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ARTIST
TITLE
Mohawk
FORMAT
CD
LABEL
CATALOG #
IMB 6022CD
IMB 6022CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
4/1/2014
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John Sinclair, the renegade poet, scholar and cultural revolutionary, releases his new album on Iron Man Records. John has been described as an archetype of the 1960s art, music and literary synthesis, and today, is still kicking with both feet on his trajectory for cultural transformation. His new record features 10 tracks from his book of verse: Always Know: A Book of Monk. Twenty poems planted firmly in a single-shot session, and carefully trimmed down to 10 exhibits for this album. Beatnik poems, great odes and personal reflections of the be-bop jazz persuasion, all flowering together. First conceived of in Detroit City, spring 1982, and developed throughout the 1980s with streaks of fresh edits leading right up to the session itself, John navigates some of these texts for the first time in over 20 years, free-styling his energized sincerity and attention to every word, transforming the text on the page into his unique unmistakable spoken-word. The music was written and arranged by Steve Fly who mirrored John's poems in the music by initially combing the tempo of the original songs recorded by John "Dizzy" Gillespie, Charlie "Bird" Parker and Thelonious Monk. Steve The Fly is a native of Stourbridge UK, now an Amsterdam resident who plays drums, spins vinyl, writes novels and literary and cultural commentary. His other music projects have included New Flesh, Garaj Mahal, Temple Dragon Band, and of course, he is now full-time with John Sinclair. These songs are further utilized by John's poetic method, so that each title and the rhythm of his poetry can piggy-back upon the same song-title, and rhythm, of an original composition set in history, for extra rooting. Steve put down drums, turntables, cello-bass, flute, and glockenspiel, shooting to play around the vocal lead lines and diverse expressions from John. All artwork was cradled and visualized by the post-industrial imagination of CHU. CHU's work has included projects with Banksy and Jamie Hewlett, among many others, and he has been described as the "Escher of UK street art" and is a founder of Graffiti Bastards. The album is beautifully packaged in a double gatefold CD wallet with full-color artwork by CHU and a 10-page booklet. Mohawk illustrates the kind of care and attention a John Sinclair record deserves. After all, he kinda helped start this underground art explosion.
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