Saturday, November 28, 2009

Little Cale


39 years old woke up and said hello to me this morning. How I got here I do not know. But one thing’s for sure: little Cale, who just hit the one year old mark, is laughing for both of us. And this lullaby by Townes is for him.

Townes Van Zandt - Intro to Katie Belle
Townes Van Zandt - Katie Belle [buy]
Aw Hell, the next song by Guy Clark on this fine live set with Townes, Clark, and Steve Earle is worth a listen as well:
Guy Clark - The Cape

Friday, November 20, 2009

Edan's Echo Party


It’s been over 4 years since Edan released the stellar psychedelic hip-hop concept album Beauty and the Beat. So folks have been getting antsy for some new material from the Humble Magnificent. It has finally arrived in the form of Echo Party. Here's some press-release-speak:

The Hiatus Is Over
‘Echo Party’ is Edans first album since his 2005 critically acclaimed sophomore release, ‘Beauty And The Beat’ (Lewis Recordings).
Boston native, Edan Portnoy first made his mark with debut album ‘Primitive Plus’. Hes a producer, emcee and deejay whos produced for notable artists such as Souls of Mischief, Akrobatik, Mr. Lif and David Holmes.
‘Echo Party’ is just that – a party, an eccentric bonanza of sounds that has been lovingly crafted, polished and played to perfection. Edan had full access to Traffic Entertainment Group’s extensive back catalogue to mix and rework in any way he could imagine. Two years later Five Day Weekend and Edan are set to release ‘Echo Party’. What began as a simple mix, has grown into a colourful full on production album that features Edan as the musician displaying his skills on live instruments including synthesizers, guitar, percussion, echoplex even glockenspiel and kazoo.
‘Echo Party’ has Edans personality intermixed with a wealth of amazing material. Elements are pulled from original multi tracks and these isolated accapellas and drum breaks have not been heard by any ears except the engineers and original artists that were in on the original sessions. Other portions are more identifiable though obscured by the filter of Edan’s ever improving studio techniques. Only an artist like Edan with his borderline obsessive commitment to detail could have brought such a project to life.
‘Echo Party’ promises to be one of 2009s most celebrated releases.

Yeah, kazoos. When I saw Edan he was touring to support Beauty -- and having fun with those kazoos in the process. And even in his adopted hometown of Boston his unique take on hip-hop scored him some boos from the crowd. (Yeah, you just gotta love that Dirty Water.) Edan obviously does not give a hoot in the world for commercial success, since you don’t exactly make a big money career by spending years bricoleuring together a one track, 29 minute mixtape. And though it’s a real shame that more cashmoney doesn’t flow his way, if Edan is okay with that and it means we get to enjoy work as dazzling as Beauty, then everybody wins. Here’s a sampling of Edan’s 3 main albums:

Primitive Plus




Edan - Ultra '88 (tribute) [buy]
Edan - Mic Manipulator





Beauty and the Beat



Edan - Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme [buy]
Edan and Mr. Lif - Making Planets




Echo Party






Edan - Echo Party [buy]





Check Edan's myspace page, which features his radioshow.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

this, that, the other

Sitting in Boston, Big Sur dreamin'

Ed tells me the Echo & the Bunnymen tour in the USofA has been halted by those fun loving guys and gals in the IRS. And, yep, the Bunnymen's website confirms it. Spare us the cutter!
Echo and the Bunnymen - The Cutter [buy]

Wilco has a loft. How many guitars do these fellows have?
Image from LoftLifeMagazine

GarageHangover has some wonderful photos of Hendrix, Soft Machine, and The Who.

If you ain't, you should be listening to a Country Song of the Day.

This is a tough month for Sean, so this one's for him...


And, for good measure, the theme song from Fellini's Amarcord.

Nino Rota - Amarcord

If you've got eyes and ears, you wanna let them take a stroll with this film.

Loons at night in Lac Saint Paul, Quebec, Canada

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Ballad of Birmingham


The mother smiled to know that her child
Was in the sacred place,
But that smile was the last smile
To come to her face.


On September 15, 1963, in Birmingham, Alabama, a bomb planted by the KKK exploded outside the basement of a church, killing 4 black children and injuring 22 people. Many artists have responded to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing with powerful songs. John Coltrane’s “Alabama,” Joan Baez’s recording of Richard Farina’s “Birmingham Sunday” (both used by Spike Lee in his excellent documentary 4 Little Girls), Nina Simone’s “Mississippi Goddam,” and The Drive-by Truckers’ “Ronnie & Neil.” In 1967 Jerry Moore recorded for ESP an exceptional version of Dudley Randall’s poem “Ballad of Birmingham.” The poem is structured around the (innocent and ironic) contrast between the supposedly safe space of a church and the taken for granted dangers of the freedom marches in Birmingham. But irony and innocence are swallowed whole by the bombing, and we are left with the omnipresence of brutality and death during the Civil Rights Movement.

Jerry Moore - Ballad of Birmingham [buy]
John Coltrane - Alabama [buy]