Turn Down That Stupid Music!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Wednesday Music Digest

XM Satellite Radio settles with EMI:

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2008/06/09/daily31.html

Reverend Al Green sighting!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-album-reviews-kot-0611jun11,0,4866036.story

Prince cancels Irish show

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jGqBTINn69evvS8-yBjPqj2e3XQg

A piece about former Kaua'i resident Taj Mahal:

http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=17186

Clapton to appear on new Buddy Guy release...

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/eric_clapton/news/11676

And tickets are about to go on sale for "Shrek-The Musical" on Broadway.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=28818

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Ready to Fly

On a threatening Sunday, assorted tour helicopters get ready for their first runs of the day on Kaua'i...

On this date in 1938, the British royals, King George the VI and Queen Elizabeth, were welcomed to New York Harbor by a gala maritime parade. They got 2 different 21-gun salutes, one from Fort Jay on Governors Island, and the other from the Coast Guard Cutter Campbell...

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=23&id=21097

Nasty Weather

From AccuWeather's Henry Margusity:

"While wind damage will be the main threat this afternoon from eastern Pennsylvania into the Northeast, I am concerned that parts of Upstate New York, Vermont and New Hampshire have a rare outbreak of tornadoes this afternoon and evening. Why, the jet comes over that area, the EHI values are running over 2.5 and the morning soundings/VAD wind profiles are showing good shear.

I know that area is very mountainous, but that might not stop any tornadoes from forming given the dynamics moving through that area."

Warning area map:

http://tiny.cc/CspuX

Shrimp Farming

A visit to a shrimp farm on the Garden Isle. This is located just down the road from Waimea, where the poi factory is.

http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8453842

Tuesday Music Digest

Bird-watching: the Gospel Hummingbirds

http://www.columbian.com/lifehome/lifeHomeNews/2008/06/06092008_For-the-Gospel-Hummingbirds-the-music-is-the-message.cfm

Bassist Stanley Clarke says "Returning to Forever" was easy:

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ae/articles/0608returntoforever0608.html

Beware of listening to LOUD music...

http://news.smh.com.au/national/loud-music-risk-mostly-unheard-survey-20080610-2o2s.html

Carole, Joni and Carly hit the big screen-

http://www.cinematical.com/2008/06/09/carole-joni-and-carly-head-to-the-big-screen/

Tull himself!

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/06/09/195431.php

The solid state of circuit bending...

http://www.utne.com/2008-06-09/Arts/The-Solid-State-of-Circuit-Bending.aspx

The mariachi program in Azusa will keep on going:

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_9531726

Retailers give vinyl records a spin:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i58jh4GT6KkfUW7WkpCYa8yDKJRwD916S19O0

And worries about getting busted at music fests down under:

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/38137/Summer_festival_busts_alert

Climate Change

"Aspen Mountain will be open to skiers and snowboarders this weekend, according to Jeff Hanle, spokesman for the Aspen Skiing Co.

“Yes, we are going skiing,” Hanle said, though he could not confirm the details.

The Skico previously indicated it would consider opening the mountain this weekend, which coincides with the Aspen Food & Wine Magazine Classic.

It's unusual but not unprecedented to have skiing on Ajax mountain this late in the season, after Independence Pass already has opened for the summer.

But highway crews only last week re-opened the 12,093-foot pass after a particularly snowy winter."

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20080609/NEWS/682753019/-1/rss02

Monday, June 9, 2008

Inland Waters Sea Cruise

"Oooh-whee, Baby!"

I managed to get this great shot of "The Mount" as she coasted into the dock this morning in Centre Harbor. This is also where she spends the winter months.

New Hampshire Cracking Down on Negligent Hikers

(Applause)

"CONCORD, N.H.—Getting lost in the woods in New Hampshire soon could mean losing driver's, fishing and hunting licenses under a new law aimed at making negligent hikers pay to be rescued."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2008/06/09/nh_law_gets_tougher_on_negligent_hikers/

Dr. John Gets Mad

A look at the new Dr John album, which he wrote with the legendary NO singer and writer Bobby Charles, who wrote a little tune for Fats Domino called "Walking to New Orleans". The new album is called “City That Care Forgot” and is a sometimes-bitter look at the Big Easy 3 years after Katrina.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/arts/music/07john.html?em&ex=1213156800&en=93e22013bf66eeff&ei=5087%0A#

"Stay Awake" Goes West

A great yet widely ignored album from 20 years ago was Hal Willner's "Stay Awake" project, which utilized assorted rock, jazz and pop singers to perform assorted songs from memorable Walt Disney films. The album included such highlights as Los Lobos doing "The Monkey Song" from "The Jungle Book", Ringo Starr and Herb Alpert teaming up on "When You Wish Upon a Star", "Baby Mine" from "Dumbo" as interpreted by Bonnie Raitt, and Bonnie's friends NRBQ doing "Whistle While You Work". Sun Ra, Tom Waits, and Syd Straw among others also lent their talents.

