Inks in a September tour, prepares reissue, reportedly working on new album as well.

"We're back." Those two words appeared on the recently revived Black Moth Super Rainbow website, signaling the return of one of today's most bizarre and distinguishable musical collectives. Having recently played Austin Psych Fest, the group has reactivated after two years off with a brand new line-up consisting of Tobacco (fresh off vigorous touring behind the release of his solo endeavor, Maniac Meat), Seven Fields of Aphelion, Ryan Graveface (aka Dreamend), and Iffernaut.

With most of BMSR's catalog destroyed in a flood of their distributor's warehouse last summer, Graveface Records has decided to re-release an expanded edition of Dandelion Gum (dubbed the Dandelion Gum Extra Flavor Deluxe Reissue; go here). A new album is in the works, as well, tentatively titled Psychic Love Damage.

Tour dates:

Wednesday, Sept. 7 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom

Thursday, Sept. 8 - Chicago, IL @ Metro

Friday, Sept. 9 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre

Saturday, Sept. 10 - St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club

Monday, Sept. 12 - St. Louis @ Off Broadway

Tuesday, Sept. 13 - Nashville, TN @ Exit In

Wednesday, Sept. 14 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell Stage) 

Friday, Sept. 16 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle Tavern 

Saturday, Sept. 17 - Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie's 

Monday, Sept. 19 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar 

Tuesday, Sept. 20 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church

Thursday, Sept. 22 - New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge

Friday, Sept. 23 @ Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House, 

Saturday, Sept. 24 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

Track to appear on forthcoming August album.

By Blurt Staff

Still thrilled at the news of a new album from psychedelic kings Wooden Shjips (it's due Aug. 16 from Thrill Jockey and titled West), we're equally chuffed to have a new MP3 to pass along to you. Check it out:

MP3: "Lazy Bones"

A tour comes hot on the heels of the album too. Initial dates:

Aug 18  San Francisco, CA               Bottom of the Hill

Aug 19  Los Angeles, CA         The Echo

Aug 20  San Diego, CA           The Casbah

Aug 26  Portland, OR            Doug Fir Lounge

Aug 27  Seattle, WA             Crocodile Cafe

The legendary Brazilian singer/guitarist makes Stanford's Dinkelspiel Auditorium feel like a pizza oven on July 1.

By Jud Cost

Beloved Brazilian singer/acoustic guitarist Milton Nascimento must have felt right at home in Stanford University's Dinkelspiel Auditorium tonight. And it wasn't just because he filled the place with devoted fans, many of whom, according to a hand-poll conducted before the concert, had never attended a Stanford Jazz Festival event before. The heat in the 700-capacity room was unbearable, maybe recreating a little slice of sun-drenched Rio de Janeiro for Nascimento and his Banda 4 right there in the heart of Palo Alto, Calif.

You would think one of the most highly-regarded universities in the world, a school whose hefty endowment program recently built an entirely new varsity football stadium in less than a year, could somehow scrounge up the cash to install air-conditioning in Dinkelspiel. The two large pole-fans on either side of the stage, aided by about half the crowd vigorously fanning themselves with the four-page program, just weren't cutting it.

This two-night engagement at Stanford Jazz was a rare chance to see the 68-year-old Nascimento and his excellent backing quartet - keyboardist Kiko Continentino, electric guitarist Wilson Lopes, bassist Gastao Villeroy and Lincoln Cheib on drums - in a relatively small venue. Everyone except Nascimento was plugged into headphones, made necessary to hear one another at large stadium concerts often played by the outfit.

Nascimento strolled onstage last, dressed in an electric-blue shirt and baggy pants. With most of his face covered by a mop of dreadlocks, a beard and oversized sunglasses, it was apparent that if anyone ever shoots a docudrama on him, the most likely actor to play Nascimento would be Forest Whitaker. The rest of the boys wore t-shirts, Levis and tennis shoes for easy mobility.

