tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35471784310544107582024-03-13T10:29:29.761-04:00Lightning Jukebox<b>Welcome to my jukebox!<br>No theme other than . . . <i>I like it!</i><br>And I like to share!</b>Lightning Baltimorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850898615417918067noreply@blogger.comBlogger347125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-12963545079418334802014-08-19T14:10:00.000-04:002015-01-10T01:38:00.499-05:00The Balls Bros. Band "Come on Over"<div class="release_art"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iwVDWqjt4Pg/U_OJ1-zgB5I/AAAAAAAAACs/l6vH4JWNq_w/s1600/front%2B500.jpg" width="500" height="494"></div><div class="media_box"><p><center><audio controls="controls" preload="metadata"><source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/l9kfv999nuee0r7h4b7l.mp3" type="audio/mp3"><source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/lw3o1outwg2l9qx5xuua.oga" type="audio/ogg"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8JYljlpXWrM/U_TypfZc3vI/AAAAAAAAAD4/ct6SDDp8p0w/s1600/HTML5%2Bmsg.png" width="500" height="25"></audio></center></p><p><a href="https://app.box.com/shared/static/l9kfv999nuee0r7h4b7l.mp3"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TPAhx6UgNPI/AAAAAAAACKw/oZUMM8ohSHs/s1600/download80.gif"></a></p></div><div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/2295723" target="_new">The Balls Bros. Band</a></span><br />
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/5891833" target="_new">Rock and Roll Freedom</a></span><br />
<span id="format">LP</span><br />
<span id="label">(Gramex Records, 1977)</span></p></div><div class="write_up"><p>Used record stores are like a magnet to me. There are a handful in my area that I hit on a semi-regular basis, and there are certain stores with certain sections that I always check. One of those sections is for vintage (or is it historic?) local records. It's usually full of stuff that doesn't look particularly appealing and/or stuff I already have. Every once in a while, though, something snags my eye.</p><p>Sometime in the last year, this album jabbed me in the ocular socket and made me take a closer gander. I flipped it over and saw that it was from 1977, no one was actually named Balls, and both guitarists also played synthesizers. What the heck; here's my $4. Thank you; goodbye.</p><p>Musically, these guys were pretty much straight up rock, pop, and roll. They're not flashy musicians and the compositions aren't challenging or anything, but, after a few spins, I found the songs pleasantly popping into my head on a fairly regular basis. Lyrically, the songs are mostly about love and rock and roll, i.e. <q>Rock and Roll Freedom,</q> <q>A Rockin Love Song,</q> <q>Lovin to the Rock and Roll,</q> etc. Today's jukebox selection doesn't have either concept in the title, but it's still about lovin', of course. It's a snazzy little power pop gem that, in my opinion, could have been a hit.</p><p>The songs on the album were all either written or co-written by the dude on the left below, <b>Rocky Valentine</b>. I've tried researching these guys on the 'net, but have found precious little info other than they have at least two or three more albums out there, plus some singles, all on the Gramex Records imprint, which may or may not be their own label. If anyone would like to hip me to more info, I'd be much obliged, thanks.</p><img class="center" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5xYlf_MNPw0/U_OJ13vQ5LI/AAAAAAAAACw/6zy1kJs6lRE/s1600/band.png" /><br />
</div>Lightning Baltimorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16850898615417918067noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-57258974411716812642014-04-17T00:15:00.000-04:002014-04-17T07:55:20.847-04:00How Much of a Music Snob Are You?<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qg3r6QCXBV8/U08egS_LmdI/AAAAAAAAEhY/1wgNzu1Qqo4/s1600/snob.png" width="500" height="306"></div><div class="write_up"><style>
.snob { color:#3eff00; }
.me { color:yellow; }
.guilty { color:hotpink; }
</style><p><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/perpetua/how-much-of-a-music-nerd-are-you" target=_new>Another annoying survey</a> is making the rounds, so I thought I'd take a moment to rant about it. The premise of the survey is the higher you score on these 100 questions, the more of a snob you therefore are. The problem, though, is only 17 of the listed behaviors qualify as snobbish.</p><p>So, here it is. For easy reference, I have color coded the questions. I have also added notes to some of them. <nobr><b>:</b>-)</nobr><ul><li class="snob">Actual snobbish behavior, in my opinion, in which I have not engaged, to the best of my recollection<li class="me">Not at all snobbish things I <i>have</i> done<li class="guilty">Snobbish behavior of which I am guilty</ul></p><hr><p><span style="font-size:175%;">How Much Of A Music Snob Are You?</span><br><span id="custom_delayed">P</span>lease take a break from alphabetizing your vinyl collection and take this quiz.</p><p>Have you ever...<br><ol><li><span class="me">Felt like ranking your favorite music of the year was a necessary thing to do?</span><ul><li>It's fun!</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Skipped over someone on a dating site because they have bad taste in music?</span>
<li><span class="snob">Shamed a younger person for not knowing a musical reference that was before their time?</span><ul><li>That's just plain rude!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Corrected someone for getting a minor fact about an artist wrong?</span>
<li><span class="snob">Been annoyed when everyone starts liking something you liked a year ago?</span><ul><li>Lame!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Forced someone to listen to something obscure because you wanted to <q>educate</q> them?</span>
<li><span class="snob">Been dismissive of someone buying a greatest hits album?</span>
<li>Had elaborate rules for the sequencing of mix tapes and CDs?
<li><span class="me">Been a DJ?</span><ul><li>Nine years at my college radio station.</ul>
<li>Loaded your phone with new songs before a party, just in case?
<li><span class="snob">Been annoyed at someone DJing from an iPod?</span>
<li><span class="me">Complained about something being <q>overproduced</q>?</span><ul><li>It's a completely valid criticism of plenty of recordings.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Made a point of telling people that you preferred an artist's earlier work?</span><ul><li>Some artists just peak early. Some get better with time. Some are consistently good (or terrible).</ul>
<li><span class="me">Insisted that a demo version of a song was better than the finished studio version?</span><ul><li>It happens.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Insisted that a song (or an artist) is much better live?</span><ul><li>Some are. Geez.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Insisted that a remix was better than the original version?</span><ul><li>I much prefer the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX9FXinBkbg" taget=_new><b>Coldcut</b> remix</a> of <q>Paid in Full</q> by <b>Eric B. & Rakim</b> to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6aAFkP0BGU" target=_new>original</a>. So sue me.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Believed that other people are too dumb to <q>get</q> the music you enjoy?</span><ul><li>That is just rude, not to mention condescending.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Coined a genre name – ___-core, ___-wave, etc?</span><ul><li>I remember calling <b>Rites of Spring</b> <q>REM-core</q> before the term <q>emo</q> was coined.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Said <q>there's nothing good on the radio</q>?</span><ul><li>Only at a specific moment in time, not as a generality.</ul>
<li>Had your brain shut down upon being asked <q>what kind of music do you like?</q>
<li><span class="snob">Stopped liking an artist because you're embarrassed to be associated with their fans?</span><ul><li>That is just plain asinine.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Avoided going to see a band in a large venue?</span><ul><li>Big shows have big prices, plus, I like to get up close.</ul>
<li>Left a show because you were annoyed with the crowd?
<li><span class="me">Been to SXSW?</span><ul><li>My band was invited to play back in 2006. It was fun, too.</ul>
<li>Been to Coachella?
<li>Been to Glastonbury?<ul><li>Connecticut, yes. <b>:</b>-D</ul>
<li><span class="me">Been to a DIY punk show?</span>
<li>Been to an illegal warehouse rave?
<li><span class="guilty">Bragged about seeing a band before anyone else knew them?</span><ul><li>I was the only person in the audience when <b>Dirty Projectors</b> played where I live the first time. I'd never heard of them before, though, and was there for the headliner, who ended up turning in a really dull set.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Worked at an independent record store?</span><ul><li>A couple, yes.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Worked at an independent record store and made someone feel bad about what they were buying?</span><ul><li>Rude! I would never have done that.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Had a college radio show?</span><ul><li>See above <q>Been a DJ?</q></ul>
<li>Had a free jazz phase?<ul><li>I still like it, thank you.</ul>
<li>Had a dub phase?
<li>Had a black metal phase?<ul><li>I still like it, thank you.</ul>
<li>Had a krautrock phase?<ul><li>I still like it, thank you.</ul>
<li>Told someone that you think international pop music is better than American pop music?
<li><span class="me">Acquired a copy of every single thing a band has ever released? (EVERTHING.)</span><ul><li>If I really like a band, sure.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Purchased a bootleg?</span><ul><li>Very few.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Bought an album on import?</span><ul><li>I started buying imports when I was in middle school. Are we not supposed to buy music if it's not manufactured and distributed in our home country?</ul>
<li><span class="me">Bought an import single?</span><ul><li>Are we not supposed to buy singles if they're not manufactured and distributed in our home country?</ul>
<li><span class="me">Bought every version of a CD single to get all the b-sides?</span><ul><li>Begrudgingly, yes.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Ordered from indie mail order catalogs?</span><ul><li>Of course!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Traveled out of your way to go to a record store?</span><ul><li>Why not?</ul>
<li><span class="me">Planned an entire vacation around record shopping?</span><ul><li>Friends and I used to go to New York to go record shopping on Spring Break instead of going to the beach.</ul>
<li>Bought high-end headphones?
<li>Bought high-end speakers?
<li>Bought tube-amp speakers?
<li>Actually worried about the quality of your home stereo?
<li>Been anxious about the bitrate of audio files?
<li>Have you ever been mad at someone for ripping an mp3 under 320kbps?
<li>Insisted on listening to lossless audio files like FLAC?
<li><span class="me">Purchased a FLAC file?</span><ul><li>If that is the only way it's available, or if the MP3 and FLAC are the same price.</ul>
<li>Been actually ANGRY about the <q>loudness war</q>?
<li>Spent hours making sure your entire mp3 library had consistent metadata?
<li>Organized your mp3s by BPM?<ul><li>Why would anyone do that?</ul>
<li><span class="me">Spent hours alphabetizing CDs or LPs?</span><ul><li>It makes finding stuff much easier when you have a large collection. Duh!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Bought a turntable and vinyl records after 1990?</span><ul><li>Yes and yes, and replacement styli when mine broke.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Told people that vinyl just sounds better than CDs?</span>
<li>Cared about how many grams a vinyl pressing weighs?<ul><li>The quality of the pressing process matters <i>much</i> more than the weight of the vinyl.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Bought a record you know you might not actually listen to?</span>
<li><span class="me">Bid on a rare record on eBay?</span><ul><li>Of course!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Spent more than $20 on a record?</span><ul><li>Of course!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Spent more than $50 on a record?</span><ul><li><i>Very</i> rarely</ul>
<li><span class="me">Spent more than $100 on a record?</span><ul><li>Only twice, on extremely rare records:<ul><li><b>Overhang Party</b>'s <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1108114">eponymous debut</a> LP<li><b>Leland</b> (Yoshitsu)'s <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/4366112" target=_new>eponymous debut</a> LP</ul></ul>
<li>Spent more than $500 on a record?<ul><li>I am not made of money!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Purchased a cassette-only indie release?</span><ul><li>If that is the only format available.</ul>
<li><span class="me">Purchased a limited-edition 7-inch single?</span><ul><li>Plenty!</ul>
<li>Subscribed to multiple streaming services at once?
<li>Saved a hard drive because it had music on it?
<li><span class="snob">Laughed at someone for not being able to identify a sample in a song?</span><ul><li>Rude!</ul>
<li><span class="me">Accused an artist of <q>selling out</q>?</span><ul><li>Sometimes, that is a valid criticism. For example, <b>Pantera</b> ditching the glam look when <b>Metallica</b> hit the big time dressed in jeans and t-shirts.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Bristled at a pop song snuck into an otherwise niche DJ set?</span>
<li><span class="me">Contributed to a zine?</span><ul><li>Two of them! <i>Live Squid</i> and <i>. . . And Suddenly</i></ul>
<li><span class="me">Heard of Lester Bangs?</span>
<li><span class="me">Heard of Gerard Cosloy?</span>
<li>Heard of Nardwuar?
<li><span class="me">Heard of Robert Christgau?</span>
<li><span class="me">Heard of John Peel?</span><ul><li>I hardly see how knowing the name of the <i>most famous radio disc jockey in history</i> is snobbish.</ul>
<li>Heard of Ellen Willis?
<li><span class="me">Been able to name 5 music journalists off the top of your head?</span>
<li><span class="me">Been able to name more than 10 music journalists off the top of your head?</span>
<li>Bought an issue of The Wire magazine?
<li>Owned a 33 ⅓ book?
<li>Submitted a proposal to write a 33 ⅓ book?
<li>Regularly listened to a show on WFMU?
<li><span class="me">Shopped at a record fair?</span><ul><li>Yes, but not much since the dawn of the internet.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Bluffed your way through a conversation about an obscure artist you actually didn't know much about?</span>
<li>Bought a Soul Jazz Records compilation?
