Got news to report? An event to promote? Submit your press release to Choler. Send e-mail to: news@choler.com Recent News GETTING TO BE AN IRREGULAR THING May 17, 2004 Funny things happen when you run a Webzine as a passion, not as a living. One of those things happens to be that the site may grow dark / stale / untended for long periods of time as the tenders (?) tend to personal matters. Some are laid low by disease. Other are struck down by raw capitalistic greed. Still others ... well, we're not that big. There aren't that many others. What makes it all funny, and not tragic, is that we bounce back whenever the spirit moves us. You can bet that, when the jobs begin driving us crazy, when we get our strength up, or when we just happen to hear some record that blows our balls off, we dust off the keyboard, turn off the Chappelle's Show re-runs and start a-typin'. And Lordy, there's been a surge in all three of late. Did you hear that new Modest Mouse album? See Sage Francis level the crowd at Coachella? Feel the power of Babyland at any of their recent LA or Bay Area shows? We did, and it'll take a damn long while to get the slack out of our jaws. During that time, Devendra Banhart might release 6 more CDs! Until then ... Choler's back for a new Spring season. Pull yer knickers up, y'all. DIAMANDA GALAS: U.S. RELEASES OF NEW ALBUMS May 17, 2004 You can call her the Bride of Satan if you like ... just, try not to do it to her face. She's really quite nice! Diamanda Galas, perhaps the last artist on earth who actually cares about political causes that don't look sexy on the cover of Time, will finally see her two most recent works -- La Serpenta Canta and Defixiones, Will and Testament -- released by Mute Records in the U.S. long, long after dropping abroad. The two albums, the first since 1998's Malediction & Prayer, will arrive on July 27, delivering a much anticipated recorded dose of what Ms. Galas has been touring over the past 6 years. Of the two, La Serpenta Canta may prove the more immediately accessible, reprising as it does Galas's formiddable strengths as an interpreter of familiar blues (Blind Lemon Jefferson's "See That My Grave is Kept Clean") and jazz (Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman") songs. Long used by Galas as a means of playing live in venues unadventurous enough to mount her grander productions, performances of Serpenta have brought the Diamanda of The Singer and Malediction to audiences around the world while helping to fund development of the more challenging Defixiones. This latter work presents Galas at her most forceful, delivering a harrowing study of the Aremnian genocide (of whom Galas has been a vocal champion) by Ataturk alongside the grieving wails of desaparacedos from around the world: South America, the Middle East, even the United States. Galas will follow the albums' release with a performance at Portland State University's Time-Based Art festival in September. SHADOWS FALL'S BRIAN FAIR CHATS WITH CHOLER January 24, 2004 During a well-deserved respite from a grueling tour schedule which included MTV2's highly successful Head Banger's Ball tour, Shadows Fall's vocalist Brian Fair took time to speak to Choler's Hannah McLamb concerning the tour, Dio, and Waffle House. The interview is part of Choler's special follow-up look at MTV2's maiden voyage of HeadBanger's Ball, which took good old American heavy metal to Charlotte, NC. After you ponder Brian's pearls of wisdom, be sure to check out Choler's photo gallery of Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, and Shadow's Fall tearing up the stage at Charlotte's Tremont Music Hall. Check out the interview. NEXT MONTH: LIPGLOSS and ELECTRICITY - Choler's Hannah and Allan get an induction into the kinky world of SingleCell Production's premiere fetish show - Purgatory. Baptism by fire, baby. KITTIE INTERVIEW & WEBCAST November 25, 2003 We squeezed our brains dry trying to think up a list of songs that would go well with America's annual festival of overeating, and we came up empty -- so we've decided to start our very own Thanksgiving musical tradition this year by giving everyone something to be thankful for: a full weekend of Kittie. Starting Wednesday, November 26 at ~ Noon PST, we'll be posting our interview with Kittie's lead singer / songwriter, Morgan Lander. And, as a bonus, we'll be webcasting the audio from the interview, along with selected tracks from Kittie's albums, Spit and Oracle on Radio Futurismo!, one of our Web radio stations. The interview will run on a 24-hour loop through Monday evening -- so you'll have plenty of chances to tune in and rock out. You'll need to be a registered user