tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-253074612024-02-08T09:36:54.151-08:00Bongorama Music ClubA Bongorama Networks e-club. Established 1993. Online since 2002.Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.comBlogger406125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-15507860199221918032010-04-29T04:53:00.001-07:002010-04-29T05:23:51.848-07:00This blog has moved<br /> This blog is now located at http://bongoramamusic.blogspot.com/.<br /> You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click <a href='http://bongoramamusic.blogspot.com/'>here</a>.<br /><br /> For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to<br /> http://bongoramamusic.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.<br /> Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-56729936618684239382009-01-13T23:59:00.000-08:002009-01-14T00:00:58.123-08:00Manager Declares the Death of Led Zeppelin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/led-zeppelin-1280x1024-738295.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/led-zeppelin-1280x1024-738150.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Jimmy Page’s manager has played down reports of a possible Led Zeppelin reunion without Robert Plant. Speaking to Music Radar, Peter Mensch said, "Led Zeppelin are over! If you didn't see them in 2007, you missed them. It's done. I can't be any clearer than that."<br /><br />Plant has said he wouldn't consider playing with the band for a good two years, as he continues to tour behind the Raising Sand record with Alison Krauss. While Mensch admitted that Led Zeppelin's three other members auditioned some possible Plant replacements, he insists, "no one worked out... There are absolutely no plans for them to continue. Zero. Frankly, I wish everybody would stop talking about it."<br /><br />Zing! One catch, though: Mensch said he has no idea what Page's plans are for the rest of 2009, so maybe he isn't in the loop after all.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-6715873136380884782009-01-13T00:03:00.000-08:002009-01-13T00:06:29.413-08:00Antony and the Johnson "The Crying Light"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/sc194-758429.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/sc194-758400.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/">Antony and the Johnson's</a> breakthrough second album I Am a Bird Now won the UK's Mercury Prize in 2005. The success that followed introduced many to a pioneering soul singer exploring themes that traversed darkness and light, life and death, male and female. Antony's inimitable voice sparked the interest of artists ranging from Bjork to Hercules and Love Affair, resulting in a series of critically acclaimed collaborations.<br /><a href="http://www.secretlycanadian.com/onesheet.php?cat=SC194"><br />The Crying Light is the highly anticipated full-length follow-up</a> to I Am a Bird Now. Here, Antony shifts the thematic focus and explores his relationship with the elemental and natural world, and the intimacy of the Johnsons' sound is enveloped by subtle symphonic arrangements. The first moments of "Her Eyes Are Underneath the Ground" set the stage, conjuring an animist world with enigmatic lyrics, painterly clarinet lines, and a lilting piano that cradles the listener over a menacing quarry of strings. The spiraling waltz of "Epilepsy Is Dancing" and the joyful ricochets of "Kiss My Name" are to follow. The record's centerpiece, "Another World" traces despair in the face of a vanishing landscape. The hypnotic vocal on "Dust and Water" unfurls like smoke, and the track "Everglade", co-arranged with Nico Muhly, concludes the album. Here Antony realizes that his "...Limbs (have) stopped Crying for Home..." and falls into a musical reverie that seems inspired in its sense of pastoral abandon by the legendary Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno, whose eerie portrait graces the cover of The Crying Light .<br /><br />Antony and the Johnsons' music bridges the gap between avant-classical music and the blues, and Antony and his band have sold out performances from Carnegie Hall to the Apollo. The Crying Light may become one of those albums that becomes emblematic of its time, a reflection of the momentous changes that we are facing, within each of our private worlds as well as collectively, and how we are summoning the courage to start moving through them.<br /><br />The Crying Light will be released January 20th, 2009.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-38766798100543746212009-01-12T15:05:00.000-08:002009-01-12T15:09:53.029-08:00Isaac Hayes' landmark album to be reissued posthumously<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/isaac-hayes-black-moses-detail-793379.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 373px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/isaac-hayes-black-moses-detail-793327.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.pr-inside.com/stax-records-reissues-isaac-hayes-black-r997790.htm">Isaac Hayes' landmark 1971 album 'Black Moses' is set to be reissued</a> next month.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/artists/Isaac-Hayes/">The late soul man's original label Stax Records</a> is set to re-release the album on February 24 in the US. The songs have been newly remastered from the original tape recordings, and the package will include recent liner notes written by Stax scholar Rob Bowman.<br /><br />Also on February 24, Stax will reissue Hayes' 1976 disco album, 'Juicy Fruit'. This will be the first time the album will be available in CD format. It will include liner notes written by music historian Bill Dahl.<br /><br />Hayes, who won several Grammy Awards and provided the voice of animated show 'Southpark's Chef later in his career, passed away in August, as previously reported.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-35742919532476317882009-01-11T09:05:00.000-08:002009-01-11T09:11:23.607-08:0010 hot new music acts for 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/vvbrown-796837.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/vvbrown-796833.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />With blues-infused folk, some doo-wop soul and electro synth-pop aplenty, there’ll be something for everybody. <a href="http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article5423121.ece">Dan Cairns picks this year’s next big things</a>.<br /><br />http://www.myspace.com/vvbrown<br />http://www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic<br />http://www.myspace.com/karimafrancis<br />http://www.myspace.com/frankmusik<br />http://www.myspace.com/ladygaga<br />http://www.myspace.com/leleisbanging<br />http://www.myspace.com/terrylynnkingstonlogic<br />http://www.myspace.com/lisalisamitchell<br />http://www.myspace.com/passionpitjams<br />http://www.myspace.com/thecocknbullkid<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-77111053352342761542009-01-11T08:06:00.000-08:002009-01-11T08:08:28.616-08:00Bono Guest Columnist in the New York Times<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/bonolarge-775691.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 285px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/bonolarge-775687.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Bono, the lead singer of U2, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/opinion/11bono.html">on what Frank Sinatra taught him</a> about art, innocence and experience.