Um Yeah Arts

Barbee, Ray

Tiara For Computer

Um Yeah Arts

In the late 1960s, Peter Zinovieff—co-founder of London’s Electronic Music Studios—sold his wife’s diamond tiara to subsidize the world’s first computer in a private residence. At nearly the cost of a house (and taking up almost an entire room), the weighty extravagance was purchased and installed to control one singular process: sequencing sounds. This was the all-or-nothing beginning of EMS, and their enthusiastic exploration of the unknown—synthesized music—lead directly to the ground-breaking work of artists like Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, and Kraftwerk.In the spirit of that wholehearted approach, Ray Barbee has ventured into uncharted waters with his latest release, Tiara For Computer, a synth-anchored album from a man known for his expressive, solo guitar work. “I’ve always been intrigued with synthesis,” Barbee clarifies. “All of it: the wave form, the shapes, the modulation sources. I’ve played guitar long enough that I’ve got a vocabulary. But what I get the most excited about with synthesis is being free from music and the idea of not knowing what I’m doing … the excitement of not having a vocabulary.”The development of Tiara’s synthetic base also proved to be the perfect excuse to enlist drummer John Herndon (Tortoise, Isotope 217, 5ive Style). “Johnny moved to LA a few years back” Barbee explains, “and in the back of my head, I’ve always wanted to do some kind of project where I could come a little closer to where he ‘lives.’” So along side bassist Josh Lippi (The Overtimers, Blktop Project), engineer Monte Vallier (Tommy Guerrero,...

Mattson 2

Agar

Um Yeah Arts

The Mattson 2 are pleased to announce their new full-length album, Agar. The new album finds the Mattsons striding into a new realm of sound that blends their signature jazz soundscapes with ethereal sonic structures and haunting splashes of improvisational raga techniques. This time around, the Mattson 2 have gone deeper and darker, balancing a perfect ebb and tidal flow of sound to create something truly mesmerizing. In order to create the stunning musical journey of Agar, the Mattson 2 teamed up with producer Thomas Campbell and the legendary John X Volaitis – who has worked with the likes of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Phoenix.  The much-anticipated follow-up to their dynamic Feeling Hands (2011) is truly a marvel of jazz-rock orchestration and arrangement. The droning vistas of Agar are as technically liberating as they are hauntingly avant-garde. And it shows the duo more connected than ever as they move in and out of Raga forms and the exotic landscapes that transcend the concept of modern musical performance.  Taking the album name from the gelatinous substance that binds and connects items in a petri dish (also “Raga” backwards), one could say Agar is the perfect figurative definition of a duo continually fueling and feeding each other’s sensational musical creativity. Agar shimmers and shakes with sagely nods to the past and the soaring modern wizardry of Jared’s untamed guitars and Jonathan’s tribally-hard-bop drumming. With Campbell and Volaitis at the helm, Agar’s vast sounds and stylings explore new levels of sonic structures while...

Sandy’s

Fourth Dementia

Um Yeah Arts

“They want to believe the Universe is an elegant universe—and it’s not so elegant. It’s a Rube Goldberg machine.” After releasing the 2008 critically acclaimed Old Home Movies with The Botticellis, San Francisco-based Alexi Glickman (Sandy) spent time touring and recording with Little Wings before forming Sandy’s in 2012. Fourth Dementia, his debut album for Um Yeah Arts, features ten sun-bleached pop paens in the tradition of Chris Bell and Big Star. Recorded by Glickman in garages and bedrooms in the Sunset district of San Francisco, Fourth Dementia features the talents of Zack Ehrlich (Sonny & the Sunsets, Vetiver, The Botticellis), Burton Li (Citay, The Botticellis), Ryan Browne (Sonny & the Sunsets, The Botticellis), Blythe Foster (The Botticellis), Jeremy Black (Apollo Sunshine) and Nick Aives (Range of Light Wilderness). Um Yeah Arts is a new arts and music collective founded by California-based painter, sculpter, photographer and filmmmaker Thomas Campbell. Campbell has mounted solo exhibitions in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Denmark, The Netherlands, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Morocco. He is also part owner and creative director of a small record label based in Santa Cruz called Galaxia which was established in 1993, and has released records by Tommy Guerrero, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Peggy Honeywell and The Black Heart Procession. In 2013, Campbell started a new creative platform called Um Yeah Arts which is a nexus for the making of books, music and films.

Campbell, Thomas

Cuatro Suenos Pequenos

Um Yeah Arts

“UM YEAH FILMS Presents - "Cuatro Sueños Pequeños" (four small dreams) - A skate film - Visual Audio Experiment by Thomas Campbell. This 23 minute movie was shot entirely on 16mm film in a dream scene scenario that blends reality, surreality and a skate adventure starring Javier Mendizabal and Madars Apse. This film captures Javier Brushing his teeth,slobbering on his pillow, bedding down with a beautiful brunette. Also Javi running into Madars Apse in his dream, they skate over volcano's,thru the woods and into cities of Spain,The Canary Islands,Mallorca,The Basque country and California.This film has a completely original soundtrack by the critically acclaimed Basque super group "Chiwoks".And besides the usual unusual camera perspectives you expect from a Thomas Campbell film. French Fred is also is on board Lending his iconic visual wizardry to this cauldron of the bizarre, beauty and gnar.  The Cuatro's Movie - DVD comes in a 9.25 x 6.25 inch, 90 page hardcover,cloth spine with premium art book printing. 14 pages and the cover for the film are illustrated by Nathaniel Russell. With the book being photography based - with a stellar gang of shooters - Brian Gaberman, Sem Rubio, Fred Mortagne, Antton Miettienen, Arto Saari, Todd Glaser, Rip Zinger and Thomas Campbell.