My friend Sam just sent me a link and information about a pretty cool project that’s currently running called StoryCorps. I highly recommend visiting their site, reading up on the project, listening to some of the recordings, and participating if possible. Here’s some of the stories I listened to and enjoyed:
“One day some guy showed up to him and said, 'We're going to make some movie. Can you write a script?'"
Chin-Ju Li tells his daughter Julia about his father, the filmmaker Pingqian Li. (MP3, 1:23 min.)
"All I know is I was given the bag complete, which they had filled with about fifteen pigeons."
Mitchell Agoos remembers protesting the 1955 Carnegie Hall debut of conductor Herbert von Karajan, a former member of the Nazi party. (MP3, 1:24 min.)
"We used to go to the Savoy Ballroom every Saturday and stay there until Monday morning."
Harold Slappy tells his friend Monica about visiting Harlem's Savoy Ballroom as a youth. (MP3, 1:18 min.)
"He looked up at me and said, 'Hamzah,' and then grabbed hold of me and gave me this tight hug and wouldn't let me go."
Homeless New Yorker Larry Chamberlain tells his friend Tobias about his many names. (MP3, 0:30 min.)
"My mother, well, she didn't know how to say 'colander' in English..."
Philomena Luciani interviewed by her granddaughter Alison. (MP3, 0:27 min.)
"I think I might want to be straight, with a nice husband, but of course, I don't have any idea what it's like to have kids cause I am a kid myself."
Kaitlyn Sever interviewed by her mom, Lynne Lande, who is a lesbian. (MP3, 1:57 min.)
"If we're going anywhere, we're going down the aisle, because I'm too tired, too sick, and too sore to do any other damn thing."
Danny and Annie Perasa, married for 26 years, interview each other. (MP3, 1:38 min.)
"Money, money, money, money. Everyone spends money for oneself."
Shirley Sun to her English teacher, Ruthe Karlin. (MP3, 0:34 min.)
"My dad was subversively funny. He had a whole kind of Rolodex of one-liners for every occasion."
Billy Collins interviewed by his friend Nancy Cobb. (MP3, 3:14 min.)
"I said, 'What are you saying? Are you proposing to me tonight, now?'"
Barbara Paer to her daughter Shelley Rubin. (MP3, 1:18 min.)
"Don't ever let anybody tell you they can do something to you. You're free, man. You don't have to take that."
Ralph Tremonte and Donald Weiss, who spent their childhood together in a psychiatric hospital, are reunited after 40 years. (MP3, 1:50 min.)
Friday, May 27, 2005
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Mike Huckaby's new label's first 12-inch!
It looks like Mike Huckaby is starting a new label and the first release is a new deep chord 12-inch that he remixed. It'll be out in time for the fuse-in weekend. I can't wait to hear it!
Saturday, May 21, 2005
LCD Soundsystem and M.I.A.
My friend Sam e-mailed me a reminder to see The Rolling Stones when they come around (she was actually poking fun of the fact that the American Idol tour is being sponsored by Pop Tarts…how appropriate!) and when I cracked open the forward (a collection of upcoming Detroit area shows) I noticed that LCD Soundsystem were playing at that very moment. I called the Majestic Theater and confirmed that there were still tickets available and jumped in my car headed for the city. I had heard LCD were coming around but had not stayed up on the dates…later during the show while I was waiting between bands I reflected on the fact that I’m on LCD’s email list and they completely failed to mention they were going to be in my neck of the woods. Anyway, I was particularly excited as M.I.A. and Diplo were scheduled to open the show. Even though doors were at 8:00 and I wasn’t leaving Howell until 8:30, I liked my chances for arriving in time to see at least a little bit of each set. I was shocked to find out no one had gone on by the time I arrived at 9:45…in fact, no one went on until well after 10…if I’d arrived at 8 I would have been grumpy. I was really looking forward to hearing M.I.A. as I quite like her CD as it sounds so fresh and raw to me…like a teenager discovering an 808 drum machine and making up songs over the preset beats. What makes her particularly interesting is her history as a Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka…her music is so party oriented with booming beats ala early Beastie Boys and Run DMC but chock full of political content. She’s a terrible dancer and her fashion is highly questionable but I have to give her credit for trying…she pony jumps around the stage waving her hands in an Adidas day-glo track suit and sings her heart out. I got the feeling they were suffering from technical difficulties as her voice was regularly too low in the mix yet mixed so stridently that it hurt to listen. Her back up singer also lapsed off key at several points. I got the feeling they couldn’t hear themselves all that well. However, they gave it all they got and the beats were really boom-tastic! I’d give their show a strong 7 out of 10.
During M.I.A.’s set Diplo ran the sounds and video and did an admirable job…after their set I picked up a new mix CD by him called “Diplo Favela Strikes Back” and I was really arrested by what I heard of it on the drive home after the concert…the music is unlike anything I’d ever heard before and that doesn’t happen to me all that often, though that’s what I live for…hearing something new. Anyway Diplo’s mix revealed where some of the inspiration for the tracks he produced for M.I.A.’s album originated…Brazil and a style linked to Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats. I’ve been a huge fan of Dancehall influenced electonica and this new sound shares a similar drive and passion but instead of the classic R&B/dub influence, it's rooted in the Miami Bass sound (made particularly well by Dynamix II.)