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-3514862334021104782009-01-10T09:41:00.000-08:002009-01-10T09:54:00.839-08:00Buddha Machine 2.0<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/buddhamachine20b-722497.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/buddhamachine20b-722473.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/buddhamachine20-725160.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 351px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/buddhamachine20-725156.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />By Sasha Frere-Jones, The New Yorker<br /><br />The electronic musicians Christiaan Virant and Zhang Jian live in Beijing and work under the name FM3. In 2005, they released their Buddha Machine, a collection of nine audio loops ranging in length from five to forty seconds and housed in a small brightly colored plastic box fitted with a speaker, like a transistor radio from the last century. Until a new sound is selected, a loop repeats infinitely (or until the battery runs out). You can (and should) listen while you read, relax, exercise, or cook: my original blue Buddha Machine has kept me sane through many an evening of chopping and dicing. Virant and Zhang perform live with multiple Buddha Machines, sometimes battling. They have also designed custom housings, one made partly from tea leaves. <a href="http://www.fm3buddhamachine.com/">The Buddha Machine 2.0 is out now</a> for around twenty bucks, featuring nine new loops and a pitch control. You can also download both sets of loops from the FM3 Web site, buy a Buddha Machine app for your iPhone ($3.99), or go to a Web site called Zendesk that has arrayed twenty-one virtual Buddha Machines into a wall of sound.<br /><br />There is <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2009/01/omcom.html">a blog follow-up here</a>, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/buddha-machine/">a Flickr album here</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp9-V3QSafA">a YouTube video here</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">###<br /></div><br />Product info from Forced Exposure: <span class="desc"><br /><br />The Beijing-based duo <b>FM3</b> is back with an all-new version of their wildly successful 2005 release, the <i>Buddha Machine</i>. Introducing <i>Buddha Machine 2.0</i>: 9 new loops. 3 new colors. Pitch bend. Blurring the line between music box and musical instrument, the <i>Buddha Machine 2.0</i> is an interactive album that lets users customize the listening experience. Drop the pitch and the music ebbs in a low ambient drone. Boost the speed and suddenly its alive with melody. Add a few more machines, set them at different speeds and you have an evolving audio perfume. Plug it into a mixer, add some beats or vocals or guitar... FM3 won't mind. In fact, they encourage people to use the <i>Buddha Machine</i> as inspiration. Since its release in 2005, the original <i>Buddha Machine</i> has sold more than 50,000 units worldwide and has won praise from artists as diverse as <b>Daft Punk</b>, <b>Gorillaz</b>, <b>Low</b>, <b>Monolake</b>, <b>Sunn O)))</b>, <b>Blixa Bargeld</b> and <b>Mike Patton</b>. Legendary producer <b>Brian Eno</b> was the first customer for the original <i>Buddha Machine</i> and nearly 3 years later told FM3 he still "cherishes" his purchase! Similar in shape and design to the original <i>Buddha Machine</i>, but boasting more robust construction and improved sound quality, the 2.0 comes in three colors: burgundy, grey and brown. For those who haven't experienced the pleasure of the original, the <i>Buddha Machine</i> is essentially a small plastic box that plays ambient loops. The loops repeat endlessly until the "track" is switched or the two AA batteries (not included) run out. The machine has its own built-in speaker and there is also a headphone jack for a more personal experience. But the charm of the device isn't nearly as specific: the <i>Buddha Machine</i> has a calming presence in today's fast-paced world. Its charm mixes with FM3's innovative music to provide the owner with an experience that is hard to define. Essentially, it's a box with a life, a tool for living, and to many, it's a friend. Founded in 1999 by <b>Christiaan Virant</b> and <b>Zhang Jian</b>, FM3 are considered pioneers of electronic music in China. Inspired by Buddhist prayer boxes found at temples around Asia, the duo released the original <i>Buddha Machine</i> in April 2005, winning acclaim in publications including BoingBoing.net, <i>The New York Times</i> and <i>Arthur</i> magazine. </span><br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-31628572858807327732009-01-10T09:14:00.001-08:002009-01-10T09:15:16.224-08:00John Barry web exclusive<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/john-barry-0902-01-705380.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/john-barry-0902-01-705375.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />As a kid growing up in World War II–era York, John Barry spent every Saturday in one of his father’s cinemas, figuring out what made a movie great. As a young musician in 60s London, he became an immortal part of the process, famous for arranging the “James Bond Theme,” writing the Goldfinger title song, and scoring more than 90 films, including Midnight Cowboy, Born Free, and Out of Africa. At age 75, after five Oscars, four wives, and a lot of glamour,<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/02/john-barry200902"> Barry talks about the magic he mad</a>e. <br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-45919362308674686732009-01-09T23:44:00.001-08:002009-01-09T23:45:06.523-08:00The International Noise Conspiracy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/internationalnoiseconspiracy-794894.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 387px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/internationalnoiseconspiracy-794888.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-5064749740870324422009-01-09T23:33:00.001-08:002009-01-09T23:34:45.406-08:00Edwyn Collins and His Birds of Recovery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/edwyncollins-736794.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/edwyncollins-736791.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwyn_Collins">Edwyn Collins</a> is that cool Scottish guy who was the singer in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Juice">Orange Juice</a>. They were one of the best and most original British pop bands ever. He also did that song “A Girl Like You” that has been used in a million commercials and movies, especially in montages of women trying on clothes at fancy stores.<br /> <br />In 2005, Edwyn suffered two major brain hemorrhages that left him unable to walk, talk, or use his right hand. He was not even able to read anymore. His brain had lost the ability to work out letters and words.<br /> <br /><a href="http://www.viceland.com/int/v15n12/htdocs/edwyn-collins-435.php">Over the next three years, with the help of therapists and the encouragement of his wife, Grace Maxwell, Edwyn started drawing animals, primarily birds, with his left hand, as a way of teaching his body and mind how to work again.</a><br /><br />***<br /></em>Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-56101802825714832192008-11-12T21:31:00.001-08:002008-11-12T21:32:12.430-08:00Mitch Mitchell, drummer for Hendrix, found dead<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/mitchmitchell-721074.