Hal recently staged a "reunion show" in New York City, and this fall will take the show to UCLA:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117986832.html?categoryId=16&cs=1

Surfing Clean-Up Day

Set for June 21:

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?f8fb1c8d-ae4c-4c19-99fc-be0ba7d381f6

Blast From the Past

"Early on the morning of June 30, 1908, a massive explosion shook central Siberia. Witnesses told of a fireball that streaked in from the southeast and then detonated in the sky above the desolate, forested region. At the nearest trading post, about 70 kilometers away from the blast, people were reportedly knocked from their feet. Seismic instruments in the area registered ground motions equivalent to those of a magnitude-5 earthquake."

more on Tunguska a hundred years later here:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/32892/title/Tunguska,_a_century_later

Happy 93rd, Lester!

Never got to see Les perform live, the closest I came was to see his partner in crime Chet Atkins a few years before his death.

"Les Paul is a musician and inventor credited with inventing the solid-body electric guitar in 1941. A harmonica and guitar player from an early age, in his late teens he moved to Chicago, where he became a minor star on the country music circuit. By the late 1930s he was in New York as a regular player on Fred Waring's radio show. During World War II he served with the Armed Forces Radio Services, where he played behind stars including Bing Crosby.

After the war he returned to New York for a time, then headed to Los Angeles where he ended up working again with Crosby. Paul was tinkering with electronics by then, and in the early 1940s he electronically amplified guitar strings and modified a tape recorder to create "sound on sound" -- what is now called overdubbing.

He married singer Mary Ford (b. Colleen Summer, 1928-1977) and together they had hit records during the 1950s, including "Mockin' Bird Hill" and "Vaya Con Dios." They also hosted a successful TV show, The Les Paul and Mary Ford at Home Show (1953-60). In the early 1960s Paul retired from performing (he and Mary divorced in 1961) but kept puttering around with electronics and in 1973 was awarded his third patent for an improved electrical pick-up. He returned to performing in the late '70s, and he and Chet Atkins released a Grammy-winning record, Chester & Lester (1978).

In 2006, at the age of 90, Paul won Grammys for the pop instrumental "Caravan" and the rock instrumental "69 Freedom Special," both from the album Les Paul & Friends: American Made World Played.

In 2001 Les Paul was given a Grammy for technical achievements... He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988... The first "electric guitar" Paul made was a 4" x 4" chunk of pine with strings and a microphone pick-up attached; he called it "The Log."

Chester and Lester at work:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ByGsHTlKmWk&feature=related

Climate Change

"Heavy Snow Warning in effect from 6 PM this evening to 8 am PDT Tuesday for the Olympics above 3500 feet...

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Heavy Snow Warning for the Olympics above 3500 feet from 6 PM this evening until 8 am Tuesday. This warning replaces the Snow Advisory that was issued earlier.

A strong... late season storm system will dump 4 to 9 inches of wet snow on the Olympics tonight..."

http://www.wunderground.com/US/WA/513.html

Got Poi? No Got!

There's usually a poi shortage this time of year in Hawaii, as it is in great demand for graduation season, weddings, etc. Taro is only grown in a few spots, and there are only a handful of "poi factories" left, two of them on Kaua'i. When we were out there in April and May of 2003, the Times Supermarket in my old hometown of Kailua on Oahu sold out of its weekly shipment in hours; it was slightly easier to find on the Garden Isle as we were 5 miles from the Waimea factory.

"Taro farmers in East Maui say their summer crop is being ruined by a lack of water and the failure of a state commission to maintain stream flows to their patches."

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/09/news/story01.html

Music Gets Tubular in Honolulu

A recital with organ and tuba?

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/09/features/dakine.html

June 9th Music Digest

Yet another music festival-in Nigeria

http://allafrica.com/stories/200806090216.html

Inside the music industry piracy battle:

http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSN0840383620080608

Apple's second-generation iPhone

http://www.onlykent.com/20080609/apple-to-launch-the-second-generation-of-its-iphone-device/

Old classic songs never die, they just get re-made:

http://www.ilikemusic.com/music_news/Singin_In_The_Rain_Tops_UK_Singles_Chart-5089

Radiohead teams up with iTunes

http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/08/06/09/0420258.shtml

And a new band from California makes waves-it's the Colonial Cousins:

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/39190.html

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Hot Ukulele Solos

From Bulgaria's Melodika music blog, a discussion of the hottest uke solos out there-Jake is numbah one, of course.

http://www.melodika.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3644&Itemid=50

Kona Coffee in the Raw

Auwe! They're all over the age of 50, by the way.

"Eleven female Hawaiian farmers have posed nude demurely for a calendar to promote the pricey Kona coffee bean, project organizers say."

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/06/08/Nude_farmers_really_love_their_coffee/UPI-65521212956205/

Dangerous Flying Stories

Saturday was the annual "Flugtag" in London. That's the Austrian term for "Flying Day". Home-made flying machines are pushed down a ramp to try and get airborne, then splash down.

Pictures here:

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=166616&in_page_id=2&in_a_source=

Full story here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/health/2008/06/07/hflugtag107.xml

And "Flugtag" will also be popping across the pond this summer, with several events held across the US...

