easy bake coven

Really, Really Free Market

2012-01-17T14:40:00.001-05:00

A Really Really Free Market (RRFM) is a community gathering where participants give away usable items, skills, food, entertainment, games and many others things that a community can come together and share. An RRFM is a 100 percent free and non-commercial event (no bartering or advertising), created by all the participants that show up each month. It is also a demonstration of collective spirit, abundance, recycling, and sharing through the gift economy as an alternative to a capitalist economy that promotes and feeds off fear, competition and scarcity. The RRFM intends to transform people primarily through its experience and is then carried into other areas of life, inspiring people to be more generous towards each other and to set up free boxes, free skools, donation-based cafes and so on.

There are now over 50 different RRFMs in cities across the US and a few other countries.

ASHEVILLE will also hold a RRFM event.

When
Saturday, January 28, 2012

Time
10:00am until 5:00pm

Where
Pritchard Park, Downtown Asheville

The Art of #OWS

2011-12-31T16:06:00.000-05:00

Posters came from Occuprint. Occuprint showcases posters from the worldwide Occupy movement, all of which are part of the creative commons, and available to be downloaded for noncommercial use. We ask that artists are given attribution for their work.

Link

Luc Besson’s Aung San Suu Kyi Biopic ‘The Lady’ Out Now In UK

2011-12-31T14:14:00.001-05:00

I have GOT to see this movie.

Michelle Yeoh Interview

‘The Lady’ is Luc Besson’s biopic about pro-democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, starring Michelle Yeoh as Aung. Aung San Suu Kyi became an icon for democratic freedom after she spent 15 of the last 21 years under house arrest in Burma after leading the National League for Democracy in an election victory over the ruling military junta in 1990.

‘The Lady’ is the extraordinary story of Aung San Suu Kyi. It is a story of devotion and human understanding set against a backdrop of political turmoil that continues today. ‘The Lady’ was written over a period of three years by Rebecca Frayn. Interviews with key figures in Aung San Suu Kyi‟s entourage enabled her to reconstruct for the first time the true story of Burma‟s national heroine. ‘The Lady’ is out now in the UK.

How much did you know about Aung Suu before you embarked on this movie?

Michelle Yeoh: Coming from Malaysia we all know who Aung Suu is, but unfortunately because she’s been in and out of house arrest since 1988, we’ve really forgotten exactly the reasons why, who and what was truly involved. In the last three years, the news that came out was when the Americans swam into her compound and her house arrest was extended for another 18 months, and then news about her resurfaced. But by then, Rebecca Frayn had already finished the script and approached me when she finished her first draft of the script, and I knew this was not just a role of a lifetime, but an incredible story that really needed to be told. Fortunately Luc Besson came to my rescue (laughs), because I always believe that no matter how good a script is, if you don’t have a director who’s totally committed and dedicated to it, you won’t have a story that will come to life for the audience. That was very important to me, I lived and breathed her for the last four years. Everyday day, every night. I learned Burmese,. I slept with her, I woke up with her. Because it was necessary not just to mimic and give you a two-dimensional concept and feel for what she represented, of who she was, but to allow you to come into her world. A world so full of love and passion. I was submerged in it, I still think very much so.

Read More

American Stonehenge

2011-12-31T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Georgia Guidestones may be the most enigmatic monument in the US: huge slabs of granite, inscribed with directions for rebuilding civilization after the apocalypse. Only one man knows who created them - and he's not talking.

The Georga Guidestones are located in Elbert County, Georgia, approximately 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Atlanta, and 9 miles (15 kilometers) north of the center of Elberton. The monument is situated on a rise a short distance to the east of Georgia Highway 77 (Hartwell Highway), and is visible from that road. Small signs beside the highway indicate the turnoff for the Guidestones, which is identified by a street sign as "Guidestones Rd."

The Georgia Guidestones are a huge granite monument located on a hilltop in Elbert County, Georgia, USA. It is sometimes referred to as the "American Stonehenge," a title that has been applied at times to a number of other structures, including Mystery Hill.

A message comprised of ten guides or commandments is inscribed on the monument in eight modern languages, and a shorter message is inscribed at the top of the structure in four ancient scripts.

The monument is almost twenty feet tall, and made from six granite slabs that weigh more than 100 tons. One slab stands in the center, with four arranged around it.

A capstone lies on top of the five slabs, which are astronomically aligned.

An additional stone tablet, which is set in the ground a short distance to the west of the monument, provides some clarifying notes on the history and purpose of the Guidestones.

Link | Wikipedia

The top 10 most censored Natural News stories of 2011

2011-12-26T14:56:00.002-05:00

Ah, 2011 was a wonderful year for censored news, wasn't it? We learned a lot this year about the FDA, the CDC, evil corporations and fruit cereal that contain no fruit. The problem is, the mainstream media never bothered to report any of it. Or if they did touch the stories, they distorted them to fit their own corporate agendas.

Here are the top ten most censored Natural News stories we covered this year: Link

A Christmas Message From America's Rich

2011-12-26T13:30:00.003-05:00

It seems America’s bankers are tired of all the abuse. They’ve decided to speak out.

True, they’re doing it from behind the ropeline, in front of friendly crowds at industry conferences and country clubs, meaning they don’t have to look the rest of America in the eye when they call us all imbeciles and complain that they shouldn’t have to apologize for being so successful.

But while they haven’t yet deigned to talk to protesting America face to face, they are willing to scribble out some complaints on notes and send them downstairs on silver trays. Courtesy of a remarkable story by Max Abelson at Bloomberg, we now get to hear some of those choice comments.

Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, for instance, is not worried about OWS:

“Who gives a crap about some imbecile?” Marcus said. “Are you kidding me?”

Former New York gurbernatorial candidate Tom Golisano, the billionaire owner of the billing firm Paychex, offered his wisdom while his half-his-age tennis champion girlfriend hung on his arm:

“If I hear a politician use the term ‘paying your fair share’ one more time, I’m going to vomit,” said Golisano, who turned 70 last month, celebrating the birthday with girlfriend Monica Seles, the former tennis star who won nine Grand Slam singles titles.

Then there’s Leon Cooperman, the former chief of Goldman Sachs’s money-management unit, who said he was urged to speak out by his fellow golfers. His message was a version of Wall Street’s increasingly popular If-you-people-want-a-job, then-you’ll-shut-the-fuck-up rhetorical line:

Cooperman, 68, said in an interview that he can’t walk through the dining room of St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida, without being thanked for speaking up. At least four people expressed their gratitude on Dec. 5 while he was eating an egg-white omelet, he said.

“You’ll get more out of me,” the billionaire said, “if you treat me with respect.”

Finally, there is this from Blackstone CEO Steven Schwartzman:

Asked if he were willing to pay more taxes in a Nov. 30 interview with Bloomberg Television, Blackstone Group LP CEO Stephen Schwarzman spoke about lower-income U.S. families who pay no income tax.

“You have to have skin in the game,” said Schwarzman, 64. “I’m not saying how much people should do. But we should all be part of the system.”

There are obviously a great many things that one could say about this remarkable collection of quotes. One could even, if one wanted, simply savor them alone, without commentary, like lumps of fresh caviar, or raw oysters.

But out of Abelson’s collection of doleful woe-is-us complaints from the offended rich, the one that deserves the most attention is Schwarzman’s line about lower-income folks lacking “skin in the game.” This incredible statement gets right to the heart of why these people suck.

Why? It's not because Schwarzman is factually wrong about lower-income people having no “skin in the game,” ignoring the fact that everyone pays sales taxes, and most everyone pays payroll taxes, and of course there are property taxes for even the lowliest subprime mortgage holders, and so on.

It’s not even because Schwarzman probably himself pays close to zero in income tax – as a private equity chief, he doesn’t pay income tax but tax on carried interest, which carries a maximum 15% tax rate, half the rate of a New York City firefighter.

The real issue has to do with the context of Schwarzman’s quote. The Blackstone billionaire, remember, is one of the more uniquely abhorrent, self-congratulating jerks in the entire world – a man who famously symbolized the excesses of the crisis era when, just as the rest of America was heading into a recession, he threw himself a $5 million birthday party, featuring private performances by Rod Stewart and Patti Labelle, to celebrate an IPO that made him $677 million in a matter of days (within a year, incidentally, the investors who bought that stock would lose three-fourths of their investments).

So that IPO birthday boy is now standing up and insisting, with a straight face, that America’s problem is that compared to taxpaying billionaires like himself, poor people are not invested enough in our society’s future. Apparently, we’d all be in much better shape if the poor were as motivated as Steven Schwarzman is to make America a better place.

Not to take anything away from the excellent and ever enlightening Matt Taibbi, and if you can stomach more enlightenment from these greedy bastards, go here to read more.

Link

John Yoo Needs a Fair Trial

2011-12-09T20:01:00.005-05:00

From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights put forth in 1948 by the UN and ratified as International Law:

Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.

Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 30. (Final Artical)
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Link

John Yoo also clearly violated the Geneva Convention, which establishes the standards of International Law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war. The Geneva Convention is also ratified as International Law. The Geneva Convention states that there is no grey area between a prisoner of war and a civilian. Everyone accused of crimial actions must be treated as one of these two categories under International Law. John Yoo invented his famous Orwellian euphemism of an "enemy combatant," in order to create just such a fictitious grey area in order to get away with torture, and other human rights violations. This invention of Yoo is not possible under the Geneva Convention, nor is it possible in the Universal Declaration On Human Rights. These International Law Codes were set up precisely, in order to stop such heinous abuses, as was learned through the cruel experiences of war, especially that of the Second World War in which heavy abuses, often by the police, and security forces were to lead to some of the most barbarous scenes in human history.

Libyan Reggae

2011-11-07T19:05:00.010-05:00

Despite the coverage of Libya shown in the western media over the years, being overly filled with negativity and violence, the truth rarely shown in the west is that the land with its beautiful desert is a place of peace. The peace resonates with the people and their music, from the wonderful sounds of desert tradition to a seldom known, but a well hidden in the desert secret: Libyan reggae music (best played on cassette).

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2nd Occupy Oakland Beating

2011-11-06T16:01:00.003-05:00

A second Iraq war veteran has suffered serious injuries after clashes between police and Occupy movement protesters in Oakland.

Kayvan Sabehgi, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is in intensive care with a lacerated spleen. He says he was beaten by police close to the Occupy Oakland camp, but despite suffering agonising pain, did not reach hospital until 18 hours later.

Sabeghi, who left the army in 2007 and now part-owns a small bar-restaurant in El Cerrito, about 10 miles north of Oakland, said he was handcuffed and placed in a police van for three hours before being taken to jail. By the time he got there he was in "unbelievable pain".

He said: "My stomach was really hurting, and it got worse to the point where I couldn't stand up.

"I was on my hands and knees and crawled over the cell door to call for help."

A nurse was called and recommended Sabehgi take a suppository, but he said he "didn't want to take it".

He was allowed to "crawl" to another cell to use the toilet, but said it was clogged.

"I was vomiting and had diarrhoea," Sabehgi said. "I just lay there in pain for hours."

Sabehgi's bail was posted in the mid-afternoon, but he said he was unable to leave his cell because of the pain. The cell door was closed, and he remained on the floor until 6pm, when an ambulance was called.

He was taken to Highland hospital – the same hospital where Olsen was originally taken after being hit in the head by a projectile apparently fired by police.
Link

This has got to fucking stop NOW.

Mound by Allison Schulnik

2011-11-01T09:59:00.002-04:00

Mound by Allison Schulnik from garaco taco on Vimeo.

Allison Schulnik | via

Jeff Mangum played Town Hall Saturday

2011-10-31T13:23:00.003-04:00

For the entire hour-long set, during which he played only old songs, the audience sat rapt, hanging on every note. And between songs, if anything, the focus sharpened alongside a collective hope that the odd, angular figure in the page-boy cap might take five minutes to explain everything: why he took a J.D. Salinger-like dive out of public life, why he's back now, and what the future holds.

But true to character, Mangum gave up little. At one point, he said the audience could ask him questions -- and a few rang out. But the one he chose to answer -- "What's your favorite book?" -- he didn't really answer at all. "You know the answer to that one," he said, cryptically. Devoted fans suspected, perhaps, that he was referring to "The Diary of Anne Frank," which supposedly inspired many of the songs on "Aeroplane." But it could have just as easily been anything else -- "The Catcher in The Rye" or "Gravity's Rainbow," the Bible or the Koran or "How to Make Friends and Influence People." Who the heck knew?

Jeff Mangum @ Town Hall, New York, NY, USA on October 29, 2011
Two Headed Boy Pt. 2
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Song Against Sex
Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone
Oh Comely
I Love The Living You (Roky Erickson cover)
Ghost
A Baby for Pree
Naomi
The King of Carrot Flowers, Part One
The King of Carrot Flowers, Parts Two & Three
Holland, 1945
Encore:
Two-Headed Boy
Engine

Has ANYONE else ever been so reclusive, still draw major fans and critics, without releasing anything new in years? No. But no one else is Jeff Mangum.

Link

Constitutional Scholar Obama, Helps Murder the Constitution

2011-10-16T10:43:00.004-04:00

With the cold blooded murder of an American citizen living abroad without trial.

Kafka is rolling in his grave... This is the human rights equivalent of going back in time, several hundred years to before the US was even founded. That's not quite the “change,” people were voting for...

Tokyo Rising

2011-09-25T15:31:00.003-04:00

Tokyo Rising | Palladium Boots

Tokyo faces a new reality after the tragedy of 3/11. While persistent challenges still lay ahead, the city’s creative class is hell-bent on making sure that their hometown thrives. Innovative and resilient, they are defining the future of Tokyo on their own terms. We put our boots on and went exploring.

Source | via

"Melancholia" Coming in November

2011-09-21T17:55:00.003-04:00

The languid, deceptively simple poster for Lars von Trier's new film Melancholia works effectively on several different levels.

The movie is about the reaction of depressed newlywed Kirsten Dunst to the impending end of the world. A "rogue planet" that has been hiding behind the sun is about to hit the earth.

Von Trier's film is intended to illustrate his theory that people with depression react more calmly to awful events because they already expect everything that happens to them to be awful.

Source

This film sure seems like it's been a long time coming. You can also read my other LvT posts. Link below.

Hill of Crosses in Lithuania

2011-09-18T20:27:00.001-04:00

A newly married couple poses on the "Hill of Crosses" (Krizu Kalnas), in northern Lithuania at the pilgrimage site near Siauliai on Sept. 3.

The Hill of Crosses -- a small mountain of approximately 100,000 crosses -- is a curious phenomenon. No one manages or organises it -- it just is. The Soviets razed it again and again, only to have the crosses reappear. As Prof Viatanis Rimkis explains: "During the struggle for our freedom, the crosses became a weapon that was invincible."

Link

Would dearly love to see this phenomenon.

Tepees Criscross The Atlantic

2011-09-14T09:30:00.006-04:00

...screamed the headline @ the New York Times.

Actually, Tepees first began in the US with the American Indians. Long before the consumer-crazed yuppies started decorating their events with them. The hipsters are re-branding and claiming it while upgrading it into a fashion accoutrement. Thanks to Ralph Lauren's daughter and Kate Moss; according to the article.

I had a friend who built one in the 70s because he was talented like that and he was a true man of the woods. I also like them for outdoor festivals and for camping. It goes along with cooking over a campfire outdoors and is definitely acceptable if you're also using the bathroom (thank me now for cleaning this part up) in the woods-- compost style.

It crosses the line and makes me batshit crazy when you're buying matching pink Tepees for your daughter's Sweet Sixteen or find yourself describing one as fabulous. I would say at least have the decency to mention the American Indians instead of the latest fashion gurus when you tweet about it but I'm sure that's asking for far too much.

Attica 40th Anniversary

2011-09-10T09:15:00.002-04:00

September, 9-13th marks the anniversary of the Attica Rebellion in New York. This massive prison takeover by hundreds of inmates and the callous repression and murders by the state of New York are part of a unique moment in US history.

The Attica Rebellion:

A 29-minute radio documentary about the origins of the modern anti-prison movement

Link

The Private Life of George Harrison

2011-09-07T11:53:00.001-04:00

New article in current Rolling Stone. Can you even imagine what it was like to live at Friar Park? 120 rooms. Here is an interesting page of photos of George and family @ Friar Park. Link

Link

As a young girl, I also loved the Beatles but I leaned towards John and Paul as a twelve year old when they first came out and released a US album.

By the time I was seventeen I was off to college but my Christmas vacation return was blessed by the gift of George Harrison's solo album, All Things Must Pass from my fifteen year old sister, Robin. To this day that is my favorite Christmas gift ever. I was totally consumed by that album. It was and still is of reverent, holy grail importance to hold it and to play it.

Bank of America 'called grieving widow 48 times a day to remind her of husband's debt'

2011-09-04T21:11:00.001-04:00

Deborah Crabtree, from Honolulu, Hawaii, is suing the bank after she said she was called by debt collectors as often as every 15 minutes including during the wake for her husband.

According to papers filed in Hawaii, Mrs Crabtree told the bank that she would pay the debt as soon as she received her husband's life insurance pay out, but the bank continued to threaten to foreclose on her home.

The bank demanded evidence that her husband was dead, but after this was sent the bank allegedly said it had been lost.

It is also claimed that the bank started to ask to speak to Mrs Crabtree's husband, even though she repeatedly told them he was dead.

Read more:

Chump & Clump: The Very Merry Bus Stop

2011-09-03T16:45:00.000-04:00

Chump And Clump from Talking Animals on Vimeo.

Joe Fenton, Artist

2011-09-03T16:03:00.002-04:00

A work in progress - 'Solitude' 2010/2011
I started work on this image back in 2010. It is 8ft across & 5ft high. In these photos I am only working in graphite. Later I will go in with ink and acrylic.

Joe Fenton

I really love his work. In my best artistic moments I created characters very similar to his style and for that plus the fact that he's original and talented, I adore his beautiful, meticulous work.