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 283px; height: 400px;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/mitchmitchell-721072.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Mitch Mitchell, drummer for the legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience of the 1960s and the group's last surviving member, was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.<p>Mitchell was a powerful force on the Hendrix band's 1967 debut album "Are You Experienced?" as well as the trio's albums "Electric Ladyland" and "Axis: Bold As Love." He had an explosive drumming style that can be heard in hard-charging songs such as "Fire" and "Manic Depression."</p><p>The Englishman had been drumming for the Experience Hendrix Tour, which performed Friday in Portland. It was the last stop on the West Coast part of the tour.</p><p>Hendrix died in 1970. Bass player Noel Redding died in 2003.</p><p>An employee at Portland's Benson Hotel called police after discovering Mitchell's body.</p><p>Erin Patrick, a deputy medical examiner, said Mitchell apparently died of natural causes. An autopsy was planned.</p><p>"He was a wonderful man, a brilliant musician and a true friend," said Janie Hendrix, chief executive of the Experience Hendrix Tour and Jimi Hendrix' stepsister. "His role in shaping the sound of the Jimi Hendrix Experience cannot be underestimated."</p><p>Bob Merlis, a spokesman for the tour, said Mitchell had stayed in Portland for a four-day vacation and planned to leave Wednesday.</p><p>"It was a devastating surprise," Merlis said. "Nobody drummed like he did."</p><p>He said he saw Mitchell perform two weeks ago in Los Angeles, and the drummer appeared to be healthy and upbeat.</p><p>Merlis said the tour was designed to bring together veteran musicians who had known Hendrix — like Mitchell — and younger artists, such as Grammy-nominated winner Jonny Lang, who have been influenced by him.</p><p>Blues-rock guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who is 31 and was part of the tour, said Mitchell was to the drums what Hendrix was to the guitar.</p><p>"Today many of us have lost a dear friend, and the world has lost a rock n' roll hero," he said.</p><p>Mitchell was a one-of-a-kind drummer whose "jazz-tinged" style was influenced by Max Roach and Elvin Jones, Merlis said. The work was a vital part of both the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the 1960s and the Experience Hendrix Tour that ended last week, he said.</p><p>"If Jimi Hendrix were still alive," Merlis said, "he would have acknowledged that."</p><p>During his career Mitchell played with the best in the business — not just Hendrix, but also Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Keith Richards, Jack Bruce, Jeff Beck, Muddy Waters and others.</p><p>Mitchell performed with Hendrix and Redding at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967, the U.S. debut of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. He also was member of a later version of the band that performed the closing set of the Woodstock Festival in August 1969 — where Hendrix played a psychedelic version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the band launched into "Purple Haze."</p><p>The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 1992. According to the Hall of Fame, Mitchell was born July 9, 1947, in Ealing, England.</p><p>Terry Stewart, chief executive of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, said Mitchell transformed his instrument from a "strictly percussive element to a lead instrument."</p><p>"His interplay with Jimi Hendrix's guitar on songs like 'Fire' is truly amazing," Stewart said Wednesday. "Mitch Mitchell had a massive influence on rock 'n' roll drumming and took it to new heights."</p><p>Hendrix, Redding and Mitchell held their first rehearsal in October 1966, according to the Hall of Fame's Web site.</p><p>In an interview last month with the Boston Herald, Mitchell said he met Hendrix "in this sleazy little club."</p><p>"We did some Chuck Berry and took it from there," Mitchell told the newspaper. "I suppose it worked."<br /></p><p>***<br /></p>Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-55327778138868165472008-02-17T09:16:00.000-08:002008-02-17T09:21:20.307-08:00Flash drives offer new choices for music fans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/TMV_USB-ART-768682.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/TMV_USB-ART-768678.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />When the Mars Volta put out its latest album, "The Bedlam in Goliath," in January, the act gave its hardcore fans an option that is becoming increasingly popular -- and creative.<br /><br />Instead of a CD or digital version of the Universal album, <a href="http://themarsvolta.echotunes.com/store/product/2/The-Bedlam-In-Goliath-Usb-Flash-Drive">fans could buy a $30 USB drive designed like a Ouija board planchette</a>. The device comes with a digital-rights-management-free version of the album and the promise of more bonus materials in coming months. Users simply plug it into their computer's USB drive and then listen to the album or download it into their music library.<br /><br />The Mars Volta joins a growing number of recording artists who have experimented with USB releases in recent months, among them Jennifer Lopez, Ringo Starr and Matchbox Twenty.<br /><br />More are expected in coming months. Austin-based All Access, the company behind USB releases from Matchbox Twenty and Starr, has signed deals with EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group to make USB bracelets for other artists.<br /><br />"The selling point to the labels is a really good one -- it's a marriage between merchandise and music so that people will at least buy it instead of stealing it because they want the merchandise," All Access CEO Chris Guggenheim said. "It's the only for-sure non-stolen product."<br /><br />HIGHER MANUFACTURING COSTS<br /><br />At this point, the releases are offered more as collectibles to build fan loyalty than as sources of revenue.<br /><br />The cost of putting an album out on a USB drive is pricier than releasing it on a CD, partly because bands aren't placing bulk orders and partly because flash drives cost more than discs. Guggenheim said that bracelets generally cost $5 to $7 per unit. But costs can rise to $17 per unit or more for flash drives with more memory and other additions.<br /><br />Universal doesn't expect to make money on the 2,000 USB units it put out for the Mars Volta release or on the 2,000 USB units it will put out for Erykah Badu's February 26 release, "Nu AmErykah," Universal senior vice president of digital business development Cameo Carlson said.<br /><br />But it does expect to keep fans connected to both acts. Those who buy the Mars Volta USB stick get a new extra on the 29th of each month, ranging from bonus tracks to wallpaper. Badu will create new bonus features throughout the year for those who buy "Nu AmErykah" on USB.<br /><br />"It's not for everybody," Carlson said. "It's for the hardcore fan that wants tons of pictures, who really wants something more and the opportunity to get new stuff every month."<br /><br />For bands, USB drives offer a cooler way to get their music to fans in a souvenir package that fans can wear or carry with them, giving the band free promotion.