45 minutes after M.I.A. finished, LCD Soundsystem took to the stage. I was struck by the fact that the band came out and actively helped set up even though there were more than enough stagehands to do it. I’d read somewhere that James Murphy (lead singer and ring leader) is particularly persnickety about sounding perfect…his years spent in studios recording and producing has given him a great sense of what works and sounds good live and that’s what he strives to achieve when playing out. Wow. When they cranked up on the first track that vision pounded home so clearly…I could hear every element of the band including the tambourines. It was loud (but not uncomfortably so) and completely enveloping…like a heavier Phil Spector wall of sound crushing through the Creation Records back catalogue. I never realized how much Murphy’s vocal delivery has been influenced by Mark E. Smith of The Fall but live with all the convulsions and body tics it became very clear…that’s in no way a derogatory remark, just an interesting bit of archaeology. The band blasted through their catalog with much of it sped up and a bit more “punk” sounding than the recordings. The crowd loved it. I’d give the sound a full 10 out of 10 and the performance a 6 out of 10. After awhile it all started to sound the same to me and I confess I lost interest.
Some random thoughts from the show:
Girls should not take Joan Jett as a role model for fashion or hair. The late 70’s early 80’s styles tend to emphasize a woman’s faults and do not play to their strengths. I swear to I saw Janet from Three Is Company in attendance. Terrifying.
Pink Izod-style shirts with the collars flipped up weren’t cool the first time.
Bringing a Yo-Yo to entertain yourself between sets is a pretty good idea. Trying to do Around The World with one in a crowd is not.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Busted Tees : Jokes you can wear! Hilarious T-Shirts!
Busted Tees : Jokes you can wear! Hilarious T-Shirts!
Yeah, the subject pretty much says it all...if anyone is feeling particularly "gift-y" I'd happily take any of these in an XXL.
Be sure to also check out their less coarse and more artsy sister site: http://www.defunker.com/
Sam...do you recall any of our excellent shirt ideas? Check this out from their FAQ:
"I have a funny idea for a shirt, can I sell it to you? Sure! If you have a good shirt idea, email it to ideas@bustedtees.com. We pay $150.00 plus a free shirt for any idea that we end up using. Please do not send us any idea you've already seen somewhere!"
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
ashes and snow
My mom listened to NPR earlier this week and heard a story on photographer Gregory Colbert who sounds like a fascinating individual. He's into capturing human animal interactions and goes to great lengths to allow the subjects to feel comfortable around each other so he doesn't need to pose them. The above shot is him and a whale taken from an overhead helicopter shot...none of his photos use digital imaging...what you see is what he shot.
You can hear the NPR story here: npr story
You can read about his exhibition and see photos as well as videos here: ashes and snow
Star Wars film against American grain
Star Wars film against American grain / 'Revenge of Sith' mirrors themes of post 9/11 world
I read this San Francisco Chronicle article and found it very interesting. I'd never heard about any color symbolism in the Star Wars movies but it makes comeplete sense to me after reading this.
I read this San Francisco Chronicle article and found it very interesting. I'd never heard about any color symbolism in the Star Wars movies but it makes comeplete sense to me after reading this.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
I confess I love Loch Ness
One of the first books I can ever recall checking out of a library had to do with the Loch Ness monster. As a kid I was always fascinated with all the mysterious peripheries of the world and read voraciously on Big Foot, UFOs, the Bermuda Triangle, and anything else that hadn’t been “proven.” My sweetest tooth was always reserved for the Loch Ness monster though…it appealed to me on so many levels. For one, it didn’t seem evil or threatening to my nascent Christianity…though UFOs were intriguing they always unsettled me because their mystery seemed a bit too spooky which most likely stemmed from my own personal baggage. I also was a good swimmer and interested in the water and things in it. Before I was allowed to check out books on my own I can remember spending hours pouring over the Jacques Cousteau books which were like mini encyclopedias covering their voyages (as an aside, the fact that the character Steve Zissou had created a similar set of books featured in “The Life Aquatic” completely thrilled me and nailed me right in the thick of my sentimental heart.) Squid, starfish, sharks…all fascinating to me. So something unexplained living in the Loch thrilled me.
Wow. That’s a long preamble to tell you about the book I just finished reading. “The Loch” by Steve Alten is the sort of book that I try not to like…I feel dirty when I read “cheap” genre fiction like mysteries or horror. But when my friend Scott told me the premise of this book my curiosity was piqued too much to ignore the cheesy cover art that would have made put the book down immediately if I’d dared to pick it up in the first place. Assure by Scott that the book was not typical horror with gore or demonic energy I decided to give it a whirl. After 2 nights staying up until 4 AM to read it I finished it. It was the perfect guilty pleasure and a fun summer read. I won’t give all the details in case you might want to read it but it’s a retelling of the Loch legend with a Templar twist and plenty of cutting-edge scientific theories which makes for a compelling package. The writing is crisp if a bit spartan. His writing on sex and flirting is not at all compelling and I felt his expletives seemed a bit forced and unnatural. I also did not particularly enjoy reading through his attempt at writing with a heavy Scottish accent for several characters where a word like “ours” is written “oors” and “know” is “ken.” However he works the mystery really well and the suspense is carried into the very last pages. I was not terrified or overly stressed reading this book, I wouldn’t want to be, but I was engaged and interested to see how the characters made it through. There are some descriptions of attacks and dismemberment that will make the squeamish squirm, and as I said earlier, the language is occasionally course. But, if you have any “X-files” geekery in your blood, you might really enjoy this one.
