Orange Tulip Conspiracy: "Ignis Fatuus"
Orange Tulip Conspiracy: \"Ignis Fatuus\"

The group's debut album, released last year on Mimicry Records, is penned by Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, whose Q&A with ALARM can be read here.

The OTC tour begins May 1 in Seattle and runs through the Midwest, the East Coast, and the South before finishing up in California. The five winners of this contest can choose which show they would like to attend; the complete list can be seen at the band's MySpace page and in the contest form below.

**This contest is now closed. Thanks for your participation, and congrats to the winners.**

One entry per person. Contests are only open to ALARM newsletter subscribers. By entering your e-mail address you are signing up for our exclusive e-mail newsletter. You can always unsubscribe if you don’t like it, and you’ll still be eligible to win any contest you entered.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: www.orangetulipconspiracy.com
Mimicry Records: www.webofmimicry.com

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: "Ignis Fatuus"
Orange Tulip Conspiracy: \"Ignis Fatuus\"

The group's debut album, released last year on Mimicry Records, is penned by Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, whose Q&A with ALARM can be read here.

The OTC tour begins May 1 in Seattle and runs through the Midwest, the East Coast, and the South before finishing up in California.  The five winners of this contest can choose which show they would like to attend; the complete list can be seen at the band's MySpace page and in the contest form below.

**This contest is now closed. Thanks for your participation, and congrats to the winners.**

One entry per person. Contests are only open to ALARM newsletter subscribers. By entering your e-mail address you are signing up for our exclusive e-mail newsletter. You can always unsubscribe if you don’t like it, and you’ll still be eligible to win any contest you entered.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: www.orangetulipconspiracy.com
Mimicry Records: www.webofmimicry.com

Progressive metal band Yakuza will release its next album, the follow-up to Transmutations, on Profound Lore Records in October.

Genre-splicing specialists Orange Tulip Conspiracy have finalized the details of their nationwide May tour.  Find the dates here.

Alt-country band Rock Plaza Central has joined the roster of Paper Bag Records.  On June 16 in the US, Paper Bag will release the band's new album, …at the Moment of Our Most Needing or If Only They Could Turn Around, They Would Know They Weren't Alone.

Madlib and J. Rocc have announced a handful of European tour dates for May that can be seen here.

In support of upcoming album Set 'em Wild, Set 'em Free, experimental folk-rock group Akron/Family has announced May and June tour dates that will span the US East Coast, Europe, Japan, and Canada.  The band's new album will be out May 5.

Indie math rockers Tera Melos will begin a headlining tour around the US in late April.  You can still download the band's eight-minute cover EP here for free.

Mike Patton will play the vocal role of a Decepticon in this summer's Transformers sequel.  The singer extraordinaire has movie voiceover experience from I Am Legend and has worked on a number of videogames.

Man Man has posted a video for "Rabbit Habbits" that features some bona fide actors.

As one of the principal songwriters in Estradasphere, guitarist/composer Jason Schimmel has always loved combining disparate styles in new and jaw-dropping ways.

But with Estradasphere on hold and a wealth of solo material, Schimmel now leads Orange Tulip Conspiracy, a similarly constructed but substantially different enterprise.

OTC's music worms through prog fusion, psychedelic rock, 1950s-style jazz, avant metal, Romani melodies, and much more. Its debut album, released last September on Mimicry Records, is nearly as diverse as an Estradasphere disc, but it's more focused from song to song.

Online editor Scott Morrow speaks with Schimmel to discuss this album's creation, the next album's sound, and the logistics of his nationwide May tour.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: "Ignis Fatuus"
Orange Tulip Conspiracy: \"Ignis Fatuus\"

Did these songs originate out of Estradasphere's downtime, or were they older and always meant for another project? Was there anything specific that you wanted to accomplish with this mix of styles?

These songs were always meant for another project. I've always written way too many songs to be used by just Estradasphere. Though these songs seem new to most people, I actually have been working on some of these since the early Estradasphere days — it has just taken me this long time to finally finish them off and make a complete record.

Since I have always been very interested in many different styles of music, it has always been hard for me to write in just one style. I like to mix things up and give the listener a unique experience — an unpredictability that keeps people on their toes, so to speak.

After your coast-to-coast US tour in May, what are the plans for Orange Tulip Conspiracy? If a future recording is in the works, how might it sound?

Well, for the first time ever, I have actually written an entire new record before setting out on a tour. The goal is to perform these new songs for an audience to get a feel of what is going to work the best.

By doing this, we can take a song and transform it into something greater by feeding off the audience's natural reaction to the music without a previous point of reference. That way we can add or subtract things based on real musical experiences.

