A very special inspirational thought from us here at Brother JT Inc. on the occasion of the New Year...
10. 22.11: VIDEO. So I had an endless amount of hours to kill and the dry erase board was just laying there, so now you got this thing up there...The song is "The G's" from Non Compos Mantis. Contrary to popular opinion it has nothing to do with the hot-tub at the 4 G's.
Well, maybe a little...Funhouse show coming up Nov. 4 with BRJT3 and Fireside Blues.
9.28.11: BROTHER JT LIVE IN BRIXTON
Some video from one of the shows during Brother JT's recent UK jaunt. A thanks to all who came out and made the shows so memorable.
9:12:11: CROSSING THE POND A note to our friends on the Continent: Brother JT will be making a super rare appearance this coming Friday Sept 16 at the Incubate Festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands! After which he will be bumming around London town for a while trying to find that butler job he has always craved. As such he won't be able to send out any orders until his return the last week of September--thanks for your patience.
9.5.11: FUNHOUSE SHOW Just a heads-up on the impending Brother JT 3 show this coming Friday, Sept. 9 at the Funhouse. Hope to play music of some kind. Opening the event will be The Ambedelic, featuring the inimitable Shaun McNally (the Steeds).
7.24.11: GIGS!
Brother JT will celebrate surviving the recent heatwave with a show this coming Tues. evening July 26 at St. Bernard's Hall in S. Bethlehem. Being a school night, full-on rocking out will be curbed in favor of a slightly more subdued set of lesser played songs from the past and present, aided and abetted by drummer Jamie Knerr and guitarist Chris Marx. Also on hand will be D. Charles Speer and the Helix, We Have Heaven, and Phila.'s Dangerbird. Please come on out if'n you can.
Also coming up this week on Fri. July 29, the remaining members of the Creatures of the Golden Dawn (RIP our friend Mark Smith) under the name Consolidated Fuzz will be keeping the garage fires burning at the Funhouse, along with fellow primitives St. James and the Apostles from Phila.
Also Thur Aug 4 Brother JT 3 @ Sportsmen's Cafe in Allentown.
Also Fri Aug 12 Brother JT 3 @ The Firehouse in Bethlehem with the Gripweeds.
6.27.11: NEW VID
Not a whole heckuva alot goin on at the ranch, thought we'd post the new Tommy & Reg video, ENDGAME...
5.1.11: EL PRODUCTO NUEVO!
We at Blobco are pleased as punch to announce the publication of Brother JT's second foray into 'semi-automatic writing', Black Journal. A smaller, perfect-bound continuation of last year's Orange Journal, BJ (as we like to call it here) differs mainly in presentation: it's in b&w, 5 1/2 x 8 1/2, and mostly in typeface for readability's sake (because you don't want to miss a word of this important information--heh heh). Though not as large and dayglo as OJ, the book still has weird up the wazoo, and we've passed the savings onto you, our valued friends. Everyone should get a BJ! [everyone who is not offended by crazy stuff and swears and crudity and more crazy stuff--but why would you be here if you were?]
Like last year, a CD-R of new Brother JT music is also included with the book, in this case Non Compos Mantis. A return to real drums after last year's drumbox-dominated Any Stort In A Porm, Mantis finds the Brud continuing to stuff garage, punk, funk, country and whatever else is laying around into the ol' veg-o-matic and pressing liquefy. Here's a sample loop to give you the general idea...
:In an effort to educate a younger generation woefully misinformed on the origins and meaning of the rock and roll music, Brother JT has taken time out of his busy schedule to create the following instructional videos under the title ROCKOLOGY 101. After viewing these three seven minute clips you should be a fully certified air conditioning technician.
