Hello.
I have moved to Chicago. With Bettina.
That is where I live now, and where I am most of the time.
If you need to reach me, look for me there--or here, as the case may be.

New projects and records are afoot as well:

I recorded a "blackened" bass (electric and acoustic) and voice (mine?!) record called "Lucifer the Lightbearer" under the moniker Devil Hoof and hoping to have it out very soon.  Musically inspired by Joelle (as always) and by Burzum, Abruptum, and Mayhem as well. Lyrically inspired by the great rebellion of the fallen angel and the analogous and sympathetic anti-desptotic attentats of my spiritual comrades Kanno Suga, Gaetano Bresci, Vaillant, Czogolzs...(www.myspace.com/devilhoof)

The new Good For Cows record "Audumla" will be out in early 2010 on Web of Mimicry, and we are touring Europe in January to celebrate. More U.S. dates are on the horizon as well...I am playing bass guitar this time around, Ches is playing bigger drums and electronics, we are about 10 times louder and at least twice as heavy, there are more actual songs than jamming, the spirit of Quorthon is whispering in our ears, and the weak and the cowardly and the liars are running away in fear, as well they should...(www.myspace.com/goodforcows)

The Nels Cline Singers will have a double cd (one "live" and one "memorex") entitled "Initiate", coming out sometime in 2010, as does Mr. Cline under his own name (without the Singers, though Scott and I are on all of it, as are a rash of other great musicians (Vinny Golia, Alex Cline, Jessica Catron)) called "Dirty Baby", a(nother) double cd of music inspired by the work of (North) American artist Ed Ruscha...(www.myspace.com/nelscline)

Also, the Celestial Septet record will be out this spring (?)--which is the aforementioned NCS plus ROVA sax quartet (kind of noodle stew with pasta)...

And my/our (Bettina and mine) new anarcho-metal band Slings and Arrows will be recording and releasing a debut record sometime in 2010, then coming to an infoshop or squat (hopefully) near you...

So though it has been a time of transition, it has also been one of change, and yet not, as things continue to advance at the rate to which they have become accustomed, which is to say I never fucking know what's going on and just try to listen to the Norns and put as much honest and well-intentioned work in the world as I can manage before the Allfather calls me home to the Hall of the Slain.

With sword in hand-
DH

Hey Ho-
I just wanted to give a heads up that Good For Cows will be playing in NYC May 17 at the Stone, then onto to europe for a couple of fun filled weeks. We finally took the plunge and turned our band over to Satan, which means things will be a bit different now.
Better, we (the three of us) like to think. The dates for the shows are on the GFC myspace page...
Also, I just recorded and will soon be mixing a new solo record of my own, "Lucifer the Lightbearer" with vocals by Czogolsz and bass playing by yours truly (mostly bass guitar this time around). Hope to get it out in the real world as soon as possible, on just the right label (they do still exist).
Happy MayDay weekend!
War to the palace, peace to the cottage, death to luxurious idleness.
-DH

On December 7, an Athens cop shot and killed a young unarmed anarchist, Alexis Grigoropoulos. In a matter of hours Athens exploded in a mass uprising of anarchists, students, migrant workers and the unemployed. For over two weeks they attacked not just the police themselves in their anger and frustration, but the oppressive institutions cops are armed to defend: banks, government buildings, multi-national corporate interests. Not since 1968 had Europe seen such militant and targeted mass direct action, and actions around the world echoed the heroic actions of our comrades in Greece. Not far from where I am writing, in San Francisco, solidarity actions were held and sanctimonious speeches given decrying police violence and the state capitalist hierarchies such violence is inevitably in service of, and vowing to "bring the fight home."
Sadly, the fight has, once again, come home. On New Years Day in Oakland an unarmed butcher and father from Hayward, Oscar Grant, was shot at point blank range in the back by a transit cop after being pinned down on his chest. There can be absolutely no justification for this cold-blooded police murder. As was the case in the murder of Alexis, there were several witnesses who have come forward stating the officer was in no danger, some even with video recordings of the atrocity. Predictably, though, the cop who fired the shot, Johannes Mehserle, has not been arrested or even officially interrogated about the incident. This is no surprise; we know how the authorities will respond (or fail to), given their total disregard for the lives and humanity of working and poor people of color.
But how will we respond?
We are loudly indignant when police kill a militant in Athens, and applaud the just and outraged response of his comrades. We are furious when state violence kills oppressed people in Gaza, as is horrifically happening at this moment. But what do we do when a working class black man is murdered in cold blood by the cops in our own community? Do we value the lives and well being of Palestinians and Greeks and Oaxacans and adventurous middle-class white radicals more than those of working people we see every day in our own neighborhoods?
It has been five days and counting since Oscar was killed. What have we—supposed radicals and would-be revolutionaries—actually done?
Perhaps a better question is, how should we cope with police violence in our own communities?