In the past, I have always written the music first, then made the record, and then finally set out to play the tunes from the record live. What happens is that the playing on the record is very stiff and tight in comparison to how we usually play the song after we tour on it. So I want the looseness and freedom that comes from the confidence of having played the songs many times before setting out to record them.

Directly following the tour, I mean literally the day after the tour ends, we are heading into a studio to record this new album. I am very excited to finally see this new process unfold on a recording.

The new record will sound similar to the first one in that there are many different types of compositions. Avant rock, groove, improv, jazz, and ambient are some of the first thoughts that come into my mind. There will also be a a few covers on there as well.

In addition to many other guests, almost all of Estradasphere (past and present) helped record this album. How does the live presentation of Orange Tulip Conspiracy differ from the studio version?

OTC's live presentation could be considered a much more organic version of the record in that it is just five musicians playing the songs. With the recording, I had the liberty to have all sorts of various orchestrations coming in and out, massive production changes, drastic arrangement alterations, etc., which I don't have the liberty to completely accomplish in a live context.

In the live setting, I play guitar and bazouki (8-stringed Greek instrument) and do some vocals. [Former Estradasphere member] John Whooley plays tenor and baritone sax, keys, and vocals, Luke Bergman plays upright and electric bass, Zach Cline plays rhythm guitar, and [current Estradasphere / God of Shamisen member] Lee Smith plays drums.

A solid and bombastic rhythm section holds it down while electric guitar and sax cover most of the lead aspects of the music. This is augmented by another guitar that plays most of the harmonic aspects of the music.

Will this solo project continue as a major priority if Estradasphere gets back into full swing?

Yes, I think that OTC will be a major priority for me regardless of whatever bands I am playing in at the time. The reality is that I need another outlet for the plethora of material that I compose. No one band can satisfy all my needs as a musician and creative force.

There are all sorts of compromises and considerations that music goes through being in a democratic band situation. I think that it is very healthy for me to have a project where I can focus all my attention.

- Scott Morrow

Here's a list of tours on our radar, including dates from The Bad Plus, Fucked Up, Orange Tulip Conspiracy, P.O.S., Secret Chiefs 3, Young Widows, and more.

Follow each artist's link to see current tour dates.

The Bad Plus: March 5 – April 17
After a few one-off shows and a short stint in Eastern Europe, the rock-infused jazz trio begins a month and a half of spread-out dates in major North American cities. Accompanied by vocalist Wendy Lewis, the group is supporting the release of its first all-covers album, For All I Care.

Dan Deacon: April 6 – May 17
Electronic artist Dan Deacon takes a six-week jaunt across the US and Canada with a full supporting ensemble to perform the electro-acoustic works of his new album, Bromst.

Don Caballero: Feb. 3-28
Led by drummer/instigator Damon Che, these rock instrumentalists began a US tour last week that will hit major cities from coast to coast. Since being recreated, the group (with Che as its only remaining original member) has emphasized a heavy rock sound, continuing with its most recent album, Punkgasm.

Fucked Up: Jan. 27 – Feb.
Closing out its three-week US tour, Fucked Up plays a few Midwest dates before culminating with two Valentine's Day shows in Chicago and a recently added gig in Michigan. The shock-value cross-genre punks then take a breather before traveling to Europe in late February.

Irepress: March 4 – April 11
Heading out in support of its sophomore album, Sol Eye Sea 1, this (mostly) instrumental Boston group treats rock clubs to mathy, melodic, chugging, epic songs.

The Oddity Faire: A Mutated Mini Fest: March 4-28
This four-week traveling mini festival features an outstanding lineup of Les Claypool, DeVotchKa, Saul Williams, and Secret Chiefs 3 in many cities. Some dates include the Yard Dogs Road Show, O'Death, and The Mutaytor. Tickets are a bit pricey but should be worth every dollar. Claypool is supporting a new album, Of Fungi and Foe.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: May 1-23
This new project from Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel makes its debut US tour in support of its excellent first album.

P.O.S.: Feb. 5-28
With what should be one of the year's best hip-hop albums in tow, Minnesota's P.O.S. kicked off a three-week US tour in Montana last Thursday. His jaunt runs through the West, the Midwest, and the East Coast before returning to Minneapolis.

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum: April 9-20
This theatrical art-metal group takes a short Midwest and East Coast tour between albums, getting a fabulous opener in Dub Trio for five of the dates.

Young Widows: March 13 – April 7
After a stretch of European performances, Louisville's Young Widows will have spent the better part of two months on the road, punishing crowds with a rhythmic heaviness and inspiration from forerunners such as The Jesus Lizard.

Supermachiner, the haunting, mostly instrumental side project from Converge members Jacob Bannon and Kurt Ballou, will soon have its complete 30-track, two-disc collection, Rust, available through Deathwish Inc. Listen to a few tracks here.

