east coast performance announced

november 1, 2001

in celebration of the recent release of their debut cd, never mind the context (magnetic), moth wranglers is happy to announce their first performance on the east coast in over two years. mayhem may ensue.

the special performance/release party is slated for sunday, 25 november at tonic. jon de rosa (flare/aarktica) & marc gartman will perform their semicatatonic goth-folk at 8pm; moth wranglers will take the stage at 9pm. tonic is located at 107 norfolk street, between delancy and rivington, in nyc. tickets are $8. call 212.358.7503 for more info. please note that moth wranglers will be joined onstage by eleanor (a small pink leather pig) and her new "special friend," jacob � a sleek, black suede bunny.

moth wranglers is the bi-coastal musical collaboration between ld beghtol (nyc) and chris xefos (sf). the two came together as a phenomenon in 1998, as a means by which beghtol and xefos could explore their mutual love of obscure pop histrionics and arcane instrumentation � and perhaps as a creative way to use up some frequent-flyer miles. In addition to their debut full-length, the mw catalogue includes: a track on lifelike records� PIXIES FUCKIN� DIE! (a tribute to the late, great pixies), a vinyl single on mother west about british serial killer/cannibal denis nilsen, and a 47-second piano balladette on BRIDGE magazine�s recent compilation cd of spoken word and song.

never mind the context, moth wranglers� star-studded full-length debut, features a baker�s dozen songs exploring nearly as many genres, ranging from psychotic hoedowns and bright �n� bouncy sing-alongs to psychedelic rockers, gospel-tinged laments and swinging 60s pop tunes full of summer sun and good old-fashioned california dreamin�. armed with a skewed pop sensibility and a slew of weird instruments and toys, moth wranglers make a noise one critic calls "a disconcerting, beautiful dichotomy of sound, dark humor and light-hearted horror." beghtol and xefos think of their album (and the moth wranglers experience in general) as a good old-fashioned indiepop vaudeville. nmtc features guests performances by: stephin merritt & claudia gonson (the magnetic fields), ken stringfellow (the posies), victor krummenacher & jonathan segel (camper van beethoven/monks of doom, etc.), lorin sklamberg, frank london & dave licht (the klezmatics), alison faith levy (the loud family) and many others too mortified to list.

as laverne and shirley said: "dig to china, dig to china..."

read an interview with moth wranglers at crud magazine.