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-03-2008/0004825762&EDATE=

But the Brits are the champions of this sort of thing-some other upcoming English sporting epics:

The World Viking Longboat Races Championship, Isle of Man, July 5 http://www.iomguide.com/

The 43rd Great Knaresborough Bed Race, June 14 www.knaresborough.co.uk/bedrace

The Lawnmower Grand Prix, Glastonbury, Somerset, July 5-6
http://www.blmra.co.uk/modules/content/?id=3

Flying History

It hasn't been updated in a long while, but the State of Hawaii runs an interesting site called "Hawaii Aviation", dedicated to the history of flight in the islands.

It's full of great photos, and great stories, including the epic flights in the late 1920s and early 1930s by Australia's Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, who would later have Sydney's airport named after him. His first flight to Hawaii was the first time a plane had flown from California over the Pacific to Australia, with several stops (first one Hawaii) on the way. The first leg, from Oakland to Wheeler Field on Oahu, took 27 hours! "Smithy" would be lost at sea several years later off India...

Much more here:

http://test.hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation

Bluebirds Over the Mountain

Helping a declining bird species in Wisconsin...

"Wisconsin leads the nation in restoring the beautiful azure bird. Last year, 28,244 Eastern bluebirds were fledged from 7,861 nesting boxes scattered throughout the state. That was 34% more than the previous year and bested Nebraska's national record of more than 26,000 bluebirds fledged in 2006."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=759709

New England's "Dark Day" Mystery Solved

"At noon, it was black as night. It was May 19, 1780 and some people in New England thought judgment day was at hand. Accounts of that day, which became known as 'New England's Dark Day,' include mentions of midday meals by candlelight, night birds coming out to sing, flowers folding their petals,and strange behavior from animals.

The mystery of this day has been solved by researchers at the University of Missouri who say evidence from tree rings reveals massive wildfires as the likely cause, one of several theories proposed after the event, but dismissed as 'simple and absurd.' "

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-06/uom-moi060608.php

Mysteries on The Ohio

The latest doings by the talented duo of Judith Walcutt and hubby David Ossman, who co-hosted the 2004 internet webcast of the Kaua'i Slack Key Guitar Festival. David is better known as 1/4 of The Firesign Theatre...

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080608/SCENE05/806080310

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080608/SCENE05/806080355/1010/FEATURES

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/jun/08/staging-a-mystery-the-clues-mystery-writers-fest/

"Big Pink" Will Be Less Pink

As seen from my vantage point offshore in 2003, Waikiki's Royal Hawaiian Hotel occupies a prime spot on the beach. As noted here last week, the hotel is closed for its first major renovations since the 1940s. The outside will remain the same, but...

"Gone will be the pink tablecloths, pink napkins, pink towels, pink bed sheets and even the trademark pink-and-white umbrellas at the Mai Tai Bar will become history."

Auwe! More here:

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080607/BREAKING01/80607050/-1/LOCALNEWSFRONT

And here's another story about Big Pink's final day before the shut-down. Be sure to also scroll down to the following story, which chronicles a visit by 2/3 of The Makaha Sons to visit legendary K-POI disc jockey Ron Jacobs!

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/08/news/heckathorn.html

"Japanese Gentlemen, Stand Up Please!"

One of the more interesting musical groups from the late 1970s was Japan's Yellow Magic Orchestra, fondly known as YMO. They were known as "Japan's Kraftwerk", and co-founder Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote the soundtrack for the 1983 movie "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", which he also appeared in as David Bowie's co-star. He also won an Academy Award for his soundtrack (co-written with Talking Heads' David Byrne and Chinese composer Cong Su) for "The Last Emperor" in 1987.

One of YMO's wilder musical outings was a hilarious re-make of the 1966 classic by Archie Bell and the Drells, "Tighten Up", which was also covered by the James Brown Horns. A repeating lyric in YMO's cover was: "Japanese gentlemen, stand up please!"

YMO will reunite for a rare show in England next week:

http://www.ticketnews.com/Yellow-Magic-Orchestra-returns-to-tour688976

Sunday Music Digest

Another look back at Bo Diddley's legacy:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/06/08/hey_bo_diddley

One man, one small Texas town, and old-time music...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5823914.html

Led Zeppelin and the Foo Fighters play Wembley

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iUpCcgrnbr4L6zF-cEltqNjwl91A

The O'Jays!

http://www.javno.com/en/bestseller/clanak.php?id=154620

Blues singer Nora Jean Bruso wowed us at Lowell last year. Here's a review of one of her recent shows. "It wasn't just great blues: Bruso could sing the Mister Rogers theme song and raise the hairs on your arms."

http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/Blues-Boogaloo-060808

Review of a new anthology by Return to Forever:

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/06/08/112456.php

And yet another music fest, this one in Oakland

http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_9515807

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Saturday Night Videos

Sorry to be so lazy on today's posts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axmUsmLwPko

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJaXOBYOXGE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn8tixOYiZ0

Grin and Bear It

From Ouray, Colorado...

"Last night's two hotel guests relaxing in a hot tub in Ouray looked up to find there was another guest in the tub- a bear.

The hotel says the bear was just inches away from one guest.

