Primitive Painters >> Here I am, back from the world you have never known

California Month continued, tremor #29:

Primitive Painters - "Like You"

(G.T.'s Records, 1991)

Primitive Painters were a four-piece from Garden Grove, CA, and this album was recorded in Torrance, CA.  I bought this CD, Dirtclods, at a pawn shoppe two years ago because the band named itself after a jangly song by Felt (w/ Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser on backing vocals) that was a college rock hit in the '80s.  The CD booklet ends with the possibly-sarcastic directive "Put on your game face and go for it."

Most of the album is pretty jangly and California-ish in an unremarkable way, aside from some impressive guitar artistry on "Something Snaps" and "Take," which both channel '84-85 era U2.  But this song, the last one on the album, sounds like it has a different mastering job and was probably recorded separately from the rest of the disc.  It's also much more intense and post-punk-y.  The singer, Dennis Crupi, does some weird guttural vocalizing at the end of the song, which is a bit irritating, but it is what it is.  The band's Facebook page says "Upon signing with English independent GT's Records in 1992, Primitive Painters stormed the scene with its full-length debut Dirtclods.  Based in Garden Grove, Calif., the band amassed a respectable college following and stacks of favorable press.  Between extensive U.S. tours and support slots for international acts – including The Wonder Stuff, Dramarama, Jonathan Richman, Sublime, The Soup Dragons, Hoodoo Gurus and Modern English – the Painters recorded several post-Dirtclods demos on prospective labels' tabs. But the right offer never came, and, in 1997, the band called it a day."  It goes on to say "In June 2003, the OC Weekly included Primitive Painters in its "129 Greatest OC Bands Ever!" article (June 20-27, 2003) and announced the band had reformed."  (They also played live with The Black Watch in the early '90s.)

Three years ago, the inaugural Prospect art festival descended upon New Orleans, technically known as Prospect.1, with the expectation that there would be another one every two years.  Due to financial problems, it was scrapped last fall, but it is coming back this fall.  Here are some photos I took at an impressive group exhibit at the old U.S. Mint building at the edge of the French Quarter on Jan. 13, 2009.  This room featured a big pile of fake money, with a surveillance camera mounted on the ceiling.  As viewers walked up to it, they could see themselves being recorded on one of the monitor screens, another of which was trained on the pile itself.  I guess it was a comment on the police state / surveillance state that most people grudgingly accept "is coming," but has actually been here for many years.

The cash money

The camera; money pile visible on a monitor at far left

Me photographing myself being surveilled

Planets with similar climates: The Sound - "Whirlpool" (1984), U2 - "Indian Summer Sky" (1984), Cactus World News - "Worlds Apart" (1985), The Prime Movers - "Hear The Call" (1984), Film School - "Dear Me" (2007).