Revamped All Tomorrow's Parties Fest Is A Go

The rescheduled debut of the U.S. version of Britain's experimental All Tomorrow's Parties music festival will take place over four days in mid-March in Los Angeles and will reflect the unique sensibility of guest curators Sonic Youth. "Our common denominator is, quite simply, what we like, respect or are currently into," Lee Ranaldo, guitarist of the New York-based band, said. "Between the five of us we have incredibly wide-ranging interests, and so we merely started making a 'wish list' and then saw who could make it."

The third ATP UK will go on as planned in April, this year curated by the Chicago punk combo Shellac, led by famed indie producer Steve Albini.

The U.S. festival, which begins at the University of California, Los Angeles campus on March 14 and runs through March 17, will feature important musicians from over four decades, ranging from a version of '60s proto-punks The Stooges (without Iggy, but with original guitarist Ron Asheton), to such contemporary indie acts as guitar-heavy art rockers Unwound and the underground hip-hop crew Cannibal Ox.

"We are always into helping out and seeing new artists make their way," said Ranaldo. "Mostly because it's inspiring, exciting and gives us a great rush of energy and life-affirming belief in all things good! On the newer side, we've got Peaches, Quixotic and Erase Errata, among others — all of whom should be totally hot!"

Other contemporary artists set for the fest: Neil Michael Hagerty, Bardo Pond, US Maple, White Out, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Cat Power, Eddie Vedder & His Ukelele, Tony Conrad, Christina Rosenvinge, Jackie-O Mofo, Aphex Twin, The Boredoms, Sleater-Kinney, Wilco, Papa M, Califone, Chris Lee, Pita, Bride of No No, Deerhoof, Stereolab, Dead C, Black Dice, Mad Lib, and the Fred Anderson Trio.

Sonic Youth (now a quintet that includes veteran members Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley and Ranaldo, as well as new member Jim O'Rourke) will perform on the event's final evening, Sunday, March 17. SY members will also perform separately with side projects. Thurston Moore is set to play with Nels Cline, William Winant, Merzbow and Mats Gustaffson. Kim Gordon and Jim O'Rourke will collaborate with Ikue Mori, and also Masami Akita and Russel Haswell (who together form "Satan's Tornade"). Ranaldo will perform with Kevin Drumm and Leah Singer.

Legendary cult bands slated to play include Television, Big Star and Saccharine Trust. Original Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton, together with Mike Watt (Firehose, The Minutemen) and J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.), will perform Stooges songs. Watt will also perform with his new band, The Secondmen.

The rare appearance of Destroy All Monsters will be a singular treat for many festival-goers. An anti-rock band founded in 1973 in reaction to the pretensions and complacency of 1970s pop, the Detroit-based noise deconstructionists, named after a cult-favorite Japanese monster movie, earned their greatest notoriety at the peak of the punk era, thanks to a lineup that included bassist Mike Davis from the MC5 and Ron Asheton. Onetime MC5 manager John Sinclair will also perform spoken word on the festival's opening day.

In addition to Sinclair, Lydia Lunch, Ira Cohen and Gerard Malanga (famous from Andy Warhol's Factory) will be offering spoken-word performances.

Having a band or artist "curate" a festival is fairly unusual. "The idea is to keep the event fresh with a different approach, and not become like Lollapalooza, which became a ghost of its former self when money got in the way," ATP founder/promoter Barry Hogan said. "The idea of having a curator is so each event is approached in a different way, and it's working, as Tortoise [who curated in 2001] and Shellac's lineup were so far removed. But some of the same people will attend, because they are bored of seeing other UK festivals, such as Reading Rock book bullshit like the Deftones, year in, year out."

The idea for the first British All Tomorrow's Parties festival was sparked by Belle and Sebastian's 1999 "Bowlie Weekender," a festival featuring artists chosen by the group. "They approached me about putting on a festival in a holiday camp, as [Belle and Sebastian singer] Stuart Murdoch used to work in one," Hogan said. "I think it would be fair to say the idea was initially brought in by them and developed and executed by myself."

