Saturday, October 21, 2006

Blog entry!

Damn. We were busy trying to scrape together $1,010.00 or so to get Randy Blythe a few pints of Old Grand Dad and a ticket to this. Two problems: we're pretty much broke, and L.o.G will be yodeling at goat-herders that night anyway.

Speaking of bands we got to first, have you had enough of the distressingly smug Hold Steady hype campaign?
If not, well, here, check this out. We started it.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass


















There is a new Yo La Tengo album and it has a bunch of songs that start and then go on for a while and then end. The songs are enjoyable, as is the album as a whole. You can buy it on cd or on vinyl lp, or you can even pay to download it from a website. Or I suppose you could even find a place to download it for free, if you don't have an ethical problem with or a fear of being punished for doing that sort of thing. Nevertheless, in addition to the many ways you can get the music, there are even more "places" to find reviews to read. As far as we're concerned here, though, the most important thing about the record is it's cover, and specifically it's artist - the inspirationally indefatiguable Gary Panter - with whom we conducted an exclusive interview, which you can read by manouvering your computer mouse over and clicking this line of text.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

"Happiness Runs" by Donovan on a cereal commercial

I can't for the life of me come up with a more appropriate tune, but I can't help but feel that the culture would be better served by having a Donovan song called "Fruity Cheerios".

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

RIP: Elvis Presley's Teddy Bear

Dog Destroys Elvis' Teddy Bear at Museum
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS



Elvis and Mabel, together again.

LONDON (AP) -- A guard dog has ripped apart a collection of rare teddy bears, including one once owned by Elvis Presley, during a rampage at a children's museum.

''He just went berserk,'' said Daniel Medley, general manager of the Wookey Hole Caves near Wells, England, where hundreds of bears were chewed up Tuesday night by the 6-year-old Doberman pinscher named Barney.

Barney ripped the head off a brown stuffed bear once owned by the young Presley during the attack, leaving fluffy stuffing and bits of bears' limbs and heads on the museum floor. The bear, named Mabel, was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff.

The collection, valued at more than $900,000, included a red bear made by Farnell in 1910 and a Bobby Bruin made by Merrythought in 1936.

The bear with Elvis connections was owned by English aristocrat Benjamin Slade, who bought it at an Elvis memorabilia auction in Memphis, Tenn., and had loaned it to the museum.

''I've spoken to the bear's owner and he is not very pleased at all,'' Medley said.

A security guard at the museum, Greg West, said he spent several minutes chasing Barney before wrestling the dog to the ground.

Monday, July 24, 2006

Creator of the Philly cheesesteak dies

PHILADELPHIA - Harry Olivieri, who with his brother Pat was credited with inventing the Philly cheesesteak in 1933, had died. He was 90.

Despite a heart condition, Olivieri had showed up at Pat's King of Steaks almost every day until about three years ago. He died of heart failure Thursday at Atlantic City Medical Center in Pomona, N.J., his daughter Maria said.

Harry and his older brother opened a corner hot dog stand near south Philadelphia's Italian Market in 1930.

Three years later, they made the first version of the sandwich that helped put the city on the street food map. Tired of hot dogs, Pat suggested that Harry go to a store and buy some beef. Harry brought it back, sliced it up and grilled it with some onions.

The brothers piled the meat on rolls and were about to dig in when a cab driver arrived for lunch, smelled the meat and onions and demanded one of the sandwiches.

Harry sold the cabbie his own sandwich in a transaction the brothers counted as the birth of Pat's King of Steaks.

Cheez Whiz was added to the steak and onions starting in the 1960s, and provolone, American cheese and pizza sauce later became options in the concoction along with various condiments and side dishes.

Pat Olivieri died in 1970. Harry's son, Frank, now runs the restaurant.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Ivory Coast Blues

From Helen Kolonga
Rue 6 BP 01 Cocody Abidjan CI
Cote d Ivoire.

+225 08 42 10 57

I do apologize for approaching you from the blues. I was formerly a Medical student of the University of Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire. My parents and my only brother where killed by the current government because my father was an opposition leader.

Before the death of my father, he has $9.5 M USD (Nine Million , Five Hundred Thousand dollars.) in a domiciliary account with a bank in Côte d'Ivoire which i am the next of kin.

I HUMBLY NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS :
1) To help get this money transferred to you.
2) To serve as the guardian
3) To make an arrangement for me to come over after this money is transferred.
4) To look for a good venture where the money will be invested.

I am willing to offer you 15% of the total sum as compensation of your effort after a successful transfer.

Your Sincerely,

Helen

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Preznit Bush's bestest accomplishment.

BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush told a German newspaper his best moment in more than five years in office was catching a big perch in his own lake.

"You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best," Bush told weekly Bild am Sonntag when asked about his high point since becoming president in January 2001.

"I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound (3.402 kilos) perch in my lake," he told the newspaper in an interview published on Sunday.

100% agreeance on the fish thing.