<br /><br />Starr wore a wristband containing his latest album, "Liverpool 8," to the Grammy Awards, getting attention for the release that a CD jewel case certainly wouldn't. Guggenheim said that about one wristband is sold for every three CDs of Starr's album.<br /><br />In October, Matchbox Twenty released its latest album, "Exile on Mainstream," on USB bracelets, putting out an initial 25,000 units. Manager Michael Lippman said that "tens of thousands" have been sold.<br /><br />ROOM FOR EXTRAS<br /><br />"USB is going to be the future," Lippman said. "You don't have to download it on a computer, you put it in and it comes up, (and) there's plenty of room to add additional material."<br /><br />Some indie bands have turned to USB drives for releases because they can order fewer units and spend less money than they would for an order of 1,000 CDs, said Ed Donnelly, president of Los Angeles-based Aderra, which makes drives for Barenaked Ladies, Jars of Clay and indie bands like Los Angeles' Killola. Acts can place orders for as few as 100 USB drives preloaded with their album and other goodies.<br /><br />Along with the songs from the album, Matchbox Twenty included its first video, behind-the-scenes footage, pictures and an Internet link to the band's site.<br /><br />Based on the success of its album sales on USB, the band is selling bracelets of its live show at concerts during its current tour. All Access replicates the bracelets after a concert in minutes. The bracelets are quickly sent to the merchandising booths, where fans can buy a recording of the show they just saw as they leave. Each bracelet costs the same as one of the band's concert T-shirts.<br /><br />Barenaked Ladies, considered the pioneers of USB releases, put out "Barenaked on a Stick" in 2005, a 128 MB flash drive loaded with 29 previously released songs plus videos and other content. The band followed it up with souvenir flash drives at its 2006 concerts in support of "Barenaked Ladies Are Me." The concert USB keys came loaded with the new album, live tracks, ringtones and videos for $25.<br /><br />Willie Nelson, Jars of Clay and the Black Crowes also have sold USB bracelets at concerts.<br /><br />Bands typically sell the drives to 5 percent of their audience at a show, depending on how tech-savvy the crowd is.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-4786638861966695922008-02-14T09:38:00.001-08:002008-02-14T09:38:38.871-08:00Orac Records schedules Conrad Schnitzler remixesExperimental-techno label Orac Records has recently turned its attention to the past, announcing an as-yet-untitled series featuring remixes of the work of Conrad Schniztler. A student of Josef Beuys, an early member of Tangerine Dream, and the co-founder of Krautrock legends Kluster, Schnitzler is perhaps most famous for his cassette concerts featuring a megaphone-wired Walkman attached to a helmet on his head.<br /><br />Dandy Jack, Thomas Fehlmann, and Bruno Pronsato are among the modern-day heads tackling source material from Schniztler albums like Solo Sq. Rhythmics 1-18 and Solo Electrics 1-13. As Orac co-founder Randy Jones told Earplug, "The mixers have very different approaches to structuring Schnitzler's hermetic sounds in a dance-music context." It's not the first time anyone has set out to remix Schnitzler's work: a similar volume (featuring Carsten Nicolai, Rehberg & Bauer, and Mika Vainio) was planned and aborted a decade ago by the late Norbert Schilling's Plate Lunch Records — the previous outlet for all things Schnitzler. The Orac compilation drops this spring. <br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-56509866868423333622008-02-13T13:56:00.000-08:002008-02-13T13:57:05.462-08:00The Who planning new album and festival showsBritish rockers The Who have begun mulling their next studio album, on the heels of 2006's "Endless Wire," their first new disc in 24 years.<br /><br />According to a post on TheWho.com (http://www.thewho.com) from Pete Townshend, the band is considering working with producer T-Bone Burnett, who recently brought Robert Plant and Alison Krauss together for the commercial and critical hit album "Raising Sand."<br /><br />"I am hoping to come up with some songs for a more conventional Who record," Townshend wrote, adding that Burnett "is an old friend of mine."<br /><br />The Who may also play "some shows in the festival season this summer," Townshend said. "I would want to do that purely for fun, and I don't want to turn it into a big tour. I need to stay focused on my writing."<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-90348651897817258912008-02-05T15:31:00.000-08:002008-02-05T15:32:20.354-08:00Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story 1980-1986By Mat Strowbridge<br /><br />Strut, out February 25th.<br /><br />In a nutshell…<br /><br />Distinctive and slow-paced 80s dub.<br /><br />What's it all about?<br /><br />A taster of works from the legendary Compass Point studio which, although hosting artists as diverse as The Rolling Stones, Bjork and Mariah Carey, is famed for its extended, dub mixes.<br /><br />This collection might run at over an hour but it spans a broad enough range of flavours to keep your attention throughout. Whether it's early electro or bass-driven reggae that your looking for there are extracts of both smeared across the thirteen tunes here.<br /><br />Who's it by?<br /><br />Back when eight-tracks were still around and the handle-bar moustache was a sign of masculinity, Chris Blackwell set up his own studio in the Bahamas and invited all his friends over to play.<br /><br />Since then the man who produced Bob Marley and founded Island records has gone on to bigger and better things but still the memory of the early Compass Point studios lives on.<br /><br />These artists who passed through Blackwell's sacred hands include everyone from Grace Jones to Talking Heads and Sly Dunbar.<br /><br />As an example...<br /><br />"Whatcha gonna do when you get out of jail?/I'm gonna have some fun/What do you consider fun?/Fun, natural fun!" –Tom Tom Club – Genius Of Love (12" version)<br /><br />What the others say<br /><br />"It is a sound which defined an era… This was vibe music which has remained timeless on dancefloors ever since." –Underground Hip-Hop<br /><br />"While the story of Compass Point is as rich as it is influential, something still puzzles me. Why no AC/DC? With Back in Black being recorded there in 1980, it would have only been right to include a piece from a project of that magnitude." –URB Magazine<br /><br />So is it any good?<br /><br />As a whole this is definitely a positive outing and yet track-by-track some of the tunes lack the certain calibre that you'd expect.<br /><br />Given the number of quality Compass Point artists, why people like Guy Cuevas make it onto the record is confusing enough but even the chosen Talking Heads and Gwen Guthrie songs aren't as strong as they could have been.<br /><br />This is a bitter let down and means things start to lag a little towards the half-hour point. The mood begins to feel uninspired and you'd be excused for thinking you were listening to some other mindless compilation.<br /><br />However, Sly Dunbar's 'River Niger' is a signal for things to improve and the last five tracks come together well to be as good as anything elsewhere. Then, pair these with the offering from Tom Tom Club (their sound still so current it could easily be a new CSS jangle) and the peaks do eclipse the troughs.<br /><br />In truth, it might not be a bad compilation but with a little more tweaking it's sad that this could have been a brilliant one.