Web of Mimicry

Beautifully shot on three cameras during Faxed Head's improbable 1995 tour of Japan, From Coalinga To Osaka documents the pride of Coalinga, CA in all their self-handicapped, brain-damaged glory. Live footage of the self-proclaimed “desk metal” quartet is interspersed with baffling but authentic footage of a Japanese junior high school class in which the students are being instructed on the subject of... Faxed Head! In addition to the electronics- and mayhem-heavy 1995 Osaka set, the DVD includes bonus live footage of a reconstituted (and much more metal-sounding) Faxed Head on tour in Canada in 2001. And, for the true fan, a 45-minute long hidden "Easter egg" showcases an entire concert by Faxed Head's long-time nemesis, pitiful Coalinga-area boogie-blues idiots The Bon Larvis Band.

Live at the Great American Music Hall captures Secret Chiefs 3 in concert with what many consider to be the best of their many lineups in 14 years of playing. Shot in 2007 at one of the band's favorite haunts, this DVD does justice to a group whose live energy usually exceeds the recorded medium. Renowned for their ultra-elaborate CD productions, Secret Chiefs 3 has also garnered a reputation for the power and immediacy of their live shows. Their fanbase has swelled in recent years and grown accustomed to this live incarnation (the Secret Chiefs 3 bootleg scene is thriving), and they demand an official release! At the show, Secret Chiefs 3 performs a set of both familiar and as-yet-unreleased music. The line-up includes Ches Smith (Xiu Xiu, Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog), Shahzad Ismaili (who also plays with Graham Haynes, Laurie Anderson, and Tom Waits), Timb Harris (Estradasphere), Rich Doucette, Peijman Kouretchian, and Jai Young Kim.