Posted in Art d'Ecco, Death, Electricity, End of the World, Funny (ha ha), Futility, Gambling, Outer Space, Red Dwarf, Rob Grant, Sparks, Threats, Time Travel, Violence, Yuck! on June 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: ART D’ECCO “Angst in My Pants” (2021).
I saw Art D’ecco open a show a few years ago and I’ve become mildly obsessed with hi. I’m delighted to see that he’s getting some promotion and success.
His new album In Standard Definition is a great synth pop retro dance infusion. But in addition to that he has released two standalone covers.
Art D’ecco covering Sparks is a pretty natural decision. as his label puts it.
Posted in Art d'Ecco, Better Than Life, Corporate skewering, Culture Shock, Death, Doug Naylor, Drinking, End of the World, Environmentalism, Extinction, Failure, Feminism, Funny (ha ha), Futility, Grant Naylor, Marriage Trouble, Mind control, Outer Space, Quarantine, Red Dwarf, Religion, Revenge, Rob Grant, Robots, Sci-fi, Science, Shapeshifters, The Jam, Threats, Time Travel, Video Games, Violence, Virginity (Loss of), Yuck! on June 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: ART D’ECCO-“That’s Entertainment” (2021).
I saw Art D’ecco open a show a few years ago and I’ve become mildly obsessed with hi. I’m delighted to see that he’s getting some promotion and success.
His new album In Standard Definition is a great synth pop retro dance infusion. But in addition to that he has released two standalone covers.
This one, a cover of The Jam’s “That’s Entertainment” was a little concerning for me. This song is one of my all time favorite songs and I’m always nervous when a song like this gets covered.
But Art D’ecco does a great job. There’s acoustic guitars, a grooving bass line, cool harmony vocals and, best of all, he keeps the way the chorus offers the short “That’s” and the stretched out “en ter tain ment.” He even does the falsetto note (of course).
But what’s most enlightening about is cover is D’ecco’s voice. He seems to be stretching out of his comfort zone a little and it really shows off how good a singer her really is.
[READ: April 21, 2021] Last Human
I’m not sure what got me on my recent Red Dwarf reading kick (finding out that they had just released a new series was certainly a spark). I was sure I had read all of these books before and yet none of them were familiar to me at all.
The Grant Naylor team wrote two books and the second one ended on a cliffhanger.
Then for reasons I’m not willing to dig into, both Rob Grant and Doug Naylor each wrote a sequel to that book. But neither book is like the other and they both go in very different directions. Naylor’s book was really dark and very violent. Grant’s was also dark and very violent, but in very different ways.
The previous book ended with an old Lister being sent to a planet where everything goes backwards so that he can de-age to about the same age he was when he was on the series. They plan to meet him 36 years later at Niagara Falls.
In this book Naylor has the crew place Kochanski’s ashes on the planet Kochanski so she came back to life and she and Lister were able to live their lives backwards together for some thirty years.
But this book opens much further back–to the birth of the first humanoid. (more…)
Posted in Canadian Music, Death, Graphic Novel, Kim Hyun Sook, Ko Hyung-Ju, Korea, Prison, Rheostatics, Ryan Estrada, South Korea, Violence on June 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-Avening Hall, Creemore, ON (November 16, 2019.
At the moment, the link for the first show of this series downloads this show instead of the 15th). When the link is updated, I’ll post about November 15th.
It was pretty amazing that Rheostatics were going to do a mini tour. I wanted to go to these shows so badly, but it was really hard for me to get up to Toronto. I even bought a ticket for the final night, hoping something would allow me to go. But, alas.
Second of the 7 Ontario shows for the Here Come The Wolves mini tour. The band were having some sound issues during the first set and I think it threw them off so Clark suggested they take a 10 minute break to regroup. This recording is actually a mix of one of the audience mics and the soundboard. The Soundboard mix, however, was all instruments other than kick drum in the right channel so I had to turn it into a mono file or it would have been unlistenable. I added the audience mix in for some room ambience and added a bit of compression, etc in Garageband for the final mix.
This show did not have Kevin Hearn, but it did have Hugh Marsh. I’d have liked to see one show with Kevin and one without.
This show opens with a quiet intro and lots of Hugh Marsh playing as “Stolen Car” begins. There’s some wild soloing in the middle of the song with Martin and Hugh having a “conversation” with bending notes. Dave B sings the “I don’t need anger” verse.
Up next is “AC/DC On The Stereo (Country Version).” for whatever reason, they play this as a more folky song (hence the “country version” label). DB sings the first part; DC sings the middle. When it ends, Martin jokes “that’s the brand new country version.”
During “Rearview” someone plays a simple acoustic solo (Tim or Dave?) and BD jokes “pretty hot licks.”
They go a little nuts on “Here Come the Wolves” with barking and howling. When Hugh plays the middle violin riff, martin sings every day is silent and gray (Morrissey). ‘It’s The Supercontroller!” has a false start but a wonderfully trippy opening from Hugh and DC. Before the lyrics begin, DB asks for a monitor adjustment: “There’s a squirrel in my monitor.” Martin: you hate squirrels. Dave: No, Martin YOU hate squirrels. MT: It’s not that you hate them, it’s that you don’t think they are worth your time. Clark gets audience participation on the “ahhs”
DB says they are playing the new album in order. We are never out of order.
