Jesus Acedo (Black Sun Ensemble) 1962-2013

Wow, what a week of profound losses we have suffered in the music world. My post-vacation email trough just got a little more painful. I was very surprised and sorry to read an email from Eric Johnson at SlowBurn Records telling me the news of Jesus Acedo's passing. What a rotten week we in the music community have had. I know that this would make my old friend Tony Dale of Camera Obscura profoundly sad as well, were he here to witness it.

Shortly after moving to Chicago, somebody at Kaleidoscope shoved the first two BSE albums on Reckless into my hands with explicit instructions for immediate listening. The scales fell from my eyes and I could see.

Jesus was lucky to have friends and admirers like Eric and Tony to help him along his path as he negotiated a difficult life of high highs and low lows. Like I told the gang from Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar about Jason Molina, when somebody leaves, I do my best to find my way through the loss by trying to remember and focus upon the best things about them. While I did not know Jesus at all, and only had a few distant dealings with him many, many moons ago, we are all lucky that he left us such amazing, truly transcendent music. While that cannot replace the gaping, personal hole he has left behind, at least the world will have that, and it's pretty great. 

I know the folks at Reckless Records who released his first two albums–which you should go seek out, Tony and Camera Obscura, and Eric and SlowBurn spent much time, energy, and money trying desperately to spread the word about Jesus's amazing talents and fantastic vision whenever it congealed into a release.

You can read Tuscon Weekly's obituary.

His family has set up a Facebook memorial page.

This news hurts my heart and brings tears to my eyes.

Adios, Jesus.

Foxygen & Angel Olsen play saki 12/9

saki is excited to present a free, all-ages in-store with Foxygen and Angel Olsen on Sunday, December 9th at 3pm. RSVP on Facebook.

Foxygen’s debut EP Take the Kids Off Broadway (Jagjaguwar) received a 7.9 on Pitchfork. Foxygen is the bi-coastal songwriting duo of Sam France (vocals, Olympia, Wash.) and Jonathan Rado (guitar/keyboards, NYC). They are the raw, de-Wes Andersonization of The Rolling Stones, Kinks, Velvets, Bowie, etc. that a whole mess of young people desperately need. They create a sometimes-impressionistic, sometimes-hyper-real portrait of sounds from specific places and times. Yet, it never comes across as anything but absolutely modern music. They bring the manic, freewheeling qualities of an artist like Ariel Pink to those aforementioned influences to make for one of the most refreshing listens of the year. They are the real deal and total savants.

Angel Olsen’s latest album Half Way Home (Bathetic) received an 8.0 on Pitchfork. A continuation of her elegance brought forth on Strange Cacti, a collection of both new & old music, honed & matured, thoughts revisited. We're hearing this same beautiful girl with that same beautiful voice, this time brought up to a new level, in no doubt a growth & reach brought on by several roadtrips with the one & only BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY & crew. 

The shows will be recorded as Epitonic saki Sessions and become available for download at Epitonic.com.

The saki in-store is in anticipation of Foxygen’s show at Metro on the night of Sunday, December 9th with Of Montreal and Wild Belle.

RSVP on Facebook

BV Chicago is also pretty pumped about this.