Just check out the bloke at the back of this photo of Coldplay (and there is lots wrong with them) taken at the Grammy's.Don't you just know that this is some record company executive who rails against us bloggers!
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
What is wrong with this picture? (#2)
Just check out the bloke at the back of this photo of Coldplay (and there is lots wrong with them) taken at the Grammy's.Don't you just know that this is some record company executive who rails against us bloggers!
Staff Benda Bilili
Je'taime (Sex Machine)
The fourth in the Congotronics seies from Crammed Discs is by Staff Benda Bilili (Look Beyond Appearances) who hail from the streets of Kinshasa and live in the grounds around Kinshasa Zoo. A group of four disabled musicians form the core of the band, backed by a younger, acoustic rhythm section and a hand made (wire, a tin, a bent stick and a radio mike) electric one string lute called the Satonge.
"I later learn that this lean, gentle-looking kid, who goes by the name of Roger Landu, invented the instrument he's playing with such dazzling virtuosity. The raw materials of the satonge consist of a milk-powder tin, a section of fish basket frame and a single electrical wire. A few days later, at our hotel, Roger makes up satonges to order and sells them to us for $20 (14) a pop... good business for a shegue, or homeless kid, who was surviving by busking for pennies in the Kinshasa central market."
Full article here.
Another good background article here.
Reviews of their excellent album 'Tres Tres Fort' here and here.
Crammed Discs have a lot of really good information on their releases and you can listen to a number of recordings.
Bonus (Audio):
'Avramandole - Sala Mosala - Staff Benda Bilili'
The fourth in the Congotronics seies from Crammed Discs is by Staff Benda Bilili (Look Beyond Appearances) who hail from the streets of Kinshasa and live in the grounds around Kinshasa Zoo. A group of four disabled musicians form the core of the band, backed by a younger, acoustic rhythm section and a hand made (wire, a tin, a bent stick and a radio mike) electric one string lute called the Satonge.
"I later learn that this lean, gentle-looking kid, who goes by the name of Roger Landu, invented the instrument he's playing with such dazzling virtuosity. The raw materials of the satonge consist of a milk-powder tin, a section of fish basket frame and a single electrical wire. A few days later, at our hotel, Roger makes up satonges to order and sells them to us for $20 (14) a pop... good business for a shegue, or homeless kid, who was surviving by busking for pennies in the Kinshasa central market."
Full article here.
Another good background article here.
Reviews of their excellent album 'Tres Tres Fort' here and here.
Crammed Discs have a lot of really good information on their releases and you can listen to a number of recordings.
Bonus (Audio):'Avramandole - Sala Mosala - Staff Benda Bilili'
Monday, 30 March 2009
Banksy's painting for the celebrity undie auction
With two bidding days left at the charity auction of star's undies in aid of asylum seekers in the UK, here are some of the results as they stand at the moment:Jah Wobble - £27.00
Tilda Swinton - £102.00
Fergie - £430.00 (that is the pop star NOT the Duchess!!!)
Johanna Lumley - £31.00
Nick Cave - £112.00
Jordan - £132.00
Steve Bell - £340.00(Yes, that is John Major's face.)
(I think if the organisers had thought this out more they could have attracted some serious money from Japan!)
Interesting that there have been NO bids on the Banksy painting as yet.
Update with one day to go:
Wobble's thong now stands @ £40.00
Wobble's thong now stands @ £40.00
Fergie's undies @ £430.00Still zero bids on Banksy!
Sunday, 29 March 2009
'Kangaroo' (SO funny!)
Check out more from Remi Gaillard here and here.
My thanx to Fucoid for pointing me in this direction.
My thanx to Fucoid for pointing me in this direction.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
In search of Sid
Sid dead!Jah Wobble put this documentary together (broadcast on January 20th 2009) on the life and times of a certain Simon/John Ritchie/Beverley, better known to us all as Sid Vicious for BBC Radio 4.
Interviewing amongst others Viv Albertine & Marco Pirroni, it tells the story of a truly mixed up kid who was destined to leave this world too early.