OK. Here’s the last bit on this subject. The day after I read the book we got a promotional fax at the store and even though it may all be a great bit of promotional marketing, I think it’s still a fun idea and sort of hope it’s true. It seems that some college students not only found the remains of a dead deer while boating on Loch Ness, but they also found a dislodged tooth left in the carcass. You can see a picture of the tooth at the top of this post but you can also see the video they shot here. The tooth and a video are reported to have been confiscated from them by a local authority and a collective have raised funds to offer a $100,000 reward for return of the tooth. From there, check out the video of the mysterious tracks found by another Loch visitor. Like I said, it’s easy to see all sorts of holes in this, but it’s fun (if irresponsible) to speculate!
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Shinsho and Ban
My cousin Lisa has been looking after a litter of kitties that she stumbled across and her stories of them and a skunk trauma reminded me of my brief adoption of kittens. Lisa and I found two in a garbage dumpster while living in Taiwan. They eventually got taken to a shelter when my allergies just couldn’t take it anymore. There was a woman who came yearly to the island and removed hundreds of unwanted animals back to America where they would be placed in homes. Our kitties were called Shinsho and Ban…names we derived from Shinshoban which was the name of our remedial English class we taught. These kitties were cute but doubly cursed. As you can see they had white paws...specifically four white paws each. White is a color associated with death in Taiwan and people usually would only wear it to a funeral. The number four in Chinese sounds like the word for death. Our kitties were doomed. And it's no wonder we found them in the trash. Read this for greater insight into cat superstition in Taiwan. Anyway they were adorable and fun and I miss them. I don't miss sneezing though.
Heap Hot Coals
In a response elicted from my friend Mike's thoughtful post on rage I thought I'd share this.
This may sound jaded and cynical but I’ve almost completely given up on people being nice and well-mannered…especially if they’re young. However, I’m continually joyful when I find a few odd ducks out there whose parent’s must’ve beat some respect into them. Working in retail gives me more than my fair share to witness bad social behavior so when someone is gentle, well mannered, and friendly it REALLY sticks out. And you know what? It happens just enough for me not to completely give up and play their game.
Controlling my own rage is something else altogether. The other day I was particularly proud of myself for not getting nasty with someone who I really thought had it coming. He strolled by the information desk at our store and barked out “the music is really G-Damn loud!” He never looked at me and just kept on walking into the music section. My mind reeled…He could have asked in such a nicer way but instead, hostility. I turned down the music and called after him “is that better?” He grunted and still didn’t look at me. I felt cheapened and inferior…he wasn’t treating me with any human dignity at all. I seethed and went and got a drink. 45 seconds later I was still raging and really wanted to go and tell him how hurtful his actions were to me. I did something altogether different. I thought to myself “you want me to fade into the background while you stomp all over my world? No chance mister.” I hunted him down in the Blues section and…I gave him the absolute best customer service I could. I genuinely knocked myself trying to help him. I found him exactly what he was looking for and made a few recommendations of other music he might like. He loved it. And by the time I was done I didn’t even care what had happened before. By interacting with him I forced him to treat me the way that I wanted…humanely. I told a coworker that I killed him with kindness and “heaped hot coals on his head” and she looked at me blankly. Here’s a brief explanation on that concept quoted from:
http://christian-bible.com/Worship/Sermons/evil.good.htm
"If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the LORD will reward you." (Proverbs 25:21-22)
“This ancient teaching from Jewish scripture deserves to be heard today, because it tells us that we have the power of disarming our enemies by treating them as friends. Of course, being kind does not remove the weapons from the hands of our enemies, but it does remove their reason for seeing us as their enemy. This is what is meant in the scripture passage by the image of heaping hot coals on their heads. If we respond as neighbors, rather than as enemies, to those who fear us, their shame may burn away their anger and allow them to see us as neighbors.”
That is if they’re sober! ;-)
This may sound jaded and cynical but I’ve almost completely given up on people being nice and well-mannered…especially if they’re young. However, I’m continually joyful when I find a few odd ducks out there whose parent’s must’ve beat some respect into them. Working in retail gives me more than my fair share to witness bad social behavior so when someone is gentle, well mannered, and friendly it REALLY sticks out. And you know what? It happens just enough for me not to completely give up and play their game.
Controlling my own rage is something else altogether. The other day I was particularly proud of myself for not getting nasty with someone who I really thought had it coming. He strolled by the information desk at our store and barked out “the music is really G-Damn loud!” He never looked at me and just kept on walking into the music section. My mind reeled…He could have asked in such a nicer way but instead, hostility. I turned down the music and called after him “is that better?” He grunted and still didn’t look at me. I felt cheapened and inferior…he wasn’t treating me with any human dignity at all. I seethed and went and got a drink. 45 seconds later I was still raging and really wanted to go and tell him how hurtful his actions were to me. I did something altogether different. I thought to myself “you want me to fade into the background while you stomp all over my world? No chance mister.” I hunted him down in the Blues section and…I gave him the absolute best customer service I could. I genuinely knocked myself trying to help him. I found him exactly what he was looking for and made a few recommendations of other music he might like. He loved it. And by the time I was done I didn’t even care what had happened before. By interacting with him I forced him to treat me the way that I wanted…humanely. I told a coworker that I killed him with kindness and “heaped hot coals on his head” and she looked at me blankly. Here’s a brief explanation on that concept quoted from:
http://christian-bible.com/Worship/Sermons/evil.good.htm
"If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the LORD will reward you." (Proverbs 25:21-22)
“This ancient teaching from Jewish scripture deserves to be heard today, because it tells us that we have the power of disarming our enemies by treating them as friends. Of course, being kind does not remove the weapons from the hands of our enemies, but it does remove their reason for seeing us as their enemy. This is what is meant in the scripture passage by the image of heaping hot coals on their heads. If we respond as neighbors, rather than as enemies, to those who fear us, their shame may burn away their anger and allow them to see us as neighbors.”
