Q & A with Helado Negro

Tomorrow... Monday, September 24, 2012 at 5 pm Helado Negro (with Tony Trimm and Serengeti) will be performing an Epitonic saki Session open to the public. (RSVP here.)We caught up with Helado Negro and picked his brain a bit. 

Roberto Carlos Lange earned his nickname, Negro (a name used as a term of endearment), growing up  in South Florida. He went off to college in Savannah, Georgia and discovered visual and auditory art. He and David Ellis were working on some  kinetic sound sculptures.  

'
These include typewriters that self-type the lyrics to Grand Master Flash's "The Message" (in rhythm to the song, none-the-less), musical owls drawn out of liquor bottles, owl costumes made out of straws, flying musical birds, motion paintings, and trash cans (full of trash) that are actually living drum machines.' -Asthmatic Kitty.  

He has worked on several projects, including Epstein, School of Seven Bells, Prefuse 73, Ombre (project with Julianna Barwick) and has released several albums including Canta Lechuza, Awe Owe and Pasajero on Asthmatic Kitty.  He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

  Favorite/least favorite cheese?

I say the stinkier the better... As a kid I started with American Cheeses, nowadays I go to the farmers market/cheese factory for some stinky blue. 

Most Memorable gig? 

While touring in Japan we had several strange experiences. we were traveling through smaller towns when we stopped by this strange place filled with fast food joints and strip malls... and a truck lot is where we ended up playing; weird to be at some abandoned spot with a total of five people and giant speakers surrounding the room, I was thinking “where the hell are we?” Another strange (awesome) venue we played was on a mountain top, while in the pouring rain, ape shit crazy, so random to just end up on a hippie commune in Japan. They had some super earthy hippie products too...  for instance reusable lady pads, I put them on my eyes before I go to sleep. And we stopped at a beer joint and ate whale and octopus jerky... I had to try it, the whale jerky. 

The Great Wave: Takeshi Terauchi

By the mid-60s the surf rock wave had broken and was being pulled back away from the shore. The tremolo-heavy and reverb-derenched instrumentals were pushed to the side as the British appropriation of R&B took center stage. Though, surf was defined by American artists like Dick Dale, The Ventures, Duane Eddy, Link Wray, and others, there were a few foreign acts that could hold their own against any of the more notable artists. The Shadows in the UK for example.

None, however, really compare to Japanese guitar legend Takeshi Terauchi. Sixties artists who similarly blend Western influences with their native traditions continue to be unearthed, however few were as consistent or prolific. 

Terauchi's phenomenal playing and compositions really set him apart and considering how common it is for artist like him to get the crate-diggers-deluxe-vinyl-reissue in the US nowadays, it's pretty surprising it hasn't been done yet.

The Coctails - Big In Japan

The Coctails will always be a Chicago favorite, but they have also discovered a massive fan base on the other side of the globe...read more at Timeout Chicago.



'“I think people in Japan are better collectors and musicologists about the U.S. than people in the U.S.,” Greenberg says. “Maybe because of their distance, they can see things more fully.”



For now, the Coctails remain unreunited stateside, but there’s talk of bringing the band back just to tour Japan again. “[Japan] was awesome and flattering and great,” Greenberg says. “I hope they invite us back.”



Prewitt and Greenberg team up at the Hideout (1354 W Wabansia Ave, 773-227-4433) on June 20 to open for Liam Hayes and Plush.'