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.: .: Last weekend, I participated in my 14th consequtive Edmonton Folk Music Festival as a volunteer. I was blessed with the opportunity to work with one of my musical heroes, Johnny Clegg. Clegg and Sipho Mchunu formed the seminal South African band Juluka in the late 1970s. Their song, "Scatterlings of Africa", is an all-time favorite.
Clegg and his band rocked the festival during the Sunday (Aug 7) 2:00 pm mainstage show, and later in the evening, at the after-festival party. At the party, I planted myself in front of the stage, a few feet away from Johnny, and danced to his music for 75 delirious, joyful minutes. For both shows, Johnny and the current version of Savuka played a tight, melodic and joyful show, showcasing many of Juluka and Savuka well-known songs, and mixing in many different dance steps, which I assume were based on Zulu tradition in many cases.
I was thrilled when I learned Clegg was playing our festival. He is one of those artists I have always wanted to watch in performance, and to have experienced such an amazing show twice in less than twelve hours was a gift from God. I don't know how else to describe it.
Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu defied apartheid authority in their early musical collaborative days in South Africa. Because Clegg was white and Mchunu black, they were subject to police harrassment, threats, and abuse. The continuing development of their unique sound, which led to the formation of their band, Juluka (Zulu for "sweat"), was in defiance of the cultural segregation laws at the time. With their music largely ignored in their home country, they played live performances on the street and at private functions. Word of mouth continued to spread, and Juluka's reputation grew, eventually leading to a record contract, and international recognition. Further details are available on the biography page on this site.
What makes Clegg's music so appealing to me is his ability to mix traditional Zulu musical structure (about which I know next to nothing, frankly) and Western melodies and rhythms. He also mixes Zulu and English lyrics. Regardless of how he does it, it is music that radiates and bleeds celebration and joy in the midst of world that can be terrifying and unforgiving.
Clegg and Savuka ("We have risen") are in the midst of an extensive world tour. If you get the chance, see his show, you will not be disappointed, and if you are new to his music, you will experience a sound that you have not heard before, pure auditory pleasure. I'm still smiling.
Here is the set list from the party, which mirrored the 2:00 pm afternoon show as well:
Mention must be made of his excellent band, the current Savuka lineup, featuring Brendan Ross on sax and keyboards, Mandisa Dlanga on vocals, Concord Nkabinde on bass, Andy Innes on guitar and mandolin, and Barry Van Zyl on drums.
In February, 2005, Johnny held a braai (barbeque) at his home for as many surviving people that played for him in his career as could make the event. This photo features members of Juluka and Savuka throughout the years. An extensive discography is available here, and includes albums, singles, DVDs, books/press, lyrics, songs index, discs index, and more.
Thank you, Johnny, thank you again. :-)
Also posted to Blogcritics.
:: Yesterday I received acupuncture for a tendonitis problem in the area surrounding my right elbow. The practitioner is an acupuncturist and a physical therapist, and came highly recommended. Needles were placed in the area around my right elbow, the tops of my feet, outsides of my calf muscles, in and in my chest and forehead, for other reasons. None of the needles hurt, and in fact, I nearly fell asleep during the time the needles were in me. I will go for at least three more treatments.
:: I don't know if it's a function of age, but there are more and more moments while watching a tv show, I will not understand a line said by a character. It's not that I didn't hear it, it's that the actor didn't enunciate it well enough for me to interpret what she or he just said, or the sound editing is bad, or whatever. One solution is to turn on the closed caption function, which I'm doing more often these days. For certain shows like Deadwood, where the dialogue occasionally sounds Shakespearean, the CC function is a blessing.
:: A new, modern rock radio station is in the midst of its four-week testing period on the air at 102.9FM in Edmonton; the station officially begins broadcasting on May 5 or 6, 2005, with live djs, etc.. Sonic 102.9 Modern Rock is a welcome breath of fresh air, at least so far. The other rock stations in Edmonton collectively suck big time. My car radio is tuned permanently to this station at the moment, which is playing, and I hate to use the word, alternative rock. But in this case, my meaning is that the music being played is indeed an alternative to anything the aforementioned stations are offering at the moment. And it's new, content from the 90s foreward. My hope is that it continues into their broadcast life, and that their djs show some respect for their audience. One of my favorite kinds of music is edgy, noisy rock, with good melody and song structure, and that's what I'm hearing so far..
:: Filed under, "What Th-??", a woman in Arizona ran 301 miles in just under 80 hours, without stopping to sleep or take any breaks, other than one brief stop for a leg massage.
:: Yesterday, while talking to my friend Pam in her office, I leaned against a bookshelf that was holding a glass jar of coins of all denominations. Of course, the shelf was adjustable, and therefore not one with the entire unit, and it flipped, sending the jar crashing to the floor, where it broke into a million shards. I'm always good for a few yucks, and once the laughter subsided, we spent time picking up the glass and coins, until I realized I cut my right hand in a few places - nothing major, mind you. I owe Pam a new glass jar.
Captain Klutz, at your service.
:: No, no, not the play currently running on Broadway, as much as I'd like to see it. (The web site is hilarious!) Maybe it will still be playing in the fall when I return to NYC (dates yet to be determined, trip yet to be confirmed.) I've been fighting a steady battle with blog spammers lately. The amount of spam targetting blogs is torrential. After Tony advised that my comment function wasn't working, I upgraded to MT-Blacklist 2.04b a couple weeks back, and in the time it took to upload and install the necessary files, I was hit with over 100 comment and trackback spam. Even with 2.04b installed, I've been moderating and deleting hundreds of blogspam a week.
Until a few minutes ago, MT-Blacklist had blocked 34,932 spam on my site since its reinstallation, and for that, I bow in a southwest direction towards California and give thanks to Jay Allen for creating the program. Earlier today while checking my sites, I noticed the new link to "Introducing SpamLookup." Desparate for anything to improve the situation, I read Jay's entry, and immediately went to Brad Choate's site, downloaded, unzipped and installed the gobbler, and I'll be damned if it doesn't work brilliantly. I have had NO spam since it was installed this morning. I bow for a second time in the same direction. Thank you, Brad, for writing this program, and thank you Jay, for letting us know.
BTW, ever notice that the plural of spam seems to be spam? Who made that decision? I've never seem a statement that read something like, "I've been receiving a lot of spams lately."
:: I played guitar today at Amelia's annual spring tea, including a few songs with her, and a few with her group, The Harvest Moon Fiddlers. Next Sunday we have a gig in Smoky Lake.
:: It took me half a century, but on the weekend, I bought my first one of these. I feel like such a guy's guy now. What's next, NASCAR? Meanwhile, the house renos continue. Floor screws were drilled into the floor by the front door entrance to help reduce floor squeeking. It seems to have helped somewhat. Next, the purchase of 70 feet of MDF baseboard.
:: Without going into details, it appears that my three-month foray back into the world of rock music has come to an end. Perhaps at a later date I will explain. Suffice it to say that circumstances leading to this event were beyond my control and had nothing to do with me. However, it is a great disappointment, as I was very much enjoying the creative process, and playing loud and angry electric music again after a 14-year break. Damn it.
:: Rolling Stone is back with another list, this time The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. RS chose a "jury of singers, musicians, producers, industry figures, critics and, of course, songwriters", 172 in all. For the list, "the word song refers to both a composition and its definitive recorded performance, as a single or an album track."
As with all lists of favorites, the results are based on subjective judgement. Reading through the list, I expected to see at least one song by The Guess Who, Steely Dan, The Dave Clark Five, Dave Matthews Band, The Moody Blues, the Doobie Brothers, The Pretenders, The Fixx, Genesis or Peter Gabriel, but by the time I reached 400, I sensed none of these bands would have an entry. No "American Woman", no "Do It Again", no "Anyway You Want It", no "In Your Eyes" - astonishing, in my view.
Regardless of what you think of any of these artists, and probably countless others who belong here, there were individual gems among their collective output. Each of these bands might have placed two, three, or more tunes on a list of this size. However, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart checked in at #301.
What's wrong with this picture? Also, from my POV as a Canadian, there are some great national artists missing from the list as well. Did I mention The Guess Who?
:: And how much worse can it get in America? The right in the US detests my liberal country, but that doesn't discourage T-Shirtking.com from selling their new "Going Canadian" kit:
Americans Traveling Overseas - Consider Going Canadian!Aboot it? How about a boot to the head? How bad has it become in the USA when its own citizens want to disguise their identity when leaving the country? Marketed as a gag gift after the Nov 2 US election, sales have skyrocketed since the item was picked up on newsfeeds. From an article in the Edmonton Journal:Rather travel overseas or in Canada without having to discuss your politics with everyone you meet? Consider Going Canadian!
For $24.95 you get a complete disguise. A t-shirt with the Canadian flag and the saying "O Canada! (National Anthem), a patch for your luggage or backpack, a window sticker and a lapel pin. Plus - Free Report - How to Speak Canadian, Eh?!
Now when someone asks you about American politics, you can say, "I'm on vacation, I don't want to talk aboot it."
The company's website also suggests the Go Canadian kit makes "a great gag gift for that friend that wants to move to Canada" -- a much-debated urge among many left-leaning Americans in the wake of President George W. Bush's re-election."It's not meant as a slight against the United States or Canada," Bill Broadbent told The Associated Press. "It was meant as something Republicans could give their Democrat friends to say 'C'est la vie.' ...But maybe not 'c'est la vie' because that's a French word."
The guide teaches buyers that "Cowtown" is a nickname for Calgary and "Hogtown" is Toronto. The words "hoser" and "Mountie" are among those defined in a Great White North glossary and phrases such as "deke out of a meeting" are explained for non-hockeyists.
"If your vacation is to be stress-free," says the company's website pitch, "leave those heavy politics behind and travel with a light heart and quick wit, Canadian style."
:: Tbe Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys Dec 14 gig at the Sidetrack has been, well, sidetracked for now. James (bassist) is having problems with a sciatic nerve in his leg, and is unable to perform. So my debut with HDNB is postponed for now, but hopefully another gig will materialze shortly.
The book chapter is essentially done. A few minor revisions are left, nothing more. What's it about? It's a guide to the literature of petroleum engineering and refining, for a book called "Using the Engineering Literature", to be published in 2005 by Dekker. Now I'm plowing through 170 e-mails at work, trying to catch up on them before breaking for Christmas. I'm off work from Dec 18-Jan 3. There is a lot to do in the next eight working days, including the dreaded annual report.
:: Been on a bit of a DVD tear of late, which for those of you who know me, is uncharacteristic behaviour. But it was hard to pass up a few deals at Best Buy, including: Local Hero, To Live and Die In L.A., Minority Report, Altered States, A Little Princess, and This Is Spinal Tap. I watched TLADILA last night, and it still holds up well after 20 years. I still love listening to the Wang Chung soundtrack. I wish they'd get back together for a reunion album. Jack Hues, founding member of Wang Chung, formed a band called Illuminated, in 2003. Listening to bits of three cuts on the web site suggests that Illuminated is an instrumental jazz band. What's interesting is a line in Jach Hues' biography on the web site, which reads, "new Wang Chung and ILLUMINATED albums in progress (2004)." Cool.
:: There is little time to eat or sleep these days. I may be joining a rock band - yes, you read that correctly. I sat in on a couple of rehearsals with a local group known as Hardy Drew and The Nancy Boys this month, and there are two more rehearsals this week. The band has a gig at The Sidetrack on December 14, opening for two other bands. The music is different, written by David, the drummer, and features time signature changes such as 7/8 to 4/4 to 5/4, with one song featuring a 11/4 break (as best I can determine, if there is such a thing.) Is 51 too old to rock?
:: I'm continuing work on a new stylesheet for STLQ. The first draft, as it were, is near completion. The book chapter I'm writing on the literature of petroleum engineering and refining is also near completion, but continues to drag on. I'm desparate to finish it this week, as I am working until December 17, and won't return until Jan 4th.
:: I continue to have problems with Firefox, and the time being taken trying to make it work is wearing me out. I downloaded FF 1.0 for the second time at home this weekend, making it my default browser. The problem begins when I login to MT 3.121 to manage my blogs. The login page is out of alignment - note the top bar on this picture - when I log in, and the page that opens up after I log in, listing my blogs, is skewed to the left. It gets only worse when I go to the create a new post page, also skewed left, and looking like absolute shyte. I ran AdAware again, made no difference, so FF is once again uninstalled on my site. *sigh* This is getting ridiculous. I want to embrace this new browser, which is getting rave reviews from Geoff, Kenton, and others, but I keep hitting brick walls. I think there are ghosts in my 2.5 year old Dell Dimension 4400. That, plus the machine is aging quickly. I am methodically removing music files from the 80g hard drive to free up space in hopes that it won't be as sluggish. Most likely, I need a faster processor. 1.6 doesn't cut it anymore.
:: I am way behind answering e-mails, with 200+ in my inboxes between work and home. I'm working on a book chapter, about the literature of petroleum engineering and refining, which is taking up most of my time these days. I will get to the e-mails soon. When I solve the Firefox problem, I also need to install new templates for STLQ, which doesn't line up properly in Firefox.
:: After watching Modest Mouse on SNL on Dec 13, a band with whom I was unfamiliar, I purchased their two most recent albums, The Moon and Antarctica, and Good News For People Who Like Bad News. Modest Mouse makes interesting, eclectic music, not easily accessible, but so far, worth the listening effort.
:: What a difference two weeks make. Two weeks ago, Ashlee Simpson reduced the musical history of Saturday Night Live to one of its lowest points ever. Last week, Modest Mouse brought the level back up to where it belongs, enough to convince me to purchase their new and second newest albums. Tonight, U2 raised the bar much higher. I finished watching the east coast feed of SNL, the actual "live" broadcast, which I can watch at 9:30 pm here in Edmonton, because I have digital cable which carries the Detroit NBC affiliate. U2 opened with Vertigo, followed with a brilliant and moving ballad from the new album (don't know the name yet), and closed the show by bringing the house down with "I Will Follow". Rarely do bands perform three songs on SNL (I can think of Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Paul Simon - there are probably a handful of others.)
I felt exhilarated watching them perform on the show. During the closing number, the entire cast of SNL was off to the right, watching, enthralled and entranced, smiling broadly, almost in disbelief that U2 was actually performing in their house. I taped the show, and rewound to watch them perform again afterwards. Three amazing performances, inspiring to watch and experience. A great band, about to hit the top again. Last Sunday, Jon Parales, writing in the NYTimes, suggested that How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb is the best album of their 25-year career.