Both the guest and the bear got the scare of their lives, the guest screamed and the bear ran and dove into the swimming pool. The Bear made his escape after swimming across the pool"

http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/19608814.html

Remembering Stan Getz

Friday marked the 17th anniversary of the death of jazz legend Stan Getz; here's a youtube tribute:

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?storyID=14156

UPDATE: oops, apparently the last 2 videos on the page don't work. Sorry about that.

"Spanning the Globe..."

Legendary ABC sportscaster Jim McKay has left the building at age 86. Jim was best known for his line “the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat” at the opening of the anthology show he hosted for many years, "Wide World of Sports". Jim came from a good background, as his Dad was a real estate appraiser!

from his obituary:

"Mr. McKay was thrust into the role of news anchor early on Sept. 5, 1972, when Israeli athletes were taken hostage at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. About to take a swim in the Sheraton’s pool when the call came, Mr. McKay “threw on clothes over his swim trunks and took his seat in the studio, where he would remain for most of the next sixteen hours,” the 1994 book “The House That Roone Book” recalled.

Mr. McKay memorably reported the news that eleven Israeli hostages had been killed. “They’re all gone,” he said."

NY Times obit here:

http://tvdecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/jim-mckay-longtime-abc-sportscaster-is-dead/?hp

"Bugging" An Invasive Species

Using an insect from Brasil to control the srawberry guava!

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/07/news/story11.html

6/7/8 Music Digest

The Martini Kings:

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/events/martini-kings-535270/

More on MS's efforts to improve Windoze Mobile Music

http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208402613

A look at Canada's Music Museum

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g4NkJOh-OQx-OlvmF1A_AzdUJ1QQ

The CMA Country Music Festival takes to the airwaves Monday night:

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2008/06/02/daily63.html

The classic musical "My Fair Lady" gets a remake:

http://mathaba.net/news/?x=594569

And a look at the Delbarton Opry House in Kentucky...

http://www.medicalleader.org/pmc_news.html?id=2748

Friday, June 6, 2008

Global Warming

For you weather dweebs, watch the temperature gauge I have stage right over the next 48 hours. It will have a temperature swing rarely seen in these parts, similar to what happens in MONGOLIA!

Sacred Ground Image #27

Kaua'i Royal Hei'au, upstream from Wailua

Busted!

An unsolicited testimonial...

http://nh-blogs.blogspot.com/2008/05/turn-down-that-stupid-music.html

"Craig of "Turn Down That Stupid Music!" is a New Hampshirite whose heart remains on Oahu. He lives and blogs from Meredith.

The subtitle warns you that "you'll find news about obscure music from Hawaii to Mongolia," along with other stories.

If you are into the eclectic, are musically dangerous, or simply enjoy reading about New Hampshire, this blog is for you! I'll be visiting again."

Undiscovered Beach of the Week

Most people who visit Kaua'i don't bother to wander off the beaten path when they're down on WEST side of the South Shore on the way to Waimea Canyon. If they did, they would find Salt Pond Beach State Park, which is next to the Port Allen Airport.

Here's what it looked like on a crappy day in May of 2003. We bought some food in nearby Waimea and drove down to the beach, and had the entire stretch of sand to ourselves, except for the stray helicopter or two taking off from the nearby aerodrome...

Red Green

Yet another attack gecko sighting...

Ono Grinds

Auwe! Buy Hawaiian food goodies online. They even have a version of my all time fave, Gau Jee, AKA pork hash dumplings.

http://shop.hawaiianfoodonline.com/main.sc

UAL Adds Hawaii Flights

"Beginning June 15, United will add three daily flights into Honolulu, four into Maui, two to Kauai and one to Kona on the Big Island"

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/06/02/daily50.html

A Species Is Now Extinct

Another branch of the monk seal family is gone. At least a couple of pups were born on Oahu this spring.

"After five years of futile efforts to find or confirm sightings of any Caribbean monk seals — even just one — the U.S. government on Friday announced that the species is officially extinct and the only seal to vanish due to human causes."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25007277/

It's Chap-Day

Happy 98th birthday to Connecticut guitarist and recording engineer Jim Chapdelaine, who regularly plays with former NRBQ guitar-man Big Al Anderson. His other semi-regular gig is with the reconstituted Pousette-Dart Band. He's also won 4 Emmy Awards for his soundtrack work for PBS.

Chap is a regular breath of fresh air on the NRBQ e-mail list as well. He checked in this morning with his usual wit to thank everyone for the b-day greetings:

"Please tell me i don't have to share it with Steve Vai!"

Here's a 2004 profile of Jim and his studio in West Hartford:

http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_jim_chapdelaine/

And here is Chap's MySpace page:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=29778634

Asleep in the Cockpit Update

"The National Transportation Safety Board will review the issue of employee fatigue in airline operations, based on four incidents, including go! Airlines Flight 1002, which overshot Hilo Airport in February."

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/06/news/story08.html

Whistle While You Work (Not)

"A superstitious coastal town has imposed a month-long ban on whistling in an attempt to ensure good weather for its annual boating festival.

