Artists of the periphery have a surprising influence on the mainstream, and vice versa. From Syd Barrett’s Antifolk to the off-key wonders of Wesley Willis; from the howls of Wild Man Fischer to the more subdued, emotionally charged Jandek home-recordings, outsider musicians have raw impact that establishes them as cult, as underground heroes. The term "outsider" is a slippery one though. Traditionally it’s been a lack of conventional musicianship, reclusiveness, or psychological conditions that marks an artist "outsider", but the connection that’s most important is the least definable. These musicians, each in their own idiosyncratic way, follow uncompromising paths that lead them in wonderfully unexpected directions, taking us, if we’re willing, along with them into unimaginable territory. Obscure niches of country music have long accommodated outsider musicians who embrace the folky cadence, the DIY aesthetic and the lone cowboy romance, giving birth to Hillbilly, Psychobilly, Garage country and others that combine elements of bizarre humour, poiniance and total irreverence with results that are odd, quirky and volatile.
Though Berlin’s Konrad Wilde doesn’t fit the profile of outsider music in definitive terms – he is quite active as a member of various collaborative groups – the tuneless bluesy sound of his Kraftpost project invites comparisons. Influenced by conventional blues, the structures are almost pop-like, but lo-fi; with his voice distorted through a megaphone into near incomprehensibility, Kraftpost sings about the prosaic and the profane.
Shift from commonplace to outer-space with this rare chance to see the man behind Paralyzed, live on stage, appearing with long-time fan Klaus Fluoride of the Dead Kennedys on bass guitar, The Legendary Startdust Cowboy. The Ledge chose his moniker as a star-gazing teenager inspired by Tiny Tim in a prescient move that became a self-fulfilling prophecy, though few in the Ledge’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas – where his frequent, spontaneous public performances went unappreciated – would ever have thought it possible. Against the odds, the man who topped the "world’s worst" lists many times over is indeed a legend in his own lifetime; the unchallenged cult-hero of Primitive Rock and Garage Country.
Switzerland’s Reverend Beatman will ratch up the atmosphere with his irreverent performance. The Beatman has built a devoted following throughout his long career, establishing him as not only the progenitor, but the grand-master of the tasteless Primitive-rock-voodoo-gospel-rockabilly that he inflicts on willing victims.
International "outsiders" The Golden Country Guys are all set and eager to regale listeners with obscure Rockabilly, Hillbilly, Primitive rock, and Western Swing classics. Weird, bad, funny and strange music till the early hours.
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