The music of this Brazilian legend is a mixed bag that blends an occasional bossa nova flashback to the days of Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim with the more recent tropicalia of Caetano Veloso, along with a moderate dose of prog-rock. There were times when Continentino played spacey passages on his mini-battery of electric synthesizers that sounded very much like famed early-'70s U.K. purveyors of the Canterbury sound, Caravan. But there was always a samba around the corner to lead them back to their South American roots. Continentino also played plenty of straight-ahead jazz piano with an occasional, dissonant nod in the direction of Thelonius Monk, while Cheib alternated between jazz percussion and dramatic rock-drumming, to fit the material at hand.

Nascimento spoke only a few times, in halting English. Pointing to two glasses of liquid on a table next to him, he said, "This one is pink, and I don't drink alcohol. And the other one is water, and I hate water." A roadie brought out a different libation and removed the alcohol before the band dug into a baroque vocal line with plenty of counterpoint, a la the long-forgotten French vocal group the Swingle Singers. Another delicate ballad, the form that worked best tonight, was dedicated to Nascimento's mother.

There was such a mixture of material, it felt like wandering around a college music department's rehearsal building, with something different coming out of each room. One tune found Nascimento's agile vocals sneaking over the top of an arrangement like a cat on a backyard clothesline. Another song, backed by the quiet bass lines of Villeroy and Lopes' understated guitar, was a close cousin of Lerner & Loewe's Broadway tune "Gigi." Continentino enhanced the Franco-Anglo connection by playing a bistro accordion line on his keyboard. All five of the players also added addictive "la-la" vocal lines to the piece. At other times, three of them whistled a song's melody. "That was like when I started playing when I was 14," said Nascimento, afterwards. "We played from 10 o'clock to 5:00 a.m." 

Nascimento wound things up with something instantly familiar to the faithful in the house. They didn't need any coaxing to augment the mesmerizing vocal refrain while their guru made one last circuit of the stage, pointing the hand-held vocal mic at various front-row patrons who, karaoke-like, contributed their own voice to the proceedings. The lady in front of me sang a wonderful harmonic line in a confident soprano that soared above the melody. I was tempted to tap her on the shoulder and point her towards Nascimento's beckoning microphone.

The final number lasted five minutes too long, especially in a stifling house that was rapidly approaching the temperature of a pizza oven. It did, however, make the cool evening zephyrs outside, blowing off nearby Lake Lagunita, feel like diving into an extra-large pitcher of iced tea. 

Directed by Marie Losier, the 72-minute documentary The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (on Cat & Docs) is "one of the best love stories of all time."

By Logan K. Young

I typically detest self-referential ledes, but back in the autumn of 2007, I posted the following bad news:

"Psychic TV's Lady Jaye (née Jacqueline Breyer) died suddenly at her home on Tuesday, October 9 from a previously undiagnosed heart condition. The condition is thought to have been associated with her ongoing bout with stomach cancer. My lady was 38." 

I just knew that the widowed Genesis P-Orridge, then Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, was crestfallen. "Right now, somewhere in the Stuyvesant Heights section of Brooklyn, a pandrogyne noise pioneer is cursing God and weeping uncontrollably - unsure if s/he can even go on," I wrote further. To this day, it still strikes me strange that to be so extreme and confrontational on record, thee Genesis P-Orridge was capable of such vast amounts of love and affection at home.

I mention the above not to prove some sort of Nostradamian faculty of my own. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Little did I know that filmmaker Marie Losier had captured the whole ordeal. Having shot the happy-go-lucky couple for three years at that point, four years later, with The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, she's turned in one of the best love stories of all time. Not bad for a feature debut. And at the heart of its 72 minutes, that's what this picture remains - an exquisitely wrought document of the love between two unique persons and, ultimately, what happens when that paradise is lost forever.  

Apropos of the two leads here, it's not exactly boy-meets-girl, per se. Whereas most of us are content to merely be with our beloved, the all-consumed Gen and Jaye took co-dependency to its next Cartesian plane: dispense with the preposition and just BE one another: "I am; therefore, WE are." Theirs was a "pandrogynous" paradise, evidenced by a Valentine's Day visit to the plastic surgeon. If Genesis' two daughters with his first wife got his nose, then so shall Lady Jaye have hers sculpted in his image. In fact, one of the funnier scenes in the film sees a topless, face-shaving Gen recounting his eldest daughter's response to the news of her father getting breast implants. "'That's fine, Dad, but you could've used the money to buy me a car,'" explains Genesis.  