of Live365 to tune in -- but don't fret! Registration is free, quick and painless. Take care of it now so you can tune in the second we launch the Webcast. HANZEL UND GRETYL LIVE SHOTS November 24, 2003 Hot off the USB cable, we've got several shots taken during Hanzel und Gretyl's recent show with the Genitorturers at Jesters in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Click a link to view: HuGging Backstage #1 HuGging Backstage #2 On stage #1 On stage #2 On stage #3 On stage #4 On stage #5 Vas Kallas beckons ... Vas gives us the evil eye Vas gets down Vas grinds Vas shakes it like a Polaroid picture Loopy #1 Loopy #2 Loopy up close Bass in your face We'll have a full interview with HuG as well as a review of the show coming soon -- stay tuned! QUESTION CAVE, STAY FAITHFULL November 23, 2003 For all his fascination with the baroque and the broke-down, Nick Cave is, apparently, hip to this new "Internet" thing. To wit: he'll be answering fan questions via e-mail, and posting the dialogues to his official Website. You can send your queries to the dark and gangly one now by e-mailing info@mutehq.co.uk. Perhaps you can simply send along a hearty "Congrats!" to Bad Seed Mick Harvey, whose soundtrack to the film, "Australian Rules" just scored a Australian Recording Industry Association award for "Best Original Soundtrack for Film and Television." Fans can also expect some new material from Cave in the near future. He's just wrapped up a collaboration with Marianne Faithful on her new album, The Mystery of Love, turning in 3 songs that he co-wrote and recorded with Faithfull and fellow Bad Seeds Warren Ellis, Jim Sclavunos and Martin P Casey. Faithfull's album will also include 5 tracks co-written with PJ Harvey and collabs, with Blur's Damon Albarn and Los Angeles-based studio phenom Jon Brion. Expect the new album in March, 2004. NEW CONTENT ON THE WAY November 20, 2003 Yes, we know. It's been a while. We hope you've been well. You're looking good. Have you lost weight? We've been busy as all hell (albeit, not on Choler) -- hence, nice, long, embarassing stretches without updates. That's all changing as the '03 starts winding down, however. We've wiped the cobwebs off of ye olde FTP program, and you can expect a flurry of new content to start blasting onto the site any day now, including revealing interviews with metal phenoms Kittie, Wagnerian rivetheads Hanzel und Gretyl, reviews of new albums and music DVDs and more. A few things here and there might change as well. The way we handle news is clearly due for a change, given the explosion of blogging -- so expect things to get a bit more, shall we say, personal. That said -- here's to a productive Winter. Feel free to drop us a line if you have any comments or questions about the site. Please feel to drop dead if you're planning to send us e-mail shilling for pr0n, herbal viagra, penile enhancements or crazy Nigerian money laundering schemes. WESLEY WILLIS: R.I.P. August 22, 2003 Choler is very sad to report that outsider artist/musician Wesley Willis passed away today following a year-long battle with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and other serious health problems. According to a note from Alternative Tentacles (his sometime record label), the exact cause of his death remains unknown at this time, although Willis's health had been in rapid decline in the wake of emergency surgery this past June. Willis was beloved by music fans and a growing cadre of musicians alike, who often turned up as subjects of his uniquely hilarious and harrorowing songs, which also documented his lifelong struggles against chronic schizophrenia (what he called his "demons"). A large man in both body in spirit, he was known as much for his affectionate behavior as for his prolific songwriting output (he had released over 50 albums during his relatively short career), and often greeted close friends and fans with a gentle head butt. We're deeply sorry to see him go -- he was a flash of genius in an often dark musical landscape, and he brought only joy to many, many music fans. There was and will never be anyone quite like him. Rock over London. Rock on Chicago. We all know Wesley is whupping a lion's ass in heaven right now. Show some love: send someone a Wesley Willis lyric today! CRANES LIVE ALBUM READY May 12, 2003 For those of you who've managed to miss the fabulous British dream pop band Cranes every single time they've come around (and for those of you who are as intoxicated by their live sound as by their albums), the time for rejoicing is at hand. The band announced today via newsletter that its first-ever live album is now available for ordering through