...you make insomnia a kick...

I'm sure that those of you in other parts of the world / country are well tired of hearing many in the Northeast and Midwest US bitch about what a horrible Winter we're having, understood, but it needs to be said that last night's ice storm was perfectly timed to fuck with me on my weekly drive to WFMU. Proof then, of your host's sheer dedication and fortitude to present the My Castle of Quiet program, and that of many others, like my compatriot Matt Warwick, who hosts the excellent Garbage Time program, Wednesday mornings 3-6 a.m. I'm "sneaking" this statement in, because yes, the WFMU 2015 Marathon is upon us, starting this Sunday. Time again for our appreciated and dedicated listeners to pony up pledges, those which make up most, basically all, of WFMU's yearly operating budget. Unlike so many other independent broadcast entities, it's been a source of pride for me, as long as I've been involved with the station, that we make our marathon FUN, one big party on the air—pairing up our broadcasters like comedy teams, giving away great prizes that apply most specifically to each and every program, and offering unique CDr compilations for a premium pledge, each one compiled by the DJs themselves with their core audience in mind. For more on this year's DJ premiums, see here.

On that last topic, this year's My Castle of Quiet companion is entitled Raritäten Krautspieler, a collection of live-and-studio Krautrock rarities from my home collection, with an eye toward tracks that have not been reissued officially, or otherwise made available in the wealth of Kraut-mania that has swept the marketplace, especially over the last 20 years. I hope you'll like it and be enticed to make that premium pledge for it, especially as it comes with a custom sleeve, photographed and designed by supreme Castlehead Ken Weaver, and featuring the stunning Hannah Fierman, well known for her unforgettable role as the "I Like You" girl in the "Amateur Night" segment of the movie V/H/S. ...Tune in next week, join myself and my co-host Jonathan Herweg, to pledge your support for our program, and claim a copy.

Last night's show was grind and black heavy, even more so than usual; we were in dark, swirling territory, with too many artists / tracks / new and older releases to parse out individually in print, but the playlist is there, for your streaming and perusal. I will say that playlist-comment notices went to the outstanding, and lately ever-present Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom (this time a great song from 2003's Droner), and a new track by Sewer Goddess. It was also gratifying to witness a mini-flood of praise in our final 1/2 hour for a mid-1990s cassette track by Anal Drill (stream the full track on YouTube), and I too often forget how often appreciated the Castle's long-form, harsh noise selections are grasped and held; what puts some listeners off at first will sneak up on you with its sheer mass of sonic envelopment, and I think, after the marathon, it will be high time that I present another "Noise Bliss-Out." Even on exceptional broadcasting oases like WFMU and KFJC, long-form noise is too often underrepresented, and I consider it part of my mission to keep that music alive, outside the private sanctity of our bedrooms, tape collections, headphones and boomboxes.

Click on this week's crudded-up VHS screen capture (again we return to Chester Novell Turner's Tales From the Quadead Zone, this time, a lurid hand-illustration from the title sequence) to access the archived audio, playlist, and listener comments for last night's horrorcast™.  I hope to touch base with all of you for our next two broadcasts, where we'll be in funtime marathon / fundraising mode. Be there, and thanks in advance!