For Lee Jackson in Space: a tribute album (one for the psych/drone fans)

I was tempted to have this be a post on the regular thread but it's turned into such a big project I wanted to talk about it separately. In brief, to quote from the Facebook group about the passing of writer/music enthusiast Lee Jackson:

Early Sunday morning, March 26 2012, our good friend and companion Lee Jackson died due to complications from ALS, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Lee's friendship, warmth, grace, enthusiasm and much more have since been missed terribly by family and friends, even those from many miles away who never had the chance to meet him. Above all, we simply miss him first and foremost, and are all crushed at his leaving this world so suddenly.

In honor of Lee's love of music, which extended throughout a network of musicians, fans, writers and many more people besides, and inspired by the example of Cory Rayborn and Three Lobed Recordings' astonishing tribute compilation for the equally missed Jack Rose, and with reference to a wonderful Pearls Before Swine song (not to mention Lee's love of acts like Hawkwind) we would like to announce the creation of a digital tribute compilation in honor of our friend, For Lee Jackson in Space. As one of us said when the title was proposed, "Most every mixtape Lee ever gave to me had some use of "...in Space" in the title he created. He'd grin that Cheshire grin just knowing this title has been suggested."

In accordance with an earlier suggestion from Lee's family, all proceeds from the sale of the album will be donated to the ALS Association as well as the North Texas Chapter of that association. Their respective webpages can be found at http://webtx.alsa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=NTX_homepage and http://www.alsa.org/ if you would like to learn more about the work they do in the hopes that ALS will one day be a thing of the past.

We encourage any artists who would like to contribute to the compilation to please contact one of us at your convenience for further information. Our goal is to have the compilation ready by the end of May at the latest for sale via Bandcamp. Lee's friend and fellow Texan Nevada Hill of the group Zanzibar Snails will be providing cover art.

Lee was not only the best of friends but, perhaps, the best of Texans, an example of that spirit of bigheartedness that matches the sweep of his homestate. We so very much miss him and everything he was and represented, and the Lone Star of his heart and soul is dimmed in this life. But in that beautiful realm beyond, where the memory of so many continues, including such figures as Jack Rose, Tony Dale, Jason DiEmilio, Syd Barrett and especially his proud fellow Texan Doug Sahm just to name a few, it shines all the brighter.

The response really has been lovely, and here's who are slated to appear on it so far, with more upcoming:

Zanzibar Snails
Primordial Undermind
Black Forest/Black Sea
Mike Tamburo
Harry Sumnall
Tadpoles
Stone Breath
Photon Band
Valerio Cosi
Pete Fosco
quixod
Christian Kiefer
Tom Carter
Helena Espvall
The Weird Weeds
Thunderbolt Pagoda
Rustic Rod and Ade Shaw
Evening Fires
Hush Arbors
Brendan Quinn
Anton Barbeau
Nick Bensen
Doleful Lions
SubArachnoid Space
Magic Carpathians Band
Övind Holm
Paul LaBreque
Kitchen Cynics
The Tadpoles
Anvil Salute
The Renderers
Brad E. Rose
Tanakh
The Roswell Incident
The Linus Pauling Quartet
Marissa Nadler
R. Keenan Lawler
The Institute of Stone Age Sex
Greg Davis
Feature Films
ST 37
Arborea
Seht
Norman Neubauer
Peter Wright
Kable
Roy Montgomery
Raising Holy Sparks
Abunai!
Vanessa Rossetto

We hope to have the album ready by the end of May.

I saw the news about Lee on Foxy Digitalis the other day. Remember him (or at least his online presence) well from my days of subscribing to Dr0neOn, always really knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Wonderful that all those amazing people are contributing!

This was very awful news... I only met Lee once I think, but had been a fan of his witing since I was a teen. In more recent years we'd become friends thru facebook and I got to talk about music a lot with him. His enthusiasm was very infectious and inspirational to me; sometimes I get burned out on trying to listen to new music or certain styles of music, but it seems Lee never experienced that. RIP :(

Yeah Lee just always seemed to have that indefinable drive that never flagged, bless his heart. In recent years it was more hit and run Facebook responses between us and I regret that, but I'm still so fortunate I caught him in the flesh at the last three Terrastocks. Always a pleasure to see.

