This is How We Go Out

Leslie Hall. Nuff said....

Santana Shreds

I just wet myself laughing at these. hand to god - the funniest thing on the internet since some guy did a face plant on his bmx bike.

http://youtube.com/user/StSanders

they are ALL funny.

especially this one.

(shame they won't let us embed them)
Via Questionable Content.
-Dr. Confusion

Pack-Rat Confessions, Part 1

About a week ago, I had all of these boss ideas for posts for the ER. But then, school happened, life happened, and I forgot what I wanted to say. eek.

One thing I've been noticing lately, though, is that I seem to have acquired an inability to get rid of music in my collection. I think I'm a musical pack-rat. There's loads of full albums that need to be purged from my music vault, but that I simply don't have the heart to toss out. Even worse, I don't seem to have the ability to break up albums either. For me, everything is digital now, so it would be so easy to simply keep the one or two good songs on an album and ditch the rest... but I can't. I simply can't bring myself to do it. There seems to be this issue of posterity that keeps coming up with me- that I want to keep everything that I can because it's all important somehow. This leads me to question: Am I building a music collection or a music library?

Maybe it's a library until I run out of space on the hard-drive, then it will become a collection...

Beach Party Tonight

Tonight La Tostada and I get to see Yo La Tengo again.
I'm so excited.
Actually i'm a little sick, so I'm not as excited as I wanna be.


This will be the 3rd time I've seen them and they say that this tour is the "Behind the storyteller's music" tour or something. They say it'll mostly be acoustic with some stand-up mixed in, or something. La Tostada is thrilled cause she loves YLT's more quiet side - where as I can dig the skronky noise for a bit longer. Either way it's a win/win.

After I saw them the first time (not too long ago, acutally) i was inspired to add in more YLT to the GoA's songs. This song in particular cribs directly from Ira's use of Drop-D tuning and smacking the back of the neck just so to make that super sweet ambient chord that you hear a lot in their songs. Ira is a freaking genius with the way he twists and turns his electric all around to make all these textures.

He really gets me to thinking about the physical form of the person and their vocal/non-verbal epxression and the very well developed expression or avatar that some guitarists conjure up when they play. Like Keith for example. I keep saying I want to make a post/essay about this issue and Ira and Keith are perfect examples. You'd think Ira was narcoleptic on stage, he barely opens his eyes, and his vocals are very soft and gentle - but then he makes with these 15 minute long (or longer) skronk-anallias of roaring chords and squealing amps...it's quite something to see. and in general James is very tall and seems super gentle and sweet and Georgia seems like the shyest drummer ever - but then they can be the loudest, most abrasive band since White Light/White Heat. It is a marvel. And i'm lucky to get to see them again! yay US!

Analogies

Amy Ray : Driver Education :: James Joyce : Ulysses :: The Existence : Life all at once

------

That is all.

(Mp3, Lyric) for the song

Is this what Deaner was talking about?

As announced here, Ween have a new record out. And i'm stoked for it. A little bit of history of me and ween.

Geaner and Deaner are like two slightly older brothers to me. My cousin made me a tape at the beginning of 10th grade of some newer music, as i'd been on a steady diet of Zeppelin, Stones and AC/DC - i'd gotten my mind blown recently with The Velvet Underground and I knew from liner notes and other stuff that there were all these other bands that took the VU thing and ran. I knew about R.E.M. of course, but the Clemson radio station only came in when it was cloudy so i didn't have money to buy a bunch of records, so my Cousin made me a tape. Of all the stuff that was on that tape, They Might Be Giants (what evs), Chickasaw Mudpuppies (eh...), Jane's Addiction (now were talking!, but all their fans are so DRAMA-ey) Ween leapt out at me, shook my hand, and whispered in my huge ear "You can do this". SO funny, and SO lo-fi and so confident. So perfect.

So, I've seen Ween 5 or 6 times - and In 96 I think, i got to interview Deaner on the Mollusk tour for a local paper. That was difficult, it was my first interview - it was during soundcheck so we couldn't hear each other - and Deaner was very foggy after a nap and needed some coffee. Any way - it was a real treat to meet him and talk to a real hero of mine.