That is if they’re sober! ;-)
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
My Favorite I-Tunes Videos
Here's where I'll post any links to videos I am particularly fond of at the moment. You'll need I-Tunes to watch these.
The Go Find (I Love that little boat and wish it'd visit me)
Gorrilaz (They continue to impress me)
Devendra Banhart (similar idea to the Go Find video but the darker side)
The Chemical Brothers (Interesting dance phenomenon, no it's not a joke)
Dizzee Rascal (one of the coolest rap videos I've ever seen)
Death From Above 1979 (the punkest thing out at the moment)
Lemon Jelly (a bit dark but reminds me of the old MTV show "Liquid Television")
They Might Be Giants (A video directed by Strongsad? Awesome!)
M.I.A. (why am I a total sucker for this?)
Panjabi MC (I still love this track...video feels like Sabotage by the Beastie Boys)
White Stripes (another oldie but goodie)
Mocean Worker (this pretty much has everything I'd ever want in a video)
Kings of Convenience (which came first? this or Napoleon Dynamite?)
Hank Williams (what a great song)
Morrissey (is it me or is starting to look like Jonathan Winters?)
Ozomatli (socially conscious and killer horns...like Rage gone Latin)
The Hives (I always wanted them to make it bigger than they have)
Slum Village (a "California Girls" for a new millennium?)
Pixies (I admit I must be stupid...I never realized how environmentally themed this band was)
Tortoise (Lisa turned me onto these guys. She has good taste that Lisa.)
Zero 7 (could this crew write sweeter songs?)
The Streets (I'm a huge fan of this guys work)
Jay-Z (swagger, he's tough!)
Bumblebeez 81 (big heads are cool!)
The Darkness (they moved the bar when they released this sci-fi inspired gem)
Fischerspooner (high fashion, higher concept)
Sigur Ros (exceptionally disturbing, powerfully beautiful)
The Go Find (I Love that little boat and wish it'd visit me)
Gorrilaz (They continue to impress me)
Devendra Banhart (similar idea to the Go Find video but the darker side)
The Chemical Brothers (Interesting dance phenomenon, no it's not a joke)
Dizzee Rascal (one of the coolest rap videos I've ever seen)
Death From Above 1979 (the punkest thing out at the moment)
Lemon Jelly (a bit dark but reminds me of the old MTV show "Liquid Television")
They Might Be Giants (A video directed by Strongsad? Awesome!)
M.I.A. (why am I a total sucker for this?)
Panjabi MC (I still love this track...video feels like Sabotage by the Beastie Boys)
White Stripes (another oldie but goodie)
Mocean Worker (this pretty much has everything I'd ever want in a video)
Kings of Convenience (which came first? this or Napoleon Dynamite?)
Hank Williams (what a great song)
Morrissey (is it me or is starting to look like Jonathan Winters?)
Ozomatli (socially conscious and killer horns...like Rage gone Latin)
The Hives (I always wanted them to make it bigger than they have)
Slum Village (a "California Girls" for a new millennium?)
Pixies (I admit I must be stupid...I never realized how environmentally themed this band was)
Tortoise (Lisa turned me onto these guys. She has good taste that Lisa.)
Zero 7 (could this crew write sweeter songs?)
The Streets (I'm a huge fan of this guys work)
Jay-Z (swagger, he's tough!)
Bumblebeez 81 (big heads are cool!)
The Darkness (they moved the bar when they released this sci-fi inspired gem)
Fischerspooner (high fashion, higher concept)
Sigur Ros (exceptionally disturbing, powerfully beautiful)
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Free Frosty!
In an attempt to lure folks back in their stores which have been hemorrhaging money ever since a woman claimed to find a finger in her chili, Wendy's will be giving away free junior frosty's this weekend (Friday the 13th through Sunday the 15th.) Might just tempt me in...however not on Friday...seems like just asking to lose a finger to go in on such an unlucky day.
Good mixes.
I'll update this post as I come across any good MP3 mixes and tracks floating around out there.
DJ Bone-Attacks (Don't sleep on these! Usually only up for a week.)
DJ Skurge (Carrying on the Drexciya tradition, part of the Aquanauts collective with DJ Dijital)
Buzz Goree (Current UR Assault DJ)
Juan Atkins
Alan Oldham (he has several on his site, I'm only linking to the first)
Recloose
Derek Plaslaiko
Optimo (hipsters will love this...a little bit of everything)
DJ Chase the Devil (Super varied from IDM to old soul)
IF (1st of three parts)
Kid Kameleon (mash-up master)
My friend Ben sent me links to these mixes...thanks Ben!
John Tejada (always deep and smooth)
DJ Stingray (Another shadowy Drexciya collaborator)
Dave Twomey (Deep, dubby, minimal...)
Trentemoller
Pascal FEOS
John Dahlback
BEN WU - PLAY OUR GAME (Ben sets 'em up and knocks 'em out...smokin' mix)
Phenophan Breakbeat Mix
Phenophan House Mix
DJ Bone-Attacks (Don't sleep on these! Usually only up for a week.)
