Three tracks have been uploaded to the Manifesto!!! myspace:

The Offering Reprised (Dance of the Samsara) - A piece by the Late 2008 Mid-Eastern Experimental Pop Art Band, inspired the Drepung Loseling Monks's recording with the monks from the Abbey of Gethsemani, entitled "Compassion". Click here for a video of the Drepung Loseling monks. Guitar by Joshua Araque, bongos and chant by Tyler Grodrian. Recorded in 2008.

Krautrocking - A piece by The Flying Dogs, influenced by krautrock band Can and Neu! Guitars by Joseph Wright and Joshua Araque, bass by Joshua Araque, drums by Andrew Withrow. Recorded in 2008.

Electricity Comes From Other Planets Part II (Krautrocking Redux) - Another piece by The Flying Dogs, a follow up to "Krautrocking". Guitars by Joseph Wright and Joshua Araque, bass and Hammond organ by Tyler Grodrian, drums by Andrew Withrow. Recorded 2009.

While these three pieces don't truly reflect the ideas of the Manifesto!!!, they are moving closer to the ideas. From here on out, only true Manifesto!!! produced music will be uploaded.

The Aesthetics of the Manifesto!!! Part I

Much of the Manifesto!!! draws heavily on the concept of Remodernism, which is "an attempt to introduce a new period of spirituality and emotion into art" through the replacement of post-modernism. While Manifesto!!! does not reject post-modernism, many of the points of the Remodernists have direct relevancy into the current project. Most notably of these is the Remodernist's use of Japanese art aesthetics:

Wabi-Sabi - "Wabi-Sabi" is the beauty found in things that are imperfect and incomplete, for they suggest the transcience of things. For the practionier of the philosophy of Zen, there are seven means to achieving Wabi-Sabi:

• Fukensei - assymmetry, irregularity
  
• Kanso - simplicity
• Koko - basic, weathered
• Shizen - without pretense, natural
• Yugen - subtly profound grace
• Datszuko - unbound by convention, free
• Seijaku - tranquility

Yugen - Yugen, which translates as "deep" or "mysterious", acts to 'suggest what beyond can be said but is not an allusion to another world'. The founder of Noh theater, Zeami Motokiyo, described Yugen as thus:

"To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill. To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds. And, subtle shadows of bamboo on bamboo."

Mono no aware - "the pathos of things". Mono no aware describes the transcience of things and the bittersweet feelings that can be found in their passing.

As stated above, the Remodernists, and their forerunners, the Stuckists, reject post-modernism as a dull and lifeless form of art. However, our Manifesto!!! disagrees with them on this issue.

Surrealism, Dada, and Fluxus - the ideas of these three art philosophies have a large impact on the Manifesto!!!, with it's emphasis on stream of consciousness, radical politics, and absolute freedom of expression which dovetails perfectly what we've described. Fluxus has the most impact on the Manifesto!!!'s train of thought. Fluxus called for a blending of various arts, ranging from architecture to painting to music to urban planning, and were the first to propose the early punk idea of D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself). Like it's proginetors, Surrealism and Dada, the Fluxus artists were staunchly anti-commercial and anti-art, chosing instead to promote the ideas of social change through radical art.

Part II to follow.

The Manifesto!!! on Myspace

The Manifesto!!! now has a Myspace music page. As recordings become available over time they will be uploaded to either the Myspace page or a Last FM music channel which has yet to have been created.

The Manifesto on Myspace

The Manifesto!!! of Sound

MANIFESTO!!!

1. No chords are required. Chords limit the sounds avaliable to the instrument, so rejecting chords sets the music free.
2. If chords are to be used, no more than two per song. The music is to be based in repetition and drone.
3. No set time limits on any pieces or recorded tracks. A piece may be as long or as short as the artist feels is needed. No true beginning or end is required, if the artist should feel that way.
4. No standard tuning is accepted, with the exception of drop tuning.
5. The sounds of blues music and it's derivatives are rejected, while world and ethnic music and it's instruments is embraced. However, though we move away from blues-based music, we are still to respect it and gain inspiration from it's pathos.
6. Vocals and lyrics are not required. However, if the artist opts to utilize them, they should be treated as another instrument in the sound, i.e, the vocals should not be the dominating structure of the song. Lyrics shouldn't reflect the personal, aiming more at society in general, its weaknesses and its strengths.
7. Humour is for the most part lost in music. Lyrics, in the event of their inclusion, should embrace humour, surrealism, and dadaism.
8. Effects to alter the sound of the instruments, such as heavy use of echo, distortion, reverb, etc, is encouraged.
9. Recorded tracks should be done in only one take. Mistakes, should they occur, are then left in the recording and assimilated into the sound texture. Editing is a lie and makes the piece artificial. Like the Remodernists, the Japanese idea of "wabi-sabi", the beauty of imperfection, should embraced.
10. The use of found sounds, musique concrète, and prepared instruments in recording and playing is encouraged.
11. Other art forms are to be embraced - film, theatre, dance, painting, fashion, etc, in order to make the project more full and to create a sense of community rooted in cooperation.
12. There should be no ego in the project: No one instrument is more important than another instrument. The whole of the sound is greater than the sum of the parts.
13. There is no clear definition of a "band". Any person with an instrument, ideas, and a willingness to adhere to the ideals of the Manifesto!!! is permitted to partake in the creation of the Sound.
14. Recording of tracks can be recorded on nothing larger than a four track recorder. This is to inspire cooperation and creativity.
15. Never solely adhere to the principles of any one manifesto, including this one. Doing so is submissive and detrimental to the creativity of art.

August 27, 2009.

Araque, Joshua
Berger, Edmund
Grodrian, Tyler
Wright, Joseph