BEAUTY PILL
@beautypill
Myriad insinuations available at beautypill.bandcamp.com
I am crashing in Akron, Ohio in a hotel called Spark for the night. I’m traveling with my dog. Look at how immediately this dick claimed the hotel bed as his. This was five minutes after arriving. It’s like he owns the place.
I am spending time with Seamus, my friend Brian’s dog. I see Seamus every summer. He is 17(!) For the past couple of summers, I have felt I was saying goodbye forever to Seamus when we part. I hug him super strong and say “I love you, Seamus.” And I hope I see him again, but I know I may not.
I’m sharing a house with some people rn. I would like for you to know that this afternoon, I was left in a kitchen with three strawberry pies cooling on the oven. I was told not to take a bite. The aroma of sweetness and buttery pie was nearly unbearable. But I didn’t break!
Who cares what I think, but I think this classic record sounds bad. Why the fuck is it so bright and trebly? I have come to the conclusion that people love it mainly for the ace design. (I reserve the right to change my mind.)
Flashback to 2 years ago today when my dog fell in love with his cute Venezuelan veterinarian.
Sarah Hughes show tonight was solo with saxophone and elaborate electronic treatments. She’s a gift. See her if you can. Special, delicate, mysterious artist. Can’t believe I get to work with her. An honor.
On Saturday, Devin Ocampo plays his solo music, accompanied by Jerry Busher. Devin is currently advancing his solo vision (post-Derek Bailey improv guitar and looping with only intermittent singing) at the same time as revitalizing Faraquet, his legendary Dischord trio. Tomorrow 7pm Bethesda.
Two of my brilliant bandmates are playing solo shows this weekend. Tonight, Sarah Hughes plays Tonal Park Studios. 7pm. Sarah is a saxophonist. I have no idea what she will do. Sometimes she plays in a trio with Joe Lally and Jerry Busher. She’s unpredictable, but always amazing to me.
Discovered this early-Beauty Pill era Polaroid in my mom’s house today. Circa “the cigarette girl from the future.”
Working on a photo collage of dudes who have called me nigger online (or some other racial epithet). I thought I might include it in the graphics of our new album, but I don’t wanna give them that kind of platform. Anyway, behold white supremacy!
A fun surprise for me: Arto Lindsay (producer of the new, unreleased Beauty Pill album) and Joel Hamilton (producer of BP's "Ann The Word") are apparently in the studio together today in Brooklyn. This makes me happy. Joel texted me this picture. I love both these dudes so much.
Today is the anniversary of an Arto Lindsay/Beauty Pill show at Bellhouse in Brooklyn. I still cherish this Jody LaFosse review.
Discovered Doom’s “special herbs vol. 3 & 4” = fantastic Friday afternoon listening, especially as soundtrack to a writing session.
Fun/strange surprise: @romanmars.bsky.social sent this to me. Avi’s a middle school student who turned this diorama/report in for a school project. It’s about… me…? Avi, if you read this, please know I am impressed with your research! And I wish I was as cool as your drawing makes me seem.
My bandmate Devin (drums in Beauty Pill, but primarily known as guitarist) has a low key solo career, alongside the newly reactivated Faraquet, the legendary band he founded in the late 90s. Devin knows any Faraquet show will sell out, so I imagine it’s tempting to put all his energy into that.
We had a band meeting tonight via zoom, discussing future plans. My bandmate Drew is rocking a mustache. I think this is a recent development. (Or if it isn't, I don't think I've ever noticed before.) I think it works. I'm into it.
I learned this morning that my friend and collaborator Tim Bailey committed suicide. I’m devastated. A special, tender, eloquent man. A survivor of sexual child abuse — as a kid, his dad raped him repeatedly — he tried to turn his pain into music. I shot these photos in the recording studio.
This is Henri. I used to hire him and his wife Cinthya to clean my studio on a biweekly basis. Henri's an absolute sweetheart. A humble and generous angel of a man. (It was painful telling them I couldn't afford their work anymore. But that's another story.) This week, Henri was assaulted by ICE.
At the audiologist with my mom, who is near-deaf. In the waiting room, they have all these children’s books to help little kids with anxiety. I find it adorable,
Something I think about from time to time: Henry Threadgill was once in a liquor ad. And teenage me became interested in his music because I thought his ad was cool. This ultimately led me to make "Afrikaner Barista" a couple decades later. The interplay between art and commerce is complex.
“Blue Period” is a double disc anthology of BP early work. The limited edition pressing sold out last year. But our label just discovered an extra box in Europe. This anthology captures the time between “The Cigarette Girl From The Future” and “Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are.”
I will never be as handsome as Eddie Murphy (stating the obvious), but there’s a little bit of my soul captured in this moment. To me, this frame is the black La Gioconda. It’s a great work of art.
Recently discovered that my mom’s 1970s book “How To Get Along With Black People” is archived and presented in the Smithsonian’s African American History Museum. I haven’t told her yet.
That was my first Henry Threadgill album! I discovered him because he was in a Dewar’s liquor ad. Not kidding. (I think about this all the time re: art vs commerce decisions I am navigating now.)
If you are wondering what kind of fool buys the 180 gram Bernie Grundman “audiophile edition” of an album created entirely with 8- and 12-bit samplers, I can tell you I am precisely that fool.