Letting His Freak Flag Fly

2011-09-01T19:11:00.000-04:00

Chris Robinson (lead singer of The Black Crowes) doesn't do many interviews. At this point in his career he doesn't have to, and this year he has mostly, as one press agent put it, "let his music speak for him." But he took time to talk to Xpress in advance of his Orange Peel show with his current band, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, because "No. 1, I really love Asheville and I love that area," he says. "It's small and that's good. It's like how we're starting — what we're doing is very hands on and grassroots."

Robinson says that he's not into talking heads and sound bites, but "if you have something to say, it's better to take a little time and do that." So what does he want to say to his Asheville fans? "People should know that Freak America loves them," he says.

who: The Chris Robinson Brotherhood
where: The Orange Peel
when: Saturday, Sept. 3 (9 p.m. $18 advance/$20 doors. theorangepeel.net)

written by: Alli Marshall | Read More...

Rum Diary Trailer

2011-08-29T18:34:00.002-04:00

Astronaut Suicides

2011-08-27T13:38:00.002-04:00

I understand that some believe that we should return to the surface of the moon but I have to say this bluntly, we have been there before.

President Barack Obama
April 15th 2010

Astronaut Suicides is a photo series by Neil Dacosta:

Funny photographs and I think it gets the point across about this dreadful economy, and cutbacks everywhere, although it's so hard to agree on where they make those hard choices.

Same Sex Married Couple: Heroes of Norway

2011-08-03T13:39:00.006-04:00

Although it hasnt received much coverage in the corporate media, the story of Hege Dalen and Tori Hansen deserves to be told. Together risking their own lives under gunfire, they were able to save 40 people from the cowardly, brutal and tragic massacre of innocent youths carried out by right wing terrorists in Norway.

Link

Exxon Mobil swimming in profits as the US is bogged down in another quagmire

2011-07-28T12:02:00.008-04:00

Exxon Mobil is throwing a party. Things were starting to lag a bit with the threat of Bush's oil wars winding down, but instead the war machine has thrown Exxon a big bone once again through war over oil rich Libya. In 2003 Bush/Cheney invaded the sovereign oil rich country of Iraq, whose oil was also nationalised. The oil stocks went into a frenzy and soared over rising oil prices, most of the big names tripling, quadrupling and quintupling their stock numbers within the year. The only problem? A dirty war with large scale death, destruction and chaos, with a staggering cost which is now threatening to crash not just the US, but the world economy as it did in 2008. Instead of ending Bush's tax cuts for Exxon and pals, Obama and Sec. of State Clinton have continued the Bush/Cheney policy of unilateral war for oil and this may be the tipping point for the US economy, which will have to pay for it.

Forbes

Burning Man - August 29 - September 5, 2011

2011-07-27T11:53:00.000-04:00

Occupants bathed in neon-green light, what would become more widely known as “the Belgian Waffle” was a dance club. And of course, on the final night, it burned.

This post offers a brief history of electronic dance music culture at Burning Man.

I found particularly interesting the ongoing riffs between techno vs all the other types of music-- desert territorial stuff.

I continue to bow to the hipness of global guru Graham St John who can fill you in on anything underground festival related, psytrance, dance cult, etc. Be sure and see his photos and posts on his long running blog, Edgecentral.

Link

"THEY TRY TO MAKE ME GO TO REHAB...

2011-07-26T15:27:00.003-04:00

and I said, No, No, No"... until that very first time when I was 39 years old and my 2nd child was still two years old.

BACKSTORY: I found early success by my mid-twenties. And I lost it all, but I didn't even slightly put the brakes on because I was blinded by my drug addiction. Addiction is one cruel bitch that I believe is perpetuated by unresolved emotional conflicts.

During this time I was so proud that I had bought a home on my own at age 26, working two full time jobs for several years as a functioning addict. Office work days from 8a - 4p and 4-5 evenings a week bartending. Working on my feet so much took a toll on my knees and hips (subsequent surgeries). More dope was called for and cocaine was the cure. It kept me working through the pain, but eventually blowing out my knees like a car tire blows out.

More dope = more trainwrecks via the fuck-up express. I ended up losing all my relationships, my respect, lost my first home, but by far, worst of all was losing custody of my only child in an ugly child custody case when he was just eight years old. This has been a dark shadow looming for 30 years with very little contact and sighting.

I've been a bit maudlin about Amy Winehouse's death. Her overdose hit me hard because I *was* Amy Winehouse 30 years ago-- only without the kickass voice. We shared an iv drug abuse habit (It's still too hard to say the name) and mine gained steam when I began college in Fall of 1970 and continued with ebbs and flows for 20+ years.

So many of my good friends died from ODs on drugs. Some friends had such close calls we had to shock and/or ice them back when you only had a matter of seconds waiting for the EMTs or ambulance to arrive. Soon after they were stabalized, they'd fire up another spoonful. That was typical addict behavior.

I have to keep telling myself that I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm still here. Those of you who are still actively using, I feel your pain deeply. But it'll come only in your time.

I have been in recovery for 20 years this past June with outstanding success and no slips. I still meet with fellow addicts regularly and there is such strength in numbers. "Their success is MY success." And vice versa.

Love & Light, dear ones... I'll always keep a big shoulder for you to rest upon.

I really related to Amy Winehouse BUT I didn't know how much until she passed. I mean, I loved her music and rooted for her peace of mind and sobriety like mad but I didn't know how connected I had felt to her and her struggle until her death and I was pretty well consumed about it. I lived the same way at the same age so I'm I've cried for four days now for her and for me and for all those who have gone before us.

by Susan Cook on Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 3:43pm

40th anniversary of Jim Morrison’s death

2011-07-05T21:01:00.001-04:00

Ray Manzarek desperately attempts to resurrect the 40 year old corpse of Jim Morrison.

Yesterday, on the 40th anniversary of Jim Morrison’s death, Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger played a Doors gig after visiting Morrison’s grave site at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Fronted by one of the band’s endless series of faux Lizard Kings, Morrison look-a-like David Brock of Doors cover band Wild Child, Manzarek and Krieger did their best to remind anyone watching why their music careers have been utterly insignificant since Morrison died. John Densmore had the good taste and wisdom to not attend.

Read More...

Do your best YOU and freaking own it

2011-06-30T14:11:00.000-04:00

March to the beat of your own drummer, folks. Don't be a lemming and follow the crowd so strictly. Do your best YOU and freaking own it. It shows you're truly an original. That you have a backbone and you have a voice that doesn't say, "Yep... I'm an original. Just like all the rest."

Advice to some of the middle aged ladies out there: Feathers in your hair? Been there; done that. *30 years ago*. The outrageous ad infinitum fad jumped the shark when we saw Granny sporting a $30 rooster feather that costs $3.00 at the bait and tackle shop.

Usually what these people detest nowadays, they will embrace in 20 - 30 years. So wear your favorite things NOW. Develop your personality the way that's most comfortable for you.

Don't change for everyone else and ask for everyone's advice. If you've always liked your style or that hairstyle that some say looks outdated or say that the color isn't right for someone your age, or anything to derail your best YOU... thank them for their advice and explain that you'd rather go for what makes you feel best.

xoxo

I was compelled to hold forth today on something I wish the global community could work on a little more. We'd ALL be happier.

The Devil and the Deed - Yeasayer (New Tune)

2011-05-24T11:42:00.001-04:00

Even though they’re still touring Odd Blood, Yeasayer performed a brand new track on Conan last night.

Link

Still my favorite band.

Go The F** To Sleep - A Bedtime Story

2011-05-23T16:07:00.000-04:00

The eagles who soar through the sky are at rest
And the creatures who crawl, run and creep.
I know you're not thirsty. That's bullshit. Stop lying.
Lie the fuck down, my darling, and sleep.

A tongue-in-cheek bedtime book for parents which exhorts children to "go the fuck to sleep" has soared to the top of Amazon's bestseller chart a month before publication.

Published by Akashicbooks and forthcoming June 14, 2011 also on Amazon.com. {via: the guardian}

Damn. If only I'd known I could have logged down my bedtime routine with my small son in the early 80s, I'd be one rich beotch!

Who Are You Not To Be Fabulous?

2011-05-23T14:12:00.000-04:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves - who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?

For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others."

--Marianne Williamson

One of my very favorite quotes.

Super Heavy - Newly Formed Band w/Mick Jagger & More

2011-05-22T15:49:00.000-04:00

Damian Marley, Joss Stone, Mick Jagger, Dave Stewart and Indian film composer A.R. Rahman. The band has quietly been recording together over the past 18 months, with their debut LP planned for sometime around September.

About 18 months ago, the band gathered in a Los Angeles studio. None of them had prepared any music. "We didn't know what the hell we were doing," says (Dave) Stewart. "We were just jamming and making a noise. It was like when a band first starts up in your garage. Sometimes Damien would kick it off and then Joss would sing something on top of it. We might have a 22 minute jam, and it would become a six minute song."

The loose method was inspiring for Jagger. "One of the beauties is that, just speaking as a vocalist, I did other things," Jagger says. "I played guitar and harmonica, but there's four vocalist on the album. Not everything was reliant on me."

