Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Burden Of Friendship


It seemed like 1000 years ago now , but  in the summer of 1984 while turning the dial all the way to he left i discovered underground music and culture for the first time at the ripe old age of 13.   On this night i heard Punk Rock ,Dub, Reggae Odd Jazz ,spoken word records and other  sounds you would not hear on commercial radio ever.   Experimental / Industrial  music and sound collage were the most unusual to my youthful ears back then . I was blown away that this could be on the airwaves. But all this was emanating from Chicago area radio stations :   WZRD and WNUR , 88.3 and 89.3fm respectively .  It was on WZRD particularly where i heard of  Burden Of Friendship.
B.O.F.  were a noise/sound collage unit /band who existed in Chicago from roughly 1984-1988 with off shoot groups carrying on through-out the early 90's (members still on rare occasion do sets in Chicago under other names).  The members of the group were all on-air dj's on WZRD during this time period too.  When they weren't doing their standard 'shifts' ,  (usually all on Saturdays ) they would turn the airwaves into marathon noise sound collage jams ,utilizing  conventional instruments, synthesizers , turntables and  tape loops,  as well as tools, sheet metals ,breaking glass, pipes ,ect....These would go from late afternoons 'til the wee hours of the morning many times; just bizarre radio , the likes of which i still haven't  heard on the airwaves since.  Eventually, the group played live sets around town and  'released' a few  cassettes on Panic Records by BOF founder Scott Marshall.  Edited material from the radio noise-collage 'Voidwatches' (as they were called) and private sessions at band members homes made up the material on the tapes .   A true Chicago original 'band' .

several links below shed more light on the group.........

Hopefully one of these days  I may upload some video from their live gig at Club 950 in Chicago (1985).

Also,  a box set of  'Voidwatches' would be great!   on cassette of course ,but i won't be that picky.  i have to admit though the market for that may be very, very small unfortunately..... one can hope though.



http://www.discogs.com/artist/210570-Burden-Of-Friendship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgLTyVPJs7k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkXc1dHlO2I
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpsWmAnqCWk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKnC9SRhF_U



more on B.O.F. and avant-garde  Noise music  written by my friend Arvo ....
http://music.newcity.com/2012/04/04/escape-from-noise-is-this-not-music/
                                      
                                         



         



































   old bumper sticker i unearthed that i had in the sleeve of the 'What is Truth ? Vol. 2'  Lp   (Panic Records & Tapes )                   :