What dumbfounds me is that Lorne Michaels presents us with top notch bands like U2 and Modest Mouse, but counters with absolute assembly line shyte like Simpson. Perhaps U2's performance will encourage him to book top-notch high quality bands that actually perform live, well crafted, original music on a live show, and that haul ass while doing it. HTDATB will hit #1 within days of its release on Tuesday. Its purchase will be an antidote if you will, to help me forget about the upcoming result of our forthcoming provincial coronation election on Monday.
:: I'm in Winnipeg. My cousin Barbara's wedding is tomorrow (Oct 9th, not the 7th). Tonight is a dinner at Tony and Claire's house, a veritable feast of Dutch-Indonesian culinary delights, including Nasi Goreng and rijstaffel. Claire notes here that she is cooking for 17 (or 18), and the ensemble tonight includes a number of her friend as well. The edible hedgehog is a durian, resembling some kind of mutated pineapple thingee.
I've been sleeping and/or napping a lot here. Probably my body trying to catch up on days weeks months years of lost sleep. I took my folks to see Fahrenheit 9/11 last night. Michael Moore has two new books out, one being The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader, the other being a collection of letters sent to him from soldiers, entitled Will They Ever Trust Us Again?. The latter has received mostly positive reviews on the Amazon site, but the most telling has to be the one written by Andrew Balthazor, an Iraqi war vet, whose writing appears in the book.
:: Speaking of Amazon, I ordered four items today: this, this, this and this. Speaking of this, there is a good interview with and write-up on Paul Westerberg on the CNN site. And another 70s band is reuniting. When the hell is Wang Chung getting back together, dammit!
There seems to be a pop culture explosion of late, of stuff that I'd like to have. I need another nap.
:: Cough is 99% gone, today is the first day I've not coughed throughout the day since late August. I'm off to Winnipeg on Wednesday for my cousin Barbara's wedding on Sat, Oct 7, and will make the round while there, visiting friends and family.
:: Check out the Mt St Helens web cam. I went to Mt St Helens in July 1981, a year after it blew its stack in May, 1980. I was at a conference in Portland OR, and my boss and I rented a car and drove to the mountain, or as close as we could. Much of the devestation was still visible.
I was in Vancouver on May 18, 1980, when St Helens erupted the first time. Later that week, I collected some ash from that eruption into a small container - the ash was on the car of a friend of mine who lived in Pullman WA, on the border with Idaho, and had driven to Vancouver a few days later. I still have it somewhere in my house, and it is the finest powder I've ever seen or felt.
:: So William Shatner releases a new album, and the buzz is positive. The album was produced by Ben Folds, and features collaborations with Henry Rollins, novelist Nick Hornby and Joe Jackson. He collaborates on Pulp's song, "Common People", with Jackson. I really don't know what to make of this. Is Shatner's new album kitsch supreme? I hope I have as much energy as he does now when I'm 73 years old.
:: Brian Wilson has finally released Smile - not the legendary album that never was, but a rerecorded version, just released. Legendary rock journalist Robert Christgau gives it five stars. More reviews and news available here, including the Village Voice.
:: Addendum: I forgot the Krispy Kreme update. A newspaper article in the Edmonton Journal on 30 Sept 04 reported that KK will open up a store at South Edmonton Common in the first half of 2005.
:: With encouragement from Derryl, I saw Shaun of the Dead last night, Sept 30, 2004, thus keeping alive the streak of having seen at least one movie a month since sometime in the late 1970s. It would be somewhere in the vicinity of 320-335 months.
:: Sore ribs are better, coughing almost gone away. Thanks for the kind messages.
:: I haven't been posting this week, mostly due to lack of energy. I'm not feeling 100% these days. A tickle in my throat, which began on August 26th, became a prolonged cough by the long weekend I spent in Vancouver, and it still hasn't left my chest and throat. As such, I haven't been exercising either, and I feel like a complete slug. I'm hoping it subsides this week so I can get back on the cross-trainer again, and I have to teach eight classes next week - coughing is not an option! Also, my left lower jaw has been quite sore for a while, as if a wisdom tooth can't decide whether it wants to pop through my gums. It feels like I've been punched on the left side of my face. So...I'm a hurtin' unit.
Last weeks Sunday NYTimes featured its annual fall look at the arts - music, movies, dance, theatre, etc. I read through the list of upcoming musical events and albums, and was surprised to learn that Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone had reunited and earlier this year, released As Far As I Can See..., The Zombies' first album since the band broke up in 1967. The Incredible String Band, with two original members, are touring for the first time in 30 years. The Clash's London Calling has been repackaged for its 25th-Anniversary edition, including extra tapes from the recording sessions found by guitarist Mick Jones, plus a DVD. Brian Wilson is releasing a newly rerecorded version of the most famous album that never was, Smile. British music fans weigh in with their opinions. Based on a few tunes from album made available for listening online on his web site, I like what I hear. Purists may ignore it, wishing to hear the original versions recorded in the mid-60s.
R.E.M.'s new album, Around the Sun, appears in October. The video for the new song, Leaving New York, is available on the VH1 site. I like the song. Helmet, a band I thought was long gone, releases Size Matters, after a seven-year recording hiatus. Rob Halford has reunited with Judas Priest after 12 years, and yes, a new album follows, so lock up your parents. U2's new album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, is out in November, and includes a track called Full Metal Jacket. Tears for Fears new album, Everybody Loves A Happy Ending, reunited Roland Orzabal with Curt Smith, after a thirteen year split. You can see TFF's live performance of Everybody Wants to Rule the World, taped for KTLA Morning News on Monday, Sept 13, 2004, by visiting KTLA's web site - once there, click on "Music" in the upper left hand corner, then find "Tears for Fears" at the bottom of the screen. I'll get this album.
Many other artists were listed in the article. It's overwhelming. I'm waiting to buy Folker, the new Paul Westerberg album, maybe in two weeks, after payday. Interesting article in the Mpls Star-Tribune about new albums being released almost concurrently by Westerberg and Tommy Stinson, both members of The Replacements in the 1980s. It's pouring rain outside.
:: I'm flying to Vancouver tomorrow to attend a surprise birthday party for a friend (who doesn't read this site, btw!), and to visit a few other people I haven't seen since 1997, the last time I was in Vancouver. I'm bringing with me a bad cough that I picked up last weekend. I'm doubling up my COLD-FX dosages again. In Vancouver, I will rent a car at the airport, and stay one night in Coquitlam, the other two nights in Vancouver. The return flight on Monday will leave at 7:00AM - ouch.
:: A number of items of interest happening in September: 1) The Star Wars Trilogy DVD package arrives in stores on September 21st. Episodes IV, V and VI are included, plus a bonus disc of material, including the following:
The fourth disc is packed with bonus material, the most notable being Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy. This two-and-a-half hour documentary traces the evolution of the saga, from a low-budget labor-of-love space saga to the movie phenomenon that defied the odds and reinvented the rules.The Star Wars Trilogy DVD Details page explains everything.This comprehensive documentary features all new interviews with George Lucas and more than 40 members of the cast and crew from the original trilogy, as well as a host of filmmakers and media personalities. Empire of Dreams includes some never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the three films.
2) The 2-hour premier of Season 15 of Law & Order is on September 22, featuring Dennis Farina replacing Jerry Orbach - big shoes to fill for sure.
3) I don't watch The Tonight Show, but the 50th Anniversary of its first broadcast is on Sept 27, 2004. The show was developed by Pat Weaver. Weaver's daughter, Susan, is better known by her other name, Sigourney.
:: I'm reading sporadically these days, occupied with other things. I've been sifting through Sharon Butala's book, Coyote's Morning Cry: Meditations and Dreams From a Life in Nature, a small volume of spiritual writing, and finding it a comforting read.
:: I'm looking forward to new albums by Paul Westerberg, and Joseph Arthur.
:: What's th-? Is SETI close to confirming the existence of extra-terrestrial intelligence?
:: Growing up in the 60s, I recall a number of (what at the time seemed like) bizarre, offbeat musical acts, including Mrs Miller, a woman who couldn't keep time or sing on key, yet developed a huge following and sold tons o' records. Feel the groove as she destroys A Hard Day's Night, complete with what can be generously described as a guitar solo, featuring a standout, God-awful sour note in the midst of its execution. Cringe as you listen to the total cremation of the last few bars of the Petula Clark classic, Downtown. And what's with the whistling??
What reminded me of Mrs Miller was an e-mail from Derryl, with a link to the site of the singer named Wing. Wing emigrated to New Zealand from Hong Kong, and notes "I have been learning singing in New Zealand and I do performances in Rest Homes and Hospitals and occasionally promotional concerts as I go along." Recently she released Beatles Classics, featuring their famous, #1 hit, Hine Hine. Er, what? As for her take on the Beatles, here is a 30-second clip of her annihilation of I Want To Hold Your Hand. Her attempt to hit the high note when she sings, "I want to hold your HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND" is sad, and yet in a odd way, comforting. I wonder if she might consider doing a tribute album to McCartney's 70s band, Wings. Wing Sings Wings. It makes sense.
It's a pity that Mrs Miller is no longer with us, because if she and Wing decided to tour, I'd be first in line for tickets. Are Mrs Miller and Wing creators of outsider music? Last year, I bought Innocence and Despair: The Langley Schools Music Project, and loved it. Irwin Chusid, author of Songs in The Key of Z - The Curious Universe of Outsider Music, notes, "Outsider musicians are often termed "bad" or "inept" by listeners who judge them by the standards of mainstream popular music. Yet despite dodgy rhythms and a lack of conventional tunefulness, these often self-taught artists radiate an abundance of earnestness and passion. And believe it or not, they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality..." If so, I'd say Mrs Miller and Wing both pass the audition.
This post submitted to Blogcritics.com.
:: As for total weirdness, I just opened Amazon, to check for entries to add to this post (for Blogcritics.com). The page opened with "Hello, Randy...", etc., and featured five products to do with outsider music. OK, is this like, cookie hell? I'm freaking out now.
:: Here it is: the new song, with lyrics written by the up-and-coming young wordsmith, eight year old Aidan Murphy of Prince George BC, son of up-and-coming sf writer and good friend, Derryl Murphy, and the music by legend-in-his-own-mind, hack guitarist Randy Reichardt.
Background: Aidan wrote the words, and Derryl posted the lyrics on his site, Cold Ground. The recording was done in the basement of the Wests' house, with Niki doing the engineering and recording on her little digital studio. We recorded it yesterday, it was a lot of fun. The voice and acoustic guitar tracks were done in one take, but the "bass" line (actually an electric guitar with mucho effects) took about 7 or 8 takes.
This isn't the first time I've added music to lyrics written by a young one. There is something inspiring about the creativity of a child, but kid yourself not: it is a lot of fun for me too, to write and construct a melody and chords around the words.
"I'm Going Down In The Middle of Town": lyrics © 2004 Aidan Murphy, music © 2004 Randy Reichardt.
:: I spent last weekend volunteering, for the 13th year, at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. The lineup this year was very strong, in support of the 25th anniversary, and included Bonnie Bramlett, Rodney Crowell, Ani DiFranco, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Jerry Douglas, Lucky Dube, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Dick Gaughan, The Handsome Family, Wanda Jackson, Natalie Merchant, Earl Scruggs, Martin Simpson, The Strawbs, Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez, and Hawksley Workman. I am on the Performer Hospitality crew, and had possibly the most enjoyable festival ever, working with my friends on the team, and assisting and working with amazing, friendly performers.
I tend to be restless at the festival, and generally don't like sitting for long periods of time. As a result, I see little of the music, but hear a lot of it, as my work area is backstage.
On Sunday night, August 8th, David Byrne and the Tosca Strings closed out the 25th annual EFMF in grand style. Byrne is in the midst of his My Backwards Life Tour, in support of his new album, Grown Backwards.
Byrne's set featured a number of classic Talking Heads tunes, intermingled with songs from his recent releases. He sang at least one song in Spanish, and accompanied himself on guitar a few times. His percussionist, Mauro Refosco, played many diverse and intriguing beats, and his rhythm section of Graham Hawthorne on drums and Paul Frazier on bass was flawless. Tour photos of the band are here.
The show began with "Road to Nowhere", which Byrne described afterwards as a song he wrote for the Republican National Convention. Despite playing in Canada, the quip drew considerable laughter - it's not like we don't know what's happening below our border! While not familiar with his newer work, I felt the songs he performed from his recent catalogue to be interesting and compelling - I wanted to hear more even though I wasn't familiar with the music
Byrne knows his fans want to hear a selection from the TH catalogue, and while he can't play them all (Burning Down the House, my favorite, wasn't offered), he delivered the aforementioned Road to Nowhere along with And She Was, Izimbra, Life During Wartime, This Must Be The Place, Once In A Lifetime, and of course, Psycho Killer. 27 years later, he made it sound new. As for Once In A Lifetime, I still ask myself, "how do I work this?" I don't have an answer yet.
I enjoy performers who engage themselves with the audience, and Byrne works in this way. He introduced each band member at one point, injected a few comments throughout the set, and thanked the audience, some 10-12,000 strong on the hill, for their support. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. The mix was very, very good, thanks to vigilant preparation by his production team and the festival front-of-house team. The sharp and well-defined sounds created by the Toscans often left me with goosebumps.
When a band has many members, the placement of each is a critical component, contributing to the show's success. I have seen many stage arrangements, in which a percussionist or supporting musicians were virtually hidden from site. I appreciated Byrne's choice of layout (as seen here in a picture from the Rome, Italy, performance): he take centre stage, of course, surrounded by his rhythm section, with the strings at stage left, and the cellists on a riser. There is an intangible excitement experienced when watching a string section play in unison, and the audience is given the opportunity to do so here without sacrificing quality or presentation.
The tour continues, with at least 28 more dates in the USA. If it makes it to your town, I hope you get to see it. I would also highly recommend the Edmonton Folk Music Festival to anyone with diverse music interests. The festival, now entering its 26th year, continues to bring to Edmonton each August, musicians who offer a wide selection of styles and genres. Tickets for the next festival should be on sale on June 1, 2005. See you there!
This post is also available at Blogcritics.com.
:: The Emmy nominations overlooked Ian McShane for his outstanding work on Deadwood, but the Television Critcs' Association righted that wrong by giving him the award for Individual Achievement in Drama. And ya gotta love The Daily Show winning the award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information, which prompted Jon Stewart to say the following: "We're not real," Stewart said. "There must be some kind of mistake."
:: Derryl sent a link to this brilliant parody of album covers, from the Photoshop Phriday page on Something Awful:.