UPDATE (5/8/06):
Last weekend, Phil Deer, Jr. of Delta, Pennsylvania caught a record setting yellow perch in a pond in Harford County. The perch is the largest ever caught in Maryland and the fourth largest on record in the world. DNR confirmed the perch’s size as 3 pounds, 5 ounces and 16 ¼ inches long, which eclipsed the Maryland record of 2 pounds 6.75 ounces set at Deep Creek Lake in 2003. Worldwide, Deer’s fish places behind a 4 pound, 3 ounce perch caught in New Jersey in 1865; a 3 pound, 12 ounce perch caught in Michigan in 1947; and a 3 pound, 8 ounce perch caught in New York in 1982. All records are for the fresh water division.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Do Zombies Have Noses?


In the midst of production on a new blockbuster poster for the RoosterCow Records record label, I realized that I'm not sure whether or not to render a nose upon the fearsome visage of an undead rock and roll guy! I think it looks pretty good sans le nez (illus. left). My in-depth research so far shakes my confidence a bit, yet stands inconclusive.
I've got Night of the Living Dead up at the top of my Netflix queue, but I'm not sure if it'll arrive before the deadline.
Any expert opinions and insight into this matter would be deeply appreciated.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Zines for Amoeba petition!

We get letters...


In tandem with my fellow editors of The Big Takeover, Dumb Angel
Gazette, Roctober and Ugly Things, I've launched a petition campaign
asking Amoeba Music to begin carrying zines in their California stores.

Since Amoeba came to Los Angeles, Rhino and Aron's Records have closed
down, leaving us with very few places where independent music zines can be found. Since the management of Amoeba doesn't want to talk with us about carrying zines, we hope we can change their minds by showing them how many music fans would welcome the addition of zines to their
stores.

So please, if you are a music fan and a reader of zines, take a moment
to click below and tell Amoeba that you'd like to be able to find both
in their stores. And spread the word!

http://petitiononline.com/amoeba/petition.html

On behalf of my fellow editors, the artists we review, our printers and folks who like to read in the bathtub, I thank you.

best regards,
Kim
Editrix
Scram

Now, and lord knows I 've tried, I've never been able to read in the bathtub without soaking the paper, but otherwise I support this. Peter Bagge and Eric Oblivian both signed the petition, so come on!

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Sophisticated, Powerful Drummer Sought

Revolution.

We are a power and finesse vocalist/harmonica player/songwriter and a bassist/keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist seeking a drummer of equal caliber (John Bonham) for an original and touring band. We will be touring Europe this summer.

We hold real finances to be used for a solid, independent project/partnership. As a vocalist and harmonica player, I have few equals. (Though I also play some guitar, usaully in open tunings for delta blues derivative music, and some percussion, I'm a vocalist.) The bassist, in his sphere, bass/keyboard/mandolin/etc. is equally as authoritative. We will be auditioning for our guitarist seperately and guitar will not be reflected in all the provided recordings.

I speak from the fire and strike heavy with of the sword, in a chorus championing people long oppressed and long suffering. Music is the gift from God to definitively pronounce our uprising and redemption. This means the poor, the meek, and the oppressed.

The name of this band is: The Epsilon Rising.

We are seeking a drummer/percussionist who has a command of dynamics, who creates melodies, and then counter-melodies, and then more in his playing that intermingles with the bass, guitar, and vocals in meaningful ways that goes beyond "just keeping the beat" or "pocket playing". We desire a drummer who gives off the impression of hard-hitting, stick-twisting band foundation at one moment, who equally commands elegants with brushes or a low key ballad. Though jazz IS a must, without the authoritative, aggressive backbone, it would not be appropriate for this band. Our drummer must rock. Equally, the typical "rock" drummer who is just loud and repetitive, or is overly obsessed with counting numbers as in a "Tool-like" fashion would also be inappropriate for this band. Our drummer will be equally concerned with sophistication.

If a song requires an over dub of congas, finger cymbals, tympani, or, maracas, you would have this awareness and the sensibilities to apply them in a thought-provoking way. Consistently, when a person listens to our band, we wish them to hear the drums and say "wow"! An understanding of ROCK/blues/J A Z Z /bluegrass/old country/classical/bossa nova/punk/reggae/etc. is a must and only the tip of the iceberg as of the songs that we will be creating. Whether originals, traditionals, covers, rearrangements -- there are no limitations or rules in our methodology. Simply put, we are seeking the drummer who believes that he has the potential to be the best ever, as part of the greatest band ever, and it is his life ambition to realize that end. While pushing the barriers of percussion, the drummer will elevate are music to an even more profound statement.

Not everyone believes in this in themselves, let alone others. If this is not you, or you do not believe that we are the forum to compliment your talents, or you are in disbelief of this opportunity, remember, there are other bands for you. We wish to hear from people who feel a connection to our music and can actually prove through music that they can create it and enhance our vision.

Our goal is to continually create classic songs that we can call our favorites, to be hyper-jammed out live, with exceptional stage presence. After written and recorded, our songs will still constantly evolve in the live set. The drummer of this band will that take all of us to the rock higher and vice-versa, we WILL inspire and expect the same from you. Though we desire someone in a similar age bracket, 21 - 29, for similarities in life focus (music first), come one, come all. Again, we will be touring Europe starting summer 2006, so any "issues" (girlfriend, school, family, fear) will not work in this situation. You must feel that pursuing music in this way is your destiny. In fact, if you feel that the words that I'm writing are somehow your own ideas, that's what we're talking about.