<li><span class="me">Traveled more than five hours to see a show?</span><ul><li>On a few occasions.</ul>
<li><span class="snob">Shamed someone for buying music at a chain store?</span><ul><li>Why would I do that?</ul>
<li>Bought mixtapes on the street?
<li><span class="snob">Shamed someone for wearing a band's t-shirt at the band's concert?</span>
<li><span class="me">Bought a T-shirt at a show and wore it the next day?</span><ul><li>Many times.</ul>
<li>Planned out the music played at your wedding even if you're totally single?
<li>Had a song or artist ruined for you because you associate it with an ex?
<li>Bought tickets to see a reunion show even though you kinda knew it'd be disappointing?
<li>Remembered parts of your own life based mainly on what you were listening to at the time?
<li>Been emotionally distraught after a favorite band has broken up?<ul><li>Back when I was a couple of teenage girls, I killed myselves when <b>Take That</b> split up.<br>I recovered, luckily.</ul>
<li>Mourned the death of a favorite musician as though they were someone you actually knew?</ol></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-87709603558996466952013-09-16T01:00:00.000-04:002015-01-10T01:38:00.517-05:00Stümper "Mein Leben"<div class="release_art"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9q_sqCbzLFw/UjYZfa9awuI/AAAAAAAAEEU/JlUAiuZxaCw/s1600/rasende.png" width="160" height="106" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='332'" onmouseout="this.width='160'; this.height='106'"></div><div class="media_box"><p><center><audio controls="controls" preload="metadata"> <source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/7nf490yfchgmh031nzc0.mp3" type="audio/mp3"><source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/ls1uzn9os1f5hpidkpuz.oga" type="audio/ogg"></audio></center></p><p><a href="https://app.box.com/shared/static/7nf490yfchgmh031nzc0.mp3"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TPAhx6UgNPI/AAAAAAAACKw/oZUMM8ohSHs/s1600/download80.gif"></a></p></div><div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist">Stümper</span><br />
<span id="title"><cite>Rasende Stümper</cite></span><br />
<span id="format">cassette</span><br />
<span id="label">(Clarita Gomez Tapes, 1989? 1990?)</span></p></div><div class="write_up"><p><b>Jan</b> and <a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Kai+Damkowski" target=_new><b>Kai Damkowski</b></a> were a couple of really cool brothers from West Germany with whom I was pen pals in the late '80s/early '90s. Jan put a song from one of my old bands on a compilation tape he released and Kai took some pictures of my band that we ended up using on the back cover of one of our records. Kai also sent me tapes of a few bands in which he and/or his brother Jan played. One of those bands was <b>Stümper</b>, a loose-knit band composed of a bunch of energetic German teenagers.</p><p>Kai sent me a couple of <b>Stümper</b> tapes and they are a big mess of chaotic fun. I can't find the booklet he sent that went with this tape, so I have nothing at the moment but the song titles and a note in English that he stuck in the tape box. I don't throw stuff away, generally, so I'm sure I have the booklet somewhere, but I've been searching for days to no avail. Anyhow, per Kai's note:</p><blockquote><p>We rotate on instruments. We use no distortion or effects mechanisms and no fuzzbox apart from one guitar on 'Gitarrenkampf'. . . . We never played a song twice and we are not planning to do it.</p></blockquote><p>The song I've chosen for today is <q>Mein Leben,</q> and Kai had this to say about it in his note:</p><blockquote><p>Translates as 'My Life' and has everything in it. Love, Pain, GG Allin, Highway-deaths, Oliver North, Freezer, Horst Hrubesch, money, sex, HSV, Genscher, Aussiedler, and more. A song about life that offers you absolutely everything. This is the ultimate tragedy.</p></blockquote><p>Tragically, one of the founding members of <b>Stümper</b>, Flassoff, drowned in the Elbe River in the early '90s.</p><p>I stupidly lost contact with Kai and Jan ages ago, but I did some research this weekend and discovered that Kai was later in a band called <a href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Hrubesch+Youth"><b>Hrubesch Youth</b></a>, named for the apparently famous footballer <b>Horst Hrubesch</b>. They released at least a few records and a CD, so I'm hoping I can find copies. Also, Kai is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3930559439/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=3930559439&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new>published author</a>!</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-89364912596545816962013-09-09T02:35:00.000-04:002015-01-10T01:38:00.524-05:00The Screaming Gypsy Bandits "Junior"<div class="release_art"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WISC7AAMZtc/Ui1emYfMeoI/AAAAAAAAEEA/4GRt9D584MY/s1600/in+the+eye.jpg" width="500" height="500"></div><div class="media_box"><p><center><audio controls="controls" preload="metadata"> <source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/ktscyue6b8z4ounrawgr.mp3" type="audio/mp3"> <source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/x1xmz6w3f5uno7rdx0x9.oga" type="audio/ogg"></center></audio></p><p><a href="https://app.box.com/shared/static/ktscyue6b8z4ounrawgr.mp3"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TPAhx6UgNPI/AAAAAAAACKw/oZUMM8ohSHs/s1600/download80.gif"></a></p></div><div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist">The Screaming Gypsy Bandits</span><br />
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1058102" target="_new">In the Eye</a></span><br />
<span id="format">LP</span><br />
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.discogs.com/label/Bar-B-Q+Records" target=_new>BRBQ Records, Inc.</a>, 1973)</span></p></div><div class="write_up"><p>The world is full of unexpected connections. For instance, one would not be likely to think a link might exist between avant garde art punks <b>MX-80 Sound</b>, Top 40 popsters <b>Looking Glass</b>, mid-'70s metallers <b>Starz</b>, and contemporary jazzers like <b>John Zorn</b>, <b>Tim Berne</b>, and <b>Satoko Fujii</b>.</p><p>I'd like to introduce you to that link. Ladies and gentlemen, <b>The Screaming Gypsy Bandits</b>.</p><p>Their output during their lifetime was scant: this album and the compilation LP <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/2595149" target=_new><cite><b>Bloomington 1</b></cite></a>, where I first heard them, released on the same label a couple of years later. Their members went on to stardom as the years wore on, however. Guitarist <b>Bruce Anderson</b> went on to fame, of a sort, with <b>MX-80 Sound</b> and its various offshoots. Guitarist <b>Brendan Harkin</b> joined <b>Looking Glass</b>, after their mega-hit <q>Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)</q> but in time to play on their final single, and stayed with them as they morphed into <b>Fallen Angels</b> then <b>Starz</b>. Bassist <b>Mark Dresser</b> (who left before this album was recorded) has played with the above jazz luminaries and scads more.</p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MIG29M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001MIG29M&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><img class="right" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JDOWtbtHSn4/Ui1emNwHIFI/AAAAAAAAED0/uzquu6Wszp4/s1600/mock+up.png" width="250" height="217"></a><p>Three of the songs from this album were added as bonus tracks to the CD reissue of vocalist <b>Caroline Peyton</b>'s 1972 album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MIG29M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001MIG29M&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><cite>Mock Up</cite></a>, so I've chosen one of the remaining six for today's post. It was written by <b>Mark Bingham</b>, who penned all the tracks on the album plus all of the songs on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MIG29M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001MIG29M&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><cite>Mock Up</cite></a>. <q>Junior</q> is the longest track on the album and allows the members to really stretch out.</p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CLKJJC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002CLKJJC&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><img class="left" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G9L8JwGmZhw/Ui1emT3ATaI/AAAAAAAAED4/LQSHbbmCLZA/s1600/doghead.png" width="250" height="222"></a><p>The liner notes for the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001MIG29M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001MIG29M&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><cite>Mock Up</cite></a> CD mention a <b>Screaming Gypsy Bandits</b> album that was never finished, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CLKJJC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002CLKJJC&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><cite>Back to Doghead</cite></a>. In 2009, that album hit the shelves, finally, in compact disc form. Unlike <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1058102" target="_new"><cite>In the Eye</cite></a>, it's a much more out there affair, with obvious inspiration from <b>Captain Beefheart</b> and <b>The Mothers of Invention</b>. I think it's pretty fabulous.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-87843123361994031062013-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:002013-08-26T00:00:06.033-04:00Crap Sandwich!<div class="write_up"><p>Yes, I've not posted in quite a while. My apologies! Unfortunately, it appears that the little Flash player that my blog uses to stream the songs in the individual posts no longer works. I thought perhaps I'd inadvertently screwed up my template, but it still didn't work after I loaded an older, saved template as a test.</p><p><b><i>Boogers!</i></b></p><p>I guess I'll need to get on updating the posts older than the most recent one to use HTML5 audio. Don't hold your breath, though, or you'll die.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-57489090642955943242013-06-11T01:40:00.001-04:002015-01-10T01:38:00.510-05:00Death Piggy "Mangoes and Goats"<div class="release_art"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eAdRx_zi5_U/UJ8NGfvj5hI/AAAAAAAAD-k/Scl8kHuc0vQ/s1600/love%2B500.png" width="285" height="278" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='488'" onmouseout="this.width='285'; this.height='278'"></div><div class="media_box"><p><center><audio controls="controls" preload="metadata"> <source src="https://www.box.com/shared/static/l8r17ubgqywbl3nvs545.mp3" type="audio/mp3"> <source src="https://www.box.com/shared/static/kyurqextfzy0hb6ylo3s.oga" type="audio/ogg"></audio></center></p><p><a href="https://www.box.com/shared/static/l8r17ubgqywbl3nvs545.mp3"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TPAhx6UgNPI/AAAAAAAACKw/oZUMM8ohSHs/s1600/download80.gif"></a></p></div><div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.slavepitinc.com/bands/deathpiggy/" target="_new">Death Piggy</a></span><br />
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1874051" target="_new">Love War</a></span><br />
<span id="format">7" EP</span><br />
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.myspace.com/dsirecords" target=_new>D.S.I. Records</a>, 1984)</span></p></div><div class="write_up"><p>Holy crap! <b>A POST!</b> Alert the press! Slaughter the fatted calf! Drink some hot benzine!</p><p>OK, maybe don't hurt the poor, baby cow. I'm a vegetarian, after all.</p><img class="right" height="248" width="250" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-80bFGMT45RY/UJ8NHi1YhDI/AAAAAAAAD-8/Us_Pl7woHro/s1600/death%2Bpiggy%2Bfairway.png"><p>So, I've not been posting for a number of reasons, all excellent. One of them is I've wanted to implement HTML5 Audio, for browsers that can use it, especially those that can't use Flash, like my newest phone (an otherwise kickass Motorola Atrix HD).</p><p>I wanted the HTML5 Audio stuff to be fancy-ish, and emulate the colors and whatnot of the rest of my blog, but I've just not had the time to sit down and learn Javascript well enough to do all that gunk . . . yet. Never say never, but, please, don't suggest that we sleep together.</p><p>Anyhow, I finally decided today, <q>To heck with it, I'm tired of putting off posting, so here's a new (old) song!</q></p><img class="left" height="243" width="250" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-OvD4-pGLyRY/UJ8NHIzcgoI/AAAAAAAAD-w/A8l7T3F1pAE/s800/death%2520piggy%2520r45.png" /><p>Many, many years ago, my old punk band opened for <a href="http://www.slavepitinc.com/bands/deathpiggy/" target="_new"><b>Death Piggy</b></a> in our hometown of Charlottesville, VA. We ended up becoming friendly with <a href="http://www.slavepitinc.com/bands/deathpiggy/" target="_new"><b>Death Piggy</b></a>, who were from the distant environs of Richmond, VA, a full hour's drive away, and played a buncha shows together over the next few years.</p><p><a href="http://www.slavepitinc.com/bands/deathpiggy/" target="_new"><b>Death Piggy</b></a> released three kick butt little 7" EP records full of dadaist, chaotic punk rock before morphing into the band today known as <a href="http://www.gwar.net/" target=_new><b>GWAR</b></a>, whose name may ring a bell. <a href="http://www.gwar.net/" target=_new><b>GWAR</b></a> are great fun live, but I prefer the musical output of the original band. They followed their debut EP, and source of today's song, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1874051" target="_new"><i>Love War</i></a>, with <a href="http://www.discogs.com/master/340972" target=_new><i>Death Rides the Fairway . . .</i></a>, then, finally, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1874144" target=_new><i><q>R</q>45</i></a>.</p><img class="right" height="250" width="250" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7YXPPoKg5nQ/UKFZkCskTLI/AAAAAAAAEAM/0lzDiKgHCXg/s1600/smile%2B250.png" /><p>Those three records were all fairly limited press runs and went out of print rather quickly. A CD was released in 1999, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/2017146" target=_new><i>SMILE or DIE !!!</i></a>, with the entire contents of the three records, but it, too, was limited, and it's long gone, as well.</p><hr class="clear"><img class="left" height="178" width="280" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XCTMw0hyDQw/UKFaxkv0DyI/AAAAAAAAEAY/B3tlm7XHl2k/s1600/mutopia.png" /><p>NOTA BENE: <a href="http://www.slavepitinc.com/bands/deathpiggy/" target="_new"><b>Death Piggy</b></a> also had an exclusive song, <q>Fear of Murder,</q> on the <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3762521" target=_new><i><b>Mutopia</b></i></a> cassette compilation released by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/dsirecords" target=_new><b>D.S.I. Records</b></a>. I almost included it instead of <q>Mangoes and Goats,</q> but the sound is super muddy and it's just not as good a song. Still, completists be aware! Or should that be <i>beware?</i></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-55410577807120312572013-04-20T03:15:00.000-04:002014-06-26T17:51:37.993-04:00UPDATED: An Open Letter of Apology for My Blog and to Those Who Have Been Hurt by It<div class="write_up"><p>A few days ago, a music blogger by the name of <a href="http://www.yourmusicisawful.com/author/kitty-vincent/" target=_new><b>Kitty Vincent</b></a> posted, on a music blog, a scathing blog post detailing how music blogs are ruining music.</p><p>Kitty made some very insightful points, especially regarding how the Seattle music scene of the early 1990s was so great, because it was, <q>a small, tight-knit community of people who went to each other’s shows, played in each other’s bands and <b>created a sound though collaboration</b>.</q> [emphasis mine] She contrasts this with the charge that today's young musicians are, <q>so busy <b>jumping on each other’s bandwagons</b>, [that] nobody has bothered to notice their wagon train has been driving in a circle for roughly a decade now.</q> [Again, emphasis mine]</p><p>Yes, that's right, <q>kids,</q> imitation is a <i>positive</i> and <i>wonderful</i> thing when it means there will be more cookie cutter bands, if the sound they produce is one that you find pleasing to the ear. However, imitation is a <i>horrible</i>, <i><b>horrible</b></i> thing that is responsible for killing music when it involves music you dislike.</p><p>Oh, no . . . wait . . . sorry! It's <i>music blogs</i> that are killing music, by supporting bands that sound alike. This is, of course, <i>nothing</i> like the early 1990s, when fanzines and magazines all over the US and Europe were dripping in jizz and excitement at all the SubPop (and other) bands that sounded remarkably similar. See, that was different, because, um, well, <i>it wasn't blogs!</i> It was print media, which is inherently above reproach, I guess? Even though the kids who did zines before the dawn of the 'net are the same sort of kids who now do music blogs.</p><p>Hey, <i>whatever</i>, man! Here's Kitty's post:</p><blockquote><a href="http://www.yourmusicisawful.com/2013/04/hey-kids-grow-a-pair-how-music-blogs-neutered-indie-rock/" target=_new><p style="font-size:150%; font-weight:bold;">Hey Kids, Grow a Pair: How Music Blogs Neutered Indie Rock</p></a>