<br /><br />6/10<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-55395791686927375032008-02-05T02:38:00.000-08:002008-02-05T02:39:17.065-08:00Peter Christopherson (Coil) announces SoiSongCoil and Throbbing Gristle founder Peter Christopherson recently announced the birth of his latest musical project, SoiSong. Hinted at as being his next priority after Gristle and Coil, SoiSong is a collaborative effort between himself and longtime associate Ivan Pavlov, who also records under the moniker COH. According to Christopherson, SoiSong 'will combine Ivan's uncompromisingly-visceral computer based music with Sleazy's decadent, dark and whimsical approach to artificial vocals and 'South Seas' instrumentation'. SoiSong's live debut will occur in Japan this March, followed by live dates in Bangkok, Singapore, as well as some European appearances between May and July. SoiSong's first EP, "SOI-JIN-NO-HI" will be available in March as a free download from www.thresholdhouse.com, as well as a special edition available exclusively from the band at their performances.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-87327629770720109112008-01-28T05:55:00.001-08:002008-01-28T05:55:52.197-08:00Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds announce European tourNick Cave and the Bad Seeds will return to the UK and Ireland this spring as part of a European live tour.<br /><br />The band, whose excitably-titled new album DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!! is released through Mute on the 3rd of March, will play the local leg in May.<br /><br />Full details, as ever, below:<br /><br />April<br />21 Lisbon Coliseum<br />22 Porto Coliseum<br />24 San Sebastian Polideportivo Anoeta<br />25 Barcelona Razzmatazz<br />26 Marseilles Docks Du Suds<br />28 Amsterdam Music Hall<br />29 Paris Casino Du Paris<br /><br />May<br />1 Brussels Forest<br />3 Dublin Castle<br />4 Glasgow Academy<br />5 Birmingham Academy<br />7 London Hammersmith Apollo<br />16 Oslo Spektrum<br />17 Stockholm Annexe<br />19 Copenhagen KB Halle<br />21 Berlin Tempodrom<br />24 Prague Sazka Arena<br />25 Vienna Gasometer<br /><br />June<br />3 Zagreb IN Music Festival<br />4 Belgrade Arena<br />6 Salonika Moni Lazariston<br />7 Athens Lycabetus Theatre<br /><br />The shows are the band’s first since the Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus tour sold out as 2004 turned into 2005 and tickets go on sale this Friday (1st Feb) at 9am.<br /><br />The first single to be taken from the album, also its title track, is released on the 18th of February. The video’s always worth a watch. Yes? <br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-12097897646884702302008-01-22T23:30:00.000-08:002008-01-22T23:34:19.841-08:00Tyler Ramsey "A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/album_mini_sm-765351.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/album_mini_sm-765349.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />If you are one of these people who hates reviews full of comparisons and references to other bands and musicians, you should probably stop reading now. This one will have plenty of them. On his latest album, <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=268615082&s=143458">A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/tylerramseymusic">Tyler Ramsey</a> ploughs the same fields as Neil Young and plumbs the same ethereal depths as Ray LaMontagne. With his nimble, atmospheric guitar playing, Ramsey enters the same rarefied territory occupied by Willy Porter and the other acoustic guitar wizards that seem to escape mainstream attention. It’s a blissfully wonderful achievement and the North Carolinian singer/songwriter has scored the first great late-night chill-out album of 2008.<br /><br />The Magnetic Fields are currently earning praise for restoring meaning to album titles by employing distortion on Distortion. Ramsey deserves credit as well. His soothing melodies and harmonies truly do have the feel of a long dream and from A Long Dream’s opening notes, Ramsey draws you into his pacific world where you can float along on his warm comforting vocals and weightless acoustic guitar.<br /><br />Owing a slight debt to LaMontagne, Ramsey explores different ranges of hushed quietude, drawing resounding resonance from the silence between notes. Lyrically, Ramsey isn’t as devastatingly introspective as LaMontagne but he does get pretty contemplative. The opening couplet of “A Long Dream” and “Ships” set the disc’s tone and begin Ramsey’s peaceful journey; once on his way, he never missteps.<br /><br />On the middle of the album, Ramsey goes into Neil Young country mode with “No One Goes Out” and “When I Wake” sounding like they could have come from any of Shakey’s Harvest sessions. “Once In Your Life” is the most adventurous and interesting track Ramsey crafts a three-part suite that cycles through moods much like Buffalo Springfield’s “Broken Arrow,” starting out as a simple Young-influenced acoustic track, moving into upbeat Sixties-style garage-pop and finishing with an upbeat guitar and piano jam. Ramsey also works in some especially nifty and slightly funky slide guitar on the instrumental “Chinese New Year”<br /><br />Ramsey makes some interesting choices with his arrangements. For “Please Stop Time,” the closing track, Ramsey plays his guitar in concert with his mournful, patient vocals instead of a complementary melody. The decision gives the seemingly simple track an understated complexity and makes for a poignant finale that eases into the peaceful wash of the ocean tide.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/2007/10/band-of-horses-cease-to-begin-2007.html">Over the autumn months, Ramsey opened numerous shows for Band Of Horses, eventually turning the gig into a full time job with the critically beloved band</a>. You can only hope that joining a group that had their latest release end up on scores of Best of 2007 lists doesn’t obscure the release of Ramsey’s achingly beautiful solo release.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-12399569925480922982008-01-22T23:25:00.000-08:002008-01-22T23:26:19.325-08:00The Stones Sign One-Off Deal With UniversalUniversal Music has snagged the Rolling Stones for the soundtrack to Shine a Light, a concert film directed by Martin Scorsese and centered around footage from a Beacon Theatre concert (featuring Jack White of the White Stripes, Buddy Guy, and Christina Aguilera!). Set to hit worldwide screens in April, the movie also has its fair share of rare archive clips. As for the soundtrack, expect digital and physical formats in March.<br /><br />"We are really proud to be working with The Rolling Stones and so is everybody in Universal Music globally," UMG International chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge said in a statement.<br /><br />The Stones' current label, EMI/Virgin, declined to comment on why it isn't releasing the record, but a spokeswoman told Billboard that the company continues to have a working relationship with the band. Whether that will be true in the coming months remains to be seen. According to Billboard, the group's contract is almost up. In fact, they may be looking to pull a Madonna by signing with Artist Nation, the new record label branch of major concert promoter Live Nation. (Artist Nation's president, promoter Michael Cohl, has worked with the Stones for a while now.)