DC: We are never out of odor. My wife thinks I am never out of odor.
MT: I’ve never thought you were smelly–that’s not part of your reputation.
A lovely “Music in the Message.” Then Dave says that people flew in from Vancouver and asks if anyone is from further. DC: We’ll still thank you anyway. Then he jokes about Tyler Stewart and says we’re in the drummer’s union. It’s okay.
After babbling a bit, “I’m not sure what I’m trying to say. I’m not trying to say anything. I just feel like words belong here and I’m trying to make things flow.” He says “Vancouver” is a song he wrote when he was around 18 (he says he was born in 1967) and which he rewrote last year. This gets him to ask everyone’s birth year and hospital of birth.
DB 1963 in Etobicoke, St Michaels (a good Italian will be born in a hospital named after a Saint).
Tim: Etobicoke General (he’s the only real Etobicoke native).
DC 1965
Hugh: Montreal
Martin gives a shout out to Hugh and Nick Buzz: we’ve done 3 albums in 30 years.
“Vancouver” takes a bit of time to get going. The b vox are a little rough on this, but Martin’s echoing rippling guitar blasts at the end are awesome. The solo quotes from Journey’s “Who’s Crying Now.”
“I Wanna Be Your Robot” is rocking fun. DC encourages the audience to make a new friend tonight. Turn and introduce yourself. You’ll make a new friend, for life potentially. It feels really nice. You’re all fans, you might as well.
The start of “Beautiful Night” has Hugh making all kinds of cool trippy violin noises.
They take a little break you can hear LP’s “Lost on You” in the background.
They return with “Northern Wish” to some cheers and talking, but there’s lovely crowd singing at the end.
Dave says they’d like to thank their opening band. They were a little nervous: The Rheospastics.
Up next is one they haven’t done in a while. “P.I.N.” starts out happy, but “just you wait.” The final notes (Dave B) are messed up.
DB: IS it going a little better in the second set? Tim: a little funnier at least.
During “Power Ballad For Ozzy Osbourne,” Hugh plays a ripping solo and DB says “these are the rotation of chords where we think about what Hugh just played.” During the ending “Crazy Train” line Martin plays the riff and it fits perfectly. DB says that song is more of a PSA than anything.
They ask what do you want to hear (Horses of course). But they play “Legal Age Life” with a wicked wah wah violin solo. They have a little fun with a guy in the vest in the audience–“he’s not from Vancouver–MT: he lives in a shack in the parking lot.
I love the record version of “Goodbye Sister Butterfly,” but this live version feels a little weird. However, the disco ending is hot and they throw in some lines from “Good on the Uptake.” They get really silly making robot and dog sounds.
Martin introduces he next song: This next song is about a robot dog named “Claire.” He plays a ripping solo very Neil Youngish.
Then comes an 11 minute Horses -> Crosseyed And Painless -> Another Brick In The Wall -> Horses. DB sends this out to all the teachers. Thank you for being teachers. We love you. We got your back. There’s a percussion solo in the middle (glasses and wood blocks). The speakers crackle at the end.
After the encore break, DC gives a nice talk about friendship and music. Then they introduce Hugh who is from Montreal and is “beautifully exotic” and was “born in a violin case.” Martin talks about Hugh’s first violin lesson. He plays a scratchy Mary Had a Little Lamb. How? on his guitar? on the violin? That’s how he got the Bruce Cockburn gig.
Then Martin talks about places where he’s lived. Funny jokes about Flesherton and sex cults. Finally someone shouts Play a song, then!
DB: Here’s a song, sir. But not for you. It’s for everybody else. Al the patient ones. They play a brooding “Albatross.”
Dave says this is the first time he’s ever directed anyone to a website in his life. But Darrin Cappe [the guy who runs the Rheostatics Live site!] who is here tonight has concerts going back to 1981. MT: Hey Darrin, How you doin?
The end with “Mountains And The Sea.” They mess up the challenging transition but quickly get it back and Hugh plays another wicked solo.
This show is almost two and a half hours long. There were some glitches and lots of chatting, but what fun. And great to have them back.
I saw the title of this book and was instantly intrigued. I had no idea that it was about banned books in Korea, though. It’s immediately apparent that it is set there (the first page says South Korea, 1983), and that’s when I realized I knew nothing about South Korea in the 1980s.
The book opens on a family arguing. They are in their “Fancy Steak Restaurant” where the main character, Kim Hyun Sook, is planning to go to University. Her mother argues with her that she should be working in the restaurant not going to school. But her father wants her to pursue her dream, like he pursued his (which was to open a steak restaurant).
Next we see her arriving at University where protests are underway. She is irritated by them (her mother had bad things to say about them) and just wants to get to class.
She does well in school and joins a masked dance folk team as an extracurricular activity. The folk dancing is wonderful, but at their first performance, the protesters arrive. The drums team tells her that it was planned–they are part of the protests as well. She is outraged and says she doesn’t want to do anything political. (more…)
Posted in Canadian Music, Death, Drugs, Graphic Novel, Huh?, Outer Space, Plaid Klaus, Rheostatics, Road Trip, Robots, Ryan O'Sullivan, Violence, War, tagged rheoslive on June 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-Sonic Boom, Toronto, ON (September 5 2019).