<p>For my birthday this past January, a friend bought me a book called <a href="http://grungebook.tumblr.com/buythebook" target=_new><i>Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge</i> by Mark Yarm.</a> It’s a collection of stories told through interviews with the folks involved in the creation of the Seattle scene all those years ago. The stories come from band members, club owners, press members, booking agents, sound guys, and kids who just hung around the clubs. Mostly anecdotal stuff, stories about rock shows and getting high in the parking lot before hand.</p>
<p>Having entered adolescence in the early 90’s, the music of Seattle and Olympia played a huge role in the development of my musical tastes, so the book felt like a great chance for a stroll down memory lane. But as I got further into it, with its stories of how <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_U-Men" target=_new>The U-Men</a> once got shut down for setting fire to a lake in front of their stage at the Bumbershoot Festival or the time Mark Arm, singer of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_River_(band)" target=_new>Green River</a>, finished a set swinging from a fluorescent ceiling light over a crowd of sweaty kids, I began to get more and more pissed off.</p>
<p>I’ll explain. Around the same time I got the book, I’d been trolling the blogs for the ubiquitous end-of-year top 10 albums, and time after time the lists I found would have made dry toast seem fucking electrifying. Here’s an example from an actual blog that I won’t name to protect the utterly boring.</p>
<ul>
<li>01: Of Monsters and Men – My Head is an Anima</li>
<li>02: The Lumineers – The Lumineers</li>
<li>03: John Samson – Provincial</li>
<li>04: Mumford and Sons – Babel</li>
<li>05: Sufjan Stevens – Silver and Gold</li>
<li>06: The Walkmen – Heaven</li>
<li>07: Beach House – Bloom</li>
<li>08: Matt & Kim – Lightning</li>
<li>09: fun. – Some Nights</li>
<li>10: Jack White – Blunderbuss</li>
</ul>
<p>Seriously? This is the best 2012 had to offer? Beach House? Mumford and Sons? fun.? Number 5 on the list is a Christmas album for Christ’s sake. And this is from a reputable indie blog. (And yes, I know The Lumineers are a beloved Denver band made good, so don’t write me letters about it). But honestly, when did all the skinny jeaned, fedora clad 20 somethings of the world decide to get together and completely fucking neuter music? It’s like a whole movement of eunuchs out there walking around with synths and tambourines.</p>
<p>I’m so exhausted by this generation of watered-down, vaguely 60’s or vaguely folk, mid-tempo, non-offensive, cutesy indie music. When I was 16 or 22 I wanted to break shit. I was pissed off at an unjust world, at the indignities of high school, at my parents, at that ever-present dude who grabbed my ass at rock shows (I’m still pissed off at that dude, by the way). I don’t get it, these kids grew up in a post 911, Patriot Act world where they will likely never make as much money as their parents or pay off their student debt and yet all they want to do is grow a beard, play the banjo, and hold hands. What the fuck?</p>
<p>This can be blamed, to some degree, on the rise of the music blog. I realize the irony of writing that on a music blog, but it is the reality all the same. The Internet has created a space in which every journalism-major with an ironic t-shirt and a laptop has the power to shape popular culture. It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t know who <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Jones" target=_new>Brian Jones</a> is or that he’s never listened to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Rex_(band)" target=_new>T-Rex</a> album all the way through. It makes no difference that he can’t identify anything in the <a href="http://www.talking-heads.nl/" target=_new>Talking Heads’</a> catalogue besides <em>Burning Down the House</em>. You can’t see this person, you’ve never met him, and you have no idea if he has any credibility whatsoever, and yet, you’re letting him dictate your musical tastes to you. For all you know this kid spent his high school years listening to Linkin Park while trolling the web for date-rape porn. He may have been a Juggalo until he was 18 when he discovered <a href="http://postalservicemusic.net/" target=_new>The Postal Service</a> through some girl he had the hots for. You don’t know.</p>
<p>Blogs have created a structure in which the handful of kids writing for the elite establishment like Pitchfork or Stereogum choose whatever unoriginal crap they like that week and all the little blogs fall in line. They are all so busy jumping on each other’s bandwagons, nobody has bothered to notice their wagon train has been driving in a circle for roughly a decade now.</p>
<p>I say fuck the blogs. Stop reading them (except for this one). Lets go back to doing what we used to do. Hanging out at record stores, going to shows, talking to actual people about what they’re listening to. And stop buying singles from bands who put more energy into their hair cuts than they put into their songwriting, for fuck’s sake. (I’m looking at you fun.)</p>
<p>There is a reason why bands like <a href="http://www.nirvana.com/" target=_new>Nirvana</a> took over the world in 1991 and why the new generation hasn’t been able to recreate that energy. Nirvana came out of a small, tight-knit community of people who went to each other’s shows, played in each other’s bands and created a sound though collaboration and an authentic desire to make art that mattered to them. They did this for no one but themselves, with no hope of achieving fame in a city that didn’t even exist as far as the industry was concerned.</p>
<p>In 1992, when Donita Sparks of <a href="http://l7official.com/" target=_new>L7</a> pulled out her tampon and <a href="http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/great-moments-badass-rock-history-l7" target=_new>threw it at the crowd</a> at the Reading Festival, she didn’t do it to create a YouTube sensation or to make a Pitchfork top 10 list. She did it in a moment of genuine defiance and frustration at a crowd flinging mud onstage. She knew what was between her legs and she wasn’t afraid to use it. And by that, I don’t mean a bloody tampon; I mean a serious pair of balls. She had more balls than the members of Fleet Foxes can ever hope to have. And that kids, is what rock and roll is all about.</p></blockquote><p>Naturally, a lot of commenters criticized the post, me included. However, plenty thought what Kitty wrote was just the <i>best thing ever!</i> Here some of my favorite supportive responses (some are complete, others are merely excerpts):</p><ul><li><p><b>Derek Traxler</b></p><p>What is sad is that what you say is true. I have been deprived of anything new without searching really fucking hard.<br><span style="color:yellow;">[I honestly am not sure what this person is trying to say, but, hey <i>cussing!</i>]</span></p></li><li><p><b>Grunge boy</b></p><p>Neutered is a good word for today’s indie rock. It is a mirror image of the people who go to the shows. Girls dress like boys, boys dress like girls. Everyone is a gender neutral looking crowd. Nothing deep and angry. Highly intellectual. Nothing from the visceral gut. No slam dancing, just lame ass 3rd grade style dancing. No real deep passionite meaning in the music, at least from what I can see.<br><span style="color:yellow;">[Yes, indie rock is bad because people don't properly conform to gender stereotypes. Plus, why is no one slam dancing to <b>Mumford & Sons</b>?]</span></p></li><li><p><b><a href="http://en.gravatar.com/convolutedmind" target=_new>convolutedmind</a></b></p><p>I really enjoyed your post. I grew up in a era of where you had to actually seek out music. Where you went to live shows to find out who you liked. Where you spent your hard earned check on a band that you never heard before only to find out they sucked. But every now and again you would find a gem and be hooked on them for the rest of your life. We would make mix tapes for our friends to introduce them to cool music. We cared about what we listened to and we were pissed off at the world and didn’t just roll over and take it.<br><span style="color:yellow;">[Just ignore that music blogging is merely a new take on making mix tapes.]</span></p></li><li><p><b>1991rtk</b></p><p>I was born in the 90s, and missed most of the 90s Alternative phenomenon. When I was more conscious of music, I had Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, My Chemical Romance, Rise Against, among others. Guess what? As I looked deeper, I found that the 90s were better than that stuff, because it felt real and not formulaic or made to ‘fit in’. I don’t mind early 2000s stuff, but look at what has happened to Muse, Linkin Park, among others: THEY ADAPTED AND BECAME TRENDY. They pulled away from their own ways to become part of a system which is not as profitable as it once was, they sold out. Music out today is both good and bad. A lot of it still feels like it is being made for the sake of money or the ‘casual’ music listener. Devoid of meaning and motivation, a lot of today’s music has become music for the sake of ‘something listening to’. There’s no more conviction…and therefore the content and quality takes a major hit.<br><span style="color:yellow;">[Um, <b>Linkin Park</b> <i>hit the ground</i> trendy. Or was I mistaken when I thought most of the opening acts when I went to OzzFest in 2000 or 2001 all sounded the same? Other similar bands on the bill that day, that I remember: <b>Crazytown</b>, <b>Papa Roach</b>, <b>Disturbed</b>]</span></p></li><li><p><b>griggsy</b></p><p>The thing about these so called music blogs is that they’re run by attention seeking dweebs who not only lack a passion for music, but are not even curious. They’re usually doing it for the free crap.<br><span style="color:yellow;">[My empty bank account and house chock full of records, tapes, and CDs belies the claim that music bloggers lack passion for music. As for <q>free crap,</q> I ignore offers from bands to get free music in exchange for a blog post. Or I write them snarky responses, if it's obvious they've not really looked at my blog. Claiming they like the bands I interview is always a good clue in that regard. I've not interviewed a band since 1989 or '90, and <i>never</i> for this blog.]</span></p></li><li><p><b>Jim</b></p><p>This is dead on. All the whining comments need to go jump. You’re obviously all very happy with the homogenized drone that is indie rock so ignore this post and go enjoy it. I’m turning 40 this year and every new record I hear bores me to death. I’m supposed to be scared of new music by this point. The author is exactly right. Indie rock has lost its teeth b/c it’s being made for faceless morons on the internet, not for actual people situated in a specific time and place dealing with specific circumstances. Anyone who feels like they need to pipe up and disagree with this article or take a jab at the author is an isolated, complacent, wussbag.<br><span style="color:yellow;">[I'm turning 50 this year, and I constantly hear new music that excites me.]</span></p></li><li><p><b><a href="http://gravatar.com/independentmusicpromotions" target=_new>independentmusicpromotions</a></b></p><p>Some of the hecklers in the comments are doing so out of mere defensiveness. The fact is, this is a brilliant post. Why? Because, much like the music of the early 90′s Kitty is describing, the blogger CARES. They have passion. That’s clear whether you respect the opinion or not.<br><span style="color:yellow;">[Yeah, I'm defensive. I also CARE about music. I also have no respect for an <q>opinion</q> that is merely gussied up ad hominem.]</span></p></li><li><p><b><a href="http://twitter.com/ADsXe" target=_new>AD (@ADsXe)</a></b></p><p>youre fucking awesome.</p><p>when i was teenager in a band on the warped tour confused about life who didnt know what tomorrow would bring i wanted to play music loud and ( to quote rollins) fuck on the floor and break shit…. now im a grown up with a bit more of an idea of what makes my world go around, a mortgage and a job ive been at for 7 years and … i want to play music loud fuck on the floor and break shit.</p><p>while i love what it’s done for communication ( and porn ) , i hate what the internet has done to music. When I had a band.. all we had to do was come to a town, play an awesome show, and if we were on our game, when we came back again.. there would be more people there next time. no mailing list, no online panhandling for facebook likes and kickstarter dollars or youtube views, just a burning desire to start some shit , enough gas money to get to the next city, and the determination, sweat, and live show to make it happen.</p><p> you rule. i wish everyone was like you<br><span style="color:yellow;">[Ah, yes, the good ol' days, when one could be in a band on the corporate-sponsored, heavily-promoted-via-social-media <b>Warped Tour</b>. Back before the internet and corporate money ruined everything. Obliviousness, thy name is <b>ADsXe</b>.]</span></p></li></ul><p>Sorry for ranting at length about this. I get defensive when something I enjoy doing (when I can) to share music I love is attacked by someone with a chip on (in this case) her shoulder as somehow being responsible for the death of independent music.</p><hr><p>UPDATE: Ms. Vincent's band <b>Le Divorce</b> has a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ledivorce" target=_new>Facebook page</a>. Under their interests, they list <q>not making a myspace page.</q> I guess the absurdity of slamming a social media site from within <i>another social media site</i> escaped them.</p><p>If you'd like to hear the music of <b>Le Divorce</b>, head to their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ledivorce/app_178091127385" target=_new>music page</a> on Facebook. In my opinion, they're not terrible, but they're also rather shamelessly imitative of '90s alt-rock of the sort that used to clog the airwaves 15 to 20 years ago. If you pine for the days of <b>Better than Ezra</b> or <b>Marcy Playground</b>, you'll probably love them. If you're expecting something with the visceral punch that Ms. Vincent claims is lacking in today's indie rock, you can be the judge for yourself whether or not she has the balls to back up her convictions with her guitar, or just with her spittle-flecked keyboard.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-46387120780026730772013-01-27T14:45:00.001-05:002021-08-23T13:08:46.656-04:00100 (Allegedly) Influential Albums<style>
