Monday, June 23, 2014

The Freaks Hall of Rock 'n' Roll Heroes


Inspired by the zanies at Rock 'n' Roll Freaks on The Fakebook, here is another in an infrequent spewage of random posts.  At the instigation of our fearless dictator (you know who you are Ted C), the freak army,  after much stirring debate, lamely acquiesced to the name The Freaks Hall of Rock 'n' Roll Heroes,  to assist in creating a hall of unsung heroes that will recognize a motley assortment of artistes, hangers on, unscrupulous managers, ne'er do wells, groupies and other denizens of the rock universe that have been unjustly (some justly!) ignored by the Jann (non)Wenner ego trip in that hallowed rock 'n' roll city on Lake Erie (Cleveland Rocks!) Below is the portal of entry.  It is currently a work in progress so keep yer peepers tuned to the website for more fun and excretement:



Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2012 Tunes, a list of some faves


2012 Tunes, a list of some faves

a LIST

In looking at the music for this list I came to realize...my musical tastes seem to be heading toward the musically mellow cliff. Aside from Neil Young, Mission of Burma and Chuck Prophet, the majority of these offerings are trending toward ambient, folk, or geezer rock, but such is the process of evolving musical preferences. The loud and snotty or cantankerous ear bleeders of my youth seem too be less of a priority, and music with a somewhat more 'mature' bent is what my ears crave nowadays. But that could turn on a dime and next week I might be listening to the loudest, snottiest, ear bleeding noise out there. In no particular order these are some of the things that wormed their way into my ears last year. As the urge strikes I will expound in a bit more detail, but as a first salvo here they are:


THE LIST:

Graham Parker and The Rumour - Three Chords Good, a welcome return of these veteran pub rockers.
Ane Brun - It All Starts with One (actually late 2011, but whose counting)
Can - The Lost Tapes (previously unreleased goodies from the vast Can archive)
Alejandro Esocvedo - Falling Off the Sky, challenging roots rock with Esovedo's usual panache.
Bill Fay - Life Is People, folk music with a capital F, meaning not really folk music, but music by/for folks.
Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow (reissue)
Time of the Last Persecution (reissue)
Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship, lovely pop, tunes with actual melodies
Kelly Hogan - I Like to Keep Myself in Pain, adult music, soulful vocals and guest star writers
Mission of Burma - Unsound, right where they left us decades ago, brash and brittle tunes
The Morning Benders - The Big Echo (from 2010, but I just discovered 'em this year, so deal with it)
Rod Picott - Welding Burns, more rootsy folk, with a bleak literate lyrics
Kimmo Pohjonen (w/ The Kronos Quartet) - Uniko, stark and foreboding music
Chuck Prophet - Temple Beautiful, loud rock and roll
Patti Smith - Banga, my lifelong love affair continues
Tame Impala - Lonerism, psychedelic in the Syd Barrett, Love kinda way
Neil Young - Psychedelic Pill, if I was still doing psychedelic drugs, and I'm not, it would sound like this

LATE ADDITIONS:

Calexico - Algiers, don't know how I forgot this one, but now making amends.
Bill Lloyd - King of Tokyo, a down home Fountains of Wayne, earthy pop made in rural heaven.
Cloud Nothing - a noisy racket of off kilter goodies.
Sonnymoon - Sonnymoon, twee vocals, washes of electro whatsits, and jazzy jazz sounds
Beach House - Bloom, ethereal moody washes of sound, and shadowy vocals make for a shimmering stew.


Oh, and I might add or remove goodies from this list at any time, depending or how fickle I am feeling at any particular moment. Snarky ain't I?


Sunday, June 5, 2011

25 Random Thoughts

January, 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 2:01pm
1. I managed a music store for several years in the late 1960's - early 70's
2. I lived in Apache Junction, AZ
3. I love the desert SW
4. SW England is one of my favorite places.
5. Eldridge Cleaver was the first presidential candidate that I voted for (what choice did I have since it was between Nixon and McGovern!?!).
6. I broke bread and shared soup with my wife and two friendly Jamaicans in a local pub in Mo' Bay in 1983.
7. I was fortunate to have met and spent time with an artist in France who was a contemporary of Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp.
8. My two children have grown into remarkable young adults, mostly because of my selfless, beautiful wife.
9. The internet has allowed me to share my love of music with long time music aficionados as well as many music fans around the world.
10. The corn and soy bean fields of Illinois, where I grew up, are still a strong attraction, and bring good feelings whenever I return to them.
11. The Unitarian Church of Jacksonville, Florida is like my second home.
12. My best man at my wedding helped me form a tolerance and understanding for the real African-American experience.
13. My daughter has grown into a strong, thoughtful, beautiful woman and I love her dearly.
14. My son, who has type 1 diabetes, has taught me what courage and perseverance truly is and I love him dearly.
15. I have been fortunate to experience live some of the best musical artists during my lifetime, including the Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, Cecil Taylor, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Wilco, Yo La Tengo, Cheap Trick, Squeeze, Phillip Glass, Roseanne Cash, Leo Kottke, Califone, Hawkwind, Steely Dan, The Kinks, The Clash, Elvis Costello and the one and only Slickem'.
16. My yoga instructor has been an inspiration, showing me how to be more patient and spiritual, without preconceptions.
17. My two brothers and three sisters, although all younger than me, are typically far wiser.
18. My new son-in-law is an awesome young man.
19. The five years that I spent living in the Los Angeles area were like Jesus' the 'lost years'.
20. The two years that I lived in Arizona were two of the happiest of my life.
21. I think that it would be extremely difficult for me to live anywhere but in a warm climate. Cold sucks.
22. I contributed music reviews for a local central Illinois rag in the early 1970's.
23. The transcriptions that I did of Ranger Rick Johnson's writing for a posthumous anthology published last year was one of the more rewarding things I have done.
24. The Ducks Deluxe gig that I witnessed in London in 1975 is probably the most memorable musical event I experienced so far.
25. I like Camembert.