DJ Skurge (Carrying on the Drexciya tradition, part of the Aquanauts collective with DJ Dijital)
Buzz Goree (Current UR Assault DJ)
Juan Atkins
Alan Oldham (he has several on his site, I'm only linking to the first)
Recloose
Derek Plaslaiko
Optimo (hipsters will love this...a little bit of everything)
DJ Chase the Devil (Super varied from IDM to old soul)
IF (1st of three parts)
Kid Kameleon (mash-up master)
My friend Ben sent me links to these mixes...thanks Ben!
John Tejada (always deep and smooth)
DJ Stingray (Another shadowy Drexciya collaborator)
Dave Twomey (Deep, dubby, minimal...)
Trentemoller
Pascal FEOS
John Dahlback
BEN WU - PLAY OUR GAME (Ben sets 'em up and knocks 'em out...smokin' mix)
Phenophan Breakbeat Mix
Phenophan House Mix
Hunter S. Thompson quote
The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.
There's also a negative side.
Hunter S. Thompson
I like the idea that this space will be saved for posterity's (I just realized that I shouldn't really use that word as it applies to direct lineages only and I currently have no offspring) sake and that I'll be able to flip back through my posts to see what was going on in my life "back then." As such I intend to include things like this quote which I love, and want to at least partially remember. It's not something I'd print out or put on a 3x5 card but knowing that if I'm ever in a conversation with someone and I tell them "there's this great Hunter S. Thomson quote about the music industry," I'd be able to dig around in these pages and come up with the exact one. Something like a brain dump I guess.
Saturday May 14th Stamp Out Hunger
I just received a flyer for the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive which is happening the Saturday, May 14. The directions read like this:
- Put some non-perishable food items in a bag and place it by your mailbox.
- Your letter carrier will pick it up and deliver it to a local food bank.
It seems to be easy, cool, and for a good cause. I'm happy as this will help me get rid of some of the items I would not want to move with me but would not be happy throwing away. Just when am I going to use those 4 cans of corn chowder?
Monday, May 09, 2005
Public Art in Lakeland Florida
Hopefully we can find some public art for Al to photograph while he's up here as he's been bitten by a bug down in Atlanta and he now fills his weekends with treks through swamps and voluntary visits to police stations seeking the best public art Florida has to offer. He found this exceptionally fine sculptural example in Lakeland Florida. I've always loved the photo-realistic sculpture of Duane Hanson but this bronze by Seward Johnson is even more impressive as it needs to stand up to outdoor abuse.
Motor City Comic Con Compatriots
Eric, Michele, Doug, Lisa, Al, & Anita at the 2004 Con.
My friend Al (formerly of Holly, then Atlanta, now Tampa Bay...which I still can't get right, I always refer to him as "my friend from Atlanta:) is coming into town this weekend for our collective's annual trek to the Motor City Comic Con (which is actually held in Novi, not Detroit as the name might make you think.) These semi-annual get-togethers (the other big one is the Detroit Auto Show) are always guaranteed to be high on laughs, low on "well-behaved" public demeanor, and bookended with some great food. After the upcoming weekend I'll give a report of anything interesting at this years show.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
MothersBirthDay
So I had this moment earlier in the month when I realized that my mom’s birthday was on mother’s day this year and for a moment I wondered “has her birthday always been on mother’s day? If so, why did it take me so long to remember her birth date?” For the longest time I struggled to recall my parent’s birthdays and I never got it right until I was in my mid twenties. So I was relieved when Lisa told me mother’s day is a shifting holiday. I would have felt pretty stupid if for all these years I could have been remembering mother’s day and my mom’s birthday were May 8.
May-June was always pretty demanding because it featured my mom’s birthday, mother’s day, my father’s birthday, father’s day, and their anniversary. That’s a lot to keep straight in eight short weeks. A few times I got them all and felt very proud for doing so.
Dates and names are not my strong suits…I should never try my hand at a formal history discipline I suppose.
Happy MothersBirthDay CJ! I love You!
May-June was always pretty demanding because it featured my mom’s birthday, mother’s day, my father’s birthday, father’s day, and their anniversary. That’s a lot to keep straight in eight short weeks. A few times I got them all and felt very proud for doing so.
Dates and names are not my strong suits…I should never try my hand at a formal history discipline I suppose.
Happy MothersBirthDay CJ! I love You!
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Want to hear Back Pocket Tracks?
One of the things I miss the most in the situation I'm currently in is not having anyone to share music with. I love getting together with people to listen to music and I love talking about music even more. For me, the only thing more thrilling than exposing someone to new music is being exposed to new music. So to kick off this new endeavor I'm going to share a CD that I made to keep Lisa company down in Nashville. If the track list (see below) looks interesting to you, shoot me an e-mail with your mailing address and I'll send one your way. My only request is that you contribute some comments on the tracks or at least add general comments. Here's to a new adventure.
Back Pocket Tracks Sleeve
This is a reconstituted back pocket from a pair of jeans that served me well for almost a year. I sent Lisa her CD tucked inside hence the name of the compilation.
Back Pocket Tracks
1. Incomplete Transmission--Keith Kemp
This comes from a new compilation on Ferris Park Records which is a relatively new Detroit label. I don’t know much about Keith Kemp other than he’s been around awhile and I think worked at Record Time at some point in the past. I originally bought this CD thinking it had tracks by Mike Huckaby on it (who is signed to their label) but it doesn’t! Oh well, this track reminds me of the sort of futuristic techno-scapes that Jeff Mills is particularly fond of.
