Dustin Wong is set to release a very long, very intricate solo album, Infinite Love, on Oct. 5. The Ponytail guitarist—a band that has either broken up or is on some kind of Fugazi-style hiatus—is not one to mess around. Infinite Love contains two tracks each roughly 40 minutes long, each containing a dizzying flow of notes that are looped over and over. The effect is either ridiculously high-end twee prog or the best instrumental record we've heard since Papa M's Live From A Shark Cave (1999). Wong proves that two hours of guitar loops don't have to be dull exercises. They can be ecstatic and joyful, and, yes, jaw dropping. Go see Wong and his guitar pedals at the Velvet Lounge tonight.

Josh Harkavy, owner of Red Onion Records and Books, is making a rare appearance behind the turntables at the Black Cat tonight at 10. Harkavy will be spinning his favorite classic-and-current garage and soul music. "Heavier on the garage I'd say," Harkavy explains. "Some hits and some things people have never heard before. That sounds a bit cocky. I don't know....Just a good mix. I'm really excited."

Expect the Electric Prunes, the Box Elders, Shadows of Knight, and maybe the Seeds and Nobunny.

As anyone who has spent time in Red Onion knows, Harkavy has exceptional taste and an outstanding used vinyl stock. At least we think so. Harkavy last DJ'd a board-of-trade event around April. This obviously will be different crowd.

*file photo by Darrow Montgomery.

Ethiopia- Staring into the Sun from olivia wyatt on Vimeo.

Is there a better, cooler label than Sublime Frequencies? Come and find out as the label screens to films from its documentary work in Ethiopia and Western Niger. The filmmakers will be on hand tonight for the screening in Baltimore. Full details after the jump.

The films will be screened tonight starting at 8 p.m. at Floristree, 405 W. Franklin Street 6th Floor in Baltimore.  From the press release, here's more details on the films:

STARING INTO THE SUN
a new film,by Olivia Wyatt
to be released on DVD this Fall by Sublime Frequencies

"Staring into the Sun is the latest ethno-folk cinema classic from Sublime Frequencies. Ethiopia is known to be one of the oldest areas inhabited by humans and presently has over 80 diverse ethnic groups. Photographer/filmmaker Olivia Wyatt explores 13 different tribes throughout Ethiopia in this visually stunning film. Traveling from the northern highlands to the lower Omo Valley, Wyatt brings together the worlds of Zar spirit possession; Hamer tribal wedding ceremonies; Borena water well polyphonic singing; wild hyena feedings; and bizarre Ethiopian TV segments; presenting an enchanting look at these ethereal images, landscapes and sounds from the horn of Africa. The tribes featured in this film are captured with an unflinching sense of realism and poetic admiration resulting in a visual and aural feast of the senses."

LAND OF SONGHAI
a new short film by Hisham Mayet

"Hisham Mayet's latest film explores the music and landscape of the Songhai, around the Niger River in Western Niger. Zarma mock possession hoedowns, Wodaabe trance vocal performances, Spirit possession ceremonies, Godje one sting laments, contigi string masters, comsaa griots and Sahel night markets create a bizarre and fascinating glimpse into the arid and culturally vibrant bend in the Niger river."

Both directors will be on hand for a Q & A.

The Record Fair is back this Sunday at the Black Cat. The Fair has become a very big deal, and very big business for vinyl geeks. In February, it drew roughly 1,500 people and some criticism about lighting, and space. Apparently those issues have been addressed, according to event organizer/blogger The Vinyl District. They write:

"While we were thrilled with the turn-out and the enthusiasm shown the event last time, we did receive a few complaints:

The lighting: Right, it was dark. But leave your spelunking helmets home this time, we're doing our best Sunday morning to remedy the lighting issue and bringing in additional light sources.

The crowd size: While we can't control the number of folks who show up, last time the downstairs Red Room was closed and not an option for decompressing with or without a pint. This time we're opening it up and making it available throughout the afternoon to hang and enjoy a frosty beverage.

All the vinyl vendors will still be upstairs in the main stage area but we're hoping by providing an option downstairs [emphasis added], we can lessen the crowd size a bit to make it easier to move around and get where you need to go."

Som Records' Neal Becton, who is one of the event's organizers explains the space debate: "The downstairs bar is going to be open...We're not going to have vendors down there yet. We're kinda going to seeing how much attendance we get for this one....We weren't sure about pulling the trigger on getting two floors for vending."

Schedule, details are after the jump.

DJ Schedule for the Record Fair is as follows: Noon to 1: Alec MacKaye; 1-2: Cobruhhh (Windian);  2-3: Emily/Susan from Exit Clov; 3-4: DJ Dredd; 4-5: Fort Knox Five; 5-6: John Foster (BYT)

And don't forget the Record Fair after-party at Marvin.

*photo courtesy of youcallthathiphop.com.

Alex Chilton has passed away. Whether you know it or not, you owe half your music collection to that man. And indie rock owes almost everything.

Here is a clip of Chilton with Yo La Tengo in 2007. I was at that show. I can remember when he popped up on stage as one of the surprise guests. I can remember screaming like a kid.  Now, watching this, it just gives me goosebumps.

This morning on CNN, Howard Kurtz asks: "Are newspapers cutting back on film critics?" If he has to ask that question, he should stop being a media critic.

A cousin of mine snorted coke with John Fahey back when he booked the Maryland guitar picker to play at his college. They did a line off Fahey's guitar. That's my Fahey story.

The archival experts at Dust-to-Digital have been collecting Fahey stories and unreleased recordings for years now. According to the label's founder Lance Ledbetter, it may be releasing its long-awaited Fahey box in August.