Portsoy, in Banffshire, has revived an ancient maritime belief that whistling at sea brings ill winds."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7439771.stm

6/6 Music Digest

Yes cancels their 40th Anniversary tour

http://www.livedaily.com/news/14332.html

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! (La Ball, that is)

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpress/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-3/121267171184820.xml&coll=6

Virgin Media cracking down on downloads:

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/15212/16236/Virgin-Media-10-week-download-bust.phtml

Bob Dylan sighting-

http://www.uncut.co.uk/news/bob_dylan/news/11649

The Police announce where their final concert of this reunion tour will be:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/google/20080606005134/en

And info on the upcoming bio-pic of Motown singing legend Marvin Gaye...

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/movies/news/article_1409666.php/F._Gary_Gray_directing_Marvin_Gaye_biopic

Thursday, June 5, 2008

We Travel the Spaceways

Spitzer's Milky Way
Credit: GLIMPSE, MIPSGAL, NASA, JPL-Caltech, Univ. Wisconsin

Explanation: The Spitzer Space Telescope's encompasing infrared view of the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy is hard to appreciate in just one picture. In fact, more than 800,000 frames of data from Spitzer's cameras have now been pieced together in an enormous mosaic of the galactic plane - the most detailed infrared picture of our galaxy ever made. The small portion seen here spans nearly 8 degrees, roughly the apparent width of your fist held at arms length, across the galaxy's center.

The full mosaic is 120 degrees wide. Highlighted in the false-color presentation are curving green filaments of light from complex molecules - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - that on Earth are the common, sooty products of incomplete combustion. The PAHs are found in star forming regions, along with reddish emission from graphite dust particles. Blue specks throughout the picture are individual Milky Way stars.

Hawaiian Music Digest

Haven't had one of these in a while, not much happening. Auwe!

The Brothers Cazimero's new album, "Destiny" is #3 on Billboard's World Music charts:

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=339&cfgn=Albums&cfn=Top+World+Albums&ci=3096736&cdi=9799870&cid=06%2F14%2F2008

from Auntie Maria in Hanalei:

Tonight, tune in to the weekly "Pakele Live" concert (12 Midnight EDT):

http://www.alohavideo.tv/index_live.htm

Tonight's featured performer is slack key legend and son of Pops, Cyril Pahinui

And Hawaii's version of the Grammys, the annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards show, will be held on Tuesday, June 17 in Honolulu. The festivities will be streamed online at:

http://www.k5thehometeam.com/

Start time for this one is 1:30 AM EDT. Start brewing that coffee.

Van the Man's US Mini-Tour

Just a few early July dates here in the Northeast US...

http://www.livedaily.com/news/14332.html

Broadway in Meredith

Here in Meredith, we'll have 5 Broadway shows this summer, including musical offerings dedicated to Patsy Cline and Buddy Holly. Also musical classics "Carousel" and "Anything Goes", as well as "Lend Me a Tenor".

www.interlakestheatre.com

Hi-Tech to "Farm" Tuna

"Honolulu-based Hawaii Oceanic Technology has developed what it calls a “revolution in open ocean aquaculture technology”: A 200-foot-wide spherical enclosure — dubbed the “Aquasphere” — that can be used to farm fish in deep waters, offshore."

http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/05/hawaii-oceanic-technology-pushes-concept-of-sustainable-aquaculture/

Straight Flush

The cranky toilet on the International Space Station is fixed.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/technology/16495495/detail.html

Free Bikes on Governors Island

I guess there would be no way to steal them, eh?

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=82351

6/5 Music Digest

Van Morrison to headline Stockholm Jazz Festival

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h3HeSWoUnS6J052rJRq-nZVZl_5wD9137H5G0

Uncle Chickie interview

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=a194ca70-6e1a-4ab5-bf23-88dc675ec3e2

A visit with bluegrass legend Tim O'Brien

http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_00879.shtml

George Thorogood pays tribute to Bo Diddley

http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/entertainment/article/64256

MS intros a new limited edition Zune player

http://corporatemedianews.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=412832

And VH1 will televise the concert honoring Nelson Mandela later this month

http://urbanmecca.net/news/?p=2710

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

HAL Adding Planes

"Hawaiian Airlines said Wednesday it will add four Boeing 717-200s to its interisland fleet to meet growing demand.

Two planes will begin service in September while the other two will be in operation by the end of the year."

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/06/02/daily28.html

Guitar Fest

"This is one story you've just got to hear.

46 years after it was stolen, country music legend George Jones is getting his long-lost guitar back."

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8432280

What Would Al Hirt Say?

New Orleans Java factory will be purchased by jam-maker Smuckers:

"The huge Folgers coffee plant in New Orleans, damaged by flooding during Hurricane Katrina but now back at full operation with about 440 employees, is getting a new owner.

Jams and jellies maker J.M. Smucker Co. agreed Wednesday to a $2.95 billion deal with Procter & Gamble Co. to take over the Folgers brand. In addition to the New Orleans plant, Folgers also has roasting facilities in Kansas City, Mo. and Sherman, Texas.

Folgers is a major customer of the Port of New Orleans. Roasters, including Folgers, import an average 250,000 to 300,000 tons of coffee beans annually through the port."

