Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Today Minus Five
5 years ago today, this was my view out the window of a classic old Aloha Airlines 737 as we taxied in to the terminal at Lihue on Kauai.
That mauka ridge to the rear in the distance looks totally benign, but in the 5 years since this picture was taken several people in tour helicopters have crashed into it within a 5 mile radius.
Great Unknown Beach Boys #14
Hal!
My fave Hal drumming is his work on "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" from "Pet Sounds". He does the regular drums, and the tympanis, and even the bongos...
Wednesday Music Digest
Roger Waters' missing pig found in the desert
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jZMExs4TLCaNogzp01UVWb6c4dUQ
Gumby will be glad to know there is a GILMORE Festival...
http://blog.mlive.com/kalamazoo_gazette_extra/2008/04/gilmore_festival_is_a_gift_box.html
And yet another New Orleans music fest-Voodoo Fest
http://in.reuters.com/article/hollywood/idINN2846842620080428
Review of the new Steve Winwood album
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/30/090402.php
Toronto Freedom Festival has lots of free music, man
http://blogto.com/music/2008/04/like_wow_man_toronto_freedom_festival_has_lots_of_free_music_among_other_things
Get The Bread Out!
"A loaf of Love's Bakery bread is a slice of life in Hawaii, as familiar to residents and tourists as flip-flops and aloha shirts. So there was no way residents would be deprived of their daily staple even if it meant having to fly the loaves a circuitous 5,000 miles through Los Angeles.
On Tuesday -- thanks to bankrupt Aloha Airlines -- residents on the islands of Hawaii and Kauai were in danger of being without their ration for the first time since Robert Love, a Scotsman waylaid in Honolulu, began baking the bread in 1851.Aloha had been flying the freshly baked breads from Oahu to the other neighboring islands. But when Aloha abruptly ceased cargo operations Monday, it left 22,000 pounds of bread and other baked goods sitting at Honolulu International Airport.
With an inter-island barge not scheduled to leave for several days, Love's Bakery seemed stuck until it found it could get the bread on a Delta Air Lines flight. The bread was flown to Los Angeles, where it caught separate flights back to Kauai and the Big Island.Kauai is 102 air miles from Honolulu and the Big Island is about twice that."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hawaii30apr30,1,133324.story
And Speaking of Teevees....
4 sound effects that made TV history
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7365120.stm
Wish I Had Thought of That Department
New TV turns sound down during commercials
http://gizmodo.com/385566/dolby-volume-solving-the-problem-of-annoyingly-loud-tv-content
Today in Music History
1983 - The original lineup of MANFRED MANN reunited for a concert in London.
1983 - Blues legend MUDDY WATERS died at age 68.
1980 - The film McVicar, starring ROGER DALTREY and ADAM FAITH, with songs written by PETE TOWNSHEND, premiered.
1979 - The number one song was "Reunited" by PEACHES & HERB. Herb's last name was FEEMSTER.
1976 - KEITH MOON paid nine cab drivers to block off both ends of a New York City street so he could throw the contents of his hotel room out of the window.
1966 - THE YOUNG RASCALS had the number one song with "Good Lovin'." It was a cover version of the hit by THE OLYMPICS from the year before.
1965 - THE KINKS began their first tour of the U.K.
1957 - ELVIS recorded "Jailhouse Rock."
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
We Travel the Spaceways
For Sun Ra and NRBQ fans near and far...
"Come and celebrate Marshall Allen's 84th arrival day anniversary on Planet Earth on Sunday, May 25, 2008 when The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen lands at Sullivan Hall, 214 Sullivan Street, New York, NY.
The Arkestra will celebrate with Marshall doing two long sets starting at 9:00 p.m. with doors opening at 8:00 p.m.
Complimentary cake from the Birmingham Bakery and moon pies from the Chattanooga Bakery will be served.
Tickets for this event are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
Advance tickets are available through the Sullivan Hall website."
http://www.sullivanhallnyc.com/
http://www.thesunraarkestra.com/
Pocket Money
Just released...
"The fifth and final quarter-dollar coin released in 2008 honors the State of Hawaii, and is the 50th and last coin in the United States Mint’s popular 50 State Quarters® Program.
Hawaii, spelled "Hawai’i" in the Hawaiian language, is nicknamed "The Aloha State." It became the 50th state admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959.
The release of this quarter signals the end of the ten-year 50 State Quarters Program.
The reverse of Hawaii’s quarter features Hawaiian monarch King Kamehameha I stretching his hand toward the eight major Hawaiian Islands.
Inscriptions are the state motto "UA MAU KE EA O KA ‘AINA I KA PONO" ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness"), "Hawaii" and "1959."
More on this quarter:
http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/states/index.cfm?state=HI
Great Unknown Beach Boys #13
The late Julius Wechter's most recognizable "licks" in Beach Boys history are his vibraphone and tympani work on the classic instrumental "Let's Go Away For Awhile", which is of course on "Pet Sounds".
from his wiki entry:
"Julius Wechter (May 10, 1935-February 1, 1999) was an American musician and composer who played the marimba and vibraphone. He also played miscellaneous percussion instruments. He composed the song Spanish Flea for Herb Alpert and was leader of the Baja Marimba Band.
Born in Chicago, Wechter played vibes and percussion for the Martin Denny group in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, he moved on to movie soundtracks and television, as well as session work for the likes of the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher and various Phil Spector productions.
He began his long and successful association with Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass when he played percussion on the Tijuana Brass's first hit, "The Lonely Bull" in 1962. He would later compose "Spanish Flea".
Playing marimba & vibes on many of the songs on Alpert's subsequent albums in the 1960s, as well as writing at least one song on most of those albums, Wechter contributed much to the Tijuana Brass sound and style without receiving public credit for it at the time"
A & M has established a Wechter site
http://www.juliuswechter.com/
When It Rains It Pours
Well, it's been snowing to beat the band just a few miles to my north and west...2-3 inches expected up north tonight.
Magnolias Texas Festival
This could be the final "Festival" offering by Mags' owner/chef John Silbermann. As previously noted here he has sold the restaurant and it may have a new owner as early as next month...for the uninitiated, this place is in Cambridge, MA
www.magnoliascuisine.com
Texas Festival
April 29- May 31
Appetizers
Crispy Blue cornmeal-crusted Squid and Banana Peppers served with fiery smoked Tomato salsa
Spicy chili crusted chicken wing served with a cool mint dipping sauce
Crispy fried Avocado, stuffed with Cheddar Cheese and served with Chipolte Salsa
Entrees
Texas sized flour tortilla stuffed with grilled pork-loin, layered with Guacamole and Chipotle salsa
Fresh Soft Shell Crabs lightly breaded & pan fried topped with our Crab Remoulade sauce, served over black beans
Cedar plank roasted Salmon topped with grilled Asparagus and Cumin scented mild Chili vinaigrette
At Least It's Not Snow
Over 2 inches of rain have fallen on Saddle Hill over the past 36 hours with an additional 2 inches possible this afternoon alone. A month ago, this would have been 2 feet of snow.