#own
{
font-size:130%;
text-shadow:deeppink 1px 1px 1px;
color: yellow;
font-variant:small-caps;
}
</style><div class="write_up"><p>There's a list of <a href="http://www.InfluentialAlbums.com" target="_new">100 Influential Albums</a> making the rounds on Facebook. While it has a lot of great records, there are also a bunch of really weird inclusions, bizarre choices for the represented artists, and ridiculous oversights. For example, there are no <b>Black Sabbath</b> albums and no hardcore of any sort. Plus, there's a massive <i>single</i> jazz album; either list a few or list none!</p><p>Here's the entire list, in the order it is presented; the ones I own are <span id="own" style="font-variant:normal; font-size:100%;">highlighted</span>.<ol><li><span id="own"><b>The Pretty Things</b> <i>S.F. Sorrow</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Ride</b> <i>Nowhere</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Wire</b> <i>Chairs Missing</i></span> </li>
<li><b>The Jesus and Mary Chain</b> <i>Psychocandy</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Jimi Hendrix</b> <i>Axis: Bold as Love</i></span> </li>
<li><b>New Order</b> <i>Technique</i> </li>
<li><b>Harry Nilsson</b> <i>Nilsson Schmilsson</i> </li>
<li><b>Mazzy Star</b> <i>So Tonight That I Might See</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Captain Beefheart</b> <i>Trout Mask Replica</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Elliott Smith</b> <i>Roman Candle</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Devo</b> <i>Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Tim Buckley</b> <i>Goodbye and Hello</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Big Star</b> <i>Third/Sister Lovers</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Incredible String Band</b> <i>The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Public Enemy</b> <i>It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back</i> </li>
<li><b>Van Morrison</b> <i>Astral Weeks</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Yes</b> <i>Close to the Edge</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Pink Floyd</b> <i>The Piper at the Gates of Dawn</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>T·Rex</b> <i>Electric Warrior</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Talking Heads</b> <i>Remain in Light</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Bloc Party</b> <i>Silent Alarm</i> </li>
<li><b>The Flying Burrito Brothers</b> <i>The Gilded Palace of Sin</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>The Fall</b> <i>Perverted by Language</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Blur</b> <i>Parklife</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>The Stooges</b> <i>Fun House</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Love</b> <i>Forever Changes</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Cocteau Twins</b> <i>Heaven or Las Vegas</i> </li>
<li><b>Magazine</b> <i>Real Life</i> </li>
<li><b>Slint</b> <i>Spiderland</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>XTC</b> <i>Drums and Wires</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Donovan</b> <i>A Gift from a Flower to a Garden</i> </li>
<li><b>The The</b> <i>Soul Mining</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Nirvana</b> <i>Nevermind</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Dexy's Midnight Runners</b> <i>Searching for the Young Soul Rebels</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Nick Drake</b> <i>Five Leaves Left</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Sonic Youth</b> <i>Daydream Nation</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Lou Reed</b> <i>Transformer</i></span> </li>
<li><b>The Stone Roses</b> <i>The Stone Roses</i> </li>
<li><b>AC/DC</b> <i>Back in Black</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Joy Division</b> <i>Closer</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Bert Jansch</b> <i>Bert Jansch</i></span> </li>
<li><b>The Go-Betweens</b> <i>Before Hollywood</i> </li>
<li><b>The Cure</b> <i>Disintegration</i> </li>
<li><b>Jeff Buckley</b> <i>Grace</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Pere Ubu</b> <i>The Modern Dance</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Bob Dylan</b> <i>Blonde on Blonde</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Belle and Sebastian</b> <i>If You're Feeling Sinister</i></span> </li>
<li><b>The Beach Boys</b> <i>Pet Sounds</i> </li>
<li><b>The Breeders</b> <i>Last Splash</i> </li>
<li><b>Stevie Wonder</b> <i>Innervisions</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>David Bowie</b> <i>Hunky Dory</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Ramones</b> <i>Ramones</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Oasis</b> <i>(What's the Story) Morning Glory</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>King Crimson</b> <i>In the Court of the Crimson King</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Johnny Cash</b> <i>The Man Comes Around</i> </li>
<li><b>Neil Young</b> <i>After the Gold Rush</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Sufjan Stevens</b> <i>Illinoise</i></span> </li>
<li><b>The Strokes</b> <i>Is This It?</i> </li>
<li><b>My Bloody Valentine</b> <i>Loveless</i> </li>
<li><b>Led Zeppelin</b> <i>Led Zeppelin IV</i> </li>
<li><b>Massive Attack</b> <i>Blue Lines</i> </li>
<li><b>Slowdive</b> <i>Souvlaki</i> </li>
<li><b>REM</b> <i>Automatic for the People</i> </li>
<li><b>Mercury Rev</b> <i>Deserter's Songs</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Sex Pistols</b> <i>Never Mind the Bollocks</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Patti Smith</b> <i>Horses</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Gerry Rafferty</b> <i>City to City</i> </li>
<li><b>The Chameleons</b> <i>Script of the Bridge</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Brian Eno</b> <i>Here Come the Warm Jets</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Roy Harper</b> <i>Stormcock</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>John Cale</b> <i>Paris 1919</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>The Velvet Underground</b> <i>The Velvet Underground</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Spritualized</b> <i>Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>The White Stripes</b> <i>Elephant</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Leonard Cohen</b> <i>Songs of Leonard Cohen</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Clap Your Hands Say Yeah</b> <i>Clap Your Hands Say Yeah</i> </li>
<li><b>Felt</b> <i>The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories</i> </li>
<li><b>The Clash</b> <i>London Calling</i> </li>
<li><b>Arcade Fire</b> <i>Funeral</i> </li>
<li><b>Marvin Gaye</b> <i>What's Going On?</i> </li>
<li><b>John Martyn</b> <i>Solid Air</i> </li>
<li><b>The Delgados</b> <i>Peloton</i> </li>
<li><b>Bon Iver</b> <i>For Emma, Forever Ago</i> </li>
<li><b>Super Furry Animals</b> <i>Radiator</i> </li>
<li><b>Cream</b> <i>Disraeli Gears</i> </li>
<li><b>I Am Kloot</b> <i>Gods and Monsters</i> </li>
<li><b>Pixies</b> <i>Doolittle</i> </li>
<li><b>The Wedding Present</b> <i>George Best</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Dave Brubeck Quartet</b> <i>Time Out</i></span> </li>
<li><b>The Smiths</b> <i>The Queen Is Dead</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>The Beatles</b> <i>Revolver</i></span> </li>
<li><b>The Kinks</b> <i>Face to Face</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Television</b> <i>Marquee Moon</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Can</b> <i>Tago Mago</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Radiohead</b> <i>OK Computer</i> </li>
<li><b>The Smashing Pumpkins</b> <i>Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness</i> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>The Rolling Stones</b> <i>Exile on Main Street</i></span> </li>
<li><span id="own"><b>Joni Mitchell</b> <i>Hejira</i></span> </li>
<li><b>Kraftwerk</b> <i>Computer World</i> </li>
<li><b>Primal Scream</b> <i>Screamadelica</i></li>
</ol></p><p><b>NOTA BENE:</b> The <span id="own" style="font-variant:normal; font-size:100%;">Devo</span> album actually belongs to my husband, but I probably listen to it more than he does.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-34526625128796668932013-01-14T01:45:00.000-05:002013-01-14T01:45:00.591-05:00Not dead!<div class="write_up"><p>Please, forgive the complete lack of posts for the past two-plus months! I'll be posting again sometime soon, I hope.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-9540568278585645872012-11-01T17:00:00.000-04:002015-01-10T01:38:00.531-05:00Billy ThunderKloud and the Chieftones "Indian Nation"<div class="release_art"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JFdciQ1eI1Q/UILoiYt9tiI/AAAAAAAADwc/dSq9Fcmip4o/s1600/how%2B500.jpg" width="500" height="507"></div><div class="media_box"><p><center><audio controls="controls" preload="metadata"> <source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/ehqg8gp64vm6l8x7jcnq.mp3" type="audio/mp3"> <source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/b7elghy9x3e17q5r1dn7.oga" type="audio/ogg"> My apologies. This blog now requires HTML5 Audio to stream music.</audio></center></p><p><a href="https://app.box.com/shared/static/ehqg8gp64vm6l8x7jcnq.mp3"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TPAhx6UgNPI/AAAAAAAACKw/oZUMM8ohSHs/s1600/download80.gif"></a></p></div><div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/45531474/Billy-Thunder-k-Loud-Flier" target="_new">Billy ThunderKloud and the Chieftones</a></span><br />
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3965005" target="_new">Where Do I Begin to Tell a Story</a></span><br />
<span id="format">LP</span><br />
<span id="label">(Superior Records, 197x)</span></p></div><div class="write_up"><p>March 26, 1972: I was eight years old, and my Daddy took me to my very first rock concert. The headliners were the <b>Jackson 5</b>, but the opening act was <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/45531474/Billy-Thunder-k-Loud-Flier" target="_new"><b>Billy ThunderKloud and the Chieftones</b></a>. That night was actually my second time to see Billy and his krew, as they'd performed at a variety show my Mommy had taken me to see at the state fair a day or two beforehand.</p><p>The only things I really remember about either show was the band's long-ish name, the fact that they wore Native American garb (though we called it Indian back then), and they played today's song. For many years after, in fact, I associated it with them rather than <b>The Raiders</b>, who'd <strike>originally written and</strike> recorded it in the early '70s (video below). While researching for this post, I discovered that Billy and the boys actually were full-blooded Native Americans from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsimshian_people" target=_new><b>Tsimshian Nation</b></a>, heralding from what is now British Columbia, Canada. Sadly, the linked Wikipedia article does not consider Billy to be one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsimshian_people#Notable_Tsimshian_people" target=_new>notable Tsimshian people</a>.</p><img class="right clear" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iD71kBqZ224/UJLbouCivdI/AAAAAAAAD9U/SfGSSuQIARk/s1600/night.png" width="250" height="253"><p>I had no idea <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/45531474/Billy-Thunder-k-Loud-Flier" target="_new"><b>Billy ThunderKloud and the Chieftones</b></a> had released records until nearly a quarter-century later, when I stumbled upon a copy of their album <i>All Through the Night</i>, also released by Superior Records, at my favorite local store. Boy, oh, boy . . . it turned out to be fairly cheesy lounge-style versions of country and easy listening favorites.</p><img class="left clear" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oze2zDvvWkM/UJLZ8qubGnI/AAAAAAAAD9E/xqjZBXCyh_g/s1600/off.png" height="250" width="250"><p class="clear">Naturally, when I found a copy of <i>Off the Reservation</i>, I snapped that one up, too! Tragically, however, neither had their version of <q>Indian Nation.</q></p><p>I finally discovered that <q>Indian Nation</q> was on their album <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3965005" target="_new"><i>Where Do I Begin to Tell a Story</i></a>. I bought a copy off eBay recently and was crushed when it turned out to be in horrible condition. I mean, practically unlistenable. I ripped the song, though, and cleaned it up as best I could for your enjoyment. It still sounds pretty rough, though.</p><p>As always, liner notes from the '70s and earlier are often a treat. Check out these from the back cover. The writer seems astonished to have discovered that, whoa!, Native Americans are <i>just like real people!</i></p><blockquote><p>I had never had a close relationship with any <q>full-fledged</q> Indians until Billy Thundercloud and the Chieftones. I have, however, kept myself aware of the Indian's plight through the years. I must admit I expected that they would have deep hostilities in their music. As one of the musicians on the session I had to get my head together to portray this expected feeling. To my surprise it didn't happen that way.</p><p>At the recording session, these beautiful people put out nothing but good vibrations. Their music reflects their strong heritage, simply with its feeling, but the amazing thing is they use modern, popular material to reflect their attitudes. When you listen to <q>Theme from Love Story,</q> think about Billy Thundercloud not only speaking about a love for a woman, but his love for mankind. <q>Where do I begin to tell the story,</q> . . . this is actually what he thinks. Their lives have been twisted and confused since childhood because of their race, yet they have managed to overcome hate and hostility. They can still love.</p><p>This album is filled with that deep feeling of goodness, warmth, and compassion for their people and all people. Listen and feel the vibrations. Feel it like we felt it at the recording session. It is there.</p><p>My thanks to the Chieftones for allowing me to be a part of their music and their spirit.</p><p style="text-align:right;">MARK ELLERBEE</p></blockquote><p>NOTA BENE: <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3965005" target="_new"><i>Where Do I Begin to Tell a Story</i></a> was later reissued with a different, and much uglier, cover. It's the same photographs, but rearranged and with a huge, overly bright, cyan border added plus different, super-cheesy type fonts.</p><p>Addendum: I have never owned a <b>Jackson 5</b> or <b>Michael Jackson</b> record in my life.</p><hr><p><iframe width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zQ6RjP7MlXk?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-44889741534839771522012-10-28T23:45:00.000-04:002012-10-29T00:54:31.460-04:00Marlene Dietrich "The Boys in the Back Room"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BJFOLLJJbz0/UI2prBexEKI/AAAAAAAAD6Y/nCvHFd8HUVc/s1600/destry%2B3.jpg" width="300" height="600" onmouseover="this.height='1000'; this.width='500'" onmouseout="this.height='600'; this.width='300'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121028"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121028", {
