I Just Read About That…

SOUNDTRACK: DROMEDARY RECORDS

My friend Al started Dromedary Records many many years ago (for the whole, in depth, history read here).  He released a number of cool indie rock CDs and then decided to put a halt to the proceedings.

Recently, he decided to resurrect the label, with mostly downloads as opposed to physical product (for the post about that, read this).  He’s currently offering a free EP download from the great Jersey band Footstone.  But more importantly, he’s gathered a number of cool indie bands who contributed a track for his new compilation called Make the Load Lighter: Indie Rock for Haiti.  Proceeds from the compilation go to Haitian relief.

Al has always loved music.  Dromedary was his way of getting great music out to people without all the bullshit that major labels were foisting on artists (this was all before internet music, of course).  And, Al has always been a really good and decent human being (even after owning a record label for a dozen years).  I’m delighted that he’s able to do a nice thing for people and still get music out to those who want it.

So, buy the download, support a good cause, and enjoy some great tunes.

[READ: February 2009] 52 Weeks Heads and Quotes

This is a day planner (sort of) and as such it doesn’t really qualify as a book I’ve read.  However, The Believer published this planner which included excerpts from the magazine, so it kind of counts.  Each week there’s a quote from an artist (usually a writer, but also actors and musicians) as well as a Charles Burns drawing of him or her (or even it in a couple of cases).

And since it is not tied to any year (you write in the month as you go) it has the delightful quote on the back: “You can start this planner anytime–it does not expire.”

Artists include Tina Fey, David Byrne, Nick Hornby, Terry Gilliam, George Saunders, and many more.

The heads by Charles Burns are great.  They’re the same ones from the magazine, but I still enjoy seeing them in this format.  What’s extraordinary about them is that they all look clearly like Burns’ work, and yet they still all look uncannily like the individual (in a Burnsian stylized way).

So, you get a large head with days of the week then on the opposite side you get a small head with a blank page for doodles and a quote from the head itself.  And each entry has different colored pages (so it’s easy to use and it’s pretty too).

I pretty much never use any day planner that I get, so I don’t know if I’ll use this one, but it’s still a nice addition to the bookshelf.