deer god productions | recording | mixing | engineering | filming | video editing | live sound - deerblogs | creative director

"DEER GOD 63: PRINCE" LIVE TONIGHT AT 8PM EST ON MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC

12/8/2019

parody by nacrowe

tonight's episode of DEER GOD RADIO at 8PM on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC is dedicated to the memory of PRINCE, a singular force in AMERICAN culture. i was lucky enough to see him play at MSG on his comeback MUSICOLOGY tour back in 2001 and consider it the best show i've ever seen to date. couldn't be happier doing this show tonight, please join me.

past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

"DEER GOD 62: BEASTIE BOYS" LIVE TONIGHT AT 6PM EST ON MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC

12/7/2019

parody by nacrowe

tonight's episode of DEER GOD RADIO at 6PM on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC is dedicated to the BEASTIE BOYS, from their NYHC roots to their early involvement with DEF JAM and subsequent world domination. we will be paying our respects to a true NYC HIP HOP institution.

past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

NEW "NOWHERE FAST SHOW" WITH GUESTS FROM HIPBONE RECORDS AVAILABLE NOW

12/6/2019

photo manipulation by nacrowe

check out this recent episode of TOM's free-form live streaming NOWHERE FAST show on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with return guests VICKI BELLE & RAY GRAPPONE of HIPBONE RECORDS spinning from their label's eclectic output over the years. if you didn't see their first appearance, you can watch that HERE.

remember that past episodes of THE NOWHERE FAST SHOW as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like DEER GOD RADIO, MAKE HER SPACE, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

CHECK OUT THIS ARTIST | ALICE GLASS

12/6/2019

photo manipulation by nacrowe

second acts in music are always difficult. its arguably even more difficult when coming off a successful stint in a well-known band. it goes exponentially from there if you're former bandmate was your abuser.

such is the case with ALICE GLASS, former front-woman for influential CANADIAN ELECTROCLASH/SYNTHPOP duo CRYSTAL CASTLES. i almost feel guilty even mentioning such since her association with that situation should not define her, but i would be remiss in not mentioning it is part of her history. in a sense her persona as an artist embraces it.

in my opinion her solo work holds up to her previous gig, albeit with a less abrasive edge and more conventional pop hooks. part of the appeal of CRYSTAL CASTLES was their extreme use of texture and clipping, red-lined vocals that distorted in a beautiful cacophony over hard driving synth beats. with her recent solo work it is almost like a veil of noise has been lifted and you can really appreciate her voice as it is no longer muddled in the mix. its an aesthetic decision, albeit a more mainstream one, but in a way it is almost like you are hearing her for the first time minus the extreme processing of her voice.

i'd recommend her CRYSTAL CASTLES work, as it is excellent, but there i a part of me that doesn't want to support her abuser who has carried on that outfit without her.

your choice.

THROWBACK THURSDAY | TIM ROBBINS BLIND INTERVIEW

12/5/2019

photo manipulation by nacrowe

so back in the early 2000s i'm at RUTGERS and somewhere along the way i ended up writing a series of film reviews for their student newspaper THE DAILY TARGUM. i loved the rush of seeing your stuff in print and still have copies of somewhere in my parents basement. it was a pretty sweet deal since i normally chose limited-run films that only showed at NYC landmarks like the ANGELIKA FILM CENTER and the FILM FORUM and the newspaper covered travel and admission costs. i essentially got free trips to the city. what a great time i had.

at some point i moved up from reviews to features and ultimately only got to do two of them. one was an interview with animator NICK PARK for a WALLACE & GROMIT film (which i will probably write about a some future point). the other was a phone interview with TIM ROBBINS. and that dude was a dick.

this is the story of that conversation.

studios usually seek out college newspapers as they service directly the much desired target demographic of college students. such is why their PR firms gave us access to their directors, actors, etc as a means of promotion. at the time ROBBINS was promoting some theater project of which i will not specify (as i still do not want to give his project any, albeit delayed by decades, publicity) that he had directed and filmed from multiple angles as part of some "punk rock opera" or whatever forced, lame term he devised at the time.