The band’s name came from some improvised vocals by Marley. "He was just singing 'Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, super heavy,'" says Stewart. "We thought that sounded good and it sort of stuck with us."

Link

The Wayseer Manifesto

2011-05-16T13:04:00.001-04:00

ATTENTION: All you rule-breakers, you misfits & troublemakers, all you free-spirits & pioneers... Everything the establishment has told you is wrong with you - is actually what's right with you...

Go here: http://WayseerManifesto.com
Get it on iTunes: http://bit.ly/eM2jy4
Friend us at http://facebook.com/Wayseers
Follow the creator on http://twitter.com/garretloporto
Friend him on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/GarretJohn
Version 1.3.8

The Rare Marc Maron

2011-05-09T12:28:00.000-04:00

I absolutely love Marc Maron and listen to his podcast religiously. (twice a week) The video is a good representation of his humor as he discusses Sexfest, beards, stalkers and more.

Melancholia

2011-04-23T19:31:00.002-04:00

"Life is only on Earth... and not for long." Another mesmerizing new trailer to watch. Out of nowhere, Zentropa has debuted the official trailer (website / Vimeo) for Danish director Lars von Trier's new film Melancholia. This is sort of a sci-fi drama about another planet that's going to collide with the Earth, but it's really about a wedding and the people there. Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Kiefer Sutherland star with Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Stellan Skarsgård and Udo Kier. This is beautiful, but as always with von Trier, very, very weird, but that's why it's so intriguing. Enjoy.

Melancholia is both written & directed by controversial/brilliant Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier, of films like Medea, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, The Boss of It All and Antichrist most recently. Magnolia Pictures will be distributing Melancholia in the US later this year, but it doesn't have a release date yet, as we're expecting the film to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this summer. Visit the official website.

Cannot wait!

Protect Yourself and Loved Ones – Not a Drill.

2011-04-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

What To Do About the Radioactive Poison
1. The daily outflow of deadly radiation from Japan’s Four Chernobyl’d Reactors increased Ten Times on March 31.
2. The Japanese Government in conjunction with GE and the American CIA cut off information the next day.
3. Information has resumed and is “controlled”.
4. The March 31st Radioactive Plume is expected in the States, the EU and Asia on April 11th and 12th. The Southern Hemisphere will get all this spread out over the next year.
5. The Plume contains Radioactive Iodine, Strontium, Plutonium, Cesium and other highly lethal radioactive substances.
6. Take all the precautions you can:

A. Stay indoors as much as you can, and especially when it rains.
B. Get into the habit of checking your shoes and those of guests at the front door. Store umbrellas away from clothes.
C. Drink spring water from deep underground old sources. Try to make it local.
D. Do not bathe or wash clothes/dishes in radioactively contaminated water. That is a bit of a problem. You can stock up on baby wipes.
That should help some. In the Northeast US Poland Springs is good if a bit acid, so counteract with bicarb once a day – a tsp. in a glass of water.
E. Food: This is a puzzle.
Buy New Zealand beef from US Wellness Meats. In about a year’s time that will no longer be a good source, as the radiation will eventually cross the equator. Broad leafy greens are known to absorb radiation from rainwater.

**The comments are very intelligent and are both pro and con so they're also worth reading. Nice job, Mr. Nichols.**

Compelling article by Bob Nichols
link via my good friend, JohnNAPA.

APRIL 12 - The Daily Bleed

2011-04-12T16:19:00.000-04:00

1989 -- Abbie Hoffman, Yippie peace activist of the 60's, dies at 52. Commits suicide.

A Chicago Seven radical who founded the Yippie movement once tossed dollar bills onto the floor of the American Stock Exchange to disrupt business. It worked. Near-riot in the mad $cramble for free buckaroonies.

1968 -- Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention perform at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences Dinner in New York City:
Zappa looks down at the audience & declares the event "a load of pompous hokum...All year long you people have manufactured this crap, now for one night you're gonna have to listen to it!"
Zappa later remarks, "We played the ugliest shit we could ... That's what they expected us to play."

http://www.zappa.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa

The DAILY BLEED is a website I've enjoyed for probably a decade or so. It chronicles all the alternative news-worthy global events. On This Date

link

Alex Cooley - Time Has Come Today

2011-03-22T14:14:00.000-04:00

Help! Time has come today!
Atlanta's pop festivals are finally getting revealed to the world. Alex Cooley deserves recognition for sticking his neck out to introduce such music to the South and open the area to concerts. Thank Alex when you see your favorite band play here. Before 1969's festival most rock bands did not come South as they were unaware of a market.

If final negotiations are completed, you may finally get to see the Woodstock quality film made at the Byron Festival in 1970 when Alex introduced The Allman Brothers to the world. Great music. If you were there, you may spot friends or yourself in the crowd scenes. (We joked about some kid recognizing the 42 year old image of a skinny-dipping tripping young lady, "Grandma!?").

Now we can all help to show our appreciation for all the good times. Please post the following anywhere you can think to spread the word. Send it to all you can think would be interested. Print it and stick up somewhere cool. There are lots of people seen in the film with cameras and home movie cameras. Where are there images? if you know small publications or radio stations that would post such a notice, please let us know.

Be sure to check the still rudimentary web site. I promise you will not be sorry when you see what is coming together. Here is the official announcement:

Hear ye! Hear ye!
In an effort to search for archival film and still photos for our production "Alex Cooley Presents - Time Has Come Today" we ask that you go through attics, basements, back-alleys, storage sheds, etc to see if you may have any 16, 8, Super 8 mm film footage or still photographs from any of the festivals Alex promoted from "69-72' ESPECIALLY the '69 Hampton and '70 Byron festivals. Ideally film or stills of the bands are preferred. You may see our production on www.timehascometoday.com

contact number and e-mail is:
David Lee - (Executive Producer)
706-909-0089 land line or
darolee@yahoo.com

Thanx to all,

Dave Lee

Radiohead - The King of Limbs [Full Album]

2011-02-19T22:07:00.000-05:00

The whole album here on YouTube.

Planningtorock - Doorway

2011-02-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

Director/Editor Planningtorock
Concept Planningtorock
Camera/Light/Producer Fubbi Karlsson
Prosthetic makeup artist/Hair/Creative Assistant Gerald Kid
Music "Doorway" taken from album "W" by Planningtorock
DFA/COOP/ROSTRONRECORDS
Filmed Berlin January 2011

Lessner Talks About His Edgy, Ambitious Debut Feature ‘The Woods’

2011-01-22T12:13:00.004-05:00

Sundance is now officially underway, and with Hollywood decamping to the hills of Park City, many up-and-coming filmmakers will be unspooling their films hoping to get they break they came looking for. And one of those folks is director Matthew Lessner, who will be premiering his debut feature, “The Woods.” For the indie minded folk out there, you might have Lessner’s work if you managed to catch a look at his 2005 short film “Darling Darling” with Michael Cera, or one of the handful of music videos he’s directed for such bands as The Raveonettes, Dirty Projectors and Le Loup.

“I took an internship at Democracy Now and I started following current events a little bit closer and reading a few books and just getting interested in this idea of collapse. And just playing with this idea of dropping everything, moving to the woods and starting over. And this idea of being aware of all these crazy problems that are going in the world and not really knowing how to react to those problems and that really became more of the motivating force [behind the film],” Lessner said.

However, for his debut feature, Lessner had something very specific in mind, an absurdist commentary on contemporary culture filtered through a group of young people who take to the woods, bringing their technology and comforts of home with them. And it took an eye-opening job placement to get the idea for the film rolling.

Soundtrack Features Songs From Dirty Projectors, Indian Jewelery, Ananda Shankar & More.

Read More »»

Lessner’s film will be arriving at the Sundance Film Festival with a story no one else will be able to claim - it’s the first film to play the festival with partial funding provided through the micro-funding site Kickstarter.com.

Nataraj

2011-01-15T12:38:00.005-05:00

Nataraj, translated from Sanskrit, means "king of dance", and we do our best to live up to that name.

Combining dynamic drumming with soaring otherworldly melodies, Our music weaves flowing improvisation together with the dancer's energy to create an interactive and high energy atmosphere. From Asheville, NC.

Facebook | Website

(cross posted to Around Asheville)

The Incredible String Band and The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

2010-08-26T15:04:00.003-04:00

Read an exclusive extract from Wire's editor-at-large Rob Young's new book published by Faber & Faber and out this week.

The Incredible String Band and The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Extract from Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music by Rob Young
Published by Faber And Faber, 5 August 2010. {via}

For more information go to: http://electriceden.net, which happens to be a very good read as is The Wire.

In the summer of 1967 The Incredible String Band's Robin Williamson and Mike Heron traveled to the United States to perform at the Newport Folk Festival. Passing through Elektra's New York offices on their way back, they helped themselves to as many LPs as they could carry from the famous Nonesuch International Series, which was part of Jac Holzman's record-company empire.