Imagine a world where music is marketed in an honest fashion, where instead of pretentious titles you get a straight and accurate description of what you're getting, where there is truth in advertising. Now imagine you have a million dollars and you're giving it all to me. I believe in the power of imagination, and thusly I believe I'm going to be rich. But until all that money arrives, take a look at these handsome images contributed by our pristine collection of forum goons. They decided to strip away the fancy titles by yesterday and today's top artists and say what's really going on. I think they have a better handle on the music than even some of the musicians.:: So, the sixth season of The Sopranos won't appear until 2006.
:: In anticipation of the upcoming release of the remake, I watched the original 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate tonight. A highly respected and regarding political thriller, I had to stop and rewind the tape occasionally to review the dialogue, often turning on the closed captioning to ensure that what I thought I heard was correct. The strangest conversation has to be when Major Marco (Frank Sinatra) meets Rosie (Janet Leigh) on a train, and after she lights a cigarette for him, and they begin talking, standing between two of the cars. They discuss football, US states, her name, and railroads. Early on, Leigh, speaking about the railroad, says, "I was one of the original Chinese workmen who laid the track on this stretch." It's an absolutely bizarre line in the script, and is left hanging for the remainder of the movie; are they speaking in code to each other? The complete transcript of this scene is on this page. Roger Ebert alludes to this odd exchange in a 1988 review of the movie. It's a great film, and I'm looking forward to the new version. Other movies seen in the past few days: Anchorman, The Clearing, Spider-Man 2, Before Sunset, The Jack Bull.
:: Remember Live Aid? Twenty years later, it will finally be released on DVD.
:: I am still searching for meaning. I'm not sure what matters anymore. Do you have any brilliant insights? I'd be thrilled to hear from you...
:: :: It's been over a year since Day I Forgot, Pete Yorn 's second album, was released. It's a recording I've come upon only in the past few months, and it was worth the wait. The follow up to musicforthemorningafter, it is more than a worthy sophomore effort. Rarely does an album grab me after a few listenings, and not let go. It is my favorite album of 2004 so far, even though it's a 2003 release.
Yorn writes about the fragile nature of relationships, hanging out at 7-11, searching for simple joys, and wondering what to do next. For me, however, a good melody always trumps the lyrics. So many of the songs on this album have superb, understated melodies that resonate for long periods of time. Music is always in my head, and of late, many of the tunes on this album have elbowed their way into my mind.
Day I Forgot has another quality that drew me in the more I listened to it. It has what I can only describe as "cool song parts". The web site, retrocrush, recently posted a entry called "The 50 Coolest Song Parts". As subjective as it gets, the 50 choices are often good ones, highlighting that certain moment that grabs you and makes the song memorable. It could be the lyric, the voicing, the instrumentation, or a combination of the above at that moment - it could last for a second, or for half a minute.
As the song, Committed, nears its conclusion, Yorn repeats the line, "Always up to..only witness", and in the background, adds the line "You just feel left out", four times. I hear this line, and I can't get enough of it. Long Way Down is such a great tune, the entire song could qualify as a cool song part, but if I had to nail down one section, I'd submit for your approval, the instantly addictive opening guitar riffs. Turn Of The Century is the only song in 3/4 time on the record. A gentle tune, the verses follow a Cmaj7/Amin7 chord pattern (as best I can determine). As the song nears its completion, and Yorn sings "Yeah, I wonder", a high G note begins to drone through 16 bars, and then switches to a high B-D-B-G progression. Lovely and hypnotic.
As much as I like Long Way Down, the killer tune on the album is the last one, So Much Work. Opening with a one-note xylophone tone, Yorn sings "about the effort that goes into making an unconventional relationship work" - his description from his web site. The song aches throughout, but ends with hope: "you can stay, you don't have to walk alone", and that final lyric, once again, becomes a cool song part. "You don't have to walk alone" follows the listener away, as the song ends, amidst instrumentation and voices, and I wanted to walk along myself.
Pete Yorn plays most of the instruments on Day I Forgot. The music on this album lingers long after you stop listening. It gets under your skin. It's one of the few albums that after owning it for a few months, I keep going back to listen to it again. One of my favorite albums of the year, and of the decade to date.
NOTE: This review also posted to Blogcritics.com.
:: My mind has been elsewhere for the past few days, for reasons known to some of you. Here in Edmonton, a few days of grey skies and wet, clammy weather ended today, with that bright, shiny thing called Sol beaming light and warmth on the city, improving everyones' moods.
I spent part of today at the TELUS Centre, where NanoForum Canada is being held. As one of the engineering librarians, building and maintaining the UA Libraries' collections in nanoscience and nanotechnology is my responsibility. NINT, The National Institute for Nanotechnology, is housed on our campus, and will move into its own building when construction is completed in 2005. At this time, faculty from at least nineteen different departments on campus are working and/or have research interests in nano-whatever.
It would be interesting to prepare a list of all the new words entering the language that begin with the prefix "nano". Today I learned two new ones: nanorosette, and nanostencil. No, "Nanook" doesn't count. A rosette is a six-membered supermacrocycle. Rosette nanotubes that self-assemble could be used as tiny scaffolds. The chemist leading this area of research is Hicham Fenniri, formerly of Purdue, but now working at the U of A as a chemisty professor and a NINT researcher.
:: With Geoff Harder, I maintain another blog, STLQ. I was pleased to learn that STLQ has received some press of late. Stephen Abram mentions STLQ in the latest issue of Information Outlook, and the blog was highlighted twice, once in a brief review, in the latest issue of SciTech News, the newsletter of a number of SLA divisions.
:: Jenny mentioned a new book out this month that I think will be worth reading, especially since I'm old enough to have lived through the period in question. The book is Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics, Edited by Jim DeRogatis and Carmél Carrillo:
Kill Your Idols is a collection of 34 essays in which some of the best rock critics of Generations X and Y address allegedly “great” albums that they despise. This anthology is every bit as thoughtful, provocative, entertaining, and valuable as Stranded, but it also returns some vital, stimulating debate to the canon of rock and roll history. Kill Your Idols is a spirited assault on a pantheon that has been foisted upon this new generation of music critics, a defiant slap in the face to the narrow and hegemonic view of rock history presented by the Baby Boom generation’s critics. As a collection of the new generation of rock writers, it is the first of its kind, as well as the first and only anthology devoted solely to critiquing rock and roll’s most sacred cows.Nothing like insurgents kicking dust in the face of the old guard. Go for it, I say. Some of the albums ripped apart by these young lions include The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds, The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street, The Sex Pistols, Never Mind the Bollocks . . . Here’s the Sex Pistols, and U2, The Joshua Tree. Will it be informed criticism, or Gen X whining? The foreword is available, as are a few reviews.
:: Taking a few days off from posting didn't help all that much. I'm still knee deep in e-mail (aka electronic messages), although I did get the number from 65 to somewhere under 40.
Today I perform in a Mother's Day concert with Amelia (click the pic on the right). The concert is at 2:00 pm, at St Luke's Anglican Church, 8424 95th Avenue. $10 at the door if you're looking for something to do with Mom, or otherwise. A few days later, Amelia is off to Vienna for a few weeks, to visit her brother and his family, and take a break from Edmonton life.
It was quite nice yesterday, warm enough to sit outside for coffee with a good friend I hadn't seen for at least 18 months. There is a dusting of snow on the ground this morning, and the temperature is -2C. Enough with the sub-zero weather, already - it's MAY, dammit!
:: It is another late night. I am very restless. Just finished a lovely phone call with a good friend in Florida; it's nice to visit on the phone, with someone who lives far away and talk about whatever. Tomorrow I am driving to Jasper to attend the ALC, where I am co-presenting a session on blogs with Geoff.
:: This is hilarious: Cindi posted a link to The Cowbell Project, a growing database of songs that feature a cowbell. Inspiration for this idea seems to have come from the infamous and brilliant SNL parody of Behind The Music, about the recording of Blue Öyster Cult's Don't Fear The Reaper, which featured Christopher Walken as a high-powered record producer encouraging Will Farrell Will Farrell to play with more passion, advising him that "I need more cowbell"
:: Last night's episode of Law & Order: SVU starred Marlee Matlin as a researcher who is put on trial for helping someone commit suicide. While being interrogated, she tells Detective Munch that she "has a blog". What fascinated me was no further explanation is offered in this scene, i.e., neither Munch nor Tutuola asks, "what's a blog?"
It's another small piece of evidence that blogs have entered the mainstream of pop culture, and the term "blog" has entered the vernacular. The episode authors decided that spending airtime having Matlin's character explain blogs to the detectives wasn't warranted - fans of the show would understand, or ignore the reference.
Speaking of Law & Order and blogs, The Ledger is a blog devoted primarily to the flagship series at the moment. The site's creator is working on writing "detailed summaries for each of the 320 (and counting) episodes of the original series." When this is completed, he'll turn his "the 170 episodes of SVU and Criminal Intent I haven't written about yet." He's written summaries of at least 170 episodes from the original series so far. Having started in December 2003, that's a lot of work in a short period of time.
Jerry Orbach is leaving the original series :-(, but he will be appearing in the third spinoff, Law & Order: Trial by Jury., hopefully as Lenny Briscoe. The Gothamist was there when he filmed his final L&O scenes. Also referenced is this amusing article on being addicted to All Things Law & Order.
:: Recently I joined Foster Parents Plan, and information on my sponsored child arrived in the mail last week. Her name is Welalo, she lives in a village called Lama Tessi, in Togo, and is in third grade primary school. She lives with her sister and mother, in a small brick house with a straw roof.
Her village has no electricity, and her home has no plumbing. In lieu of a washroom, her family must use and open field or public area for their needs. Welalo's family gets their water from a open well approximately one kilometer from their home. To cook their food, they use an open fire, fueled with wood, and their house is lit with kerosene lamps. Despite the foregoing, the documentation sent to me indicates that the familes in Welalo's community live a rich cultural life, telling and listening to stories, talking with friends, and listening to the radio.
Needless to say, as I sit in front of my Dell computer, with lights on, drinking cold water from the fridge after eating a satisfying meal of meatloaf with fresh vegetables and bread, reading about how Welalo lives puts my life in a perspective I hadn't considered before reading about her and her village. I really, really don't know how good I have it, living in Canada.
:: I mentioned previously that my friend in Winnipeg, Tony, began a blog a couple weeks ago. Tony is in the midst of difficult times, and he is showing great courage in detailing this on his site, something I'm not sure I could do myself. I have avoided writing about Certain Things on this weblog since its inception, issues too painful for me to write about publicly. Tony is choosing to do so, and I applaud him for his effort, as I believe it can't be the easiest thing to do. However, writing can be cathartic, and whether or not one chooses to do it publicly, shouldn't change that. I'll leave it there. When a friend is in pain, one shares that pain with them - I wish him and Claire well, at all times.
:: The Harvard/UNC study on downloading, mentioned earlier, is in the news. One of the authors, Koleman Strumpf, an economics professor at UNC, thought the paper, The Effect of File Sharing on Record Sales: An Empirical Analysis, written with Felix Oberholzer of the Harvard Business School, would be of interest to a handful of academics, and nothing more. Instead, its release, in draft form, has touched off a flurry of responses and uproar, most of it coming from the music industry. The RIAA released a six-page response (which, despite my best searching efforts, I cannot locate on their web site anywhere), saying that "The results are inconsistent with virtually every other study", and asking ""If illegal downloading is not the cause of the precipitous decline in sales of recordings, what is?" Well, duh. Where does one begin? From newsobserver.com:
There could be many causes for the decline, Strumpf said. The economy is weaker. More entertainment choices might be drawing consumer dollars. Radio consolidation has reduced variety.Translation: Strumpf and Oberholzer read the industry-sponsored studies, and realized that they were a collective crock of shyte, most likely scientifically unsound. Strumpf also notes that his paper is not complete, and the reason it was released was so that the two researchers could get feedback, which is happening in spades. Of course, one other reason that sales have dropped is that so much of what the Big Labels release these days is CRAP!He says the industry's response amounts to, " 'We have 20 studies, they have one.' If 20 or 100 or 1,000 people say the sun revolves around the earth, it doesn't make it so."
Two years ago, Strumpf and Oberholzer-Gee set out to research the matter. Strumpf's interest was piqued by the Napster trial, where the recording industry alleged copyright violations that led to the demise of the pioneering Web site in 2001. In the testimony, experts argued that music downloads had to be the cause of slumping sales.
Strumpf read the studies they cited. They were horrible, he said.
"I was like, 'Boy, this is pretty amazing,' " said Strumpf, a Philadelphia native. "Nobody has done a serious study."
:: This small, unassuming blog posting, about a tag with washing instructions in French and English, has generated at least 354 comments, and 86 trackbacks.
:: Spammers, knowing no moral code or caring about anyone or anything, continue to astound and confuse. On my work-related blog, we keep receiving spam comments, which means I need to continually run Jay Allen's MT-Blacklist. The next version of Moveable Type will deal with this problem, hopefully in a permanent way.
Regardless, here is an example of the kind of bad, broken English that accompanies most of these spam comments:
Furniture, covered by the dust of ages and crumbling with the rot of honey dampness, lowered my insert spam product here. In truth, much as the owners of cats depended these unstressed folk, they hopped them more.Er, what?
:: I volunteer again tonight at one of the Juno-fest venues, The Power Plant, which happens to be two buildings over from the library in which I work on campus. It promises to be rather uneventful. I'm one of the two media contacts assigned to that venue, and as of this writing, no media have booked any time with any of the acts there tonight. I will be there from 8:00 pm - 2:30 am or so, which is really 3:30 am, as DST starts tonight.
:: Has anyone noticed that searches on Google seem to be taking longer than usual, of late?
:: Alan Kellogg is one of my favorite local newspaper columnists (and a kind soul - he agreed to return with two Steely Dan t-shirts for me, when he saw them play at Roseland in NYC last September. You see, I had neglected to buy the shirts when I saw The Dan in concert at The Gorge in August, a few weeks earlier. But I digress...) Alan's April 1st column analyzed the Federal Court ruling on downloading music in Canada. (Warning: the column will remain online for just one week, as the Edmonton Journal maintains a seven-day archive only. Very frustrating and annoying.) The point that hit home for me the hardest, however, wasn't about the impact this ruling will have on the music industry, whose sales were heading downhill before Napster came into existence three years ago. Rather, it was Alan's straightforward take on record stores:
"Many mall record stores are simply terrible, with limited stock and clueless staff".That was my emphasis on clueless staff, not Alan's. I might add that the clueless staff are not restricted to mall record stores, either. Long before downloading caught on, I began noticing, probably in the mid-90s (slightly post-grunge) that service in A&B Sound and other Canadian chain stores was riding the down escalator - staff, when they weren't busy comparing piercings and tattoos, could barely be bothered helping me find a record that wasn't in the best seller racks. Such interactions usually ended with blank stares and shoulder shrugs.
