My favorite comics and albums of 2013.

Because I can't help but to make unnecessary lists all the time, here are my favorite albums and comics of 2013. There are plenty of comics and music I haven't gotten the chance to experience, so this list is shaped and impaired by not having much spare time.

ALBUMS:

1. HAIM-- Days Are Gone (Columbia/Polydor)

2. LORD DOG BIRD-- The Trinity Knot (Moon Glyph)

3. DAFT PUNK-- Random Access Memories (Columbia/Daft Life)

4. RED HARE-- Nites Of Midnight (Dischord)

5. EYE-- Second Sight (self-released digital)

6. LORDE-- Pure Heroine (Universal)

7. CHVRCHES-- The Bones Of What You Believe (Virgin/ Goodbye)

8. HUMANBEAST-- Venus Ejaculates Into The Banquet (Load)

9. LADY GAGA-- Artpop (Streamline/Interscope)

10. THE BODY-- Christs, Redeemers (Thrill Jockey)

11. IRON TONGUE-- The Dogs Have Barked, The Birds Have Flown (Neurot)

 12. PROFLIGATE-- The Red Rope EP (DKA)

COMICS:

 
1. Demeter by Becky Cloonan (self-published)

2. Hawkeye: Little Hits by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)

3. New School by Dash Shaw (Fantagraphics)

4. Operation Margarine by Katie Skelly (self-published/Adhouse in 2014)

5. Prophet: Brothers by Brandon Graham, Simon Roy, Giannis Milonogiannis,
and Farel Dalrymple  (Image)

6. Susceptible by Genevieve Castree (Drawn and Quarterly)

7. My Dirty Dumb Eyes by Lisa Hanawalt (Drawn and Quarterly)

8. A Matter Of Life by Jeffrey Brown (Top Shelf)

9. Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor (Fantagraphics)

10. Delusional by Farel Dalrymple (Adhouse)

HUMANBEAST full U.S. tour starts tomorrow-- new album too!

 
Two of my best friends and long-time bandmates, Maralie Armstrong-Rial and Eli Milholland, have been performing as Humanbeast for about 6 years now. Tomorrow they're embarking on a full U.S. tour in support of their new album out on Load Records. Here are the dates-- not to be missed!

Here's a song from their new LP/CD.

**all shows are with Russian Tsarlag-- also amazing!

6/4-- Providence RI @ Dungeon C w/ Angels In America, Shv, Virusse

6/5-- Montreal QC @ Drones Club w/ Angels In America, Wermaggetermite Wagon
6/6-- Toronto ON @ Double Double Land
6/8-- Chicago IL @ Situations w/ Andy Ortmann, Bomb Banks
6/9-- Milwaukee WI @ ?
6/10-- Minneapolis MN @ House Of Rock And Roll Science w/ Mar Habrine, Prostate 
6/11-- Iowa City IA @ Shawn Reed
6/12-- St. Louis MO @ Apop w/ Larva, Ghost Ice
6/13-- Kansas City MO @ Fokl w/ Timegate: Isam
6/14-- Denver CO @ Crash45 w/ Alphabets
6/17-- Vancouver BC @ Red Gate w/ Shearing Pinx, A Magic Whistle
6/18-- Olympia WA @ Cryptatropa (421 4th Ave E) w/ Thee Source, Blvckopvl, A Magic Whistle
6/19-- Portland OR @ Multiplex w/ A Magic Whistle, Portland Bike Ensemble
6/21-- Sacramento CA-- house show w/ Screatures
6/22-- Oakland CA @ The Church
6/23-- San Francisco CA @ The Lab (Division Of Labor Fest)
6/24-- Los Angeles CA @ Boy Manor (NNF)
6/25-- Los Angelese CA @ Mata w/ Pedestrian Deposit, Unmanned
6/26-- Phoenix AZ @ Trunkspace w/ IDM Theftable, Glochids, Brooke Herr
6/28-- San Antonio TX @ Essential Studios
6/29-- Austin TX @ Nacho Town w/ BabyAsprinDVD
6/30-- New Orleans LA @ The Mudlark w/ Curved Dog, Professor Rabbit 
7/1-- Chattanooga TN @ Human Conduct Records
7/2-- Asheville NC @ Apothecary
7/3-- Carrboro NC @ Nightlight w/ Mark Van Fleet, Bad News
7/4-- Baltimore MD @ The Bank
7/5-- New York NY @ Jane Pain

Eli and Maralie originally hail from Little Rock AR, live in Providence RI, and have performed in the bands Tem Eyos Ki, Soophie Nun Squad, Bloodhuff, Truckenstein, Gioteens, V Manuscript, Vodun Tron, Global Credit Squeeze, and The Body over the years.