Deaner is an amazing guitarist - and being somewhat of a guitarist myself i have definite likes and dislikes - i don't as a rule like guitar solos. and I have walked Swiftly away from any concert that sounded like a "Jam Band" - Not saying that Ween are - they are not. But I have seen Ween do a, i'm not kidding here: i timed it, 45 minute version of LMLYP - which you could assert was a "Jam" of the "Wicked" variety. I think it is all to easy to fall into cliche and self indulgence when soloing on guitar. Having said all that

Here, watch Deaner rip something alive from the depths of the earth with his bare hands. This clip is long and it's mostly a guitar solo but not many people on earth get a chance to see this -

Microtonal Van Halen

Oh man.

Ouch.

Head over to Create Digital Music and see some painful tech trouble. Both the Bass and Eddie Van Halen's guitar are playing a few microtones below their synth backing track. oof.

The Moby Equation

Magnificent.

Only - they left out the most galling part of the whole Moby/Play phenomena - He was literally STEALING the good parts of his songs from unpaid african american folk artists. His offence goes WAY beyond the justified criticism that Elvis and most other white artists need to own up to, in terms of appropriating black music to a white audience. With Moby, its worse, because - he's not even copping the style of Big Boy Crudup - he's using the recordings of Bessie Jones and others and putting shitty, simple, Theory I first week re-harmonies under them with soft synths. big whoop.

And one more knife twist in this pointless post. He has this screed about being a Vegan in the sacred space of liner notes for this record. and on the cover, what do we see on his super-cool feet? Some nikes. some leather sneaks made by nike. Way to live in a glass house doood. here, take this rock and nail it to the wall.

(is she not amazing looking? and she knew *all* these songs. I wish i could have learned from her directly, not just from Lomax's tape recordings - but thank god for those)

Busking: Rounds 4 & 5 (ding! ding!)

Not to turn this into a busking blog but:

That's been the biggest musical whatever happnin' in Dr. Confusion's world so - here's a collection of observations and anecdotes from rounds 4 & 5 of the great Busking Adventure of the Naughties.

• I'm starting to really dig it, and I start looking forward to my sundays playing at the Ballard farmer's market all week.
• So many kids
• so many dogs!
  
• every dog wants to sniff and maybe pee on the hat.
• 95% white men (who are not dads who have their kids with them) in their 20's are too cool for school and never smile, stop and listen, or toss coins. I think they must all be guitarists too.
• Kids are the secret to steady change - they stop and stare, and the 'rents give them a quarter to drop in...it's a whole procedure...it's fun...i'm going to be learnign some Leadbelly kids songs (the good ones) to tailor to the wee beasties.
  
• Round 4:
• was total fun.
• I got dressed up with a tie and my granddad's jacket
• Right off the bat a guy comes up and says (seriously): " you have the air of the british isles about you. What part are you from?" I replied " I'm from Easley, South Carolina" and he seemed surprised. what fun! - song I was playing one of my new work's in progress which is a John Fahey'd up version of Zeppelin's Bron-Yr-Aur.
• I hit a particularly good stretch on John Hurt's Big Leg Blues and a bunch of young kids started gathering around and actually dancing. that was crazy.
• the one wee wee toddler went up to the hat and lifted it - he found out it jingled onnacounta the change in there and jiggled it once or twice and then full on slung the hat as far up as he could so all the change could clang down and the bills drifted back to earth.
• The poor mom - she was worried and asked the kid to help her put the money back, but the kid was totally pre-verbal and just was looking around. she was all "i'm sorry" and i answered - "don't worry, that was HILARIOUS."
• A nice couple stopped by and said they like the playing and I was extra thrilled at that cause i was doing a stretch of GoA songs. w00t!
  
• The empire ice cream guys across the street from me dropped a dollar in and said they liked the set list (sweet!). So after I packed up I asked them what they liked (costello, Nashville skyline era dylan, maybe some more BRUUUUUUCE!) and didn't (not much, just don't play all along the watchtower 7 times in a row, like some people do {check!})
• Then they gave me a free pint of Peach Sorbet. SCORE!
• It rained most of the day and the strings got hard to play - but it was fun...i wondered if I felt like the Edge felt when they made Live at Red Rocks. god that video was awesome.
• Round 5 (ding! ding!)
• Got there late.
• totally lost my voice and steam like, an hour into it (drag)
• Just not on my A-game.
• Started with my new fully learned "Prodigal Son" which i've been wanting to learn how to play for ummm....20 years. (yep. since i was 10 at least)
• (shout out to Rev. Wilkins for being such a genius!)
  