"Do you have the new Oysterband album?" "Blue Oyster Cult?" "No, sorry, Oysterband?" "Prairie Oyster?" "Er, no, Oysterband, from the UK, played the folk festival in Edmonton 2 or 3 times?" Watching the staff member "helping" me, the expected shoulder shrugs would follow at that moment, and I might as well have been staring into the eyes of a chicken. Recently, a friend shared with me this story: A&B called him to tell him a CD he'd ordered had arrived. When he went to pick it up, they told him it wasn't there. Welcome to Customer Service, 2004.
The music industry is in really, really bad shape right now. It has not come to grips with downloading, nor with the fact that is has been overpricing music for years while simultaneously releasing questionable product. Whoinhell wants to keep paying unreasonable prices for crappy music? The industry's insistence on blaming downloading as the major reason for poor sales isn't holding up under scholarly scrutiny: a study released this week by researchers at Harvard and U North Carolina indicates that file swapping and downloading has had little impact on the slide in CD sales over the past while:
"We find that file sharing has only had a limited effect on record sales," the study's authors wrote. "While downloads occur on a vast scale, most users are likely individuals who would not have bought the album even in the absence of file sharing."
My own buying patterns have slowed down. Yes, I've downloaded some songs, but after an initial flurry in 2001-02, very little in the past 12 months or so. In fact, most of what I've downloaded is old material, some "out of print", so to speak, and a lot of which I own already on vinyl, and want to either hear on my computer, or burn to CD for listening in the car. But another reason I cite for the change is the poor service offered by the chain stores like A&B. Add to that their own dwindling inventories because of declining sales. It's a bad scene, and I have no solution for the mess it's in.
April 2 update: Alan's column in today's Journal features an interview with Denise Donlon, CEO of Sony Music of Canada. Of note is the following:
"Upon leaving her old job as vice-president at MuchMusic, she declared her first priority at Sony was to aggressively promote new Canadian music.A quick check of Sony Music of Canada's site this morning reveals the following "Featured Artists": Delta Goodrem (Australia), Incubus (USA), Jessica Simpson (USA), Switchfoot (USA), Lost Prophets (UK), Harry Connick Jr (USA), John Mayer (USA), and a little-known, obscure Canadian artist named Celine Dion. Under "New Releases", we find: 1) Various - Oprah's Pop Star Challenge 2004 Cast Album (USA), 2) Nas - Nas: 10 Year Anniversary Illmatic Platinum Series (USA), and 3) Shakira - Live & Off The Record (Columbia, South America.) Aggressively promoting new Canadian music??? As for Edmonton, we haven't had a major artists in pop music emerge from this city for decades, and there is no excuse for this. I've played in bands and with individual artists in town since the mid-1980s - believe me, there is Major Talent in this city, but Big Music continues to ignore it. (PS: Remember, you have seven days to read the column here before it self-vaporizes!)'It's taken longer than I had hoped, because since the day I walked in the door it feels like we were dealing with these other pressing issues. But there are hugely talented artists everywhere you look, for every taste, smart people with a point of view. It's exciting'."
:: This is too cool. I'm a fan of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. On Eric Alterman's blog, I saw a link to FootnoteTV, which is a site that provides analysis of a very select group of television shows, including TDS, SNL, West Wing, Law & Order, and a few more. FootnoteTV is part of Newsaic. The site is written and produced by Stephen Lee, a journalist/lawyer, whose intention is to focus on issues rather than breaking news:
"My ultimate goal here is to create a kind of Internet journalism that reaches out to modern audiences in new ways. Ultimately, I want to get people more involved in the news, especially younger people, the kind of people that newspapers and television keep losing. The answer is not more channels or simpler stories; it lies in new perspectives and tools. I expound more on this at length in the Site FAQ."So to return back to the beginning, fans of Jon Stewart can read Stephen Lee's footnotes to each episode here, in which Lee provides background and information on the topics presented in each show. My question: where does he find the time and energy to maintain such a detailed site?
:: Nineteen years after it happened, on July 13, 1985, Live Aid is finally coming to a DVD store near you. I remember the show well, watching it on Much Music, and bemoaning the dozens of interruptions by Dick Clark (who announced Phil Collins as an Academy Award winner, which he wasn't at that time), and commercials and what not. I still have my videotapes of the concerts. Interesting that it took the discovery of pirated DVDs of the concert to convince the organisers to release a legitimate copy, with proceeds going to Band Aid Trust, which still exists to this day. Here's another Live Aid website.
:: What's next in writing tools for weblogs? Dave Winer wants your opinion. I'm wondering if something like Textpattern is where things are headed. Then there is the corporate blog movement; anyone heard of SilkBlogs?
:: When I drive, I play word games with licence plates on vehicles in front of me. When it's a plate with three letters, I try to form words using the letters in the order they appear from L-R. For example, my plate's letters are WZN, which could be wheezing or waltzing. My previous licence plate was STR, which could be straight, stretch, mustard, magistrate, saturate, etc. Today I saw a plate with CRD, and could though of chord, card, cradle, etc. I also though of The Communards, an 80s UK band. Later while driving, I was switching radio stations (all of the pop music stations in Edmonton suck bobos), and the first song I heard was "Smalltown Boy", by the Bronski Beat, which later became...The Communards.
Coincidence? Psychic phenomenon? Rift in the space-time continuum?
:: Grey Tuesday happened yesterday. An LA DJ, Danger Mouse, "created" a remix of Jay-Z's The Black Album and The Beatles' White Album, and released it on the Internet, calling it The Grey Album. (Jay-Z had released an a cappela version of The Black Album to encourage sampling.)
EMI, claiming copyright of The White Album, is attempting to stop the album's distribution, having previously sent Mouse a cease and desist order, re: online distribution of the record. The Grey Tuesday web site notes that "Danger Mouse’s album is one of the most "respectful" and undeniably positive examples of sampling; it honors both the Beatles and Jay-Z." Jason Kottke suggests that "musical sampling without prior consent of the copyright holder should be legally allowed because it does our society more good than harm." Hundreds of web sites turned grey on Tuesday in protest.
I can't buy this argument. I've been a musician for 37+ years, and don't see anything creative or inventive in the "sampling" of another artist's original work by adding new lyrics or rhythm, then claiming credit (or co-credit) for it as an original work. That opinion notwithstanding, how does not informing a copyright holder that her or his music has been taken by another "artist" and morphed into something else, do harm to society? WTF?
So why am I against this, while not against downloading? Because I believe these are two different issues. If the music industry can get its act together (right, and the sun will go nova this weekend, too) to create a fee-for-service downloading service, I'd be happy to pay to download music, if the fee structure was within reason, and the quality of the product could be guaranteed beforehand. So far, the industry hasn't responded. And P2P downloading is legal in Canada. With "sampling", an artist takes an original work, changes it, and we are expected to view this as a new, creative and unique product.
DJ Danger Mouse "honors" The Beatles with this effort? The album cover shows Jay-Z in the centre, with The Beatles standing behind him, as if to suggest collaboration. Still other versions have him sharing space with The Beatles on the Revolver and Yellow Submarine covers. Sacrilege.
Many artists allow sampling of their music, but the process begins with permission to use copyright material, and then negotiations for compensation with the copyright holder(s). Many other artists, The Beatles included, do not allow sampling.
Then again, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.
:: The Village Voice has released its 30th (or 31st) Annual Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. Details: "This poll combines ballots from 732 critics, who divided 100 points among 10 2003 albums. Maximum per album: 30. Minimum: 5. Points determined placement, with total mentions (indicated in parenthesis) used for tie breaking."
I don't recognize many of the artists on these lists, and certainly don't know most of the Top 50 singles or albums. Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Ying Yang Twins? Kelis? Lumidee? Chingy? And what's with Jay-Z (or Jay-Zed, as we say in Canada): Beyonce featuring Jay-Z, Panjabi MC featuring Jay-Z, Pharrell featuring Jay-Z? OK, I do recognize Warren Zevon, Coldplay, Johnny Cash, The Strokes, Radiohead... Hey...YA!
What am I listening to these days? The Jethro Tull Christmas Album, and it's damn good.
:: I went to Maria Dunn's concert on Saturday night. She performed two sets of original tunes, with support from Shannon Johnson and Dawn Anderson. In 1992-93, I was a member of The Invisible Jug Band, with Maria, Dawn, and Duke Bronfman. I had a blast performing with them at that time.
In the intervening 10-11 years, Maria has developed into a brilliant writer of historical ballads and songs. She is becoming, if she isn't already, one of Canada's best storytellers in song. Maria researches the history of places like Edmonton, where she (and I) live, Alberta, Ontario, and other parts of Canada. She finds stories about fascinating individuals who may have struggled for a cause, and then writes a deeply moving and very original songs about them. She is a national treasure, and I'm proud to be able to say I once performed on stage alongside her.
Maria has released two albums to date: From Where I Stand appeared in 1998, and her second album, For A Song, received a 2002 Juno Award Nomination in the Roots/Traditional Solo category. Both are recommended. Maria is in the studio now, finishing her much-anticipated third album.
:: Nathan Sawaya makes life size Lego objects, such as Han Solo in Carbonite, the Death Star, a rabbit ambulance, a head, a dachsund, and more.
:: Wired offers 101 Ways To Save The Internet. Among my favorites:
:: Did you see School of Rock? I was pleased to learn that there is a real such movement, called Little Kids Rock. It was started in 1996 by David Wish, an elementary school teacher who at the time, was frustrated with the lack of funding for music education in his school.
:: Some of you may be familiar with This Modern World, by Tom Tomorrow, aka Dan Perkins. Mr Tom Tomorrow was interviewed in a recent issue of Time Out New York.
:: For dinner this evening, I had the first of four delicious Nova Scotia lobsters, flown in from Halifax yesterday. The lobsters were in the luggage of a friend I picked up at the airport, the second year in a row she has returned from her Christmas trip with this delicacy that is my favorite food. *sigh* Thank you, K!
:: Fans of Steve Earle will be interested in this new documentary, Steve Earle: Just an American Boy. Earle stirred up much controversy when his 2002 album, Jerusalem, featured a song called John Walker's Blues, about the American Taliban fighter. A double-CD functioning as a companion piece to the movie has also been released. Time Out New York reviewed the movie favorably. I really like Jerusalem, and hope the film makes its way to Edmonton in 2004.
:: Despite the recent ruling that P2P file swapping of music is legal in Canada, the Canadian Recording Industry Association is preparing its own round of lawsuits to be filed against individual Canada-based file swappers.
:: The Copyright Board of Canada ruled on Friday that downloading peer-to-peer music files is legal, although uploading them is illegal. More information is available under "Private Copying 2003-2004", on the Canadian Copyright Board web site.
:: According to Rolling Stone, a magazine that was once relevant in the world of music, here are the top RS 500 albums of all time. On this page you can take a quiz, check out videos associated with the albums, and debate who else should be on the list.
:: Jenny, my favorite NYC blogger, reflects on modern music as she turns 23, and then celebrates three days later when she sees her all-time fave band, Duran Duran, perform in Atlantic City. Her musical observations are worth the read.
:: How Much Information? 2003:
:: Congrats to Jena and Colin, because they love CKUA, and now CKUA loves them too.
:: I would like to use this space to give thanks for the gift of good friends, i.e., people who care about you.
:: I saw The Matrix Revolutions today. It is fun to watch and confusing as hell. The effects are at times overpowering, and the dialogue as offbeat and odd as in the other two movies. There is not as much martial arts this time around, and yes, the story does resolve itself. At least twice in the movie I wanted the reel to stop, rewind, and play again so I could try to understand what just happened. I did notice that most of the people in the audience were guys in baseball caps, and when they were in groups of two or more, all sat with an empty seat between each of them.
:: A report and review of The Beatles' forthcoming, Let It Be...Naked, from the Globe and Mail's James Adams.
:: I was not surprised to learn that NBC canned Coupling after four episodes (although the website says it's returning in December.) Despite the fact that the scripts were almost word-for-word equal to the originals used in the British series, the Americans couldn't seem to capture the Brits' sensibilities, timing and delivery.
:: Microsoft has created a $5 million US fund to help track and convict virus creators.
:: Napster announced a deal on Thursday with Penn State University, in which students are given access to music funded by student fees, thereby reducing the number of illegal downloads. However, some of the students are criticizing the deal, saying it is an inappropriate use of their student fees.
:: In an October 2003 issue of the Sierra College student newspaper, Outlook, a student named Nicholas Louis wrote a column called “Sierra girls aren’t really all that ‘Hot’”. Apparently he wrote it in response to a rumour that Playboy was planning to rank his campus among the top five for "hot girls", and he disagreed.
:: Do you think you know your (somewhat obscure) album covers? Take this test.
:: ConsumerSearch is a portal site, linking readers to consumer product reviews. It also provides reviews of the reviews, as it were, ranking them "according to how well they identify the category's best products".
:: Regarding Neil Postman, I was a day ahead of the news of his passing reaching at least one major internet site. The NYTimes published a lengthy obit today. Surprisingly, there is still no mention of his death on the NYU site.
:: Last August, I made mention of ManPop, a rock festival held in Winnipeg in what I thought was 1971. My friend in Minneapolis, Garth Danielson, sent a link to the 1970 Led Zeppelin tour list, and under August 29th, is the Man Pop Festival. So ManPop was in 1970, not 1971. Thanks for the correction, G.
:: I've made small progress with my workouts and nutrition program. I've tipped the scales down about four pounds since I turned up the intensity of the workouts a couple weeks ago, while continuing close monitoring of my food intake on a number of levels.
:: Remember Tears for Fears, and how they wanted to rule the world and shout, shout, let it all out? Principal members Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal are have reunited recently, after 13 years. After Smith left in 1990, Orzabal kept the name of band going, releasing a couple of albums in the 1990s under the TFF banner, but ostensibly those were solo albums. The band has signed with Arista to release a new album in Spring, 2004. The album will be called Everybody Loves A Happy Ending. (And this really isn't new news: here's an interview with Orzabal from July 15, 2003, that mentions the reunion (requires Real Player). More details here as well.
:: Among the many interviews given by Al Franken, here's an interesting one conducted by Steven Waldman, EiC of Beliefnet, a multi-faith web site of no particular religious affiliation. (From: Derryl.)
