A God, actually…

Maxwell Lemuel Roach
(January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was a bebop/hard boppercussionist, drummer, and composer. He worked with many of the greatest jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins and Clifford Brown. Roach also led his own groups, and made numerous musical statements relating to the civil rights movement of African-Americans. He is generally considered to be one of the most important drummers in history.

SOURCE: Wikipedia.org, DemocracyNow.com

Extreme badass alert!

Kenneth Schalk (Candiria)
Drum Nation Volume 3 might be your
last chance to hear the talents of former Candiria drummer. Kenneth Schalk is one of the most impressively creative and diverse drummers ever to sit behind a kit. After a split with the band in August, Kenneth moved to the West Coast to take a small refreshing break from the music business.

SOURCE: Magna Carta records

WARNING: This video clip contains extreme amounts of badass drumming.
Whiplash could occur. Consult a physician before operating machinery or
driving a forklift.

Did someone say Emo?

Here's the only Emo I know.

One more from McSweeney's…

Wholphin Subscription
Beginning with No. 4

Edited by Brent Hoff

Wholphin is a new quarterly DVD magazine lovingly encoded with unique and ponderable films designed to make you feel the way we felt when we learned that dolphins and whales sometimes, you know, do it. TThe fourth issue of Wholphin will feature Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard lying to one another; the FBI mistaking an artist for a bioterrorist; Scottish 9-year-olds singing “Satan Rocks” at their country fair; an episode of the Russian “Married... with Children” re-scripted; an Academy Award nominated short; nuns; retired chimpanzees; plaster casters; and films from France, Morocco, New Zealand and the U.K. This issue will also include a bonus disc featuring the final installment of Adam Curtis’s The Power of Nightmares. Part Three: “The Shadows in the Cave.”

For Wholphin submission guidelines, please click here.

For a peek at what's on Wholphin no. 4, click here.

A Wholphin subscription lasts for 4 issues. You'll receive the current issue, plus the three subsequent issues.

This just in from McSweeney's…

The Believer Subscription Beginning with October 2007

Edited by Heidi Julavits, Ed Park, and Vendela Vida

By subscribing to the Believer, each month you will receive, in perfect-bound print, all the new articles, interviews, reviews, poems, and columns so enticingly excerpted here on the website; you will have the opportunity to study up close the beautiful illustrations of Charles Burns, Tony Millionaire, and our regular raft of guest artists and photographers; you can pore over each issue’s two-page vertically-oriented Schema spread, more or less unreproduceable on the website; you will enjoy the feel of the Westcan Printing Group’s gorgeous “Roland Enviro 100 Natural” recycled acid-free heavy stock paper against your hands, fingertips, and face; and you will save a hefty percentage off the $8 cover price. The Believer subscription currently starts with the October 2007 issue (Volume 5, Issue 8) and runs to September 2008. To purchase individual Believer issues, click here.

My new hero: Mark Frauenfelder

Mark Frauenfelder is a writer and illustrator living in Los Angeles. He co-founded bOING bOING magazine and the Boing Boing Blog, and was an editor at Wired from 1993-'98. For 3 years, Mark wrote a monthly column for Playboy called "Living Online," and was the co-editor of The Happy Mutant Handbook (Putnam-Berkley, 1995). He's the design columnist for Mobile PC magazine and a contributing editor to TheFeature.
He's the author and illustrator of a science experiment book called The Mad Professor.

Source: BoingBoing

Spread your wings and fly!

Lameness is the new cool

Ebony and Imus

Cornel West hangs with Prince and challenges—not denounces—hip-hop

by Makkada B. Selah
The Village Voice
August 21st, 2007

"There's a white brother named Paul Woodruff singing—he sounds better than Robin Thicke!" Princeton University professor Cornel West says excitedly, referring to "Still Here," a single on his new spoken-word CD, Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations. West, the public intellectual and widely cited authority on American race relations now famous for playing himself, "Councillor West of Zion," in the last two Matrix movies, calls everybody "brother" or "sister." It's so very '60s and Christian and gentlemanly of him. He and "Brother Prince," Mr. 3121 Jehovah's Witness Brother Prince himself, wrote Never Forget's first single, "Dear Mr. Man," and have become good friends.

SOURCE: The Village Voice

Photo courtesy of pragmatism.org

This just in from Stereogum…

Premature Evaluation: Liars - Liars (July 13, 2007)

Unlike Liars' last two albums, this new self-titled collection drops an overriding concept, unless it's love, youth, the ocean, and summertime nostalgia. More immediate and emotionally raw than past work, Liars' trim, submerged, clattering tracks aren't Drum's Not Dead epic... Liars'">more »

Boredoms Reveal 77 Drummers!

Includes Andrew W.K., David Grubbs, Alan Licht, plus people from Modest Mouse, Man Man, Lightning Bolt, Hot Snakes, Oneida, Excepter, Unwound, Enon, Gang Gang Dance, White Magic

There seems to be loads of excitement brewing over this weekend's 77-drum circle put on by the Boredoms at Brooklyn Bridge Park (going down 07/07/07, naturally). Is it the numeric synergy? A show of support for Japan's premier noise-rockers? Either way, expect the opposite of boredom at what's being billed as 77BOADRUM.