We just confirmed André Foisy of Locrian, while the earlier list missed Abunai! and Vanessa Rossetto.

Oops, brainlock, the list DOES show that, I added it after the copy/paste. But Andre is new.

As well as the Alchemysts and Tom Greenwood of JOMF

Updating this to say that you will not believe what an amazing thing this is turning out to be. So many groups contributing!

Can't offer you a formal tracklisting yet but we can share the cover art courtesy of Nevada Hill:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/148995_10150930584376136_545041135_11993983_367033086_n.jpg

this sounds amazing!

yeah looks great

Believe me, friends, the final tracklist will leave you in awe. Have I mentioned the Six Organs of Admittance song yet...

Should also say that the formal release date via Bandcamp will be June 4th.

Press release! Tracklisting! Go nuts:

--

NINETY BANDS AND MUSICIANS CONTRIBUTE

TO THE DIGITAL TRIBUTE CHARITY ALBUM

FOR LEE JACKSON IN SPACE;

CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE, MV/EE,

HUSH ARBORS, WINDY AND CARL AND MARISSA NADLER

May 29, 2012 -- On June 4, ninety bands and musicians, with approaches ranging from the mystic folk of Stone Breath and Sharron Kraus, the psych-pop of the Green Pajamas and the exploratory art-rock of Volcano the Bear and the Magic Carpathians Project to the avant-garde metal of Locrian and the improvisational inspirations of Helena Espvall, Roy Montgomery and Pelt, pay tribute to Texan writer and cultural enthusiast Lee Jackson, famed for his co-creation of the noted Broken Face fanzine with Swedish writer Mats Gustafsson, with For Lee Jackson in Space.

After Jackson's tragic passing earlier this year due to the effects of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease), friends and associates rapidly conceived of a tribute album to celebrate his life and work, resulting in a nearly eleven hour long collection of songs, nearly all of which are completely new or otherwise unreleased. For Lee Jackson in Space will be available for purchase via Bandcamp on June 4, with all profits going to the ALS Association, Texas Chapter at the request of his family.

"Lee and myself created [The Broken Face] together, that lasted for almost seven years," says Gustafsson in his introductory liner notes. "I am proud to have published something unique together with a deeply-response, righteously earned friend. I was proud to have him as a friend, and I thought of him as much more than a casual friend. Simply knowing him, in addition to creating with him, somehow made me feel fulfilled."

"I can't even remember when I first started communication with Lee Jackson," remembers Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance. "It seems he was always there, giving encouragement and getting stoked on music. His excitement about art was contagious, which made him the perfect person to write about music. Lee seemed to be lacking that sort of cynical view that seems to infest a lot of the music world. Whenever I would see an email from him in my inbox I knew it was going to be a happy letter, one of inspiration and a positive view. I'm going to miss those chats about music and Lee's encouragement, which he was never shy about handing out."

Matt Valentine of MV/EE recalls: "Lee was a presence who seemed to grasp what we were all about without having to rely on anything but spirit and ears. It was his appreciation of the music that made me totally realize he is an oasis for musicians of all sorts and sounds. What i remember most is something he proposed after a particularly wild gig down in dallas. The venue didn't seem to be a "usual" gathering place for psychedelic music fans, but somewhere between the podium of where Lee was at and my amp we located some sorta sound that went beyond. I'll never forget coming off the stage, or selling merch right from the stage at that one, hearing Lee blast outward with some verbiage like, "Whoah brother you went all PSF on my ass!" It was a prominent riff of wide open speech as sonic appreciation and "getting it" as I have ever witnessed in response to being grateful for the music."

Cover art for For Lee Jackson in Space is courtesy of Nevada Hill, artist and member of Zanzibar Snails, yet another of the bands giving a little back in Jackson's memory. The liner notes for the collection include pieces by Gustafsson and the other two album compilers, Travis Johnson and Ned Raggett, Jackson's sister Layne, ALS Texas representative Elizabeth Macasadia and a complete listing of all bands and tracks, with liner notes from Jackson himself, taken from his descriptions of participating acts from earlier appearances or releases.