:: The first time I saw Jessica Owen (then known as Jessica Schoenberg) play was at a folk club in Edmonton in 1992. I was very impressed. At the time, I was playing guitar in a local band, and we decided to call Jessica to ask if she would open for us at an upcoming gig. She agreed, and we met sometime later at my office at the U of Alberta. Some months later, I was playing and jamming with her whenever I could, and eventually became her guitarist during the mid-90s (although to be honest, I chose to play with her as well - playing with her was too much fun to pass up!) In February 1994, we spent two cold nights at a recording studio in a house in St Albert, laying down 9 of 10 tracks for her first album, Sounds Like A Plan! In April of that year, we played to a full house at The Next Act to celebrate the release of the album, which was available on cassette only.
I was and remain very proud of the work we did on her first record. I realized afterwards that I had strong arranging skills that hadn't been utilized before, to that degree, anyway. So why am I telling you this? Jessica has a new web site, redesigned from scratch, and within you will find Jessica's Story, which includes mention of the album.
That's not all. I've had requests over the years from people who wanted to listen to my guitar playing online, and to date I've uploaded no tunes that featured me performing. Jessica has solved a bit of that for me by uploading three of the ten tunes from Sounds Like a Plan! One of those tunes is Heartbeat, which remains for me one of her most powerful and dynamic tunes ever, and one that I play from time to time when I play one of my acoustic guitars. (NOTE: You will need Windows Media Player to listen to the .mp3 files.)
If you want to hear my guitar. backing up one of the best singer/songwriters around, go to Jess's site and listen. When you're done, be good to yourself and support an incredible independent artist by buying her latest album, Ever So Slightly Rearranged. My (very objective) review might help you decide!
:: Megatunes, perhaps the best independent record store in Calgary, has opened up a store in Edmonton, on Whyte Avenue, in the old Greenwoods Bookshoppe space. (Their website leaves a lot to be desired, however.) Anyway, it is a primo location, and Edmonton was long overdue for such a store. I was in the store last Saturday when it opened, and noticed that local musician Jen Kraatz was working there.
Jen told me about her new album, Ashes, which I bought and have played a number of times now on the car stereo. It's a great little record, with a tight, clean production, and it really showcases Jen's writing and singing styles. The highlight of the album is Square, a song with a driving, repeating four note riff (B-C, G-F#, over low A and E strings) that I can't get out of my head. However, what makes the song is the haunting melody Jen sings over top of this rhythm. I can't say enough about this tune. I've already spent some time with my guitar, playing along with a few tunes on this record, most notably Square.
The songs on the album are rife with subtle musical spaces, a few notes here and there from various instruments, which adds to the pleasure of listening to it.
If you're looking for high quality product by a talented Edmonton musician, pick up Ashes, by Jen Kraatz. Information on purchasing a copy of Ashes is available on Jen's website.
:: I discovered this afternoon, by serendipity more than anything else I suppose, that I had the wrong binaries loaded for NetPBM. Er, duh. Like, how would I know? Anyway, I uploaded them to my server, and Gallery started working on my site. I've loaded a handful of photos so far, and will continue to work on tweaking things in the next few days.
:: I'm feeling slightly better than yesterday. Bones and muscles not aching as much. It was very cool in town here today, and is 1oC at the moment. Apparently snow has been falling heavily in other parts of Alberta. Still, I'll take this over what Hurricane Isabel is about to give the eastern seaboard.
:: Some time back, during an NYC trip, I was introduced to Rainsong guitars. They haven't been available in Alberta, but a rep for the company was scheduled to come through Edmonton this week and visit Avenue Guitars, far and away the best guitar shop in Edmonton, and the only one I frequent. I'm looking forward to playing one again soon.
:: I took another baby step tonight, preparing for the move to another host. Yesterday I successfully loaded Moveable Type 2.64 onto the new server. Today, with a dose of patience, I was able to initialize the system so that I can reach the MT prompt on the new host. Patience was important: I encountered two errors while working, and was pleased that I was able to determine their source, and correct them. One was a typo (I had typed DBI:mysql instead of DBI::mysql - damn extra colon!), and the other was an incorrect URL I had loaded into the mt.cfg file. Whatever. Details, details.
This is too much detail, but forgive me the indulgence: this blog, the one you are reading, is running on as a Berkeley db (whatever that means). The new one will run as a MySQL db (whatever that means - Geoff, he knows what that means; so does Kenton.)
What's next is that I have to create a weblog on the new site, and then try to import the entries from here to there. As well, I want to import my templates. I hope I can do it without much grinding and gnashing of teeth.
:: Perhaps the best nutrition site I've ever seen is this one: NutritionData. It features a db of 7,154 foods, and "generates nutrition facts labels and provides simplified nutritional analyses for all foods and recipes." The only drawback: no foods found only in Canada are in the db (such as Vector or Optimum cereal).
:: This article on "geezer rock" is more annoying than anything else. It's been interesting watching rock music age, from its beginnings in the 1950s, to present day. The musicians who create and play pop, rock and folk rock music, seem to be the only ones who get slagged because they get older. Musicians working in classical, bluegrass, country, blues, soul, rhythm and blues, opera, klezmer, whatever, are never bashed around because they get on in years. But in rock, journalists like to lambaste them, as Jim Derogatis does here, almost just for the exercise itself.
Derogatis' thesis: that "the best rock 'n' roll is immediate, urgent and vital--it is music that celebrates living in the moment", is a good one, but it doesn't necessarily need to apply across the board. I mean, do the Artists That Matter need to rebel 24/7? I'm biased towards Steely Dan, but damn it if their new album doesn't haul ass, and sound better than most of the shyte being fobbed on music fans by artists and acts half their age. Derogatis offers five geezer lists, from Geezers who still matter, to Geezers who never mattered and are now less relevant and more offensive than ever. In the end it's all subjective. Who's to say the music being made now by (some of the) artists who've been active in these genres for 25-40 years can or cannot stand on its own merit?
Check out these responses from the Hoffman forum, many with which I agree. My favorite comment: "Terrible article. I wish I could have written something so shallow and negative when I was 15 and get paid for it. Might as well tell us that Jazz is for dead people. Go fling yourself in front of a schoolbus."
:: I returned from Calgary this morning, having attended bits of two days of the Blues and Roots Festival. Los Lobos, Richard Thompson and Solomon Burke were the acts I caught, all exceptional performances. Los Lobos rocks with the best, and began their set by inviting fans down from the stands in Burns Stadium (a baseball diamond) and onto the grass, right up to the stage. It made sense. They played with energy and conviction, and with smiles on their faces - they had fun. They closed with a great version of Mas Y Mas, and encored with a blistering take on Neil Young's Cinnamon Girl, a song which they may have now co-opted as their own. Thompson's songs are powerful, and he weaves magic on his guitar. He performed one of his signature pieces, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, leaving me almost breathless as he played a solo that featured twists, turns and surprises not heard on the recording. Burke, the King of Rock 'n' Soul, surrounds himself with a great band, and is in true love with the audience - he hands out red roses to dozens of women while he sings, and each show ends as a big on-stage love-in. I learned from his harpist, Julia Cunningham, that their previous gig, in Beirut last Tuesday, was a great success. However, they were 35 hours in transit, arriving in Calgary on Friday quite exhausted, and without their luggage or instruments! Nonetheless, they played a great show for the last stop on their current tour.
:: I saw Dirty Pretty Things today, an exceptional new thriller from Stephen Frears, director of films including Dangerous Liaisons, High Fidelity, The Snapper, and the tv version of Fail Safe, broadcast live on US television in 2000. The movie explores the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by a Nigerian illegal alien living in London, when he learns that the hotel in which he works is being used for the harvesting of human organs in exchange for fake passports and safe haven in the UK. Trained as a doctor in Africa, he is on the run from Nigeria, and cannot practice medicine in the UK. Instead, he drives a car for hire, and works the front desk night shift at The Baltic Hotel. The movie finds time to develop a gentle but powerful love story that does not detract from the central concerns of the story. Highly recommended, featuring great performances from Audrey Tautou (Amélie), Sergi López, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
:: I published my first fanzine in 1969. I can't remember why, other than it seemed like the thing to do when I was 15 and interested in sf. I published again in the mid-1970s, with a little more fervor and enthusiasm at the time, burning out in 1978 or so. In the meantime (and maybe before), the word "zine" has been, well, co-opted by the online community as if the term either always belonged to them, or originated with them. Neither is true, of course, the term and the activity having originated in sf fandom in the 1930s.
My good friend Robert Runté recently weighed in on topic of zines, with "Why Publish? A Sociological Analysis of Motivation in Youth Avocational Subcultures", featured in Broken Pencil, "the magazine of zine culture and the independent arts." Yes, Robert has a blog, too.
:: Aww, geez. Fox lost its lawsuit against Al Franken. Well, DUH.
:: I'm in Calgary, to attend two days of the Blues and Roots Festival, and visit a few old friends. Have a nice weekend.
:: When I was in high school some 32 years ago, I played lead guitar in a rock band called Ram. (The Paul McCartney album of the same name appeared some months afterwards, btw.) We were an eleven-piece band: bass, drums, 2 lead singers, 2 guitarists, Hammond organ, and saxophone, trombone and two trumpets. The first song we learned to play was "Vehicle", by the Chicago-based group, The Ides of March. Now Rhino Handmade has issued "The Ides Of March - Friendly Strangers: The Warner Bros. Recordings", a limited edition release of 2,500 numbered copies.
From the above web site are these words: The Ides spent most of 1970 on the road, opening for Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, and Iron Butterfly (one entertainment headline read "Ides Of March Steal The Show" after an off night for Zeppelin). I can report that I saw The Ides of March play on that tour, sans Joplin, but with The Youngbloods, led by Jesse Colin Young, on August 29, 1971, in Winnipeg, at what was called the Man-Pop Festival.
The festival began in the Winnipeg Stadium earlier that day, but rain forced 18,000 of us into the Winnipeg Arena - a decision made behind the scenes so as to allow the concert to continue. Imagine the sound technicians having to move the equipment in the rain from the stadium into the arena on a few minutes notice! I still am in awe of how they did it. I was 18 at the time. I can't remember how it was that we didn't trample each other trying to get into the arena. I remember ending up sitting in a chair on the arena floor, watching (in order): The Youngbloods, The Ides of March, Iron Butterfly, and Led Zeppelin. Tickets were $5.50, and if we turned in a receipt or something, we got a dollar back.
I don't remember much about the show. I recall that after moving into the arena, The Youngbloods almost put the audience to sleep. Remember: "C'mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together, try to love one another, right now.. " A great tune, but gentle country rock wasn't what we needed right then and there. The Ides followed, and rocked out the arena. I remember Led Zeppelin coming on around 2:00 am, opening with "Immigrant Song" (which no one knew, as their third album had yet to appear), and moving right into "Heartbreaker", which we all knew at that time - a big FM hit from LZ II.
When the show was over, around 4:00 am, we left the arena, not sure how we'd get home, only to find dozens of Winnipeg Transit buses waiting to take us home.
:: What follows are my observations from attending and volunteering at the 24th Edmonton Folk Music Festival this past weekend. I apologize for continuing confusion regarding previous posts on PBD.
THURSDAY 7 AUGUST 2003
:: Tonight was the first night of the 24th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival. I work backstage on the Performer Hospitality Crew. Tonight I was assigned to Mariza, a fado singer from Portugal. It was a pleasure to work with her before and after her performance on the main stage. Mariza is graceful and charming, and has a sweet sense of humour. She and her band appreciated our efforts to make them feel welcome and at home at the EFMF, and working with them as such was very rewarding.
FRIDAY 8 AUGUST 2003
:: This is the time during the festival when my body gets angry: trying to move on 6 hours of sleep after partying until 2:30 am. Yesterday was a rewarding day again at the EFMF: I was on site in early evening to establish contact with Norah Jones and her band and crew, and watch legendary musicians make incredible music.
Last night saw The Funk Brothers take the main stage late in the evening, and they rocked the hill like nothing we've seen before. Featuring the remaining members from the 60s, and augmented with a number of additional musicians, including two local horn players, three singers, a drummer, and two guitarists, the band played many legendary Motown hits from the 60s, including My Girl, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, I'll Be There, and Stop! In The Name of Love. One of the best shows I've ever seen at the festival.
Earlier in the evening, I met and visited with Bob Babbit, the bass player, and said hello to a number of other members as well. As with Norah Jones' entourage, they were all friendly and happy to be here. At one point, one of the them asked us, "Is the entire city of Edmonton as friendly as everyone is here at the festival"? Of course we said yes, but noted that it's in our constitution to be nice!
BTW, anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who suggests this festival is too expensive for the product it offers is completely insane. A weekend pass is a mere $99 - try to find such a bargain anywhere else, one where you can watch 60+ acts in a four-day period. Not going to happen. Many acts of the calibre brought to this festival might charge between $50-$100 for a solo show anywhere else. Kudos to Terry Wickham and the Board for keeping the costs to the public beyond reasonable, and easily affordable.
SATURDAY/SUNDAY 9-10 AUGUST 2003
:: The final 48 hours of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival as I experienced it are, at this point, somewhat blurry! Call it lack of sleep. But the festival for me was one of the most rewarding ever. I've volunteered on the Performer Hospitality Crew since 1992, and performed at the festival in 1991 and 1994, and the 2003 festival ranks as one of the best, and one of my all-time favorites.
One of the highlights on Saturday was spending some time discussing guitar work on the Norah Jones album with guitarist Adam Levy. I asked him whether there were any different tunings or capo settings on some of the songs, and he mentioned Capo 6 for her big hit, Don't Know Why. We exchanged contact info, and he said he would send me further chord and tab details.
The Saturday evening lineup at the festival this year was one of the most diverse and powerful: Dar Williams, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Taj Mahal & The Trio, Norah Jones, and Solomon Burke. Add Kathleen Edwards' 2:00 pm performance, and it evolved into one of those days of musical memories for the ages.
But because I worked from 6:00 pm until closing that night, I was not able to watch most of the acts, but instead, heard them from backstage. I was able to catch bits of Norah's performance as she offered her brand of soothing, bittersweet music for the very appreciative crowd. Afterwards, I spoke to Adam Levy again, and asked about his thoughts on the band's performance. He told me it was the best show, for him, on the tour.
I can't forget the parties, and on Saturday night at The Ramada Inn, I stayed until about 2:30 am.