My road was temporarily shut down this morning, when Merrill Pond filled up and overflowed the road. The town sent up their new Volvo "steam shovel", and it made short work of the problem.
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=Meredith,+NH
Speak Up!
"The entire population of a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has been found to speak with a West Country accent - because the residents all descend from one man from Gloucestershire."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/29/watoll129.xml
Sly Stone Returns
Not an encouraging review...and he's already cancelled his scheduled gigs in the Midwest later this week.
http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/sly-stone-makes-2027679-history-in
Music Digest...Tuesday
British electronic music pioneer Tristan Carrey RIP
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23613972-662,00.html
wii fishing rod released
http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/wii/wii-fishing-rod-released-350396
Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" lyrics to be sold
http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/the_beatles/news/11491
MSN Music pulls the plug on customers
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/04/msn-music-pulls-plug-customers
BBC America programming now available on itunes
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/bbc-america-programming-now-available-on-itunes/14208
And last but not least, once again A T & T will webcast the final weekend of JazzFest:
http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20080429/AQTU05929042008-1.html
Aloha Air Cargo Shuts Down
"Aloha Airlines abruptly shut down its cargo operations yesterday, leaving 85 percent of the state's air cargo in limbo and putting at least 400 employees out of work.
The company's cargo unit delivers such perishable goods as bread and bakery products, dairy products, fresh produce, fresh fish, newspapers and pharmaceutical supplies, as well as large items. All cargo flights were canceled last night........Love's Bakery, which has shipped up to 36,000 pounds of goods per day on Aloha since 1985, hustled to get 22,000 pounds to the neighbor isles today using freight forwarder Surefire Consulting LLC, which flew two planes to Kauai and the Big Island via the mainland.
"We were given absolutely no notification," said Mike Walters, Love's president."
http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/29/news/story01.html
Monday, April 28, 2008
"Pet Sounds" Session Player List
Talk about a "Rogue's gallery"... the lengthy list of talented musicians who played on "Pet Sounds" includes today's "Great Unknown Beach Boys #12", Carol Kaye. and a previous one, Boy-Howdy Campbell...
http://www.surfsupcollectibles.com/ps3.html
"It's Bacon!"
Certified longtime NRBQ fan Drew Carey goes out into the streets and finds...illegal bacon?
http://la.eater.com/archives/2008/04/25/drew_carey_and_blackmarket_bacon_dogs.php
Good Dog....
Smartest and stupidest dogs. Hint: the BC wins again.
http://cbs4.com/slideshows/smart.dumb.dog.20.694725.html
Wayne Shorter Sighting
(sniff)
Here's a rather snobby "weather report"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/28/bmivan128.xml
WWOZ JazzFest RSS Feed Added
Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Also fixed dead links elsewhere on the page.
Looks Like My Cellar
"Mother Nature on Monday began to mend the muddy paths carved by thousands of people who slogged across the rain-drenched Fair Grounds during the first weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Vacuum trucks helped, slurping up puddles at the Gentilly Boulevard site as dozens of sea gulls basked in the sunshine or flitted over the damp field in front of the Acura Stage.
In preparation for the second weekend of Jazzfest, workers will begin installing four to five tractor-trailer loads of sod..."
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/04/jazzfest_works_to_clean_up_mes.html
Inventor Takes Coast Guard Buoy, Makes Money!
"As part owner of Weber Bros. Metal Works, which made buoys for the Coast Guard, Stephen had an idea. He took one of the buoys, sawed it in half, welded on three metal legs to make it stand and drilled a few air vent holes.
He then welded on brackets to hold a grill and added the crown — a saucer-shaped top with handle.
Done with his invention at the office, he put it in the back of his station wagon and drove home."
http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=21&issue=20080425
"They're Tryin' To Wash Us Away"
Once a relatively obscure Randy Newman song, his epic about the Big Flood has taken on a life of its own in post-Katrina Louisiana.
For my money, the best cover of "1927" is STILL the one Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel did...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/arts/music/27hime.html?ref=music
Great Unknown Beach Boys #12
From bassist Carol Kaye's wiki
"Kaye played bass on many of the Beach Boys hit recordings, including Good Vibrations, Help Me, Rhonda, Sloop John B and California Girls. She also worked on Brian Wilson's ill-fated but legendary Smile project (and was present at the "Fire" session in late November 1966 when Wilson reportedly asked the studio musicians to wear toy fire hats)."
snip
"Kaye played 12-string guitar on Frank Zappa's groundbreaking Freak Out!. When she was called to work on his next album Kaye played on a few songs but declined to continue, saying she found some of the lyrics offensive being a mother of three children. She later said Zappa was very good-natured and understanding about her qualms and they remained on friendly terms."
snip
some of the other songs Carol played bass on...
"Sixteen Tons" (Tennessee Ernie Ford)
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" (Nancy Sinatra)
"Homeward Bound" (Simon and Garfunkel)
"I'm a Believer" (The Monkees)
"Suspicious Minds" (Elvis Presley)
And believe it or not...
"Light My Fire" (The Doors)
Carol also played lead guitar on many classics:
"Then He Kissed Me" (The Crystals)
"La Bamba" (Ritchie Valens)
"Surf City" (Jan and Dean)
"You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (The Righteous Brothers)
Visit Carol's site here
http://www.carolkaye.com/
Housekeepin'
I have cut back the number of posts that appear on the page to reduce the page loading time-previously a full 7 days' worth of postings would appear, but I have cut this back to 5 days.
Aloha Music Camp to Continue
Just not on Molokai...
http://www.molokaitimes.com/articles/84271578.asp
Monday Music Digest
Jazz review from Kalamazoo (hey, that rhymes)
http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2008/04/bobby_mcferrin_chick_corea_jac.html
Concert review: kd lang Down Under
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23614517-7642,00.html
Large sendoff for Mother Marley
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jHAG7P-psAE_DRjpgR-fUbxX-ufA
July 20 Buddy Guy tribute concert in Chicago
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=18134
The night the Beatles were thrown out of a hotel in England
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/1.95316
Blogging JazzFest
Like, totally, 5 teenage girls get backstage passes and blog the Fest.
http://blog.nola.com/teenperspectives/2008/04/so_many_places_so_little_time.html
Today in Music History
2002 - VINCE NEIL allegedly attacked a record producer outside the Rainbow Room in West Hollywood. Neil pled guilty to the misdemeanor charge of battery on September 27, 2002.
