattoo. I engulfed a pastrami on rye. The fire light up the sky. Twisted desire deals the cards in a straight stack. 

Blemished herk, strings about to break. Just a regular band.  your honey pot. Drinking patio water.

I shouldn’t have to tell you to get into this system of events. Don’t you understand the whole scene birthed,  drives itself for real on  treds that are balding ?? put your fuckin $10 in an envelope and send a letter, written with a fuckin pen and ink, and send it to the address below. Don’t be shy my hipster hupcats! Maybe you wont get shit…but I am sure you make $10 in tips easy at the fuckin coffee shop. You can cast me out – but you wont keep me down. Mcalsiter is still thriving on the meat of a subculture gone kaput. A lot of folks are. I am no one to be telling anyone “how things should be or shouldn’t be” - - -hell this computer is fixin all my type writing errors for me. But if you want the real grit of what has become “cassette culture” – do yourself a favor, and do some studying. You have to know where you come from before the tabs come out. 

These tabs. They are for the yearning. Get it. If you can. You can. Just try. Boot off.

TODD LEDFORD & SONS

PO BOX 51

MCCLELLANVILLE, SC 29458

-- Chris Fischer

FURNITURE HUSCHLE – “Bootleg” / CHARLIE MCALISTER – “Provide For the Baby of Lullibies” / Cash Nexus – “The Long Fade” – (Spew Geyser)

NEW SPEW GEYSER HAUL! Back the truck up, and get ready to load and drive. Spew Geyser is back at it.

Straight out of the swamps of South Carolina the never failing Spew Geyser records team (formally : Freakshow (late 80s/early 90s) * Flannel Banjo (1990s-2000s) * Tar Owl (2000-2006ish) *Meggapekka (2012-2012)) is at it again. Huncho C.Mcalister has been providing the knowing with some really amazing cassette releases over the years, and I for one am glad it continues onward.

CHARLIE MCALISTER – “Provide For the Baby or Lullibies” is a lost album of  lost songs all recorded around the turn of the century. For anyone who follows Mcalisters output, its always enjoyable to navigate the fractured timeline of his recording history. I myself have been following Charlies output since the early 1990s…the manner of recording and the instruments used continually revolve after the course of a few tapes. One part : examination of “new” material to use, one part: cause the shit got lost or destroyed – I am sure. These songs definitely fall around the “Turn of the Century Photograph of” (Unread cassette release) as you can hear familiar song structure, and instrumentation,  in particular the heavy use of violin and wine glasses (?)  - the sorta lead banjo plucking…etc. its hard to convey.

Some of these songs can be found on the Mcalister “living” boxset (Doormat tx) dubbed “Charlies Blood” or something of that nature I guess…a boxset that is continually changing and growing as time proceeds onward. Regardless of all this, screw examinations, this thing is a pretty essential collection of song. Fractured a bit as a whole – but some really great songs none-the-less. See : “have a manwhich”  “Divorce Court” and the (half) title track “Provide for the Baby”

CASH NEXUS – “The Long Fade” is a strumming burner, ripping apart the guts of indie rock and reassembling them into something a bit more bizarre, though still digestible with only taking one antacid. Cash Nexus is one part of the stumbling / grand / long running nut-rock outfit WCKR SPGT, and you can see where this round peg fits into the square whole of it all. A constant run of saturated guitar buzz and samples of speech hide behind these songs, creeping up here and there, making it into one long opera, akin to channel surfing the radio dial. Sometimes clutter. Sometimes a fluid hit. Always confusing and worth repeat listens.

FURNITURE HUSCHLE – “Bootleg” is what its called? I am not exactly sure. It is a collection. It is culled from a huge spectrum of releases. There are no titles. There is no information. It must be a bootleg! A bootleg deemed acceptable from the source? Furniture Huschle is another limb of WCKR SPGT. The rotting cells of the brain maybe…being a long time fan, I am surprised some of these songs I have not heard. It’s a nice collection of oddity and stumble, and honestly…perfect Furniture hits. Audio art and slam poetry meet nice with cheap electronics and stumble into the depths of the sub-underground. A place that is a safe-haven for this sorta thing, cause the world will never understand how brilliant it is.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand why Furniture Huschle cant be played on mainstream radio, but I dream of a world where it is, and where these sorta tapes are found in boxes on street corners for everyone to find and enjoy. Hell, that last part might be true. Keep your eyes peeled in trash bins near you for Spew Geyser tapes. Exhault! Do not punish them God, for they know not what they do.