Sure, Boredoms could've chosen any djembe-dragging Joe off the street to fill in their 74 vacant spots (we presume the other three-- and the mysterious "0" spot-- are going to Boredoms members). But no; they had to get members and friends of Modest Mouse, Lightning Bolt, Man Man, Gang Gang Dance, Soft Circle, Oneida, Excepter, Aa, Blood on the Wall, Pit Er Pat, Unwound, Enon, Arbouretum, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Sightings, White Magic, No Neck Blues Band, Panthers, Celebration, Negative Approach, Tall Firs, and others, turning this into a veritable Traveling Wilburys of avant-garde percussion.

Something tells me, despite the 76 other maniacs pounding around him, Andrew W.K. will come through loud and clear. From note one. Something also tells me an enterprising production company could turn this into one of the cooler live albums/DVDs we'll see in a while.

In other Boredoms news, they've got quite a few regular tour dates after the drum thing. Scope those and the complete enumerated list of drummers below.

Drum leaders:

01 Hisham Bharoocha (Soft Circle / Pixeltan)
02 Tim Dewit (Gang Gang Dance)
03 Brian Chippendale (Lightning Bolt)
04 Dave Nuss (No Neck Blues Band / Under Satans Sun)
05 Jaiko Suzuki (Electro Putas)
06 Jesse Lee (White Magic)
07 Ryan Sawyer (Tall Firs / Stars Like Fleas)
08 Kid Millions (Oneida)
09 Andy McLeod (Howling Hex / Modest Mouse)
10 Aaron Moore
11 Robin Easton

Other drummers:

12 Sara Lund (Unwound)
13 Jim Black
14 Andrew W.K.
15 Butchy Fuego (Pit Er Pat)
16 Miggie (Blood on the Wall)
17 Brian Tamborello (Psychic Ills)
18 Andee Connors (A Minor Forest / Lumen)
19 John Moloney (Sunburned Hand of the Man)
20 Taylor Richardson (Sunburned Hand of the Man)
21 Chris Millstein
22 Abby Portner (First Nation)
23 Aviram Cohen (Soiled Mattress and the Springs)
24 Allison Busch (Awesome Color)
25 Warren Huegel (Tussle)
26 Nathan Corbin (Excepter)
27 Clare Amory
28 Jonathan Lockie (Sightings)
29 Josh Bonati (Aa)
30 Nadav Havusha (Aa)
31 Aron Wahl (Aa)
32 Jeffrey Salane (Panthers)
33 Jim Sykes
34 David Aron (Koi Pond)
35 Michael Catano
36 Spencer Herbst (Matta Lama)
37 Jim Siegel (Cul De Sac and Damo Suzuki)
38 Mike Pride (MDC, FUSHITSUSHA, John Zorn, Otomo Yoshihide)
39 Nick DeCarmine
40 Marianne Kozlowski (The Punks)
41 Than Luu (M. Ward)
42 Dave Bergander (Celebration)
43 Michael Evans (God Is My Co-Pilot)
44 Andrya Ambro
45 Justin DeRosa
46 Hart Mingus (Negative Approach)
47 Matthias Schulz (Enon / Holy Fuck)
48 Josh Madell (Antietam, Other Music)
49 Matt (No Neck Blues Band)
50 Jim Abramson (Dymaxion)
51 Oran Canfield (Child Abuse)
52 Adriana Magaña (Crash Worship)
53 Keith Connolly (No Neck Blues Band)
54 Travis Harrison
55 Jared Barron
56 Jason Kourkounis (Delta 72 / Hot Snakes)
57 Eric Cohen (Caroliner)
58 Daniel Franz (Arbouretum)
59 Christopher Brokaw (Codeine)
60 Jared Burak (Wet Cement)
61 Christopher Powell (Icy Demons / Man Man)
62 Sadie Laska (I.U.D.)
63 Pete Vogl (Koi Pond)
64 Barbara Schauwecker
65 AJ Edminson (Favourite Sons)
66 David Grubbs
67 John McSwain (VICE)
68 Dave Abramson (Climax Golden Twins)
69 Alan Licht
70 Rick Prior
71 Kayrock
72 Dave LeBleu (Prefuse 73 / Mercury Program)
73 Lizzy Bougatsos (Gang Gang Dance)
74 Alianna Kalaba (We Ragazzi)

Boredoms:

07-07 Brooklyn, NY - Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park (Brooklyn Bridge Park)
08-04 Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi
08-05 Tampere, Finland - Klubi
08-08 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival
08-10 Gothenburg, Sweden - Way Out West Festival
08-12 Copenhagen, Denmark - Radio Concert Hall
10-18 Groningen, Netherlands - Vera
10-19 Hasslet, Belgium - KC Belgie
10-20 Kortrijk, Belgium - Sonic City Festival
10-22 Manchester, England - Academy
10-13 Glasgow, Scotland - Arches
10-24 Aberdeen, England - Moshulu
10-26 London, England - The Wire/Electra Festival
10-28 Dublin, Ireland - Deaf Festival
10-30 Cardiff, Wales - The Point