Back in 2007, when the Rheostatics said farewell, who ever would have guessed that they’d be back in a record store for an album release event. But here they are, playing in a record store and answering a formal Q&A.
For the release of the Here Come The Wolves album the Rheos did a Q&A at the record store Sonic Boom in Toronto with Laurie Brown. Her interview is included here but the video can be found here. The band then did a 45 minute set of new songs which may have been the first time since reforming that Hugh Marsh did not play with them as he was in Europe at the time. Luckily Eric Mac Innis traveled to Toronto from the Maritimes for this event and recorded it for everyone to hear.
After a 40 minute interview (which is quite nice), the four guys are going “to try to play the first five (actually six) songs of the record.” Which is the first side of the record.
They tune up. Martin jokes “this is the Ravi Shankar portion” and DB says “our record is actually a Doors tribute album. Every song starts in a minor key.”
They start after two minutes with “Vancouver.” The recording is very spare–like they are holding back for the small space. The entire middle part is instrumental with maybe Dave noodling away until Martin comes back to sing the rest. The end rocks a bit more. Martin throws in a hint of a Journey song in the solo. Tim: “We still haven’t quite learned that one yet.” DC: “I did.”
“AC/DC On The Stereo” has big guitar chords and a few false intros (it’s weird without High’s violin). “Rearview” sounds really nice in this setting.
DB: we used to do these things at the Rivoli–live rehearsals. I’d like to bring that back. Super fun. We worked songs out. It was entertaining for us. Maybe not the audience. I remember them being really full and then that thing turned up on YouTube of us spanking Dave Clark on the ass. The Rivoli was very dark. [whisper: people deal guns there? Don’t go downtown, Dave.] There’s no one–12 of our friends there. You can buy gum at the Rivoli.
“Here Come The Wolves” is next. Martin tunes while Dave gives a big drum intro. Wanna see my tuner? Here clip this on the head stock. [Ha ha ha Now that’s comedy]. How you doin? The song works well. Everyone claps at the pause and then Martin does his part.
They thank Michael Phillip Wojewoda, Chris Walla, Gus Van Gogh for working on the album and Martin tells a funny story about MPW’s disgusting dreadlock. Mike has left Dave has known him since he had that beaver-shaped dread in the middle of his hair it had a gray core–it was oxidizing in the middle. Never leave a Rheostatics shows or the band will tell stories about you.
DC: I was being nice to the guy and you guys are tearing him a new one Martin: that’s not a new one that’s something he did. There’s nothing wrong with dreadlocks. DC: I’m just stirring the pot. MT: Stirring a big pot of dreadlock stew–it makes a fine broth. We were on tour with the Dough Boys (Dreadlock Stu).
Next song is by David Clark. DC: Martin, pick your favorite chord, don’t look. Martin plays an insane chord and the song starts. After the song DB: remember that chord, it’s pure gold.
Sympathetic vibrations. DC starts talking about sympathetic advice he received from a luthier. never leave your instrument in a case (they die), have them on stands in the noisiest part of the house they will vibrate and stay in tune. DB says that’s bullshit. Martin says it’s largely bullshit, but not totally. Pick up an acoustic guitar that’s been in a case it will sound like shit; pick up a cheap one that’s been out and it will sound good.
DB: You learned that all from a Lutheran?
DC: Yes he nailed it to me.
Buy the record upstairs on the mezzanine level. They play a jazzy number: buy the record in the mezzanine. How much does it cost? $1.79. No, that’s not even the tax.
They end with another song by Tim: “Music is the Message.” We’re gonna play it and go. It’s slow and pretty–sounds good, although the backing ahhs are a little crazy.
I saw this book on the shelf at the library and thought the title sounded promising. The cover also looked pretty cool, so I brought it home.
As the book opens, we see Ana and Gabe stealing fuel from a tanker in the desert. Gabe is much older than Ana and they seem to be arguing about their (confusing) plans. They are quickly interrupted by the owner of the truck–a rather large but cute humanoid creature with a furry face.
Ana tells him that space pirates were trying to steal his fuel and she and Gabe frightened them off. The trucker is grateful for the help but when he is visited soon after by a white robot, he’ll wish he wasn’t so gullible.
Ana and Gabe are the last humans alive (according to the back of the book, although I’m not sure it says that anywhere in the story). They are headed to Euphoria, a sort of promised land planet.
They stop off at a rest stop where a humanoid elephant with lots of trunks (Ganesh-like) joins them to indulge in froot (various psychedelic drugs). Mooreberry gives psychedelic experiences; Gaimangos turn everything into a fairytale. Busiekhini will taste like the best food you’ve ever had. (Those names are pretty good). He eats it and hilarious trippiness ensues. (more…)
Posted in Barenaked Ladies, Better Than Life, Common Deer, Coronavirus, Corporate skewering, Culture Shock, Daveed Diggs, Death, Doug Naylor, Drinking, End of the World, Environmentalism, Extinction, Failure, Funny (ha ha), Futility, Grant Naylor, Hamilton, Mind control, Outer Space, Quarantine, Red Dwarf, Religion, Revenge, Rob Grant, Robots, Sci-fi, Science, Shapeshifters, The Flaming Lips, The Look People, Threats, Time Travel, Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts, Tiny Desk Concert, Video Games, Violence, Virginity (Loss of), Western, Yuck!, tagged rheoslive on June 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: RHEOSTATICS-Jackson Triggs, St.Catharines, ON (August 12, 2017).
