LYS GUILLORN

I'm Lys Guillorn [they/she]. I write music and words and make art. aka Lys Guillorn & The Void Kittens lysguillorn.com Help support what I do by buying music. Photo by John C Miller / Avmus

[formicalage]

Whispering Eyes.

[lysguillorn]

“Isn’t It Lovely? Shelton, CT” © Lys Guillorn

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

The Velvet Underground - Music Hall, Cleveland, December 1, 1968

I don't know about the rest of you, but I never go much longer than a day without a little "Sister Ray." (Is that a Replacements lyric?) Now, I've shared more than my fair share of VU bootlegs over the years — but never this one!

The primary reason that it hasn't appeared on Doom & Gloom yet is that it makes the Professor Tapes sound like a Betty Board. You know what I mean. But I was revisiting it recently and this tape is not quite as lo-fi as I remember. I mean, it's still horrible quality, but the performance is amazing. And historic! The Velvet Underground opening for Canned Heat in December 1968?! In the middle of the afternoon?!! In Cleveland?!!!!?

Cleveland was, of course, a VU stronghold at the time. Just two months earlier, Doug Yule debuted with the band at La Cave, and even further back ... "Sweet Sister Ray." So yeah, even though they were the openers here, I'm sure there were plenty of fans in attendance. And though it's an abbreviated set, it's still awesome, with some previews of the then-unreleased third album, plus totally tasty dips into the back catalog. Is that a dog barking at Lou before "Pale Blue Eyes"? Not sure.

And then "Sister Ray" itself. Massive! I especially like the wild falsetto shrieks that Lou gets into towards the end. Was he about to do the Ostrich? Maybe he was, maybe he was.

And what about Canned Heat? Alas, I do not have a tape of their set. But you could get a good idea of what they sound like from this Fillmore East show just a few months later. For consistency's sake, it's a trashy audience recording, too. You're welcome!

Photo: Jeff Albertson

Sign up for the Doom & Gloom From The Tomb Substack newsletter — Doom & Gloom delivered to your inbox every Friday!

[formicalage]

Roll The Dice To See If She Sings.

[aviengel-deactivated20240309]

Talharpa practice.

[meetmeinthesandbox]

1990s

[lysguillorn]

“Hey, You’re Beautiful, Shelton, CT” © Lys Guillorn

[lysguillorn]

Lys Guillorn & Her Band at Heirloom Arts Theater, Danbury, CT - 9 Nov, 2013, the release show for Winged Victory. Photo by Ken Dixon L to R: Eric Bloomquist, Peter Riccio, Lys Guillorn

[lookcaitlin]

[undergroundrockpress-deactivate]

The Cockettes - 1970

[formicalage]

Coaching.

[aquariumdrunkard]

Syd Barrett, London 1969

[istvanpeterbracz]

Hi tumblrrrrr! I’m baaaack. It’s been a while. Not sure about jumping ship with Twitter, but I’m looking elsewhere, including Mastodon…let’s get this ball rolling over here! 🤗❤️🧟‍♂️🥰

[lysguillorn]

Do guitar strings smell funny? 🤣

Yes. Especially if I’ve bled all over them.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Robyn Hitchcock :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview

Over on Aquarium Drunkard this week, you can read my Q&A with the great Robyn Hitchcock. I get slightly nervous before any interview, but I've been listening to Robyn for so long that his voice is almost instantly soothing. Amazingly, the last time I chatted with him for any lengthy period of time was 20 damn years ago. Have I been doing this for too long? Yeah, probably.

Anyway, I think the interview turned out well! We talked about the Queen, the Feathery Serpent God, Martin Carthy, Morris Windsor and much more. Robyn's new one, SHUFFLEMANIA!, is a strong collection that seems to keep on growing on me the more I listen. I love this guy! Thank you for everything, Robyn.

Beyond SHUFFLEMANIA!, you can also check out my recent Radio Free Aquarium Drunkard Robyn Rarities/Deep Cuts Extravaganza via the Dublab archives. Some of it comes from the Hitchcock Patreon, which is chock full of goodies — he pretty much sends some interesting/otherwise unavailable music over to subscribers on a weekly basis. A necessary resource for Hitchcock heads!

[formicalage]

Number 51.

[lysguillorn]

I recorded this cover of the Goffin/King-written “Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)” in October of 2018 as a download for my email list. I’ve always loved this song, especially the version that’s just Carole King and a piano. Her piano has this wobbly sound that I was trying to imitate using the POG pedal. I’ve never played this live, but I might have to... (Wow, just listening to her version again...whoa. I forgot about the Latin at the beginning).