Useful Chamber

Too good to last, UK-published Plan B Magazine closed down last year.  It always seemed more of a labour of love than money making exercise, and its founders have provided further evidence of their philanthropic intentions, making the entire archive (46 issues) available as a free download.  Go to the Plan B website for download details (torrent client software required).

As a taster, try this PDF of the Dirty Projectors cover feature from January 2008.  It’s from a few months after the release of Rise Above, halcyon days when it seemed there was a DPs show in London every other week.

Several former Plan B writers now contribute to The Quietus, a music and culture website not afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve and, occasionally, its foot in its mouth.  The Quietus’ sister publication, The Stool Pigeon, is now available electronically and you can read a short Stool Pigeon interview with Dirty Projectors on the Useful Chamber interviews page.

A potential revenue stream appeared to dry up at the end of last month, or someone pulled the plug - the Temecula Sunrise EP, twice postponed, leaked so hard you wonder whether it will ever see an official release at all.  This New York Magazine feature is unusual in discussing the economics of keeping the Dirty Projectors show on the road - in both senses. It’s a very worthwhile read, with new insights for the initiated as well as being an excellent introduction for anyone new to the band.  Great photos too.  Just what you want from a magazine piece.

The NY mag isn’t the first to write about the difficulties of living in Brooklyn and supporting yourself as a musician.  Around the time of the South By Southwest festival, Wired Magazine (not the difficult music magazine) spoke to Motel Motel, one of the relatively unknown bands on the bill, about just this subject:  SXSW: Sweat, E-Mail and Online Sales Are DIY Secrets to Band’s Success.  It’s another great read and even includes a unique and surprising anecdote about Dirty Projectors - although you might wonder whether it would pass The New Yorker’s fact checking test.

Finally, a shorter piece from the San Diego Union-Tribune, Timing fortuitous for Dirty Projectors’ Coffman, again touching on the subject of hard work.  There’s also some history about how Amber joined Dirty Projectors and, like the NY mag piece, more suggestions that Dave’s current band can feel more secure in their jobs than their predecessors.