2. Late Night Shopping (remixed by Burnt Friedman)— David Sylvian
David Sylvian was a member of the bands Japan and Rain Tree Crow and I’ve known many fanatical devotes of both. My understanding of him is he’s always SUPER-mellow and sort of noodley…not favorite things for many folks I know (hi Lisa!) but I think the lyrics to this are sort of sweet and I can totally relate to wandering around a grocery store in the middle of the night. Burnt Friedman is one of the German Nu Dub School of Jazz members and a founding member of Drome and Flanger (a collaboration with Uwe Schmidt AKA Atom Heart).
3. Broken Drum (Boards of Canada Remix)—Beck
This is off the new limited edition Beck release. The limited version comes with a quality DVD/CD/Book package and they really did it up right. Usually these things are just extra-fancy packaging and that’s it. This one has 7 bonus tracks (including this one) only available in this package. The DVD is dual format with a 5.1 audio mix on one side, and videos for every track that he commissioned an animator for on the other side. The amazing thing? This version is only $10 more than the standard issue. I think you’ll this release will really please Beck's long-time fans…so much so in fact; I put two songs from it on this CD. Last thing, this is one of like maybe three remixes I’m aware of BOC ever doing…rare like hen’s teeth in more ways than one!
4. Szerencsétlen—Venetian Snares
I can’t find a definition of this word anywhere online so I don’t really know what this song is meant to be getting at. However, the inside booklet says “These are love songs and grief songs.” This sounds like a lot of modern chamber string music that I’ve heard except that it has some wonderful V-Snares drum & bass programming on it. I like it…very moody and atmospheric. The rest of the album is less percussive and more mellow melodic…a very weird release for him.
5. Sprang (2003)—Mikkel Metal
This is on a teeny Danish label Echocord that’s based in Copenhagen and is distributed by Kompakt. He’s also had tracks on Traum and Kompakt. He’s got a degree in philosophy, is a web programmer by day, and is a former shoe-gazer indie guitarist (you can kind of hear that influence in this track.)
6. '79 Aka The Shouty Track—Lemon Jelly
Don’t know a lot about this group but apparently the whole cd is made up of samples from their record collections…the title ’64-’95 refers to the timeframe all the samples were taken from. This track reminds me a bit of the sort of indie rock I really liked in the early 90s…groups like Chapterhouse, early Blur, and the Stone Roses. I also like a song to use “shouty” in the title.
7. I'm Into Something Good—The Langley Music Project
I was originally going to put “In My Room” on this CD as I love that track but the whoo-hoo-hoos on this track totally sold me! The track was originally done by Herman’s Hermits and was co-written by Carole King during her Brill Building days I’m guessing.
8. Just Steelin'—Starlight Drifters
This is the song they played when I asked the guitarist to throw down on his steel the night I saw them at Robert’s Western World in Nashville. It’s an original composition by him and follows in a long history of steel players developing a show stopping instrumental to use as sort of a theme song.
9. Pardon My Whiskers—Wayne Raney
Raney is a bit of an anomaly in country music as he’s known for his harmonica playing. Harmonicas were (and are) better known for the blues. As a result his music sounds super unique and fun! Look out! My whiskers might get you!
10. Swing Down, Chariot—Golden Gate Quartet
I found this gem nestled in with a bunch of Super-Southern-Styled-Gospel (read painfully white) songs on the CD “Close Harmony." The liner notes point out that these guys didn’t get very far in the fame and fortune side of things due to racial segregation. They got their start out of a barbershop and eventually got some opportunities to sing for white audiences (and record buyers) who were blown away at they’re style. A GREAT version of this classic spiritual.
11. Jaleo (Señor Coconut Remix) Featuring Concha Buika—Truby Trio
Here’s another new release that gets two songs representing it on this CD. Truby Trio are the fantastic Nu-German-Latino-Jazz pioneers who kicked some much needed sense of musicianship in the crappy “Lounge” scene that was developing in the late 90s. While everyone else was sampling and rearranging classics, Truby Trio came along and started writing new classics and *gasp!* actually playing their instruments! This is a lovely rework by Atom Heart in his Senor Coconut persona.
12. Girl At The Typewriter—Raymond Scott Quintette
You might know of Raymond through his music being featured in many Warner Brothers cartoons. I'm a huge fan of his and he was always up to something interesting...creating radical electronic equipment and music, writing concept albums for newborns, or smokin' with his early jazz ensembles. He used to perform this number live and bring out a woman on stage to accompany the Quintette on typewriter…pretty radical for the 30s!
13. Hell Yes—Beck
The second track from Beck on here…you can hear one of the “typical” album tracks. I think this beat is very funky and is a return to form for this “Loser.”
14. Now You're Leaving (Featuring Camu)—Prefuse 73
Well you've most likely run across the Georgian (that's the one in the South son) Prefuse 73...if you haven't, don't sleep...run out and buy anything you can get your hands on. This Camu fella’ is new to me. He’s affiliated with the Def Jux label (Aesop Rock and RJD2) and he sorta’ reminds me of Detroit's new soul singer Dwele if Dwele rapped. This is from Prefuse’s new CD where he collaborates with a bunch of rappers including Ghostface Killa and GZA from Wu-Tang, Beans, and Aesop Rock. The tracks tend to be rap or really mellow pop songs.