In the wake of Alan Lomax's pioneering Columbia World Library, Nonesuch was one of the first off the block to market the indigenous music of non-Western cultures with professionalism and integrity. Their world-music releases had been available for a few years, but in 1967 producer David Lewiston and field recordist Peter K. Siegel initiated the Nonesuch Explorer Series, recordings from far-flung regions marketed at a sophisticated younger listenership assumed to possess the intelligence to join the aural dots between ancient ethnic musics, modern folk and psychedelic rock.

Robin Williamson and Mike Heron walked away with albums of kabuki theatre from Japan; of Bulgarian choirs; Greek bouzoukis; an album of guitarists from the Bahamas – Brucie Green, Frederick McQueen and Joseph Spence; and one of the first widely available glimpses of Balinese gamelan, Music from the Morning of the World.

Steadily imbibed along with hallucinogenics over the following autumn, this grand bazaar of non-tempered noises would play its part in steering the direction of the album The Incredible String Band created in December 1967. It's the album that remains their best known, one that took them to a high placing in the British charts: The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. {via: arthur newsletter}

Have It All (2006) by Planningtorock

2010-08-14T19:47:00.006-04:00

Damn, why haven't I heard of this chick before? I think this is her most recent work and this cd is fucking mind blowing. ALL of it.

The alter ego of multi-instrumentalist/programmer/videographer Janine Rostron, Planningtorock fuses all of Rostron’s talents into a dazzling audiovisual presentation that borrows from classical music, glam rock, spacey imagery, and hip-hop. A classically trained violinist who began playing at age eight, Rostron moved from Bolton, Lancashire, to Berlin in 2002 the Planningtorock persona first surfaced in 2004, when she began performing at the city’s clubs. Planningtorock’s live shows blurred the boundaries between concerts and performance art, with Rostron wearing outlandish helmets and costumes and interacting with video characters.

* Have a listen to Planningtorock - Hiding Where I'll Find Me. {via}

* And watch a recent video from her Vimeo below.

HAVE IT ALL from planningtorock on Vimeo.

Link | Last.fm

You're Welcome.

What's New With Beck?

2010-08-12T10:57:00.005-04:00

Unpredictable (and that's only part of why we like him) Beck Hansen, true to form, has so many musical irons in the fire. Besides doing tracks for the new Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World film, he's also done some Yanni tracks via New Beck’s Record Club, and some work with Devendra Banhart.
source | source

Record Club: Yanni "One Man's Dream" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Check out the new track written by Todd Soldonz with vocals by Devendra Banhart and recorded by Beck for the film Life During Wartime.
Life During Wartime by planned_obsolescence

His website @ www.beck.com is always full of his latest project news including videos and mp3s and possibly a new cd posted there in the future. Keep 'em coming, Beck. We're still listening.

Animal Collective – “Mr. Fingers” And “Screens”

2010-08-10T07:38:00.004-04:00

Animal Collective’s Oddsac is out today, and you can hear two songs from their “visual album” below right now.

Listen | Watch

A trailer for ODDSAC, a visual album by Danny Perez and Animal Collective. Screening dates and news: http://www.oddsac.com

via / via

Crook&Flail ‘Unearthing’ influences Mix

2010-06-25T10:11:00.003-04:00

Crook&Flail (aka Andy Broder of Fog and Adam "Doseone" Drucker) created and curated the soundtrack to Unearthing - The forthcoming audiobook box set written and narrated by Alan Moore. The band will be playing with Alan reading live at 2 exclusive shows in London (info here) and will also be playing a music-only show on the following night (info here). As an insight into the influences behind their original score and musical direction, Crook&Flail have assembled and blended a free, promo-only mix. Download link and tracklist below…

Crook&Flail ‘Unearthing’ influences Mix – Download HERE
File details: 192 kbps MP3, Time: 43:39, Size: 63.8MB

Link

CocoRosie - Grey Oceans

2010-06-21T13:49:00.004-04:00

CocoRosie are two American-born sisters, Sierra (Rosie) and Bianca (Coco), who started making music together in Paris in 2003.

The nomadic duo (currently and temporarily residing in New Mexico) spent much of 2008 writing and recording in Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Berlin, New York, and Paris, finding amazing and diverse musicians to collaborate along the way. The result is their 11-song Sub Pop debut, Grey Oceans, which came out May 11th, 2010.

CocoRosie's Lemonade | Buy Grey Oceans

New Arcade Fire's The Suburbs

2010-06-14T22:55:00.004-04:00

One of the most-anticipated albums of the year, The Suburbs will be released Aug. 2 in the UK and Aug. 3 in the U.S. and Canada via Merge and the band’s own Sonovox label.

At this very moment, there isn’t anyone hotter than Arcade Fire, and for good reason. “The Suburbs” and “Month of May” 7″ kicked off a blistering month that included the announcement of an album worth paying for, tour dates, and a few secret shows. Continuing their takeover of the blogosphere, the Canadian rockers have now unveiled the first official US single from The Suburbs, the striking “Ready to Start”.

“We Used to Wait”
Used by a437915

"Ready To Start"
RTS by a435927

(via)

The Rolling Stones Album : Exile on Main Street (Remastered)

2010-05-18T10:46:00.003-04:00

The Rolling Stones
Album : Exile on Main Street (Remastered) (Deluxe Edition)
Type : NORMAL
Source : CD
Year : 2010

Genre : Rock

Encoder : LAME 3.97 (-V2 --VBR-NEW)
Mode : Joint Stereo
Bitrate : 183 kbps avg

Rip Date : 2010-05-17
Rel Date : 2010-05-17

Size : 150.28

Comment : Brought To You By FRAY

Disc 1/2

1 Rocks Off 4:32
2 Rip This Joint 2:23
3 Shake Your Hips 2:59
4 Casino Boogie 3:34
5 Tumbling Dice 3:47
6 Sweet Virginia 4:26
7 Torn And Frayed 4:18
8 Sweet Black Angel 2:58
9 Loving Cup 4:26
10 Happy 3:04
11 Turd On The Run 2:38
12 Ventilator Blues 3:24
13 I Just Want To See His Face 2:53
14 Let It Loose 5:18
15 All Down The Line 3:50
16 Stop Breaking Down 4:34
17 Shine A Light 4:16
18 Soul Survivor 3:48
67:08

Disc 2/2

1 Pass The Wine (Sophia Loren) 4:54
2 Plundered My Soul 3:58
3 I'm Not Signifying 3:56
4 Following The River 4:51
5 Dancing In The Light 4:21
6 So Divine (Aladdin Story) 4:32
7 Loving Cup (Alternate Take) 5:26
8 Soul Survivor (Alternate Take) 3:59
9 Good Time Women 3:21
10 Title 5 1:47

Download: http://hotfile.com/dl/43356708/31bb4c1/The_Rolling_Stones-Exile_On_Main_Street_(Remastered)_(Deluxe_Edition)-2CD-2010-FRAY.zip.html

For Stones' Exile Info

FRAY just released the remastered version of classic album “Exile on Main Street” by The Rolling Stones which is scheduled to be released on May 17, 2010. The deluxe edition includes the remastered 18 track album, plus 10 never before heard tracks and an exclusive 12 page booklet. You can add this album to your collection :p

Description: The Rolling Stones’ classic album Exile on Main Street–regarded as one of the greatest albums in rock’n'roll history and one of the most defining of the Stones’ catalogue-gets the well-deserved remastering and repackaging treatment. This deluxe edition comes in digipak packaging and includes the remastered 18-track album, along with a bonus disc featuring an additional ten never-before-heard tracks. Also included is a 12-page booklet.

in Sun by WAGES

2010-05-15T16:34:00.000-04:00

WAGES is a new impressionist band made up of members from NYC band Arizona. They recorded a debut album produced by Hank Sullivant (the Whigs, MGMT, Kuroma) at Echo Mountain Recording.
"in Sun" is the first in a series of EPs to be released by WAGES in 2010. Nick was kind enough to give me a few links off the new EP, in Sun. Hurricane Cocaine and You. (See below.)

LISTEN: WAGES - Hurricane Cocaine.mp3
LISTEN: WAGES - You.mp3

credits:
released 10 May 2010
Engineered by Alex Hornbake and Julian Dryer
Produced by Hank Sullivant
Mixed and Mastered by Alex Hornbake
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Echo Mountain Recording, Asheville, NC.

Download Album $5 USD or more or have a listen to the songs here on their website.

Facebook | MySpace

Rangda

2010-04-30T16:15:00.003-04:00

RANGDA is (L-R) Ben Chasny, Chris Corsano and Sir Richard Bishop.

Download: “Bull Lore”—Rangda (mp3) - Sir Richard is tearing it up.

Album (”False Flag,” out May 18) and May-June UK/Europe tour info: Drag City website

link

Arizona Splitting Up

2010-04-28T14:56:00.003-04:00

via email today:
Before reading on we want to thank you very much for several great musical years as Arizona. We always appreciated the thought and time people gave us and our music. There's such a large musical world out there, and it meant a lot to us that we were able to share and be a part of that world for so many people.

