E. Doctor Smith's Blog

Outsound Presents, the newly-minted nonprofit arts organization grown from the Bay-Area based DIY collective of local musicians and sound artists, is pleased to announce the line-up for the 8th Annual Outsound New Music Summit. "We're celebrating our intrepid hope for the arts with a fierce roster of talent", says Rent Romus, Outsounds founder and Executive Director. Despite a threatening economy for the arts, Romus reports that the choice to incorporate and continue with the summer festival was born of bold intention. It's not the first time we've been warned about our ambitions, but after a decade of supporting raw, alternative music for the rebellious soul, we knew that it was time to institutionalize our support of experimental artists and audiences, now more than ever. The festival seeks to build on its reputation for diverse and critically-acclaimed performances with headliners that run the gamut from Bonfire Madigan to the ROVA Saxophone Quarte

2009 has not been a good year for great musicians. We have seen a lot of them pass recently; Michael Jackson, Bob Bogle, Koko Taylor, the list goes on. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge another great, and a man considered to be the father of the garage band genre. Sky "Sunlight" Saxon, died on June 25th after a brief illness in Austin, Texas. Saxon, born Richard Marsh, recently collaborated with the Smashing Pumpkins last year and was scheduled to perform as part of the California '66 Revue in August. The Seeds' hits include "Pushin' Too Hard" and "Can't Seem to Make You Mine." Saxon and the Seeds were considered the pioneers of the "Flower Power/Punk" movement and their psychedelic sounds were something that would shape generations of musicians to come. In 1965, Saxon formed the Seeds, arguably the city's finest punk/garage group, which later evolved into a psychedelic, flower-power attraction. Saxon