• Right off the bat got into a discussion with a nice new mom about Mississippi John Hurt and she recommended that tribute album that i want to listen to. I asked her if she wanted to hear "big Leg Blues" again, and she said yes...so I played it again, and she left (husband/partner stopped by and dropped some change, thanks!) and as she was leaving said in what seemed to be honesty: "You play very well, you're very talented" and I was just beaming.
  
• After I tried to play "beulah land" but I had the I IV V right, but not the right capo/chords - oh well.
  
• Empire Ice cream guy dropped a dollar after "Tonight, I'll be Staying here with you" and said "That is the greatest love song in the world" Fucking right it is.
• My hat was pretty anemic on the money front till this guy wandered over as I was finishing up a song. He wanted to see what kind of guitar. I showed him, and he was like, "Humph! well...." as if that was a super fancy guitar. It is. And it was a gift (and the gifter didn't pay the list price, that's for sure). and I treasure it. and play the shit out of it. So i said "Yep. It's a martin, I want these songs to sound good to y'all, y'know?" and he did the head tilt/shrug thing that means "good point" in american non-verbal language. and I asked did he want to hear something in particular. He said "No, but how about a ballad? from the 70's or 60's?" I said how about one from the mid 50's? Cause I was just about to play "Long Black Veil". He stepped EVEN closer to hear it and i was getting nervous...so i just tried to keep as steady a beat as I could and sing it solid. I do it basically the Lefty Frizelle version but try to incorporate some of the Welch and Rawling's bits too. He dug it and when it got to the 3rd verse and it's clear what's going on he gave a little "woo" when he understood the action. and then he pulled out a five and made sure I saw it go into the hat. He said "Good job, learn some Eric Clapton" - I'm thinking he wanted to hear "Wonderful Tonight" but i don't think I'm going to learn that.
• I think the market folks like that I stick around and play while they are packing up - rather than bailing as soon as the market's over and the customers leave. I like that too and want to keep doing that...I hope they like it...they don't really talk to me...but i overheard two workers talking and they looked my way and one said "I know, I love it" to the other one...and I THINK they were talking about me...but who knows.
• I want to learn SO many more songs now... and really really really KNOW them...
• I still need to keep working on my game...there's a lot more guitaring i could be doing, and my singing STILL needs a year or two's study and work 40 hours a week. ooohhh it's a fickle thing, my voice...it needs a LOT of work.

So that's what's happening - i'm still scouring my record collection to find songs I want to do and learn. This has been a great adventure and I really hope to continue to get better and better.

whew!

Talking Heads Live in Rome

Boing Boing reported a few days ago that someone had posted an entire concert video of the Talking Heads live in Rome (circa 1980!!) to You Tube. Holy Crap.

I am and have always been a fanatical follower of this incredible band, who (along with Television) totally redefined the way I think about the interplay of the instruments in a band.

This show reveals why the great Talking Heads remain the stuff of legend, and the rich vibrant energy that they emit on-stage is intoxicating to say the least. In a word, this is a-w-e-s-o-m-e.

So grab a drink, get comfortable, unplug the phone, and put your rawk goggles on!

The Songs:

* Psycho Killer
* Stay Hungry
* Cities
* I Zimbra
* Drugs
* Take Me to the River
* Crosseyed and Painless
* Life During Wartime
* Houses in Motion
* Born under Punches

Live! James Brown, Michael Jackson, and Prince in Supersoul Throwdown!

In keeping with the recent burst of video love, I just had to drop this clip of an old James Brown show where Michael Jackson and Prince both get called to step up from the crowd and onto the stage to add a little spice to the Godfather's mega-jive. Holy crack-rabbits, this is some cool sh*t....

She Wakes Up Just Long Enough to Rawk!

This video I found at haha.nu is awesome. This little girl rocks like nobody's bid-ness!
I wonder how long till she can quit her day job?

Maple Practice Amp!

Something cool featured on Make, is this swigity-sweet little practice amp that came from a personal website called nonentity. Really lovely work indeed! Check out a step-by-step (with pictures!) of how this hand-crafted beauty was made.