There were originally four Johns: Lydon (aka Rotten), Wardle (aka Wobble), Ritchie (aka Vicious) and John Grey.
John Grey was someone I knew back in those old days in London and I would love to get back in touch with again.
So if anyone knows who I am talking about and can get the message to him then please either get in touch with this blog or tell John to contact me or Richard Thomas, the old Fall manager (who knows who I am).
If you are reading this yourself John then as I say if you get in touch with Richard ALL shall be revealed or if you have a good memory then think back to the fact that I used to work in Honky Tonk in Kentish Town & against the grain we shared a love for KB's 'The Dreaming' & Trouble Funk or the night that your brother accompanied us to a Rip, Rig gig just off Tottenham Court Rd. and his behaviour didn't really mesh with my head full of acid, especially not helped when Deb (Woolf- my partner of the time, who went on to direct those vids for Wobble) seemed to take your brother's side on the tube home...or was that all just my imagination?
At one point just before I was leaving to go to Amsterdam I did ring and speak to your Mum to see if she could pass on a message if you were interested to go & see the Brotherhood of Breath at the Roundhouse but you were feeling a bit poorly at the time.
As I say if you or anyone who knows John sees this plese get in touch. it would be really nice to catch up after all this time.
Bonus:
Radio 4 Documentary 'In Search of Sid'
&
'The Making of Metal Box' from Pirate Cat radio LA/SF (features interviews with Wobble/Martin Atkins & Richard Dudanski)
Friday, 27 March 2009
Jah Wobble's Chinese Dub Orchestra - No, No, No (Live)
(Photos above by Tony Zimnoch)Duet of 'No No No' by Clea Rose and Gu Yinji.
Reviews here.I suspect that this will be in my top 3 CD's of the year come December.
Always been a Wobble fan but this is just superb.
Happy Birthday Mum
The worst thing is that I have absolutely no idea how old my Mum would have been.Going to have to get in touch with Births, Deaths & Marriages in the UK I think.
REPOST - Wilco (New Songs)
Snazzy Nudie suit Jeff!This will get you 5 new Wilco songs.
2 untitled songs from Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit last month.
'One Wing' (Live at Lollapalooza in Chicago in August) and 'Sunny Feeling' from last March.
Also included is 'Wilco - The Song' as performed on 'The Colbert Report' on the 30th of October.
Bets on Wilco and Bruce Springsteen to perform at Obama's inauguration?
Wilco perform 'Wilco - The Song' at a benefit for Obama at Madison WI on November 1.
Wilco perform 'One Wing' at Lollapalooza
UPDATE:
More details about the new album from Pitchfork here.
UPDATE:
More details about the new album from Pitchfork here.
Thursday, 26 March 2009
The Pop Group - She Is Beyond Good & Evil
Video directed by Don Letts.
One of the greatest debut singles of all time.
Don't bother arguing - you're wrong!
One of the greatest debut singles of all time.
Don't bother arguing - you're wrong!
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
REPOST - Rosa Yemen (AKA Lizzy Mercier Descloux)
The late Lizzy Mercier Descloux pictured here with Richard Hell and at top with Patti Smith.
You can get the 'Rosa Yemen' (L.M.D. - vocals & guitar and JD Barnes - guitar) EP which came out on ZE Records in 1979 here.
This was one of my favourite releases in the first wave of ZE 12" which included James Chance, Mars and DNA.
Bonus track of 'Morning High' (a bi-lingual reading of Arthur Rimbaud's poem 'matinee d'ivresse') by L.M.D. & Patti Smith here.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Monday, 23 March 2009
Low End Frequencies For Peace
- Event: 26/04/09
- Locations: Jerusalem/New York
- Links: Deep Tones For Peace
Some of the world’s premier jazz/Improv bass players, including Mark Dresser, Trevor Dunn, Henry Grimes, William Parker and Barre Phillips, are taking part in an online concert of low end frequencies for peace in the Middle East. Performed live in public and broadcast from the twin locations of Jerusalem and New York City, the Deep Tones For Peace webcast is part of an ongoing series of webcasts by low end freqs. Jerusalem Hama'abada The Jerusalem Performing Arts Lab
Hebron St. 28 Old Train Station/Abu Tor, 26 April, 7PM - 1AM local time. New York City CUE Art Foundation, 511 West 25th Street, 26 April, 12PM - 6PM local time. Click here for more info.
