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A series of Vacant Lots' album and singles covers.
#Vacant Lots#punk#Jared Artaud#Suicide#Alan Vega#Bridget Riley#op-art#black and white#omega#our lady omega
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Liz Lamere on Alan Vega and Her Solo Career: Whatever Happens, Happens
Liz Lamere; photo by Jasmine Hirst
BY JORDAN MAINZER
Liz Lamere's got a story to tell, and one that won't end any time soon. The former Wall Street lawyer and boxer and current singer-songwriter is also the widow and former creative partner of the late, great Alan Vega, the visual artist and vocalist of landmark proto-punk duo Suicide. Since Vega's death in 2016, Lamere has, in conjunction with Jared Artaud of post-punk act The Vacant Lots, worked to bring to light a wealth of unreleased material from Vega's vault.
After the release of 2017's It, the final album Vega recorded before he died, Lamere and Artaud discovered the material that would constitute the 2021 release Mutator. In 2022, they unearthed the songs that would be released this past May as Insurrection (In The Red). It hasn't been until now, however, where there's been a simultaneous awakening of all things Vega. In addition to Insurrection, Artaud co-curated "Cesspool Saints", an exhibition of Vega's fine art works, which opened two months ago at Laurent Godin's Gallery in Paris. Lamere, meanwhile, co-wrote Vega's biography with Laura Davis-Chanin, entitled Infamous Dreams: The Life of Alan Vega (Backbeat Books). (The foreword? By none other than Bruce Springsteen.) With a rich collection of songs waiting for ears--material that Lamere and Vega recorded and Vega meticulously documented between actually released Vega solo albums throughout the 90s and 2000s--it's become clear that Vega's backlog rivals of those like Prince and Arthur Russell, full of albums that are contextualized by what was recorded before and after them but that stand alone as cohesive statements.
Lamere; photo by Jasmine Hirst
At the same time as everything Vega-related, Lamere has finally found not just the time but the will to release her own solo records, an artistic career that Vega always encouraged but never was able to witness. Her songs are certainly different than Vega's in terms of subject matter and aesthetic, but Lamere credits Vega's approach to music-making--be spontaneous and fearless and realize that nothing is a mistake--for informing her artistic process. She started working on her debut, Keep It Alive, during COVID lockdown, and finished the album in mere weeks. Her follow-up, One Never Knows (In The Red), released last month, took a little bit longer to make, understandably when Lamere was working on Vega's biography and Insurrection all at the same time. Thankfully, Lamere was able to separate the entities, another thing she took from Vega. "It wasn't too difficult to compartmentalize because I wore so many different hats and did so many different things, like Alan," Lamere said over the phone last month. "Alan could be hyper-focused on visual art, and then hyper-focused on music and sound. They might be different sides of the same coin, but whatever he was focused on, he was so in the moment and heavily focused on that creation."
To really understand Vega's perspective on art and life, you have to go far back into the oft-ignored details that inspired Lamere to start writing his biography. Vega was, infamously, 10 years older than everyone thought; various articles incorrectly referred to 1948 as his birth year rather than 1938, confirmed when the 70th birthday release of his recordings was announced in 2008. The parents of the man born Alan Bermowitz were Jewish immigrants. His first wife, Mariette Bermowitz (née Birencwajg), is a Holocaust survivor from Belgium; they met attending Brooklyn College. Lamere credits such a close familial proximity to persecution as a reason for the trauma Vega felt, and also why he chose to not use his birth name as his stage name. But such closeness was also why Vega chose to sing about difficult topics in his music. "Alan was always hypersensitive to any type of oppression or challenging situations," Lamere said. "He had tremendous empathy. He wasn't doom and gloom but more readily shining a light." Out of college, Vega worked for the Welfare Department, eventually quitting because he felt the menial work he was tasked with doing didn't allow him to make a true difference in the lives of the poor. But the experience helped him understand how to secure funding when working with the Art Workers' Coalition, and from the New York State Council on the Arts to help found 24-hour artist-run multimedia gallery MUSEUM: A Project of Living Artists.