Guitarist Zack Kim Shreds Mario Bros.

For all us tragically nostalgic kids who owned one of the first Nintendo game systems and who's voices changed not because of puberty but from blowing into game cartridges and screaming endless hours at the Koopa Troopas, here's a guitar virtuoso who feels our pain.

This is a priceless video clip I caught over at haha.nu of an Australian guy named Zack Kim playing the original Super Mario Brothers Theme on two guitars simultaneously using a finger-tapping technique that would make Eddie VanHalen proud as a pickled herring.

Check out his site for loads of links to similar videos he's made (including other video game themes!).

***Edit!***

Awe, screw it. Here's a few more unique samples of the Mario theme I found on YouTube after posting Zack Kim's. Enjoy!

Classical Guitar:

11 String Bass:

Drums and Bass:

Major League Soccer Gets Adidas-Sponsored Anthems

Look out, soccer fans!

Adidas has teamed up with a number of artists under a new promotion they're calling "Represent" which enlists well-known musical talents to 'Represent' their home towns by penning and performing original fight songs for their local Major League Soccer Teams. This is a great idea in that it's wicked fun for soccer enthusiasts and music lovers alike, and allows a closer sense of that pride and community that our European counterparts enjoy with the sport.

Visit THIS site set up by Adidas, click through their landing page, and select your favorite MLS team to listen to and/or download their new fight song for free! To save time, here's a run-down of the line-up you'll find:

• Chivas USA - "Chivas Explosivas!" by Akwid


• New York Red Bulls - "Woo, Alright, Yeah... Uh Huh" by The Rapture


• Real Salt Lake - "The Mighty R-E-A-L" by Meg and Dia


• Colorado Rapids - "Goal!" by Rose Hill Drive


• Houston Dynamo - "Houston Dynamo (Don't Play)" by Mike Jones


• FC Dallas - "H-O-O-P-S Yes!" by The Polyphonic Spree


• Los Angeles Galaxy - "We Are the Galaxy" by Kinky


• Kansas City Wizards - "Ain't Nobody Gonna Stop Us Now" by Blackpool Lights


• Chicago Fire - "Here Comes the Fire" by Ok Go


• Columbus Crew - "It's Your Crew" by RJD2


• Toronto FC - "TFC" by Barenaked Ladies


• D.C. United - "DC United" by Bad Brains


• New England Revolution - "Revolution" by Damone

iTunes Stops Playing Those Mind Games, Sells Lennon Solo Stuff

I remember back when I was just out of high school I applied for a job at a record store. On the application was a question: What are ten bands/artists that you think deserve more recognition? I tried my best to fill the list with obscure, intelligent choices to show my prowess as a discerning audiophile, but I was laughed at when I went in for my interview because riding atop my A-list of brilliant underground jazz artists and indie-sceners was the Beatles. I remember the guy's face now- "you think the Beatles should be more popular?!" Um, yeah, why shouldn't they be? Looking back at the decades of legal disputes that have kept a new generation from exposure to the Beatles and their solo work, I still feel the same.

That's why I was happy to come upon an article in the Journal Star today reporting that iTunes, which has been slowly but surely warming itself up to the release of Beatle's material owned by the EMI label and Capitol records, has just made available 16 of John Lennon's post-Beatles solo albums. I for one am happy to see it- even though my Lennon/Beatles collection already overfloweth, to say the least- and think it's really about time. It's a shame that the work of one of the most influential and prolific artists of the last century, one of those few individuals who actually had a hand on the hammer that hewed out the genre that is now modern popular music and helped it to be regarded as a serious art form, has been plagued with such difficulty in the release of his music (with the Beatles and solo) through any legitimate, legal digital music provider. I guess there's also a certain amount of sentimentality too, thinking that John Lennon is not alive to negotiate his music's release on his own terms.

It should be said though, that despite the catchy title of this post, EMI has surely had a healthy hand in keeping the Fab 4 from the ears of a new generation who listen and live online, and so have the Beatles for that matter. It took decades for the royalty disputes between EMI and the remaining members of the band + Yoko (via Apple Corps) to be resolved (a $59 million resolution, from what I understand) and the feud between Apple Corps and Apple Inc. over trademark infringement has only recently come to an end. All friends now? Who knows, but all this law-suiting has kept many music lovers literally licking their lips for nearly two decades anticipating this turn.