the band's official Website, and will begin shipping on May 14. Recorded in Italy during the band's tour to support Future Songs, the album spans the band's career, including favorites like "Jewel," "Paris and Rome" and "Lilies" alongside newer tracks. As a bonus, the first 200 people to order the album will receive it signed by all members of the group. If you want to wait for the album to hit stores, prepare to sit for a month or more -- it hits the UK on June 23, the US in July and France in September. September! Take that, Frenchies! YOU'VE GOT FOETUS IN YOUR TOWN May 12, 2003 Jim "Foetus" Thirlwell (he of the deep growl and uncanny mastery of every known musical instrument) will be hitting the roads of Europe this month with his new project, Baby Zizanie, a new experiment in cacophony which he co-perpetrates with former Cop Shoot Cop / Phylr alum Jim Coleman. The two will be tearing a path from Dresden in the North to Barcelona in the South and touching many points between throughout the merry month of May. A full list of dates may be found at the official Foetus Website. And yes, BZ will make a US appearance -- exactly one. They'll take part in the Bang On A Can 2003 Marathon in New York City on June 15, performing alongside the might John Zorn, DJ Spoooky and many, many others between 1 p.m. and 11 p.m. Catch 'em if you can! ANGELS OF LIGHT: NEW ALBUM & TOUR DATES March 22, 2003 The third album from Michael Gira's post-Swans ensemble, The Angels of Light, has finally made its way out of production and into the world of commerce. Entitled Everything is Good Here/Please Come Home, the album may be purchased online directly through both Amazon and Gira's distributor of choice, Revolver USA. Orders through the Young God Records Website have been "temporarily disabled" while Gira -- who packages, signs and mails these orders personally -- rehearses for and embarks upon the upcoming Angels of Light U.S. Tour. Dates for that tour, with opening act Devendra Banhart, may be found at the Young God site. On the fence about seeing the band live or picking up the album? Let Jim "Slackjaw" Knipfel make up your mind for you: "With this latest album, Gira proves again that hešs a rarity amongst musicians (especially of the underground variety). Hešs been able to go from fronting the Loudest Band in the World (which sometimes seemed to be that way for the sheer sake of being the Loudest Band in the World) to fronting one of the most interesting, subtle and intelligent experimental ensembles around. And for all that, theyšre still mighty grim!" ROCK THE VOTE AWARDS February 9, 2003 Rock the Vote and MTV have announced the lineup for this year's 10th Annual Rock the Vote Awards, being held in New York City on Saturday, February 22 at 7:00 pm. This year's event will feature performances from Escapologist Robbie Williams and Revolverlutionists Public Enemy, along with Grammy nominees Vanessa Carlton and Flaming Lips, proving that there is no such thing as an excessively eclectic setlist. Rock the Vote was born in 1990 with the goal of empowering young people to utilize their role in the political process. To date they have registered over 3 million people to vote, and have made tremendous strides in educating voters young and old on social and political issues. The Rock the Vote Awards were created in 1993 in memory of Patrick Lippert, the organization's first Exeuctive Director, upon his 1993 death from AIDS complications. This year's ceremony takes place at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, with sponsorship from Old Spice, L'Oreal, T-Mobile, and 7-Up, all of whom threatened me with more of their commercials if I didn't mention them here. Along with the performances from Williams, Carlton, Flaming Lips and Public Enemy, PE's own Chuck D will receive the 2003 Rock the Vote Founders Award for his ongoing contributions to community service and to such organizations as Rock the Vote, the National Urban League, and the National Alliance of African American Athletes. It should also be noted that Mista Chuck has been one of the strongest proponents of artists reclaiming the master recordings of their work and distributing their music online; his Rapstation.com website has set a high bar for other activist musicians to follow. In addition, Peter Gabriel and Alanis Morissette will receive special awards at the fete. Gabriel is being recognized for his work with WITNESS, a project that provides human rights activists with videocameras and communications technology in order to document their findings, along with the extensive work he has done for Amnesty International over the years. Meanwhile, Morissette's honor stems from