ABBC – Tête à Tête

I found this interesting gem at the Midas Mart in Meaford, Ontario. The LP packaging was a bit obtuse, but this only piqued my interest more. The back cover contained a mix of French and English titles, which is not unheard of in Canada, except that the record was issued on the Wabana label out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Even more confusing is the Wabana label itself, which uses the stamp of the long defunct Dom. Wabana Ore Limited of Newfoundland. According to Artefacts Canada:

The miner’s brass safety tag is a round piece of brass that was used by the mining company to keep track of the miners in the mines. Each Miner’s Brass was engraved with “Dom. Wabana Ore Limited, Wabana NFLD” and its own ID number [the Wabana label uses id 2556]. There is also a hole at the top of the brass and a small slit at the bottom, so the tags could be hung on a board while the miners were inside the mine. Upon leaving the mine for the day, each miner was required to take their own tag, and if at the end of the day someone’s tag was not removed, the company would know that the miner was still in the mine somewhere.

Perhaps there is a tragic folk tale behind miner 2556? As it turns out, ABBC stands for the names of the artists involved: Naïm Amor, Thomas Belhom, Joey Burns and John Convertino. ABBC is a colaboration of the Amor Belhom Duo and the Tucson band, Calexico. It turns out that Calexico played The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto on Tuesday, 18 November 2008 – just 4 days before I bought this album for a mere 25 cents!

The album itself is experimental pop that crosses ambient, folk, and country, with some of the best minimalist DIY production I have ever heard. As this album is an excellent example of why we need to support independent labels (and because it is still available), I am only going to offer up one track – the haunting Gilbert, hoping that this will encourage you to go out and buy the LP or CD from Sure Fire Distribution.

Gilbert works alone, late into the night
Dangling from a freeway overpass
He’s welding rebar and sculpting concrete
They’re paving in the gap way out west
Off in the distance, the sleepy city shines
He raises his mask to take a look
He slips from the perch, still holding onto his torch
I see him falling just like a burning star
Out of control
And went drifting way off course
And went drifting way off course
Waking up confused in a bed of thorns
In a world turned upside down
No questions asked, no party ever searched
Like a blip Gilbert slips into a void
A rustle nearby then a vision appears
Made from saguaro boots and rib
Grabs a hold of his prickly hand
And together they stand
Walk on through the ruins of a world
That lost control
And went way off course

I can hear a lot of potential influences hidden in the powerful mood of Gilbert: Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, and The Violent Femmes.

The album release information below comes from the SureFireDistribution.com:

Amor / Belhom / Burns / Convertino
Tête à Tête
CD Wabana ORE24
November 2000

During the recording of CALEXICO’s Spoke album in 1996 at their homes in Tucson, Arizona, JOEY BURNS and JOHN CONVERTINO were introduced to two French musicians, NAIM AMOR and THOMAS BELHOM through a mutual friend, French filmmaker MARIANNE DISSARD, who directed the GIANT SAND documentary Drunken Bees. At that time, the four musicians hit it off and began the first of many recording sessions that eventually would lead to the making of Tête à Tête.

In 1997, Naïm and Thomas moved to Tucson and began playing regularly in town as AMOR BELHOM DUO, often sharing bills with John and Joey. This soon led to more recording sessions, an extension of the two duos’ improvising and collaborating on stage. The majority of the Tête à Tête recordings were done at the homes of Burns/Convertino, live on 2, 4 and 8 track. The remainder of the album was recorded at Waterworks Studio in Tucson by Jim Waters. Due to Calexico’s busy tour schedule after the release of The Black Light, the making of Tête à Tête spans over a 15 month period. Beside the two duos, the album features German musician, MARTIN WENK, who played in Calexico’s European touring ensemble and Marianne Dissard on vocals.

John and Joey have been playing together for 9 years, having first met in Giant Sand. They continue working with Howe Gelb and their other side project, OP8. Over the years, John and Joey have collaborated with various artists (Victoria Williams, Richard Buckner, Barbara Manning, Rainer Ptacek, Vic Chesnutt [who was featured in this Basement Rug compilation]. After the release of The Black Light in 1998 on QUARTERSTICK RECORDS, the duo toured both Europe and the US, alongside The Dirty Three, Pavement, Vic Chesnutt and Lambchop. As a result of their increased exposure in Europe, they have been asked to contribute in a number of international projects (Jean-Louis Murat, Holland’s VPRO Moondive Project with Correo Aereo, Pablo Nahar,De Dijk,Ponda O’Brien, DJ Graham B).

Naïm and Thomas met over 10 years ago in Paris, first playing in French hardcore band WITCHES VALLEY (Extreme Return to the Source). From 1992 to 1997, they belonged to GENERATION CHAOS (Citoyens En France), an experimental musical and theatrical avant-garde political activist group, performing with contemporary music percussionist/composer Jean-Charles François (director of UCSD music school from 1972 to 1986) and stage director Marc O’. Their first album as Amor Belhom Duo, Wavelab Performance, was recorded in their new city of residence, Tucson, in 1998 and features guest performances by John and Joey.