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/wwl060408tpfolgers.5f1e5601.html

Pacific Migration

"Distinguished Professor Kerry Howe has won two literary awards in Hawaii for Vaka Moana: Voyages of the Ancestors"

http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-us/news/article.cfm?mnarticle=historian-wins-hawaiian-award-for-pacific-migration-book-05-06-2008

It Came From Outer Space

How much is a meteorite worth?

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080604/NEWS06/80604103/1008/NEWS

RIP Poster Artist Alton Kelley

"Alton Kelley, whose psychedelic concert posters for artists like the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, and Big Brother and the Holding Company helped define the visual style of the 1960s counterculture, died on Sunday at his home in Petaluma, Calif. He was 67."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/arts/design/04kelley.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Some examples of Kelley's work can be found here:

http://www.rockument.com/kelley.html

Fake Beatles

The great public radio station in the NYC metro area, WFMU, has an amazing musical blog that never fails to disappoint. They started a new series dedicated to "fake" Beatles songs in January, and it just keeps getting better and better. Lots of obscure mp3s here, including a rare early cut by The Rutles.

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/fake_beatles/index.html

New SPAM Cookbook

Musubi with Spam gingerbread men?

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/04/features/story01.html

And in other cooking news, the Maui chili cook-off took place recently:

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/04/features/story02.html

Hope They Didn't Hit the Snack Shack

I recently mentioned the great plate lunches served up by the "Snack Shack" attached to Sueoka's Store, which is in Old Koloa Town on Kaua'i. This is a funky little supermarket that carries everything from their own made-daily poke (that's a raw fish and seaweed salad) to Aji-Nomoto.

"KOLOA, Kauai -A pickup truck crashed into a local supermarket yesterday morning, shattering the front window and sending five to the hospital, including the driver.

According to witnesses, the truck, traveling south on Maluhia Road, went through a stop sign at about 7:20 a.m. and continued straight into the window of Sueoka Store."

More details:

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/04/news/story10.html

Wednesday Music Digest

Radiohead sells their music to iTunes

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/06/03/itunes-radiohead.html

A man of many instruments:

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/04/liam.finn/

Borders launches "bill me later" for music, books, etc.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/google/20080604005835/en

Chip maker AMD offering new digital entertainment solutions!

http://www.ehomeupgrade.com/2008/06/04/amd-announces-amd-live-home-cinema/

Speaking of hi-tech...

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Storage&articleId=9092918&taxonomyId=19

Here's a fun-looking music fest in Tennessee-the 1890s days fiddle contest in Ringgold

http://wdef.com/news/ringgold_s_1890s_days_jamboree_fiddle_contest_grows_in_tradition/06/2008

And the mother of Massachusetts summer music sheds, the Tweeter Center (originally Great Woods) has changed names yet again...

http://www.wickedlocal.com/mansfield/fun/entertainment/arts/x61385044/Tweeter-Center-now-Comcast-Center

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

"Woo-Hoo!"

"The Fox network announced Tuesday that it has ordered a 20th season of "The Simpsons," which will tie the cartoon with "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running series in the history of prime-time television.

"The Simpsons" is the longest-running prime-time animated series in history and the longest-running comedy series currently on television, with more than 400 episodes in the can. Matt Groening's groundbreaking series has won a Peabody Award and 23 Emmy Awards."

More here:

http://www.nysun.com/arts/simpsons-to-return-for-20th-season/79203/

(Shown above: Simpsons producer Mike Scully's favorite rock band, NRBQ, as they appeared in a memorable episode where Marge got kidnapped by a motorcycle gang led by John Goodman).

Got Taro?

Speaking of poi, I encountered this healthy patch of taro (which is not only what poi is made of but is also the name of a certain type of slack-key guitar tuning) near the base of Sleeping Giant Mountain.

Got Poi?

An acclaimed band that began playing for tips in Waikiki but is now based in Chicago, Poi Dog Pondering has just released their long-awaited album, "7". Here's a review from Austin:

http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2008/06/0605poidog.html

And here's their official website:

http://www.poidogpondering.com/

Local Geographer Honored

I took several courses with Wes in the 1970s, including "White Mountain Geography". Way to go, Maynard!

"Maynard Weston Dow, longtime professor of geography at Plymouth State University, was recently honored by the Association of American Geographers (AAG) for his internationally recognized 40-year effort to visually record and archive a landmark oral history of American geography."

rest of story:

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/GJCOMMUNITY02/480032682

"Pacific Ocean Blue" Resurfaces

"Eternal Beach Boy Dennis Wilson's much sought-after 1977 solo album - which Mojo Magazine has heralded as a "buried treasure" -- will return to circulation on the occasion of its 30th anniversary, and the 25th anniversary of Wilson's untimely death in 1983, at age 39.

The double-CD Pacific Ocean Blue: Legacy Edition will arrive in stores June 17th on Caribou/Epic/Legacy, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. A vinyl edition of the LP will also be released at the same time, on the Sundazed label."