Spew Geyser releases can be found by sending S.A.S.E. here :

Spew Geyser / POST OFFICE BOX #51 / McCLELLANVILLE, SC 29458

or at : www.spewgyser.com

-c. fischer

CHARLIE MCALISTER / SPEW GEYSER

TWO NEW MCALISTER CASSETTES VIA SPEW GEYSER

let me let the computer world know. sub-underground madman genius charlie mcalister upstarts new label "spew geyser" and as always, with any mcalister related projects, its quite a doozy!

mcalister has been releasing cassettes since the mid-late 80s on various micro labels, including his long running "flannel banjo" imprint, which spanned a good 10 years before falling off the map, only to resurface here and there under the title "tar owl" - but like all mcalister output - it was shrouded in mystery. never any sort of web presence, which i myself admire, being a fan of letter writing. again, though, it was a sporadic release schedule to be sure. about a year ago tar owl became "meggapecka records" and it seemed as if charlie was back on the map again - releasing three or four tapes with a fury. now, the name has changed yet again, this time to "spew geyser" and things are looking good. an extensive websight has been set up in which you can order new (and older) cassettes & records as well as issues of the fabulous "sardine magozine" of which there are 10 issues available, and may quite possibly be the greatest collection of consumerism collage and writings known to man. 

but here we have two new mcalister collections. the first is "triangle state mental zone" which was originally released as the complimentary supplement to sardine magozine #9&10 (thick ass double issue). recorded mostly in 2010 with the help of one rebecca h. who sings & shouts along, as well as helped to co-write some songs, and add instrumentation. overall grand collection in true mcalister form. songs suffer from the falling apart treatment - rag tag explosion & electric snap and buzz. subjects revolve around the "triangle state" of south carolina as well as food products, backwoods exploration, and of course bodies of water. overall very raucous, though on a few songs, the sleeves are rolled down, and some heart shines through. especially on "tourism is dead" and  "hugor" the later which pulls from an old folk melody - or so i think - its very recognizable, yet hard to exactly pin down. complete with kazoo and mumblings. may be one of my favorites in recent memory. 

also just released is "enthralling pop songs and attempts at jazz" credited to c. mcalister and sagging sandcastle. collected recordings from 2010-2013 which contains some songs from various lathed plastic plates which came out over the past couple years. there were about 4 or 5 of these released cut by rah rah records, and put out on a few different labels in very small editions. as cool as the lathes were/are - the quality was pretty crackly. so its nice to have some of those in better quality. as the title states, this collection showcases songs closer to the pop form, but again, deconstructed as always. solid catchy tunes that it seems would win anyone over. not exactly sure what attempts at "jazz" are made, but many of the songs on the b side include trumpet via celie d. who executes non pitch perfect blow-alongs that fit perfectly with mcalisters demented strum and hoot. these are the newer songs on this collection, and its always exciting to see the constant change in style and playing that happens from release to release. 

anyone with pen and paper (or now a paypal account) should write to spew geyser and explore some of the best clatter junked song writing around. and do it quick. you never know how long charlies records will be available, or how quickly the man himself will disappear and retreat to the bogs and inlets. spew geyser also has releases from other tape vets : furniture huschle & caleb fraid, and is currently working on a compilation which will be sure to showcase all over madness via many folks, calling in from the sewers to the highrises all across this great and odd world.