<br /><br />While Universal Music already owns the 1963-1970 period of the Stones' catalog, the band has control of its catalog from Sticky Fingers onward. If they left EMI now, they'd take 14 studio albums with them.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-56948474673796377292008-01-21T14:14:00.000-08:002008-01-21T14:19:23.749-08:00Klaus Nomi is Back From Outer Space—25 Years After His Death—With a Wondrous New Disc<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/beghtol-782027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/beghtol-782020.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In 1983, when Klaus Nomi died of "gay cancer," the underground punk-opera singer was mostly unknown beyond his small circle of friends and fans. It's a familiar story about a guy who moves to New York to become a star and doesn't, quite. An immigrant from Immenstadt, Germany, Nomi (né Sperber) was queer in multiple senses of the word and stood well apart from his fellow East Village bohos. And he possessed an undeniable gift—a voice that surged up from a husky Weimar croon into the falsetto stratosphere. Operatic countertenors, though, were hopelessly déclassé. His professional options were few.<br /><br />But with the DIY spirit of the times, he created his own scene. In his brief career, Nomi carried the flag for freaks of many stripes, with retro-futurist performances that featured his androgynous, Sturm und Drang vocals backed by a New Wave ensemble that artfully mangled '60s Brill Building standards, classical arias, and quirky originals. At its best, the Nomi Show—as his ever-evolving revue was known—formed a conceptual bridge between novelty acts such as Tiny Tim and establishment titans like AC/DC and Queen; its fast-forward mix of gender politics and pop smarts prefigured the vocal hijinks of Bronski Beat and the Tiger Lillies and informed the works of Morrissey, Antony & the Johnsons, and Kiki & Herb, among others. The Nomi Show was camp without being condescending and insider without being obnoxious. It was endlessly engaging. And then it was over.<br /><br />While Nomi's two studio albums for RCA (Klaus Nomi, 1981; Simple Man, 1982) do reflect some of his otherworldly glamour, too often his astonishing vocals are lost amid formulaic backing tracks; the few extant live recordings and videos are far better, despite an often primitive sound. But Za Bakdaz, just out on Heliocentric, reveals Nomi in a different light. Part experiment in playful terror, part rough draft of his unfinished glossolalic opera, this suite of home-studio recordings circa 1979—lovingly restored by cohorts Page Wood and George Elliott—is a postcard from a distant land where kitsch and high art meet head-on.<br /><br />In honor of Nomi's 64th birthday—January 24, a feast he shares with the 18th-century Italian castrato Farinelli— we present a dramatic reading of the life, death, and rebirth of a persona who was both of his time and timeless.<br /><br />Act I<br />Setting: Then (NYC's Lower East Side)<br /><br />In which Joey Arias, renowned vocalist and executor of the Nomi estate, gives the backstory.<br />Scene 1: "Wayward Sisters"<br /><br />"It was 1975. I was crossing Broadway and 10th with my friend Katy Kattleman, and she introduced us. He was Klaus Sperber then, opera singer and pastry chef. He was wearing chinos, a button-down, and those aviator glasses. He had a little fin on top; it wasn't the full Nomi hair yet. We started hanging out—drinking coffee and baking cookies, talking about music and art. I'd play jazz and rock records and he'd play opera. We were best friends. He was so much fun . . . so sexy and smart. And very open-eyed—like a child, though he was 10 years older than me. Some people thought he was too 'out there.' "<br />Scene 2: "Lightning Strikes"<br /><br />"I was always a fashion hound and was really into Thierry Mugler and Yamamoto. I introduced Klaus to all that. He'd done Das Rheingold with Charles Ludlam. And Boy Adrian—he wanted to be a robot, and Klaus was just in love with that. Then punk happened: It was black lipstick and nail polish . . . I mean, everyone contributed, but Klaus was the art director of his life—it all came from him.<br /><br />"We had to come up with a name for him for the New Wave Vaudeville show [in 1978]. 'Nomi' is from that sci-fi magazine Omni. Then we did Saturday Night Live with Bowie in '79. It was such a high. He said to us: 'After this, your lives are going to change.' Klaus and I were the first to blow out of the Club 57 scene and make it big. Everything was skyrocketing, everyone we knew was famous: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Ann Magnuson—"<br />Scene 3: "Total Eclipse"<br /><br />"After he passed, it was like the floor fell out from underneath us all. When Page decided to release Za Bakdaz, I thought it would be great for the fans—and a sort of closure for everyone. When we were working on the songs at Page's loft back then, just fucking around, Klaus heard these wild backing tracks and said, 'I know what I must do.' He locked into the music and started singing. Everyone was just gagging because Klaus was channeling this dream of the Fatherland—and I don't mean Nazi Germany, I mean another world. . . ."<br />Entr'act<br />Setting: Somewhere over the rainbow<br /><br />Wherein Antony Hegarty, swooning frontman of Antony & the Johnsons, ponders Za Bakdaz and Nomi's legacy.<br /><br />"I love how private Za Bakdaz feels—it's his own fantastical world, sketches of his dreams where phonetic languages and strange signs abound. Klaus's version of 'The Cold Song' and 'Samson and Delilah' were anthems for me as a child in 1985, and I remember hearing how he was one of the first artists to die of AIDS. At the time it seemed like a scourge right out of the Old Testament, so his stature was very mythical to me.<br /><br />"Five years later, I saw Joey Arias in the film Mondo New York—I immediately fled to Manhattan in search of other signs of life. A year later, I was one of Joey's support dancers in Klausferatu, in which Joey performed some of the songs from Za Bakdaz. At the time it felt very wild and redemptive. All things go in cycles, and sure enough, 10 years later a valiant but somewhat spotty biopic [The Nomi Song, CV Films, 2004] resurrected Klaus's life and work, perhaps giving him more influence now than he had ever known in his lifetime."<br />Act II<br />Setting: Now (Los Angeles)<br /><br />In which Nomi collaborator Page Wood disproves F. Scott Fitzgerald's dictum about American lives and second acts.<br />Scene 1: "Perne-a-Gyre"<br /><br />"These recordings exist because Klaus was frustrated at not being involved in the composition process. Kristian Hoffman and Manny Parrish [Nomi Show musicians and songwriters] both worked alone. They'd write something, demo it, and then hand Klaus the tape. But George and I treated these sessions more like a workshop. Klaus, Joey, and Tony Frere would come over and just do stuff. There were always two sides to Klaus: the baroque-classical Klaus and the streamlined, futuristic Klaus. And he was obsessed with the whole grand-opera-meets-Buck-Rogers thing. Za Bakdaz is his great space western. We were always making tapes and revising them with Klaus. We figured if we got anything out of the sessions we'd go and re-record them at a better studio. But that never happened.