The less limits you have, the better. Regarding image, the longer the hair, the better. If you believe in revolution through music, and you have your place to prove in the world of musical giants, then this is the opportunity you have been seeking. Ethnicity is encouraged as we are dealing with the reality of God and all man, not just modern white materialistic, celebrity craving "reality", but truly, the counter culture of human reality.

However, be you black, asian, white, latin, indian, etc, if you have the soul (backed by musical recordings), the spirit of music, then it's game as music is color blind; an auric utopia.

This band hails from the mystics and spiritual, exploring dark and light, as we know that Christ is the Forever King at all cross roads, and the that the people are the poor and downtrodden. We view ourselves as champions of that cause, the representation of liberation in the hearts of the people.

I'm not interested in an e-mail or phone liasons as experience tells us that it produces very little. I'm interested in music. As such, we are providing four recordings on the web site that we would like you to listen to gain a perspective of how we are approaching music. To successfully audition for this band, please provide us with as many songs as possible which demonstrates a diverse and masterful understanding of drums and percussion. To make and extra effort, you could overdub drums to the song "Waves" provided on our website and/or provide a drum solo piece. From this we will be able to get a gauge of your essence and creativity. Low quality recordings are fine, so make the recordings happen with whatever means you have, if necessary.

If we feel that the package you send demonstrates our match, then we will fly you to Europe as our drummer. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL WITHOUT INCLUDING THE MUSIC REQUESTED ABOVE AND PICTURE. We ask for a picture because if you are afraid that your image won't go over well, you are probably right. A TOURING musician does not have these insecurities and can not in order to be successful at conveying the imagery that we wish to convey. Nevertheless, music will be the determining factor.

Double read this!!!! ---This is for a serious, DISCIPLINED, dedicated musician who is in our mindset and wishes to audition for this band. Come with the expectations of working, critiquing, being critiqued, long songwriting sessions, use of white boards and notes, discussing theory, long recording sessions, playing out often, being in a bus often, and awful lot of practing and rehearsing, frustrations, communicating, success and fun!!! I mentioned practicing because we plan to continuosly push our limits, and being satisfied with the level we are at is complacency, and not a part of this band. If what we are asking to complete this audition seems demanding, we recognize it is. If you are unable to go this distance, then this band is not for you. There are many others to audition for or create on your own. It is not necessary to critique our expectations, but rather we hope that you take a pro-active approach and create great music that meets your own vision!

Again, we self-critique and explore many variations of our music and covers. What we do not do is compromise our music in order to avoid dissagreements or tension and just "move on". This is a way of life, my life, the bassist's life, and in this band, we struggle with the music until we are all satisfied. Please be in the same mindset and have experience working in this manner. If you can not take constructed criticism, or give it, if you can not focus in on the same song for days and weeks as it evolves, then this band situation is not for you. If what we are saying is does not reflect your personality, save your time and words as this band is not for you -- there are many other bands to audition for to suit your expectations or create a band in your own image. This is for a drummer in our image, and it is not for everyone, but one.

I will mention that this is niether a "straight-edge band" nor "pro-drug" band. We do smoke cannibus but have no expectations for the drummer of this band other than great music. YOUR RECORDINGS, whether professional studio or from a tape deck, will speak for themselves.

Again, in your e-mail response please send a link or attachment to your audition recordings and a recent photograph. Responses without this, will not be considered!!!!


We have links to the rough drafts of the music you will use to understand our music complete your audition at:


http://www.theepsilonrising.com

These are not final products, but will provide plenty enough foundation to successfully provide perspective completing the audition recordings. Again, a drum overdub on the song Waves will mean bonus points, as it shows the effort that we are seeking. We anticipate that it will take you some time to learn and some significant effort.

I must stress that this band has no singular "style", as others have failed to grasp the concept that as musicians we play music. The unifying standard is that the music we produce is consistently classic. The sound sketches here are indicative of different expressions on different days. All of which we wish to develop further in addition to much, much more.
If your audition proves you to be our drummer, we will provide you with airfare to Europe and advance shelter expense as we live as a band together developing our set for the first two to three months.

The drummer who successfully fulfills the audition and that we select will have the option to receive a weekly living advance in addition to shelter cost. This is, in fact, the opportunity for actualization of the musical dream for the drummer in our image and mindset.

----

to stand amongst giants:

led zeppelin - jimi hendrix and the experience - cream - nirvana - pink floyd - radiohead - the doors - weather report - pearl jam (pre no code) - debussy - the velvet underground - the beatles (post revolver) - rage against the machine - charlie patton - bach - robert johnson - the guess who - alice in chains (dirt and beyond) - james brown (early) - the flaming lips - beethoven - blind melon ( later ) - bob marley - jeff buckley- regina spektor - bjork - hawkwind - tori amos - the greatful dead (early) - credence clearwater revival

may we go forward.