As of now, Arizona is on an indefinite hiatus. Creative and philosophical differences sparked an amicable split – all of us care very much about each other and making music – and we'll all continue to make music. We put our hearts into the music we made as Arizona, and as of now this is the best way to make sure that the people who enjoyed Arizona get to hear as much from us as possible. We're now working as the following two bands:

WAGES
New Beard

Attached is a parting (for the time) gift. It was a recording we made for fun/a laugh, for a friend, and thought others might enjoy it as well. The track can be downloaded for free by clicking here. We recorded this tune when we were at our sharpest as a live 4 piece, just off the Glowing Bird tour.

You may be receiving just one more email from each of these new bands (the email will give you a simple way of being taken off of the mailing list if you would prefer that).

Thanks again for letting us share our music!

Love,
AZ

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

EP release party for WAGES - May 8th @ LAB in Asheville

They came to my attention when I learned they'd recorded some in Asheville, NC, and they turned out to be one of my favorite bands. And one of my favorite cds of recent years was Arizona's Glowing Bird. Damn, people, it's beautiful. It's melody driven, it's harmony driven and you can't go wrong with that combo. The Beatles had that combination, Yeasayer has it. A few more bands do... so I'm anxious to listen to the two bands that came out of Arizona listed above.

For now I'm going to hunt Glowing Birds and listen to it again. Fucking classic. =)

Zola Jesus opens for Fever Ray

2010-04-28T10:20:00.006-04:00

I hadn't heard of Zola Jesus (Nika Danilova) before but I saw where Fever Ray was having her open for a few nights for her I was intrigued. Then Harmony Korine interviewed her in Impose Magazine and I searched for her in my Google Reader and found that Raven Sings The Blues had several posts on her dating back to 2008 so I downloaded about 6 songs and had a listen.

I'm not quite ready to cut her loose. I like her voice a lot but it's what surrounds it I'm not digging and she's obviously got something if Karin adds her to her lineup so I'm still looking for another song to listen to.

MySpace | Website

Broken Social Scene

2010-04-21T22:49:00.003-04:00

Song of the Day: Broken Social Scene - World Sick (MP3)

Broken Social Scene’s debut album, Feel Good Lost, was an atmospheric 2-piece featuring Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew, and although they put out some interesting tracks it was only until they swelled into an 11-piece manifesto of Toronto’s indie rock community and became the Canadian Juno-Award winning supergroup including Metric’s Emily Haines, and Do Make Say Think’s Charles Spearin. And while they may not have the name recognition as the Traveling Wilburys or even Monsters of Folk, Broken Social Scene have the staying power needed to be more than just another supergroup. With as many as 23 musicians in the collective’s roster, and such a liquid mentality, they wont be held back.

Only a taste of the new album courtesy of Broken Social Scene’s website including the tracks, "Forced to Love," "All to All," and today’s song, "World Sick," is enough to stir up some buzz and excitement for the mega-group’s first album in five years. After stepping away from the group mentality, BSS’s Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning having both released solo albums under Arts and Crafts and with the Broken Social Scene flag still flying high, they have reconvened as Broken Social Scene to create Forgiveness Rock Record, released May 4th on Arts and Crafts. The follow up to these solo endeavors, the Broken Social Scene is back together as a whole. The whole lot of them. [via]

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye

2010-03-28T00:30:00.001-04:00

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye - Trailer from Marie Losier on Vimeo.

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye is a documentary in post-production on the lives of Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge.

link

Who Remembers Poco?

2010-03-25T13:36:00.008-04:00

In the fall of ’71, Poco was no doubt the most popular of the first generation country-rock bands. By then, their album Deliverin’ had entered the Top 30 and Poco thanked its label, Epic Records, with a private showcase at the CBS Records’ Hollywood studio.

“We just set up as we would have for a small club,” recalls frontman Richie Furay, whose bandmates included guitarist/singer Paul Cotton (from the Illinois Speed Press), bassist Tim Schmidt (later of the Eagles), pedal steel player Rusty Young and drummer/vocalist George Grantham. By then, Poco was evolving from country-rock towards an edgier rock sound.

Furay says, “Though we were innovators of the L.A. ‘country-rock’ sound, we weren’t going top be pigeonholed into being a one-sound band.” The 14 songs they performed for label employees that day were a solid cross-section of tunes that had appeared on its first four albums including the medley “Hard Luck Child/Child’s Claim to Fame/Pickin’ Up the Pieces,” plus “I Guess You Made It,” “A Man Like Me,” “Ol’ Forgiver,” “Heart That Music,” “Hurry Up,” “You Are the One” and others for an hour of music. {via}

This rare, live, Poco’s Live at Columbia Studios, Hollywood 9/30/71, will be released will be on April 20 (4/20). They are still touring; see website for info.

website | wikipedia

Fang Island

2010-03-21T09:31:00.005-04:00

Fang Island is the latest band I've found to get excited about. I especially like the song, Daisy. It's part Animal Collective (vocal harmonies) and Arcade Fire (organ melody) as is much of their music. Beautifully soaring guitar melodies with just the right amount of harmony. How can you go wrong with that? Def my new favorite band.

Stop by the website and buy the latest (3rd) cd or listen to it here.

b by iamamiwhoami

2010-03-04T13:21:00.000-05:00

This is the latest video from iamamiwhoami that has been coming out since December 2009 and have us all totally baffled. No one knows who is performing but they're shot well and the singer is more than a little intriguing. She is a superb original and sings beautiful, melancholy sounds with breathtaking visuals. I was all over YouTube this winter listening and reading the theories. Everyone first thought it was Christina Aguilera. The clues sure pointed to it being her but your gut said it would be the biggest coup of all time if it was her.

It's someone much hipper than Xtina. Everyone seems to be leaning towards Jonna Lee now for the past month or two, because it looks a lot like her.

It's more like Fever Ray (Karin Anderssen) or Vuk or even Amy Lee but my guess all along has been Karin Anderssen slightly because of the look but mostly because of the sound and visual. To me she's just that cool.

Yeasayer and the Polyphonic Spree to Visit Uganda

2010-03-02T11:19:00.003-05:00

Invisible Children + La Blogotheque + The Polyphonic Spree from Alexander Collins on Vimeo.

Yeasayer have signed on to travel to Gulu, Uganda later this year, aiming to learn first hand the effects of the Ugandan civil war. They join the already-committed Polyphonic Spree. The trip is being organised by the charity Invisible Children, which is dedicated to improving the lives of these children who are forcibly recruited into the civil war. Whilst in Uganda the bands will learn about the war first hand, and perform live in various locations.

A documentary is set to be made by La Blogotheque, the site behind the 'Take Away Shows,' which puts bands in unusual locations, then films them. They've made a trailer for the project, which can be seen here (video below).

Bowerbirds

2010-02-25T16:32:00.001-05:00

Not a very awe-inspiring name or one that necessarily makes you want to explore further. But you have to take MY word for it. These guys are good. Mighty damn good. One of those bands that their whole album is good, not just a few songs. All in the neofolk vein. Think: good melodies, good harmonies, good acoustics.

Now. Go forth and multiply, er, um, explore! You can hear them at all three of the links I've included below.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bowerbirds are Beth Tacular, Phil Moore and Mark Paulson from North Carolina. They make leafy folk-pop with guitars, accordions and violins.

Their first full length album, Hymns for a Dark Horse, was released in Spring 2007 on Burly Time Records. Their fluent, characteristic style, marked by wonderfully skilled songcraft and bucolic imagery, has since earned them several positive reviews.

Their latest album, Upper Air, was released July 7, 2009 on Dead Oceans.

LastFM | MySpace | Website

Shpongle's Ineffable Mysteries

2010-01-27T17:16:00.003-05:00

"Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland" was released in mid-November 2009 and I've just got around to getting it. It is my favorite Shpongle, by far. Just great.

Order CD here

A Bob Dylan Two-Fer

2010-01-26T14:22:00.006-05:00

Bob Dylan’s Art Exhibition

The Halcyon Gallery in London will exhibit the singer-songwriter’s art work on Feb. 13. The dozen acrylic paintings dubbed “Bob Dylan on Canvas” will also be displayed later in the year at the National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen and Statens Museum for Kunst. {via}

link

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Bob Dylan to Perform at the White House

"In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" to be Aired February 11

Event marks the continuation of White House Music Series by celebrating Black History Month

The 2010 White House Music Series begins on Wednesday, February 10th, when the President and First Lady will host "In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" - a concert celebrating Black History month. Participants include Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Howard University Choir and others. Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah will serve as emcees for this concert which will feature songs from the Civil Rights Movement as well as readings from famous Civil Rights speeches and writings. The President will make opening remarks at this concert held in the East Room which will streamed live on http://www.whitehouse.gov starting at 5:15 p.m. ET.

link

Jeff Mangum Does Chris Knox Cover

2010-01-20T10:52:00.003-05:00

Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum on a new benefit CD called Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox.

From the All Things Considered Show on NPR.

New Plants and Animals CD

2010-01-11T18:20:00.005-05:00

LA LA LAND

Parc Avenue, the 2008 debut from Montreal indie poppers Plants and Animals, brought the band to continental prominence and landed them a set at last year's Pitchfork Music Festival. And on April 20, the quartet will release sophomore album La La Land, via Secret City. (Just one more reason to look forward to 4/20.)

