Monofonus Press

We are beyond psyched to announce that not one, but two Idea Fund Grants have gone to close Monofonus friends! Both grants are for $4,000. Not bad!

Boozefox (Jules Buck Jones, Drew Liverman, and Scott Eastwood) won a grant to construct Battleship Earth, a large sculpture/watercraft resembling an iceberg, which will be “driven” around Lady Bird Lake over the course of one or more days. Jules and Drew both have studios at the Monofonus compound, and you might remember the gigantic dragon puppet they transformed the warehouse into two SXSWs ago.

Here’s a video of some of their exploits to jog your memory:

Andy Rihn, who also has a studio at the compound and whose book we recently published, won a grant to make Texas’ Longest Hammer Choir, a slow-rolling short film of an event consisting of 500 people hitting hammers together across abandoned railroad tracks, filmed from a custom-made railroad cart that houses the soundtrack musicians, propulsionists and film makers. If you attended the Tiger’s Last Toothball and donated a hammer or made a promise in the promise booth, this is what that was for!

Big hugs and high-fives to Jules, Drew, Scott, and Andy!

Monofonus is thrilled to announce the publication of artist and musician Tim Kerr‘s Your Name Here. In celebration, we’re offering an awesome holiday three-for-one deal on our 2010 catalog: If you purchase Jules Buck Jones’ Everglades, you get free copies of Your Name Here and Andy Rihn’s The Tiger’s Last Tooth. That’s $30 off! Books can also be purchased singularly and read in their entirety online for free! Yaaaaaay!

Oh, and if you share the news with five friends and write orders@monofonuspress.com telling us so (you don’t need to name names, we trust you), we’ll send you a special treat!

Browse Tim’s book:

Did you miss Andy Rihn’s installation at the compound last month? You’re in luck! Andy’s recreating it from 2-6pm at Domy Books (913 E. Cesar Chavez, Austin) this Saturday. Stop by! More details here.
We’re also doing a monthlong deal on the books we published this year, both in-store and online. Buy Jules Buck Jones’ Everglades and receive Andy Rihn’s The Tiger’s Last Tooth and Tim Kerr’s Your Name Here for free! That’s $30 off!

The amazing Ralph White is playing tonight, Sunday, November 21, at the United States Art Authority (210 W. 29th St) with Paul Geremia. Check it out, and listen to Ralph’s most recent release on Monofonus here in its entirety!

If you had the major misfortune of missing out on Andy Rihn: The Tiger’s Last Toothball this past week, you’ll never truly know what it is to have a vibrating pile of denim read to you or to wash down a breadsnake with a tequila-absinthe concoction. You will, however, be able to watch the new videos we premiered for Secrecy, so console yourself with that. This first one was directed by Teleportal Readings art director Scott Gelber, and stars some of the ladies of Austin Video Bee – Elana Farley, Sally Bergom, Amanda Joy, Matti Sloman, and Michelle Devereux – as well as Deena Oh, Marie Butcher, and Jess Sauer. To listen to Secrecy’s entire album, which is included in Andy Rihn’s book, go here.

Secrecy “To The Left” from Scott Gelber on Vimeo.

Come to the Monofonus Compound (610 Vermont Road, Austin, TX) tonight – Wednesday, November 10 – or Saturday, November 13, at 8pm to get your mitts on a copy of Andy Rihn’s new book, The Tiger’s Last Tooth, and explore the bizarre environment Andy Rihn has created with his own two hands. Admission is $5 or a hammer and a promise (any hammer will do, but we get to choose the promise) and includes Andy’s book, the new Secrecy CD, tattoos, breadsnakes, and tequila from Ambhar Tequila. We’ll also be premiering Secrecy’s new music videos, directed by Mike Aho, Scott Gelber, and Eric Power.

Here’s a book report on The Tiger’s Last Tooth from Diana Welch, co-author of The Kids Are All Right:

I recommend reading this book in the bathroom. The opposite of “impossible to put down,” it is best digested with many breaks. There are parts of it where I found myself wondering how much of it is true. I can see Andy Rihn scaring the milk out of somebody with a bread rattlesnake, or writing down 63 famous sayings he overheard homeless people say. Just as easily, I can see him making all those things up. His parables, poems, pasts and plays could be described as a series of comedy sketches full of disfigured people. The thing about Andy Rihn is that he looks at the party from the perspective of the brownie. Also, in his poem “I Fucked a Laser Once,” he solves an age-old conjugation problem by replacing the past-tense of “cum” with “cummed” instead of “came,” forever clearing up any ambiguity that might arise in certain situations, such as “cumming into a laser light show.” All in all, I love this guy.

At 8pm Wednesday, 11/10, and Saturday, 11/13, we’re giving Andy Rihn run of the Monofonus compound. Secrecy will be there too! Details here.

Secrecy Orcas from Monofonus Press on Vimeo.

1.

2. Dont Complain. Bitching, moaning, whining is tour cancer.

3. If something is wrong fix it or shut the fuck up you fucking dick. Goddamn.

4. If you fart, claim it.

5. Dont Lose shit. Everybody loses shit. Dont fucking do it. Asshole.

6. Dont fuck anyone in the band. There are tons of people to fuck who are not in this band. Dumbass.

7. If you feel like shit all the time, drink less beer at the gig. You will play better & feel better. What are you a child? Some have the endurance for self abuse. Most dont.

8. Remember the soundmans name. He will do a better job.

9. Eat oranges. Cures constipation & prevents colds.

10. Masturbate. Duh… Where & when? Be creative. You’re an artist, right?

11. If YOU can’t carry your suitcase 3 blocks, its too goddamn big.

12. Respect public space in the van. Dont clutter, you Fuck.

13. If you borrow something, return it. Not Fucked Up.

14. Do not let the promoter dick you or talk you out of the guarantee. If there were not enough people there, its their fault.

15. Driver picks the music.

16. One navigator only (usually sitting shotgun). Everyone else shut the fuck up.

17. Soundcheck is for checking sounds. Shut the fuck up while everyone else is checking.

18. Dont wander off. Let someone know where you are.

19. Clean up after yourself. What are you& a goddamn toddler?

20. Touring makes everyone bi-polar. Ride the waves as best you can and remember, moods pass. So dont make any snap decisions or declarations when you are drunk or insane.

21. Fast food is Poison.

22. The guestlist is for friends, family & people you might want to fuck. Everyone else can pay. They have day jobs.

23. Dont evaluate your whole life while you’re sitting in a janitor closet waiting to go on. You think you’re above having shitty days at work? Shut up & do your goddamn job.

Thor published a book and album with Monofonus. Check it out below and order it here.

Monofonus celebrates the long-awaited release of Andy Rihn’s first book, The Tiger’s Last Tooth, with two-day installation/party The Tiger’s Last Toothball. At 8pm on November 10 and 13, Rihn will be transforming the Monofonus compound (610 Vermont Rd) into a multilevel, multimedia environment, and we’ll be throwing a party there. Admission is either $5 or a hammer and a promise (seriously) and includes a free book, CD, tattoos, breadsnakes, and libations from Ambhar Tequila.

Oh, and guess what? You can read Andy’s book RIGHT NOW!

… in his video for Over the Hill’s “A Million Times,” off video album The Album Is Dead.

Over the Hill, “A Million Times” from Monofonus Press on Vimeo.