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich" target="_new">Marlene Dietrich</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031225/" target="_new">Destry Rides Again</a></span><br>
<span id="format">feature film</span><br>
<span id="label">(Universal Pictures, 1939)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><img class="right" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xSflwl7YlRc/UI3OHIkH3QI/AAAAAAAAD7o/7uExbt-H6HA/s1600/marlene%2Btux.png" width="300" height="402"><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich" target=_new><b>Marlene Dietrich</b></a> is one of the sexiest human beings ever to walk the planet. She was also bisexual, and created quite a stir when she had the <i>nerve</i> to appear in men's clothing in the early 1930's.</p><p>After a successful movie career starring in several films directed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_von_Sternberg" target=_new><b>Josef von Sternberg</b></a> in the early 1930s, Dietrich was declared <q>box office poison,</q> after appearing in some unsuccessful ones. Luckily, director <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Pasternak" target=_new><b>Joe Pasternak</b></a> talked her into appearing in the western he was getting ready to shoot, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031225/" target="_new"><i>Destry Rides Again</i></a>. She played the barmaid & chanteuse <b>Frenchy</b>, opposite a young, and already very charismatic, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stewart" target=_new><b>Jimmy Stewart</b></a> as <b>Tom Destry, Jr.</b></p><p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031225/" target="_new"><i>Destry Rides Again</i></a> ended up being a smash hit, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich" target=_new><b>Dietrich</b></a>'s career was back on track. It also, perhaps not coincidentally, is my favorite western. In addition to those distinctions, it features one of my two favorite movie fight scenes* of all time. According to legend, the fight was not choreographed. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich" target=_new><b>Dietrich</b></a> and co-pugilist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Una_Merkel" target=_new><b>Una Merkel</b></a> agreed to no closed fists, but that was it for rules. Luckily for them, they got the scene in one take!</p><p><iframe width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/By48VYXP16s?rel=0&start=198" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p>There are scads of recordings of today's song (written by the wonderful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hollaender" target=_new><b>Friedrich Hollaender</b></a>) out there, but the one from the film itself is my favorite. None of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich" target=_new><b>Dietrich</b></a> CDs I own has that particular version, so this one was ripped from a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target=_new><b>YouTube</b></a> clip of the performance from the film. The <b>Buy MP3</b> button above will take you to the movie version of the song on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/MP3-Music-Download/b/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&node=163856011&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><b>Amazon MP3</b></a>, from the collection <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009DGO288/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009DGO288&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20"><i>Music and Songs from Classic Westerns</i></a>. I checked all the <a href="http://www.itunes.com/" target=_new><b>iTunes</b></a> clips, and could not find it, so no link from there. My apologies.</p><p><iframe width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JpSZIXuiEls?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><hr><p class="no_custom">*<span class="custom_delayed">M</span>y other favorite is the awesome fight scene between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roddy_Piper" target=_new><b><q>Rowdy</q> Roddy Piper</b></a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_David" target=_new><b>Keith David</b></a> in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096256/" target=_new><i>They Live</i></a>.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-50587285621854657002012-10-27T23:30:00.000-04:002012-10-28T04:04:12.443-04:00Mahjongg "Hot Lava"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i_4vnyNGQIU/UIsleNUsnjI/AAAAAAAAD5I/pl9jkhYF1v4/s1600/raydon%2B500.png" width="190" height="190" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='499'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='190'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121027"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121027", {
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/machinegong" target="_new">Mahjongg</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007NMK62/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0007NMK62&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">RaYDONcoNG 2005</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.discogs.com/label/Cold+Crush" target=_new>Cold Crush Records</a>, 2005)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/machinegong" target="_new"><b>Mahjongg</b></a> opened for <a href="http://www.myspace.com/prettygirlsmakegraves" target=_new><b>Pretty Girls Make Graves</b></a> and the <a href="http://www.arts-crafts.ca/constantines/" target=_new><b>Constantines</b></a> here several years ago. Despite only catching their final two songs, I was impressed enough to pick up their debut EP, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00015HVTM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00015HVTM&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Machinegong</i></a>, that night. I saw 'em again (a full set, too) when their first album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007NMK62/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0007NMK62&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><i>RaYDONcoNG 2005</i></a>, came out and they were even better. This track is from the album, and was one of the two that I really dug at that first show.</p><p>Since then, they've released a couple more excellent albums, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0010V4U3G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0010V4U3G&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Kontpab</i></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003O6M3PM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003O6M3PM&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20"><i>The Long Shadow of the Paper Tiger</i></a>, but their <a href="http://www.myspace.com/machinegong" target="_new">MySpace</a> hasn't been updated in two years, so I'm not sure what their status is.</p><p>They switched it up on instruments, so I'm not sure which members are which, but the guy who played bass on this song (I think) was wearing a t-shirt with two, intersecting, pink triangles the first time I saw them. When I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00015HVTM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00015HVTM&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Machinegong</i></a> at their merch table that night, I asked him if he was gay, based on the shirt, and he said he was.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-83914415700169992762012-10-26T17:40:00.000-04:002012-10-29T01:09:06.959-04:00The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower "For Marcus"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2_Om2oCv428/UIrzOpH3bBI/AAAAAAAAD1o/S_UCKxHRGH8/s1600/diss%2B500.png" width="190" height="192" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='504'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='192'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121026"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/theplottoblowuptheeiffeltower" target="_new">The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007KS8J/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00007KS8J&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">Dissertation, Honey</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.discogs.com/label/Happy+Couples+Never+Last+Recordings" target=_new>Happy Couples Never Last Records</a>, 2003)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/theplottoblowuptheeiffeltower" target="_new"><b>The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower</b></a> opened for a popular underground band at a show here a number of years ago. I went on the advice of a friend, and because I'd been hearing for years about how great the headlining band were. I thought they were OK, but that's the nicest thing I can say. On the other hand, TPtBUtET, whom I'd never even heard of before, kicked my ass quite nicely. Sadly, a few years later they called it a day. I saw them here again on their farewell tour and got kissed (on the cheek! I am a common-law-married man!) by their handsome singer. Were I single, I'd've swooned.</p><img class="right" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-57eFQHDn-0Q/UIr4kMZ7d-I/AAAAAAAAD24/CnHoR-njk08/s1600/mwayman.jpg" width="150" height="188"><p>The titular focus of today's jukebox track was a real boy: <a href="http://www.marcuswayman.org/" target=_new>Marcus Wayman</a>. From the CD booklet:</p><blockquote><p>Marcus Wayman, 18, was in a parked car with a 17-year-old male when police questioned the two, found condoms while searching the car, and arrested them for under-age drinking. At the police station, officers lectured the two teens on about the Bible's condemnation of homosexuality and threatened to tell Wayman's grandfather that he was gay. After Wayman, a highschool football player, was released from custody, he committed suicide in his home.</p></blockquote><p><i>Was</i> Marcus gay? Does it even <i><b>matter</b></i>? The simple <i>presumption</i> of homosexuality is enough for bullies to attack other kids, whether or not said victims are LGBT. Clearly, the police were bullies in this case. Marcus's family pressed civil charges against the officers and the town. Despicably, the attorney for the police tried to argue that sexual orientation is <i>not</i> a private matter!</p><p>The family setup a <a href="http://www.marcuswayman.org/" target=_new>website</a> in 2002 during the trial. I'll let them take over from here, from the <a href="http://www.marcuswayman.org/new.htm" target=_new>What's New</a> page:</p><blockquote><p><b>Marcus' Story</b></p><p><b>Minersville, PA, USA:</b> Marcus Wayman and another friend were in an abandoned parking lot where they were turning around their vehicle, coming from a high school party. The teens were immediately followed into the lot by local police. Officers at once stopped and separated the teens.</p><p>After frisking the teens, police found that one of them were carrying condoms. Officer Scott Willinsky within minutes concluded the boys were obviously <q>queers</q> (police quote) and stopping to engage in sex. After questioning the teens about the condoms, Willinksy had his mind made up, regardless of their answers.</p><p>The small town police threatened to tell the teens' families, friends and community that they were homosexuals and quoted biblical passages while placing them under arrest for underage drinking.</p><p>Marcus, a high school football player, distraught and despaired, scared that he would be labeled and outed as gay by the police to the small community, his family and friends … six hours later … committed suicide.</p><p><b>He was 18 years old.</b></p><p>In a time of rampant HIV, STD infections and teenage pregnancy, we teach and preach to our youth to practice safe sex. Yet in Minersville, carrying condoms is translated from responsible teenage behavior to being <q>queer faggots</q> (police quote).</p><p>In 1998, Madonna Sterling, Marcus' mother, filed civil charges against Minersville police officers and the town; specifically, Police Chief Joseph Willinsky and son Scott Willinsky (who is still an officer in Minersville), claiming that the officers clearly violated Marcus' privacy rights.</p><p>Due to the vague nature of sexual orientation being covered under privacy laws, the attorney for the police argued that sexual orientation was not considered private and therefore, not protected under the Constitutional Amendments. As a result, the defense moved for a dismissal from all charges against the very same police who are sworn to protect and serve all citizens.</p><p>During pretrial arguments in November 2000, the 3rd U S Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled that a person's constitutional right to privacy not only includes one's sexual orientation but stated <q>it is difficult to imagine a more private matter than ones sexuality and a less likely probability that the government would have a legitimate interest in its disclosure. Further, by threatening to disclose ones homosexuality would be tantamount to doing so, because the security of ones privacy has been compromised by the threat.</q></p><p>The defense for the police further justified the actions of the police by saying that in small towns like Minersville, the police are obligated to take on parental roles as well act as spiritual advisors to members of their community .<q>Chief Willinsky offers that, as a small town police officer, his role has parental overtones, thus, reducing the citizens' expectation of privacy. We mention this only to note our disagreement with the concept that the breadth of ones constitutional rights can somehow be diminished by demographics,</q> US Circuit Judge Carlos Los Mansmann wrote in the ground-breaking, landmark opinion.</p><p>This high court ruling allowed the case to move forward and the civil trial was held in Allentown, Pennsylvania on November two-thousand and one. After three days of testimony, a jury acquitted the police from any wrongdoing.</p><p style="text-align:center;"><b>And no one is held accountable???</b></p><p>On June 17th, 2002, the honorable and respectable, Judge Arnold C. Rapoport granted a new trial for this case, tossing out the previous acquittal. Judge Rapoport saying that the evidence presented at trial was clearly not heard or understood by the jury, calling the verdict a miscarriage of justice.</p><p>The defense immediately appealed for a reconsideration of Rapaport's decision to overturn the verdict and further plead to allow the Appellate Court hear whether it was within Judge Rapaport's authority to toss the verdict.</p><p>In a terse statement issued on October 18, 2002, Judge Rapaport issued a decision that boldly and flatly denied the defense's plea on both counts … clearing the way for the police to face new charges of misconduct, again, in front of a new jury for the invasion of privacy that prompted Marcus' suicide.</p><p>Let us not forget that Marcus' death and this case has afforded all gay, lesbian and bisexual people the right to privacy under the 14th Amendent to our Constitution. Never before has this been argued in a High Court. However, as such a political and controversial issue, this story has yet to be truly exposed. Under our Constitutional right to privacy, this case hangs in balance of what the government deems private and not. A truly unprecedented case that has wide spread implications on all American rights.</p><p><b>Furthermore, how many more youth must perish, thinking that suicide is preferable that being labeled as gay?</b></p><p><u>Please also note that it is not our intention, in any way, to claim that all police are bad officers. Those who have a sworn oath and duty to protect and serve, we truly thank and honor. However, in this case, we are speaking of cops who obviously forgot about that very same sworn oath.</u></p></blockquote></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-58725244826099249082012-10-25T23:30:00.000-04:002012-10-26T03:38:27.317-04:00Myles of Destruction "Moth Curiosity"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wK8PzpAW6wc/UImvae4MY1I/AAAAAAAADzA/0PlXPWhmwLc/s1600/running%2B500.png" width="190" height="193" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='508'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='193'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121025"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/darkside/mylesofdestruction/" target="_new">Myles of Destruction</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3943230" target="_new">Running Only Makes the Fire Worse.</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CDR</span><br>