Source: Pitchforkmedia.com

This just in from Pitchfork…

Premiere: Animal Collective ‘Fireworks’ (Video)



A Fourth of July shot fired by Animal Collective: the new video for ‘Fireworks,’ from the highly anticipated Strawberry Jam. The video, directed by Jon Leone, beautifully captures the chem-free psychedelia of fireworks displays, the way the lights turn into colorful geometric shapes when you squint your eyes just so. The song's got a little of everything Animal Collective does best — a bit of Spacemen 3 guitar, a few subdued chants, and some trademark vocal whoops-- but the lyrics are unusually direct and concrete. And then it ends, as it should, with a grand finale that combines bombs bursting in air that look a bit like a joyous bunch of people creating an earth-bound version with sparklers. Ooooh. Ahhhhhh. Awwww. Happy Independence Day!

Charlotte Gainsbourg

‘The Songs That We Sing’ is the first video from
Charlotte Gainsbourg’s 2007 release ‘5:55’ out
on Because/VICE/Atlantic Records.

Brigitte Bardot & Serge Gainsbourg

Television (Tom Verlaine teaching Richard Hell ‘Venus’)

Heartbreakers (Thunders/Hell/Nolan/Lure)

The Tubes ‘White Punks On Dope’ (1976)

Blue Oyster Cult -‘This ain't the Summer of Love’ (1980)

Iron Maiden (1983)

The Boys Are Back In Town (Sydney Opera House, 1978)

Calliope

Taken from the recent release from The Veils, ‘Nux Vomica’
on Rough Trade Records, 2007.

She’s drawn to it

Guess who I met on my summer vacation?
Some may know her as Paige Braddock, while others may know her as the creator of Jane’s World. We met at one of the newspapers that she worked at back in her salad days. Paige has gone on to bigger and better things. After a few more newspaper gigs, she landed in northern California working for “Peanuts.” She’s Senior Vice President/Creative Director at
Charles M. Schultz Creative Associates. Long story short,
Paige was in town at the National Cartoonists Society’s annual convention. She called me to get together so the kids and I ventured down to a very swank 5-star hotel and lounged by the pool. We caught up on lost time, ate some fruit and met one of her good friends, Stephan Pastis, creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. My son is a huge fan so he was floored when Stephan swam over and said hello. It was a great way to end a week of vacation and a great pleasure to catch up with an old friend. The universe was reminding me not to give up on my dreams just yet. I won’t.

Sir Anthony Macaluso

One Black Water Ale too many…

After a great set at the Orlando Brewery with his dynamic duo, Sir Tony Tone allows us to witness as he suddenly shrinks to the size of a walnut. At least 3 bystanders were rushed to the hospital for observation. No one else was injured during the incident.


PHOTO: Courtesy of Mr. Robert Johnson,
Copyright 2007

R O C K !

PHOTO: Courtesy of
Mr. Robert Johnson,
Copyright 2007

Answer: Formerly Cashmir Effect

Question: What was the name of the former band of the fabulous new duo that is now an up-and-coming part of the Orlando-area original music scene?
Answers first, questions later. Eric and Krystal Brewer are Arms Harbor. They’re a young, married, musically-linked duo. Think Johnny Cash and June Carter-Cash. This talented couple from western Tennessee, writes songs that sing to your soul while they rock and roll. They’ve already impressed throngs of the musical elite and are only just getting started.
Ladies and gentelmen, please give a very warm welcome to Arms Harbor.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Mr. Robert Johnson, Copyright 2007

Big Jef is Special

What do you call a muscian who performs a cover of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2U,’ while playing a Texas 2-step, carrying the underlying melody to ‘Freebird’? O.K. How about mashing-up in a real-live band way, the theme from ‘The Jefferson’s,’ ‘Movin’ On Up,’ with the theme from ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’?
You would call that marvel of honky tonk-meets-punk, that guitar-playing, king of C&W funk, Big Jef Special. Good ole Jef and crew can be witnessed at the best kept secret in Orlando, Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall (1016 Mills Avenue, just north from and opposite to Wally’s Mills Ave. Liquors), every Thursday evening from 10 p.m. until closing.
Jef’s been around the block, musically and otherwise, and he knows how to entertain. If you’re lucky you might even get a glimpse of some other local music luminaries taking in the fresh sounds and cheap beer.
You can say I told you so!

PHOTO: Courtesy of Mr. Robert Johnson, Copyright 2007

Campfire in Fast Company

“The November issue of Fast Company has an in-depth story on Campfire, written by Danielle Sacks. Danielle spent two days in Orlando with Gregg and I, and a day in Detroit with us and the gang from Leo Burnett Detroit, sitting in on a brainstorm session for our current Pontiac campaign. During that time, Danielle drilled down deep. She heard the entire story behind Blair Witch, asked incredibly detailed questions about all our past campaigns, and immersed herself in what we were doing with Pontiac. Even the fact checking process was intense, but in the end I believe she explains what we do and why we do it better than anyone, including ourselves. Hell, I’ve been trying to explain my work to my parents for years, and after my Dad read the story he said “I think I finally understand what it is you do. So thanks for the amazing story, Danielle, and I’ll forgive you for calling me a “a hefty 37-year-old with bulbous hazel eyes.” Eventually.”