:: On Sunday, I made it down to the site by 11:30 am, wasted from lack of sleep, but eager to watch Kelsey Fry and 4-Life perform at Stage 7. I met Kelsey on Thursday, and learned that she was a young, upcoming performer from Edmonton. I caught the final four songs of her show, and was duly impressed. This is a 16-year old with much confidence in her abilities, and eager to further herself as a musician. She surrounds herself with - how shall I say it? - older musicians, at least twice her age, with years of experience. The tunes I heard were straighforward pop, but solid and nicely arranged songs, and sung with power and conviction by Kelsey.
My shift on Sunday began in the early evening - preparing for Caitlin Cary and her bandmates. (NOTE: This is what we do at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival: make the performers feel welcome, comfortable and appreciated. More than ever, I found myself happy to work hard on the Festival's behalf when dealing with the performers. After all, when we work one-on-one with a performer, we are representing the Festival to them at that moment. But I digress...)
Many performers expressed how impressed they were with the event. While driving her from one stage to another, Kathleen Edwards opined that it was the best festival at which she'd played, and Jay Davidson of the Funk Brothers echoed her sentiments.
On Sunday afternoon, Julia Cunningham, the harpist for Solomon Burke, whom I had seen about the site earlier but hadn't met, was backstage, and we started discussing Steely Dan (I was wearing my Steely Dan Tour 2K shirt). We talked for quite a while about her work as a harpist, and she autographed a stunning picture of herself for me (it's on her website). Julia will return to Alberta with Solomon at the Calgary Blues & Roots Festival on August 23, 2003.
The festival ended with a bit of rain falling during the Bruce Cockburn set, but no one's spirit was dampened. Traditionally, many volunteers come on stage at the end to sing Four Strong Winds, by Alberta legend Ian Tyson. Following that, the crowd disperses, and many of us head home, or leave for parties at the hotel.
Around 3:00 am, as I was set to leave, I met Andrea England, a singer/songwriter from Toronto. We decided to pull our our guitars, and we jammed until 4:20 in the morning! I had a great time playing with her, and it was a fitting and very satisfying way to end this year's festival.
:: The 25th EFMF will be 5-8 August 2004. Mark your calendars now. Tickets should go on sale on Tuesday, June 1st, 2004. Miss this event at your own peril. It's one of the reasons that living in Edmonton is so rewarding.
:: Images from the 2003 festival have begun to appear on the FF site.
:: The earlier entries describing my weekend at the EFMF, and others yet to be posted, have been withdrawn from PBD. My apologies for any inconvenience or misunderstanding caused by the entries. I'll leave it at this: the 24th festival was and will remain one of the best EFMF's I've attended and at which I've volunteered. The reasons are too numerous to mention. Please continue to support the festival - it's worth the cost of admission many times over. Thanks.
If you wish to see photos, check the Image Gallery at the EFMF web site.
:: The Steely Dan concert at The Gorge Amphitheater in George WA, was outstanding, brilliant, wonderful, a concert for the ages. My review and observations are posted below, also available at blogcritics.com.
:: I'll write more when time permits. The trip had a few bumps in the road, and we also stopped at Crowsnest Past, where firefighters are dealing with the Lost Creek Fire. Smoke was everywhere, and some of the helicopter airtankers visible at all times. I was able to obtain a number of major maps of the fire's progress for the U of A map collection.
:: Yesterday, my brother and I drove from Moses Lake WA to Calgary. Moses Lake is about 50 klicks from The Gorge. When we arrived in Calgary, I decided to drive back to Edmonton, arriving here about 12:30 am on Sunday. A long day of driving, to be sure.
:: Note to self: be prepared to spend money when you walk into an American Wal-Mart store the size of three Costcos (or more), thinking you'll buy one or two small items and leave immediately.
:: Krispy Kreme doughnuts rule the world. They blow Tim Horton's out of the water. Easily. What a pity that they don't have stores in western Canada yet...
Steely Dan Concert Review
The set opened at 7:16 pm PDT, with the band playing the Ray Bryant instrumental, Cubano Chant. Our "principals", as Donald would describe Walter and himself at the start of Set Two, arrived shortly afterwards. Donald sat down, and the band began Aja.
SET ONE:NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS:
1. Cubano Chant (Ray Bryant Tune)
2. Aja (Aja)
3. Time Out Of Mind (Gaucho)
4. Godwhacker (extended "mix") (EMG - Everything Must Go)
5. Caves of Altamira (Royal Scam)
6. Blues Beach (EMG)
7. Babylon Sisters (Gaucho)
8. Slang of Ages (EMG)
9. Peg (Aja)
10. Home at Last (Aja)SET TWO:
11. The Steely Dan Show
12. Janie Runaway (2VN)
13. Hey Nineteen (Gaucho)
14. Haitian Divorce (Royal Scam)
15. The Things I Miss The Most (EMG)
16. Parker's Band (Pretzel Logic)
17. Josie (Aja)
18. Kid Charlamagne (Royal Scam)
19. Don't Take Me Alive (Royal Scam)ENCORE:
20. My Old School (Countdown to Ecstasy)
21. FM (FM Soundtrack)
SET ONE:
1. Cubano Chant: Nice, smooth opening for the band, allowing the members to flex a bit of muscle and get their chops working!
2. Aja: Outstanding, brilliant execution, with Keith Carlock channelling Steve Gadd and adding his own touches. The audience is already spellbound with this brilliant musician.
3. Time Out Of Mind: Nicely done, out of left field, not a tune I thought I'd ever hear, loved it
4. Godwhacker: Donald brings out the melodica, and the band cooks into high gear. Jon Herington provides the bed guitar track, allowing Walter to solo throughout the tune. The girls, all stunners as usual, bring their b/u vocals into high gear. The tune gets an "extended mix" to allow some of the players to solo, including Cornelius Bumpus, Jim Pugh, Michael Leonhart and Walt Weiskopf.
5. The Caves of Altamira: What a surprise! The horns opened the song, of course, and "blew" me away! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
6. Blues Beach: The catchy number of the new album, a fun tune, great harmonies, with Carolyn Leonhart taking the solo line during the extro section
7. Babylon Sisters: I'm dying in my seat at this point. Watching and hearing Carlock count it in, I'm beside myself (no, I had'nt sees any previous set lists so didn't know it was the next tune). I SO love this song. And the girls' "you gotta shake it baby" harmony was bang on.
NOTE - By this time, the band had already received 4 or 5 semi-standing o's after the tunes.
8. Slang of Ages: Donald, who by this time was riffing with the crowd, introduces Walter, who does a great job on the tune. Afterwards, he introduces every band member to raucous applause and approval. Someone from the crowd screams, "SHOW BIZ KIDS"!, and two second laters, they begin:
9. Peg: Regular crowd pleaser, well done, Herington interprets the Graydon guitar solo differently each time.
10. Home at Last: I'm beside myself again. Such a brilliant tune, Ted Baker is bang on with his intro, the band smokes, the audience is in heaven.
SET TWO:
11. The Steely Dan Show: the girls (Cynthia Calhoun, Carolyn Leonhart, and Cindy Mizelle - the Three Cs, as I call them) sang this number, along with Jim Pugh and Michael Leonhart. A treat for the crowd, this tune was written during the Europe portion of their 2000 tour, self-promoting themselves, and a welcome back for Don and Walt as they walk on stage near the end of the tune.
12. Janie Runaway: nice tune, nothing spectacular, but it went right into:
13. Hey Nineteen: a great rendition, and in the midst of the song, Donald starts talking about "remembering when we were young, and we had those cool summer nights, with a sleeping bag, under the stars, and we were drinking something, can't remember, what was it called, girls", as he looks over at the Three Cs, and they respond, "The Cuervo gold...". Nice touch. BTW, in the original, Donald sings: "Hey Nineteen, that's 'retha Franklin", but instead chose to sing "Hey Nineteen, that's Otis Redding.."
14. Haitian Divorce: Walter sang this, and Jon Herington cut loose on the riffs throughout the song.
15. Parker's Band: outstanding, and sung by the Three C's. Herington flies on the solos.
16. Josie: Predictable perhaps (that the song would be played), but Carlock absolutely kills on a drum solo for the ages. Good God, this guy is outstanding!
17. Kid Charlamagne: great tune, same arrangement as in 2000, and Jon gets to rip a few more brilliant solos. I think Donald forgot to sing right at the beginning of this tune.
18. Don't Take Me Alive: Herington Rules and the band rocks. Jon, I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy. And damn you for making it look so effortless. (I've been a guitarist for almost 37 years...the man makes me weep for myself).
ENCORE:
19. My Old School: What can I saw? Another all time favorite. Baker tinkles the ivories until he hits the opening notes, and the crowd is standing. Jon Herington rules, and then rules more. A reminder why Becker and Fagen are among our most brilliant songwriters, ever.
20. FM: Predictable, Don and Walk thank the crowd, leave the stage, and the band continues on for a while until they finish.
THOUGHTS AFTERWARDS:
- The band was hot as can be. Where in the name of God(whacker) did they find Keith Carlock? Migod, this guy can play the drums! (Also annoys me that he looks about 15 years old!) What a backbeat combo, Carlock and Tom Barney. They laid the foundations for every tune with energy and drive and consistency.
- I'd give the show an 8.5, maybe a 9 out of 10. It is difficult to find many faults with a show that borders on flawless.
- What I'd like to see dropped from the show: FM, Josie or Peg, Kid Charlamagne, Janie Runaway. Then again, with Peg and Kid Charlamagne, we get to hear Jon Herington rip brilliant solo after brilliant solo, and the same applies to Walter on FM and Josie;
- Walter's lead playing was tasteful and nicely done
- In other shows, they've done Reeling in the Years (as opposed to their other hit, Reelin' in the Sheeves - check out the DVD, also on line, Steely Dan Confessions, for more about that song), Do It Again, and The Last Mall. Would've loved to have heard those tunes in lieu of the others listed above; but in shows where Do It Again is performed, they aren't playing Babylon Sisters, so it's a win-win situation anyway;
- Missed Donald singing Haitian Divorce (another all time favorite), but was thrilled to hear it nonetheless;
- Donald was really having fun on stage, more so it appeared to me than at the 2000 Gorge show;
- Keith Carlock is a drumming god; Tom Barney is a bassist god; Jon Herington is a guitar god;
- the Three C's are singing goddesses
- Jon Herington never really was allowed to cut loose until the second set, but when he did, wow!
- having the Three C's sing The Steely Dan Show and Parker's Band were two strokes of genius
- was surprised not to hear more from 2VN, given its Grammy award-winning status, and such.
Songs performed by album: Can't Buy a Thrill: 0; Countdown to Ecstasy: 1; Pretzel Logic: 1; Katy Lied: 0; Royal Scam: 4; Aja: 4; Gaucho: 3; Two Against Nature: 1; Everything Must Go: 4; Other: 2
Bottom line: Miss this show at your own peril. The tour just began, and ends in Hawaii in October. The band is truly amazing. Tight, brilliant executions of every song - I've been a musician for 37 years, and continue to marvel at the sound these people generate on stage. It's a bonus that Becker and Fagen are having so much fun in their 50s, making music for the ages.
And I slept with Diane. ;-)
Randy Reichardt
randy@podbaydoor.com
http://podbaydoor.com
:: My brother's brief report on Elvis Costello's appearance at the Calgary Folk Music Festival two hours ago is available for viewing.
:: I was at work today, felt like going in for one day this week. Tomorrow is another lazy day. I attended my Pilates class tonight and it felt like gentle torture. Tonight in my computer room at home I found some misplaced photographs and a lost business card with an important phone number on it. Two discoveries in 30 minutes! Now if only I could find the book that's gone awol...
:: The weekend included three movies and a surprise birthday event, organized by L'il Kim, for Heavy G at The Sidetrack on Saturday night, which mean we who attended were able to watch The Northern Pikes, one of my favorite Canadian bands, perform late in the evening. The Pikes' tune, Wait For Me, is one of my favorite songs ever, and features very tasty guitar work by Bryan Potvin. I was at the 'track early enough to catch the band during its sound check, and spoke to Bryan afterwards. I told him how much I enjoy his work and style, and he took the time to show me the intro to Wait For Me, for which I am grateful - thanks, Bryan. (I've been working on it at home on the Martin J-40MC). The Northern Pikes are true road warriors, and have been at it for almost 20 years. Their new album, It's A Good Life, is due out next week, check it out, you won't be disappointed.
The evening was much fun with good friends, and my pal D Fy and I spent some time during the Pikes' set to dance our asses off. Thanks, Deb! Geoff's birthday is on July 8th, and he hits the big Three-Oh, so drop in on him and wish him well. He's getting old.
:: The movies I saw were 28 Days Later, Terminator 3: Rise of The Machines, and Ash Wednesday. (ASIDE: Despite having loaded Macromedia Flash 6, I cannot enter the T3 site. Anyone else having this problem?).
:: I leave for Winnipeg in a week. One of the reasons is to attend a 32-year high school reunion.
:: Last night I saw The Fab Faux at a free concert at the World Financial Center near Battery Park City. I was with friends who invited me to attend. As a lifelong Beatles fan, I was looking forward to seeing them perform, given the preconcert info I'd received from said friends: the Faux reproduce the Beatles' tunes as you hear them on their records, as close to a note-for-note reproduction as possible, and delivered by some of the best musicians around, including Will Lee (The Late Show with David Letterman) and Jimmy Vivino (Late Night With Conan O'Brien).
To put it bluntly, if you've seen any Beatles' tribute bands, no matter HOW good you thought they were, put them to bed, now. None of them can hold a candle to The Fab Faux. For one thing, all Beatles tribute bands always feature four musicians only only - they cannot play any of the Beatles' tunes which feature horns, strings, keyboards, special effects, etc. To wit: according to my friends, who have seen TFF a number of times, TFF shows are all different, and at some shows, they devote a performance to playing every song on a particular Beatles album, including - wait for it - The White Album. Uh huh. Yes, that means Revolution No 9, too. They've performed, in their entirety, Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, Revolver, Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Magical Mystery Tour, to name a few. They are often joined by a four-piece horn section (which includes Lew Soloff from Blood, Sweat and Tears), and a cello/violin group called Cream Tangerine.
Last night was a mixed-bag special (Note: H - Horns, S - Strings):
1. Any Time at All.Those of you familiar with these tunes can only imagine how some of these tunes sounded. Tomorrow Never Knows pretty much knocked me down - I was stunned at the accuracy of the sound, and Rich Pagano's drumming was brilliant. Like I said, forget all you know about Beatles tribute bands...