her many benefit concerts, aiding such organizations as The Act to Reduce Hunger, The John Lennon Tribute Concert, and Music Without Borders. While musicians are not meant to be inherently political figures, both Gabriel and Morissette have successfully used their positions as public figures to forward agendas that reinforce basic human rights and recognize basic human dignity, and it is a pleasure to see such work recognized. Tickets for the Rock the Vote Awards are available via the Blue Room Group at 310-491-1401. VIP tickets can be had for $500, while individual tickets run $150 a pop. It may be a steep price -- but for those who can swing it, it truly does make a difference in educating our nation's young people on the rights and responsibilities that voting confers. Whether or not you believe that children are our future, do consider attending what looks to be a truly amazing show. Further details are available at http://www.rockthevote.org. NICK CAVE "NOCTURAMA" COUNTDOWN January 21, 2003 Folks chomping at the bit the get their hands and ears on the forthcoming Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album, Nocturama, can scrape up some momentary satisfaction from the official Nick Cave Web site. New content -- including photos and streaming videos -- related to the new album will post to the site every day from now until the album's European release on February 3 (it will appear in the U.S. on February 11). Billed as a return-to-form of sorts for the Bad Seeds, which recently veered away from its post-punk roots in order to explore Nick Cave's ongoing fascination with ballads and love songs, Nocturama promises to restore some of the band's once fiery glory while retaining just enough of its newfound maturity to keep it relevant. If you're just looking to get a quick listen to the album before plunking down your hard-earned dollars for a copy, you can access streams of varying quality for each of the album's 10 songs on the Website's front page. Nocturama can also be pre-ordered now from Amazon.com. ZED TREY IN FULL EFFECT January 7, 2003 One week into the New Year, and Choler is BACK with a whole new slate of updates. We're kicking off the zero-three with two major features -- our yearly roundup of top-notch recordings, and a movie review (Choler's first!) on Daniel Bitton's very sympathetic documentary on outsider artist Wesley Willis. Coming later in the week, keep an eye out for our latest featured artist, updates to Choler's radio stations, new record reviews and more! Returning to the subject of movie reviews, this represents an entirely new venture for Choler. We now have an editor on staff handling only film-related content. If you're a director, screenwriter, actor, producer or publicist looking to get some press -- a review? an interview? something else? -- drop him a line at film@choler.com. His motto is "No movie too small, no junket too big," so we imagine he'll take your call. Or e-mail. Or fruit basket. Whichever. STEREOLAB'S MARY HANSEN DIES December 11, 2002 Choler regretfully passes along news that Stereolab singer / keyboardist / guitarist Mary Hansen died Monday, Dec. 9 after being hit by a car while riding her bicycle in London. She was 36. A note on the band's official Web site stated simply, " We will all miss her dearly," while Launch cites an official statement from the group, reading, "The suddenness of her death has shocked the band. Mary was a special person. Our thoughts are with her family and friends who will miss her greatly." Hansen, a native of Australia, joined Stereolab in 1992, 2 years after the group's formation, and contributed to 8 of their full-length albums. Her vocals, which often served as a lilting harmonic counter-point to front woman Laetitia Sadier's singing, helped define the band's unique sound. She will be buried next week in her hometown of Mayborough, Brisbane. Choler extends its deepest condolences to Stereolab and to Mary's friends, family and fans. ROOTS AND COMMON ONLINE November 26, 2002 With new albums hitting stores this week, both The Roots and Common have hit the net with streaming videos for their latest singles. They're even serving the goods up in multiple formats and at multiple bitrates. When you tell these gents to flex, they flex! Roots: Break You Off Quicktime: 56k Broadband Real: 56k Broadband Common: Come Close Quicktime  Real WORSHIP THE REFLECTING GOD November 21, 2002 That ever-mutating, ever-vamping, heavily-made-up scapegoat of lazy politicians everywhere, Marilyn Manson, has just hit the 'net with a new live video for his song, "The Reflecting God." The clip, taken from his recently released concert DVD, Guns, God and