15. Codeine—TTC
Alright, here’s your French test…how much can you understand? Me? None! But they’re fun, fun, fun and quite strange. This isn’t even the weirdest track on the CD. They make me think of Luc Besson movies. They’re on Big Dada which is the “Rap” imprint of Ninja Tune. This CD that has a clever die-cut for the front insert which allows the reflective surface of the CD to fill the negative space for their sunglasses.
16. From the Love Side—Hank Ballard
This is a James Brown side project (you can hear him screaming and shouting in the background) with former Twist legend (who apparently beat Chubby Checker to the punch) Ballard taking the lead vocals. This is off a fun collection of Funk compiled by RZA from the Wu-Tang clan.
17. Return Of DJango—The Upsetter
Before he went completely batty, Lee “Scratch” Perry was the bomb! This track reminds me (in soul and feeling) of the previous track's funk…but it's funk played through a Caribbean filter. This CD (with the same title as this track) is an organ lover’s delight with many weird and far-out organ jams populating it. Very few vocals and an awesome sci-fi sort of sound.
18. Rasta Determination—Trinity
Alright, dub haters (really? are there such people you ask? have you met my wife Lisa?) take your medicine and here’s your one multi-vitamin of dub…not even towering dub as they’re still a vocal in there with Yabby You’s thundering production. And what a righteous vocal our natty man Trinity brings…truly a deep and spiritual request for holiness in all aspects of life.
19. Dub Styles— Roots Manuva
An updated sound of the dub/dancehall sound. The more I hear from Roots Manuva the more a really, really like him. I think he has the perfect voice for this sort of thing. He’s one of the few UK MCs I really like. This is also on Big Dada.
20. Dubplatter—Shitmat
Here’s another divergent branch of the dub family tree. And this time with a Planet-µ proto-rave-break-beat courtesy of Shitmat. This track makes me think of the first time I visited Camden Town in London and the sort of music I heard blasting out of the stalls. Rude-Bwoy!
21. Vicious Game (Radio Edit)-- David Carretta
The French came out pretty decently on this compilation (and I originally intended to put some Daft Punk on too) . . . this one by way of Germany’s International Deejay Gigolos label run by DJ Hell. Carretta’s been around since the inception of the label and can always be counted on for some rough Hard Beat Industrial-esque that sounds like it’s been lost in a vault since the early 80s. This song would make me shake my booty on a dance floor.
22. Alegre 2004 (Louie Vega's EOL Main Mix) featuring Marcia Montez—Truby Trio
Another Truby treat! This time Masters At Work genius Louis Vega extends the Latin block party vibe for almost 10 minutes…and I don’t know about you but I never get bored or think “when will this end?” Funky to the last drop!
This comes from a new compilation on Ferris Park Records which is a relatively new Detroit label. I don’t know much about Keith Kemp other than he’s been around awhile and I think worked at Record Time at some point in the past. I originally bought this CD thinking it had tracks by Mike Huckaby on it (who is signed to their label) but it doesn’t! Oh well, this track reminds me of the sort of futuristic techno-scapes that Jeff Mills is particularly fond of.
2. Late Night Shopping (remixed by Burnt Friedman)— David Sylvian
David Sylvian was a member of the bands Japan and Rain Tree Crow and I’ve known many fanatical devotes of both. My understanding of him is he’s always SUPER-mellow and sort of noodley…not favorite things for many folks I know (hi Lisa!) but I think the lyrics to this are sort of sweet and I can totally relate to wandering around a grocery store in the middle of the night. Burnt Friedman is one of the German Nu Dub School of Jazz members and a founding member of Drome and Flanger (a collaboration with Uwe Schmidt AKA Atom Heart).
3. Broken Drum (Boards of Canada Remix)—Beck
This is off the new limited edition Beck release. The limited version comes with a quality DVD/CD/Book package and they really did it up right. Usually these things are just extra-fancy packaging and that’s it. This one has 7 bonus tracks (including this one) only available in this package. The DVD is dual format with a 5.1 audio mix on one side, and videos for every track that he commissioned an animator for on the other side. The amazing thing? This version is only $10 more than the standard issue. I think you’ll this release will really please Beck's long-time fans…so much so in fact; I put two songs from it on this CD. Last thing, this is one of like maybe three remixes I’m aware of BOC ever doing…rare like hen’s teeth in more ways than one!
4. Szerencsétlen—Venetian Snares
I can’t find a definition of this word anywhere online so I don’t really know what this song is meant to be getting at. However, the inside booklet says “These are love songs and grief songs.” This sounds like a lot of modern chamber string music that I’ve heard except that it has some wonderful V-Snares drum & bass programming on it. I like it…very moody and atmospheric. The rest of the album is less percussive and more mellow melodic…a very weird release for him.
5. Sprang (2003)—Mikkel Metal
This is on a teeny Danish label Echocord that’s based in Copenhagen and is distributed by Kompakt. He’s also had tracks on Traum and Kompakt. He’s got a degree in philosophy, is a web programmer by day, and is a former shoe-gazer indie guitarist (you can kind of hear that influence in this track.)
6. '79 Aka The Shouty Track—Lemon Jelly
Don’t know a lot about this group but apparently the whole cd is made up of samples from their record collections…the title ’64-’95 refers to the timeframe all the samples were taken from. This track reminds me a bit of the sort of indie rock I really liked in the early 90s…groups like Chapterhouse, early Blur, and the Stone Roses. I also like a song to use “shouty” in the title.