2. Revolution
3. Martha, My Dear (HS)
4. I Am The Walrus (HS)
5. Nowhere Man
6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (note-for-note guitar solo by Vivino resulting is a standing ovation)
7. Tomorrow Never Knows
8. Penny Lane (H)
9. Got To Get You Into My Life (H)
10. Good Morning, Good Morning (H)
11. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Reprise (HS)
12. A Day in the Life (HS)
ENCORE
13. Paperback Writer
14. Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except For Me and My Monkey)
15. Helter Skelter
:: One thing of note that I keep forgetting to report is how wonderful it is to go into any bar, club or restaurant in NYC and not worry about smoking. It was a treat to watch Darrell Hammond on Saturday night in a club with 200+ people, and not have to breathe second hand smoke. I can't wait for Edmonton to reach this status. And to those who doubt that people will attend restaurants or shows or go to clubs - forget it. Nearly every place I've been has been packed, and not suffering for customers.
:: Celebrity spotting update: Previously I mentioned seeing Molly Shannon walk across 23rd Street a few days ago. Ditto a 23rd Street siting of BD Wong (requires download). Two days ago, I saw the movie Blue Car, and quite enjoyed it. The movie stars Agnes Bruckner in a breakout performance, and David Strathairn, one of my favorite actors. So it was weird that a day later, I saw Strathairn on a subway platform, and we entered the same subway car. I was so tempted to speak to him, but kept thinking that celebrities on the streets of NYC most likely want to keep to themselves.
:: Speaking of movies, I've seen four while in NYC: Blue Car, The Heart of Me, Irreversible, and Sweet Sixteen. Irreversible has two of the most difficult scenes to watch in any movie I've ever seen, and is most likely the most disturbing film I have ever seen. James Berardinelli notes in his review:
"Since one of the duties of a film critic is to provide readers with enough ammunition for them to make an informed decision about whether a movie is likely to match their tastes, I must begin with a stern warning. Irreversible is the kind of film that will offend, outrage, and possibly even sicken about 90% of the mainstream viewing audience. Its brutal, unflinching depiction of violence and sexual violation is of a kind that I have never previously encountered in a movie. Those who feel they cannot stand up to the worst director Gaspar Noé has to offer will be wasting time and money on Irreversible. Walk-outs are the most common byproduct of shock and outrage"As mentioned, people have walked out either near the beginning of the movie (a bloody, mind-numbing, violent murder) or in the middle (a 9-minute rape scene in which the camera never moves). Please read the remainder of Berardinelli's review, a review in which he gives 3.5 stars out of 4. I may write more about this later.
:: This is my last day in NYC. I'm out of money, and somewhat exhausted. I'll be happy to get home tomorrow. Later this afternoon I'm meeting with my friend Sekeena for coffee. The evening will most likely be quiet. See you soon.
:: The last three days have been better for walking about - the temperature has dropped, and the humidity is way down. Last night, I took the subway to a place called Smoke, to watch Carolyn Leonhart perform. I arrived around 6:20 to find a tiny jazz club and cocktail lounge that serves no food, very intimate and relaxing. With maybe 3 or 4 people at the bar, I took a seat at a table near the "stage", and when Carolyn and her band began, I was the only one sitting at a table. It felt like I was listening to and watching a private concert! Carolyn sang a few jazz standards, some of which appeared on her album, Steal The Moon. Her voice is sultry and smooth, and I felt drawn in to her music and delivery. She was backed by an amazing trio of musicians on piano, standup bass and percussion, to whom I cannot do honour as I cannot recall their names.
While in NYC, and thanks to Carolyn, I was able to obtain a copy of the album Glass Lounge, by the Swiss percussion group Lyn Leon, of which she is a member. I've not heard the album yet, but at their website you can hear sound clips and video of the group in action, and order a copy here.
After the first set, I approached her to say hello, and to ask if she would sign the CD insert for Glass Lounge (which, btw, comes in a package with a round piece of embossed glass!). For the next 20 minutes, we spoke about her career and its direction, how she came to sing with Steely Dan (since 1996), her albums and forthcoming recording project, and other things. She was gracious with her time and company, and I thank her for that. She gave me the ok to take a few pictures during the second set, and I hope they turn out well. I will post the best ones when I return home.
I have Steal the Moon, and if you are looking for a relaxing and engaging album of jazz standards and originals (by Rob Bargad), this album is worth your effort. Order it here.
Thanks, Carolyn, for a memorable evening of music and conversation.
:: This afternoon I saw the film, Blue Car, featuring David Strathairn, one of my favorite actors, and a brilliant young newcomer, Agnes Bruckner. More on that later. What happened when I bought my ticket was a rite of passage: I approached the ticket window (which is outside the theatre showing the movie, on 2nd Avenue near 12th Street), wearing a bball cap, sunglasses and a t-shirt. I gave the attendant $10 and said, "Blue Car"; he looked at me and asked, "Senior?", as in, "you look old enough to qualify for senior admission prices", to which I responded, "I'm not EVEN FIFTY YET, thank you." And I always thought I looked younger than my age. Ha ha!
:: I also spent an hour with one of my favorite people, Jessica Owen. We had coffee and swapped stories, and I walked her to a studio where she was going to record 8 demo tracks of new tunes she's written. I shamelessly promote her latest album on my site - please buy it, you won't be disappointed. Love you, Jess.
:: I've finished Day 1 of the EBL Conference. I'm exhausted. The day went well, met some very cool people from Australia, the UK, Norway, USA, other parts of Canada. I MC'd the door prizes at the banquet, and only made one major gaff. Now I'm home, packing for SLA on Saturday.
:: I borrow music from the public library, and listen to the CDs in my car while driving. I borrowed an album called The Last Broadcast by the band, Doves. I must've read a review of it somewhere, having never heard of the band. I popped it into the CD player with no expectations, and can report that it's quickly become one of my favorite albums of the year. The biographical info on the site is a bit cryptic, and I can't confirm if there are three or four members in the band. The record sounds like there are many more. This band must be something to see in concert, if they are able to replicate the wall of sound in some of the songs on The Last Broadcast. I might describe them as Coldplay meets Radiohead (circa OK Computer) meets the Manchester Sound. It's a great record. More short reviews here.
The weirdest thing, like, really weird? I was listening to the album yesterday, and stopped at Zeller's to pick up some socks. I walked in, and the music in the store was "Pounding", my favorite song on The Last Broadcast. Hello? Who's programming music for Zeller's?
:: Finally, many people are relishing the indictment of Martha Stewart, but some are pointing to the hypocrisy of the non-indictment (to date) of Ken Lay, who headed Enron while it stole billions, wiped out savings of 12,000 workers, cost 5,000 workers their jobs, misled and lied to their stockholders, and nailed California by rigging electricity prices during its energy crisis. Lay and his wife, btw, have annuities which, when they reach maturity in 2007, will provide guaranteed monthly payments for life of $43,023 to Lay, and $32,643 to his wife.
:: It's late on Tuesday, the continuing calm before the storm. Thanks to everyone who contributed comments on purchasing a digital camera. I'll either wait until I return from NYC, or buy one there if the opportunity presents itself.
:: My review of Nowhere in Africa, for Blogcritics.
:: Sometimes it's cool to just sit and listen. A friend called today, concerned about something. I invited her over, and she sat and talked for an hour, and felt better afterwards. I offered the occasional comment or observation, but beyond that, just a sounding board.
:: My suitcase is open in the spare bedroom, as I slowly prepare for NYC. Tomorrow I help move supplies and registration for the EBL conference, and I attend the conference on Thursday and Friday. Thursday night is the banquet. Not a lot of time in between to organize and pack.
:: The new Steely Dan album, Everything Must Go, can be heard in its entirety on the Reprise site. But please, if you can, watch the five-segment video, Steely Dan Confessions, on the same site, in which Don and Walt ride around Las Vegas in Rita's cab. You MUST watch the second one, "Lizzie on lyrics", in which Lizzie tells Walt and Don that her boyfriend grooved her on to "you guy'ses music" in college. The piece de resistance is when she asks them about the lyrics to "Reelin' In The Sheaves", and Donald sez, "Reelin' In The Sheaves, that was one of our best numbers." I'm still laughing.
:: I watched the final episode of the third season of Six Feet Under tonight. A brilliant show, I found the third season a bit tiresome and weary - the focus was on the relationships of each of the main players, and after a few episodes of each of their relationships deteriorating, people screaming at each other, an art teacher who defined pretention, the show began to feel like an unwelcome visitor. I hope it improves next year.
:: If you like Steely Dan like I know I do, you'll be interested in this extensive review of the DVD-A version of their forthcoming album, Everything Must Go, hitting the shelves on 10 June 2003.
:: I've spent the last 6-7 days coughing my lungs out with a minor chest cold of some sort. Today's the first day the coughing has begun to subside. But I've missed two Pilates classes, and haven't really worked out in almost two weeks, so I'm feeling sluggish, and about as sharp as a sack of wet mice.
:: I saw X2: X-Men United on Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
Rick Groen sums it up best: "This may not be a grownup movie but -- unlike the Star Wars franchise or the Batman sequels -- it is a movie that grownups can watch minus the requisite bottle of Excedrin." Three points of view appear in the film: the two carry-overs from the first film: Magneto (kill all humans), Xavier (find a middle ground where humans and mutants can live together in peace); a third appears in the form of Stryker, played by Brian Cox, who wants all the mutants dead, good or bad. There is real tension in the film, and I was caught up in a number of the subplots. All the actors are engaging, and Ian McKellen chews up the screen as Magneto. A nice opening to the mindless summer film frey, and others seem to agree.
:: An interesting column by Jon Iverson has appeared that (again) details the myth of downloading: that file trading of music via the 'net has affected CD sales negatively. Iverson, writing in Stereophile, notes that annual sales remain ahead of 1998's figures, and that when a number of other factors are taken into account, the sales figures should be much worse. Iverson points to a detailed account by Dan Bricklin, co-creator of VisiCalc, who argues that file trading actually leads to
more purchases, rather than the other way around.
:: Shareware Music Machine is a site that gathers links to >4,400 music software titles.
:: In today's Edmonton Journal comes a column by Scott McKeen, titled: Civilization's safe after all. Libraries are cool again. Um, er, well...duh. Those of us in the profession have a news flash for Mr McKeen - our hallowed halls of employment were never uncool. Dude. McKeen observes that when All Things Pop Culture exploded (in the 90s, I presume), such as computers (read: Internet), home theatre, big box bookstores, instant gratification, and so on, the prediction was people would stop frequenting libraries, and by extension, their services. I've been a librarian for 25 years, and don't recall any particular point in time when my colleagues and I thought the sky was falling on our vocation and the buildings in which we work(ed). Read McKeen's column, and one might conclude that it's a modern miracle libraries didn't collapse from within when the Internet and Napster and stadium seat theatres and Digimon and all these fast food thrills took hold of Planet Earth. Well, public libraries at least. In academic and college libraries, we've spent the last 10 years doing our best to help students understand why the Internet isn't the Answer to Everything, and why their research and studies will take them to the library and its resources. *Cough*. (BTW, am I the only person who thinks the Edmonton Journal's web site really, really sucks? Like, badly? Unfortunately, the EJ website is the mirror image of all newspapers in Canada owned by the National Post.)
In fairness to McKeen, he does sing the praises of (public) libraries, and notes that Alberta municipalities are lobbying our provincial government for higher library grants. Um, I won't lose sleep waiting for that to happen very soon - increased library funding in Alberta could lead to a better educated populace. God forbid that might happen here.
:: Speaking of public libraries, this is such a cool idea, I wish someone in Canada would do it, too: The Third Annual New York Times Librarian Awards for public librarians across the United States. This year the awards have gone national in the USA.
:: An interesting "editorial observer" on William Gibson by Brent Staples in the 11 May 2003 NYTimes: A Prince of Cyberpunk Fiction Moves Into the Mainstream. (Note: ID and PW: podbay)
:: Have you been following the amazing success of Apple's iTunes? The iTunes Music Store sold over 1,000,000 songs (@$0.99US a pop) in one week. Read Rebecca's observations. Interestingly enough, hackers have already found a way to share the tunes among Macintosh owners.
:: Last evening, I had the good fortune of playing guitar at the Faculté Saint-Jean Auditorium in Edmonton, as part of "the band" (which includes the brilliant bass player, John Towill), in support of "Amelia Kaminski in Concert." Amelia is a Fiddler Extraordinaire, with whom I have played and performed since 1986. In 1999 I contributed to her recording efforts as well, a project that was musically satisfying for me, and well received by others. The show last night features a mix of music from the Scottish and Irish traditions, with the support of the a cappella group, Almost Blue, from Los Altos CA.
I've performed in most of Amelia's major concerts in the past few years, but I must say that last night was one of the best times I've had on stage with her and John. Two consumate musicians, they bring out the best in me when I make music with them. Amelia takes amazing, gentle care of her backup musicians, and graces the stage with a relaxed and natural presence. She is a collaborator in the true sense of the word, and I find no greater satisfaction in knowing that when I play in support of her, she need only concentrate on her fiddle, and not worry about those of us behind her. John is the kind of musician who is so good that playing with him causes me to raise my own musical abilities - in other words, I become a better musician because I share the stage with him.
Last night was much fun. We were relaxed and had a great time on stage. Contributing to my own enjoyment was the intangible: my brother and parents made a special trip to see the show, and in the audience were another 35 of my friends and colleagues, on hand in support of my efforts. I cannot thank each of them enough! Let me try to explain. It is so much more rewarding to perform for a crowd that includes people who are special to you. This particular show was outstanding - usually I try to sell 10-15 tickets for one of Amelia's musical extravaganzas, but this time I sold 40! (With little effort, I must say!) So to my friends, colleagues and family who attended the show last night, thank you SO MUCH! You made me a better player last night, and increased my enjoyment of the entire evening!
I have gone through extended periods in the past few years, during which time I have been less than inspired to play my instruments. Last night was important because it reminded me of how much fun it can be when the planets align and the musical moment is golden.
¦¦ I just finished a workout, 30 minutes on the cross-trainer, and it felt excrutiating. But upon returning home, the sun has just appeared, and that feels so nice.
¦¦ Here's a fascinating proposal: A barn-raising for civilization.
¦¦ I've never played a round of golf, but like millions of Canadians last weekend, I was thrilled when Mike Weir won the Masters. It was a nice diversion from the rest of the world's woes, and a morale boost for the country. Nice to also hear that he's made the cover of Sports Illustrated.
¦¦ This is interesting: QuickTopic, a service which allows users to create their own one-topic bulleting boards/group discussion space. Also offered is a service called Quick Doc Review, to allow collaborative review of HTML or Word documents.
¦¦ What Liberal Media?, sez Eric Alterman.