"An emblem in flesh of their passionate synthesis," wrote Matmos' Drew Daniel in his review for The Wire (no stranger to the concrète arts of cosmetic surgery, himself). But to focus only on the headier aspects of the pandrogyne here is to miss the film's bigger, more poignant point. Be it rooftop parties with friends and family, cuddling up to flip through The Post in Central Park, or the domestic bliss of sharing household chores, Losier breathes love even into the minutiae of their relationship. True, Genesis and Lady Jaye endeavor to be one. But as I ask anyone with a companion all their own (albeit a little less literal), aren't we all? Giving equal time to simpler questions like "what's for dinner, sweetheart?," Losier makes it look as if their band could be our life.  

Speaking of lives and bands, Losier doesn't skimp on the vintage Throbbing Gristle footage either. Chris, Cosey and the late Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, they're all here archivally -- perfectly timed for the reboot of TG's Industrial Records. Sleazy died in his sleep just this November, so, understandably, there's no mention of his passing here in Losier's film. I do hope she's preparing some sort of post-script extra for the DVD, all the same. With Coil's Love's Secret Domain getting its own re-issue soon, Losier's timing could again be perfect. 

As for Genesis' Psychic TV - the group Sleazy left to do Coil, and the one Lady Jaye would reluctantly join - Losier's shot an even better roll. PTV3's tour of Hell Is Invisible...Heaven Is Her/e was plagued with all kinds of logistical nightmares, but you'd hardly know it here. The band is all jokes and laughs, Gen and Jaye get caught stealing multiple kisses, and even Butthole Surfer Gibby Haynes shows up for a quick cameo in a toilet stall. It's here, on the road and making music, than Genesis and Lady Jaye seem the happiest. "The last thing I wanted to do was be in rock band," Jaye tells Gen before embarking. Of course, this tour would be her last.   

The way Losier frames it, it's almost as if Lady Jaye knew she was going to die. Asked what she wants to be remembered for when the reaper comes, Jaye would always say, "as a great love affair." And to be fair, Genesis noticed she had been feeling sickly. But not even Gen, her soulmate if ever anyone had one, knew just how sick she was. As Genesis describes that fateful day, he and Jaye had just finished "making love." Jaye then gets up to use the restroom, but not before leaving him with the most amazing parting words this grizzled writer has ever heard: "When I get back, I'm going to suck you dry!" Alas, Lady Jaye never got that chance because she never did come back from the bathroom. Like everything in life, including and especially itself, her heart could not go on.

Turns out I was wrong about the crying. Like my old man, Genesis shows us nary a tear. Not that he wasn't distraught; he had to be. In fact, not too long after Jaye leaves this world, Losier flashes to a lonely Gen playing a single snare drum on a solitary street -- just as his own father once taught little Neil Andrew Megson years before. The Genesis here is unkempt and paunchy, as if swollen with grief. Ironically, he looks not like himself. The fata morgana of Lady Jaye still looming large, like one of Cubby Selby's trannies, he's moved everything he owns into a cramped apartment by the last exit to Brooklyn. No matter how hard he tries to hide it, Genesis P-Orridge remains a broken man.

But he hasn't given up. No, Jaye would not have wanted that. To wit, Gen refocuses his attention to the spoken word with his group Thee Majesty. Eventually, PTV3 get around to releasing a new record, Mr. Alien Brain vs. The Skinwalkers. And from the department of me calling it again, Genesis dusts off his violin and starts scratching duets with a pajama-clad Tony Conrad in an old can factory. Everything he does hence, however, is dedicated to her. And in that regard, perhaps Lady Jaye got what she hoped for the most.   