This is big news for Fahey diehards. Ledbetter says the set will span five CDs and include a massive booklet containing dozens of unreleased photographs. The set has been years in the making; its production has been as complex and dramatic as Fahey's approach to an old-timey spiritual.

"We've been going on it for about almost four years, three years, over three years," Ledbetter says from his Dust-to-Digital headquarters in Atlanta. "Last year, we merged our project with Revenant Records [the label Fahey started]. We're going to do it as a joint production."

The Fahey set comprises his earliest work—recordings he made before '63, '64. Some were recorded on 78 acetate in renown Maryland collector Joe Bussard's basement. [If you haven't read our cover story on Bussard, please do]. Ledbetter has been working with Bussard and the Fahey estate on the set [the guitarist died in 2001]. He has also been working with Glenn Jones, a  one-time collaborator with the late guitarist, and Malcolm Kirton, a Fahey scholar based in England.

"It’s really a group effort," Ledbetter explains. "Malcolm’s really the one who is combining everything, merging everything into a document. There’s sort of a network of Fahey scholars that are working on this. There’s one researcher in Italy, one in Australia…These men have known each other for decades."

Ledbetter says he does not regret the amount of time he's put into the Fahey box:

“To me what John Fahey represents is a little bit like what Harry Smith represents to old music. The old-time records that were made in the 20s and 30s, everyone sees Harry Smith as this gateway. For me, and for a lot of people, John Fahey is in that same category....When he first started making these records, he was a teenager….At the same time, from a music historian standpoint, knowing what John Fahey became just to hear him working it out on these recordings, especially the early ones, you learn  a lot where his mind was… and the later material is right there with some of his great work. It’s John where he’s been playing for four, five hours everyday.”

Ledbetter says the set shows how Fahey developed as a guitar player. "From a musical historian standpoint, people need to hear it," he adds, "to understand what drove John in the beginning."

To get you pumped about the box set, please read our own account of Fahey's early years.

Yesterday's DC Record Fair at the Black Cat turned out to be an overwhelming success, according to one of the event's organizers. "It was pretty crazy," says Neal Becton, Som Records' owner, "like 1500 people turned up. That's one of the reasons we left Comet. We love Comet but it was a little too small. We expected like 500."

The fact that organizers tripled their attendance expectations was not lost on a few record geeks. "A few folks complained about it," Becton says. "There were people lined up at some tables. But everybody was pretty pleased. The dealers were happy."

Becton says that if they hold the record fair at the Black Cat again, they may open up the club's first floor as well. The next record fair may be held in June.

This fair had 30 dealers including notable local shops like Red Onion, Smash, and Crooked Beat as well as Plan 9 from Richmond, Memory Lane from District Heights, and Own Guru from Baltimore. The crowds could have lead to an epic disaster like the one famously chronicled by the Onion.

"From like noon to 5:30 it was like packed with people," says Red Onion's Josh Harkavy. "Everyone's table was like two or three people deep waiting to look at records which is not something I see too often....It was impressive."

Harkavy adds: "I was pretty much blown away at how much merchandise we sold. I think I had four empty crates at the end of the day which is awesome."

Harkavy says his personal highlight was "seeing a baby flip through records. I'd never seen that before."

Becton says: "the DJ sets were great. Kid Congo's set was awesome. Seeing Ian MacKaye up there was kind of fun. He sounded great, playing some pretty rare punk rock singles."

Harkavy and Becton say the fair wasn't just crowded but very diverse for such nerd events. "It's really encouraging," Becton says. "I saw a lot of Xs on hands there. A lot of under 21s buying records, male and female. Most record shows you go to it's a bunch of old guys.... My wife even commented on it. I thought it was kind of nice. It makes for a better atmosphere."

*photo by Matt Dunn.

Som Records' Neal Becton is calling for volunteers to help shovel out the huge snow wall left on 14th Street in front of the Black Cat. What's the big deal?

Tomorrow is the D.C. Record Fair at the Black Cat. It starts at noon and features 30 record dealers and a full lineup of DJs (Ian MacKaye, Geologist, and Eric Hilton, among others). That's a lot of vinyl that needs to be safely unloaded.

"The back alley is pretty much impassable," Becton explains. This leaves the parking spaces in front of the Black Cat. The sidewalk is fine, it's the wall of snow left by city plows that's the problem.

"It would be nice to get some more [space] cleared out so we can unload multiple cars tomorrow morning," Becton says. "It's fairly loose right now. It's easy digging right now. It won't be tonight or tomorrow morning."

Becton had just gotten back from a trip down south where he picked up vinyl in Florida flea markets and thrift shops. Ninety percent of what he'll be selling he has yet to bring into his store. He says he found a lot of good Latin records on his trip—everything from Tito Puente to LPs from the legendary Fania label.

UPDATE – 7:42 p.m.: Chesnutt has died, the New York Times reports.

UPDATE – 11:38 a.m.: Reports of Chesnutt's death were false. He is in a coma. Original post below.

Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt has died. Earlier today, Chesnutt slipped into a coma after an apparent suicide attempt. Chesnutt spent much of his life in a wheelchair following a car accident. He survived years of drug abuse; in an interview, he admitted to attempting suicide several times. The Athens, Ga., singer amassed a wide following for his brutal, adventurous songs, and biting, often hilarious lyrics. I interviewed Michael Stipe in the early '90s—the entire subject of the discussion was his adoration for Chesnutt. Stipe produced two of his albums. This past year, he released an album featuring musicians from Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Witchies, and Guy Picciotto. From the outpouring of grief via Twitter and Facebook, it's clear Chesnutt had devoted fans and great friendships. He was 45.