For Lee Jackson in Space will be available for streaming and download beginning June 4 at http://forleejacksoninspace.bandcamp.com/ -- contributions of $30 and higher are welcome. Discussion and further updates can be found at the appropriate Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/323110634410498/ -- on Twitter, look for the #forleejackson tag.

For further information please contact Ned Raggett at ned @ kuci.org

Track listing at presstime (exact order not yet confirmed; more contributions may appear by the release date):

Tadpoles -- Jaded Jean (LJ Mix)

Three Minute Tease -- These Alien Angels (Extended in Space)

Anvil Salute -- Technosis Externality Clusterfuck

Norman Neubauer -- I'm done sharing things I guess

Ray Off -- Go Up, Pup

Theo Angell -- Take Your Hand Off The Tree

Ade Shaw & Rustic Rod Goodway -- Chakra Blue

Tom Greenwood -- Willow Spring (Live in LA)

Arborea -- Stardust

Stone Breath --- Dark Veils Part

SubArachnoid Space -- Sounds and Memories Remain

Locrian -- Galleria Malaise

Matt McDowell -- Rays in the Dust (For Lee)

Marianne Nowottny -- Where You Are

Julia Vorontsova -- Love

Kitchen Cynics -- Me, Jack & Lee & the ghost of Skip James

The Roswell Incident -- Ventricular

Primordial Undermind -- I Am Afraid of You (live)

Six Organs of Admittance -- Which Way To Townes?

Kohoutek -- Live at Terrastock 7, June 21, 2008

Matthew de Gennaro -- Lee's Dream

Øyvind Holm -- When She's Sleeping

Melodien -- Untitled

Remora -- An Unwelcome Room

Volcano The Bear -- Tremondo

Xenis Emputae Travelling Band -- Night's Black Bird (after John Dowland)

Evening Fires -- Nailing Smoke to the Wall

Roy Montgomery -- Christchurch in the time of Tony Peake

Marissa Nadler -- The Breaking

The Magic Carpathians Project -- In the Air We'll Be Reborn

Sharron Kraus -- Night Clouds

Kable -- Be Next

Photon Band -- Unfinished Sky: Electricity, Heat, and Rain

Superbugger -- Dream

Pete Fosco -- Zilpo Forest Blues

Exterminating Angels -- Opening

Insect Factory -- Reversed in Your Mind

Gate -- Whetu

Nick Bensen and Too Many Guitars -- Stone Circle

Electroscope -- The Aye-Aye

The Lost Domain -- Restless Blues

Raising Holy Sparks with the Sacred Harp Singers of Cork -- Sacred Harp 282 (I'm Going Home)

when the word was (((sound))) -- Sungazer

Brendan Quinn and Mark Bennett -- Concerning The Isle Of Ptyx

Peter Wright -- All The Sky In Flames

Abunai! -- Time of the Funk-Lords (Flash Forward)

Linus Pauling Quartet -- Elven Queen

Tandem Bridges -- Some Mornings

ST 37 -- German Verman

Doleful Lions -- Combat Shock (It's Only A Matter Of Time)

The Dire Wolves Absolutely Perfect Brothers Band -- Creator Dub

The Weird Weeds -- Untitled

Charlatan -- Gateway

Nmperign & Jason Lescalleet -- Noble One(s)

Mike Tamburo -- lunar suite (for lee jackson) a. tantric sky memorial b. all but forgotten c. over a calm bed of prepared drone

Axemen -- No, Not Him (Jackson mix)

Windy & Carl -- the little voice that echoes in my head

Clint Payne -- Lee

Tara Burke, Helena Espvall, Alec Redfearn and Sharron Kraus -- Seal Woman's Lament

Valerio Cosi -- One For Lee

Quixod -- The Sound of Trains at Night

Alchemysts -- Glass Cars

Helena Espvall -- For Lee

Seht -- For the dead ones in space (Lee Jackson's half-life of chromium dioxide edit)

Zelienople -- Laundry

Charalambides -- Joy Shapes for Lee

Raglani -- Outer Rim Territories

Feature Films -- Blue Tomorrows

The Green Pajamas -- In The Sky

Thunderbolt Pagoda -- The Reclamation

Lunar Discotheque -- Secret Kraft

Kemialliset Ystävät -- Muistan

Jouurney -- Commit Your Way

Head of Wantastiquet -- Anemones in a Blue Vase

Zanzibar Snails -- A More Celestial Perception of the Absolute

Wooden Wand -- Levees

The Renderers -- Out of the Forest (live)