Government, is available for your viewing pleasure in a variety of streaming video bitrates -- just click the link that suits your bandwidth and drink deep from the fount of grotesquery: T3, T1 / DSL / Cable, 56k. Click here to pick up a copy of the GG&G DVD. Manson also makes another appearance on the net today, popping up in director Tony Scott's (True Romance) BWMFilms short, Beat The Devil, alongside Gary Oldman (yeah ... we can see that) and James Brown (say wha?). Visit the BMWFilms Website to check it out. RADIO AND REGISTRATION November 20, 2002 A note to all those who tune in to Choler's 'net radio stations. Our host, Live365, will soon begin requiring listeners to register and log-in to their system before connecting to streams via their Web site. This is a slight inconvenience, we realize, although their player / playlist interface makes it simple for returning users to login -- and registration is 100 % free. If you're not a registered Live365 user, you can head to http://www.live365.com/registration/ to sign up now. NOTE: We do not believe that this will affect listeners who connect to stations strictly through WinAMP or other streaming audio tools, bypassing the Live365 Website and playlist window. To that end, you can still download a WinAMP playlist for Choler's stations by clicking here. JARBOE LIVE WEBCAST November 3, 2002 Ex-Swan -- and now flourishing solo -- vocalist / keyboardist Jarboe will play a one-off show on November 14 at San Francisco's DNA Lounge as part of Neurot Recordings' 4-night Beyond the Pale Festival (which will also feature performances by Low, Robert Rich and Neurot Recordings patriarchs Neurosis / Tribes of Neurot). For those who cannot make the show in person to bask in all of J's forceful radiance, the kind folks at the DNA will be providing a Webcast of the performance, which you can observe by surfing to the club's Web site at www.dnalounge.com. Jarboe has already hammered out a setlist for the performance, and has posted it to the Artery section of her Living Jarboe Web site at www.thelivingjarboe.com. Break a leg, Jarboe! Following the performance, Jarboe will take part in two collaborative projects: RAPTOR, with Kris Force of Amber Asylum; and a duet on the song "Dirty Love" with Percy Howard for his forthcoming solo album. She will then, presumably, resume work on her much-anticipated MEN album, which features duets between her and several male vocalists -- among them, Jim "Foetus" Thirlwell -- before jetting off to Europe for a spate of dates with Italian avant-rockers Larsen (whose last album was procduced by Jarboe's ex-Swans band mate, Michael Gira. MONO-CHROME DEMO DOWNLOADS October 26, 2002 Mono-Chrome, the dark electronic music combo formed last May by Clint Sand of cut.rate.box and vocalist Victoria Lloyd of Claire Voyant and HMB, have posted 10 clips from the demos to its forthcoming album, Collapse and Sever, to its Web site. The clips run approximately a minute-and-a-half apiece, and are designed to give listeners a good idea of what the full album will sound like once it's released in early 2003. Also, somewhat in keeping with America's current election season, Mono-Chrome is also offering listeners the chance to vote on their favorite demo. (Goth the vote, anyone?) CHRIS CONNELLY LIVE SHOW ONLINE October 26, 2002 Post-industrial troubadour Chris Connelly, flush from his recent U.S. tour alongside Meg Lee Chin and VooDou, has just posted MP3s and photos from his recent appearance at Jaxx in Springfield, Virginia, to his official Web site. If you missed the tour -- or if you just want to re-live the joy of seeing ol' Chris in all his crooning glory, drop by and make with the downloading. LIVE FROM DEATH ROW October 7, 2002 Two death penalty-related stories today. First up, alternative rock icon Henry Rollins begins a self-proclaimed "media blitz" today in support of Rise Above, an album of Black Flag covers performed by Rollins and a long roster of special guests, from Chuck D and Iggy Pop to Ryan Adams and Ice-T. Sales of the album will benefit the West Memphis 3 (Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin), a trio of young men convicted and sent to death row for the murder of three young boys. HBO's "Paradise Lost" documentaries have called the evidence against the WM3 into serious question, however, motivating Rollins and others lend their voices to a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the WM3's plight, and urging a re-examination of the case. To mark the release of Rise Above (which may be purchased NOW from 2.13.61 and should arrive in stores on October 8), Rollins is hitting television and radio airwaves like a Hank-shaped freight