7. I'm Into Something Good—The Langley Music Project
I was originally going to put “In My Room” on this CD as I love that track but the whoo-hoo-hoos on this track totally sold me! The track was originally done by Herman’s Hermits and was co-written by Carole King during her Brill Building days I’m guessing.
8. Just Steelin'—Starlight Drifters
This is the song they played when I asked the guitarist to throw down on his steel the night I saw them at Robert’s Western World in Nashville. It’s an original composition by him and follows in a long history of steel players developing a show stopping instrumental to use as sort of a theme song.
9. Pardon My Whiskers—Wayne Raney
Raney is a bit of an anomaly in country music as he’s known for his harmonica playing. Harmonicas were (and are) better known for the blues. As a result his music sounds super unique and fun! Look out! My whiskers might get you!
10. Swing Down, Chariot—Golden Gate Quartet
I found this gem nestled in with a bunch of Super-Southern-Styled-Gospel (read painfully white) songs on the CD “Close Harmony." The liner notes point out that these guys didn’t get very far in the fame and fortune side of things due to racial segregation. They got their start out of a barbershop and eventually got some opportunities to sing for white audiences (and record buyers) who were blown away at they’re style. A GREAT version of this classic spiritual.
11. Jaleo (Señor Coconut Remix) Featuring Concha Buika—Truby Trio
Here’s another new release that gets two songs representing it on this CD. Truby Trio are the fantastic Nu-German-Latino-Jazz pioneers who kicked some much needed sense of musicianship in the crappy “Lounge” scene that was developing in the late 90s. While everyone else was sampling and rearranging classics, Truby Trio came along and started writing new classics and *gasp!* actually playing their instruments! This is a lovely rework by Atom Heart in his Senor Coconut persona.
12. Girl At The Typewriter—Raymond Scott Quintette
You might know of Raymond through his music being featured in many Warner Brothers cartoons. I'm a huge fan of his and he was always up to something interesting...creating radical electronic equipment and music, writing concept albums for newborns, or smokin' with his early jazz ensembles. He used to perform this number live and bring out a woman on stage to accompany the Quintette on typewriter…pretty radical for the 30s!
13. Hell Yes—Beck
The second track from Beck on here…you can hear one of the “typical” album tracks. I think this beat is very funky and is a return to form for this “Loser.”
14. Now You're Leaving (Featuring Camu)—Prefuse 73
Well you've most likely run across the Georgian (that's the one in the South son) Prefuse 73...if you haven't, don't sleep...run out and buy anything you can get your hands on. This Camu fella’ is new to me. He’s affiliated with the Def Jux label (Aesop Rock and RJD2) and he sorta’ reminds me of Detroit's new soul singer Dwele if Dwele rapped. This is from Prefuse’s new CD where he collaborates with a bunch of rappers including Ghostface Killa and GZA from Wu-Tang, Beans, and Aesop Rock. The tracks tend to be rap or really mellow pop songs.
15. Codeine—TTC
Alright, here’s your French test…how much can you understand? Me? None! But they’re fun, fun, fun and quite strange. This isn’t even the weirdest track on the CD. They make me think of Luc Besson movies. They’re on Big Dada which is the “Rap” imprint of Ninja Tune. This CD that has a clever die-cut for the front insert which allows the reflective surface of the CD to fill the negative space for their sunglasses.
16. From the Love Side—Hank Ballard
This is a James Brown side project (you can hear him screaming and shouting in the background) with former Twist legend (who apparently beat Chubby Checker to the punch) Ballard taking the lead vocals. This is off a fun collection of Funk compiled by RZA from the Wu-Tang clan.
17. Return Of DJango—The Upsetter
Before he went completely batty, Lee “Scratch” Perry was the bomb! This track reminds me (in soul and feeling) of the previous track's funk…but it's funk played through a Caribbean filter. This CD (with the same title as this track) is an organ lover’s delight with many weird and far-out organ jams populating it. Very few vocals and an awesome sci-fi sort of sound.
18. Rasta Determination—Trinity
Alright, dub haters (really? are there such people you ask? have you met my wife Lisa?) take your medicine and here’s your one multi-vitamin of dub…not even towering dub as they’re still a vocal in there with Yabby You’s thundering production. And what a righteous vocal our natty man Trinity brings…truly a deep and spiritual request for holiness in all aspects of life.
19. Dub Styles— Roots Manuva
An updated sound of the dub/dancehall sound. The more I hear from Roots Manuva the more a really, really like him. I think he has the perfect voice for this sort of thing. He’s one of the few UK MCs I really like. This is also on Big Dada.
20. Dubplatter—Shitmat
Here’s another divergent branch of the dub family tree. And this time with a Planet-µ proto-rave-break-beat courtesy of Shitmat. This track makes me think of the first time I visited Camden Town in London and the sort of music I heard blasting out of the stalls. Rude-Bwoy!
21. Vicious Game (Radio Edit)-- David Carretta
The French came out pretty decently on this compilation (and I originally intended to put some Daft Punk on too) . . . this one by way of Germany’s International Deejay Gigolos label run by DJ Hell. Carretta’s been around since the inception of the label and can always be counted on for some rough Hard Beat Industrial-esque that sounds like it’s been lost in a vault since the early 80s. This song would make me shake my booty on a dance floor.
22. Alegre 2004 (Louie Vega's EOL Main Mix) featuring Marcia Montez—Truby Trio
Another Truby treat! This time Masters At Work genius Louis Vega extends the Latin block party vibe for almost 10 minutes…and I don’t know about you but I never get bored or think “when will this end?” Funky to the last drop!
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