(Note: There is a demo tomorrow (Wednesday, 1/07) at the Fruitvale BART station to protest Oscar's murder starting at 3pm: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/01/05/18558825.php)

There's a video of the killing here:
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/01/05/18558793.php

The following was sent to various United States press organs (as it originated at a U.S. Greek
consulate demo) and will be sent again to more papers etc. in the U.S. and abroad as more
individuals and groups add their names. If you would like to add your name to the list please email
devilhoof@devinhoffplatform.com

"We are writing as a group of world citizens to tell you that we are saddened by yet another police murder of a young person, Alexis Grigoropoulos. We do not see this as an isolated incident by one "bad cop" but as the direct result of a repressive police force and repressive state. Alexis's murder sparked a fire in Greece and has touched many all over the world. We are heartened by the response of our Greek comrades and write this letter in support of what has become a large-scale popular uprising in Greece with support worldwide. We applaud its principles and its targets - the police themselves, and the state institutions that create and feed the system of violence and oppression that they enforce.

We will stand strong in whatever ways we can with the people of Greece who are making their voices heard. This struggle does not belong to Greece alone. The problems of Greece are problems of a deeply repressive capitalist world order. What is happening on the Greek barricades is happening elsewhere and everywhere. We hope that the fruits of our struggles and uprisings will yield a better and more just world for all. The time has come and the people will not back down.

In solidarity:
The Alexander Berkman Social Club
AK Press
PM Press
Friendly Fire Collective
Katharine Wallerstein
Devin Hoff
Paul Dalton
Chris Carlsson
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Chuck Morse
David Barkham
Cindy Milstein
Lani Riccobuono
Peter McLaren
John Tillman
Sara Smith
Roger Leisner
Hog River Collective
and many more..."

November 11 marks the anniversary of the execution of the Haymarket anarchists in 1887 in Chicago.
Here is a brief summary of the history of the event:
http://www.lucyparsonsproject.org/haymarket.html

A great book to read-the book to read-for more information is 'The Haymarket Tragedy' by Paul Avrich.

"...I am one of those, although myself a wage slave, who holds that it is wrong, wrong to myself, wrong to my neighbor, and unjust to my fellowmen for me, wage slave that I am, to undertake to make my escape from wage slavery by becoming a master and an owner of slaves myself. I refuse to do it, I refuse equally to be a slave or the owner of slaves. Had I chosen another path in life, I might be upon the avenue of the city of Chicago today, surrounded in my beautiful home with luxury and ease and slaves to do my bidding. But I chose the other road, and instead I stand here today upon the scaffold. This is my crime."
-Albert Parsons, from his statement to the court

I just wanted to mention a few projects I've been working on lately that I'm excited about, in case anyone's interested in checking them out (or helping get them out at some point).

The first is a record of original music with John Dieterich (Deerhoof, Gorge Trio) and Chris Vatarlo (Antibalas). We all wrote music and had a blast recording with the wonderful Ian Pellicci. We hope to be finishing mixing it soon, and then who knows? World tour '09? (Zoso willing...)    

My brother Brent and I also just wrote and recorded some neat atmospheric music for a beautiful short film about sun spots (and the recent lack of them) to be on the next issue of the Wholphin, which he edits/curates. (http://www.wholphindvd.com/) Honestly, it's our first experiment with nepotism. So good, so far though...   

As far as other upcoming things go, I am currently working on three new solo bass projects (hopefully all to be albums sooner than later):

1) A record of punk rock contrabass etudes, with both originals and arrangements of covers, including all of Black Flag's seminal punk instrumental record 'The Process of Weeding Out.'
2) A collection of solo bass versions of Ornette Coleman songs I've transcribed and been studying/playing over the years. Ornette's body of work is some of my favorite music ever and a continuing source of profound inspiration.
3) A black metal inspired multi-tracked contrabass and voice record based on the words and deeds of Gaetano Bresci, the anarchist assassin of the tyrannical King Umberto 1 of Italy.

Oh yeah, and the new Good For Cows record will (finally) be coming out soon (!), but in Poland only. So if you want one you can look for it over there (or get hold of a copy through us, hopefully).

 Alrighty then, now anyone who cares can hold me to all this...

Take care of yourselves and each other in these crazy times. For my two cents, I would offer that it is only through solidarity and mutual aid that the human race has thrived and developed, not the capitalist myth (propaganda) of survival of the meanest and greediest. As we have now all seen, even those on top need a little help from their friends now and then...
Here's a nice little talk on the current crisis of capitalism if you're interested: (http://linchpin.ca/content/Miscellanous/Anarchist-analysis-global-capitalist-crisis-sildeshow-talk)

Love and anarchy-DH :)

I just learned that 23 AATW militants were arrested by the Israeli gov't.