Hogan ran with the idea, creating a new festival — a celebration of indie music and values — that debuted in 2000 as All Tomorrow's Parties, the name lifted, naturally, from the Velvet Underground song. "The original UK version is different [from the L. A. event] in the fact that it is the anti-festival, as it avoids crusties (festival-goers with dreads and trust funds that never wash), dogs on string, shit music and people camping and cheap alcohol served at inflated rates," Hogan said. "Instead you are blessed with chalets, which are similar to a motel from the '50s, and where else would you get a shower in a private bathroom, private bedding and color TV as well as a ticket to the event, and get to see bands such as Autechre and Sonic Youth?

"The US version keeps the spirit of the original festival, with the concept of a curator putting their record collection on a stage or acts that they endorse, but doesn't come with any accommodation," Hogan continued. "The difference between curators? Sonic Youth are into different music and endorse lots of jazz and electronica, whereas Shellac are big fans of rock, and I think this reflected in both lineups."

Sonic Youth performed at the 2001 ATP UK — and jumped at the opportunity to program a U.S. version. "We participated in last year's ATP and dug the scene," Ranaldo said. "Although this scene will not include the 'holiday camp/sleepover' atmosphere that made that so special, we were enthused to try our hand at selecting a large bill like this that would reflect in some ways a lot of the varied musics we dig."

ATP LA was originally scheduled for last October, but in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attack that leveled the World Trade Center and killed over 3,000 people, the group felt it wise to postpone it. "Though [we] have been severely compromised [SY's studio exists at 'ground zero' and was essentially inaccessible following the attack; some of the band members were evacuated from their homes], [we were] prepared to play ATP regardless," the group said in a statement released in late September. "All involved were prepared to have the event address the crisis and to deliver proceeds in benefit. A gathering of musicians, artists and poets could only have been a positive thing. [However,] personal travel anxieties, a complete halt to ticket sales and a general sense of unease due to the unpredictability of the Bush/Taliban conflict are the primary factors of our decision to postpone. Additionally, a sense of responsibility towards our children at this time for an environment of stability and reflection is indeed a priority."

Artists booked for the October dates who can't be there in March include The Melvins, Le Tigre, Smog, Luc Ferrari, Derek Bailey, Autechre, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Fennesz. Ranaldo also noted that a number of legendary artists on SY's wish list, including Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Ornette Coleman, were not available.

Following ATP LA, Shellac-curated ATP UK will take place over two consecutive weekends — April 19-21 and April 26-28 — in Camber Sands, a Pontins-run holiday resort in the primarily rural county of East Sussex, about 60 miles south of London, near Rye on the South coast of England. Shellac, which includes guitarist and famous analog producer Steve Albini (who previously led Big Black and Rapeman), will perform both weekends.

ATP UK will feature a completely different mix of artists: Bonnie Prince Billy, Smog, Blonde Redhead, The Danielson Famile, Low, the New Year, Nina Nastasia, Zeni Geva, Arcwelder, Breeders, Brick Layer Cake, Clint Conley, Dead Moon, Dianogah, The Ex-Orkest, Flour, the Lonesome Organist, Melt Banana, The Oxes, Plush, P.W. Long, Rachel's, Robbie Fulks, Mark Robinson, Shannon Wright, Shipping News, Silkworm, the Upper Crust and the Threnody Ensemble.

Godspeed You Black Emperor! have also joined the lineup, but will only play during the first weekend of the festival.

As with ATP LA, groups important to rock's history are slated to play at Camber Sands, including punk bands Wire, The Fall and Mission of Burma, and new wavers Cheap Trick. Television's Tom Verlaine will perform solo.

ATP LA three-day passes are sold out, and festival organizers say single-day passes are selling fast. For ATP UK, chalets that sleep eight for the weekend of April 19-21 at Camber Sands have sold out. Five- and seven-berth chalets are going fast. All ticket holders for the ATP UK event will receive a free promotional-only CD of artists appearing at the event. Information on both ATP LA and ATP UK can be found on the Web at http://www.wayahead.com/atp. — Jillian Steinberger [Tuesday, January 15, 2002]