2000 - A fire damaged JAMES BROWN's office in Augusta, Georgia. Investigators discovered it was arson.
1999 - TOM PETTY & The HEARTBREAKERS received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1999 - A study by the Clinton Administration's top drug enforcement officials found that 27% of the most popular records of the previous two years contained, quote, "a clear reference to either alcohol or illicit drugs."
1999 - MARILYN MANSON walked off stage during a concert in Des Moines when he realized that someone had put a large yellow "smiley face" on a stage prop. 23 arrests were made in the ensuing riot.
1999 - The VERVE announced that the band members had mutually agreed to break up the band.
1991 - BONNIE RAITT and actor MICHAEL O'KEEFE were married. They later divorced.
1989 - JON BON JOVI and DOROTHEA HURLEY were married. They had been high school sweethearts. They're still married, with four kids.
1987 - For the first time, a compact disc of an album was released before its vinyl version. The album was The Art of Excellence by TONY BENNETT.
1987 - On a plane that was returning to Boston, from Miami, OZZY OSBOURNE bought passengers three rounds of drinks and sang Crazy Train over the PA system.
1983 - The #1 record was MICHAEL JACKSON's Beat It, featuring EDDIE VAN HALEN on lead guitar.
1980 - MARSHALL TUCKER BAND bass player Tommy Caldwell died of injuries he sustained in a car accident in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1968 - Hair opened on Broadway in New York
1965 - BARBRA STREISAND'S first TV special, My Name is Barbara, aired on CBS.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
We Travel the Spaceways
The Galactic Center Radio Arc
Pass the Calamari
"They definitely aren’t your garden-variety calamari. The jumbo squid now lurking off the Pacific Northwest coast could threaten salmon runs..."
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/345666.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamari
On the Air?
Auwe! Starting a radio station in Hawaii ain't easy...as a lady from Maine found out...
http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/27/business/story01.html
Great Unknown Beach Boys #11
Mike is on the left, and behind him and the drummer feller is another Great Unknown Beach Boy, "Stig O'Hara".
From his wiki entry:
"Mike Meros (1950 - 2007) played keyboards for the Beach Boys touring band from 1979 until July 4th 2000.
Mike hails from the Brooklyn Park neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. His entire family was musical and comprised a band known as the "Meros Brothers." Mike played in other bands as well, including the Bare Essentials and the New Apocalypse.
Mike earned a degree in Music from the University of Maryland in 1972.
Mike died unexpectedly on December 26, 2007. He had been performing as recently as July 2007 with Al Jardine."
Jumping Fleas in Schnectady
Ukulele night!
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/apr/27/0427_jumpinfleas/
excerpt:
"in the 1990s, things began to change. Hawaiian ukulele player Israel Kamakawiwo’ole recorded a version of “Somewhere Over the Radio” that was used in movies and television, including the highly rated episode of “ER” where Dr. Mark Greene dies of cancer in Hawaii.
The Beatles were all big ukulele fans, and a 2003 concert documentary, “Concert for George,” which features rock greats performing George Harrison’s music, helped stimulate more interest in the ukulele. In the film, Paul McCartney performs “Something” with a solo ukulele arrangement. More recently, a clip of Hawaiian Jake Shimabukuro playing the Harrison-penned “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” became a YouTube sensation."
"Ridin' in My Car"
"Drivers who listen to blues music in their cars are the most likely to be caught speeding, according to a survey. "
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7369773.stm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC0OsmADGdQ
Rock's Greatest Riffs
"Year zero" for great rock music riffs, according to this article, was 1964. I would have to agree...
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080427/ART10/804260354/-1/ART
Sunday Musical Digest
"California Dreaming"-new exhibit by legendary music photographer Henry Diltz
http://www.syvnews.com/articles/2008/04/27/ae/ae04.txt
Humanoid robot to conduct the Detroit Symphony
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,145176-c,futuretechnology/article.html
Prince performs (for a cool $4.9 mil) at Coachella:
http://www.singersroom.com/news/entertainment-story-1599.asp
The Cowboy Junkies "Return to Trinity" 27 years later
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_9073277?source=most_emailed
And Smashing Pumpkins are added to the Rock Walk of Fame
http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hSByxnQzbQ79-ZGkQvARh8KGtjoQ
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Mad Scientists Club
One of my primary links on Stage Right is Probe. Here are some of the latest finds:
1. The Zanies: The Mad Scientist
2. Connie Francis: He's Just A Scientist
3. Lee Collins & The Orbits: Two Crazy Scientists
4. John D. Loudermilk: He's Just A Scientist (That's All)
5. The Redwoods: Please Mister Scientist
The "Evil" Musical Instrument
Bob Pinciotti quotes from "That 70's Show"
Bob: "Hit him with a banjo."
Red gives him the Look.
Red: "A banjo, Bob?"
Bob: "What? I'm helping!"
Red: "Where's he gonna to get a banjo?"
Bob: "I dunno! But I saw a guy get hit with a banjo once, and he went down."
Red: "Hitting a guy with a banjo is dirty. You want to knee him in the groin."
Bob: "You can hit him in the groin with a banjo."
In another episode Bob advises Red to help Kitty get over her menopause by "getting her a banjo."
When a skeptical Red asks "A banjo, Bob?", Bob answers that "I can't hold a banjo and not smile."
Red sarcastically replies that "you can't hold a potato chip and not smile."
Bob then immediately proceeds to smile and agrees.
History of the evil banjo...
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article.aspx?articleID=6695
Sports in Space
"In March, Japanese astronaut Takao Doi threw a small boomerang aboard the station to see if it would come back without gravity. It apparently did, according to Japanese space agency officials.
Last year, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan, ran the Boston Marathon from orbit in 4 hours, 24 minutes.
In 2006, European astronaut Christer Fugelsang, a former Swedish national Frisbee champion, kept a Frisbee aloft inside the station for 20 seconds - thanks to the lack of gravity - to break the previous world record of 16.72 seconds for a single toss.
Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin also whacked a golf ball outside the space station during a 2006 spacewalk, echoing Apollo 14 astronaut Alan Shepard's tee off on the moon in 1971.
Last year, NASA astronaut Clay Anderson used a football, baseball and make-shift bat to demonstrate the effects of weightless for students on Earth."