<br /><br />"When Klaus died, we were all bitter and depressed. I got out of the music business completely and focused on graphics. When Andy Horn started work onThe Nomi Song, he asked me if there were any unreleased recordings. Well, I did have those old four-tracks—literally in a shoebox. . . . And I thought: I can revive those tapes. It was like they were frozen in a block of ice. We were mesmerized by what we got out of the tapes."<br />Scene 2: "You Don't Own Me"<br /><br />"Who knows where it'll go next? Back then, you had to have a major label—and nobody wanted Klaus because he was just too weird. Now anybody can release a record on the Internet, so we decided to do Za Bakdaz ourselves. We wanted to make it something people would want as an object, not just as a download. That'll come later. We've always wanted to release the original demo tapes. They're the crown jewels—they really define the punky sound of the live shows, but they have a murky legal history. Another idea is a tribute with Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Morrissey. . . . We could revive the old show, or even stage the opera. Because Nomi isn't dead—Klaus Sperber is dead. And I think he'd have loved the idea of this character going on."<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-47443660753528781112008-01-21T13:28:00.000-08:002008-01-21T13:33:47.853-08:00Charlie Haden's Bass Influences<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/CharlieHaden-702539.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://www.bongorama.com/music/uploaded_images/CharlieHaden-702167.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The Mind Of A Revolutionary: Charlie Haden's Bass Influences (Web bonus material from the February 2008 issue)<br /><br />An Exclusive DownBeat Online Extra<br /><br />by Ethan Iverson — 1/1/2008<br /><br />(The February issue of DownBeat includes an extensive interview with bassist Charlie Haden, conducted by pianist Ethan Iverson. The following is exclusive content from this interview that we could not publish in the magazine.)<br /><br />Charlie Haden: The first bass players I heard were the guys on the records with Bird, Curley Russell and Tommy Potter. There were also guys with Stan Kenton, like Don Bagley, and the bassists with Jazz at the Philharmonic. But the first guy who was really distinctive to me—when I was 19 or so—was Paul Chambers, who I heard on all those Prestige and Riverside records. There’s an underrated player! He had a way of playing chromatic notes in his bass lines that was just unreal. He would go up in to the high register, and then skip down, tying it together. He had this great sound, and this great time. He and Jimmy Cobb really got it together for Kind Of Blue with fire and subtlety. Bill Evans’ comping is so inspiring on that record, too. That’s why those heavy horn players played so great on that record: Bill Evans, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb.<br /><br />I used to see these pictures of Paul in jazz magazines, and it always looked like his eyes were watering, like he had tears in his eyes.<br /><br />One night the Miles Davis quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones came to Jazz City, a club off of Hollywood Boulevard, across from Peacock Lane. I went by myself and sat in the front row right in front of Paul. I stared at Paul Chambers the whole set.<br /><br />People throw around the words “jazz” and “bebop”—I’m not sure sometimes what they mean. To me, “jazz” meant Bird. Bird and Bud Powell.<br /><br />I got to see Bird in Omaha when I was fourteen with JATP and later when I arrived in L.A. in 1956, I went to hear the Miles Davis quintet. Man! You could sit in front of these guys and feel the power. The feeling of spontaneity from each musician allied with the technical part: the harmony, the voicings, the cymbals, the bass ... together, it could have generated electricity.<br /><br />I know if I had got to sit in front of Bird, Bud Powell and Fats Navarro, it would have been the same power.<br /><br />So, I was watching Paul Chambers to see if he had tears in his eyes. It looked like he did. He looked so great playing, man. Then, when the set was over, he came right over to my table. “Man, you were looking at me the whole time!”<br /><br />I told him my name, and that I was a bass player, that I loved his playing and that every picture I had seen of him and on stage tonight it looked like there were tears in his eyes.<br /><br />He looked at me for a moment, and said, “I do. I cry.”<br /><br />I said, “Man! That is so great!”<br /><br />He asked to sit down and we hung out for a minute. Look at a picture of Paul Chambers: something about his features is like somebody who was feeling life very deeply. Really something.<br /><br />Ethan Iverson: Can I ask you about some other ’50s bass players? What about Red Mitchell, who you heard on the Hampton Hawes records.<br /><br />Haden: He was playing sort of like pre-Scotty LaFaro. He was a piano player, and used his piano concept in his bass solos. I noticed him working that out in Red Norvo’s trio, too. He was a sweet guy and a great bass player, and gave me the Art Pepper gig that I met Hampton Hawes on. Actually, the first night it was Sonny Clark, and what a revelation that was, but then the second night it was Hampton, who would become an important friend.<br /><br />Iverson: Eventually you would make a duet record with Hawes, As Long As There’s Music. That is an important record, not just because of the considerable beauty of the music itself, but also because it documents a pure ’50s bebop piano player’s first baby steps into freedom. I don’t know of another like it. Did you check out Oscar Pettiford?<br /><br />Haden: Yes, I did. I didn’t ever meet him, but Paul Motian told me about him a little bit. He had a clear melodic concept. I remember on this one song, “The Man I Love,” where he plays the melody. You can hear him breathing: He put his whole being into every note he played. That’s how I try to play, too.<br /><br />Iverson: And of course, Wilbur Ware.<br /><br />Haden: I heard him with Monk. I loved his playing. Then when I met him, he asked to borrow five dollars. This was in Chicago at the Sutherland Lounge when I was on tour with Ornette. I said, “You’re Wilbur Ware! Take the five dollars!”<br /><br />He disappeared until after the set, then came up again. “Hey, Charlie ... do you have another five dollars?”<br /><br />“Sure, man!” Then, after the gig, he took me downstairs where Chris Anderson was playing piano. When we were both back in New York, Wilbur and I hung out a lot. We went to each other’s gigs.<br /><br />I was definitely influenced by his purity of sound. Wilbur had a percussive way of playing solos, like a drummer, but he would play intervals like thirds and fifths in a separated way with this distinctive rhythm and syncopation: you could hear he was a drummer. It was so good, man, and the way he placed his notes made everything swing.<br /><br />I came in to the Vanguard one night, and he was playing a bass that was covered in Scotch tape and looked terrible. And he made it sound like a Stradivarius.<br /><br />Iverson: There’s a Johnny Griffin record with Kenny Drew and Donald Byrd that Wilbur is on. It’s high-level jazz playing but a little anonymous. Then on an E-flat blues, Wilbur takes a solo that makes all the fancy fast horn players seem irrelevant. He was the only guy before you I heard who could do that in a bass solo.<br /><br />Haden: You forget sometimes that you are playing music, not just playing jazz. It’s good sometimes to remind people of the musicality of the moment by going to just one note and letting them hear it.