Derek Rogers -- New Languages (For Lee Jackson)

Winslow -- Purcell

My Mass Ornament -- You Eat in Greed

The Watchers -- Live at the Phoenix Project

Hush Arbors -- Berryman in the field

Christian Kiefer -- The Infinite Tides

Sun Circle -- Awaken

Dora Bleu -- Tracing the Corner

The Spiral Joy Band -- 13 moons of doom part 3 - red lunar serpent

MV & EE with the Golden Road -- Hammer > Jam

Tanakh -- The Gardener

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma -- The Placeless Place

Pelt -- On the Divide

Looking forward to this. Thanks much to Ned and Mats, the other organizers and all the contributors.

Too kind.

A bonus cut of sorts: Jeffrey Alexander's initial contribution to the effort (we had to leave it off as it was a cover version):

http://soundcloud.com/dwlvs/j

Wow! this looks amazing. Kudos to all involved.

Thank ya. A nice brief note in the Dallas Observer:

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/2012/05/compliation_for_late_north_tex.php

And just to announce three more additions to the lineup!

Plastic Crimewave -- Butterfly and Moth

Vanessa Rossetto -- Untitled (For Lee Jackson)

R. Keenan Lawler -- Peacefully

Okay we are live as live can be!

http://forleejacksoninspace.bandcamp.com/

Final tracklisting in order:

Abunai! -- Time of the Funk-Lords (Flash Forward)

Primordial Undermind -- I Am Afraid of You (live)

Tadpoles -- Jaded Jean (LJ Mix)

Stone Breath --- Dark Veils Part

Photon Band -- Unfinished Sky: Electricity, Heat, and Rain

Melodien -- Untitled

SubArachnoid Space -- Sounds and Memories Remain

Øyvind Holm -- When She's Sleeping

Nick Bensen and Too Many Guitars -- Stone Circle

Linus Pauling Quartet -- Elven Queen

Anvil Salute -- Technosis Externality Clusterfuck

Locrian -- Galleria Malaise

Theo Angell -- Take Your Hand Off The Tree

Arborea -- Stardust

Marianne Nowottny -- Where You Are

Kitchen Cynics -- Me, Jack & Lee & the ghost of Skip James

Six Organs of Admittance -- Which Way To Townes?

Tandem Bridges -- Some Mornings

Three Minute Tease -- These Alien Angels (Extended in Space)

Volcano The Bear -- Tremondo

Marissa Nadler -- The Breaking

Ade Shaw & Rustic Rod Goodway -- Chakra Blue

The Magic Carpathians Project -- In the Air We'll Be Reborn

Sharron Kraus -- Night Clouds

Matthew de Gennaro -- Lee's Dream

Electroscope -- The Aye-Aye

Julia Vorontsova -- Love

Matt McDowell -- Rays in the Dust (For Lee)

Alchemysts -- Glass Cars

Xenis Emputae Travelling Band -- Night's Black Bird (after John Dowland)

Mike Tamburo -- lunar suite (for lee jackson) a. tantric sky memorial b. all but forgotten c. over a calm bed of prepared drone

Tara Burke, Helena Espvall, Alec Redfearn and Sharron Kraus -- Seal Woman's Lament

The Weird Weeds -- Untitled

Nmperign & Jason Lescalleet -- Noble One(s)

Ray Off -- Go Up, Pup

Axemen -- No, Not Him (Jackson mix)

Valerio Cosi -- One For Lee

Doleful Lions -- Combat Shock (It's Only A Matter Of Time)

Kable -- Be Next

The Dire Wolves Absolutely Perfect Brothers Band -- Creator Dub

Kohoutek -- Slugger

Insect Factory -- Reversed in Your Mind

Raising Holy Sparks with the Sacred Harp Singers of Cork -- Sacred Harp 282 (I'm Going Home)