— Mike Monello, co-founder of Campfire Media

Technorati Tags: Campfire, Net Marketing, social media

Stop making sense!

Introducing,
Mr. Robert Johnson

This man will focus your attention on a burgeoning original music scene purculating up in-and-around Orlando’s better-known venues. While locally-based rock stars sleep comfortably in their plush lofts high above the din of the downtown streets, Mr. Robert Johnson is tirelessly attempting (and succeeding) to make Orlando aware of an underground talent pool that will eventually drown the City Beautiful in luscious sounds and soothing melodies. Don’t worry, there's plenty of rock in there too. No one knows how long this kindred spirit will inhabit this fine city. One thing is for certain: The longer we support guys like MRJ, the more muscically and socially rich this fair city will be.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Mr. Robert Johnson

For Stevie G

Royal Trux ‘Western Xterminator’ video, courtesy of Drag City, 2007

Battles ‘Atlas’

This song warms the cockles of my heart.
Battles ‘Atlas’ from the new release ‘Mirrored’ on Warp Records (2007)

Mark, Jack (Daniels) and me

Back in mid-February, on the eve of another birthday, I convinced my wife that it would be a fantastic idea if I travelled to NYC and spent the weekend with my music brother. Somehow she agreed and with that arrangements were made, tickets were booked and bags were packed. Knowing that my pal and I would need to prearrange some studio time we went about reserving time at a place near his apartment. The weather would be frigid but the thought of having 3 uninterrupted days and nights filled with exotic take-out food, strong coffee and enough alcohol to make Charles Bukowski proud, made me smile. The music flowed like my buddies broken toilet, constantly and with much volume. The concept of recording everything we played resulted in hours of music to sift through, distill and enhance with layers of new tracks. I’ll post a few of the works in progress soon. This particular creative process is far from over and the pennance I pay to the wife in return for a “lost” weekend in the John Lennon sense is worth every last “yes dear” I’ll utter.

Malcolm Gladwell

I was waiting for a takeout order last night and it was going to be a while, so I went over to a nearby Barnes & Noble and browsed around in the magazine section. As it usually turns out, while I’m browsing I become inspired to read something thought-provoking. So I went over to the information desk and asked about a book that I've read about and had become fascinated with. The book was ‘Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking’ by a gentleman by the name of Malcolm Gladwell. I’m familiar with the author through a book that I'm currenty (along with about 4 others) reading. The premise is to examine the concept of rapid cognition, the kind of thinking that happens in the blink of an eye. Mr. Gladwell’s opinion is that in mere seconds we know either that we like a person we’ve just met, like a home we're looking to buy the minute we step inside, etc. I highly recommend this and his other highly interesting book, ‘The Tipping Point.’

Deerhunter "Strange Lights"

From the recently released album ‘Cryptograms’ (Kranky), Deerhunter’s video for "Strange Lights." Directed by James Sumner.

Hello again!

Sorry…I've been sleeping…

I haven't really been sleeping…just absorbing much new stimuli as of late. So much to tell. I'll start a series of posts documenting all that's happened since last I posted. I'll begin by listing the new music that is inspiring my belief in what I truly feel is a new creative renaissance emerging. Not just with music, but with the visual arts, the written word, performing arts, socially, politically, etc.
To begin I'll list some of the new music that has been on heavy rotation in the House of Zelo.
I won't limit it to, say, a top 10 or top 100 list. It will begin and continue with no set end. Read, listen, absorb, wash, rinse and repeat!
In addition I'll update as to some interesting creative news on a personal level. Some recent studio time in NYC has yielded what's to become a new chapter in sonic output from Blissink Records. A trip, or better yet, pilgrimage I took back in February was a supremely fulfilling one. Hanging with my brother from another mother, briefly catching up with an old music mate making his name in media culture in the big apple and basically freezing my ass off. It was all good, exponentially so.

Excuse me, weren't you in the Fall?

Mark E Smith's band is legendary for its ever-changing line-up. Dave Simpson made it his quest to track down everyone who has ever been a member.
[Read article here]

By Dave Simpson
Originally published Thursday January 5, 2006
© 2006 by The Guardian

Welcome: living leg-end

The Fall: Latest news

UK and US gigs announced

The Fall are pleased to confirm today that they are playing two gigs at opposite ends of the Atlantic in early November.

On Saturday 4th November, they headline a Narnack Records showcase at the Hiro Ballroom, New York City as part of the CMJ Music Marathon. Full details of the event, support acts and ticket prices are available here.

The group follow this performance with a hometown gig on Sunday 12th November at the Warehouse Project festivities taking place at the former Boddingtons Brewery in Strangeways. As well as the usual ticket outlets, 50 tickets are available priced at just £14 each - full details of the gig and ticketing are available on the listing page here.

—FROM THE OFFICIAL FALL WEBSITE

Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for 6 years.