train. Look for him on tonight's episode of ABC's The Drew Carey Show, and keep an ear tuned to your local radio carrier of RockLine, where Henry will appear for the program's first hour. You can hear a Webcast of the show at KSAN.com. Finally, Rollins will conclude his aerial assault with an appearance on LoveLine, airing at 10:00 p.m. PST. Also today, word has arrived that Florida Governor Jeb Bush has scheduled the execution of Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute sentenced to death for a series of murders committed in 1989 and 1990. Wuornos has continually claimed self-defense in the killings, holding that each of her victims had attempted to sexually assault her. Acclaimed singer Diamanda Galas dedicated the song "Iron Lady," (from Malediction and Prayer) to Wuornos. VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE DJ September 19, 2002 DJ Magazine has announced its yearly "Top 100 DJs" poll -- and, as usual, they're giving you a say in the matter. Pick up a copy of the latest issue (on newstands now) to enter your picks or, if you're a slave to convenience (aren't we all), head over to their handy online voting form and fill in your top 5. AUDRA TOUR WINDS DOWN September 19, 2002 If you haven't had a chance to catch gothpop-phenoms-on-the-rise Audra during their recent West Coast outings, you're in luck -- the tour coasts to a stop this week following 3 dates across the southwest: Saturday, September 21 -- Vaudeville Cabaret -- Tucson, AZ Saturday, September 28 -- Bar Sinister -- Hollywood, CA Sunday, September 29 -- Ipso Facto -- Fullerton, CA DISSECTED JARBOE AVAILABLE NOW August 7, 2002 Ex-Swans vocalist / keyboardist Jarboe is now taking pre-orders for her limited edition remix project, Dissected, through her Living Jarboe Website. The album features radical reworkings of Jarboe tracks as performed by an impressive roster of experimental / electronic artists, including Lustmord, Necrofix's Bildeaux, and PCP. The album also features two previously unreleased tracks by Jarboe herself, and will come packaged with a special, limited edition signed print of the drawing "The Nailed Heart." "I believe in the power of the internet," Jarboe wrote recently on her Website of Dissected's release, "and the idea that as a vocalist/musician I can take my work directly to the people who are interested in it without the outside concern of putting work into slots." It's an idea that's gaining increasing momentum among musicians, both label-affiliated and non, perhaps best evidenced by a recent pair of essays posted by '70s folk singer / songwriter Janis Ian to her Website. Show your support for musical independence! Get Dissected today. SEATTLE RIVETHEADS PLAY MUSICWERKS BENEFIT July 30, 2002 Some of Seattle's finest industrial groups will turn out Friday, August 2 at The Catwalk in Seattle, Wash. to play a benefit show for the indie record store, Musicwerks, which was heavily damaged in a fire on July 28. The concert's lineup includes local powerhouses Assemblage 23 and SMP, as well as Converter, Glis, Static Engine, Manufactura and Tau Factor. Musicwerks, cited by Metropolis Records as a "driving force" in Seattle's gothic / industrial / experimental music scenes, faces an uncertain future in the wake of the July 28 blaze. While items such as CDs were covered by the store's fire insurance, the store endured un-covered losses to non-retail items as well as a vast store of musical and electrical equipment. The damages could have larger ramifications for the Seattle scene, as Musicwerks' Mike Wimer also runs the independant record label ADSR. Doors at the Catwalk will open at 8:00 p.m. Entrance will cost you $10, and you must be 21+ with ID to attend. Click here for more details and to purchase tickets. UNDERWORLD TAKES A HUNDRED DAYS OFF July 23, 2002 The British duo Underworld is currently gearing up to release its latest album, the first since 2001's live Everything, Everything CD/DVD. Entitled A Hundred Days Off, the album is set top drop in the the U.S. on September 24, to be followed in October by a spate of as yet to be disclosed live dates. Perhaps most significantly, the album features the first set of new material composed by the group without Darren Emerson, who departed in 2000 to pursue his burgeoning DJ career. To mark the launch of the new album, the group has set up a new Website at http://www.underworld-jbo.com, at which you can check out AHO's cover art, read up on the boys and their adventures in hi-fi, check out video and audio (both currently categorized as, "Coming Soon"), participate in an online discussion group and, of course, purchase merchandise! Do visit. For more info. on the