ALL PROFITS GO DIRECTLY TO JUSTIN BARTLETT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION & SUPPORT.

SUNN O))) “la mort noir dans Esch/Alzette” CD. Justin Bartlett Cancer Fund edition/reissue. Limited to 1000 copies.6-panel plastic-free matte digipak, gold and black ink. Artwork by O))) long time artistic collaborator Justin Bartlett, 2006.

https://sunn.southernlord.com/store/sunn-o-la-mort-noir-dans-esch-alzette/

https://sunn.bandcamp.com/album/la-mort-noir-dans-esch-alzette

In early 2006 SUNN O))) embarked on an extended European bus tour in support of their BLACK ONE album, together with our masters EARTH. Malefic/Xasthur (voice), Mark Deutrom (bass), Steve Moore (trombone), Tos (MOOG), Randall Dunn (FOH), Seldon Hunt (photo documentation) … and of course The Lord & SOMA (axes) comprised the geometry of that era of O))).

Through the chaos, mayhem and (mis)adventures, and multi-dimensionality of that incredible tour, the remarkable individuals in the tour party forged musical life bonds, friendships, creative peaks, destinies vanquished and traversed riffs and tones and bass intonated to most brutal edges. On 16 February 2006, the tour arrived at Alzette Kulturfabrik, Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg and this distortion praising document was recorded by our sound master Randall Dunn. Dyan Carlson of EARTH joined us onstage for the horrifying piece “Reptile Lux”, of which only a handful of audience witnessed this representation of the evolved and eroded gems of BLACK ONE. A limited jewel case CD issued at the end of 2006 as a tour merchandise album for O)))’s subsequent tours in North America and marked the initial collaboration with our ally and illustrator Justin Bartlett, whom defined the ceremony with a portrait of a reposing corpse aided by fungus along her long return journey to the humus & other kingdoms.

Mr Barlett is presently in the midst of a battle with stage 4 cancer. We now offer a limited edition reissue of this black diamond to honour and benefit him. All profits of this release and the accompanying T-shirt will go directly to Mr Bartlett. Your purchase ensures that you contribute to helping him out in this challenging time and in the recovery to come. Thank you for considering this.

Guitar – Dylan Carlson, Greg Anderson, Stephen O’Malley
Moog – Tos Nieuwenhuizen
Trombone – Steve Moore
Vocals – Malefic
Live Sound Engineer – Randall Dunn
Artwork – Justin Bartlett
Mastered By Mell Detmer

Samantha Keeley Smith, the cover artist of SUNN O)))’s Life Metal and Pyroclasts albums, has an exhibition of her of recent paintings, both the psychological landscapes & portraits, is now on view at Momentum Gallery in Asheville, NC until May 31st. A rare opportunity to see her large scale, magnificent work in reality!

Samantha Keely Smith
22 February – 31 May 2021

For more info about the exhibition:
https://momentumgallery.com/exhibitions/40

“The work I’m doing at the moment definitely has a feeling of some sort of landscape or place, but they have nothing to do with real places, they are emotional and psychological places. Light plays an important role in my work. Because the work addresses the contrast and connections between an internal psychological space and my daily reality, they often depict dualities of light versus dark and order versus chaos.” – Samantha Keely Smith

Samantha Keely Smith’s paintings explore the dual worlds in which we exist: our inner lives and the changing world around us. The paintings represent the landscape of the psyche, the place where the conscious and unconscious meet, where outside forces and our own human nature collide as we grapple with our place in an ever-changing and reactive environment. While painting, Samantha intersperses traditional brushwork with pouring and staining, and uses solvents and scraping to break up the oil-painted surfaces. She makes use of accidental moments in this process to further explore ideas of control vs. chaos.

The portraits explore how memories evolve over time, are reconstructed with each remembrance, and are further distorted through the lens of our inner lives, ultimately coalescing into a fictional version of a person or event. The emphasis is on the psyche, and the unfixed nature of identity and personality, rather than portraying a particular person.