It has a kind of Godfrey Reggio/Philip Glass (Powaqqatsi) feel to it. A study in ritual and organization, with a focus on continuity of an idea and follow-through.
Brilliant, if you think about it.

Digitally distributed environments

How to create an aerial panorama from Google Earth

From the blog: Visualising the city - from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London

The concept is simple — grab a series of screen shots while rotating above the earth and then stitch the images as if they were normal photographs.

A day is a long time in Internet based tutorials and this is now an update of the original as a result of Gaby, a digital urban reader, writing a kmz tool to dramatically simplify the process of capturing screen shots. The whole process should take approximately 40 minutes.
[Read more]

Blogmusik

Someone has finally done a favor for those of us who rush out of the house on our way to work without our trusty iPods.
Now you can go to Blogmusik and listen, make playlists and share those lists (once logged on).
It's sort of like iHeroin for music junkies.
Enjoy!

NEWSFLASH: Sam Rivers will announce new drummer, soon…

So … we're left to wonder what happened to the amazingly talented and telepathic genius of Anthony Cole and his main gig as legendary Sam Rivers' drummer. Sources reveal that the band has been playing for the past 8 weeks or so with a new, mysterious drummer. Sam's web site indicates only that " New Drummer coming soon...".
Stay tuned.

Photo © Claudio Casanova

September 11

September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years).
There are 111 days remaining. It is usually the first day of the Coptic calendar and Ethiopian calendar (in the period AD 1900 to AD 2099). However, just 5 short years ago our country experienced a tragedy that can simply be described as barbaric, cruel and evil. Think what you will about the politics and such surrounding this day in history, the bottom line is that is was unjust. There's been a tremendous amount of speculation to the "hows" and the "whys." The issue is sure to further separate what little political and/or social cohesion that still remains. Let's not dwell on the issues today, instead let's remember those who were lost and those who were left behind in the wake of such a tragic event.

—Zealous

The terms "September 11th", "11th September", and "9/11" have been widely used in the Western media as a shorthand for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon in the United States of America.
In other places of the world the media also uses it as shorthand for other events, for example, the September 11, 1973 Coup D'Etat in Chile is referred to as "El 11 de Septiembre" or "El once" ("September 11" or "eleven" in Spanish) as shorthand for the Coup events.

Other significant events that fall on this same date thoughout history are listed below:

• 1185 - Isaac II Angelus kills Stephanus Hagiochristophorites and then appeals to the people, resulting in the revolt which deposes Andronicus I Comnenus and places Isaac on the throne of the Byzantine Empire.
• 1226 - The Catholic practice of perpetual adoration begins.
• 1297 - Battle of Stirling Bridge: Scots led by William Wallace defeat the English.
• 1541 - Santiago, Chile, is destroyed by indigenous warriors.
• 1609 - Henry Hudson lands on Manhattan island.
• 1609 - Expulsion order announced against the Moriscos of Valencia; beginning of the expulsion of all Spain's Moriscos.
• 1683 - Battle of Vienna
• 1649 - Siege of Drogheda ends: Oliver Cromwell's English Parliamentarian troops take the town and massacre its garrison.
• 1708 - Charles XII of Sweden stop outside Smolensk heading (by the lack of food since the Russians use the tactic of the burning soil) to the south, culminating in the disastrous battle of Poltava, the end of Sweden as a major power.
• 1709 - Battle of Malplaquet: Great Britain, Netherlands and Austria fight against France.
• 1714 - Barcelona surrenders to Spanish and French Bourbonic armies in the War of the Spanish Succession.
• 1773 - The Public Advertiser publishes a satrical essay titled Rules By Which A Great Empire May Be Reduced To A Small One, which is written by Benjamin Franklin.
• 1776 - British-American peace conference on Staten Island fails to stop nascent American Revolution.

[Read more]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and Drawings

October 29, 2006–January 15, 2007

The Joan and Preston Robert Tisch Gallery, sixth floor
The Paul J. Sachs Drawings Galleries, third floor

This retrospective of the artist Brice Marden is an unprecedented gathering of his work, with more than fifty paintings and an equal number of drawings, organized chronologically, drawn from all phases of the artist's career. Two new large-scale paintings exhibited for the first time are included. The gradual, deliberate evolution of the artist's work becomes evident, as well as the constant exploration of light, color, and surface at every turn. The work of the first twenty years, characterized by luminous monochrome panels, which first won the artist acclaim, is now seen in balance with the celebrated work of the past twenty years. In the mid-1980s Marden shifted to calligraphic gestures embedded in shimmering grounds before moving to heightened color in the past decade. An installation of drawings is installed in the Paul J. Sachs Drawings Galleries on the third floor. A major publication accompanies the exhibition.

Organized by Gary Garrels, Senior Curator, UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

The exhibition is sponsored by Lehman Brothers.

Major support is also provided by the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund.

Additional generous funding is provided by The Henry Luce Foundation and Jerry and Emily Spiegel.