new album, keep your eyes and ears on Choler. We'll be chatting with vocalist Karl Hyde in the next week about the past, present and future of Underworld. And you can tune in now to Choler Radio: Phuture Beats to hear 2 tracks from the new album: "Mo Move" and the album's first single, "Two Months Off." SURROUNDED BY NON July 18, 2002 Mute Records brings us word that Prince of Mischief Boyd Rice will unveil a new NON project on August 20. Entitled, Children of the Black Sun, the album will presumably feature the same sorts of subversive sound scultpuring that has made NON a seminal force in underground music and the scourge of dinner parties everywhere. Even more frightening, the CD will come packaged with a DVD featuring a 5.1 mix of the music. As the Mute press release cleverly cautions, "Don't turn off the lights - Boyd is all around!" Mute has a busy release schedule planned. Beyond the Boyd Rice shenanigans, look for the much anticipated release of Paul van Dyk's DVD, PVD DVD, LIARS' They Threw Us All in a Ditch and Stuck a Monument On Top on August 20, former Bad Seed Barry Adamson's latest, The King of Nothing Hill on September 7, Schneider's Zoomer on August 20, and Tarwater's Dwellers on the Threshold on September 3. All told, that's a whole lotta reasons to hit your local record shop -- or, hey! Amazon.com! -- and spend those heard earned ducats. ROLLINS DOES WEST MEMPHIS 3 BENEFITS June 25, 2002 Unlike Choler, alternative rock icon Henry Rollins is never one to take any sort of break, be it from his punishing schedule of live appearances or from his grueling recording regimen. It's also well-known that Hank's sense of justice and fair play won't leave him alone -- and that's what's lit the fire beneath his latest series of projects, all benefitting a trio of convicted murderers known as the West Memphis 3. Why would Rollins hit the boards to help clear the names of three imprisoned felons? Because there's a lot more to their case than the initial verdict might reveal -- enough, in fact, to call their convictions into question. Rollins has joined the campaign to prove their innocence, and is doing what he does best to raise awareness of their plight: playing benefit shows, recording a benefit CD, and offering two video documentaries about the case for sale on his record company's Website. While the benefit show (which took place in conjunction with a fundraising auction) has come and gone, the benefit CD is still in production, and will feature, "a bunch of great Black Flag songs with a bunch of great singers doing the vocals" Rollins noted in a recent newsletter. Motorhead scion Lemmy, Queens of the Stone Age and Ice-T have all been reported as participants, with more on the way. Additionally, Rollins has made two documentaries -- Paradise Lost I and II -- on the WM3 case available for sale on the 2.13.61 Records Website. For more information on the West Memphis 3 and their case, please visit their Website at www.wm3.org. WE'RE STILL HERE June 25, 2002 About twice a year, Choler's staff is forced to put the 'zine on hiatus. Well, "forced" is a bit strong. More accurately, we meander into an unofficial work stoppage, usually precipitated by a radical increase in our individual day job workloads and / or an uptick in our personal life activities. Choler is pure music / art / lit geek volunteerism made flesh (or, erm, digits), and occasionally, we have to put down the paint brushes and pick up the pickaxes in order to pay the rent. Our art editor, for example, recently landed a full-time teaching gig. Our editor in chief work in the consumer products division of GameSpy Industries, which recently released a major new version of its flagship software. The upshot? Choler is still here, and we've returned from our hectic periods of income raising to once again hoist high the flag of indie media. The privilege is all yours, we're sure. Thanks for sticking around, those of you who've stuck. The rest of yuns, well, you're always welcome back, as long as Choler is open (and, trust us -- we don't plan on closing anytime soon). SAVE INTERNET RADIO May 7, 2002 Time is quickly running out for you -- yes YOU -- to weigh in on an issue of life or death importance for Internet radio. On May 21, the United States Copyright Office will decide whether or not to accept a recent recommendation by the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) concerning the royalty rates that Internet radio broadcasters pay for the privilege of using copyrighted music in their streams. Many Webcasters believe that the proposed royalty rate -- 1/14 of 1 cent per song, per listener due retroactively to October, 1998 -- will make Webcasting