I have been catching up on the last few remaining recent (relatively) shows that the Rheostatics played. These are all shows since the release of Here Comes the Wolves.
Great soundboard show from the beautiful Jackson Triggs Winery stage with Kevin Hearn on Keys/vocals and Hugh Marsh on violin. Very chatty show with one of the longest stretches of banter I can recall at over 8 minutes of straight comedy.
The show begins with the spoken introduction from Group of 7 “A tall white pine stands between me and the tree I’m trying to see … also a tall white pine.” Then Martin starts a gentle “Northern Wish.” It’s followed by “Legal Age Life” which has a wild keyboard solo. Kevin continues to shine on a lengthy intro for Dave Clark’s fun new song “Supecontroller.” It’s kind of a dopey song but it’s one of my favorites.
Kevin says to the audience, Say hello to Dave Clark.” Dave says Jackson Triggs has treated us fine and gave us all kinds of good food. (and plenty of wine).
[READ: April 21, 2021] Backwards
I’m not sure what got me on my recent Red Dwarf reading kick (finding out that they had just released a new series on DVD was certainly a spark). I was sure I had read all of these books before and yet none of them were familiar to me at all.
The Grant Naylor team wrote two books and the second one ended on a cliffhanger.
Then for reasons I’m not willing to look into, both Rob Grant and Doug Naylor each wrote a sequel to that book. But neither book is like the other and they both go in very different directions. Naylor’s book was really dark and very violent.
Grant’s book is also dark but in very different ways.
The previous book ended with an old Lister being sent to a planet where everything goes backwards so that he can de-age to about the same age he was when he was on the series. They plan to meet him 36 years later at Niagara Falls.
But this book opens with a prologue about Arnold Rimmer aged 7 and how he continues to fail in school. His teachers suggest he be held back, but his mother interferes and that lets him move on.
Then the book starts properly with the crew of Red Dwarf: Rimmer, Cat and Kryten landing on Reverse World and trying to locate Lister. Because everything goes in reverse (which takes some time to wrap your head around) all of your actions are predetermined. And, essentially, if you do something dangerous, you know that if you’re not already hurt, you won’t get hurt because you would be hurt to start with. What? You’ve already jumped off the cliff, now, you’re doing it backwards. But you already landed, so you’d already be hurt and going backwards would un-hurt you.
It also means that you un-eat food, good to sleep when you are refreshed, wake up when you’re tired. And you don’t even want to think about going to the bathroom. (more…)
Posted in Adventure, Brothers Osborne, Children's Books, Coronavirus, Death, Funny (ha ha), Guns, Mysteries, Mystery, Ninjas, Quarantine, Richard Thompson, Robbery, Set at School, Spies, Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence on June 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: BROTHERS OSBORNE-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #215 (May 26, 2021).
If Brothers Osborne were an instrumental band I’d really like them. Lead guitarist John Osborne is an amazing player whose riffs are amazing and even though they sound pretty country, he’s amazing to watch.
But when T.J. Osborne starts singing, you understand why they wear cowboy hats.
For their Tiny Desk (home) concert… Brothers Osborne–a country duo that’s long challenged the conventions of country and still managed to top the charts–scale to fit the setting – John’s wood-panelled Nashville living room furnished with plenty of guitars and a tiny desk featuring a Maryland flag mug – but refuse to dial down the intensity.
They open with “Muskrat Greene,” the instrumental that is so impressive. T.J.’s guitar licks are flying, Adam Box’s drums keep a tight martial pace (and the drum sound is fantastic) and the song never lets up. I love the backwards guitar part in the middle along with some cool keyboard soloing from Gabe Dixon.
Opening with the explosive instrumental track “Muskrat Greene,” Brothers Osborne and their collaborators use their set to showcase the very best of Skeletons. As on the record, they transition immediately into “Dead Man’s Curve,” a track that’s the ideal interplay between John’s fiery guitar and T.J.’s singular vocal stylings.
After two and a half minutes they segue into “Dead Man’s Curve” which sounds like a pretty great rockin’ roots song. The main riff after the chorus is spectacular and T.J.’s solo smokes. I’d like to hear it with different vocals.
“I’m Not for Everyone” is where the set falters for me. It is such a standard country song–anthemic and familiar–I’m sure it sounds exactly like some other country song. I might enjoy it more as a cover because the lyrics are pretty funny (country music self-deprecation). The addition of “local legend” Matt Heasley on accordion is a nice touch.
“Skeletons” opens with some muted acoustic guitar from T.J. and some nice slide guitar work from Jason Graumlich. Once again, if this song didn’t feel so “country” I would really like it. Musically it’s solid (John gets another great solo) and lyrically it’s quite clever. I just don’t like the vocal style. When I imagine Richard Thompson singing it, I like it a lot better.
“Hatin’ Somebody” (never got nobody nowhere) ends the set with more clever lyrics. This time John uses the slide for some more great guitar work. The song has a fun riff and Pete Sternberg’s bass keeps the low end solid. But the song is just too country for me.