Plants and Animals recorded the LP at their own studio, the Treatment Room, and in an old mansion outside Paris. According to a press release, they've rediscovered electric guitars and effects pedals, so look for these guys to rock a little harder this time out.

Stream and/or download the track "Tom Cruz" here.

link

"Tom Cruz" is a well written song. Listen more than once and it'll be in your head all day. No way this is not going to be another excellent cd. They're quite simply blessed with talent and gimmick free.

RIP Vic Chesnutt

2009-12-29T13:33:00.004-05:00

Vic Chesnutt Tributes Pour in from Musicians, Journalists, Fans

Michael Stipe on Vic Chesnutt: Chesnutt's death is believed to be a suicide, and Stipe said that the musician "was very open about talking about his depression and about suicidal tendencies and thoughts." Stipe added that Chesnutt's tune "Flirted With You All My Life" was the late singer's "break-up song with death."

As news of Chesnutt's death spread over the holiday weekend, musicians took to the web to pay their respects. Patti Smith and Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum both wrote to the website of Constellation Records, which released some of Chesnutt's albums.

"...in 1991 i moved to athens georgia in search of god, but what I discovered instead was vic chesnutt. Hearing his music completely transformed the way I thought about writing songs, and I will forever be in his debt." "He possessed an unearthly energy and yet was humanistic with the common man in mind," wrote Smith. "He was entirely present and entirely somewhere else. A mystical somewhere else. A child and an old guy as he called himself… with his angel voice."

Added Mangum: "In 1991 I moved to Athens in search of god, but what I discovered instead was Vic Chesnutt. Hearing his music completely transformed the way I thought about writing songs, and I will forever be in his debt." Read More »

Yeasayer Coming To Asheville!

2009-12-21T15:21:00.005-05:00

>

APRIL 5, 2010 | 9:00 PM

Where: The Orange Peel, Asheville

TICKETS

Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum Returns With Chris Knox Cover

2009-12-16T14:25:00.002-05:00

Reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel leader Jeff Mangum hasn't released any new music in forever, so any news of a new Mangum track is a big deal. In July, we reported that Mangum would show up on Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox, a tribute album dedicated to New Zealand indie forefather and stroke survivor Chris Knox. But when the tracklist for the New Zealand release of Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox came out last month, Mangum wasn't on it.

Well, good news: Mangum is on the U.S. version of the album, which is out now digitally via Merge. (Physical copies are due February 23.) Mangum covers "Sign the Dotted Line", a song by Knox's band Tall Dwarfs.

Read More »

Any bit of news on Jeff Mangum is better than NO news on Jeff Mangum. Eventually we may get him alltheway back.

Telling The Bees

2009-12-08T15:42:00.006-05:00

Telling The Bees are made up of four local folk scene stalwarts: singer and multi-instrumentalist Andy Letcher, bassist and guitarist Colin Fletcher and string players Jane Griffiths and Josie Webber.

They take their band name from the ancient custom of telling the family beehive of any notable goings-on lest they get upset and fly away and, as you’d expect, they’re in that solid tradition of native folk that has passed from minstrels into the modern age.

Their 'darkly crafted folkedelia' is a worthy extension of the English pastoral tradition, their songs are inspired by nature, folklore, the politics and protest of the ecological movement and possibly most significantly the 'otherworldliness' of the English countryside.

An English Arcanum was released on November 2009. {via: spiralearth}

Link | Listen

Dylan's Must Be Santa

2009-12-06T20:04:00.000-05:00

A little odd to see Bobby in long straight hair singing about Santa but with this bordello-type spin on it, it's not bad. It's from his first ever Christmas album, Christmas In The Heart.

All of the artist's U.S. royalities from sales of these recordings will be donated to Feeding America, guaranteeing that more than four million meals will be provided to more than 1.4 million people in need this year's holiday season.

Link | YouTube | Review

British hard rock pioneers, FREE.

2009-12-02T16:22:00.003-05:00

Free were an English rock band, formed in London in 1968. The band was famed for its sensational live shows and nonstop touring. The disbandment of Free was in 1973.

Solid as a motherfucker. "All Right Now", although a monster hit for them, isn't the only good song Free did. Hear some of their songs on Last.FM.

Golden Animals

2009-11-16T12:51:00.009-05:00

Golden Animals' life, look and sound is as organic as it is glam, the kind of effortless beauty that can only have a tune-in, turn-on, drop-out story behind it and, these days, nothing but the stars above it.

When Tommy Eisner met Linda Beecroft in Brooklyn three years ago, he was studying oil painting at Cooper Union and she was a Swedish model in town for a job from Paris. Soon they became each other's world-pond-hopping between Paris and New York, Eisner writing songs on acoustic guitar and Beecroft learning drums -- and realized they wanted to leave New York.

"We were living in a basement apartment in Brooklyn and we were just like 'What are we doing here?'"says Eisner. On the eve of their planned trip west, Charles Slomovitz of HappyParts Recordings offered them a record deal in Cali, and the rest is free-living history. via

"...all the while we were working on this new album, we felt very free, society felt (and was) very far away. We made a record and called it 'Free Your Mind and Win a Pony.'" via

MySpace | Last.FM

I like their free and easy music style. They compliment each other with their light hearted melodies and harmonies without being too catchy or hook-driven.

What I'm Listening To

2009-11-14T14:41:00.000-05:00

mr Gnome

2009-11-09T13:57:00.009-05:00

The music of mr. Gnome (Nicole Barille and Sam Meister) has been described as utilizing elements of AltRock, Metal, Post Punk, and Prog, but land in a realm of their own making, crafting a compelling sonic-psychedelic melange of indie rock.

Since their conception in 2005, the Cleveland duo has released two EPs, receiving wide-ranging and honorable comparisons to Massive Attack, PJ Harvey, Tool, Portishead, Cat Power, Pelican, Death From Above 1979, Bjork and Blonde Redhead.

Their third cd, Heave Yer Skeleton, was just released (November 2009) with a free download of the single, Slow Side, on MySpace.

Regarding the band's name, I saw this on their blog: "I guess it probably wasn't a good idea to name our band after a recurring character from my acid trips." and it endears me to them even more. ha! But let me also add that there is a lot of 'tongue in cheek' on their blog so don't take that comment literally! I like these guys.

link | blog

Royal Bangs

2009-11-08T14:49:00.011-05:00

Royal Bangs are Ryan, Henry, Brandon, Sam, and Chris, and they are the most original sounding band from Knoxville, TN, ever.

Their 2nd album Let It Beep came out in September 2009. We Breed Champions from 2008 is also really very good.

It's fresh and original ROCK music. It's neither post, heavy, emo, nor kraut, neo, or indie. It's ROCK music. Remember what that sounded like?

Royal Bangs - Poison Control
Royal Bangs - War Bells
Royal Bangs - My Car Is Haunted

Link | MySpace

Fanfarlo

2009-11-04T13:22:00.003-05:00

Fanfarlo is a London based band formed by the Swedish musician Simon Balthazar (vocals, guitar, clarinet). Their name refers to Charles Baudelaire’s novella, "La Fanfarlo."

They've released some singles over the past few years but Reservoir is their debut cd that was introduced in 2008.

According to music fans on Last.FM, if you like Arcade Fire and Beirut, you'll like Fanfarlo. I pretty much agree with that assessment. The arrangements and instruments used by Fanfarlo are Arcade Fire-like and the harmonies blend nicely like Beirut but they do have their own style that I've been enjoying here at home and via my mp3 player.

2009-10-24T01:15:00.000-04:00

The Lickets

The Lickets are an experimental group of folk musicians centered around the multi instrumentalists, Lena Buell, Mitch Greer, and Rachel Smith.

Often difficult to describe, the collective is described as a "transcendental mini-orchestra", and their work has been called "empyrean, luminously beautiful" and "Haunting, eerie, and altogether unique".

This is relaxing music. Morning music. The new album is Her Name Came On Arrows and you can name your own price for the album.

2009-10-21T17:08:00.002-04:00

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

Like a crazed mix of Krishnas, von Trapps and musical merry pranksters Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes are blazing a path through the music world.

They got so much buzz midyear that I avoided them. That buzz usually translates into a softer sanitized rock like the band Phoenix, The Decemberists or the Shins and a whole shitload of others that are devoid of innovation and soul.

So...their first album came out in July 2009 and is fun and exhilarating. It's full of rich melodies and upbeat lyrics. I'm excited about them the way I got excited about Arcade Fire and Fever Ray. (They didn't propel me to "Yeasayer-excited", but hardly anyone else can do that.)

Lead singer Alex Ebert was just flat-out born to be a front man. Tall, dark, and lanky, his expressive eyes smile as he holds court for an appreciative audience with ants in his pants -- my, oh my. Alex and muse Jade Castrinos sing to each other and she warmly blends the vocals with him on some of the tunes. She's a talented, solid singer but she's a wee bit too effing happy for me. Almost like she's done some acid and can't get rid of the "grins". Do U No wuddamean? Apologies to Lee Michaels; yes, saw him, too.