Big Business has announced the release of its new album, Mind the Drift, for April on Hydra Head. Listen to a new track, "Gold and Final," on the group's MySpace page.

Japanese post-rockers Mono have a new album, Hymn to the Immortal Wind, being released on March 24 on Temporary Residence. The album boasts guest contributions from a 28-member orchestra.

Seven Signs, the Southern culture documentary by J.D. Wilkes of Th' Legendary Shack Shakers, is now available on DVD.

Following the release of Old Money via Stones Throw on January 26, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez takes his group to Europe in March. Click here for a list of dates.

A new alt-metal super-group called Shrinebuilder is recording a debut album for Neurot Recordings, due this summer. The group consists of Wino (The Hidden Hand), Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Al Cisneros (Om, Sleep), and Dale Crover (Melvins) and will be in the studio with Toshi Kasai (Big Business).

Orange Tulip Conspiracy, the exceptional multi-genre new group led by Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, will play a full US tour in May. If you're involved in setting up shows, you can help Schimmel fill in dates — head here for details.

Grandaddy singer/songwriter Jason Lytle has a solo debut album, Yours Truly, being release on Anti- on May 19.

Finger-tapping indie-rock specialist Kaki King is playing a "solo guitar and no other bullshit tour" in California from January 21-31. Head here for the dates.

Post-rock/jam keyboardist Marco Benevento plays a weekly residency in February at Yoshi's in Oakland in the middle of a handful of other West Coast dates. During the stint, Benevento will be joined by special guests that include Scott Amendola, Billy Martin, Reed Mathis, Jeff Parker, and Skerik.

California math-rock trio Tera Melos has a new EP of cover songs available to download for free. Band member Nick Reinhart also has new band with drumming wiz Zach Hill, called Bygones, that has a debut album set for release in March on Sargent House.

Starting today, the new Cattle Decapitation album, The Harvest Floor, is streaming in its entirety on buzzgrinder.com. The stream will run through January 19.

Thrash/punk four-piece Trash Talk has announced a handful of shows that span Japan, California, and Georgia (the state). The shows include performances with Fucked Up, Pig Destroyer, Converge, Torche, Mastodon, and Neurosis.

Hardcore tough guys Hatebreed have posted a cover of Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist" on their MySpace page. The cover is included in the soundtrack to Punisher: War Zone.

Garage a Trois

Mars Volta mastermind Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is releasing another solo album — this time his first through Stones Throw. Titled Old Money, it is currently available via MP3s and will be released on CD and vinyl on January 27.

Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher has been hospitalized due to undisclosed reasons. He hopes to rejoin the band, which is continuing to tour as a trio, in time for its upcoming European shows. The band, meanwhile, will release a limited-edition vinyl box set on Tuesday.

Outspoken wordsmith Saul Williams speaks with Wired about the aftermath from the release of The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, which was released online last year through a tiered (free-$5) pricing system.

On the group's MySpace page, a sneak preview has been posted from the upcoming album by beautiful jazz/groove trio Garage a Trois. Comprised of vibraphonist/percussionist Mike Dillon, drummer Stanton Moore, saxophonist Skerik, and keyboardist Marco Benevento, the group also recently posted performance dates for the Jam Tour 7.

NOMO mastermind Elliot Bergman and producer Warn Defever have released a small edition of handmade electric kalimbas for sale. These instruments of African origin are played through metal keys and produce a unique, resonating sound.

Don Caballero has announced a small batch of northeastern tour dates for December, a few weeks after the band returns from the UK.

Pelican has released a video for "Lost in the Headlights." It makes its television debut on Saturday on Headbangers Ball.

The (International) Noise Conspiracy is streaming its new album, The Cross of My Calling, in its entirety from the band's MySpace page. The album will be released on November 25 in the US.

Led by the oozing talent of Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, his Orange Tulip Conspiracy begins its West Coast tour on Saturday.

Mike Patton has another collaboration credit, this time with The Qemists, a three-piece outfit that meshes rock with club music. The group's single with Patton, "Lost Weekend," is available on 12" through Ninja Tune.

After recently finishing the Experience Hendrix national tour, drummer Mitch Mitchell has passed away at the age of 62. He was the last living member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

- Unpredictable super-group Fantômas will perform on New Year's Eve at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall, where Mike Patton, Buzz Osborne, Trevor Dunn, and Dave Lombardo will have their only US performance of The Director's Cut. Ipecac label mates Tipsy and Zach Hill perform as well.

- Exceptional Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel takes his Orange Tulip Conspiracy on a short West Coast tour in November.

- On his MySpace page, producer extraordinaire Jon Brion released "Croatia," a streaming standalone tune that carries a bit of Balkan flavor.