I do appreciate how much fun they are having though.
[READ: June 1, 2021] Spy School
I read Gibbs’ Charlie Thorne books recently and really enjoyed them, so I thought it would be fun to check out his earlier series Spy School (which C. had read a few years ago and really liked).
This story had the same kind of clever wit as the Charlie Thorne books, which I greatly appreciated. It was also a pretty exciting story.
It starts in the middle of nowhere. Well, actually in the middle of Ben Ripley’s house. Where, out of nowhere, a Federal agent has just told him that he has been accepted into spy school. They’ve had their eyes on him for a while. He did wonderfully on the STIQ exams. What are they? He doesn’t remember taking them.
Standardized Test Inserted Questions. The CIA places them in every standardized test to asses potential espionage aptitude. You’ve gotten every one right since third grade.
So that’s pretty wild. Of course everything about Spy school is secret so he can’t even tell his parents or his best friend. They al think he’s going to a super brainy nerdy math school (Ben is a super brainy math nerd after all).
The agent, Alexander Hale, is so cool, Ben can’t wait to hang out with him. But when Alexander drops him off at school things are not good. The whole school is under red alert–there seems to have been a security breach. And Ben is now a target. Why? because even the enemy has heard about him. (more…)
Posted in Aliens, Angelica Villa, Arjuna Susini, Billie Birds, Coronavirus, Corporate skewering, Death, Dogs, Fat Joe, Funny (ha ha), Funny (strange), Graphic Novel, Guns, Huh?, Humiliation, Paul Tobin, Prison, Quarantine, Saida Temofont, The Future, Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence, Vittorio Astone, Yuck! on June 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: FAT JOE-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #217 (June 1, 2021).
This Tiny Desk (Home) Concert opens with big chords from Eric Whatley’s bass and Simon Martinez’ guitar. Then some record scratching from DJ Ted Smooth and crashing cymbals from Rashid Williams.
Fat Joe walks into a shop and is handed a mic as the Eugene “Man-Man” Roberts plays a menacing melody on the keys. I like Fat Joe’s vocal style but “My Lifestyle” is just another story of bitches n’ hos.
A founding member of the D.I.T.C. (Diggin’ In the Crates) crew, Fat Joe Da Gangsta has managed to last nearly 30 years and multiple generations in the rap game without ever giving up his lease on the top of the charts.
He introduces DJ Ted Smooth and his protégé Angelica Vila and then the Terror Squad band.
That crew turns the rugged “My Lifestyle” into a visceral experience with layers of nuance added by Joe’s longtime DJ Ted Smooth.
“What’s Luv?” is a slow ballad. Angelica Villa sings and her refrain of “whats luv” sounds remarkably like a sample–her voice is really amazing.
On the 2002 smash “What’s Luv,” Angelica Vila takes the spotlight singing a hook originally performed by Ashanti.
It’s weird to see her dancing and grinding like it’s a music video, which I guess it is, but still. There’s some salsa infusions in the song.
“Lean Back” has a bad ass riff and a repeated chant of “lean back.” It’s really catchy.
Latino hip-hop legend Fat Joe muscled his way out of the streets of the South Bronx with his debut album, Represent, in 1993. He radiates a different energy in 2021, sauntering in his own uptown streetwear shop, fresh fitted in pink leather and a designer bucket hat, but he’s still got that old larger-than-life electricity.
And yet he still seems unreasonably angry–staring down the camera and shouting, “Tiny Desk don’t play with us like that, man.” [What could that possibly mean in this context?]
Up next is “Sunshine (The Light)”
an effervescent new springtime jam that was spawned by 22-year-old internet sensation Amorphous, who mashed up Luther Vandross’s debut single “Never Too Much” with Rihanna’s “Kiss It Better.” Joe, who has always had a solid ear for new talent and a prowess for pinning down a buoyant hit record, came in and gullied this sparkling jam, renewing a glow that’s been dim for this last year.
It’s a pretty song and Angelica’s voice sounds really great. I look forward to hearing more from her.
He shouts out to Luther and then goes on a little rant about being old and having everything ripped away and the coming back at 40. I don’t know he seems pretty successful to me.
“All The Way Up” ends the set sounding similar to “Lean Back” but with a jazzy sample. Throughout the song as he raps lines there’s a response. I thought they were samples, but it turns out that the DJ is his hype man too.
I tend to like rappers in this Tiny Desk Home Concert better than on record, but I really liked Fat Joe’s style. I’ll have to keep it limited to this though, I think.
[READ: May 20, 2021] Heist
I enjoyed this book so much I wanted to see what else Paul Tobin had written. Lo and behold, he is responsible for a favorite graphic novel Claudette. This story is a lot different and a lot darker, but it still has his sense of humor.
The book opens with a man fleeing from people trying to kill him. Glane Breld escapes and says he needs a drink…and a crew. He’s been out of prison for nine hours and he is ready for his next heist.
The people he wants are Celine Disse, master gunsmith, Gaville, master of disguise (she is crazy-she enjoys blowing things up and collecting famous peoples underwear).
Saving the best for last Eddy Lets. Why is he the best? Because the closest this planet ever had to a leader was Eddy’s mom Lera. Her assassination was Glane’s fault.