Hothouse Flowers

Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear migrate north and maul a few mint juleps
by Andy Beta
August 21st, 2006 3:32 PM

There's a gruff thunk! of a needle to wax, and a vaudeville piano starts to plink a tune you could imagine emanating from a Prohibition-era speakeasy in the Tenderloin. Over a hesitant waltz, a quavering female voice wails a curious ditty about misplaced items like a French horn, clamshells, and a sheepskin coat. Grizzly Bear's Edward Droste auditions this song his Great-Aunt Marla recorded some 70 years ago so that I might hear the original in juxtaposition with his band's own cover. The original title now lost to time, "Marla" throbs as the emotional core of Grizzly Bear's new album Yellow House; in their hands, this now elegiac dirge discloses the silent despair beneath her whimsical veneer.
[Read more]

CMJ 2006: Register now!

For the past 25 years CMJ Music Marathon has been a beacon for the world’s best new music, introducing thousands of rising stars at showcases and concerts at New York City’s most important venues. Early Marathon performances by bands from R.E.M. to the Beastie Boys, Green Day, Radiohead, the Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, the Killers, Arcade Fire and so many others helped launch some of music’s biggest and brightest careers, while legends like Patti Smith, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and James Brown have also graced CMJ’s stages, inspiring younger artists and seasoned professionals alike.

Today, more than 100,000 music professionals, artists and fans converge on the music capital of the world every autumn for CMJ Music Marathon and CMJ FilmFest, celebrating the very best in new music, film and pop culture.

CMJ is honored to have presented keynote speakers such as David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Marilyn Manson, Moby, Queen Latifah, George Clinton, Ice-T and Perry Farrell to offer their insights on music, politics, technology and culture. As it has throughout its history, dozens of panel discussions are offered covering critical issues affecting all aspects of emerging music and the music industry.

[Sign up now!]

Afghan Whigs Reunite

Your attention, please. Now turn off the light. The Afghan Whigs are back! Understand, do you understand?

It was announced today that Greg Dulli will reunite with the beloved (and, OK, pretty strongly hated, too) 80s/90s alt-rock band that made his decadent, quasi-misogynistic leerings famous. Dulli, bassist John Curley, guitarist Rick McCollum, and drummer Michael Horrigan plan to gather in the band's former homebase of Cincinnati, Ohio in two weeks to work on their first new songs since their final album, 1998's 1965. (Check the vintage promo photo up there!) Although it's not the "classic" Gentlemen-era lineup, hey, we'll take what we can get.

After four days of rehearsal, the band will head to Ardent Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee to record with Jeff Powell, who worked with the band on Gentlemen, Black Love, and 1965. The new material is slated to be included on an Afghan Whigs retrospective collection entitled Unbreakable, due out in March or April on Rhino. As of right now, only two songs are scheduled to be recorded, but hopefully the sessions will result in more.

However, Dulli hasn't abandoned his current band, the Twilight Singers, as they are set to kick off their second American tour of the year on October 24 at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. (They'll play Los Angeles' House of Blues the next night, October 25; the full tour itinerary will be announced next week. The Twilight Singers will also head to the UK and Europe this winter.) Dulli drinking buddy Mark Lanegan will join the band for the entire tour.

[Read more]

Posted by Amy Phillips in reunion, greatesthits, tour on Fri: 09-08-06: 04:57 PM CDT

The Pitchfork Effect

How a tiny web outfit became the most influential tastemaker on the music scene.
By Dave Itzkoff
[From WIRED, Issue 14.09 - September 2006]

… Ryan Schreiber, the site's editor in chief, reviewed Broken Social Scene's US debut album, You Forgot It in People, in 2003. He began by lamenting the fact that he was receiving more promotional CDs than he could possibly write about or even listen to, and he acknowledged that he had plucked this record from the slush pile at random. He chastised the group for its gloomy packaging and liner notes ("How could they not be the most unimaginative, bleak, whiny emo bastards in the whole pile?"). Then he conceded that he'd been listening to the record obsessively for months. It "explodes," he wrote, "with song after song of endlessly replayable, perfect pop." Schreiber awarded it a score of 9.2 points out of a possible 10. An indie rock star was born.
[Read more]

Old Joy

OLD JOY is the story of two old friends, Kurt (Will Oldham) and Mark (Daniel London), who reunite for a weekend camping trip in the Cascade mountain range east of Portland, Oregon. For Mark, the weekend outing offers a respite from the pressure of his imminent fatherhood; for Kurt, it is part of a long series of carefree adventures. As the hours progress and the landscape evolves, the twin seekers move through a range of subtle emotions, enacting a pilgrimage of mutual confusion, sudden insight, and spiritual battle. When they arrive at their final destination, a hot spring in an old growth forest, they must either confront the divergent paths they have taken, or somehow transcend their growing tensions.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

Clell Tickle: Dreamweaver

You will love Tapes N Tapes right now!
(Tongue firmly placed inside cheek.)