Info from 'The Wire'.
Hebron St. 28 Old Train Station/Abu Tor, 26 April, 7PM - 1AM local time. New York City CUE Art Foundation, 511 West 25th Street, 26 April, 12PM - 6PM local time. Click here for more info.
Info from 'The Wire'.
For son # 1 - Jacques Tati in 'School for Postmen'
Part 1
Part 2
Twice in my life people have said that my general (mis)demeanor reminded them of Tati.
The first time was in London in the 70's and the person who said this to me has since been knighted for services to the British Theatre. (He is a playwright.)
The second time was here in Melbourne by a then co worker, who is now the musical director of 'Circus Oz'.
So you would imagine they both know what they are talking about.
I should be worried!
I am worried!
I am a klutz!
Thanx to the 'TWILIGHTZONE' for reminding me of these gems!
The first time was in London in the 70's and the person who said this to me has since been knighted for services to the British Theatre. (He is a playwright.)
The second time was here in Melbourne by a then co worker, who is now the musical director of 'Circus Oz'.
So you would imagine they both know what they are talking about.
I should be worried!
I am worried!
I am a klutz!
Thanx to the 'TWILIGHTZONE' for reminding me of these gems!
Sunday, 22 March 2009
The most 'moral' army in the world?
Dead Palestinian babies and bombed mosques - IDF fashion 2009"...Dead babies, mothers weeping on their children's graves, a gun aimed at a child and bombed-out mosques - these are a few examples of the images Israel Defense Forces soldiers design these days to print on shirts they order to mark the end of training, or of field duty. The slogans accompanying the drawings are not exactly anemic either: A T-shirt for infantry snipers bears the inscription "Better use Durex," next to a picture of a dead Palestinian baby, with his weeping mother and a teddy bear beside him. A sharpshooter's T-shirt from the Givati Brigade's Shaked battalion shows a pregnant Palestinian woman with a bull's-eye superimposed on her belly, with the slogan, in English, "1 shot, 2 kills." A "graduation" shirt for those who have completed another snipers course depicts a Palestinian baby, who grows into a combative boy and then an armed adult, with the inscription, "No matter how it begins, we'll put an end to it..."
A very disturbing story from today's online edition of the Israeli daily newspaper 'Haaretz' here.
Another story here alleges that IDF soldiers were given orders to fire upon the rescuers of injured Gazan civilians!
Following the damning testimony the other day from IDF soldiers involved in the January assault on Gaza that unarmed civilians were deliberately killed, do you still think that you have the most 'moral' army in the world, Mr. Barak?
More soldier's stories here.
(Thanx to 'Renegade Futurist' for pointing me in this direction.)
Another story here alleges that IDF soldiers were given orders to fire upon the rescuers of injured Gazan civilians!
Following the damning testimony the other day from IDF soldiers involved in the January assault on Gaza that unarmed civilians were deliberately killed, do you still think that you have the most 'moral' army in the world, Mr. Barak?
More soldier's stories here.
(Thanx to 'Renegade Futurist' for pointing me in this direction.)
What is Spanish for "eh"?*
The stat counter attached to this blog shows me where all you wonderful people who visit this blog come from and what you do while visiting (so to speak). A recent visitor from Ancash in Peru led me to this thread (that mentions my blog).However this has me stumped and Babelfish isn't really helping me either.
This original question:
"¿es verdad lo del organo masculino erecto en el castillo de la sirenita y la palabra sex en el rey leon?"
gets translated as:
"Is truth the one of the turgid masculine body in the castle of the sirenita and the word sex in the king lion?"
So if you speak Spanish & English maybe you could explain it all for me.
Regards/
* Problem solved thanx to Nachete from the 'Commercial Zone' blog - see comments.
