We have not yet officially observed the passing of ex-Birthday Party guitarist Rowland Howard. Sorry to see you go; you were one of the true originals.
This looks to be a fascinating movie, a glimpse into one of the most feral, wild bands of all time toiling in the studio. Here they are, playing against their own "madman" stereotype, caught being deeply focused on their art and perfecting all the subtle details. (What? You didn't know there were subtle details? Listen harder.) Hearing Howard's guitar all by itself is a revelation; the trebly, rubbery noises and haunting harmonics are so integral to the Birthday Party sound that you don't always notice the difference they made, until you hear them starkly naked as they are here.
Gotta pull out that Wings Of Desire DVD again.
3 comments:
He was a great player and Jennifer's Veil is wonderful because of him.
Rowland S. Howard was one of the greatest guitarists to walk the earth, one of the alltime kings of feedback.
He did a amazing Shangri-Las cover...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nr5DyVLiW0
I really was wanting to find a clip of him doing "Some Velvet Morning" with Lydia Lunch, but this one is good too.
Post a Comment