Nautical Almanac (band)

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Nautical Almanac was a noise music group based in Baltimore, Maryland with a rotating membership fronted by Carly Ptak and Twig Harper.

History[]

Nautical Almanac first organized in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1994 (the year Harper and Ptak met) from the same experimental music scene which produced Wolf Eyes, , and Andrew W.K.[citation needed]

Nautical Almanac was created after Harper's infamous band Scheme was dissolved. Nautical Almanac's first shows revolved around guerrilla performances and consisted of general open door member policy. In 1996, Nautical Almanac released its self-titled debut LP on Hanson Records. By then the band's lineup solidly consisted of Nathan Young, Sol Meltzer, and Twig Harper. The following year those members were involved in a police riot which was followed by unwarranted house surveillance and raids looking for Twig Harper which caused him to move to Chicago with Carly Ptak. At this point Ptak and Harper furthered Nautical's research in DIY electronics, circuit bending, record cutting, and costumed performance.

From 1997 to 2001, Ptak and Harper operated a junk-resale-antique store on Division Street named The Mystery Spot. In 2001, they relocated to Baltimore, Maryland buying a store front with two abandoned floors above. Right away they knocked a hole in a wall and began squatting the top two floors and doing repairs to the neglected space. The building was named Tarantula Hill and hosted many touring and local experimental performances, the first ever show held there featured Lightning Bolt, Forcefield, Neon Hunk, and Spread Eagle, Ptak's band with . During this time the record label was created and Nautical Almanac toured the USA and Europe extensively.

In 2004, Nautical Almanac was reformed as a Noise-Rock band with the inclusion of on drums, electronics and vocals. Three months of touring and the LP Cover the Earth featured this line-up.[1]

In March 2006, shortly before Harper's performance at New York's No Fun Fest, the first floor of their building and much of their equipment and archives were lost in a mysterious fire. [2] The outpouring of support was tremendous: record shop hosted a series of benefit concerts, Ecstatic Peace released a double CD compilation,[3] and countless individual and arts collectives from across the world sent support. During the next year, they worked on gutting the bottom floor with help of volunteers and worked with Baltimore City to secure a loan to get the building legally up to code. The repairs were finished by the middle of 2007 after which Nautical Almanac completed a 20-day tour of N. America and performed and traveled in Peru and Bolivia. After the fire, Ptak moved from playing instruments to playing light and their show became even more all-encompassing.

In 2007, Ptak opened a hypnotherapy office and continues her research into subtle energy and radionics, while, in 2012, Harper opened a float tank in the Tarantula Hill space and has pioneered research into buccal salvia divinorum.[citation needed]

Nautical Almanac gave their final performance in August 2016 at Baltimore's Fields Festival, and subsequently disbanded.

Select discography[]

1996[]

  • "Nautical Almanac" LP (Hanson Records)
  • "Nautical Almanac" Cassette (Hanson Records)
  • "Isolation Muzak" Cassette (Hanson Records)

1997[]

  • "Death of Nautical Almanac" Cassette (Hanson Records)

1998[]

  • Tour Only Lathe-cut CD (With ) (Self-released)

1999[]

  • Split LP with Wolf Eyes (Hanson Records)
  • Tour-Only Lathe Cut CD (With Rubber-(o)-Cement and Wolf Eyes) (Self-released)

2000[]

  • "0000 Yearbook" Book (With Wolf Eyes) (Hanson Records)
  • "Transcriptedvisions" LP (Hanson Records)

2001[]

  • "Two Mutants or Two Mongrels" CD-R ()
  • "Live From Mexington, Kansas 9/29/01" CD-R (With ()

2002[]

  • "Nauticalamanac" Cassette ()
  • "Rejerks Vol. 1" CD-R (Heresee)
  • "The Twilight Zone" Cassette (With Dead Machines) (American Tapes)
  • "Untitled" CD-R (With Meerk Puffy) ()

2003[]

  • "Cisum" LP (Heresee)
  • "19994-20003" Video (Heresee)
  • "Kool Kreek & The Chaser Gang" Cassette (With Local Disorder) (American Tapes)
  • "We Want War" Tour-only CD-R with Lathe Edge (Heresee)

2004[]

  • "Cleanse Bathe" 10" on Lacquer (Heresee)
  • "Handcut Record Transfers" CD-R with Record Edge (Heresee)
  • "Rejerks Vol. 3" CD-R (Heresee)
  • Split LP with (Crippled Intellect Productions / )
  • Split 7" Lathe with (Hanson Records / MUET / IHTR)
  • "We're Stupid, And So Are You" 3" CD-R ()

2005[]

References[]

  1. ^ Kabara, Tim (5 October 2013). "Nautical Almanac and the Baltimore Noise Scene". The Fanzine. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Help Carly and Twig from Nautical Almanac". WFMU.org. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  3. ^ Less Self Is More Self 2CD set(Tarantula Hill Benefit) [E#107] : Ecstatic Peace!

External links[]

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