More here
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080425/sc_space/thefutureofspacesports;_ylt=AtUDfe7829.iJ3342BzSRykPLBIF
Sleeping Pilots Fired
"The two go! pilots being investigated by federal agencies for possibly falling asleep and then overshooting Hilo's airport on a midmorning flight from Honolulu have been fired by Mesa Air Group Inc., parent company of the interisland carrier."
http://starbulletin.com/2008/04/24/news/story03.html
Touring Kawainui and Maunawili
Oahu's Kailua has two of the more remarkable natural areas on the island-the large wetland known as Kawainui, and the lush Maunawili Valley out behind Mt. Olomana, where Queen Lilioukolani wrote the haunting song "Aloha Oe".
This year's annual historical tour is set for next week
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/GETPUBLISHED/80425049/-1/LOCALNEWSFRONT
RIP to a BBC Legend
"Jazz trumpeter and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton, host of the surreal British Broadcasting Corp. radio game show "I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue," has died at the age of 86.
The performer's Web site said Lyttelton died peacefully at a London hospital late Friday following surgery."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042600989.html
Raccoon Huntin' Time
Big business in Oklahoma-and all they do is tree them, and then let them go...
http://newsok.com/raccon-huntings-popularity-growing-some-say/article/3235301/
Great Unknown Beach Boys #10
from his wiki entry
"Blondie Chaplin, along with Ricky Fataar joined the Beach Boys when original drummer Dennis Wilson suffered a hand injury which left him unable to play the drums for almost two years.
Both Chaplin and Fataar were members of South African rock band The Flame before joining The Beach Boys. The Flame were discovered by Beach Boy Carl Wilson while performing in London. Wilson signed the band to the Beach Boys' Brother Records label and produced their self-titled album which featured soulful rock / pop songs in the vein of The Beach Boys and Badfinger. The Flame were the only band aside from The Beach Boys to record for Brother Records.
Chaplin sang lead on at least three Beach Boys songs, "Sail On, Sailor" "Leaving This Town" and "Funky Pretty" (all from the 1973 album Holland). During the late 1980s Chaplin toured with The Band, replacing some of Richard Manuel's vocals and playing guitar. Chaplin was also a featured player in former Byrds men Gene Clark and Michael Clarke's new band, titled "The 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Byrds".
Chaplin then appeared on the Jennifer Warnes albums The Hunter and The Well. Since the late 1990s and the Bridges to Babylon Tour, Chaplin has been a backing vocalist and occasional guitar player for The Rolling Stones."
Blondie's website:
http://www.blondiechaplin.com/default_in.html
And a nice video of Blondie doing "Sail On, Sailor" live with a friend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBllf59_5So
Saturday Music Digest
A real folk festival, in the Smoky Mountains
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1970-07-01/The-Gatlinburg-Folk-Festival.aspx
In Texas, Geddy Lee and company get a rave concert review!
http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/apr/26/concert-review-rush/
Plant and Krauss at JazzFest
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2008-04-26-jazz-fest_N.htm
Riders in the Sky sighting:
http://www.reporter-times.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=99076&format=html
Merlefest time!
http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/597340.html
Starbucks gets out of the music business? They just got in a year ago...
http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=10013
Natalie Cole sings at a Jazz Fest in Cleveland ("the delta in Lake Erie isn't the biggest..." - Martin Mull)
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2008/04/natalie_cole_remains_unforgett.html
Remembering the Stones' "Sticky Fingers" album cover
http://www.theage.com.au/news/music/strongmusicstrong-record-cover-designers-hit-by-diminishing-returns/2008/04/24/1208743152923.html
Concert DVD review: Earth, Wind & Fire
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/04/26/075845.php
Happy B-Lated B-Day to...
Jerry Leiber, of the songwriting team of Lieber and Stoller.
While looking them up, watch this cover of one of their tunes...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFn9PIhd004
PS, Lieber is 75 today!
Lower 48 Volcano Cam
Never a dull moment at Mt. St. Helens...today they were snowed out
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/
We Travel The Spaceways Part M86
"Looks like a big fried egg!" - Dr. "Happy" Harry Cox, 1974
Actually, it's M86 in the Virgo Cluster...
Credit & Copyright: Greg Morgan (Sierra Remote Observatories)
Explanation: Bright lenticular galaxy M86 is near center of this cosmic view, at the heart of the Virgo Galaxy Cluster. Other bright galaxies in the neighborhood include M84 at the upper right, edge-on spiral NGC4388 near the right edge, a striking pair of interacting galaxies, Markarian's Eyes, in the lower left corner, and edge-on spiral NGC 4402 at about 11 o'clock.
With well over a thousand members, the Virgo Cluster is the closest large cluster of galaxies. On average the cluster galaxies are measured to be about 50 million light-years away. The entire Virgo Cluster is difficult to appreciate because it covers such a large area, spanning over 10 degrees on the sky. This cluster close-up covers a region just under 1 degree wide or about 1.5 times the size of the full moon.
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080425.html
Friday, April 25, 2008
Jazz Funeral
Here's a music RIP that I missed, as it happened back in November (2 months before this blog began). Fitting that I stumbled upon it on the first day of JazzFest.
"A 3 Hour Tour" Update
"NEW ORLEANS — A dozen people, including four high-profile Louisiana couples, have been shuttled off the atoll where their chartered plane's engine problems stranded them, and were spending a night on nearby Christmas Island.
A chartered jet was to fly all 12 to Honolulu on Friday, said Grady Timmons, Honolulu spokesman for The Nature Conservancy, which had arranged the trip to Palmyra Atoll, which the conservancy manages as a wildlife reserve."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352599,00.html
RIP Don Gillis
"In 1951, following a short stint at New Bedford radio station WBSM, Mr. Gillis was hired by WHDH radio in Boston through an open audition, launching a legendary career that included broadcasting games of the city's four professional sports teams and becoming Boston's first television sports anchor at WHDH (now WCVB-TV, Ch. 5), in 1962.
"They [the viewers] were kind enough to invite me into their houses every night," Mr. Gillis once said. "The least I could do was give them a reason to ask me back."