<span id="label">(Burst Into Flames, 2002)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p>Years ago, there was a <b>Yahoo!</b> group called <b>QueerMetal</b>. I think. Hey, it's been a while, OK? I vaguely remember <b>Myles Donovan</b> posting there and talking a bit about his band, but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I finally heard them, when I stumbled across a used copy of their split 7" EP with noisesters <b>Abiku</b>. Both sides of the record were pretty neat, so I sought out more by each.</p><img class="right" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9-nKus6TINo/UIm2U2AZnZI/AAAAAAAAD0U/2s8DkqyDJ0Y/s1600/doom%2Btown.png" width="250" height="250"><p><a href="http://www.aquariusrecords.org/" target=_new><b>Aquarius Records</b></a> in San Francisco turned out to have a few <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/darkside/mylesofdestruction/" target="_new"><b>Myles of Destruction</b></a> CDRs listed on their site, so I ordered what they had. It happened that they were actually sold out of everything, but they contacted Myles and he found copies of today's jukebox parent and an earlier EP, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3978109" target=_new><i>Doom Town</i></a>. All four songs on the latter were redone for <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3943230" target="_new"><i>Running Only Makes the Fire Worse.</i></a>, and, while they were already good, they were definitely improved.</p><p>It's not an easy task, sometimes, trying to genre-fy an artist, and guitarless trio <a href="http://www.angelfire.com/darkside/mylesofdestruction/" target="_new"><b>Myles of Destruction</b></a> are one of the tougher ones! The fuzz bass and drumming are rather aggressive, while the violin work brings to (my) mind, East European folk music. So, I've coined a new term: gyspy grind. Interestingly, the vocals remind me very strongly of the band <b>Asa Nisi Masa</b>, whom I <a href="http://lightningjukebox.blogspot.com/2012/04/asa-nisi-masa-of-glory.html" target=_new>featured</a> here earlier this year, and who shared the same instrumental modus operandi: vocals, violin, bass, drums.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-19745523200038057432012-10-23T23:45:00.000-04:002012-10-24T01:40:42.511-04:00Mi Ami "Ark of the Covenant"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5-xzS9L4xa4/UIdzZHdZkVI/AAAAAAAADxs/peO1wae3bpc/s1600/ark.gif" width="500" height="506"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121023"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/miamiamiami" target="_new">Mi Ami</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1616555" target="_new">Ark of the Covenant</a></span><br>
<span id="format">12" single</span><br>
<span id="label">(Lovers Rock, 2008)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><img class="right" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/THcto_rgWfI/AAAAAAAAB_E/7L4ARW0jJcc/s1600/Mi+Ami.gif" width="250" height="249"><p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/miamiamiami" target="_new"><b>Mi Ami</b></a> are another group I've <a href="http://lightningjukebox.blogspot.com/2010/08/mi-ami-rhythms.html" target=_new>featured previously</a> on the jukebox, with the title track from their debut 12" EP, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1251072" target=_new><i>African Rhythms</i></a>. I'd apologize, but . . . no, to <i>heck</i> with it . . . <b><i>I shan't!</i></b></p><p>Today's tune is the A side of their second 12" record, <q>Ark of the Covenant</q> (the b-side is a trippy, dubby version). While it might be ever so slightly less frantic than <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1251072" target=_new><i>African Rhythms</i></a>, it's certainly not by much. They're in the spotlight this month as at least one, and possibly all, of them is/are openly gay. They're also just plain <i>fierce</i>.</p><p>Since this record was released, there have been some changes. Bassist <b>Jacob Long</b> left the group after the release of two full-length albums and three <i>more</i> 12" records, thereby slimming <a href="http://www.myspace.com/miamiamiami" target="_new"><b>Mi Ami</b></a> down to the duo of <b>Damon Palermo</b> and <b>Daniel Martin-McCormick</b>. They still kick up a great, dancey fuss, however, on their two releases since the slimmin': the limited-edition 12" EP <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L5D71O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004L5D71O&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Dolphins</i></a> and their 2012 full-length <a href="http://www.discogs.com/master/439307" target=_new><i>Decade</i></a>.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-90109241747132854942012-10-21T17:30:00.000-04:002012-10-21T17:40:24.344-04:00Wayne County & The Electric Chairs "Cry of Angels"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ogwKZ4Pdkuo/UILdbYezQ5I/AAAAAAAADvM/Jkk4JTEp-hU/s1600/storm.jpg" width="500" height="498"></div>
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_County_%26_the_Electric_Chairs" target="_new">Wayne County & The Electric Chairs</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1351017" target="_new">Storm the Gates of Heaven</a></span><br>
<span id="format">LP</span><br>
<span id="label">(Safari, 1978)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p>I have to admit knowing not a lot about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_County" target=_new><b>Wayne County</b></a>, other than he was an early fixture on the New York proto-punk/punk scene. All I'd heard until recently was a few fairly raunchy but musically bland songs on compilations. I knew he was originally from Georgia, where I now reside, and that he'd moved to New York at some point, obviously.</p><p>A few months ago, though, I came across a used copy of this LP from 1978 that I'd never seen before, and decided to give it a chance. It turned out to be a pretty darn good punk album, and today's song is my favorite from it.</p><p>When <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/1351017" target=_new><i>Storm the Gates of Heaven</i></a> was recorded, Wayne performed in outrageous drag. At some point, though, Wayne transitioned and became <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayne_County" target=_new><b>Jayne County</b></a>, the first (only?) trans woman punk rock star. She still performs and records to this day. In fact, a review of a recent show here in Atlanta was what prompted me to give this album a shot. Well, that and seeing interview clips over the years with Jayne that were usually pretty hilarious.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-73689625074942153232012-10-18T23:30:00.000-04:002012-10-22T03:47:20.233-04:00Hans Werner Henze „La Miracle de la Rose“ Imaginäres Theater II: Musik für einen Klarinettisten und 13 Spieler<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kSt7LgNsaGk/UIDvDUd0SjI/AAAAAAAADss/ITInhVDSe9g/s1600/ens%2Bmod%2B500%2Breduced.png" width="190" height="190" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='500'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='190'"></div>
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Werner_Henze" target="_new">Hans Werner Henze</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002K0J/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000002K0J&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">„La Miracle de la Rose“<br>„An eine Äolsharfe“</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(Ars Musici, 1991)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><img class="right" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WJdp1xYktaQ/UID3qcA2_dI/AAAAAAAADt8/7V72qtntEq0/s1600/hwh.png" width="300" height="192"><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Werner_Henze" target=_new><b>Hans Werner Henze</b></a> has been <a href="http://lightningjukebox.blogspot.com/2011/03/hans-werner-henze-amour-de-swann.html" target=_new>featured</a> on the jukebox before, but it's <a href="http://www.lgbthistorymonth.com/" target=_new><b>LGBT History Month</b></a>, he's one of my favorite composers, and he's openly gay. This time 'round I'm gonna let the liner notes for this piece do the talking for me. I will say, though, that in addition to Henze, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Genet" target=_new><b>Jean Genet</b></a>, the author of the book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miracle_of_the_Rose" target=_new><i>Miracle de la Rose</i></a>, which Henze has here transformed into music, was also openly gay. Henze himself conducted this recording, which features <a href="http://www.ensemble-modern.com/" target=_new><b>Ensemble Modern</b></a> joined by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Deinzer" target=_new><b>Hans Deinzer</b></a> on clarinet.</p><blockquote><p><b>Language becomes music – music becomes language</b></p><p>Hans Werner Henze has written two pieces with the subtitle ”Imaginary theatre“: ”El Rey de Harlem“ in 1979, after a text by Federico Garcia Lorca, and two years later ”Le Miracle de la Rose“, a musical evocation of the autobiography of the same name written by the French poet and playwright Jean Genet in prison in 1943. Both works take outsiders in society as their subject, characters who are both victims and wrongdoers at one and the same time. While the Lorca piece uses a voice to convey the content of the text, the piece entitled ”Imaginary theatre II“ (”Miracle“) goes one step further: the poetic content is transposed entirely into instrumental terms, with the solo clarinet being identified with the principal character, the sixteen-year-old twofold murderer Harcomone, who awaits execution. ”It is hardly surprising that the most wretched human life is described with especially beautiful words“ – this hypothesis of Genet's is adopted by Henze too, as he immerses himself in a private world precariously ruled by violence and the addiction to beauty. Henze is not interested in making philanthropic gestures of sympathy from the outside, nor in artistic indulgence in a macabre, surrealistic and almost exotic scenery of homosexuality and crime; what he aims to achieve is the deeper sympathy that goes hand-in-hand with the utmost humiliation and perversion. Beauty in a damaged life is a transcendental moment, a glimmer of hope and utopia – a sign of salvation from the hopelessly functionalistic world of normal people and conformists. It was in this sense that Jean-Paul Sartre regarded Genet – both the poet and the man – as a „saint“.</p><p>Henze's composition is divided into seven movements. It blends the model of the Baroque suite with the character of a virtuoso clarinet concerto. Many of the other thirteen instruments represent figures from the Genet book – the judge expresses himself through the trumpet, the priest is represented by the horn, the trombone stands for the lawyer, the poet himself is identified by the bass clarinet, while the heckelphone stands for the executioner. The introductory ”Entrée“ evokes a menacing mood which is dispelled time after time by the energy of Harcomone's daydreams (especially in the flights of fancy in the ”Air“). At the end of the Mediterranean hues of the ”Chansons provençales“, the screeching of the E flat clarinet depicts Harcomone's execution in dramatic colours. Like any programme music of true quality, ”Le Miracle de la Rose“ can also be listened to as absolute music. But the listener who also bears the close associations with Genet's book in mind will of course learn a great deal more about the composer Hans Werner Henze.</p><p>Pictures or language have often served as the inspiration for the compositions of Hans Werner Henze. Musical settings of texts account for a significant part of his work, but no less important are those works whose connection with the verse does not actually feature the sung presentation of the text. In these compositions, Henze is not content to merely reproduce the substance of a text atmospherically in terms of musical notes, nor does he simply illustrate it in 'programme music' fashion. Henze prefers to create structural musical convergences and equivalents. He follows the course of the words mimetically in note form, reconstructing the rhythm of the verse set and its structural subdivisions in the forms of his music. Henze, who takes a great interest in semiotics and wishes his music to possess symbolic value and precise linguistic character, refers deliberately to ”research“, when he is making a detailed study of poetry that he plans to transform into music. He first made this manner of working his own in 1953, when he composed his ”Ode to the West Wind“, the instrumental 'imagination' of a poem by Shelley, set for cello and orchestra. As a man of the theatre, he is also concerned to give his literary (or pictorial) subject something along the lines of a dramatic form by making a musical 'stage production' of it. In this way, apparently concertate works take on a dramatic aspect, too.</p><p class="right_text no_custom">Hans-Klaus Jungheinrich<br>(translation: Clive Williams)</p></blockquote><p>NOTA BENE: I know the punctuation and quotation marks above look odd. I have recreated it exactly as it appears in the booklet.</p><p class="no_custom"><b>:</b>-P</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-86571617654981016932012-10-17T23:45:00.000-04:002012-10-22T13:38:29.205-04:00The Zulus "Back"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0cRhXIwsG6k/UH8id1Tn3gI/AAAAAAAADqM/x1wqfoo5ktI/s1600/down%2B500.jpg" width="190" height="190" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='499'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='190'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121017"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121017", {
soundFile: "https://www.box.com/shared/static/tpj3r5l0h6sjc6j2yewt.mp3",