When Glane heads to his rendezvous he is met by a local street urchin named Brady. Brady latches on to Glane and Glane cant shake him. But the kid proves useful. Not only does he get Glane away from some assassins but he also gets Glane a splint for his brain–so his mind can’t be read.
Then Brady, believing he has a tourist with a lot of money, tells the history of planet Heist. Right up to the story about Glane himself (Brady does not realize the man is Glane).
Dignity Corporation owns all of the planets in the area but this one (Heist). Glane was hired by the Dignity Corporation to find incriminating evidence on Lera. This faked evidence was used by Dignity to bring down Lera which eventually led to her assassination. Soon after, Heist was taken over by Dignity Corp. (more…)
Posted in 19th Century, Arthur Conan Doyle, Babies, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Clemence Housman, Coronavirus, Darby O'Gill and The Little People, Death, Dogs, Domestic Violence, Donkeys, Dora Sigerson Shorter, E. Bland (Edith Nesbit), Edith Nesbit, Egyptology, Elizabeth Gaskell, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Ellen Glasgow, Emily Dickinson, Emma Frances Dawson, Fairies, Feminism, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Ghosts, Goblins, Harriet Prescott Spofford, Herminie Templeton Kavanagh, Hollow Earth, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Leslie S. Klinger, Lisa Morton, Louisa May Alcott, Louvre Museum, Mad Scientists, Marie Corelli, Marjorie Bowen, Mary Austin, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Mrs. J.H. (Charlotte) Riddell, Mummies, Murder, Olive Schreiner, Olivia Howard Dunbar, Palberta, Quarantine, Racism, Regina Miriam Bloch, Rudyard Kipling, Sarah Orne Jewett, Sexism, Snow, Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts, Tiny Desk Concert, Violence, Werewolves on June 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: PALBERTA-Tiny Desk (Home) Concert #210 (May 18, 2021).
Palberta has a great name (even if they are not from Alberta). They are an underground Philly band. I saw them a few years ago, and this attitude of relaxed yet frenetic fun was evident then as well.
While many of us have gotten better at using technology to feel close to our friends and collaborators over the past year, there’s still no replacement for being in the same room as someone who you swear can read your mind. That’s what it feels like to watch punk band Palberta, whose music makes magic out of repeated phrases sung in tight harmony and charmingly zany pop hooks. For its Tiny Desk (home) concert, shot on a MiniDV and a Hi8, the band crams into Nina’s Philly basement for a set that’s a testament to the group’s tight-knit collaboration and playful exuberance.
The band plays six songs in fifteen minutes (including the time it takes to switch instruments). Five songs are off of their new album Palberta5000.
The guitar-bass-drums trio is made up of Ani Ivry-Block, Nina Ryser and Lily Konigsberg, and each member sings and plays each instrument. Here, they trade places every couple of songs. The songs aren’t over-complicated but still manage to surprise at every turn – a true Palberta specialty.
The “frenzied opener” “Eggs n’ Bac'” has a wild instrumental opening which jumps into a faster indie punk sound for most of the song. All squeezed into less than 2 minutes. For this song Nina is on bass, Lily on guitar and Ani on drums. Their sound reminds me of early Dead Milkmen. Is this a Philly thing?
For “No Way” Nina stays on bass, Lily switches to drums and Ani takes the guitar. Nina sings lead with the other two giving great tight harmonies. For these songs the bass lays down the main melody and the guitars play a lot of single note melodies that run counter to the bass.
For the “queasy-yet-sentimental” “The Cow” it’s the same lineup but Lily sings lead on the first verse and Ani sings leads on the second verse. The staccato guitar style on this song is so unusual.
For the “anxious and melodic” “Big Bad Want” Lily stays on drums and sings lead, Ani switches to bass and Nina gets the guitar. Ani plays some chords on the bass and you can really see how the guitar plays a repeated pattern while the bass takes more of a lead role. The call and response for this chorus is really tight. Nina even plays a guitar solo.
“Sound of the Beat” (from 2018’s Roach Goin’ Down) is “a sweet testament to grooving” and gets a full lineup switch. Nina sits behind the kit, Ani is back on guitar and Lily is on bass. This song is really catchy–surely the catchiest thing in this set. It has a feeling like early Sleater-Kinney. All three sing harmony lead.
They end with “Before I Got Here” with same line up. It’s one of their longer songs at over three minutes. Ani and Lily switch off lead vocals for the fast verses. After a minute or so, the tempo shifts and the last two minutes are a slow instrumental jam with Ani playing a guitar solo while Lily keeps the melody on bass.
It’s tempting to try to see if one of them is “better” at one instrument or another, but they are all clearly very comfortable on each instrument. This leads to endless possibilities for songs.