what i participated in was a group phone interview among several other college writers from NYU, COLUMBIA and HARVARD. the way this works is that the order of questioning is derived by the order you call in to the interview. now here is where it got interesting. ROBBINS' film had no distribution. normally the paper would be sent a promotional copy or be given tickets to a screening. not here with this project, i was going in blind. turns out, so was everyone else.

somehwere i have a lost tape of this interview and i should attempt to locate it, because in there i have ROBBINS condescendingly dismissing my question along with everyone else's. at some point he asked why he was even talking to us. the HARVARD writer adroitly asked questions based on a recent NY TIMES' review and that really set ROBBINS' off, asking the writer if she knew the writer personally. which was odd.

i remember leaving the interview dejected thinking "damn, i just got yelled at by an ACADEMY AWARD winner, this is the low point of my college career." after sharing the interview tape with my editors this quickly turned to "wow, i just got yelled at by an ACADEMY AWARD winner, this is the high point of my college career." i wrote a piece that took him to task for being a prick and not giving us the materials we needed to ask him informed questions, but ultimately i didn't want to give him any publicity.

do i hold a grudge against the guy? not really. maybe he was having a bad day. i just thought he came off particularly arrogant and completely devoid of any compassion to a bunch of lowly college writers looking to potentially promote his project. you would think communicating to us his passion for this personal film would be the objective, but no, putting us in our place for not appreciating his craft seemed a better use of his time. i don't care that i agree with his politics. dude was a dick.

DEER GOD RADIO 61: PUNK ROCK" NOW AVAILABLE

12/4/2019

parody by nacrowe

please check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO focused on the beginnings and cultural legacy of classic first-wave 1970s PUNK ROCK.

past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

SPOTLIGHT | RODNEY MULLEN

12/4/2019

photo manipulation by nacrowe

pro skateboarding legend RODNEY MULLEN is a magician without peer. widely regarded as one of the most inventive riders to have ever taken up the sport, he is credited with combining street and freestyle skating into a hybrid arsenal of tricks, all of which are the language of the sport today. its true that other skaters have acquired bigger fanbases, but basically everyone is speaking in the lexicon he invented.

but that is not what makes MULLEN interesting to me. if you know his background than you are aware that he was isolated growing up in a strict household and his board was his singular focus in life. in fact, his disciplinarian father let him pursue it only to demand that he hang up his passion if he couldn't make a living from it. after winning contest after contest his father took such as further proof that such were not meaningful. it is truly remarkable how such a transcendent generational talent endured despite having little to no support from those he cared most about, given his isolated upbringing. in comparison TONY HAWK grew up in a household where skateboarding was their family business, his father being the head of competitions funny enough. MULLEN sadly was in a family where skateboarding wasn't encouraged but outright dismissed.

when i think of MULLEN, i think of passion and innovation. i think of survival. i think of someone that pursued their passion with a singular drive and saw opportunities for artistic expression where others saw a common toy. for me its that vision of his that separates him from the pack for me in the same way that a MAGIC JOHNSON no-look side pass bespeaks a mind that can look ahead at what will come to pass and execute such with conviction. most of all he is an artist whose dedication is rooted in a deep love for his craft, which is impossible not to respect.

when watching his tricks i get inspired to create. his abilities transcend sport, its more like ballet. its artistic expression in motion. MARTHA GRAHAM eat your heart out.

R.I.P. TERRY TURTLE

12/3/2019

photo by DEER GOD

we were saddened to learn of the recent passing of TERRY TURTLE. we send our condolences to the BUCK GOOTER camp during this difficult period.

we were lucky enough to film the abrasive HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA experimental duo at MARKET HOTEL earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed their set. by all means you should check their prolific output of material linked HERE that i would liken to GODFLESH, BIG BLACK and early SUICIDE.

rest in power brother.