Black Mountain

After founding Jerk with a Bomb in the late '90s, Stephen McBean had by the mid-2000s transformed the Vancouver-area band into a group called Black Mountain. Drawing on blues, psychedelia, acid rock, and the Velvet Underground, Black Mountain's sound was a cross between the darkness and grit of the Warlocks and Brian Jonestown Massacre's trippiness. After debuting in October 2004 on Jagjaguwar with the 12" Druganaut, Black Mountain stayed with the label for an eponymous full-length, issued the following January. Joining McBean for the album were local players Matthew Camirand, Jeremy Schmidt, Joshua Wells, and Amber Webber, listed collectively to preserve the band's communal ethic. (Black Mountain ran concurrent to and intermingled with McBean's other band, lo-fi classic rockers Pink Mountaintops.)
— by Johnny Loftus/Allmusic.com

From Osho Times

Osho Zen Tarot 48. The Source

Zen asks you to come out of the head and go to the basic source.... It is not that Zen is not aware of the uses of energy in the head, but if all the energy is used in the head, you will never become aware of your eternity.... You will never know as an experience what it is to be one with the whole. When the energy is just at the center, pulsating, when it is not moving anywhere, neither in the head nor in the heart, but it is at the very source from where the heart takes it, the head takes it, pulsating at the very source--that is the very meaning of Zazen. Zazen means just sitting at the very source, not moving anywhere, a tremendous force arises, a transformation of energy into light and love, into greater life, into compassion, into creativity. It can take many forms. But first you have to learn how to be at the source. Then the source will decide where your potential is. You can relax at the source, and it will take you to your very potential.

Osho The Zen Manifesto: Freedom from Oneself Chapter 11

"I want deaf people…to hear these beats"

What happens when you stare at the sun?

Someone call an 'Ambulance'

Pitchfork gushes over new TVOTR disc

TV on the Radio
Return to Cookie Mountain
[4AD/Interscope; 2006]
Rating: 9.1

Often when we say a record has "atmosphere," we mean it as a put-down. From Sgt. Pepper's to the present, a record's sonic appeal-- the effects, the mood, the spaces between the notes-- is inextricable from how it hits us. But when an artist pushes atmosphere in place of songs, it's frequently thought of as a crutch. Most listeners don't trust a mood to grab their hearts the way they trust, say, a human voice; nobody counts on production to deliver the "money note."

[Read the whole review]

Desmond Dekker dead at 64

Desmond Dekker (July 16, 1941 – May 25, 2006), was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer and songwriter. Together with his backing group, The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with “Israelites”. Other hits include “007 (Shanty Town)” (1967) and “It Mek” (1968). Before the ascent of Bob Marley, Dekker was the best-known Jamaican musician outside of his country, and one of the most popular within it.

Brothers Of The Head

From some people...Rock & Roll was always a freak show.

In the 1970s a music promoter plucks Siamese twins from obscurity and grooms them into a freakish rock'n'roll act. A dark tale of sex, strangeness and rock music.


©2006, IFC Films LLC, ©2005, Marlin Films Limited

How the ear processes the music you hear

Holy crap!

This kid is only 12 years-old and he's already incredible.
Imagine how great he'll be in 10 years…

Return To Cookie Mountain

TV On The Radio
2006 sophomore release from this electronic, arty and atmospheric
Post Punk-influenced band from Brooklyn. Features guest appearances from David Bowie and labelmates Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead) and Katrina Ford (Celebration). This is their first release for the highly influential 4AD label, which should increase their profile considerably.

The Amazing Screw-On Head

In this hilarious send-up of Lovecraftian horror and steampunk adventure, President Abraham Lincoln's top spy is a bodyless head known only as Screw-On Head.

When arch-fiend Emperor Zombie steals an artifact that will enable him to threaten all life on Earth, the task of stopping him is assigned to Screw-on Head. Fortunately, Screw-On Head is not alone on this perilous quest. He is aided by his multitalented manservant, Mr. Groin, and by his talking canine cohort, Mr. Dog.

Can this unorthodox trio stop Emperor Zombie in time? Does Screw-On Head have a body awesome enough to stop the horrors that have been unleashed? Where can we get a talking dog?

All these questions (O.K., maybe not that last one) will be answered when you watch the thrilling tale of The Amazing Screw-On Head!

©2006, SciFi.com, All rights reserved.

The nature of the trap

J. Krishnamurti
Daily Quote
July 22nd 2006

"Sorrow is the result of a shock, it is the temporary shaking up of a mind that has settled down, that has accepted the routine of life. Something happens — a death, the loss of a job, the questioning of a cherished belief — and the mind is disturbed. But what does a disturbed mind do? It finds a way to be undisturbed again; it takes refuge in another belief, in a more secure job, in a new relationship. Again the wave of life comes along and shatters its safeguards, but the mind soon finds still further defenses; and so it goes on. This is not the way of intelligence, is it?
No form of external or inward compulsion will help, will it? All compulsion, however subtle, is the outcome of ignorance; it is born of the desire for reward or the fear of punishment. To understand the whole nature of the trap is to be free of it; no person, no system, no belief can set you free. The truth of this is the only liberating factor — but you have to see it for yourself, and not merely be persuaded. You have to take the voyage on an uncharted sea. "

J. Krishnamurti.org
"The nature of the trap" — Book of Life
©2006, Krishnamurti Foundation of America

This just in: I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

From our friends at Matador Records:

Yo La Tengo — new album.
We're giving you plenty of time to get ready On September 12 (September 4 in places other than North America) we'll be releasing a new CD / double LP by a trio we've creatively nicknamed "America's Best Band."
[Cover art by Gary Panter]

Where do Yo La Tengo get off, delivering the most focused, wildly entertaining album of their longer-than-long tenure? Where does the record label get off, using catchphrases like "putting the 'oomph' back in 'eclectic'"? Where do you YOU get off, looking for greater details, like the sort of person who insists on knowing how the cliffhanger ends before the trailer even starts?