http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2008/04/25/don_gillis_a_sports_anchor_for_decades_in_boston_at_85/
Live JazzFest Broadcast Schedule On WWOZ
Here's the lineup of what WWOZ will be broadcasting
live stream link
http://wwoz.org/ontheair/stream/streamPopUp.html
All times Central
Friday, April 25
» 11:30 - 12:20 p.m.Zion Trinity - Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage
» 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.Big Sam’s Funky Nation - Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage
» 5:40 - 7:00 p.m. - (either this or the next group will be taped and broadcast tomorrow)Burning Spear - Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage
» 5:45 - 7:00 p.m.Lizz Wright - WWOZ Jazz Tent
Saturday, April 26
» 11:25 - 12:25 p.m.11:25 Berklee College of Music Jazz Ensemble - WWOZ Jazz Tent
» 2:05 - 3:05 p.m.Big Jay McNeely with Jesse Scinto - Southern Comfort Blues Tent
» 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.Ponderosa Stomp with Tammi Lynn, Archie Bell, Roy Head, Chick Willis, Dennis Binder - Southern Comfort Blues Tent
Sunday, April 27
» 11:25 - 12:15 p.m. - (either this or the next group will be broadcast in the early afternoon)Paulin Brothers Brass Band - Jazz & Heritage Stage
»11:30 - 12:30 p.m.Lil Freddie King Blues Band - Southern Comfort Blues Tent
» 1:40 - 2:30 p.m.Shamarr Allen - Jazz & Heritage Stage
» 2:55 - 4:05 p.m.Midnite Disturbers Brass Band - Jazz & Heritage Stage
» 3:45 - 4:55 p.m.Roy Young - Southern Comfort Blues Tent
» 5:30 - 6:50 p.m.Delbert McCLinton - Southern Comfort Blues Tent
Musical Digest for Friday April 25
New Samsung media players trotted out:
http://www.thetechherald.com/article.php/200817/812/Samsung-unveils-diminutive-S3-and-S2-media-players
Patti Smith is working on a new album
http://angryape.com/news/2008/04/25/patti-smith-kevin-shields-to-release-album-together
Patti redux: remembering "Horses"
http://www.thereporter.com/entertainment/ci_9052539
Steve Earle in Mississippi
http://www.reflector-online.com/news/2008/04/25/Entertainment/Troubadour.Steve.Earle.Makes.Big.Return.To.Mississippi-3349239.shtml
Jazz DVD Review-Holdsworth and Pasqua live at Yoshi's
http://www.bloggernews.net/115316
And RIP to legendary Oklahoma singer-songwriter Bob Childers
http://newsok.com/influential-oklahoma-singer-songwriter-dies/article/3234722/
Best of the Fest for Friday
Here's what the locals say will be the best bets for today's schedule at the Fairgrounds
http://blog.nola.com/mariamontoya/2008/04/best_of_the_fest_friday_april.html
Asleep at the Wheel...
KGMB in Honolulu has confirmed that the two GO! pilots who overshot Hilo and headed out to see in fact did fall asleep in the cockpit. In fact, the pilot had apparently done it before...
http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/5870/169/
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Climb Every Mountain, Part 2
More on the saga going on at Mt.Everest...
"BEIJING (AP) — China's new plan for press coverage of the Olympic torch's ascent of Mount Everest has touched off a new controversy.
Health experts and media groups said Wednesday the plan will expose reporters to undue health risks due to the altitude.
It also underscores Beijing's worries about reporting in Tibet and adds another sour note to what Beijing hoped would be a grand feat — taking the torch up the world's tallest peak. Like the entire torch relay, the event has become more contentious after last month's protests of Chinese rule in Tibet, where Everest stands.
Under the new schedule introduced by Beijing Olympic officials Tuesday, reporters' time in Tibet would be halved, to about 10 days, most of it in transit. The trip from Beijing, just above sea level, to the Everest base camp at 16,800 feet would be compressed to three days — a third of the adjusting time experts recommend to ward off the sometimes fatal effects of sudden exposure to low oxygen levels at high altitude.
"To take a week or two, it's acceptable, and to take three days, it's ridiculous," said Dr. Robert Schoene, a mountaineer and expert on altitude sickness at University of California-San Diego. "If you take low-landers who are healthy, almost everybody, at least 80 to 90 percent, would get acute mountain sickness in three days."
The plan drew complaints from most of the nine foreign media organizations invited to Everest, including The Associated Press."
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hN6Mq4zTXgcs8x8GNsYMOmMdJl6wD907O7UG0
Great Unknown Beach Boys #9
Photos of Mike are hard to come by so check his website...link below!
From his wiki entry:
"Mike Kowalski was born on July 28,1944 in Hollywood, Ca . He started singing and playing piano by the age of three, his first professional engagement was playing the piano, with Mel Torme on drums, for a Television Pilot at the age of five.
At age ten, he was given a set of Slingerland Radio-King drums by his Godfather and "Dragnet" T.V. star Jack Webb. At the age of fifteen, he was playing drums professionally with various local rock and rhythm and blues bands. He performed both on stage and screen as his family was affiliated with the Motion Picture and Television industries.
By age nineteen he was playing drums with a popular L.A. band Pat and Lolly Vegas, whom later became the famous pop group "Redbone". Also during this time performed and recorded with "Sonny & Cher", "Little Anthony & the Imperials", and "Etta James".
Mike was the drummer for the band The Beach Boys when he first joined the band in 1968, and was their main drummer from 1983 - 2007. Kowalski was replaced by John Cowsill."
Here's Mike's website
http://www.bigbeatman.com/
Visit Hawaii Without Leaving New Hampshire
On our 2003 trip to Oahu and the Garden Isle, we were interested to note that KITV in Honolulu was a sister station of New Hampshire's WMUR Channel 9. They even had their own version of our beloved sports anchor Charlie Sherman, who is now on early morning radio in Manchester.
WMUR's weather team has spiffed up the station's weather website, which now includes several Sky Cams, including one from Honolulu and one from the Mauna Kea Observatory on the Big Isle.
Ice Out
Some of our smaller lakes like Wicwas still have many icy patches...
"GILFORD – It's the unofficial -- but very visible -- end of a seemingly endless winter. Ice-out on Lake Winnipesaukee occurred at 8 p.m. yesterday.
The official word came from official observer Dave Emerson of Emerson Aviation of Gilford.
Earlier on Wednesday, Emerson had expected the lake to open up today, not yesterday.
"There's still ice in the northeast part of the lake. Center Harbor Bay and Wolfeboro Bay are still blocked and there's some black ice left in the Broads which is breaking up pretty fast," Emerson had said.
He said yesterday's 80-degree temperature pushed the long-awaited meltdown along and that Alton Bay, Weirs Bay and Meredith Bay have been ice-free for a few days."
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Winter's+over!+The+ice+is+out+on+Lake+Winnipesaukee&articleId=c43e4e57-c2d1-4e67-8466-bdd1f06f5ad6
The Grandfather of All Birds?
"Tyrannosaurus rex, meet the chicken – your third cousin more than 100 million years removed. A new family tree based on protein sequences recovered from dinosaur fossils firms up the dinosaur's avian lineage.
"Palaeontologists have known this overall connection."
A Long Strange Trip
The evolution of Jerry Garcia's artwork...
