JUSTIN DUERR~
Radio Pigeon Man
Justin Duerr, Northern Liberties and the C.O.D.E. space by Alison Leigh, 2007/8?
I am here to tell you a story. A story about a person, a place, some other people and some thoughts. Oh and some birds as well.
Let’s start with the subject of this article- Justin Duerr. While attending a show at the C.O.D.E. space in Philly one night, I was blown away by a band called PRE. Then I watched a band from Israel who were really really funny. Then as I stood on the mini ramp across the room of this seemingly endless place where bands can set up just about anywhere and play a show, I witnessed three people begin their set. I snapped away with my little camera and captured what appears to be some sort of death march cult chant of darkness taking place in a dungeon in some church on the wrong (right) side of town.
The pictures tell it all really. Oh and speaking of cults, um the C.O.D.E. space is what one might refer to as a cult. Not the Kool-Aid suicide kind of cult mind you, but the gather-everyone-up-and-do-something-awesome kind of cult.
C.O.D.E.— the Church of Divine Energy—was founded by Justin and a guy name Seph. The two of them currently reside at the space but it was once a place to see shows practically every night of the week. They stopped with the band stuff because it got boring or something. Anyway, they wanted to have things going on there all the time but the band thing took over so they decided to, I don’t know, feed the space some tainted Kool-Aid and end it all. Well, they youtubed everything that happened in that place for your viewing pleasure. Here’ some.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs9yQYcBVBA
So anyway, back to the band. The words dark, moody, intense, frightening— all describe their sound. They are a three piece with one bass player and two drummers. The band is made up of two brothers and one childhood friend. They have been in bands together since they were 12. I guess you could say they have had plenty of time to figure out their sound, right? Anyway, they have a website. It’s right here.
http://www.northernlibertiesband.com/NL/HOME.PHP
I will give a run down of what I saw in the order that it happened, to give you all an idea of what it’s like to see them play a show. First, I was your average jaded person in the crowd. I saw two great bands in two different parts of the venue so I didn’t even realize that another was about to start, on an actual stage. So all of the sudden there was music. And for about 5 seconds I was like “Ho hum what are the chances that there could be 3 good bands all in a row? Like zero out of a hundred mil——wait— this band is actually fucking AWESOME!” Seriously, that is verbatim what my brain said to itself.
I got my camera ready, and found a spot atop the ramp. I tuned in just in time to see a man with really short hair and white face makeup wearing a scary red cape, RIP the cape off of himself to reveal a crazy looking house dress with a gigantic collar. All in a matter of 1/8th of a second. Brain asplodes.
So I proceeded to take pictures and get involved with what was going on. The music is seriously enveloping the whole room. I was jealous of the people who were close up to the stage, but at the same time I was at a good vantage point for seeing the show. Not so great for photos but I liked what the pics were looking like— they were weird as hell, and I just can’t complain about that!
THEN, at some really dramatic point during a song, Justin whips out a marching band drum that rests on his shoulders (see pic) and starts playing this marching band type of beat— like marching straight to your death— in a single line— expressionless but wildly happy- the kind that feels like you joined a cult and were quite naive and content about it; you just feel the sound. At this point I was like— ready to add them to my list of favorite new bands on my myspace, so you KNOW it’s for real!
Just when you think it couldn’t get any creepier, he starts reading from this book. I have no idea what he’s saying whatsoever but it really didn’t matter. It was the cadence and the seriousness of the words that made me stop and listen. And of course when asked what it was he was reading, I was let in on something TRULY. FASCINATING.
The Toynbee Tiles.
Maybe you read that link. Maybe you didn’t. In any case, Arnold Toynbee is a writer. The book Experiences was the one being read. The writer is referenced on this website. I dare you to read it. Seriously- DARE!
“A stop-watch would, no doubt, have registered that the duration of this transport had been infinitesimally brief; yet, in virtue of the poignancy of the experience, the momentary posthumous spectator’s imagination was able, ever after, to recapture the atmosphere of that dire reunion of husband and wife; and this one scene in the tragic drama of a civil war between a Roman Republic and an Italian Confederacy would call up, before his mind’s eye, a series of dramatic incidents running back past the climax of the catastrophe to its eve…”
Uhhhh….. makes me a tad stupified. Anyway, someone is doing a documentary on the tiles, which they believe originated in Philadelphia and ended up in random towns in South America. Justin is featured in the doc and is referenced in the Wiki entry. I really recommend you to peruse the articles I linked. It is quite bizarre information to say the least!
Moving on…
So after the show was over I was all crazy blown away and had a great time. One of the best shows I’ve been to in a really long time— actually, it was the day after the MEMES show I attended so the weekend has gone down in history as one of the best- for the sake of the music of now, and for the good of all mankind— hallelujah! Northern Liberties has 3 albums out, two 7”s and 2 live acoustic shows they recorded on the fly. The newest of which is called Ghost Mind Electricity and is available for purchase. I can attest to this cd’s value— it’s so serious and intense but not preachy or annoying. It’s heavy as hell, it makes you want to dance at times, or smash a glass at others. Makes you want to blast it loud and scream at your parents! Awesome hahaha!
—-this article was scribed with the very blood of my wrist- that which I had to cut for the completion of this article. I suffer for my work….and so should you
post script~ the pigeon reference in the title has to do with the fact that he used to raise carrier pigeons. He now takes care of sick and injured birds with a woman named Enid. Together they are in a band called the Vivian Girls Experience. They sing songs about pigeons at times and it is available for purchase as well. I believe they may be pigeon people! Also check out their art photography together. It’s inspiring and disturbing, yet funny and practically high fashion as well. Basically, the deeper one digs into the lives of these people, the more fascinating they become….
post script script~ both Justin and Seph are ordained ministers and have performed wedding ceremonies at the CODE space. FYI!
*this was published a few years ago. This just happened: Directing Award, Documentary:
Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles, director Jon Foy, Sundance, 2011
He also has painted a mural in Eskandalo http://www.justinduerr.com/ArtPage1/htmPages/ArtPage1Image17.htm check it out! Congrats to all involved!!
the film! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZELQhpf_o
There’s quite a bit of missing links in this article, and for that I aoplogize. Just recreated it for here real quick. Hope you are inspired to google up some stuff!
Originally Featured in the Eskandalo! Zine