Remora -- An Unwelcome Room

Peter Wright -- All The Sky In Flames

Roy Montgomery -- Christchurch in the time of Tony Peake

Evening Fires -- Nailing Smoke to the Wall

Gate -- Whetu

Windy & Carl -- the little voice that echoes in my head

Superbugger -- Dream

Helena Espvall -- Passage (For Lee)

Tom Greenwood -- Willow Spring (Live in LA)

The Roswell Incident -- Ventricular

Exterminating Angels -- Opening

ST 37 -- German Verman

Pete Fosco -- Zilpo Forest Blues

Norman Neubauer -- I'm done sharing things I guess

Quixod -- The Sounds of Trains at Night

The Lost Domain -- Restless Blues

Charlatan -- Gateway

Emperor Ringworm -- Lee

Brendan Quinn and Mark Bennett -- Concerning The Isle Of Ptyx

when the word was (((sound))) -- Sungazer

Seht -- For the dead ones in space (Lee Jackson's half-life of chromium dioxide edit)

Zelienople -- Laundry

Charalambides -- Joy Shapes for Lee

Raglani -- Outer Rim Territories

Feature Films -- Blue Tomorrows

The Green Pajamas -- In The Sky

Thunderbolt Pagoda -- The Reclamation

Lunar Discotheque -- Secret Kraft

Kemialliset Ystävät -- Muistan

Jouurney -- Commit Your Way

Head of Wantastiquet -- Anemones in a Blue Vase

Zanzibar Snails -- A More Celestial Perception of the Absolute

Wooden Wand -- Levees

The Renderers -- Out of the Forest (live)

Derek Rogers -- New Languages (For Lee Jackson)

Winslow -- Purcell

Mass Ornament -- You Eat in Greed

The Watchers -- Live at the Phoenix Project

Hush Arbors -- Berryman in the field

Akiyama / Corcoran / Kiefer / Leftridge -- The Infinite Tides

Sun Circle -- Awaken

Dora Bleu -- Tracing the Corner

The Spiral Joy Band -- 13 moons of doom part 3 - red lunar serpent

MV & EE with the Golden Road -- Hammer > Jam

Tanakh -- The Gardener

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma -- The Placeless Place

Pelt -- On the Divide

Plastic Crimewave -- Butterfly and Moth

Vanessa Rossetto -- Untitled (For Lee Jackson)

R. Keenan Lawler -- Peacefully

The Azusa Plane -- Armonia Aphanes Phaneros Kreisson

amazing work Ned! You and you're compatriots should be applauded. As soon as the next check comes through...

No rush, and thanks! Enjoy a listen to the stream in the meantime.

This is great! Thanks for posting.

Have been (slowly) working through this as well, lots of good stuff on there. Will take several days to get through.

Nice write-up/interview on Foxy Digitalis, really great companion to the tribute:

http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/?p=34140

Should have said: part of it is interview responses from Ned. All of the responses are very touching and make me feel better about stuff like ILM actaully. Community and sharing are things that really mean something when the right people get involved.

just bought this!

Thanks for the kind words there Grandavis, sorry I didn't respond yesterday!

Hey Ned, no problem. Just wanted to express solidarity with a good cause. Will also try to send some money along when able. Lots of good folks on that comp. Had the pleasure of meeting Mike Gangloff of Pelt recently, super-nice guy. Glad to see them on the comp, though for obviously sad reasons. Work has been crazy this week, but again, really look forward to digging into the comp some more.

Couple of podcasts up today on the album if you'd like to give an ear:

http://www.track-blaster.com/wmbr/podcasts.php (today's entry, June 8th)

http://radiovalencia.fm/podcasts/?episode=6503

Hey this is good! Hope it does well.

Plus I shouldn't show off my ignorance but while I'd vaguely heard of "Lou Gehrig's disease" I didn't realise it was what British people call Motor Neuron(e) Disease, so, definitely for a good cause.

Extremely short notice but I'll be live via AshevilleFM.org to talk about the album soon! 8 pm Eastern, 5 pm Pacific.

http://www.ashevillefm.org/stream/afm-stream-hi.m3u

Spotted at Psych Fest

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/13960544718_b3fd8bfd99.jpgLee Jackson Has An Interstellar Posse

So awesome.

That it is.