Sunn O)))
With a new ('Monoliths/Dimensions') album on it's way as well as having their music featured in the new Jim Jarmusch film 'The Limits of Control' alongside 'Earth' & 'Boris' it's looking like this is possibly the year that 'Sunn O)))' will break out from the 'doom/drone metal' minority box that they are presently in. To my ears (as the soundtrack to my unraveling world) there is something very cathartic about this band, especially when played at maximum volume.
Bonus:Sunn O))) live at Corsica Studio London 22/02/09.
Just Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson playing live to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 'Grimmrobe Demos' release.
PLAY LOUD!!!
More live pics (and review) by John Marshall here.
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Friday, 20 March 2009
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Flying 'FUCK' helicopter
If you always wondered where the expression “flying fuck” came from, here is one distinct possibility.Via 'Boingboing' here.
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Exile's Canberra correspondent sees Labor's Minister for Environment, Heritage & the Arts rock Canberra but not take drugs*
Last Friday night I saw the mighty Oils in Canberra who were performing two full shows as a rehearsal for the charity concerts yesterday at Melbourne and Sydney. They were incredible. Astonishing really given they had not played in many years. It was like they had never stopped. There was the odd wrong chord or incorrect/ mistimed lyric but for the most part it was flawless. Peter Garrett was in fine voice and was as energetic as ever with his trademark dance moves on full display.
It was a great setlist containing many of there classic live songs. In fact if I was to choose the setlist it would have contained about 90% of what they played. Unlike the Thursday show, this one included many of there old classics - Lucky Country, Armistice Day, No Time for Games and Don’t Wanna Be the One. So I think I chose the right night. The encore also included US Forces which was not played the previous night. There had been a lot of debate leading up to the concerts whether he would play it given his position. But in the final encore he basically said bugger it, it might not please some of those in my party, but lets just play it.
It was a pretty subdued Peter Garrett on stage. There was a bit of friendly banter between songs but none of the rage or lengthy political statements we are used to. I guess that is to be expected. He certainly didn’t compromise himself.
The atmosphere was the best I have ever seen at a concert. I’ve never seen a crowd so hyped. They were at fever pitch. Audience participation was fantastic.
I have seen the Oils a few times and this was as good as any of those performances. They have still got it. Lets just hope this is not the last time they ever play together.
From memory, here are some of the songs they played in no particular order. There are quite a few songs missing so it is not complete.
Lucky Country
No Times for Games
Short Memory
Progress
Armistice Day
Dreamworld
Redneck Wonderland
Dreamworld
Blue Sky Mine
Read About It
Power And The Passion
One Country
Stars of Warbuton
King Of The Mountain
The Dead Heart
Beds Are Burning
Best Of Both Worlds
Truganini
Forgotten Years
Luritja Way
Sometimes
US Forces
Don’t Wanna Be the One
Regards
Regards
David - J)
15/03/09
15/03/09
*
Thanx to David from 'OPH' for that first hand review.
Fair play to everyone involved.
The Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeal has now raised 250 million dollars!
Having said that I was not brought up in Australia and a lot if not most of the bands that played really did not interest me in the slightest.
(As for the 'international' bands Coldplay & Kings of Leon...sorry my Mum said if you have nothing nice to say then say ...)
So kudos to Midnight Oil (& especially Peter Garrett) for playing 'US Forces'!
(Even if I think it is a really bad song with plodding, leaden & uninspired lyrics!)
You can hear for yourself what they sounded like in Melbourne last Saturday here.
Thanx to David from 'OPH' for that first hand review.
Fair play to everyone involved.
The Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeal has now raised 250 million dollars!
Having said that I was not brought up in Australia and a lot if not most of the bands that played really did not interest me in the slightest.
(As for the 'international' bands Coldplay & Kings of Leon...sorry my Mum said if you have nothing nice to say then say ...)
So kudos to Midnight Oil (& especially Peter Garrett) for playing 'US Forces'!
(Even if I think it is a really bad song with plodding, leaden & uninspired lyrics!)
You can hear for yourself what they sounded like in Melbourne last Saturday here.
'U.S. Forces' (1983)
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