Jandek Live in Concert December 9, 2006

Everybody knows one thing about Jandek, that no one knows anything about Jandek. There is nothing but the music. Some find it crude or inept on first hearing, but upon exploration it reveals incredible depth, intelligence, feeling, and rewards for the listener.

Since 1978, Jandek has released nearly 50 albums of achingly dissonant, often chaotic, blues and rock-based material on the Houston label, Corwood Industries. Though the person or persons behind the mysterious Corwood imprint remain anonymous on the record, it is widely confirmed that Jandek is essentially the project of one Sterling Smith. The steady flow of albums from Corwood's Houston P.O. Box, in addition to the artist's longstanding rejection of conventional promotional means (no interviews or live appearances) established Jandek as one of the most intriguing figures in recent music history.

Jandek ended his 26-year silence, however, with an unannounced appearance at a UK festival in 2004, with shows in the US following the next year. Live appearances have continued, set in the Corwood tradition of uncompromisingly obtuse music. One particularly brutal live appearance in May of 2005 prompted famed Japanese experimentalist Keiji Haino to declare simply, "Jandek is the blues."

The music and myth of Jandek were also the subject of an independent documentary, Jandek On Corwood, in 2003, and the Jandek story gains new dimension with the scheduling of each new live appearance. So far, Jandek has taken his unique sonic language to such musical hotbeds as Austin, NYC, and London.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of NGFLmusic.