MySpace | YouTube

YEASAYER

2009-10-21T14:13:00.006-04:00

NYC psych merchants Yeasayer have signed to Secretly Canadian for the North American release of their highly anticipated sophomore album. The follow-up to 2007's All Hour Cymbals (which was released on We Are Free) is called Odd Blood, and it will be released on February 9, 2010. Mute will release the album outside of North America.

Yeasayer will preview Odd Blood at a show at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City on October 30. A special light show is promised. (Ooh!) They'll also hit up the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin on November 7.

Odd Blood tracklist below:

Odd Blood:

01 The Children
02 Ambling Alp
03 Madder Red
04 I Remember
05 ONE
06 Love Me Girl
07 Rome
08 Strange Reunions
09 Mondegreen
10 Grizelda

YAY!! We knew this album would be ready in early spring but didn't have a date or a track list. So excited.

Source | Blog

2009-10-17T14:52:00.000-04:00

ESPERS III out October 20, 2009, on Drag City / Wichita. cover art by Xavier Schipani.

MySpace | Pre-Order

The previous 2 cds have seen me through thousands of miles and entertained many of my friends. This group is exceptionally talented and uniquely melancholy and that, my sweetness, is a good thing.

The Parlor Mob

2009-05-27T00:53:00.005-04:00

You say there's no good rock music anymore? Then you haven't heard The Parlor Mob. And You Were A Crow is the latest cd and Can't Keep No Good Boy Down is my favorite song on it.

MySpace | LastFM | Roadrunner

2009-05-26T15:44:00.008-04:00

Aung San Suu Kyi

When is someone going to be able to confront the ruling Junta in Burma and say 'enough is enough'? (To put it mildly) Suu Kyi's plight has moved me throughout much of her detained 13 years and the longer it drags on the madder we all get.

Maybe if some dynamite director made a film about her so the buzz could gather up a storm of publicity. Or if we snuck in under dark of night and miraculously planted massive amounts of oil down deep in the ground. Maybe then we'd go clean up their oppressive military regime that keeps their democratically elected female president locked away after rightfully winning the election.

Suu Kyi, I have enormous respect for you and still I pray for your swift release.

link

2009-05-25T16:54:00.000-04:00

I have a new website now. Broken Hallelujah

Easy Bake Coven will still be here; it just won't be updated.

We are travellers in a cosmic journey

2009-05-23T13:50:00.002-04:00

We are travellers in a cosmic journey - star dust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. But the expressions of life are ephemeral, momentary, transient.

Buddha once said "This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky."

We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment, but it is transient. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. If we share with caring, light heartedness and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other. And then this moment will have been worthwhile.
--Deepak Chopra

2009-05-23T01:13:00.004-04:00

(My last post on) Antichrist

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe in Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," Zentropa, 2009

Five minutes after it ended (at Cannes), the first screening of Lars von Trier's new, outrageous "Antichrist" was already a thing of legend.

Journalists wobbled away ecstatic, furious, amused, bewildered or physically ill, and at a press conference the next day, the Danish provocateur proclaimed "I am the best film director in the world."

Is von Trier's new yardstick to measure success the barf factor? Or by how many people walked out?

A sample of some critic's reactions from Patrick Walker's piece in LATimes.com.

* Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum: "Blood spurts, bones are broken, genitals are mutilated. Hellooo? Are you still with me?"

* Time Out New York's Stephen Garrett: "I personally had a ball. [It's] gonzo drama at its most feral."

* Variety's Todd McCarthy: "Von Trier cuts a big fat art-film fart with 'Antichrist.' Traveling deep into NC-17 territory, this may prove a great date movie for pain-is-pleasure couples. Otherwise, most of the director's usual fans will find this outing risible, off-putting or both."

You are brilliant, and the earth is hiring

2009-05-19T13:00:00.003-04:00

YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING

Basically, the earth needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.

This planet came with a set of operating instructions, but we seem to have misplaced them. Important rules like don’t poison the water, soil, or air, and don’t let the earth get overcrowded, and don’t touch the thermostat have been broken. Buckminster Fuller said that spaceship earth was so ingeniously designed that no one has a clue that we are on one, flying through the universe at a million miles per hour, with no need for seatbelts, lots of room in coach, and really good food, but all that is changing.

There is invisible writing on the back of the diploma you will receive, and in case you didn’t bring lemon juice to decode it, I can tell you what it says: YOU ARE BRILLIANT, AND THE EARTH IS HIRING.

Read more from the Commencement Address to the Class of 2009 | University of Portland

Bands by Smell

2009-05-19T10:17:00.002-04:00

Bands by Smell
by Molly Lambert

Bob Dylan: Opium and Latkes
The Rolling Stones: Mothballs and Burnt Toast
David Bowie: Amphetamines and Astronaut Ice Cream
Lil' Wayne: NyQuil and Martian Dust
Jim Morrison: Vomit and Leather
Devendra Banhart: Body Odor and Thai Stick
Mariah Carey: Champagne and Vaseline
Christina Aguilera: Marshmallows and Pleather
Prince: Purple Haze, Patchouli, and Pussy
Iggy Pop: Demerol and Expired Eye Makeup
Madonna: A-Rod and Formaldehyde

link

Well done!

In these trying times don’t you wish you could go back to the womb?

2009-05-18T00:56:00.003-04:00

Anthropodino - Inside the womblike space of Ernesto Neto’s installation at the Park Avenue Armory.

via: c-monster | nytimes.com

In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto

2009-05-16T00:29:00.000-04:00

Michael Pollan is one of the nations leading writers and thinkers in this country on the issue of food. He is author of several books about food, including The Botany of Desire, The Omnivores Dilemma and his latest, In Defense of Food: An Eaters Manifesto. In light of what he calls the processed food industry co-option of sustainability and its vast spending on marketing, Pollan advises to be wary of any food that's advertised. 94% of it is spent advertising processed foods.

2009-05-13T15:35:00.006-04:00

If I had these shoes...

...I'd be on the floor, too. Resting.

link

Mother's Day Proclamation - 1870

2009-05-10T08:55:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day Proclamation - 1870

by Julia Ward Howe

Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe out dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.

* Rainbow Forest Fairy *

2009-05-09T23:17:00.002-04:00

* Rainbow Forest Fairy *
Originally uploaded by pareeerica.

Manipulated photo by the very talented pareeerica. Love it.

Twouble with Twitters, Part II

2009-05-09T20:18:00.002-04:00

Twitter's blowing up, in this sequel to Twouble with Twitters, when celebrities take over the twittersphere.

Has Twitter, gasp, jumped the shark?

LINK

Zoe Keating Plays"Escape Artist"

2009-05-09T16:55:00.003-04:00

Zoe Keating gives Wired an exclusive performance of a song from her up and coming album.

She is the real deal and I'm betting she'll bring the cello to many people who didn't otherwise appreciate it.

Her melodies are full and sophisticated and can hold their own and then the cello comes in and adds this richness to an already fabulous foundation. Just magical.

I'm a big fan.

BLENDER Calls Bullshit

2009-05-05T14:40:00.003-04:00

BLENDER Calls Bullshit
The 33 Most Overrated in Rock

Samples from list

2. YOUR FAVORITE BLOGGER’S NEW FAVORITE BAND
Thanks to the Web 2.0 bubble, it’s now possible for a next-big-thing band to go through the Hootie and the Blowfish career arc in four hours. Yay, Web 2.0! The problem is, the OMG! Best Band Ever! zombie rhythm of blogging doesn’t work for music, where it really does help if you play the song a second time. The hype-backlash cycle has gotten to where the next Black Rainbow Wolf Hunter go from novelty to has-been by the time they’re recording their second song.

32. KISS
Memo to Gene Simmons: Either take your shirt off or put your pants on. As a band, they’re about as perfunctory as Gene’s sex tape—they’re a tiresome, bickering circus act with a few decent glam songs.

29. GETTING RICK RUBIN TO PRODUCE YOUR RECORD
It’s not 1986, you’re not the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash is dead.
Underrated alternative: Getting Rick Rubin to produce your beard. LOVE it.

Daring to call out the media hyped crowd. I like it. Who'd they leave out?

Read More »

Queens of the Trinity

2009-05-05T00:29:00.002-04:00

Queens of the trinity
Originally uploaded by Fifi Patchouli ☠.

by Fifi Patchouli

Neil Krug

2009-05-04T13:35:00.002-04:00

WHITE FLIGHT
Originally uploaded by neil krug.

Neil Krug's Photostream takes a psychedelic look back as he makes current photos look decades old.

Interview with Kim Gordon

2009-05-04T00:31:00.003-04:00

Portrait by Richard Kern

Interview with Kim Gordon

Attempting to pin a label on Kim Gordon is like trying to understand the lyrics of Sonic Youth's songs: it’s beside the point. She has worked for Larry Gagosian, written for Artforum, exhibited paintings and directed music videos, produced Hole’s first album and was briefly a character on The Simpsons. Currently, Gordon is at work on her second clothing line, Mirror/Dash. Of course, she is best known as the frontman/bass player for Sonic Youth.

Here, this true original sat down with her friend, photographer and filmmaker Richard Kern, to talk about sheetrock, Godard, fashion and how it can get lonely being an anomaly.

link