<br /><br />Iverson: Did you know Percy Heath at all?<br /><br />Haden: What a beautiful man. We hung out a lot over the years, and we went out to his house in Queens and visited him and his family. He always carried himself with a regal bearing, with perfect posture and royal gait. I respected his playing, especially on the Miles stuff.<br /><br />Iverson: On Bag’s Groove, the bass is almost as clear and as important as the trumpet.<br /><br />Haden: Man! And I also admired the way he handled the classical-sounding bass parts in the MJQ. He put everything he could into making them swing.<br /><br />Iverson: Is their another ’50s bassist you want to mention?<br /><br />Haden: Teddy Kotick.<br /><br />Iverson: Oh? I’ve never really listened to him carefully.<br /><br />Haden: You’ve got to listen to “Kim” with Bird, Hank Jones and Max Roach. Also, he’s on the first Bill Evans album with Paul Motian. Great intonation, great sound, gut strings. He died too young.<br /><br />Iverson: Like Doug Watkins.<br /><br />Haden: Wow, another great player. He was a cousin of Paul Chambers.<br /><br />Iverson: What was your relationship to Mingus?<br /><br />Haden: I met him at the Five Spot, and I think he liked my playing, because he was there an awful lot, checking us out.<br /><br />Iverson: That quartet record with Ted Curson, Eric Dolphy and Dannie Richmond is his response to you and Ornette at the Five Spot.<br /><br />Haden: I think you’re right. We played opposite each other a lot and became friends. Once in 1973 he was playing with his band at the University of Miami and I was playing with Ornette. They had rented a bass for him and apparently it wasn’t good. He called my room and asked me if he could borrow my bass. I said, “Man, you can have my bass!” We all went after the gig to hear Ira Sullivan at the Fontainebleau Hotel, and that’s where I met Jaco Pastorius ... another great bass player.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-48812366950882536682008-01-20T12:27:00.001-08:002008-01-20T12:27:52.438-08:00Sex Pistols to debut new songs at Isle Of WightThe Sex Pistols could play their first new songs in nearly 30 years at the Isle Of Wight Festival this summer.<br /><br />The reformed punks headline the event which takes place in June and have admitted they want to write some new songs for the appearance.<br /><br />"There's talk of new material,” drummer Paul Cook told eGigs. “The only problem is that it's a bit hard to work on anything as John (Lydon) and Steve (Jones) are in America and Glen (Matlock) and I are in the UK. So, it's a case of finding the time to get together."<br /><br />He added that a new album from the Sex Pistols was unlikely, but they were targeting the festival for the new songs.<br /><br />"We might not pull together an album but hopefully there will be some new stuff in time for the summer," Cook explained.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-90744441536053677862008-01-16T01:31:00.000-08:002008-01-16T01:32:29.580-08:00Nick Cave Reveals New Bad Seeds RecordNow that Nick Cave is done cranking out film scores (The Proposition, The Assassination of Jesse James) and one hell of an id-exorcising side project (the sex-obsessed Grinderman), the former Birthday Party frontman is finally about to bless us with a new Bad Seeds record. While Dig Lazarus Dig!!! is due out April 8 through Anti- in the U.S., UK shops get the album a month earlier on March 3 as well as a single for the title track on February 18. The wankers!<br /><br />Anywho, the ever-modest Cave had this to say in a recent MOJO interview, "All of us feel we have done something really different. Musically there's just stuff you've never heard before. To be honest it's an unmitigated masterpiece." He added, "[All the characters] on the album seem to be asleep, unconscious, or dead—all set to a swinging, groovy beat ... I can't remember being more pleased with a record."<br /><br />Get your sandbox shovel out:<br /><br />1. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!<br />2. Today's Lesson<br />3. Moonland<br />4. Night of the Lotus Eaters<br />5. Albert Goes West<br />6. We Call Upon the Author<br />7. Hold On to Yourself<br />8. Lie Down Here (& Be My Girl)<br />9. Jesus of the Moon<br />10. Midnight Man<br />11. More News From Nowhere<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-15764033550336065412008-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:002008-01-12T12:21:14.467-08:00Philip Glass Documentary Heading To TheatersPhilip Glass' modern classical scores have been featured in many films, but now the artist himself will hit the big screen.<br /><br />Koch Lorber Films has acquired U.S. theatrical and home video rights to Scott Hicks' documentary "Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts." The feature includes interviews with Martin Scorsese, Errol Morris, Chuck Close, and Christopher Hampton in its exploration of Glass' life and work.<br /><br />"Glass" was shot in the 18 months leading up to the artist's 70th birthday last year. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.<br /><br />In addition to composing such operas as "Einstein on the Beach," Glass earned three Oscar nominations for scores to "Notes on a Scandal," "The Hours" and Scorsese's "Kundun."<br /><br />Though Hicks is best known as the Oscar-nominated director of "Shine," he also helmed such TV documentaries as "Submarines: Sharks of Steel" and "The Great Wall of Iron."<br /><br />"Glass" will premiere in April at New York's IFC Center to coincide with a revival of his opera "Satyagraha" at the Metropolitan Opera House. A national platform rollout and DVD release will follow.<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307461.post-15452357011235798752008-01-10T14:56:00.001-08:002008-01-10T14:56:38.902-08:00Strut Relaunches With Disco Not Disco CompilationStrut, a British black music imprint in its first incarnation from 1999 to 2003, will be relaunched by !K7 in the new year.<br /><br />The first release will be the Disco Not Disco: Post Punk, Electro & Leftfield Disco Classics 1974-1986 compilation on Jan. 15. The collection features choice tracks from the likes of Shriekback, Delta 5, Konk, James White & The Blacks, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Material, among others.<br /><br />The relaunch of Strut will feature fresh artist collections, the best of the studio's past compilation brands and new studio albums, including a record from the revamped label's first signing, hip-hop legend and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Grandmaster Flash. All new projects will be overseen by Strut founder Quinton Scott.<br /><br />Here are the songs on Disco Not Disco: Post Punk, Electro & Leftfield Disco Classics 1974-1986:<br /><br /> * Vivien Goldman — "Launderette"<br /> * Delta 5 — "Mind Your Own Business"<br /> * Shriekback — "My Spine Is The Baseline"<br /> * Konk — "Your Life"<br /> * Isotope — "Crunch Cake"<br /> * James White & The Blacks — "Contort Yourself" (August Darnell remix)<br /> * Quando Quango — "Love Tempo" (remix)<br /> * Gina X Performance — "Kaddish"<br /> * Material — "Don't Lose Control" (dance version)<br /> * Kazino — "Binary"<br /> * Liaisons Dangereuses — "Los Ninos Del Parque" (12-inch mix)<br /> * A Number Of Names — "Sharevari"<br /> * Six Sed Red — "Beat 'Em Right"<br /> * Maximum Joy — "Silent Street/Silent Dub"<br /><br />***Ronnie Rockethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04394823667774569099noreply@blogger.com0