Mucho more info here:

http://www.pluginmusic.com/news/archive.php?id=3116

Let It Grow

Local farmers are optimistic about the veggie growing season here in Central New Hampshire:

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/GJNEWS02/465481202/-1/CITNEWS

Free Tourist Attractions

A tongue-in-cheek look at the recent rating of the Top 10 free tourist attractions in the US from a Honolulu writer:

"If you are talking about great, free attractions, I doubt you could do better nationally than watching a Big Island volcano spew lava, wipe out housing developments and pour into the sea."

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/03/features/memminger.html

Rolling Stones' 100 Greatest Guitar Songs

Plenty of discussion fodder here!

http://stereogum.com/archives/rolling-stones-100-greatest-guitar-songs-of-all-ti_010114.html

What, no Bo Diddley?

The Top 10:

10 Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

9 The Allman Brothers Band - "Statesboro Blues"

8 Led Zeppelin - "Stairway to Heaven"

7 The Beatles - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"

6 Van Halen - "Eruption"

5 Rolling Stones - "Brown Sugar"

4 The Kinks - "You Really Got Me"

3 Cream - "Crossroads"

2 Jimi Hendrix - "Purple Haze"

1 Chuck Berry - "Johnny B. Goode"

Tuesday Music Digest

Return of a former Grateful Dead singer, Donna Godcheaux:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/02/DDVU1100MG.DTL

RIP to former Jordanaires singer Hugh Jarrett

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/TUNEIN/80602097/1005/ENTERTAINMENT

Jazz alert-Allan Holdsworth reviewed

http://www.jazz.com/music/2008/6/2/allan-holdsworth-velvet-darkness

Single-song widgets, for those who hate playlists:

http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-9957715-2.html

Barenaked Ladies sighted-

http://www.livedaily.com/blog/2092.html

The guy who gave The Band their start, Ronnie Hawkins, has a new retrospective on CC Music:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-backtracking3-2008jun03,0,5982405.story

Jewel releases her first country album-

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2008/06/02/5750706-ap.html

And using a Wii as a media player...

http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_posts.php?thread_id=115730&start=30

Monday, June 2, 2008

Bass Player Morphs Into Pro Photographer

2001 interview and portfolio by photographer Richard Laird, who in a previous life played with a little band named Mahavishnu Orchestra:

http://www.ephotozine.com/photo/pro-portfolio/Richard-Laird

Full Steam Ahead

Review of a new book by two train buffs, recounting 33 great train rides they have taken:

http://www.marinij.com/lifestyles/ci_9443279

And one of the trains they rode, New Hampshire's own Mt. Washington Cog Railway, is celebrating its 139th anniversary with a photo contest:

http://www.thecog.com/e-fun/

And The Cog now has its first diesel locomotive:

http://www.thecog.com/cog_technology.php

Laid-Off Airline Workers Get Help

Hawaii will receive more than $5.2 million from the federal government to help workers who were laid off when Aloha and ATA airlines shut down in April.

http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=7210

Bottled Deep-Sea Water

"On Oahu, two companies have set up shop to draw water from 2000 feet deep and several miles offshore."

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080602/LIFE/806020309/1052/OPINION01

RIP Bo Diddley

"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A spokeswoman says rock pioneer Bo Diddley has died. He was 79.

The spokeswoman says Diddley died of heart failure Monday. He had suffered a heart attack in August 2007, three months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iBZ-NbmeMiN8RESlwc0CQDP5ntcAD9121NUO0

"Technical Difficulties"

Google Blogger, which hosts this page, has been having some tech issues over the past 24 hours-my web page counter had disappeared, but is back now, and some posts were accidentally posted twice. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Music Review: Return of "Return to Forever"

"At its best, it was like Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz: Four musicians playing four separate songs that fit together like pieces of a puzzle."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/ent/stories/DN-forever_0602gl.ART.State.Edition2.4612b4e.html

More on the New York City Waterfalls

The NY Times has more on the NY City Waterfalls:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/arts/design/02wate.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

Music Review: "Playing the Building"

A review of David Byrne's musical project at the Battery Maritime Building, home of the Governors Island Ferry:

http://nymag.com/arts/classicaldance/classical/reviews/47381/

Monday Musical Digest

Mozart tops sales of classical CDs:

http://www.thisisthesentinel.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=243890&command=displayContent&sourceNode=243888&contentPK=20769419&folderPk=112383&pNodeId=253911&returnNodeId=253911Costly
iPod speaker system a dud

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/home/chi-avguy_tannoy_0601jun01,0,4391219.story

DVD market under pressure from downloads

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2065195/DVD-market-under-pressure-from-downloads.html

A Cabo Verde singer returns to Cuba

http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2008/06/02/11506/cabo_verde_singer_mayra_andrade_returns_to_cuba.html
Neil Young has a new project-developing an electric car?

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/02/ap5069058.html

Mick Jagger's ex Jerry Hall decides to tell all:

http://www.pr-inside.com/hall-defends-decision-to-publish-memoirs-r619639.htm

And a Carly Simon sighting-she's doing jazz these days.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=19016

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Kick Off 2008 Tour

"some of the best damn rock 'n' roll Grand Rapids has ever seen."