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/archive/x1658000709
Thursday Music Digest
Ska legend Nevill Staple plays the UK
http://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/redir.php?from=ec&to=2223452&l=ska_legend_nevill_staple_returns_to_the_palace
Jim Croce's song "Leroy Brown" is being made into a movie
http://www.cinematical.com/2008/04/24/leroy-brown-being-made-into-movie/
Behind the scenes-how the vendors prepare for JazzFest in the Big Easy
http://www.wdsu.com/news/15978624/detail.html
Capitol Records in LA worries about a new neighboring building
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5727304.html
Jay Black sighting in MA (Jay was the leader of Jay and the Americans and is one of the great voices of 60s rock music)
http://www.casinocitytimes.com/news/article.cfm?contentID=172630
Please just go away, Yoko!
http://www.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=63047611
Great Unknown Beach Boys #8
from his wiki entry
"Charles Lloyd was born in Memphis, Tennesse. From an early age, he was immersed in that city's rich musical life and was exposed to jazz. He began playing the saxophone at the age of 9 and took lessons from pianist Phineas Newborn. One of his closest friends was trumpeter Booker Little.
Lloyd became a sideman in the blues bands of B. B. King, Howlin' Wolf , Bobby "Blue" Bland and others. In 1956 Lloyd moved to Los Angeles and earned a music degree from the University of Southern California. That city's fertile music scene included Buddy Collette, Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins and others.
During this period Lloyd played in the big band of Gerald Wilson. From 1960 to 1963 Lloyd played in the band of drummer Chico Hamilton and became its musical director. Though the band was known for playing "chamber jazz " at the beginning of Lloyd's tenure, his influence as a composer and a player quickly pushed it in a more progressive post-bop direction. Lloyd's key musical partner in the band was the guitarist Gabor Szabo.
In 1964 Lloyd left Hamilton's group to play with alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. During this period he recorded two albums as a leader for Columbia Records; his sidemen were other young musicians including Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams.
Through 1966-1968 Lloyd led a quartet with pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Cecil McBee (afterwards, Ron McClure, and drummer Jack DeJohnette, that producer George Avakian signed to a contract with Atlantic Records . The quartet's music was an interesting fusion of straight-ahead post-bop, free jazz, and soul jazz.
The group's music quickly caught on with both jazz fans and critics. Somewhat surprisingly, they also achieved a fair amount of crossover success with young rock fans and became the first jazz group to play in the Fillmore. The album "Forest Flower" became a big commercial hit, largely on the strength of the title track. Other noteworthy albums include "Dream Weaver" and "Love In".
In 1968, after the quartet's demise, Lloyd entered a state of semi-retirement. Despite recording several albums during the 1970s and occasionally appearing as a sideman, he practically disappeared from the jazz scene.
During the 1970s Lloyd played extensively with The Beach Boys, both on their studio recordings and as a member of their touring band. In the late 1970s Lloyd was a member of *Celebration*, a band comprised of members of the Beach Boys touring band as well as fellow Transcendental Meditation followers Mike Love and Al Jardine. *Celebration* released two albums."
Lloyd is celebrating birthday #70 this year, and is on tour again. Here's some info:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/356888_lloyd29.html
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=6000&catid=107&volume_id=317&issue_id=371&volume_num=42&issue_num=26
We Travel the Spaceways
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) successfully captured a movie of the "Full Earth-Rise"*1 using the onboard High Definition Television (HDTV) of the lunar explorer "KAGUYA " (SELENE) on April 6, 2008 (Japan Standard Time, JST, all the following dates and time are JST.) The KAGUYA is currently flying in a lunar orbit at an altitude of about 100 km.
An "Earth-rise," or the rising Earth over the Moon, was first captured by the Apollo project. The Earth rising image taken by the KAGUYA on November 7, 2007, was not a full Earth-rise (i.e. not all of the globe was seen in shining blue.) It missed some part. This time, a "full Earth-rise"(1) was taken by the onboard HDTV in faraway space, some 380,000 km away from the Earth.
To see the Full Earth-rise Movie taken by HDTV please go here
Chris Gaffney, RIP
Talented singer and musician Chris Gaffney of the Hacienda Brothers died earlier this month from liver cancer. Here's a nice appreciation from today's Austin newspaper, coincidentally written by a member of the NRBQ e-mail list, Parry Gettleman. She's quite a talent herself...
http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2008/04/0424xlgaffney.html
When It (Doesn't) Rain, It Pours Dept.
... Red flag warning in effect until 8 PM EDT this evening... The National Weather Service in Gray ME has issued a red flag warning... which is in effect until 8 PM EDT this evening. The Fire Weather Watch is no longer in effect.
Gusty northwest winds... around 25 mph at times... and very dry air... with relative humidity values of 20-25 percent... will combine to produce hazardous fire conditions today.
Any rain that fell overnight across southern New Hampshire... or the coastal plain of Maine... was very light... and will have little or no effect on the dryness of the fine fuels on the ground.
A red flag warning means that a combination of strong winds and dry conditions is occurring now... or will occur soon. These critical fire weather conditions may result in dangerous fire behavior.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Great Unknown Beach Boys #7
from his wiki entry
"John Cowsill (b. March 2, 1956) is the drummer and vocalist for the current touring version of The Beach Boys; he played keyboard with the group until 2007. He is married to Vicki Peterson of the The Bangles.
Cowsill was an original member of The Cowsills. He performed with Jan and Dean and was at one point part of the Dwight Twilley Band. He has appeared on Full House and General Hospital."
Ice-Out 2008
One of our resident Red-Tailed Hawks was having a great time around noontime here on Saddle Hill. Bone-rattling thermals for sure!
Only 6 months before the snow flies again...
Wireless News
For those who can convert UTC (that's Universal Time, formerly called by the quaint term "Greenwich Mean Time") into your own time zone, and if you have what we now call a "shot-wave radio", here's a cornucopia of stations still on the air...
http://www.eibispace.de/dx/bc-a08.txt
Speaking of Eric Burdon...
Here are some wild moving pictures of a certified screaming vocalist named Eric Burdon...
First up, "Tobacco Road"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Sfh8LFMaw
Next up, Eric and the second Animals band, which included future Police-man Andy Summers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvs8U0oxnlI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnKr4VjExT4
Eric declared "WAR" a few years later...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7_U-zj2gfE
We Gotta Get Outta This Place!
"How will life on Earth end? The answer, of course, is unknown, but two new studies suggest a collision with Mercury or Mars could doom life long before the Sun swells into a red giant and bakes the planet to a crisp in about 5 billion years.
The studies suggest that the solar system's planets will continue to orbit the Sun stably for at least 40 million years. But after that, they show there is a small but not insignificant chance that things could go terribly awry..."
Party Time
My old home town has added a hula stage to the "I Love Kailua Party"...
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080422/BREAKING01/80422086/-1/LOCALNEWSFRONT
HAL To Fill the Void
"The sudden demise of Aloha "has changed aviation in Hawaii profoundly", says Hawaiian chief executive Mark Dunkerley.