Alan Vega; photo by Walter Robinson
Vega possessed the ability to apply what he learned from one effort to another, and his mind was well-rounded. He actually enrolled in Brooklyn College not for art, but for astrophysics, having received a scholarship as a result of his building his own telescope(!) But one day, the head of the Art Department witnessed Vega sketching portrait drawings in the cafeteria and immediately recognized Vega's artistic brilliance and convinced him to study art. (Vega's portrait drawings appear in the video for Lamere's "King City Ghost".) Vega ended up studying with legendary artists like Kurt Seligmann and Ad Reinhardt. When substitute teaching a class for Reinhardt during his senior year, Vega assigned students a self-portrait to be turned in the next class, but instead of collecting them, he told the students to rip them up. "When he was telling me the story," said Lamere, "He said, 'You should have seen the look on these kids' faces!'" But Vega viewed art as, in the words of Lamere, "coming from a pure place of expression," not of preciousness, and one worthy of consuming your life. Vega met Martin Rev and formed Suicide in 1970, garnering notice for their wild live shows throughout the New York punk scene. After they released their self-titled debut in 1977, they toured with The Clash, an infamous time during which the crowd, unable to understand the Suicide's artistic vision, would throw switchblades at the band. "Alan was willing to be...out there front and center and put his life on the line, literally," Lamere said. "He believed so strongly that what [Suicide was] doing was breaking new ground and important in its own right."
Vega had been releasing solo albums for a decade before Lamere came in the picture; he met her while making 1990's Deuce Avenue, the record that returned to the beloved electronic minimalism of Suicide. Though the actual release of solo albums was sporadic, he and Lamere never stopped making music. "When we were in the studio together all those years, I was very much the type of person thinking about releasing albums, whereas Alan wasn't structured in that way," Lamere said. "His thought was, 'We're going into the studio to create sound, and whatever happens, happens...' Part of his process was he would just keep moving forward. Unless I said, 'Hit stop,' so we could put out an album of what we'd been working on right at [that] moment in time, he would keep evolving and moving forward on new material." Vega constantly wrote poetry in his notebooks, often using what he wrote for ad-libbed song lyrics; Lamere was actively involved in mixing their recordings. At the same time, Vega was a staunch documenter. He would burn a CD of what he and Lamere had worked on in the studio and note down changes he thought they needed to make to each song. Even the titles of the songs from Mutator and Insurrection came from his notebooks.
Insurrection artwork design by Michael Handis
The extent to which, upon being done with a song or an album, Vega moved on, proved to be extreme, and would have ripple effects on Lamere's solo career. The two, along with French director Marc Hurtado, would tour Europe after recording a solo album and perform the unreleased songs they'd recorded. ("The Europeans have heard a lot of this stuff before," joked Lamere about Mutator and Insurrection.) For the songs that had been released, Vega would rely on Lamere to feed him lines so that he could give the audience at least something recognizable. "I would be chanting little phrases, he would hear that, and he would riff on it, and the audience would be happy even though the lyrics [were] mostly completely different," Lamere said. "I learned to 'sing' because Alan never wanted to rehearse anything...I kind of learned a little bit how to project my voice." Meanwhile, upon hearing it for the first time, Vega didn't even remember "Nike Soldier", a track long-time engineer Perkin Barnes had digitized and Lamere chose for a split single with The Vacant Lots in 2014. Lamere's the opposite. "When we first started mixing [Insurrection], I could literally remember and envision the days in the studio I was laying down [those riffs]." But the ultimate story comes from when Springsteen, touring Devils & Dust, invited Vega to one of his shows, as he had been covering Suicide classic "Dream Baby Dream" during the encore. "[Vega] literally was sitting with Jesse [Malin], they're waiting for the show to start, and on the PA comes the song 'Dujang Prang' that he and I had done in 1995," Lamere said. "Alan turns to Jesse and says, 'This is really good, do you know who this is?' Jesse said, 'Alan, that's your song.' That's classic Alan: been there, done that, don't wanna hear it."
It was during the release of The Vacant Lots split single where Vega gave Artaud and Lamere his blessing to unearth songs from the vault. The single happened when Artaud reached out to Vega, sharing The Vacant Lots' cover of Vega's "No More Christmas Blues". The two men became fast friends, as Artaud, living in Brooklyn Heights a subway stop away from Vega and Lamere in Lower Manhattan, often visited. "Jared would come over here and sit and talk to Alan for hours about everything," Lamere said. "He had listened to every piece of music that Alan had pretty much ever done. He understood Alan's philosophy of creation and the minimalism and the existential philosophers that Alan had studied." As for Lamere, Vega knew that her approach to producing his music was intuitive. "After Alan heard 'Nike Soldier', I said, 'Alan, you have no idea how much material is in the computer in the studio of what we've done over the years,'" Lamere said. "He said, 'I know. Once I'm gone, you should feel free to put it out because I trust your judgement. You've worked with me for so long, you're my co-producer.' I could go in and make these tracks sound completely different. But I make what Alan would want. He's still so present with us because he had such a strong influence on us. It's part of our DNA. That's the reality."