CHANGE IS GOO. Ah, my friends, the air's a little fresher, the sun's a little hotter, and the robin's breast is full of yummy worms. That can only mean one thing: NEW PRODUCT from Brother JT Inc! (Also 'Ye Olde Shoppe'--where these items might be obtained via PAYPAL-- has picked up and moved to this here page to your right...oh and I guess it's Spring too). We at Blobco Industries are proud to offer Mr. Brother JT's first professionally printed book, Orange Journal. It is a 134 page, 8.5 X 11, full color journey into the Broth's amusingly tortured id, by way of automatic writing/drawing and collage, while in various 'states of mind'. "I started it as a lyric workbook," explains Mr. T, "but before long I felt as if there were 'personalities' that wanted to have their say. In a way, it's more of a collaboration than anything, if only with my own subconcious." Whatever you say, there, Captain Nutball, but we here at BJT Inc. felt it was kind of beautiful in it's way and decided it should be available to the small circle of freaks who might actually get something out of it. We should add that Orange Journal is definitely not for everyone; there are PLENTY of swears and numerous images and passages that some folks might find disturbing. However, anyone familiar with BrJT's more outre ouerve (Holy Ghost Stories, Vibrolux, Descent) should find OJ to be a ripping good visual comapanion to those more subconcious-driven works. And speaking of companions, Orange Journal also includes a CDR of Brother JT's latest solo outing, Any Stort In A Porm. While not as much of a colossal mind-boink as OJ, a number of Stort's songs derive lyrics directly from the text, and the hazy overall feel of the recording dovetails nicely with the freeform nature of the book. Musically, it's probably closest in spirit to 2007's Third Ear Candy, with drum machine, synth, and songcraft taking precedent over wah-wah noise and singing in tongues, but forays into equally messed-up country, disco, and dope-hop make it a fairly unique entry in the Bruh's imposing catalog. "> And, as if that wasn't already way too much, some spring cleaning of the old garage has yielded a new batch of songs in the mangey style of JT's first band, the Original Sins. Recorded by members of Brother JT 3 in various underground caverns, Smash Crack-Up Pop is the first group of new songs to be put out under the Sins' monicker since 1999. The songs are short, the mood is righteous/pissed, and the sound is somewhere between lo- and no-fi. Imagine the Sonics, the Buzzcocks, and the MC5 are forced into a huge blender against their will, along with some Jimson Weed for binding, and then you hit 'frappe' for about 15 minutes, pour into chilled glasses and you got yourself a Spring-tini that'll put some hair in your ears, god bless ya SPIRITUALS PURCHASE HERETHIRD EAR CANDY PURCHASE HERE OFF BLUE purchase hereHANG IN THERE, BABYpurchasehere
Maybe We Should purchase hereWay To Go purchasehere Take Some More
Black Journal/Non Compos Mantis CDR
$10.00
The Brodge's second book of "Spirit Transcriptions and Advice For Living" is a spiffy, 5 1/2 X 8 1/2, 148 page, b&w expressway to the Id. Much the same in spirit as the larger, more colorful (and pricey) Orange Journal, Black Journal's main departure is the extensive use of typeface instead of direct scannings from the hand-scrawled journal, so as to make the maddening gibberish a might bit easier to read. Of course there are still some pages left un-transcribed for authenticity's sake, and many original and collages as well. Companion CDR, Non Compos Mantis, which derives many song lyrics from Black Journal, is also included.
Musical companion to Black Journal, Non Compos Mantis is considerably live-er than last year's Any Stort In A Porm, with BRJT3 drummer Jamie Knerr sitting in on most of the tracks. Runs the gamut from Sins-ish garage ("No Never", "Playmate", "Messed Up"), to sludge-hop ("Ya Ya", "Check It Out"), to bummer country ("Load Off, "Bebop"), to, uh, you get the picture. And also some stand-up comedy. 19 tracks, 46 min.
1996 Brother JT & Vibrolux album released on Siltbreeze records. Muddy, damaged concept album concerning 'CIA aliens', tele-empathy, various end of the world scenarios, metempsychosis, and of course, Planet June. Tracks include 'Comin' Out', 'Never Never/Black Helicopters', 'Grok', 'In Her Space', 'Take Infinity', among others.