¦¦ Another Canadian band worth supporting: The Boomers, led by Ian Thomas, brother of Dave (SCTV) Thomas, and a Canadian music icon in his own right. Here is a good, concise "omni" of their musical output to date. Their newest album is called Midway. Thomas's lyrics focus on love, life, and getting older, and the music is laid-back but intricate and multi-layered.
¦¦ From Blogcritics.org: I will preface this (first) review by noting that it will be quite biased. Jessica Owen is also known as The Artist Formerly Known As Jessica Schoenberg. The review is biased because when Jess lived in Edmonton, I performed alongside her for a couple years (93-94), and played guitar on and arranged most of her first album, Sounds Like A Plan, released on cassette only.
Since that time she has changed her styles many times, (and her stage name once), returning to her roots with her fourth release in 1999, Humanisms. By that I mean a more balanced and primarily acoustic sound, yet one in which she is in full control.
Her new album, Ever-So-Slightly Rearranged, continues a musical journey begun in the early 1990s. On this album, she has abandoned her solo songwriting on six of eleven tunes, sharing these duties with her producer, Andrew Hollander, NYC singer/songwriter Bree Sharp, and Diane Scanlon. This time out, she experiments a wee bit with electronic sounds and drum loops and the like, giving the music an edge it didn't have before. At first I found some of this distracting, but I've grown to like its place on the record over time.
It is difficult to chose one standout cut, but I'll defer to Mr Billboard. It has a great single-note guitar progression that draws the listener close, and explodes with a powerful chorus over which Jessica layers an infectious harmony. As if that's not enough, Jessica plays a short, distorted guitar solo unlike anything I've heard her play before. Jessica and Bree Sharp combine their writing skills on a nifty road tune called American Highway. Guitarist Steve Conte fills the song with tasty licks reminiscent of John Leventhal. Love Song deceives the listener by opening with a gentle acoustic hook on her Stella guitar and then without warning, shifts gears into warp speed and turns the song into a driving mix of electric guitars and fuzz bass.
I like Hollander's production, which allows Jessica's incredible voice and melodies to shine in tandem with some great arrangements. The album is a mix of acoustic and electric, of hearfelt tunes and hard-edged songs. Like I said, it's a biased review - nonetheless, I recommend Jessica Owen's new album for your collection.
¦¦ Recently I was invited to join Blogcritics.org by the editor of the site. While not really fancying myself a critic per se (writing ability helps), I decided to accept, and posted my first review yesterday. One of the editorial requests is to post the reviews on my own site as well, so what you've just read is my first review. (Now, go buy the album!!)
¦¦ The world will get more complicated and frightening this week. One of my colleagues mentioned "war anxiety" today. I'm thinking I'd like to lighten things up a bit, so I'll mention the upcoming film A Mighty Wind, which features the legendary 60s acoustic group, The Folksmen. The first I heard of The Folksmen was in the mid-80s on SNL, when they reunited to sing their Top 70 hit from 1962, "Old Joe's Place." Be in line on April 16th! (BTW, any and all feelings of deja vu re: Spinal Tap, is intended.)
¦¦ The new Steely Dan album, Everything Must Go, the follow-up to their Grammy-winning Two Against Nature, will be in the stores on June 10th.
¦¦ The Beatles Anthology will be released on DVD in a couple weeks. The Beatles' web site is dedicated to this release, but it's a bit frustrating to have to move the cursor around the screen to locate the "hidden" video and info nodes.
¦¦ In other news, McDonald's outlets in three US cities will offer one hour of Wi-Fi to customers that buy a combination meal. Geoff, we'll have to check this out in NYC in June.
¦¦ I guess it can't be all fun all the time. Read this scathing indictment of the US education system, Learning To Be Stupid In The Culture Of Cash. The author laments the absence of awareness and knowledge geography, history, philosophy, and political science among her students. This may sound familiar to Albertans. In the early days of Ralph Klein, our current premier and de facto King, some members of his political party, at a convention in Banff, seriously considered having the philosophy and psychology departments at universities in Alberta closed down, because they didn't generate money or wealth. Dumbing down, anyone?
¦¦ The Edmonton Journal published a feature on blogging in the Friday 14 March 2003 edition. Written by Mairi MacLean, the two pieces feature comments from a number of locals, including Geoff, Robert (in Lethbridge), Jen, myself, and a mention of Kelly's site as well. Given the small amount of coverage available in a newspaper, I thought Mairi did a good job introducing blogging to the EJ readers. My only quibble: the URLs for the websites mentioned were not included in the print or online(!) versions of the articles.
¦¦ In the world of You-Gotta-Be-Sh*tting-Me, a woman in Germany began emerging from a 6-year coma when her parents took her Regensburg to listen to a Bryan Adams concert. My favorite take on the story left me in tears from laughing. Previously Bryan Adams was known only for Waking Up The Neighbours, not comatose fans. Meanwhile, in Kenya, sadly, three people died trying to retrieve a mobile phone that fell into an open-pit latrine.
¦¦ It's unfortunate that you need to subscribe to read stories from the NYTimes Magazine online. The March 9 issue features three fascinating articles on: face transplant surgery, "smart-mobbing" the antiwar movement, and a disturbing piece on Mel Gibson and his father, orthodox Catholic theologian Hutton Gibson. Discussed is The Passion, Mel Gibson's upcoming movie on the last 12 hours of the life of Christ, with the actors speaking in Latin and Aramic only. There will be no subtitles. "Gibson has has said that he hopes to depict Christ's ordeal using 'filmic storytelling techniques' that will make the understanding of the dialogue uncessary." (NYTimes, 9 March 02, p53) The publication of the article has infuriated the younger Gibson. What is disturbing about the article in the NYTimes Magazine are some of Hutton Gibson's beliefs such as: the Sept 11 jets were not flown by Al-Qaeda operatives but were remote-controlled, and that the Holocaust never happened.
¦¦ Why are there not enough hours in the day to do what you want to do?
¦¦ Forthcoming project: to record in a notepad every song that appears in my head in one day from wakeup in the morning to going to sleep at night the same day.
¦¦ With all due respect to my many dear American friends, occasionally you shake your head in disbelief at what some of them do to get attention, especially in the name of so-called patriotism. Will the "average" American ever learn that there is sentient life outside the 48 contiguous, and, gosh darn it, that it matters too?
¦¦ Another pronouncement from the established media that blogging is now mainstream.
¦¦ Late night musical discovery: Secondsight, from North Carolina.
¦¦ It makes good sense that my friend and colleague Stephen Abram is a member of the Internet Librarian Hall of Fame. My question is: how does one qualify, and who makes decision to induct?
¦¦ It was great to see SNL pay tribute last Saturday to Fred Rogers. Horatio Sanz sat on stage near the end and sang a song in his honour. In the past, SNL skewered him mercilessly, the high water mark being the early 1980's with Eddie Murphy, when he did Mr Robinson's Neighborhood. National Lampoon was in on it as well, satirizing him on one of their first albums. Read a most heartfelt tribute to Rogers from PopMatters.
¦¦ Make your own online kaleidoscope! The Internet justs gets better every day.
¦¦ Indeed it is. The highlight today was a haircut at 10:00 am. But I digress. Ten years ago, when AAA radio began to take off in North America, I lamented in a letter to the Edmonton Journal that no such station was to be found in these here parts. Around that time, Calgary and Vancouver had AAA stations (Mix 1060, Coast 1040), but both were relegated to the AM band, rather than FM, and they could not build an audience big enough or sell enough advertising to stay solvent. Mix 1060's playlist was so diverse and interesting that one time on a trip from Edmonton to Calgary, I listed every song they played in three hours to get a sense of the range of music, and I was impressed. My letter drew a response from the then-pop music writer, Helen Metella, who agreed. However, she interviewed local rock FM music directors, who insisted such a format would never work in Edmonton.
It's ten years later, and Edmonton still features five faceless, interchangable pop-rock FM stations, populated by idiot djs, with playlists as bland as you can imagine. K-97 likes to play a lot of Supertramp, and 100.3 enjoys hitting us with Zeppelin. Hey, I like LZ, but time and a place, guys, ok?
Well, I should maybe make that 4.5 stations. A few days ago, Mix 96 because 96X, The Hit Music Alternative. I've listened to it for four days, while driving, and can report that the playlist is, well, diverse and interesting. There are problems, of course: the djs still talk to us like we're 10-year olds, and often they will not tell you the name and/or song title of the tune(s) just played. This infuriates me - the Calgary and Vancouver stations always listed the song info after a set of tunes. Regardless, I hope they survive, and do well, if only because they've already been dissed by the sockheads at 100.3 - the radio station that growls at you 300x a day.
¦¦ While searching for info on AAA stations, I came across a web site called EdmontonStories.com. It is set in MT, and is a site to which readers can contribute Edmonton stories. It looks new, and I don't think anyone other than designer has posted yet. Among the links there is one to another Edmonton blog, from Ray vanderWoning, rightfully titled Caustic Sense. This is why. So I look at the bottom page, and read "This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License." I am further intrigued to read about what they are:
"Creative Commons has developed a Web application that helps people dedicate their creative works to the public domain -- or retain their copyright while licensing them as free for certain uses, on certain conditions. Unlike the GNU GPL, Creative Commons licenses are not be designed for software, but rather for other kinds of creative works: websites, scholarship, music, film, photography, literature, courseware, etc. We hope to build upon and complement the work of others who have created public licenses for a variety of creative works."
Watch an animated short about their mission (complete with cheesy roller-rink organ). Creative Commons wants to help us "skip the intermediary", i.e., copyright. CC wants to help you let others make "some use" of your creativity on the internet, without having to jump through legal hoops. If copyright is a red light saying "stop", CC is the green light, saying "c'mon in." Their licences are explained here. CC has its own blog as well.
I think this is a great idea, long overdue. Copyright is important and necessary, but can be stifling and suffocating. CC is an US-based initiative, and I am not sure if it can applies outside that jurisidiction, but their licences are being used by non-Americans.
I also note that the Creative Commons movement is old news, from 2002, and I wasn't surprised to learn that it is chaired by Lawrence Lessig. To those of you already familiar with CC, thanks for your patience.
¦¦ Look carefully before you decide to close this window after it opens. Thanks, Sharon.
¦¦ I am friggin' tired tonight.
¦¦ I didn't know that "yo la tengo" means "I have it" in Spanish. I did know that "husker du" means "do you remember" in Norwegian and/or Danish.
¦¦ Blogging is moving into the mainstream very quickly. Now, Harvard has hired Dave Winer to head up its new Weblogs at Harvard Initiative. So the question is begged: if blogging has made it to Harvard, have blogs moved into the mainstream? If so, I'm wondering what comes next, in whatever embryonic stage it might be at this time. Will blogs become passé? I don't think so, at least not for a while. I think blogs will continue to evolve and mutate and morph into other formats. Time will tell.
¦¦ Norah Jones and Christopher Cross? Will she suffer his fate? I doubt it.
¦¦ Napster, seemingly forgotten these days, is set to return later this year.
OK, this is a blatant plug for the new album, ever-so-slightly rearranged, by my wonderful friend and brilliant musician, Jessica Owen (formerly Schoenberg - love you lots, girl!). After some delay, the record is now available for purchase from CD Baby.
This is Jessica's fifth album. I was fortunate and priviliged to have played on and arranged most of her first offering, Sounds Like A Plan, recorded and released in cassette in April 1994. Since then, her talent has blossomed considerably, her songwriting and playing improved geometrically, and her incredible, powerful voice continues to amaze and demand your attention.
If you have hi-fi broadband access and Windows Media Player, listen to 2 mins each of four of her new songs. Low-fi dialup access is here.
Trust me, this is worth the effort. Yes, I am totally biased in her favour, but I can also tell quality music and effort when I hear it. Please consider buying a great product in support of a musician whom I respect enormously and love unconditionally, but more importantly, buy it because you'll enjoy it for a long time to come.
My brother Chris sent this interesting story on the emergence of CD burning clubs. Group members chose a variety of songs, burn CDs, and send one back to every member. Downloading copyrighted material continues to be a hot topic. I agree with Dave Marsh's comments in this article, and I've said this before: I've discovered more interesting music and been exposed to more interesting artists as a result of downloading and listening to new music from wherever. Copyright is the sacred cow in my profession. What I don't like is the wholesale burning of an entire CD for someone else's use, or downloading of anything for burning and resale. And so on goes the downloading wars.
It's bloody freezing here in Edmonton today.
Am I the only person around who is not surprised of the lack of interest or outrage by Americans regarding the bankruptcy scandals involving corporate executives at Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, etc? We've become numb to such events, I believe. There is so much crap happening in the world, that when we hear about senior Enron execs defrauding investors, we shrug our shoulders and check out the next news story.
There's a lot going on right now, and a lot about which to write, but I've been busy. Lots of teaching and mentoring this week at work. Tonight five of us went for beers at the Power Plant, and laughed ourselves silly for four hours. My ribs are still hurting, but it felt so good to laugh (when I wasn't choking).
Here's an interesting story, however: 500 original Beatles tapes, stolen in the 1970s, and containing music and tracks that have never been heard, have been recovered in Holland. Now we'll wonder if and when some of these songs might be released. I'm trying to imagine how fascinating it would be to hear complete, original Beatles tunes we've never heard, recorded in 1969 and remastered to match today's quality. It would be absolutely fascinating.
Today's news of the death of Joe Strummer hits hard, and I think it may be, on some levels, Gen X's equivalent of the loss of John Lennon, but on a smaller scale. While other punkers have passed on (Sid Vicious, for example), none who have left had the impact of Strummer. The Clash, led by Strummer, inspired U2, Billy Bragg, and countless other rockers who have imbued their music with politics and causes. Bragg is most eloquent with his words describing Stummer's impact on his own music. It is a terrible loss. An interesting Brief History of Punk examines the late 70s heyday, when it emerged from the underground.
A recent report by Microsoft suggests that efforts to stop music file-swapping programs is pointless. It's interesting to read this, knowing of the efforts of the RIAA to fight it. And as a musician, I'm always conflicted somewhat over the copyright issue. Yet every struggling musician I meet wants nothing more than to make their music available over the Internet, and not necessarily for a fee. There's even an boycott RIAA movement now.
It is fascinating to watch the record companies squirm, especially in light of the recent $143.1 US million dollars paid out by the planet's five largest music companies and three largest music retailers to settle a two-year old antitrust case involving price fixing of CDs. And lest you think that successful musicians aren't interested in this either, check out Janis Ian's thoughts on the subject. Here's her first essay, and the follow-up. Now I am going back to work, preparing my Materials Engineering 343 lecture...