Hawaiian is seeking take up the slack on local routes that are underserved following Aloha's exit. But Dunkerley says the Honolulu-based carrier will not seek to replace Aloha seat for seat, nor will it attempt to replace much of the capacity lost between Hawaii and the mainland US west coast as a result of the sudden shutdown of Aloha and ATA Airlines."
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/04/23/223146/hawaiian-airlines-to-take-advantage-of-alohas-demise.html
"A Three Hour Tour"
"A group of tourists from Louisiana are stuck on Palmyra Island after their plane had engine problems. The group has been stranded on the island, which is one of the most remote islands in the Pacific Ocean, since Saturday."
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=44273&cat=14
Great Unknown Beach Boys #6
Shown on the left with Al Jardine at a show in Hawaii, here is quite possibly the most obscure Beach Boy of all...
From his website (link below)
"David Marks began playing music with his neighbors, the Wilson brothers, in 1958 when he was 10 years old, eventually developing their own unique hybrid of surf instrumentals and Chuck Berry influenced Rock & Roll. When Brian Wilson began using that electric Rock and Roll foundation to support his intricate vocal harmonies, an exciting new sound was created.
In spring 1962 Capitol Records acquired a demo recording of the songs Surfin’ Safari and 409 performed by Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and neighbor David Marks which upon release became a massive national hit. It was at this time that these five names, known as The Beach Boys, became Capitol Records recording stars with a future as bright as the California sun.
Over the course of the next two years, The Beach Boys would evolve into America’s top rock act as well as experiencing a steadily growing international fame. In only 18 months they recorded an astonishing four classic studio albums that included some of rock music’s most beloved anthems such as Surfin’ Safari, Surfin’ USA, Catch a Wave, Surfer Girl, In My Room, 409, Shut Down, Little Deuce Coupe and Be True to You School while also touring the entire United States from Hawaii to New York. And it was during these first years that the enduring image of five smiling Pendleton clad guys, carrying a surfboard on a California beach, was forever ingrained as the iconic image of American music – defining the band in the public’s eye for decades to come.
David Marks was part of all of that, and then in late 1963 at 15 years of age he walked away from the Beach Boys at the very height of their initial wave of success."
Many years later, David rejoined and toured with the Beach Boys from 1997 to 1999, when he had to leave after contracting Hepatitis C. It took several years but he is now healthy again.
More of David's bio here:
http://davidleemarks.com/dmbio/
And his main page
http://davidleemarks.com/
Wednesday Music Digest Part 2
How JazzFest recovered from the hurricane
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-04-22-jazz-fest-side_N.htm
The death of album cover design?
http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/music/brian_cannon_and_the_death_of_album_cover_design_83063.asp
Smashing Pumpkins interview
http://punk.bz/2008/04/23/interview-smashing-pumpkins-states-they-are-no-longer-do-any-more-albums/
Rare recordings of Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong to be released
http://jazztimes.com/columns_and_features/news/detail.cfm?article=11420
Hallmark has something new-recordable music greeting cards!
http://www.e-gear.com/story/story.bsp?sid=96277&var=story
Music Digest for Wednesday Part 1
Old rock stars never die, they just file lawsuits. This time it's "Richie Ramone"
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/50152-richie-ramone-royalties-lawsuit-dismissed
Sony buys Gracenote
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/04/sony-buys-grace.html
Dwight Yoakam honors Johnny Cash
http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,3034,GAC_26063_5853584_,00.html
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Don't Go Near the Water
Close to the edge...a look (with scary pictures) of the ultimate "Infinity Pool"...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=561261&in_page_id=1811&ct=5
Great Unknown Beach Boys #5
Shown at a 2005 Beach Boys Reunion, sandwiched in between Bruce Johnston and the world class a-hole Mike Love, is today's Great Unknown Beach Boy, who hails from De-light Arkansas. He was a crack studio musician with the legendary LA "Wrecking Crew" when he was tapped to replace Brian Wilson on tour in 1964 and 1965.
Here's an excerpt of Glen Campbell's wiki entry:
"Campbell, one of twelve children born in the tiny community of Delight in Pike County, then a community of fewer than one hundred residents, started playing guitar as a youth without learning to read music. By the time he was eighteen, he was touring the South as part of the Western Wranglers. In 1958, he moved to Los Angeles to become a session musician. He was part of the 1959 line-up of the group The Champs, famous for their surf instrumental "Tequila".
Campbell was in great demand as a session musician in the 1960s. He was part of the famous studio musicians clique known as "The Wrecking Crew," many of whom went from session to session together as the same group. In addition to Campbell, Hal Blaine on drums and Carol Kaye on bass guitar were part of this elite group of session musicians that defined many pop and rock recordings of the era. They were also heard on Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" recordings in the early 1960s.
He is heard on some of the biggest-selling records of the era by such artists as Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, The Kingston Trio, Merle Haggard, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Association, Jan & Dean, and The Mamas & the Papas.
He was a touring member of The Beach Boys, filling in for an ailing Brian Wilson in 1964 and 1965. He played guitar on the group's Pet Sounds album, among other recordings. On tour, he played bass and sang high harmony.
Other classics featuring his guitar playing include: "Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" by The Righteous Brothers and "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees."
Here's Glen at work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZf49jYrzH8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5OXKRIyaxQ
"Beam Me Up, Scotty!"
Good thing they caught him before he drove off...
"LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A Frankfort man was arrested on drug trafficking charges early Sunday morning after he was reportedly pumping gas into an imaginary vehicle.
According to the arrest report, Metro Police arrived at a gas station at First and Jefferson streets in Louisville and immediately smelled marijuana coming from Joshua L. Moore, who station clerks contend was filling up an imaginary vehicle."
http://www.wlky.com/news/15944810/detail.html
Richard Thompson Tour Update
Guitarist Richard Thompson, who as noted here had to cancel some East Coast gigs (including one here in New Hampshire) after being bitten by a scorpion in Mexico, has re-scheduled the dates he had to cancel, which will now take place in October.
Itinerary here:
http://www.livedaily.com/news/14068.html
Dance To The Music?
The return of Sly Stone? He's doing two shows this weekend and has some club dates booked as well.
Lengthy interview (and a picture) here:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-ca-sly20apr20,0,6540946.story
"This Must Be Just Like Living in Paradise..."
When some friends and I visited Kailua in April of 2003, we rented a beachfront house just off of North Kalaheo Avenue near Kailua Bay. Just beyond the little road leading in to our house, the Avenue was blocked off for what was supposed to be a 3 year sewer project. It ended up taking 7 years. The cost skyrocketed from $36 million to almost $60 mill.