[READ: May 1, 2021] Weird Women
“Introduction” by Lisa Morton and Leslie S. Klinger
Why summarize when they say what this book is about so well
Any student of the literary history of the weird or horror story can hardly be faulted for expecting to find a genre bereft of female writers, at least in its first two centuries. …
Yet there were women writing early terror tales—in fact, there were a lot of them. During the second half of the nineteenth century, when printing technologies enabled the mass production of cheap newspapers and magazines that needed a steady supply of material, many of the writers supplying that work were women. The middle classes were demanding reading material, and the plethora of magazines, newspapers, and cheap books meant a robust marketplace for authors. Women had limited career opportunities, and writing was probably more appealing than some of the other avenues open to them. Though the publishing world was male-dominated, writing anonymously or using masculine-sounding names (such as “M.E. Braddon”) gave women a chance to break into the market. It was also still a time when writers were freer than today’s writers to write work in a variety of both styles and what we now call genres. A prolific writer might pen adventure stories, romantic tales, domestic stories, mystery or detective fiction, stories of the supernatural—there were really no limits.
Spiritualism—the belief that spirit communication could be conducted by a medium at a séance, and could be scientifically proven (despite continued evidence to the contrary)—was widely popular, and so one might expect to find that many writers of this period were producing ghost stories. But ghost stories were just one type of supernatural story produced by women writers at this time. Women were also writing stories of mummies, werewolves, mad scientists, ancient curses, and banshees. They were writing tales of cosmic horror half a century before Lovecraft ever put pen to paper, and crafting weird westerns, dark metaphorical fables, and those delicious, dread-inducing gems that are simply unclassifiable.
ELIZABETH GASKELL-“The Old Nurse’s Story” (1852)
Gaskell wrote primarily about social realism, but she also wrote this creepy story. The set up of this story is fascinating. A nursemaid is telling a story to her new charges. The story is about their mother–from when the nursemaid used to watch her. The story seems like one of simple haunting–strange things are afoot at this mansion. But there’s a lot more going on. I love the way everyone is so calm about the broken pipe organ playing music day and night. Way back then, the children’s mother saw a girl outside and went to play with her. But it was winter and when they found the child, alone, under a tree, there was no evidence of anyone else being there with her. That’s when we learn the history of this house and the way the owner treated his daughters. The ending gets a little confusing, but when you unpack it, there’s some wonderful deviance at hand. (more…)
Posted in AFROPUNK, Alexander Chang, Amy Chu, Colombia, Coronavirus, Death, Funny (ha ha), Graphic Novel, Josie and the Pussycats, Maria Laura Sanapo, Murder, Quarantine, Red Sonja, Superheroes, Supernatural, Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts, Tiny Desk Concert, Vampirella, Vampires, Violence, Want To Read The Next One, YA Books on June 2, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: ChocoQuibTown-Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK: #204/196 (May 2, 2021).
Tiny Desk Meets AFROPUNK was the opening event of AFROPUNK’s “Black Spring” festival. The virtual celebration, hosted by Jorge “Gitoo” Wright, highlighted outstanding talent in Afro-Latin and Afro-Caribbean music across the globe. Our showcase featured four artists who honored their homes and celebrated the art their heritage has inspired.
ChocQuibTown–named after the coastal area the trio hails from–is a family affair comprised of siblings Miguel “Slow” Martinez and Gloria “Goyo” Martinez, the latter of which is married to Carlos “Tostao” Valencia. In 2000, the trio formed to promote their neglected corner of Colombia’s culture; today, ChocQuibTown’s music blends the traditionality of Afro-Latin jazz with the modernity of hip-hop to create a singular, yet versatile sound.
They play what I assume is a medley of six songs in fifteen minutes.
“Somos Pacífico” has grooving bass from Braulio Fernández and little horn blasts from José González.
“De Donde Vengo Yo” shifts gears when Tostao starts singing lead the repeated “ah has” from Eignar Renteria and Yaima Saurez are very fun. Goyo raps and then Slow raps. Rapping in Spanish has a really nice flow.
“¡Tú sabes!” Carlos “Tostao” Valencia exclaims after Colombian hip-hop trio ChocQuibTown performs its second song, the energetic “De Donde Vengo Yo.” “ChocQuibTown, straight from Colombia, from the Pacific coast,” he says. “We call it Africa inside Colombia, we got the flavor, we got the flow.”
The rest of the songs are much quieter. “Pa Olvidarte” has soft acoustic guitar from Alejandro García and keys from Daniel Rodríguez “Noize.” They sing softly in nice harmony.
“Qué Lástima” is another slow ballad, this one sung by Slow, with gentle percussion from Carlos Palm. “Lo Que Quieras Tú” segues smoothly into “Cuando Te Veo” which is a little bouncier and fun to start but it slows down for Goyo’s vocals. As the send the song out, Tostao does some sound effects scratching and singing Tiny Desk and blapping.
[READ May 30, 2021] Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica
I don’t understand crossovers. Well, I understand some, when they make sense. It’s ones like this that I don’t understand. Did someone just say, Wouldn’t it be cool if Red Sonja and Vampirella teamed up and went to Riverdale? I guess so. And sometimes the most ridiculous crossovers make the best stories.
Amy Chu wrote this story with Alexander Chang’s assistance on book 5.
Now, I don’t watch Riverdale, but I know the show. So obviously this isn’t old school Betty and Veronica. But neither, I don’t think, is it Riverdale-based either (or maybe it is). I’ve also never read Red Sonja or Vampirella books. So really this crossover event is not for me.
And yet, I did enjoy it.