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-zulus-mn0000491032" target="_new">The Zulus</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000008MMY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000008MMY&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">Down on the Floor</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.discogs.com/label/Slash+Records" target=_new>Slash Records</a>, 1989)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><img class="right clear" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TNxNnx_03FI/AAAAAAAACIg/eP1WQEjP8dg/s1600/pound.gif" width="250" height="248"><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Sexual_Response_(band)" target=_new><b>Human Sexual Response</b></a> were fronted by openly gay lead vocalist & lyricist <b>Larry Bangor</b>, but I already <a href="http://lightningjukebox.blogspot.com/2010/11/human-sexual-response-extended-version.html" target=_new>featured them</a> a couple of years ago.</p><p>After HSR split, Bangor, along with guitarist <b>Rich Gilbert</b> and drummer <b>Malcolm Travis</b>, went on to start <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-zulus-mn0000491032" target=_new><b>The Zulus</b></a>. I've not heard their first 12" EP, but I have their (lone?) album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000008MMY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000008MMY&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><i>Down on the Floor</i></a>, and it rocks. Their sound was more hard rock than the new wave/post punk of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Sexual_Response_(band)" target=_new><b>Human Sexual Response</b></a>, but bein' a rocker, I'm not complaining. I suppose one could call them proto-grunge, as the rise of grunge (I <i>hate</i> that genre name) came around 1990. They're still perhaps a bit too arty to be grunge, though.</p><p>Oh, what<i>ever</i>!</p><iframe class="left" width="220" height="238" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yY1QLITgJ_A?rel=0&start=99" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><p>The future-openly-gay <a href="http://bobmould.com/" target=_new><b>Bob Mould</b></a>, past-openly-of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCsker_D%C3%BC" target=_new><b>Hüsker Dü</b></a>, produced <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000008MMY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000008MMY&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><i>Down on the Floor</i></a>, and <b>Malcolm Travis</b> went on to pound the skins in Mould's next ensemble de rock, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sugar-mn0000921598" target=_new><b>Sugar</b></a>.</p><p>I was just doing some research for this post, and discovered that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Sexual_Response_(band)" target=_new><b>Human Sexual Response</b></a> are playing a reunion show at <a href="www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/boston/" target=_new><b>The House of Blues</b></a> in their home of Boston on November 10! Man, I wish I could go. If you're in the area, or feel like travelling, tickets can be purchased on-line <a href="http://www.livenation.com/event/0100491DD679810A" target=_new>here</a>.<hr><p>Appropo of nothing, here's a picture of my foot at a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%BCsker_D%C3%BC" target=_new><b>Hüsker Dü</b></a> show in 1983.</p><img class="center" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xU0lOAtND5E/UH-OT83QZVI/AAAAAAAADrc/kfv9Hqf4g1o/s1600/bob%2Bmolds%2Bmy%2Bfoot.gif" width="500" height="388"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-69382366982281540162012-10-15T23:30:00.000-04:002012-10-16T01:16:37.181-04:00Fight "Psycho Suicide"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ-5_8HPfRM/UHzbbPtf2mI/AAAAAAAADo8/0zJRseu3nro/s1600/cover.png" width="190" height="190" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='500'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='190'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121015"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121015", {
soundFile: "https://www.box.com/shared/static/5nat9lv5np95o2vbn179.mp3",
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</script></center></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003HI9QJ8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003HI9QJ8&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TR1bUI0_jrI/AAAAAAAACPo/ICzNgeGBVsg/s1600/buymp3.gif"></a><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/psycho-suicide/id368031734?i=368031835&uo=4" target="itunes_store"><img src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" alt="Psycho Suicide - A Small Deadly Space" style="border: 0;"/></a></p></div>
<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_%28band%29" target="_new">Fight</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002AUZ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000002AUZ&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">A Small Deadly Space</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(Epic, 1995)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_%28band%29" target="_new"><b>Fight</b></a> started out as a side-project for not-yet-openly-gay <a href="http://www.judaspriest.com" target=_new><b>Judas Priest</b></a> vocalist <b>Rob Halford</b>. Unfortunately, confusion over his intentions led to internal strife in the Priest camp, and not long after he was officially no longer part of the band he helped rise to superstardom.</p><p>The first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_%28band%29" target="_new"><b>Fight</b></a> album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000029BB/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000029BB&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>War of Words</i></a>, has never really appealed to me, and I've given it more than one chance. Their second album, however, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000002AUZ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000002AUZ&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><i>A Small Deadly Space</i></a>, is a raging monster of a release, and I've loved it since the first time I heard it. There was a hidden song following two minutes of silence after what the cover claims is the final song, and that stealth track is today's jukebox selection.</p><p>After this album, Epic dropped <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_%28band%29" target="_new"><b>Fight</b></a>, and they subsequently split up. Halford started a new not-metal band, <b>Two</b> (<a href="http://lightningjukebox.blogspot.com/2010/12/two-my-head.html" target=_new>featured here</a> a couple of years ago), and came out of closet. The former was met with much derision (not from me; I liked them) whereas the latter surprised few in the small-but-not-nonexistent gay metalhead community and angered his more brain dead and bigoted fans. <b>Two</b> were followed by his return to metal with his eponymous band <b>Halford</b>, and a few years after that, Rob was back in the Priest for a killer new album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007N1AI6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0007N1AI6&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Angel of Retribution</i></a>. We shall pretend its followup, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018AK9RA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0018AK9RA&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Nostradamus</i></a>, never existed. Yes?</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-9176048297404404702012-10-14T22:00:00.000-04:002012-10-16T00:28:58.524-04:00The Gossip "I Want It (To Write)"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wWe4dYGn7sU/UHte0C6EnPI/AAAAAAAADmQ/fvbEmf9UfBI/s1600/flying%2B500.jpg" width="190" height="193" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='509'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='193'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121014"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121014", {
soundFile: "https://www.box.com/shared/static/dypgqog33d26gni7fp5a.mp3",
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</script></center></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00160N2G2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00160N2G2&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TR1bUI0_jrI/AAAAAAAACPo/ICzNgeGBVsg/s1600/buymp3.gif"></a><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-want-it-to-write/id275227750?i=275227752&uo=4" target="itunes_store"><img src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" alt="I Want It (To Write) - Flying Sidekick Home Alive Compilation II" style="border: 0;"/></a></p></div>
<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.gossipyouth.com/" target="_new">The Gossip</a></span><br>
<span id="comp_title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005QD8Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005QD8Q&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">Flying Side Kick<br><span style="font-size:75%;">Home Alive Compilation II</span></a></span><br>
<span id="format">compilation CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.brokenrekids.com/" target=_new>Broken Rekids</a>, 2001)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><img class="right" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xpQTPM8YqT0/UHtqSs7AocI/AAAAAAAADns/q7KtWOR0_6g/s1600/movement.png" width="250" height="249"><p>You know how niteclubs typically play music over the PA between sets by the bands performing that night? Well, I was at <b>The Echo Lounge</b> (R.I.P.) one night a number of years ago, and the soundguy had something playing that blew my mind. It was definitely punk rock, but 'twas very stripped down and had obvious blues and gospel influences. Plus, the singer could belt it out like nobody's business. I asked what it was, and was told it was the album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008XS3A/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00008XS3A&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Movement</i></a> by a band I'd never heard of before, <a href="http://www.gossipyouth.com/" target="_new"><b>Gossip</b></a> (video below for the song that snagged my ear the hardest).</p><img class="left" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-okRqU8Gi4nQ/UHte4lrzmLI/AAAAAAAADmc/nkC2bEoqC98/s1600/gossip%2Bbw.png" width="300" height="382"><p><a href="http://www.gossipyouth.com/" target="_new"><b>Gossip</b></a> originally hailed from Arkansas, but I imagine that's not the ideal place for a trio of queer punx to live and play, so they'd moved to the Pacific Northwest. They also originally had a <b>The</b> at the front of their name. I actually prefer it that way, but it's not my band so I don't get a say.</p><p>These days, <a href="http://www.gossipyouth.com/" target="_new"><b>Gossip</b></a> are practically a disco band. I still enjoy their music, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer the older stuff. Today's song is from those early, raw, punk-as-a-bad-word days. It appeared on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005QD8Q/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005QD8Q&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><i><b>Flying Side Kick</b></i></a> compilation CD, which was released to raise money for <a href="http://www.teachhomealive.org/" target=_new><b>Home Alive</b></a>, <q>a non-profit anti-violence organization that teaches self-defense to women and girls for free.</q></p><hr><p><iframe width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5D9Z5I-6cOc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-49865747460637430982012-10-12T21:30:00.000-04:002015-01-10T01:38:41.753-05:00Sœur Sourire (The Singing Nun) "Avec toi"<div class="release_art"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BuGV8gJm5ao/UHRhGR_sjdI/AAAAAAAADjQ/TUiJb4J970Q/s1600/her%2Bjoy%2B500.jpg" width="500" height="499"></div><div class="media_box"><p><center><audio controls="controls" preload="metadata"><source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/ao1qt4l6ag6hk3f51njz.mp3" type="audio/mp3"><source src="https://app.box.com/shared/static/rwk5yga21gfcsnxd0ffq.oga" type="audio/ogg"></audio></center></p><p><a href="https://app.box.com/shared/static/ao1qt4l6ag6hk3f51njz.mp3"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TPAhx6UgNPI/AAAAAAAACKw/oZUMM8ohSHs/s1600/download80.gif"></a></p></div><div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.singingnun.net/" target="_new">Sœur Sourire<br />
<span style="font-size:50%;">(The Singing Nun)</span></a></span><br />
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JQBSPU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001JQBSPU&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">Her Joy, Her Songs</a></span><br />
<span id="format">LP</span><br />
<span id="label">(Philips, 1963)</span></p></div><div class="write_up"><img class="right" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--II42jM4npY/UHUIfIwM4uI/AAAAAAAADkM/rm7QxD8OgDQ/s1600/with%2Bguitar.png" width="193" height="200"><p>In the early 1960s, <b>Jeannine Deckers</b>, aka <a href="http://www.singingnun.net/" target="_new"><b>Sœur Sourire</b></a> aka <b>The Singing Nun</b> aka <b>Luc Dominique</b> aka <b>King Diamond</b>, lived and worshipped at the <b>Fichermont Convent</b> in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj_9CiNkkn4" target=_new>Waterloo</a>, Belgium. Jeannine liked to write songs and play them for the other sisters on her acoustic guitar, so the convent decided to let her record an album's worth of her compositions. As unlikely as it seems, the song <q>Dominique</q> became a huge hit single on both sides of the Atlantic.</p><p>After her initial success, however, things went downhill. Her second album, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/master/479175" target=_new><i>Her Joy, Her Songs</i></a>, did not match the first in terms of popularity, and, in 1965, the convent announced that her singing career was over. In 1967, however, she left Fichermont and reemerged as <b>Luc Dominique</b>, under which she recorded at least two albums, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3944441" target=_new><i>I Am Not a Star.</i></a> and <i>Dominican</i>. Her final release, as far as I know, was a 1982 <i>disco</i> version of <a href="http://www.discogs.com/master/286383" target=_new><q>Dominique.</q></a></p><img class="left" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--I_eCYfyUN4/UHUIfpYSCeI/AAAAAAAADkY/Yp4uc0VQ738/s1600/with%2BAnnie.png" width="300" height="216"><p>At some point, the Belgian government decided she owed an extraordinary sum in back taxes, for the money made from her early, hit records. She had given the majority of her earnings to the convent, but did not have receipts. In addition, the convent apparently did nothing to exonerate her. Perhaps because she had recorded a song in praise of birth control, <q>La pilule d'or</q> (The Golden Pill), or perhaps because she was living openly as a lesbian with her long-time partner <b>Annie Pécher</b>? I honestly do not know. Despondent over their debts, Jeannine and Annie committed suicide together in their apartment on March 19, 1985.</p><img class="right" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mqmBsMbtGME/UHUNji5nQRI/AAAAAAAADlU/xrOKPN-Vx10/s800/best%2520of.png" width="250" height="224"><p>Once again, I've cheated a bit with this entry. That's my copy of her second LP in the photo above, but it's in lousy condition, so I pulled my favorite song from it from a wonderful, two-CD compilation I have called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AKNDJ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000AKNDJ&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Best of Sœur Sourire</i></a>. It has all the tracks from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/master/309601" target=_new><i>The Singing Nun</i></a>, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/master/479175" target=_new><i>Her Joy, Her Songs</i></a>, and <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3944441" target=_new><i>I Am Not a Star.</i></a>, plus the disco version of <a href="http://www.discogs.com/master/286383" target=_new><q>Dominique</q></a> and a bunch of tracks from who-knows-where. Unfortunately, the liner notes are scant (and straightwashed), with no indication of the sources for any of the songs.</p><hr><p>The original <q>Dominique</q></p><p><iframe width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IIn7YzoXlzE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p><p>Let's disco!</p><p><iframe width="500" height="375" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9uJLAhZU95E?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-90293341007874864632012-10-09T19:00:00.000-04:002012-10-09T19:00:05.462-04:00Floor "Twink"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-eCaxkAKkw/UHOcmaWLoFI/AAAAAAAADiI/CwBil6kXiI8/s1600/floor.gif" width="190" height="192" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='504'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='192'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121009"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121009", {