Now, Kailua gets ready for "Big Dig #2"...
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080422/NEWS04/804220342/1001/LOCALNEWSFRONT
Take a Walk In the Country 6
From Makaha Sons web guru Sharlene Oshiro:
" The Mākaha Sons are proud to announce that tickets for their annual "Take a Walk in the Country" concert will be on sale April 21.
This year's concert will be held on Saturday, June 7, at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Entertainment starts at 6:30pm. Doors will open at 5:30pm for VIP guests, who will enjoy a gourmet buffet catered by Chai's Island Bistro. Doors for reserved cocktail and general admission guests will open at 6:00pm.
As always, the Sons will offer the finest in Hawaiian music and dance, with featured guests Kealo Koko, Hālau Hula ‘O Hōkūlani, Hālau Hula ‘O Kawaili‘ulā, Ka Leo ‘O Laka I Kahikina O Ka Lā, Puka‘ikapuaokalani Hula Hālau, and a star-studded musical lineup of top Hawaiian entertainment.
Come and join us for the traditional Hawaiian music event of the year, right next to the historic Aloha Tower!
For more information go to www.makahasons.com or call 808.282.3303."
Tuesday Music Digest
A T & T will webcast the Coachella Valley Fest
http://www.appscout.com/2008/04/att_to_webcast_coachella_valle.php
Profile of the Blind Boys of Alabama, who will be here in NH this summer
http://www.christianitytoday.com/dispatch.html?code=headline&url=/music/interviews/2008/blindboysofalabama-0408.html
Blunder shuts down bit torrent tracker
http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-blunder-shuts-down-bittorrent-tracker-080422/
Videos to eat cereal to
http://www.athensexchange.com/blog/270
The origin of Radio Australia's theme song
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23582308-3102,00.html
The Replacements are getting back together
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/04/replacements_worlds_last_broke.htmlThe
Great $50 JazzFest Debate
http://blog.nola.com/festivals/2008/04/the_great_50_jazzfest_debate_b.html
Today in Music History
1985 - PRINCE released the album Around The World In a Day.
1981 - ERIC CLAPTON was hospitalized after he suffered bruised ribs and a lacerated chin in a car accident in Seattle, WA.
1976 - JOHNNIE TAYLOR's Disco Lady became the first single to be certified for sales of over two million copies.
1978 - BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS headlined the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica.
1978 - JOHN BELUSHI and DAN AYKROYD made their first appearance as The Blues Brothers on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
1974 - TINA TURNER began filming her scenes as the Acid Queen in KEN RUSSELL's film version of THE WHO's Tommy.
1969 - JOHN LENNON officially changed his middle name from WINSTON to ONO.
1969 - THE WHO gave their first complete live performance of the rock opera Tommy at a show in Dolton, England
1969 - JOHN LENNON and PAUL McCARTNEY were the only two BEATLES on the recording of The Ballad Of John & Yoko.
1956 - ELVIS PRESLEY made his Las Vegas debut at the Frontier Hotel
Return of Hippiefest
One of the more interesting musical tours of 2007 was "Hippiefest", which assembled a motley crew of 1960s musicians. I saw the show here in NH at Meadowbrook and it was great.
This year's edition touches down here on Saturday August 1, and includes Eric Burdon and the New Animals, Jack Bruce, Flo and Eddie and The Turtles, and Joey Molland doing Badfinger stuff.
http://meadowbrook.net/n/?c=16105593_1
Monday, April 21, 2008
Great Unknown Beach Boys #4
Stage right: former Beach Boy Billy Hinsche.
Born in Manilia in the Philippines, Billy was a member of the mid 1960s "Power Trio" known as "Dino, Desi and Billy". "Dino" was Dean Martin Junior and Desi was Lucy and Ricky's kid (but not to be confused with "Little Ricky" in the teevee series).
Billy later joined the BBs as a guitarist, and is fond of Rickenbacker guitars. Here's his stable:
http://www.rickbeat.com/gallery/billyhinsche/billyhinsche.htm
Dino Junior later met a horrible end as a military jet pilot, in a crash into the mountains outside of LA.
Hinsche's wiki entry is almost nonexistent, so here's a nice interview he did:
http://www.classicbands.com/BillyHinscheInterview.html
And finally here's the slim wiki entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Hinsche
The Good Doctor is In
In honor of the upcoming JazzFest in New Orleans, here are a few youtube samplers of Mack Rebennack at work. Some of these are solo, and some are Doc with some of his friends.
Reunion of Two Music Originals
27 years after their classic collaboration on "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts", David and Brian (Byrne and Eno) are back together in the studio.
New Drum Pad
Popular Mechanics reviews a new digital drum pad:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/technology_news/4260178.html
Top 10 Paradise Spots
"Online magazine AskMen.com has compiled a list of the top ten 'paradise' locations around the world that seem to have remained untouched by civilisation.
The South Atlantic island group of Tristan da Cunha took top spot in the list owing to its remote location and the fact that several of its isles are uninhabited.
England's very own Cotswolds was in second place, with the region's landscapes, lakes and winding roads credited for creating a sense of isolation and quietude, Reuters reports.The AskMen.com top five was completed by Patagonia in southern Chile – a region that boasts forests, islands, fjords and glaciers – Kauai in Hawaii and Kiribati in Micronesia."
http://news.opodo.co.uk/articles/2008-04-21/18560147-Magazine-rounds.php
Hawaiian Botanical History to Be Rewritten?
Auwe!
"Smithsonian Institution scientists say one of Hawaii's most dominant plants, Metrosideros, has existed on the islands much longer than previously believed.
The researchers, who said their finding might rewrite Hawaii's botanical history, noted Metrosideros, commonly called "ohi'a" in the Hawaiian Islands, has puzzled researchers for years. Although previously thought to be a newcomer to the islands, the plants are well integrated into Hawaii's ecosystems."
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/04/21/hawaiis_botanical_history_is_expanded/8140/
Great Unknown Beach Boys #3
From his wiki entry
"Daryl Frank Dragon (born 27 August 1942, Los Angeles, California) is a keyboardist, known as Captain in the successful 1970s pop musical duo Captain & Tennille, with his wife, Toni Tennille.
He was also a keyboard player with The Beach Boys in the early 1970s, and got his nickname of "The Captain" from the group's lead singer Mike Love. He perpetuated this nickname and image by wearing a nautical captain's hat.
Dragon also made significant contributions with captivating keyboarding and scoring on the Beach Boy's twenty-third official album, their 1972 release Carl And The Passions - "So Tough". Dragon's orchestrations on the tracks "Make It Good" and "Cuddle Up" translated the melodic ideas that Dennis Wilson was looking for."