SPEW GEYSER

PO Box 1156 
Clinton SC 29325
www.spewgeyser.com

CHARLIE MCALISTER - "COLD WAVES" - C30 - (SPACE CULT)

if you plunder your resources both electronically & in print, from the last couple decades you may find some words here and there throughout the sub-underground about the crazed madman antics of one c. mcalister. its the stuff that legends are born from, or so it seems. since the mid 1980s up until present day charlie has been constantly churning out his own brand of what-have-you glory on many a micro-label and beyond. his discography could fill a gin tub, with upwards of 80 or so tapes, records, cds, books, videos, jars of sauce, experiments...not to mention drawings, paintings, performances, etc. etc.
he smears and blows spontaneous creative juices like a rabid dog, and throughout the years he never seems to falter, constantly re-arranging his art. many seem to dub his music "folk" - which is accurate if you take it in the sense of storysongs by and for the people. if there was still a real sense of oral tradition these days, the bog man could rival john henry. its true his mainstay of instrument choices usually consist of the banjo, acoustic guitar, violin, etc...but they seem either handcrafted or inflicted with dry rot. what mcalister does exceptionally well is deconstruct pop melody and craft his own self described psych dixie music. and it dosent end there...the influences are vast, and often times change from release to release.

mcalister also compiles from time to time works of sound collage, and cold waves is one such release.
the thing about this release is, although new, if you have been following his output - this thing has seen the light of day at least three times over the years. cold waves keeps cropping up. it leads me to belive this album has been in a constant state of flux. additions and subtractions. new cover images replace the old, which still seem to bleed through on the xerox. previous track listings scrawled over. new catalog numbers...
well it seems that it has reached some sort of apex with charlie dubbing it under his new label moniker space cult (previously tar owl / previously flannel banjo) - and what you get is a wild ride shifting spasticly all over many terrains. re-worked audio detritus. hypnotic rhythms from which no samplers were used. everything is as organic as dirt. skipping records made from various household ingredients being applied, and actually occasionally being constructed of said ingredients. meat, asbestos, wood, metal. interlaced are the sounds of horns, organs, steel drum, boxes and cans. you name it. both brooding and soothing.
and quite different from other mcalister releases. it may have taken four or five years for this cassette to become fully realized, but it has been well worth the wait.
my suggestion : reach on into that satchel, pull out a few clams, put them in an envelope, and mail it off into
the abyss. in a fortnight you are sure to receive a mangled manila envelope full of sweat and goodness.
C. MCALISTER : PO BOX 20095 / CHARLESTON, SC / 29413

and if you are feeling like frying plenty of past releases are still available if you know where to look.
i would recommend starting with : DOORMAT TX, UNREAD, LITTLE MAFIA & TICK-TOCK.

CHARLIE McALISTER "Turn of the Century Photograph"(Unread Records) C30

UPDATE: 3/10/10 - I am pleased to announce that a handful of songs from this cassette will be coming out on Charlie's first release for Feeding Tube Records: "Country Creamed/Victorian Fog" LP.

I first heard Charlie McAlister on a mix tape. "What is this demented rockabilly jam with all that fucked up banjo"? Sounded straight out of a "God knows when" time vortex. "A Hasil Adkins outake"? "Oh this was made last year"? Cool! The next encounter was the song "Sleep Walking" from an obscure 7" from the once published Whump Magazine that also featured Caroliner and a bunch of other great 90's stuff. Even cooler! Pop music with absolutely crucial organ sound and reedy vocals. Thus began the search to aquire more of the records and tapes McAlister has made throughout the years, and continues to make to this day. Many of these remain in print.

I'm choosing to review the decade old "Turn of the Century Photograph" tape because it offers a solid introduction to the McAlister catalog. It doesn't go as far out as some of his more collage-based recordings, but it has some really amazing skewed-pop gems. "Bog Man" has a mummy coming back to life to terrorize a small village, "Girls in the Big Parade 1917" has a wonderful WWI feel, and "Plantation of Pain" is just pure postbellum magic. If you haven't figured it out yet, McAlister creates true American folk music. It is the way he twists old stories and symbols into nearly incomprehensible new versions that has made him a legend of underground music for the last couple decades. The tape also has a very long and bizarre play about fried sandwiches at the end of the B side.

When I finally met the man, outside of his "Fire Ant Mound" in Charleston, SC, he took me 45 minutes down some railroad tracks and then told me and my compadre that he was going to cut our heads off. C. McAlister has a thirst for blood and it shows in his desperate recordings and works of art, which all come highly recommended.


"Turn of the Century Photograph" available from
http://www.unread-records.com (catalog #12)

You can get much more of Charlie's work at his website:
http://www.zen-grafix.com/charliemcalister/