financially unfeasible. When multiplied out by the number of listeners and songs that average Webcasters serve, the proposed rate could add up to multiple thousands of dollars up front, with thousands more due every month in royalty fees alone for each Webcaster. This will drive most Webcasters (by and large bedroom hobbyists NOT earning revenue or profit from their endeavors) offline. It will even exact a heavy toll on corporate Webcasting outfits (like Choler Radio's host, Live365), which foot the bills for its members in exchange for advertising space on their streams. None of these businesses have achieved profitability yet, and still rely on an influx of tenuous venture capital to stay afloat. To add insult to injury, the CARP recommendation set a far lower royalty rate for corporate radio broadcasters that simulcast their content online -- an unconscionable decision, given that broadcasters are already exempt from paying royalties on the music they send out over the airwaves. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Visit the Save Internet Radio Website to get more information on the issue and to obtain the e-mail and snail mail addresses of your local Congress persons. Contact your elected officials and the Librarian of Congress and let them know that you want the Copyright Office to set aside the CARP recommendations on May 21. Pressure your local media to cover the issue. Speak out. Don't just listen. Don't just sign another meaningless Internet petition. MOVE on this issue, and help keep Internet radio alive and prosperous. R.I.P. FRANK TOVEY April 5, 2002 -- 10:00 a.m. PST Electronic music pioneer Frank Tovey, better know to his fans as Fad Gadget, died Wednesday, April 3 at his home in London. His death was the result of heart failure, the culmination of heart problems that he'd faced since childhood. Tovey began making his indelible mark on the electronic music scene in late '70s / early '80s London, where he established himself in the Electronic Movement, as a peer of groups like Cabaret Voltaire and The Normal. In 1979, he became the first act (as Fad Gadget) to sign to Daniel Miller's Mute Records label -- now home to acts as diverse and challenging as Depeche Mode, Einsturzende Neubauten, Richie Hawtin, Diamanda Galas, Moby, and Boyd Rice of Non (with whom he recorded the album Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing), all of whom owe a debt to Tovey's pioneer spirit. His Fad Gadget singles "'Ricky's Hand," "Fireside Favourites" and "Collapsing New People" broke new ground as cunning blends of electronic experimentalism and dance-floor friendly beats, charting a course for the electronic music scene as we now know it. From the mid-'80s on, Tovey recorded and released under his own name, dropping Fad Gadget as moniker, but maintaining his commitment to creating challenging music that drew from a wide range of influences. Most recently, he toured Europe with Depeche Mode, and was recording new material for an upcoming Mute release. He will be sorely missed. PROJEKT: FESTIVALS, NEW LYCIA, AND MORE! February 26, 2002 -- 8:15 a.m. PST Lotsa things happening over in the Projekt Records camp at the moment -- things that every good goth / industrialite / ethereal music fan should make note of. First up, the label's three day ProjektFest is rapidly approaching. Set for Memorial Day weekend (May 24 - 26) in Philadelphia, the event aims to bring together the very best of goth culture for three days of revelling. The main focus, of course, will be music, with Projekt artists Love Spirals, Mira, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Voltaire, and Steve Roach (among others) making live appearances on all three days. The festival will also feature a "Merchant's Bazaar," where attendees will be able to shop for goth-related goods supplied by a variety of vendors. Tickets are on sale now from the ProjektFest Web site, along with information on hotels, concert venues and more. In other Projekt-related new, two of the label's most stalwart acts -- Lycia and Black Tape for a Blue Girl (label-founder Sam Rosenthal's group) -- are scheduled to drop new albums in the immediate future. Black Tape's "The Scavenger Bride" should be heading to retailers and available for purchase from the Projekt Web site) within a week or so. The new Lycia album may take a little longer -- Rosenthal is currently working on the album's packaging, and aiming at a July release date. The album should come as a total surprise to the group's fans, as Lycia announced a couple of years ago that it was throwing in the towel, and would only be putting out previously unreleased or archived material going forward.