Exceptional on stage and certainly in love, most of us will never know the kind of love that bound these two together. Across country, age and even gender itself, The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye is a truly star-crossed tale worthy of the greats like Anthony and Cleopatra, or better yet, Gore Vidal's Myra Breckinridge. Or, better still, at least for the similarly obsessed industrial music fan - and as Losier's title suggests - our own John and Yoko. What Lennon noted in his Ono song, in the end, is a near verbatim sentiment for Gen and Jaye, as well: "They look just like two gurus in drag...and you know how hard it can be."

First album arrives here in November, with second to follow next year. Listen to demos, below.

By Blurt Staff

Apparently the well-documented sibling rivalry - that often degenerated into outright hostility - between Oasis founders Liam and Noel Gallagher continues to fuel the two brothers. Recall that Noel finally quit the band for good, having had it up to his neck with Liam's diva act, and Liam summarily took the rest of the band members and formed Beady Eye, which released their debut album earlier this year. (See our live review of the band here.)

Not to be outdone, Noel confirmed today at a press conference in London that his brand new album Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds  - the first of TWO albums which have recently been completed - will be released through his own label, Sour Mash Records, on October 17 in the U.K. followed by a U.S. release on November 8 on Sour Mash Records/Mercury. Tour dates will be announced soon. Meanwhile, check out some early demos, below, of album songs that hit the internet some time ago.

Video from today's press conference at Electric Cinema in Notting Hill will be available shortly on http://www.youtube.com/noelgallaghertv.

The album, his debut as a solo artist, was recorded in London and completed in Los Angeles during 2010 and the first half of 2011. Featuring both new and older material (apparently originally written with Oasis in mind), it was co-produced by Noel and David Sardy, with whom Noel has worked previously. Guests on the album include The Crouch End Festival Chorus and The Wired Strings.

A second album, a companion to the above but as yet untitled, was recorded in the UK this year and is now complete. This album is the result of Noel's continued collaboration with the Amorphous Androgynous, and will be released in 2012.

Tracklisting:

Everybody's On The Run

Dream On

If I Had A Gun...

The Death Of You And Me

(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine

Aka...What A Life!

Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks

Aka..Broken Arrow

(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach

Stop The Clocks

[Photo of Gallagher at press conference: Lawrence Watson]

How much will Wal-mart be selling those "dolls," though?

By Blurt Staff

For the upcoming "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" video, the Beastie Boys undergo a transformation. Under the direction of Spike Jonze (who has previously worked with the band on the classic "Sabotage" clip among others), Ad-Rock, Mike D, MCA and guest vocalist Santigold become action figures. (GI B Boys, as they put it.)

The transformation comes with a price: "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" finds Beastie Boys and Santigold pursued by a team of assassins hell bent on their termination. Over the course of the epic clip, our heroes make one death defying escape after another, traveling across land, sea and sky as they elude and combat snipers, zombies, sharks and more.

In the band's own words: "Coming your way this July.  Both short and epic length videos for the song we made with Santigold.The video was directed by our esteemed colleague Mr. Spike Jonze.  It is an explicit action adventure spectacular.  It features action figures of us....and yes, they are ACTION figures, NOT dolls!"

"Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win" is the second video from Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (Capitol), the first being the extended video for "Make Some Noise" a/k/a Fight For Your Right Revisited, which was directed by the band's own Adam "MCA" Yauch.

As part of the Country Throwdown festival, Willie Nelson has been traveling around the states this summer with some of the most shit-kicking country acts on the planet.  This second annual festival features a handful of country acts you won't be hearing on your mainstream country radio -  Willie Nelson, Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, and Willie's son, Lucas Nelson.  Concert photographer Scott Dudelson was at the May 27th, Ontario, CA tour stop and captured the on-stage action.

(above) Willie Nelson - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Lucas Nelson & The Promise of the Real - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Adam Hood - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Amy Nelson - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Jamey Johnson - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Lee Brice - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Craig Campbell - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Randy Houser - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Brantley Gilbert - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Dave Pahanish - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Dani Flowers & Brent Cobb - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

Drake White - Live @ Country Throwdown Festival 2011

June 29, at the ArtsQuest Café in Bethlehem, PA, the New Zealand legend unveiled his latest project.

