Beyond the Observable Universe

Word blew in from the desert that San Diego mystic-pop trio Maquiladora was re-collecting for a tour this summer. Follows is an e-chat with cofounder Eric Nielsen from the beardo’s O.B. dojo of drone.

How long have you guys been on hiatus?

“Our last Maquiladora show was at the Penguin House in Tokyo in the summer of 2006. After Japan we decided to take a break and see where we were. We’d been playing together as Maquiladora since ’95.”

So, what have you three been up to?

“Phil [Beaumont], who pilots and principals the Children’s Museum school in Banker’s Hill, started a band with his wife Yuko, Dmitri Dziensuwski, and Matt Resovich called Little White Teeth. They recorded their debut album with Pall Jenkins and have been playing a lot locally. They have a West Coast tour with Pinback next month. I guess the big Maquiladora news is that Phil is not with us on this latest tour...putting all of his energy toward Little White Teeth. Bruce [McKenzie] played Broadway in The Farnsworth Invention, and I’m teaching at Lincoln High School’s Center for Social Justice, just received teacher-of-the-year honors there.

“Bruce and I have been working on some recording projects. We’ve teamed up on four CDs of Japanese-inspired experimental noise as Buzz or Howl. We’ve got a decent pedigree for this kind of music, having toured and/or recorded with members of Japanese psych acts High Rise, White Heaven, and Acid Mothers Temple.

“Bruce and I also recorded two albums with Glen Donaldson of the Skygreen Leopards in a group called Beggars. These albums are looking for homes right now. It’s a California soul laboratory uniting S.D., L.A., and S.F.”

Is any new Maquiladora material going to come from this summer’s activity?

“There’s a new Maquiladora record called Wirikuta. We’ll release it on tour in Japan. It will be available in the U.S. in late July from Lotushouse Records. It’s 70+ minutes of blissed-out California experimental meditations on an existence beyond the observable universe and the simple rituals of love. It includes performances by Charles Curtis (La Monte Young), Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards), Steven R. Smith (Thujua and Ulaan Khol), Krista Nielsen (Chinchilla), among others. So, yeah, we’ve been busy making music.”

Any S.D./L.A. dates on the horizon?

“Maquiladora will play Echo Curio in L.A. on Saturday (June 26) before we head to Japan to do 15 dates with Makoto Kawabata and Hiroshi Higashi of Acid Mothers Temple. We’ll be posting live tracks and updates from the tour at blogsandiego.com.”

What are you hiding in your beard?

“No comment.”