soundFile: "https://www.box.com/shared/static/ayq49tyf0ak6nbrioqcu.mp3",
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</script></center></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BS6W6O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003BS6W6O&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TR1bUI0_jrI/AAAAAAAACPo/ICzNgeGBVsg/s1600/buymp3.gif"></a><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/twink/id358935399?i=358935420&uo=4" target="itunes_store"><img src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" alt="Twink - Self-Titled + Outtakes" style="border: 0;"/></a></p></div>
<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/floor" target="_new">Floor</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000069TM5/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000069TM5&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">Floor</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.noidearecords.com/" target=_new>No Idea</a>, 2002)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/floor" target="_new"><b>Floor</b></a> are another band I missed out on the first time 'round. Luckily, after splitting in 1996, they reconvened in 2001 with a new drummer and a new take on their brand of extremely heavy sludge: vocalist/guitarist/leader <b>Steve Brooks</b> decided to experiment with singing melodically, rather than barking out the lyrics as on their earlier recordings. This annoyed some long-time fans, who took to message boards and the like to express their ire about the new, <q>gay</q> vocal style. The joke was on them, though, as Steve came out as gay around the same time.</p><p>Hah!</p><p>Tragically, Steve's boyfriend was killed in a horrible car accident while <a href="http://www.myspace.com/floor" target="_new"><b>Floor</b></a> were on tour on the other side of the country. The loss threw him into a tailspin, naturally, and the band never recovered. Steve eventually bounced back, though, with his new combo <a href="https://www.facebook.com/torcheofficial" target=_new><b>Torche</b></a>, who are every bit as kick ass.</p><img class="right" SRC="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UMfv4pK_eks/UHOea-9NmZI/AAAAAAAADiU/K4jJ3Y6PuwM/s1600/sight%2Bsound%2B250.png" width="250" height="350"><p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/floor" target="_new"><b>Floor</b></a> got together for a short series of reunion shows a couple of years ago, and I was lucky enough to attend the second one. Since the band had gone through a few different line-ups, they played three different sets, with three different assemblages playing material contemporary to each. It was incredible. The two shows in Atlanta were filmed and recorded for a double-DVD set, <a href="http://www.chunklet.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=86" target=_new><i>Sight & Seen</i></a>, released by <a href="http://www.chunklet.com/" target=_new><b>Chunklet</b></a>. If you watch closely during the version of today's song from the second night, you can see my right fist pumping away furiously in the air.</p><p>Today's jukebox selection, <q>Twink,</q> is my favorite from their eponymous, second-to-be-recorded-but-first-to-be-released album. For those not in the know, a twink is a young (18 to 25) gay man with smooth skin and minimal body hair.</p><hr><p>NOTA BENE: In conjunction with the above-mentioned reunion shows, <a href="http://roboticempire.com/" target=_new><b>Robotic Empire</b></a> released a massive box set, <a href="http://www.roboticempire.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=113&products_id=4493" target=_new><i>Below & Beyond</i></a>, containing <i>everything</i> <a href="http://www.myspace.com/floor" target="_new"><b>Floor</b></a> ever recorded. Consider it <i>highly</i> recommended!</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-80307195638700504972012-10-08T15:30:00.000-04:002012-10-09T19:45:50.510-04:00The Sexual Side Effects "An Hour Ago"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-yYg-zVT64/UHIfL_q83YI/AAAAAAAADg8/o68KncI7bw0/s1600/cover.png" width="190" height="191" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='502'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='191'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121008"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121008", {
soundFile: "https://www.box.com/shared/static/9rhifh2m9qe9gu50wtie.mp3",
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.thesexualsideeffects.com/" target="_new">The Sexual Side Effects</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://thesexualsideeffects.bandcamp.com/album/high-maintenance" target="_new">High Maintenance</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD EP</span><br>
<span id="label">(Effective Entertainment, 2012)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p>As I've written plenty of times before, I love bargain bins and free bins. A couple of weeks ago, I was in a local shop and spotted the debut EP by local combo <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sseband" target=_new><b>The Sexual Side Effects</b></a> sitting on a shelf of free stuff. I'd heard of them, but knew nothing about them other than leader <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAmberTaylor" target=_new><b>Amber Taylor</b></a> is a trans woman, i.e. the oft ignored and/or maligned <q>T</q> in LGBT. Now, in the afternoon, I often play fetch with the doggie while I hang out on the deck and listen to CDs, so that evening the two of us gave it a listen. Well, <i>I</i> listened and <i>he</i> screamed at me to throw the ball when I would pause too long after being given it (i.e., one nanosecond).</p><p>Musically, it's a bit more mainstream than my usual tastes, but after the second listen, the songs had wormed their way into my head quite successfully. In fact, it was a tough decision which song to feature, as I dig all of them.</p><hr><p>NOTA BENE: The top <q>Buy MP3</q> button will take you to the link for the song on <b>Bandcamp</b>, whereas the lower one will direct you to the download on <b>Amazon</b>. The <b>iTunes</b> button will, shockingly enough, take you to the <b>iTunes</b> link for it.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-85459075390953933352012-10-07T18:00:00.000-04:002012-10-07T18:12:20.236-04:00Cream Abdul Babar "Temple of Doom"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eo9GDugaw0M/UG-ASPlk1hI/AAAAAAAADfE/Hn5XbU9eqgA/s1600/backwater%2B500.gif" width="190" height="192" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='504'" onmouseout="this.width='190'; this.height='192'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121007"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121007", {
soundFile: "https://www.box.com/shared/static/ejfkae97w78pq5l6rrwc.mp3",
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</script></center></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030FXVVC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0030FXVVC&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ma0Rnh6VBMI/TR1bUI0_jrI/AAAAAAAACPo/ICzNgeGBVsg/s1600/buymp3.gif"></a><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/temple-of-doom/id345652455?i=345652526&uo=4" target="itunes_store"><img src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" alt="Temple of Doom - Excavation: 1995-1998" style="border: 0;"/></a></p></div>
<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.myspace.com/creamabdulbabar" target="_new">Cream Abdul Babar</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AUI9ZS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000AUI9ZS&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">The Backwater of Masculine Ethics</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD</span><br>
<span id="label">(Albert Ayler's Jukebox Records/What's Wrong with Your Eye? Records, 1997)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><p><i>Southern Voice</i> was the main LGBT paper in the Atlanta area when I moved here. Music coverage was usually relegated to the latest from <b>Madonna</b>, or dance music, or lesbians with acoustic guitars. Nothing against any of those things, but none of them are all that interesting to me, for the most part. I happened to read an article right around the turn of the century, however, about a band from Florida with an openly gay member, noisician <b>Tradd Sanderson</b>, called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/creamabdulbabar" target="_new"><b>Cream Abdul Babar</b></a>. They were playing at <b>The Echo Lounge</b> that week (hence the article), so I decided to give them a shot, music as-yet unheard. As it turned out, they were a juggernaut of pretty monstrous proportions: heavy, noisy, metallic, and punk as <expletive deleted>. They were not, however, a ska punk band. I say this because I have seen them referred to as such on at least one occasion. See, there's a guy who plays trombone, and they have a silly pun for a name, so they <i>must</i> be ska punk, right?</p><p>Gahhhhhh . . .</p><img class="right" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_VNXHXA5I_I/UHEPQnb8DoI/AAAAAAAADgA/7dMGbP8mK6A/s1600/excavation.png" height="250" width="250"><p>Today's song is from their first full-length album, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AUI9ZS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000AUI9ZS&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new"><i>The Backwater of Masculine Ethics</i></a>. It's been out of print for many years, but was reissued (less one track) as the first disc of the collection <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000621NVC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000621NVC&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target=_new><i>Excavation: 1993-1998</i></a>, released by <a href="http://www.publicguilt.com/" target=_new><b>Public Guilt</b></a> in 2004. The missing track was a <q>cover</q> of <b>John Cage</b>'s <q>4:33,</q> minus about 15 seconds and renamed <q>22:07.</q></p><p>Sadly, they split up several years ago. The last time I saw them was just shy of five years ago, when they played at <a href="http://www.masqueradeatlanta.com/" target=_new><b>The Masquerade</b></a> with one of my favorite local combos, now also sadly disbanded, <a href="http://www.lightpupildilate.com/" target=_new><b>Light Pupil Dilate</b></a>.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3547178431054410758.post-10800351880730815542012-10-05T17:30:00.000-04:002012-10-05T17:30:01.336-04:00The Trees Community "I Will Not Leave You Comfortless"<div class="release_art">
<img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cX3bphqBqF0/UG4WwZpZsFI/AAAAAAAADdA/W8YITZvIWSY/s1600/christ%2Bbox%2B500.jpg" width="220" height="200" onmouseover="this.width='500'; this.height='454'" onmouseout="this.width='220'; this.height='200'"></div>
<div class="media_box"><p><center><p id="audioplayer_121004"><span style="font-size:small;">Uh, oh! You either don't have the Flash plug-in installed, or you have it disabled.<br>Otherwise, there'd be a cute lil' streaming audio player on the left, rather than this message.</span></p>
<script type="text/javascript">
AudioPlayer.embed("audioplayer_121004", {
soundFile: "https://www.box.com/shared/static/0y74enu8shk5una270sw.mp3",
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<div class="release_info"><p><span id="artist"><a href="http://www.thetreescommunity.com/" target="_new">The Trees Community</a></span><br>
<span id="title"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MCIC60/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000MCIC60&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">The Christ Tree</a></span><br>
<span id="format">CD boxset</span><br>
<span id="label">(<a href="http://www.darkhollerarts.com/" target=_new>Dark Holler • Hand/Eye</a>, 2007)</span></p></div>
<div class="write_up"><img class="right" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J7Ra81FJAh0/UG5KVTkzyMI/AAAAAAAADeI/DKPH54phqBA/s1600/Shipen2.png" width="250" height="337"><p>When I read the booklet that came with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MCIC60/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000MCIC60&linkCode=as2&tag=lightningjukebox-20" target="_new">quadruple disc, deluxe reissue</a> of the 1975 album <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3799059" target=_new><i>The Christ Tree</i></a> by <a href="http://www.thetreescommunity.com/" target="_new"><b>The Trees Community</b></a>, something jumped out at me immediately. The last paragraph of the mini-bio of group founder and leader <b>William <q>Shipen</q> Lebzelter</b> states</p><blockquote><p class="no_custom">. . . he contracted an incurable disease. He was gone so quickly that no one knew quite what had happened. He was just 44 years old when the Lord took him from us.</p></blockquote><p>The time frame for his death would've been the 1980s, and <q>incurable disease</q> sounded suspiciously to me like a euphemism for AIDS. Hmmm . . .</p><p>Late one night a few months ago, I finally decided to Google Shipen to see if my suspicions were well founded. I found group member <b>Katherine <q>Shishonee</q> Krupa</b>'s blog, <a href="http://thetreescommunity.blogspot.com/" target=_new><b>Seven Story Bus: The Story of the Trees Community</b></a>, which covers the history of the group. Though she wrote nothing about his death, Shishonee <i>did</i> write a fair amount about Shipen and fellow founding member <b>Philip <q>Ariel</q> Dross</b>'s <a href="http://thetreescommunity.blogspot.com/search?q=gay" target=_new>homosexuality</a> and some of the challenges it presented both to the group and to outsiders.</p><img class="left" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8FWQiwZTj-A/UG5KP2mekrI/AAAAAAAADd8/7EOzsESL6ak/s1600/arielsmiling.png" width="250" height="300"><p>As I read random blog entries that night, I started crying. The homosexuality of some group members was so <i>clearly</i> important in their history, yet the booklet completely straightwashed them. About Ariel's leaving the group and falling in love with the man with whom he spent the rest of his life (to the best of my knowledge), the booklet simply says, <q>After four years with the group, he moved back to his home state of Florida where he found the love of his life.</q></p><p>All that aside, the album is absolutely wonderful, no matter one's religious affiliation or lack thereof. <a href="http://www.thetreescommunity.com/" target="_new"><b>The Trees Community</b></a>'s approach to music making was a unique take on folk music with what we would today call <q>world music</q> instrumentation. There are gorgeous vocals, mellifluous melodies, and striking dashes of avant garde experimentalism. Today's song is from their 1973 cassette album <a href="http://thetreescommunity.blogspot.com/2009/01/first-album-portrait-of-jesus-christ-in.html" target=_new><i>A Portrait of Jesus Christ in Music</i></a>, which takes up most of disc two of the box set. The piece was re-recorded for <a href="http://www.discogs.com/release/3799059" target=_new><i>The Christ Tree</i></a>, but in a radically different version.</p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2