Text & Photos by David Iskra

Empty Nest Syndrome usually results in parents finding something to distract themselves from the fact that they are no longer needed.  The children have grown up, moved out and started their own families and careers.  Some parents will find new activities and hobbies to occupy themselves.  For most parents this includes golf and cooking. Some may take a trip, a cruise or another excursion not only to distract themselves but to celebrate their new found freedom.  No more kids!  No more worrying! No more lending money!  They may even get a pet to replace the child and fulfill their need to nurture.

In the case of Neil and Sharon Finn however, the exodus of their two sons, Liam and Elroy resulted in something a little more interesting and far more melodic.  They found themselves staying up late at night and creating music in their pajamas, hence the band name "Pajama Club".  In the case of Neil this was certainly nothing new as he is the well known lead singer of both Crowded House and the Split Enz, not to mention his solo career and benefit projects.  Sharon however is better known for creating chandeliers in her new Zealand workshop than her backing vocals and bass skills.  Though she did sing on the Alex Lloyd's "Watching Angels Mend" album in the early ‘00s.

It was only recently on Neil's The Sun Came Out project that she came out of the shadows to join her husband on the track "Little By Little" a song perhaps not coincidentally about boys turning into men.

It makes you wonder if this song was the genesis of Pajama Club. When she sings about "You're still my baby, could be holding on too tight" She really nails that motherly instinct that realizes the time has come to let go.

As she does let go, she has much to be proud of.  Liam has a burgeoning solo career that it is just getting started.  He just released his second solo album and has not only opened for Eddie Vedder but has supported his father on numerous occasions with his first band, Betchadupa and like his brother Elroy has joined dear old dad onstage to bang out a few tunes.  This isn't good old fashioned nepotism either, these kids can play.  In fact Liam is a monster on drums.  Neil made a valiant attempt to keep rhythm on a few songs last night but his obvious skill is still in songwriting and on the guitar.

After several late night jams, the couple realized they were on to something and enlisted New Zealand songwriter and musician Sean Donnely and along with drummer Alana Skyring created an album of fuzzed out pop tunes, some moody pop and a few other surprises.  The album isn't out until the fall but several tracks are streaming on their site and the first single "From a Friend to a Friend" is a lot spookier than Neil or Crowded House's usual sunny pop. You'd expect most parents of this age to go down the folk path but this left turn is far more rewarding.

The band has recently embarked on a small tour to see what they were capable of and tonight they played a little off the beaten path in Bethobsolescencelehem, PA.  One audience member shouted that she has waited 23 years for Neil to come to her home town.  When he playfully replied "Why haven't you come to see me somewhere else?"  She like any faithful fan would, replied "I have."

The new venue boasted a pretty unique backdrop in the form of the now defunct Bethlehem Steel Factory.  As one thing faded into obsolescence in the background, another came to life onstage.

Playing songs the audience doesn't know is rarely a successful venture but it worked better than expected and Neil didn't have to resort to playing "Don't Dream Its Over" to win over the crowd.

With Sharon's obvious shyness a big factor live, the weight was squarely on Neil's shoulders to bring life to the stage.  Whether it was a restrained but muscular guitar solo or a turn on drums, he delivered while the "more talented than she realizes" Sharon took care of business from her end of the stage.  Sean also lent a hand not only on backing vocals but with a myriad of keyboards and sounds which brought an impressive texture to these mysterious new songs.  Alana did more than hit the skins as she was also helping out at the merch stand before and after the show.  This added to the vibe of a new band just getting started than a music veteran and his vanity project.

Neil's always friendly banter included some remarks about the band just getting started and their intent to come back and keep going.  This may turn out to be far more than they bargained for when they said goodbye to the kids and picked up those instruments.

Let's hope so.

Side Note: Perhaps experiencing some empty nest syndrome herself, Sharon's mother watched the band perform via skype all the way from New Zealand via a macbook placed onstage.  It doesn't get any more modern family than that.

Also check out free MP3 plus live video, below.

