The band YACHT, pictured in Mexico in 2011. Photo courtesy Claire Evans.

Tipped to this by the estimable Tim Johnson: Claire Evans of YACHT writes a great article about life on the road, “The World Turns Blurry When I’m on Tour with the Band”:

It’s taken me 10 years on the road to realise this. Just as it boggles me to imagine that the places I’ve visited continue to exist in my absence, the audiences we play for firmly believe that we are ephemeral. To admit that we perform in other cities, night after night, violates the terms of an unspoken covenant in which we exist solely for them and they for us. But we must keep moving, and so must they, countless trajectories of human life careening outwards from the moment the lights go down. A concert, in this sense, isn’t kinetic: it’s stillness itself, a world briefly paused.

In other news, on repeat, with joy: “Oh Come On” by The Julie Ruin. Their record Run Fast is out 9/3 on the Julie Ruin’s TJR Records. (If you haven’t watched the “Friendship Game” with Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox, watch it now.)

We’re gearing up for the William Tyler show on August 6 (did we mention that $3.33 will be opening?), and got a sneak peek at the posters, designed by artist Daniella Ben-Bassat, which are due to arrive next week. They are printed on DENIM. We emailed Daniella about her inspiration for the design:

I really like being able to manipulate whatever I’m going to print on and was feeling a little bit limited by paper. Denim has always been very cool to me and can symbolize a lot of different things and aesthetics — Americana, folk, punk, whatever. I was also looking at some of the shapes from the Gee’s Bend quilts and started messing with those. The blocky patterns reminded me of the Black Flag logo, so I started incorporating that font into the design. It’s always exciting to me when different periods of creative culture and history speak similar visual languages.

And she ps’d us with another influence.

So good. People are cool. We’re lucky to work with artists in all phases of our shows: poster, performance, photography. Triple threat. Check out Daniella’s inspirations for the poster below.

Great news: Tickets to the AJ Castillo at Marfa Lights concert, August 31, are now online — buy them here.

Anyone toying with the idea of submitting to our AJ Castillo poster contest: There’s still time! Two more days to be exact — we’re accepting submissions through Monday, July 15. The contest is open to anyone age 18 or under, and winners get a $$cash$$ prize and their poster screenprinted by professionals. Email entries to [email protected] or drop them off in-person at the gallery. Take the weekend to design the poster of a lifetime. More info here.

Coup of the century: $3.33, aka Celia Hollander, will open for William Tyler on August 6, 2013 at the Highland Annex. Dreamz come true. Tickets $5 at the door. Buy the $3.33 record here.

Mary Lattimore’s harp, on the streets of Philadelphia. Courtesy of artist.

It’s a ways off, but we are beyond excited to announce that harpist Mary Lattimore and synth player and luminary producer Jeff Zeigler will head down here December 30 to play our annual New Year’s silent film/live score project. I first heard Mary’s work on Frosty’s MPR Dublab show and was instantly struck. We’ll have more details as we get within shouting distance of the event (or winter) (or even fall), but in the meantime, check out Mary’s work with Jeff here, and read this 2011 AV Club interview with Mary here:

“The A.V. Club: Of all the instruments in the world, how did you choose the harp?

Mary Lattimore: My mom is a professional harpist, so I was always around harps—my mom’s harpist friends and the kids that took lessons from her, going along to her symphony rehearsals—and I was always listening to her work on parts and pieces, so the harp’s always been a part of my life. When it came time to learn how to play, I was 11 years old and I didn’t enjoy it so much at first, but the better I got the more it became my own. And now I have this 30-year story with this instrument that feels like a sister or something. It’s gone everywhere with me.

I think the harp is the most rewarding and complex, most beautiful and magical lush instrument. If you’re into it, you get over the paying for it: the longish car to take it around, the first-floor apartment you always have to have, the space it takes up, the 47 different strings, the maintenance, and the getting to know its layout and mechanics. You can’t have a glamorous manicure. It takes a long time to feel comfortable on it; you don’t feel masterful very quickly.

I think that if you find yourself drawn to the sound of the harp in particular, nothing else sounds like it, so it sort of picks you. You measure things out, and if your love for that sound comes out on top, there’s not really a question of harp versus guitar. It’s something weird and special to have in your life.”

Watch Eleanor Friedberger covering Cass McCombs’ “County Line” last week at The Parish in Austin, Texas. Two Ballroom artists coming together (non-physically) in one performance.

See photos from Eleanor’s 2012 show (when she was here on her residency, recording this gem) and Cass’s 2011 show (when he was touring for Wit’s End, on which “County Line” appears).

Our friends over at Fun Fun Fun Fest and Transmission Events (our partners on the At the Drive-In reunion show) just released the second wave of bands playing FFF8 in November. Already confirmed are The Julie Ruin (YES!), Bonobo, Judge, The Walkmen, and Ice-T (!), and now we hear that FLAG (one of two Black Flag reunions, apparently), Deerhunter, comedian Kyle Kinane, Daniel Johnston, Star Slinger and Big K.R.I.T will join. More info over at their website:

http://funfunfunfest.com/

On July 9, they’ll release the final FFF8 line up and host the Austin premiere of Vannin’ (a documentary about custom vans and the vannin’ lifestyle, natch). More info here, tickets onsale July 10 at 10AM CST.

Artist and friend Daniella Ben-Bassat — who’s designing the poster for the upcoming William Tyler show and designed the too-beautiful-to-last-long-now-obviously-sold-out Dirty Projectors poster — has a radio show on Brown Student & Community Radio, which we listen to every Tuesday at 4 pm CST if we aren’t spacing out. “Get Out of Town” features country and rural music, old and new, plus the occasional Led Zeppelin jam. Here’s a standout from this week’s show: Steve Young’s “Coyote.”

New Age psych drone geniuses Prince Rama will screen their new film Never Forever tonight at El Cosmico, then take the stage and escort us through a musical journey to the End of The World. HEAVY. Cellist Jari Piper opens at 8:30pm. More info here.

P.S. Watch this mesmerizing Faces set from 1972. Courtesy of the excellent Tim Johnson.

When all of the susurrus around this Playboy Marfa, Marfa Girl, Prada Marfa, 60 Minutes, Donald Judd thing dies down and the camera crews and installation teams go home, we’ll dial up this fresh video full of San Carlos horse races, Pinto Canyon cruising, Las Pilas cannonballs and DQ snacking from Shorthorn MVP Duemolly, Lebarton, Ben-Yehuda and all the next gen rap cats, skate bros and synth class alums in the Stomach Club crew and remember why everybody covets a piece of this Far West Texas/North Mexico vibe. Get more Duemolly at Stomach Club.