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/05/petty_heartbreakers_hitting_th.html

Ringo and Paul Updates

Ringo has added more dates to his 10th All-Starr Band outing:

http://www.ticketnews.com/Ringo-Starr-tickets-more-dates-added05822076

And Paul played his old hometown of Liverpool. There were rumours Ringo would play with him, but no go.

http://www.showbizspy.com/06012008/paul-mccartney-plays-liverpool-concert-to-36000-fans

Music "Down Under"

Not in Australia-an Argentine rocker celebrated the beginning of Argentina's whale-watching season by being lowered 21 feet under the waves to play music...

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C06%5C02%5Cstory_2-6-2008_pg9_6

News From Mt. Everest

"Mountaineering officials say a 76-year-old Nepalese man has scaled Mount Everest to become the oldest person to climb the world's highest mountain."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gzZVAmSsITLSJCnxkUlG0gQBhFZQD90SHEM00

First-ever mother-daughter team also reached the summit:

http://news.in.msn.com/international/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1415985

As did the first Saudi climber-

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=110505&d=2&m=6&y=2008&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

And as the Everest climbing season ended Saturday, a grand total of 257 had summited from the Nepal side alone! One of them was a Sherpa who broke his own record by summiting for the 18th time.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/01/content_8293543.htm

Solar Flare

A Twisted Solar Eruptive Prominence
Credit: SOHO Consortium, EIT, ESA, NASA

Explanation: Ten Earths could easily fit in the "claw" of this seemingly solar monster. The monster, though, visible on the lower left, is a huge eruptive prominence seen moving out from our Sun.

The above dramatic image was taken early in the year 2000 by the Sun-orbiting SOHO satellite. This large prominence, though, is significant not only for its size, but its shape. The twisted figure eight shape indicates that a complex magnetic field threads through the emerging solar particles.

Differential rotation inside the Sun might help account for the surface explosion. Although large prominences and energetic Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are relatively rare, they are occurred more frequently near Solar Maximum, the time of peak sunspot and solar activity in the eleven-year solar cycle.

"New" Randall Hall Update

And the steel framework continues to rise...

Strawberry Time (Almost)

In 2007 I tried sticking a strawberry plant in a container to see what would happen over the winter. So far, so good! Since I took this picture I have put floating row cover over it, so the berries won't end up as bird food...

Thermal Power From the Ocean?

It won't work everywhere, but some places have a better chance than others...

http://www.knowledgeproblem.com/archives/002509.html

Tough Beach-Walking

"Walking along Hawaii's beaches, particularly in Kahala, is getting tougher.

Twelve Kahala property owners received letters from the state last month because plant growth fronting the ocean is forcing people to wade into the water while walking from one end of the beach to the other."

http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/01/news/story02.html

Window on New Orleans

Salvaging antique windows from the side of the road...

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/pardonourdust/2008/05/dispatch-from-2.html

Fire On the Mountain

"RUMNEY – A 26-day old peregrine falcon chick and its parents, nesting on Main Cliff in sight of a forest fire that has burned 54 acres on Rattlesnake Mountain, are fine, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

On Saturday, more than 60 firefighters, along with two helicopters, a bulldozer and three fire engines, battled the blaze that began Wednesday afternoon in the White Mountain National Forest.

The good news is that the blaze has not encroached on the falcons' scrape (nest), according to Clare Long, public information officer with the forest service. Some smoke blew over it, she said, but it was not heavy smoke."

More-including a picture of baby falcon:

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Peregrine+chick%2C+parents+appear+safe%2C+unharmed+on+Rattlesnake+Mountain&articleId=fc741bf4-9799-4a0c-9f86-63a7e8237e9d

"Old Man" Tourism Declines

Since New Hampshire's State symbol fell off of its perch 5 years ago, business is down:

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h7oQD8GZy3NXs5_AD7p6zD0zbHlg

New Hampshire & Vermont Little Leaguers Headed to Cuba

"In what will be rare visit since the U.S. embargo nearly 50 years ago, a youth team from the Upper Valley will play baseball in Cuba this summer.

The 11- and 12-year-olds from the Connecticut Valley South Little League are planning a series of games in August with their Cuban counterparts, said Ted Levin, a coach who spearheaded the effort to take the players to the Caribbean island.

After several failed attempts, Levin finally received a travel license for the team from the U.S. Treasury Department. Because of the U.S. embargo of the communist island, most U.S. citizens are prohibited from traveling to Cuba."

http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080531/NEWS04/805310347/1004/NEWS03

Nenes Find Home at Kilauea Light

"Today, the lighthouse is one of the most-visited sites on the island and is home to a burgeoning population of nene, Hawaii's state bird, which is on the endangered species list."

http://www.redding.com/news/2008/jun/01/bird-finds-home-lighthouse-island-kauai/

A Month on An Island

A Boston Globe correspondent recounts his month on Kaua'i.

"If you asked people on Kauai when they were going to do something, you would probably get what the islanders call the "stink eye." They would shake their heads, feeling sorry for you because you seem so hyper-driven."

http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/hawaii/articles/2008/06/01/remember_theres_no_hurry_in_hawaii/