The book opens with a teacher getting killed and then a shot of Red Sonja and Vampirella in the woods. Now, I realize that these two characters were created by men, and that’s why they are dressed as they are. Red Sonja could not be dressed more impractically for fighting as she is wearing a hooded cape and a chain mail bikini. I mean, the absurdity of dressing like that for combat is monumental. The cape alone would cause her no end of grief. Vampirella is at least wearing clothes–a cleavage enhancing skin tight tank top and super low cut off jeans. But hey, she’s a seductress, right?
I guess I was surprised that Amy and artist Maria Laura Sanapo would keep these costumes. But they do need to establish the characters traditionally first, right? It was a nice surprise when a few pages later, Betty & Veronica (who aren’t at all disturbed by a woman in a chain mail bikini with a large sword) invite them over and dress them in regular clothes (still sexy) so they blend in. (more…)
Posted in Ablaze Publishing, Benjamin von Eckartsberg, Death, End of the World, Graphic Novel, Jaerv, Sex, Swedish Music, Thomas von Kummant, Thomas von Kummant, Violence, Want To Read The Next One on May 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »
SOUNDTRACK: JAERV-Vol 2 (2014).
Jaerv is a folk group from Sweden who I happened to see live at a Scandinavian Festival several years ago. I’m impressed that ScanFest was able to get a band to come over from Sweden (unless they were doing a tour in the area anyway).
Their folk music is very traditional, meaning, to me it sounds like folk music from a lot of other countries as well (Ireland, for instance). But there are some distinctions. In particular the use of the nyckelharpa, an instrument that I’d never heard of but which is very cool.
The band consists of five musicians Joel Hagen: flute (flöjt), whistles, soprano saxophone (sopransaxofon) and ewi an electronic musical instrument); Anders Bergsten: double bass (kontrabass) and nyckelharpa; Harald Nilsson: guitars (gitarrer); Markus Gustavsson: fiddle (fiol) and lead vocals (sång); Tobias Hedlund: drums (trummer), percussion (slagverk), pedal organ (tramporgel), vibraphone (vibrafon). They all sing harmony vocals (kör).
There’s eleven songs on the album, most of them around five minutes long. It’s hard to distinguish them (which isn’t a criticism, it’s just the nature of the music).
“Vårfloden” (5:01) is an instrumental with lots of violin and flute. “Två Rörospolser” (4:13) is very traditional sounding with lots of flute and whistle. “Dansen Ungdom” (5:30) has lyrics. Gustavsson sings in a deeper voice. The song has a nice, lengthy flute instrumental jam at the end with an excellent four (or five) part harmony that sounds amazing.
“Av Himlens Höjd” (4:13) has nice vocals and harmonies, The song is quite grooving and there’s some amazing a capella vocals at the end–the bass voice is particularly noteworthy. “Johannas Brudmarsch” (4:46) is a slow fiddle tune.
“S:T Örjan & Draken” pushes the length to 8:04. There’s a slow opening with bells chiming. There’s complex, quiet singing and guitar. The tempo picks up but retreats until half way through when it changes into a stomping, intense song with a wild flute solo.
“E4:An” (3:46) seems like it will be kind of heavy with the opening chords, but they just work as a low bass for the lovely fiddling and then some lovely whistle. I like the time change mis song. “Rosa-Lill” is another short one at 2:56. It’s a bouncy folk song with flute melodies and nyckelharpa throughout. “Rocken Snurrar” (3:21) starts a capella with the harmonies creating the music while the lead vocal sings. Then they harmonize in the chorus. This one is super catchy with great vocal harmonizing and surprising glockenspiel solo.
“Slängpolska” (4:56) is an instrumental jam with lots of fiddle and flute. I like the percussion throughout. “Tre Engelskor” (5:02) ends the album very traditionally with some ripping violins.
I met the guys after the show and they were all very nice. They signed my CD which is always a nice thing to do.
You can hear the whole album here.
[READ: May 29, 2021] Gung-Ho
This is one of a few books by Ablaze Publishing that I read recently.
I really enjoyed Thomas von Kummant’s art style. The pages looked very painterly, with cool washes of colors and juxtapositions of colors rather than shading. The characters were also almost entirely distinctive *there are a lot of characters). There were one or two who looked a little to alike, but for the most part this heavily populated story was very easy to follow who was who.
Set somewhere in Europe (I wondered if this was written in German–I don’t see a translator, but he does live in Munich [UPDATE: according to a catalog record, the book was translated from the French by Ivanka Hahnenberger]), we come upon an outpost. It is heavily guarded. The people are heavily armed and they all kook pretty dirty.
Cut to a train hauling cargo and two teenage boys, Archie and Zack on top wearing prison orange. They were kicked out of their orphanage and sent here. If they can’t make it here, they are on their own.
The town has a strict hierarchy and strict rules for safety. All provisions are divvied out based on need and on who kills the most (we don’t know what they’re hunting, yet). We also see that the guy who divvies out the provisions isn’t above getting himself some teenage girl action for extra supplies (ew).
Indeed, many people in town have a problem with him, but he was sent by the military and is above questioning.
There are 400 people living here including many teenagers. The boys almost all follow this one leader who is a jerk. There are a few who don’t follow him and one in particular befriends Zack. There’s also a bunch of girls who seem to hang out together and maybe or maybe not fool around with the bad boys. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 