SOUNDTRACK: MARTIN TIELLI-Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, ON (July 5, 2008).
This brief set at the Ottawa Bluesfest was for a Six Shooter Records showcase. As such it is short (about 30 minutes). By the end there are tons of guests playing with him, which is fun.
He opens with three solo acoustic songs: “I’ll Never Tear You Apart” which sounds great and “Something in Those Woods” which would appear on his third album The Ghost of Danny Gross the following year. When the song ends, he says he is still “working on it.” The third song “The Underbrush” will also appear on Danny.
Then the band comes in: Ford Pier, Greg Smith and Doots (Steven Pitkin) on drums. Someone in the band says that Martin looks great, the treatments really paid off to which Martin replies “What?” incredulously.
The rocking “My Sweet Relief” segues nicely into the rocking “That’s What You Get for Having Fun.” Interestingly, Martin seems to forget the words, so they play an entirely instrumental verse (complete with a solo) before resuming the song.
The final song is a great version of “Shaved Head,” with a full cast of Six Shooter Records players in the guest list: Luke Doucet, Paul LaPlante, Christine Fellows, Justin Rutledge, NQ Arbuckle, Casey Laforet and Mark Sasso as well as a few others whose names I missed.
It’s a great fun show and a great quality recording.
[READ: July 1, 2015] A Bright Moon for Fools
I found this book at work and was intrigued by it. Not by its title or cover, which is dreadful, but because on the edge of the pages was printed Up on two legs, man! I love a book that plays with convention so I decided to check it out. Then on the front is a blurb from Michael Palin(!) which says “Very funny, very unpleasant and very moving.” And this is a very apt blurb for this book. It is quite funny, it is very unpleasant and it is also rather moving.
The story is about a man named Harry Christmas. Christmas is a scoundrel. He is mid-fifties but appears much older–fat, drunk and be-mustached. He fancies that he looks fantastic, but no one is fooled.
Christmas suffers no fools. He expounds vociferously about any slight (especially slights against common courtesy–for although he is belligerent, he does believe in common courtesy). He hates all of the vulgar inanities of modern life, which he calls, “The Rot.” He hates people who use air quotes, he hates people who listen to walkmen (or whatever other technological marvel is out there), he hates people who want to sit and talk to him while he is eating, and worst yet he hates those who assume that because he is British, he loves football. None of these hatreds seems that unreasonable to me, but since Harry is a big drunken man, his belligerence moves past justifiable and into the realm of scary.
And yet, he is a funny and enjoyable protagonist to be sure. Well, except that he has stolen the life savings from his previous girlfriend and has fled London for Venezuela. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 