Lamere; photo by Jasmine Hirst
Insurrection was recorded in the late 90s, and you can hear its influence on the material that would make up 1999's 2007. The album is a snapshot of an era for Vega, New York City, and the world at large. Dante, Vega and Lamere's child, was about to be born, so Vega's mind was occupied with the post-Gulf War, pre-9/11 state of a city and country rife with racism and capitalistic rot. (The mention of 9/11 is not teleological; Vega literally had premonitions of a terror attack in New York City.) Songs like "Sewer" and "Invasion" sport thumping, propulsive beats and clattering, machine-like percussion, the most messed-up club songs you've ever heard, Vega chanting like a street urchin. The presciently titled "Murder One" and "Genocide" are circular, droning, and forward-lurching. The instrumentation is perfect for Vega's mantras and pleas to "Make a new reality!' Lamere's One Never Knows, though a personal album whose singles' videos feature Lamere sort of half-boxing, half-dancing, a callback to her earlier career, echoes Vega's idealistic spirit. "Don't destroy the dream tonight," she sings on the dystopian "If Only", an almost 50-year-later spiritual sibling to Suicide's best known song.
One Never Knows, like Keep It Alive, was engineered by Dante at their Dujang Prang home studio, where Alan held his sculptures. Before the pandemic, Dante had been working with hip-hop artists, but as they weren't coming in during lockdown, Lamere asked him to help her with her solo debut. Dante sang in The Choir of Trinity Wall Street for 10 years and purportedly has perfect pitch, whereas Lamere is not formally trained. "He wants to help other people with their vision," Lamere said of her son. "I do say to him once in a while, because I run a lot of sounds through the keyboard, 'What key is this?'...He knows I like dissonance, so he says, 'If you like it, it works.'" Lamere's taking a key from Vega and not wanting to get technical any time soon. "I'm sure Miles Davis had his pick of brilliant musicians to work with, but Alan used to say, 'Miles Davis liked working with people who weren't necessarily formally trained.' They didn't say, 'You're not supposed to do that,' or, 'This is what you're supposed to do here, this chord progression.' No! It's none of that. There are no rules," Lamere said.
Lamere; photo by Jasmine Hirst
Lamere's planning on taking the same approach to her recording as playing live, but with a little bit of her boxing knowledge thrown in. "When I was performing with Alan, I was always playing effects machines in the background. It's a whole different animal carrying the show front and center," she said. "For me, it's like getting in the ring sparring. You have to be hyper-focused. The adrenaline kicks in. It's a great feeling...It scares the shit out of me ahead of time. In the moment, I absolutely love it. Alan was the same way. He wouldn't even be thinking about getting on stage, but as soon as he did, he kind of embraced it."
As always, her musical endeavors will constitute at least some work with the Vega vault. For one, according to Lamere, there are about 4 or 5 albums worth of material from the 8 years between the release of 2007 and Station alone, from when they were first raising Dante, as well as even more from after Station, despite Vega suffering a stroke in 2012. "I love the opportunity for people to hear what I'm doing and discover what Alan did and is continuing to do," Lamere said. "I love the fact that he's still influencing people from beyond."
One Never Knows artwork: Jasmine Hirst
#interviews#liz lamere#alan vega#jared artaud#in the red#laurent godin#laura davis-chanin#marc hurtado#one never knows#jasmine hirst#suicide#the vacant lots#it#mutator#insurrection#in the red records#in the red recordings#cesspool saints#infamous dreams: the life of alan vega#backbeat books#bruce springsteen#prince#arthur russell#keep it alive#alan bermowitz#mariette bermowitz#brooklyn college#art workers' coalition#new york state council on the arts#MUSEUM: a project of living artists
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Thank you Iggy! 🖤🖤🐐 Very grateful for the kind words & playing the exclusive first spin of our new single “Amnesia” on Iggy Pop’s Iggy Confidential BBC Radio 6 show. “Amnesia” is out today on Fuzz Club.
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Jared Artaud - Tomorrow (Savage Night, 2018)
A collection of poems. 71 pages. Paperback.