- For the second straight year, charming oddball folk rapper Tim Fite will release a free EP, this one called Ding Dong Ditch, available for one day only on Halloween. The Halloween-themed effort will be available through www.timfite.com.

- Starting today, a Doomriders / Disfear split 7" is available to pre-order from Deathwish Inc. The heavier-than-thou groups will play two weeks of European shows together in November.

- MySpace has posted a full streaming video of Ben Folds Five's recent one-off reunion performance of The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner for its Front to Back series.

- On Monday, enigmatic Icelandic songstress Björk released "Nattura," a single available through One Little Indian. The song encourages support for the Nattura campaign, which seeks to provide eco-friendly options to Iceland.

- London's freak disco/metal collective Chrome Hoof has set a pair of rare performances in France for Halloween and November 1.

- February 17, 2009 marks the release of Animals in the Dark, the ANTI- debut by raspy folk singer William Elliott Whitmore. As of Thursday, Whitmore joined Murder by Death for a month-long US tour.

- Wired has dug into the world of internet radio alarm clocks, devices that can wake you up using a directory of more than 11,000 worldwide internet radio stations. They can also use your flash / external hard drive to play your choice of tunes.

You might recognize Schimmel's name from being the guitarist (and one of many multi-instrumentalists) in Estradasphere. His compositional excellence and crossover aptitude are apparent in both endeavors, but this project is borne from his solo material and doesn't touch quite as many genres.

The short tour includes contributions from current Estradasphere drummer Lee Smith and former Estradasphere saxophone madman John Whooley. Rounded out by bassist Dan Robbins and guitarist Zach Cline, the group will play new cuts as well as covers that include 1960s Italian film scores and "bastardized" jazz standards.

Check the tour dates!

11/15 @ Sunset Tavern, Seattle, Washington
11/16 @ Dante's, Portland, Oregon
11/17 @ Samurai Duck, Eugene, Oregon
11/18 @ On the Y, Sacramento, California
11/19 @ Moe's Alley, Santa Cruz, California
11/20 @ The Ruby Room, San Diego, California
11/21 @ The Knitting Factory, Hollywood, California
11/22 @ Hotel Utah, San Francisco, California

Orange Tulip Conspiracy: www.orangetulipconspiracy.com
Mimicry Records: www.webofmimicry.com

This Orange Tulip Conspiracy debut, the first solo album / side project from Estradasphere guitarist Jason Schimmel, has been available for a little while. However, with the recent availability of its MP3s on Amazon and the little exposure it has received, it warrants a spot in this week's list. Schimmel is an immense talent, and his far-reaching compositional skills help make Estradasphere the mind-blowing classical/Gypsy/metal/cinematic fusion that it is. This album leans more on traditional jazz parts, metal riffs, and psychedelic jam sounds, and it comes highly, highly recommended.

`

Burst: Lazarus Bird (Relapse)

Hailing from Gothenburg, Swedish metal group Burst strays from the city's well-known black-metal sound. Like previous works, Lazarus Bird worms its way through much of the rock spectrum, alternating between palm-muted chugging, pretty clean-channel melodies, and high-string metal squeals. The harmonized reverb-heavy ending to "Cripple God" is awesome (listen below).

Burst: "Cripple God"

`

John Zorn: Filmworks XX: Sholem Aleichem (Tzadik)

When does legendary experimental composer John Zorn get a chance to sleep? His latest release, the 20th in his Filmworks series, is a disc of gorgeous songs often infused with Eastern European style. Featuring talented harpist Carol Emanuel, accordionist Rob Burger, and the Masada String Trio, the album acts as a soundtrack for a documentary on 19th-century Jewish writer Sholem Aleichem.

`

Soundgarden: Badmotorfinger [ecopak] (A&M)

Do you remember how great the big riff on "Jesus Christ Pose" is? If you're under the age of 20, chances are that you don't. Problem solved: a re-release of Badmotorfinger came out this week. Chock full of sweet fret work from guitarist Kim Thayil and ridiculously high-pitched screams from front man Chris Cornell, Badmotorfinger rivals Superunknown as Soundgarden's most seminal work. If you're uninitiated to this album, pick it up.

`

Fight the Big Bull: Dying Will Be Easy (Clean Feed)

The brain child of jazz guitarist and songwriter Matt White, Fight the Big Bull is equal parts a compelling standalone venture and homage to legends of the genre. The four songs on Dying Will Be Easy were composed and arranged by White, but his instrument typically isn't the focus as influences from Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus come through. The distorted brass slide on the opening and title track steals the early spotlight, and the rest of the brass and woodwind section — more than half of the nonet — carries the load for much of the remainder.

Fight the Big Bull: \"Dying Will Be Easy\"