Interview with ELI V MANUSCRIPT in the Providence Phoenix

Here's a enlightening interview with Eli V Manuscript, AKA Eli Milholland-- lifelong best friend, performer in Humanbeast/ V Manuscript/ Tem Eyos Ki/ Soophie Nun Squad, and in recent years a writer as well.

Eli has a new book of writings out, Madness Of The Canary, available here, and is finishing work on a new Humanbeast album entitled Pantheon (with his other half, Maralie Armstrong-Rial) to be released in coming months on Load Records, while releasing more music on his own Gross Domestic Product label.

(here are some Humanbeast photos I took from 2009-2010 as well.)

Tem Eyos Ki's remastered LP masterpiece now available digitally!

 
I am honored to announce that, after being out-of-print for 9 years, North Little Rock punk/speed metal/chamber folk powerhouse Tem Eyos Ki has digitally reissued their classic 2002 LP on my Harlan Records site!

(download/listen here!)

The album is completely remixed and remastered by drummer/engineer Kevin Rains, and features a previously unreleased song as well. If you haven't heard this band (or this album), you're missing out on something powerful, visionary, and heartfelt. My favorite band of all time! Besides sharing membership with Soophie Nun Squad, members have gone on to perform in Humanbeast, Bloodhuff, V Manuscript, Universe, Divorce Chord, Holy Angell, and Zucura. Vocalist Maralie Armstrong-Rial is a multimedia performance artist, guitarist Eli Milholland runs the Gross Domestic Product cassette label, and guitarist Michael Lierly is an accomplished painter.

Here's a collection of Tem Eyos Ki photos up on my Flickr site.

You can also download digital versions of their 7", split 7" with Hundred Years War, and tour CDR.

Tem Eyos Ki in Richmond VA, June 2001. Photos by Chris Boarts Larson.

May 20th-- Discussion & Signing in Durham NC for Comics Fest!

This Sunday, May 20th in Durham NC, I'll be doing a presentation/discussion (with the hilarious title "Surrealism and Civil Rights: The Graphic Novels Of Nate Powell") with Q&A and book signing from 2:30- 4 pm at the Southwest Regional Library (3605 Shannon Rd.), as a part of that weekend's Durham Comics Fest. Come out if you can!

Also, that weekend Chapel Hill NC will be hosting the Savage Weekend noise/experimental music fest at Nightlight. The Body, Humanbeast, and Bloodhuff will be playing, as will literally dozens of other bands and "bands".

See you there!

HUMANBEAST in Bloomington, 11/27

If you're in Bloomington, come see Humanbeast (powerful Providence RI melodic noise/darkwave/performance duo with Eli and Maralie from Soophie/Tem Eyos Ki) at Rachael's Cafe (300 E. 3rd St.) on Saturday, November 27th. 8pm-ish! see you there!

Humanbeast

Here's some footage of Providence worm wizards/ undifferentiated hunks of flesh Humanbeast (Maralie Armstrong and Eli Monster, formerly of Soophie Nun Squad and Tem Eyos Ki, best friends and muppet-family) performing last weekend in Brooklyn.

Bloomington show, Sept. 10!

If you're around Bloomington IN, come to this show on Thursday, September 10th:

HUMANBEAST (epic noise/bodies/rope from Providence RI. folks from Soophie/Tem Eyos Ki)
UNIVERSE (iron maiden-meets-moss icon. from Bloomington.)
SKY THING (soundscapes/noise from Fort Wayne.)

at Rachael's Cafe (E. 3rd & Lincoln Streets). 8pm sharp! $3-5 donation for touring bands.

see you there!