Anarchists Against the Wall (AATW) is a direct action group that was established in 2003 in response to the construction of the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land in the Occupied West Bank. The group works in cooperation with Palestinians in a joint non violent struggle against the occupation. You can read more about their work here:
http://www.awalls.org/about_aatw
With the increase of legal persecution against Palestinian demonstrators, AATW are now fundraising to expand their existing legal fund so that it also covers defense costs for Palestinians. This is in addition to covering a standing 15,000 USD debt, resulting from the legal persecution of Israeli anti-wall demonstrators. You can help contribute by going here:
http://www.awalls.org/call4support

I know this is a sticky subject (for some) and that there are many urgent causes in this troubled
world, locally, domestically and internationally. This is an organization putting their necks on the line when and where it counts, and having real impact in the struggle against the excesses of their own government. I have had the chance to meet and do some benefits with some of the folks working with the AATW, and can vouch for their sincerity, commitment, and righteousness. I feel helping them in their work is a worthy and important thing to do, especially for those of us living in the U.S., which bears a heavy burden of responsibility for the violence and human-rights abuses the Israeli government continues to perpetrate.

So some comrades and I started this thing to help promote our shared vision of Anarchism. It's called the Alexander Berkman Social Club. We will be hosting events the last Thursday of each month at 522 Valencia in SF, CA, featuring thought-provoking speakers and great music and culture. You can check it out at:
http://alexanderberkmansocialclub.blogspot.com/

Also, a week or so ago while I was down in SoCal doing some anarchising Mike Watt asked me to come to San Pedro and sit in on his radio show, The Watt From Pedro Show. We mostly talked bass. If you wanna check it out it is up on http://twfps.com/

Lastly, awhile back I posted some political rants on this blog thing, which if you want you can check out at:
http://dhplatform.blogspot.com/

Alright, so the solo bass album is done and pressed! Thanks to Jamie and Thomas and Suzanne for makiing it happen. If anyone wants a copy just let me know and we’ll work something out.
Love and anarchy-
DH
p.s.--up next a split with Barry Pateman and the new Good For Cows, both hopefully out real soon as well...

(or Bikini Kill for white boys)

In 1994 I was a young idiot punk rocker from Colorado, freshly disembarked in northern California and full of shit. A friend from back home told me I should check out this cool band from Washington (DC or state? I wasn't sure—turned out to be some of both). Anyway, I dragged my brother (whose couch I was sleeping on) and our friend Marney down to 924 Gilman to check them out.
As soon as we made it into the overcrowded club I could tell something was different. My glasses fogged up immediately and I had to take them off, but what was important then and there wasn't something you could see anyway. There was a palpable energy in the room as soon as they started playing, explosive and righteous—these people had Truth itself by the tail, and they were playing as hard as they could to hold on and wring the most out of it. I had never heard or felt anything like it—I had been to a ton of shows, and even played more than my share by that point, but I had never experienced first-hand the potential catharsis and time-stopping, life-altering power that rock music, and especially punk rock, always hints at but rarely attains. Clearly this band was on a mission; I understand immediately that you couldn't create that kind of energy unless your music was about far more than just music.
So I bought the tape and spent the next several months—years?—pouring over the recordings, the lyrics, and internalizing every note and word and nuance. The challenge as I saw it was spelled out pretty clearly: what was my role, directly or indirectly, in the oppression of women, and what was I prepared to do about it? I was a 'white boy' (nowadays 'boy' might be pushing it), and though I didn't see myself as a total asshole, and was not a rapist or overtly misogynist, it got me thinking. Was I who they were yelling at? Or was I just a beneficiary (by the accident of birth) of a 'whole fucking system' that alienated, oppressed, and exploited women and people of color for the benefit, whether we asked for it or not, of us white boys?
I had grown up in the North in the post-civil rights era (as if there could be a post-civil rights era; "yeah, we don't need those anymore, things are fine"), and had been taught what everyone knows instinctively, that racial bigotry is stupid, wrong and inhuman. But what about the prejudice against half of humanity, against women, practiced in varying degrees in a sickening myriad of ways by almost—if not by every—society on earth? Before long I considered myself a proud feminist, and still do.
But the question first posed to me unsuspecting that night at Gilman St. leads to so many other questions. What is my role as an individual in society at large? Who wins and who loses based on the arbitrary and archaic structures our culture is built on? How can we make this a better world for all of us, and what should be our guiding principles in trying to construct that world? Now these questions, and the answers I have arrived at, are the driving motivations in my life.
The Revolution begins first within each of us, and for me that revolution was started by Bikini Kill.