TOMORROW is the second book of poems by Jared Artaud, musician and co-founder of the psych-rock band The Vacant Lots. TOMORROW is a concise collection of poetry that continues the fragmented/minimal style originally put in place in Artaud’s first book of poetry “Empty Space”. A book that you can actually read in one sitting.
Order the book: here
#jared artaud#tomorrow#poetry#the vacant lots#black and white#design#rimbaud#vacant lots#empty space
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The first collection of poetry from The Vacant Lots singer/guitarist, some of which will be familiar to anyone who has heard their album 'Departure...
Empty Space on Sonic Cathedral
Published by Dactyl Poetry
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Tune into Iggy Pop's BBC 6 Music show on Sunday from 4pm BST for an exclusive first listen of our new single 'Amnesia'
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NEW SINGLE "AMNESIA" OUT JULY 17
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2021 NEWS! The good people at Fuzz Club are doing another pressing of last year's sold-out 'INTERZONE' LP. Available on 180g ultra-clear vinyl with black splatter, the second pressing also includes a bonus 7" containing a remix of 'Into The Depths' by COLD CAVE. You can pre-order the vinyl here: fuzzclub.lnk.to/interzone
#the vacant lots#Interzone#vinyl#jared artaud#cold cavee#wesley eisold#heartworm press#remix#op art#design
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we can die now!! what an incredible honor to get played twice on Iggy Pop IGGY CONFIDENTIAL on BBC Radio 6 Music today!! thank you Iggy for playing RESCUE & DEPARTURE REMIX by Robert Levon Been (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club)
Listen back to the show here
#iggy pop#vacant lots#jared artaud#robert levon been#brmc#black rebel motorcycle club#bbc#bbc6#iggy confidential
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our new single RESCUE is out today, listen to it * here *
you can now pre-order our new album INTERZONE out June 26, 2020 on Fuzz Club ** here **
all album artwork designed by Ivan Liechti
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we're unleashing new music on Friday & sharing news about our upcoming album. CAN'T WAIT! photo: Luz Gallardo
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BELLS premiere in Clash Magazine
BELLS featured in The Quietus
BELLS premiere in Fused Magazine
BELLS featured in BrooklynVegan
EXIT EP in BrooklynVegan
Interview with The Vacant Lots in German Curt Magazine
LA polaroid: Luz Gallardo
#the vacant lots#jared artaud#luz gallardo#los angeles#polaroid#LA#guided by voices#clash magazine#Anton newcombe#bjm#Brian Jonestown massacre#the quietus#GBV#brmc#spaceman 3#Alan vega
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NEW SINGLE BELLS PRODUCED BY ANTON NEWCOMBE (BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE) OFF OUR NEW EXIT EP OUT SOON ON A RECORDINGS
#the vacant lots#Anton newcombe#bjm#jared artaud#Brian jonestown massacre#op art#black and white#vinyl#design#spacemen 3#Alan vega#galaxie 500#animal collective#the kills#Iggy pop#lou reed#velvet underground#suicide#Richard hell#the dandy warhols#courtney taylor#royal trux#the black angels#a place to bury strangers#tame impala#temples#sacred bones#Mexican summer#fuzz club#iceage
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Thanks to Eastwood Guitars And Airline Guitars for the in-depth interview about THE VACANT LOTS on touring with The Dandy Warhols & Black Rebel Motorcycle Club plus recording with Anton Newcombe & working with ALAN VEGA. Honored to sit down & reflect about these subjects
INTERVIEW HERE
#the vacant lots#jared artaud#anton newcombe#bjm#brian jonestown massacre#dandy warhols#peter holmstrom#brmc#black rebel motorcycle club#robert been#robert levon been#alan vega#suicide#vega vault#martin rev#eastwood guitars#airline guitars#harmony guitars#fender#eastwood and airline guitars#a recordings#metropolis records#fuzz club#sonic cathedral#mexican summer#levitation festival
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#the vacant lots#the dandy warhols#dandy warhols#andy warhol#jared artaud#courtney taylor#the fillmore#brooklyn steel#9:30 club#anton newcombe#bjm#brian jonestown massacre#spacemen 3#the sinclair#The Observatory at North Park#The Theatre at Ace Hotel#los angeles#brooklyn#boston#san diego#washington dc#nyc#cosmonauts#tour#op art#black and white#design#//diy
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