130-plus page, 8.5X11, glossy, full-color, spiral bound extravaganza. Started as lyric workbook, became spirit-channeling journal of automatic writing/drawing/collage weirdness. Includes Brother JT's latest solo effort, "Any Stort In A Porm", which takes several songs' lyrics directly from the book. Numbered edition of 100.
Companion CD to "Orange Journal", available separately. Closest maybe in spirit to 2007's "Third Ear Candy" what with drum chores being provided by machine and oozing synths and dancey rhythms holding sway. But along with trip-hoppy odes to internet icons ("Hey Zwinkee") and casual supermarket attire ("Sweatpants") you will also find Roger Miller-on-shrooms country ("Howdy Ma'am","Don't Let Life Live You By"), mid-'70's disco era Bowie tributes ("I Still Like Cassettes"), Psilly Psoul ("Getting Younger", "Coney") and plain old strummy rock ("Now", "Cat Balloon"). It's starting to rain, so get one soon. 16 songs, 57 minutes.
The first batch of new Sins material in over a decade. This means the songs are mostly short, hard garage pop that call to mind apolitical, mentally challenged Clash ("Don't Know How To Live"), Beatles if they skipped their meds ("Good News Bad"), apolitical, mentally challenged MC5 ("Odd Man Out", "Go Off"), and, well, the Original Sins ("Dancey Jangler #47, "Shake 'Em If You Got 'Em", among others. More fun than a barrel. 12 songs, 35 minutes.
Brother JT 3 returns with a batch of home fried slop that will stick to your ribs like Sunday-Go-To-Meetin' puddin' and a side of blood sausage to go (if you know what I mean, because I have no idea). It helps if you have a few drinks, but what doesn't? Then take off your shoes and throw them at the TV--now youre cookin with gas!CD-R version of the vinyl-only Drag City release. Contains extra track, "Babyfat".
The Original Sins--Skeletons in the Garage vol. 2 CD-R
$5.00
In January 1988, the Original Sins recorded some two dozen songs at a marathon demo session, in preparation for their second album, The Hardest Way. While some of the songs made it onto the album, about a dozen did not. Skeletons collects those rough gems, as well as more familiar Sins songs, all commited to tape with a barn-burning rawness often missing from 'official' recordings.
(70+ min. CD-R)
A general best-of of the garage pop outfit, covering the years 1987-1997, and including all the group's hits (that they had in the alternate dimension Trimacladate II, where everyone is very nice and it rains lemonade all the time). 73 min.
[this limited pressing is a silver/silver CDR with embossed label, full-color booklet, etc.--hence, the price is a little more than for hand-burned, and a little less than for a full-on CD]
OK, there's not all that much actual music here, but then again this is VIDEO, with the eyes, and the seeing , and hey nice ladyyyy.The disc includes JT's attempt at a cooking show demo, shot for a Food Network contest about 7 months too late. He and his assistant, Lady Jane Bluebird, prepare grilled cheese, mix a drink, and create the Chocolate Peanut Butter Potato Chip (CPBPC for short). There are also commercials for Oooshy Gooshy, Schweppes, and Royal Oatmeal 2000. The main feature is Southern Discomfort, a tour doc focusing on BRJT4's jaunt through the South with Blonde Redhead circa Holy Week in the year 2000. Brother had just got a video camera and went a little crazy with the effects, but we think the resultant hazy images sum up nicely the woozy atmosphere of those long bygone days. There is significant footage of shows in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, and Dallas, and also some local color from the road, including gratuitous drinking and some guy with a cross. 80 or so minutes.
A compendium of video shorts, including the infomercial "Blendrometry", trailer for big screen blockbuster "The Couch", the comedy antics of America's favortite Shriners "Tommy & Reg", and JT's latest Sci-Fi epic, "Captain Comet", as well as some promotional music videos. So
stop squinting at Youtube and enjoy the full-screen majesty that is "Brother JT's Platinum Video Collection". Or not. (56 min. DVD-R)
When recently asked to put together an Original Sins reunion for a friend's birthday party in Brooklyn, me thought it a keen idea to also
do a recording, whilst we were all practiced up, at the studios of the legendary WFMU (see BRJT3 Smokin at WFMU below) for Brian Turner's show. Because they get such a nice, live, crunchy sound there, qualities that might have been somehwat lacking in the official versions of many earlier Sins songs (hey, it was the '80's, we were in a hurry, blah, etc., blah). The results of said recording--clocking in at an hour and including revved up versions of Sins faves and a few covers (see home page for tracklist)--we humbly offer you now in the convenient CDR form, if you are would be so inclined...
