A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island

As the unofficial visual artist of choice for Welsh psych rock band Super Furry Animals, Pete Fowler has garnered a large following for his art and design work. Away from the band Fowler spends his time obsessively creating the inhabitants for his “Monsterism Island.” Done in Fowler’s distinct post-modern cartoon style each candy-colored monster on the island has its own back story along with personality traits, and are often featured in his cartoons, paintings, and drawings that are exhibited all over the world.

“A Guide to Monsterism Island” is the soundtrack for Fowler’s world and it’s every bit as eclectic, esoteric, and excellent as the the monsters themselves. Through the 27 track, all-instrumental collection you’ll run the gamut of contemporary psychedelia, from easygoing ukulele-led jams and funky but sometimes spooky electronica to freak folk and jazzy krautrock. Featuring the work of Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, Wolf People, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Circulus, The Advisory Circle, and many  more, it plays like a modern day Nuggets collection minus the lyrics, perfect for any summertime bash or day at the beach.

To hear a streaming preview of “A Psychedelic Guide to Monsterism Island” click here

Click the link below to watch an episode of Fowler’s “Monsterism Island”

posted by: Harold Johns III

Mad Men Illustrated by Dyna Moe

The Rathaus loves Mad Men and illustration. So what better than freelance illustrator Dyna Moe’s collection of vintage inspired images based on scenes from the award winning series. Began as a single commission for the cast and crew Christmas card from actor Rich Sommer’s, Moe enjoyed the project so much she decided to continue the work. “I’m inspired by and emulating illustrators Aurelius Battaglia, Alice & Martin Provensen, Art Seiden and J. P. Miller (among others) who did illustration and commercial art during the era the show is set,” Moe says of her work on Flickr. We commend Moe for paying homage to such a great set of illustrators and one of our favorite shows on television.

Click here for an interview with Dyna Moe on amctv.com

Emperor Moth Cassette Release Party

To celebrate the release of their new cassette tape Emperor Moth will be performing at Wonder Fair (803 Massachusetts Lawrence, KS) on Thursday, May 28th from 7-10 pm. Besides their cassette Emperor Moth will also have a  limited edition, hand printed mini poster available for purchase. See you there.

posted by: Brent Carter

Retro Cocktail Hour Movie Night Starring El Santo

The Rathaus loves camp! (Okay, so maybe some of them just like it a little. But I, Tricia, cannot get enough.) And you don’t get much campier than the Mexican Luchador films starring El Santo. To my delight, KPR‘s Retro Cocktail Hour has teamed up with the Mexican Consulate in Kansas City and Liberty Hall in Lawrence to present a double feature showing two films staring the legendary El Santo this Friday, May 29th at 7:30pm.

Read on for a more in-depth explanation from the folks at the Retro Cocktail Hour:
Mexico’s popular tradition of masked wrestlers (“luchadores”) spawned a number of colorful – if low budget – horror, science fiction and spy movies from the 1960s through the ’80s. By far the busiest of the cinema luchadores was El Santo, the most famous and iconic of all the luchadores. Santo’s film career began in 1958 with The Evil Brain and lasted until The Fury of the Karate Experts in 1982 (El Santo died in 1984). For our first-ever RCH movie night, we’ll screen an El Santo double feature, including El Santo and Blue Demon Vs. The Monsters (co-starring Mexico’s second greatest luchador, Blue Demon) in which the heroes tangle with Dracula, the Wolf Man AND the Frankenstein Monster. The second half of our double bill spotlights Santo Vs. The She Wolves, wherein El Santo defends a rural village from a gang of female werewolves! Our night of “cinema con queso” begins at 7:30pm at Liberty Hall. Tickets will be on sale at the door on Friday, May 29. Liberty Hall is located at 642 Massachusetts in Lawrence.

posted by: Tricia Rock

Don’t: Listen to BrokeNCYDE and Millionaires

We try to keep a positive vibe here at The Rathaus, but trolling the internet for interesting posts can sometimes lead to sudden fits of pessimism. Because every once in a while you come across something so outrageously terrible that you’re left with no recourse other than to rant about it. The catalyst this time around is a garish suburban musical culture, and in particular two bands that exemplify its tone. So hold up your Grey Goose bottles, stick out your pouty, pierced lips and prepare your ears for the bros of BrokeNCYDE and the ladies of Millionaires.

To describe what these bands do is difficult. You’ll think it’s an elaborate joke or that they’re acting in a musical performance art piece, but sadly this haphazard combination of recycled Lil’ Jon beats, auto-tuned vocals and Hot Topic wardrobe is actually considered music by a segment of the population. And there are others that share this obnoxious aesthetic, all of which make great use of numerous internet tools available to shamelessly promote their work. These kids are all over MySpace with their painful graphics and ridiculous hairdos, however, finding an actual musician amongst the lot is a tough task.

Somebody had to write the lyrics of course, and that is an art form, but pretty much any 14-year-old with a fifth of schnapps has spewed lines similar to BrokeNCYDE’s “I’M SO FUCKED UP! I’M SO BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH! WHAT THE FUCK! I’M SO FUCKED UPPPPP!…,” but what else would one expect from a song called “2 Drunk.” Millionaire’s lyrics are also fixated on alcohol abuse but in relation to the gratuitous sexual exploits that result thereafter, like in their single “Just Got Paid, Let’s Get Laid.” Previous bands, punk and otherwise, have expressed their passion for getting messed up while looking for some lovin’ but the successful ones are at least musically interesting or contain poetic lyrics, say for example Guns and Roses’ “Mr. Brownstone,” Elliot Smith’s entire discography, first wave punk rock and 90′s alternative rock. Neither BrokeNCYDE nor Millionaires seem interested in thinking about or even editing their lyrics.

There is stuff out there with equally juvenile, offensive lyrics, or with egregious overuse of auto-tune, or even with a totally predictable, boring beat that is still fun to listen to. The problem is BrokeNCYDE and Millionaires are just every kind of suck all at once, preformed for you by people who remind us that our public education system may be failing. Fun fact to consider, the word “brokencyde” is defined in the urban dictonary as “The act of having a penis inserted into your ear.” Getting a “brokencyde” might be the only thing worse than listening to the music of BrokeNCYDE and Millionaires.

But don’t take our word for it. Check out both of these cultural treasures by viewing some videos below, or click on the links to their MySpace pages to hear even more songs! If you’re super into it, go buy yourself a ticket to the Warped Tour when it comes near you, both BrokeNCYDE (the band not the penis ear thing) and Millionaires, along with more awesomeness than you can imagine, will be there ready to “play music” for you.

“ALCOHOL” Official Music Video by The Millionaires

by: Meghan Bainum and Harold Johns III