Ira, Georgia and James --- aided by longtime recording associate Roger Mountenot, have made a habit of blowing us away and confounding expectations time and time again, but with 'I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass' the trio have raised their game to unparalled heights, creating a multi-genre masterpiece certain to win Nobel Prize consideration. Or would you believe the Plug Awards? Either way, the believing's in the hearing.

We have posted an early mp3 of "Beanbag Chair."
©2006, Matador Records

Luke who’s Coming to Dinner

An Interview with
Luke Bailey and his Ukulele
By Tony Macaluso

There are only a few names that come to mind when you think of the ukulele. More than likely you started singing ‘Tip-Toe through the Tulips.’ While Tiny Tim may have played the ukulele, you can’t say he made it cool, or popularized the instrument. There’s a reason for that. One man and one man only, has single-handedly brought the baritone ukulele out from obscurity and into the spotlight. That man is none other than Luke Bailey. There are no actual facts to support that claim, but it sounds good and I want you to read the rest of this article.

Luke Bailey is a talented performer, song-writer, extraordinarily funny, and the host of his own weekly radio program ‘The Luke Bailey Show’ on WPRK FM, Rollins College Radio. Tony Macaluso is a founding member of Luke’s band (The Bondsmen) who secretly recorded a recent conversation. Here are some excerpts:

Tony Macaluso: Do you hate that Tiny Tim comes up every time you tell someone you’re a ukulele player?
Luke Bailey: Only if I’m wearing sweat pants.

TM: I read somewhere recently that you like to meditate?
LB: That was a spelling error.

TM: Tell us about ‘The Luke Bailey Show.’
LB: I’m proud to say that The Luke Bailey Show is the #1 rated program of its kind, on Tuesday mornings, between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. Thanks to all you out there tuning in, keep it up and spread the word.

TM: What station is that?
LB: The best radio station in Orlando, 91.5 FM, WPRK. We’re on every Tuesday morning from 6:00-8:00 a.m. (EST).

TM: Can I listen on-line?
LB: www.wprkdj.org

TM: Who’s on the air with you?
LB: We’ve got Mr. Radio and Dr. Gory…and of course, you (Tony) have an open invitation.
TM: Shucks!

TM: Any cool guests?
LB: Paris Hilton called last week. We’ve had Dr. Jane Goodall; Mayor Buddy Dyer…Syd Zed is a regular…El-Vez (the Mexican Elvis) recorded a promo for us…Dr Gory erased it though. You never know who’s gonna stop by, or call.

TM: Do you play any music?
LB: WPRK is community radio. So we play music between segments…instead of going to commercial. From me, you’ll get things like bad Elvis songs, Mrs. Miller, William Shatner, Cheech and Chong….Dr. Gory will squeeze in some Sci-Fi-Lounge-Spy-Surf-music by anyone from The Ventures to Leonard Nimoy. Mr. Radio is a bit of a metal head…and he might play AC/DC, or Hayseed Dixie, or an Iron Maiden song…And of course we play local (central-Florida-based) artists like Syd Zed, Terri Binion, and Jim O’Rourke. So send me your cds…and I’ll play em on the air.

TM: What do you talk about?
LB: Anything! Everything! Could be what we did over the weekend…What we shouldn’t have done over the weekend…Something from the news, births, deaths…We might spend the whole show laughing and talking about something one of us said, or did at 6:01 am. When you (Tony) call, it’s usually what’s happening in your bathroom…and we always spend the last 15-minutes poking fun at the next DJ, whoever she or he may be. The show is so-much fun to do…I’d probably do it for free.

Check out Luke’s official web-site at lukebailey.com . And check out the Luke Bailey Show web-site. Tony Macaluso can be reached at tony@beefstewdios.com.

Vince Welnick dead at 55

Grateful Dead keyboard player Vince Welnick has died at the age of 55, a statement on his website announced.
Welnick took over as the Dead's keyboard player in 1990 after then keyboard player, Brent Mydland, died as a result of a drug overdose.
"Vince passed from this earth on June 2, 2006... after a decade of battling tragedy while creating beauty and light around him," the website said.
The band formed in the 1960s and were popular for their legendary epic live shows. The Grateful Dead retired from performing after founder Jerry Garcia died in 1995.
No cause of death was given on Welnick's website.
From various news reports.

Photo: ©2006, Vince Welnick

Triple Crown Success

Vickie Stringer, CEO of Triple Crown Publications, took the fictionalized story of her life, wrote a book, Let That Be The Reason, and its follow-up, Imagine This, which both spent more than a year on the Essence paperback bestseller list and became the first name in "hip-hop lit."

From: Inc. Magazine, May 2006 | Page: 106 By: Patrick J. Sauer

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