In the new My Brightest Diamond chamber pop album entitled, All Things Will Unwind (due October 18 on Asthmatic Kitty), Shara Worden sings from her Detroit homestead about class differences, the complexity of the atom, the beginning & end of time, and the experience of becoming a mother.  Composed exclusively for the chamber ensemble yMusic (who you may have seen with Bon Iver, Antony & the Johnsons, The New York Philharmonic & Rufus Wainwright), My Brightest Diamond reaches into a wide range of influences including Roberta Flack, Edith Piaf and Tom Waits. Collaborating with visual artist Shoplifter (MOMA, Bjork, Nico Muhly), the album art captures Worden celebrating neutrinos flying from the sun.

MP3: "Reaching Through to the Other Side"

As impressive as her list of recent collaborators, Shara Worden's voice and arresting live performances have left audiences thunderstruck from the Sydney Opera House to Lincoln Center to the House of Blues.  She's performed under the experimental-pop moniker My Brightest Diamond for the last seven years, and counts Bryce Dessner (The National), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), David Byrne, Laurie Anderson and each of The Decemberists among friends and fans. They are just a few of the many who've fallen in love with Worden's mystical voice and mythic storytelling.

ASTW Presents | My Brightest Diamond & yMusic | Live @ MusicNOW 2011 from A Story Told Well on Vimeo.

Growing up outside of Detroit in a family of musical evangelists, Worden studied multiple instruments (her father is an acclaimed accordionist and mother an organist). She became equally passionate about classical and Motown, later pursuing a degree in Opera at the University of North Texas where she wrote and recorded original material for the first time.  After moving to New York by way of Moscow, Worden recorded three albums before joining the ranks of Sufjan Stevens Illinoisemakers.  She then expanded her  musical education further by studying composition under Padma Newsome (Clogs, The National), and turned out several scores for off-Broadway productions.

Having recently returned to Detroit, planted a garden and given birth to a son, Worden's latest offering, All Things Will Unwind, draws inspiration from the motor city itself.

More folk inspired than much of her recent work the new album addresses the juxtaposition of life and death, class and race, pantries and politics-as heard through the lullaby of a new mother.

Tracklisting:

1. We Added it Up - 4:05

2. Reaching Through to the Other Side - 3:42

3. In The Beginning - 4:20

4. Escape Routes - 3:28

5. Be Brave - 4:17

6. She Does Not Brave the War - 4:05

7. Ding Dang - 2:31

8. There Is a Rat - 4:09

9. High Low Middle - 3:34

10. Everything is in Line - 4:32

11. I Have Never Loved Someone - 3:39

Penned by Jim Miller (Trash Can School, Black Angel's Death Song) and published by Pleasant Peasant, the slim-but-compelling volume serves up a vintage LA scenester vibe.

By John B. Moore

Despite that fact that you have likely never heard of Jim Miller or his music, there is still something refreshingly compelling about his (almost) rock star memoir. Unlike the slew of rock autobiographies that seem to be churned out faster than artists record albums nowadays, the book is actually a bit humbling, with Miller admitting that his bands (he was in Black Angel's Death Song and Trash Can School simultaneously) weren't exactly household names outside of LA (or even in all many parts of that city). But as a member of a sometime touring band and a staple at various small LA clubs, Miller was a part of the LA alternative rock scene (remember when that phrase meant something?) getting close to bands like Jane's Addiction, Hole and L7.

If the book reads a bit like that guy at the end of the bar who goes on and on about how he knew Courtney Love before she married Kurt or that he knew the real Jane from "Jane Says", well that's because he is that guy. Nothing new is really revealed (Courtney was a fame whore who very likely drove Kurt to kill himself or worse...; the guys in Jane's Addiction really liked drugs; Dave Grohl is really a great guy), but because Miller was actually there, his stories are worth listening to again.

The book does have a very DIY feel to it, which considering the topic is rather appropriate. On several occasions, Miller refers to Nirvana's bassist as "Chris" Novoselic, rather than "Krist", his actual name, but that sort of adds to the appeal, coming of more like a hastily thrown together ‘zine vs. a corporate rock book.