As mentioned elsewhere, Indoor Sunshine is sort of like the flipside of 2004's quietly cathartic Off Blue. But if that recording was necessarily monochromatic in tone, IS widens the palette significantly both in content and sound. Buzzing tambura loops, washes of lap steel guitar, oozing synths, flashes of mandolin and bell set all reflect the more generously colorful outlook of the songs. And the ice cream truck even stops by. 45 min. $8
[this limited pressing is a silver/silver CDR with embossed label, full-color booklet, etc.--hence, the price is a little more than for hand-burned, and a little less than for a full-on CD]
A collection of demos from 1983-2004, mostly done by BRJT solo, probably crouched over on a couch, one hand on his guitar, one hand on a gin and tonic, and one hand on the TV remote. Well, actually, some were done in an unheated practice space next to a chicken coop, among other places. But whatever the environs, Mr. T likely had plenty of time to get it 'just wrong', unlike the more prohibitive confines of expensive recording studios. Includes early versions of "Looking in My Mirror", "Lord You Are the Wine", "Inside Out", "Coca Cola", and "Road to Emmaus", as well as many
otherwise unreleased songs.
A second volume of demos recovered from cassettes found just before they spontaneously
combusted from neglect. Includes early versions of "Be With Us", "Wish I Was Here", and
"Take Infinity", as well as alot of unreleased nuggets.
The last Original Sins album, recorded in 1999, coupled with Mr. Brother's personal
favorite, the previously vinyl-only "Turn You On" LP from 1995. Features the "Original
Sins Theme", written for that Saturday morning cartoon that never quite happened.
Brother JT 3 was, of course, honored to play a set of songs for broadcast at the
studios of legendary freeform radio station WFMU (www.wfmu.org) one muggy
Sunday night back in 2002. The group showed it's happiness by pounding out an
hour-plus of overdriven soul racket, as documented here.
A collection of tracks mostly from vinyl-only Brother JT records from the 1990's,
including the Ramones-with-wah-wah experiment "Ice Cream Cone", the touching
ghost channeling ballad "Baby's Coffin", and the 15 minute "Vibrolux", named for his favorite amplifier and having to do with seeing The Eye.
The second volume of the Sins retrospective covers the garage-pop outfit's later years, after they had given up on the idea of getting signed and JT started trying to sing rather than just yelling. Tracks include "Turn You On", "Shopping Trip to Mercury", "Constellation", and "Get Right Back", as well as "Cold Winds Blow", an outtake from the Bethlehem album which features the Bruh's perhaps most shredding guitar solo to date.
Remix of Br JT's first 2 vinyl-only albums from the early '90's, originally released
on Twisted Village Records. "Descent" was a kind of garbled answer to Coltrane's "Ascension" via 20 minutes of groaning feedback supposedly depicting Christ's
descent into hell to free the saints. "Meshes of the Afternoon" was, in turn, a hazy
collage of both sunny and dark psych-pop best played after four or five wine coolers
on some summer, eh, afternoon.
Recorded in the Living Room, located in Mr. JT's, eh, living room, this side project features funked-up drum machines, phased falsetto, and dubbed-out social commentary. Abetted by the lovely Miss Jane Bluebird on bass, vocals, and bartending.
Music For The Other Head -- BRJT & Vibrolux CD or LP
$10.00
Recorded back in '95 under the influence of Sun Ra and grain alcohol. The fiery subject of "The Comet", the record's 20 minute wack-job centerpiece, actually did come a little later, with dire results for the Heaven's Gate folks.