I guess to many, of course, the real news was when Steve Jobs announced that iTunes would carry music by the Beatles earlier this year. I realize too that Yoko Ono already released a remastered collection of John Lennon's work to many online music stores like Napster and MSN Music, but that too was a long time coming. Anyway, iTunes is the largest online music store and they should be carrying the work of music giants like the Beatles and John Lennon. So, this is indeed news.

Oh yeah, and just for good measure, here's "Mind Games" from Lennon's "Walls and Bridges" album to help you celebrate!

Busking, Round 2

I jumped up and act a fool and did it again.
I went back to what I learned is called a "pitch" back on Queen Anne and tried my fingers and throat again at busking.
I went a little earlier in the day this time, and wasn't as thorough with the sun screen, so i have odd burned patches on my right tricep and neck. I was there not quite as long - about 1.5 hours (i had some time constraints) and i earned nine dollars sixteen pence in tips. Not bad!

I gave one dollar away to a homeless dood who boozily wobbled up to me and said he played guitar, and that he'd had 7 guitars stolen from him down town (indeed sad), asked if i thought the pizza shop would give him a slice if he asked - I said "take a shot, who knows?" he came swaying back with a hot slice of cheezy goodness and then asked me for a dollar out of my hat. Well, friends - it's hard to say no to somebody who had such a story and seing as how we were both looking down at the hat with it's couple bills and shiny coins all arrayed just so I said, sure - take a dollar. Small price to pay for some karma i suppose. I got blessed by the cheese filled slightly yeasty smelling fella who then headed off to more adventure no doubt.

No dog pee this time. that's a plus.

I worry i'm getting greedy...I spent some of my pay pretty quickly down at the Arab Festival going on at the Seattle Center - and it sort of stung! I either need to not spend my take or maybe move to a higher traffic area - I don't want to get locked in to thinking "busking = that one pitch on queen anne" y'know?

Musically i had a good time - i need a broader collection of songs and instrumentals to shake it up for me, but I, on the spot, figured out two Dylan "licks" that I'd been wondering about forever. one is that quick hammer-on pull-off thing he does in in "Hollis Brown" and the other is the G variant chord in "Billy 1 - 4" . I was thinking he did it with an open tuning, but it turns out its the same chord/lick trick that's used in "Girl from the North Country", "Spanish Boots..." and Tom Paxton's "last thing on my mind" where you've got the G chord and you move your fingers into a C with your 1st and 4th fingers on the G on the high and low E strings...you know what i'm talking about. {jguitar lists it as possibly a G 6th, suspended 4th - which makes sense harmonically - i'm in love with Jguitar.com}

Also - I'm working on my own version of this song below. I can't top this - ever, but i can try and that second chord is such a pleasure to play. I could play that second chord ALL day. RT does it here with thumb and 2 or 3 fingers and that gives it a very "English" sound. Since i'm still learning the American country blues finger picking style I'm doing it with thumb and index finger. but anyone whose heard Rev. Gary Davis knows that those two fingers can bring on a FLURRY of notes.

Richard Thompson, man. I used to think that Jimi Hendrix was the most creative and possibly the greatest guitarist to have lived - I don't think that as much anymore.

Last thought - whose living room is that? How do I get Richard Thompson to come to *MY* living room and play one of the best songs in the universe?

Willie Nelson on Vinyl

There is just not much more pleasant than opening up the doors and windows, when the air is still bright and morning like. And dropping a needle on to the grooves of some Willie on vinyl. Sure, there are some instrumental tracks that don't really move the story along, and the story kinda doesn't make sense - but then really does make sense. But there is such magic in this record and listening to it in two halves and watching that black disc circle round and round - it's just special.

Just good and pure and sad and happy and tragic and fun, simple and difficult, joyous. In a way few pieces of art in any medium
succeeed this record (played on lovingly preserved vinyl) is pure, muddied, Art.

(p.s. - Thanks to Sonny and Margaret for letting me have this when they downsized their vinyl collection)

Beyoncé Battles Stairs, YouTube, and Aliens

Has anybody seen the footage of Beyoncé's recent fall in Orlando?

Apparently, she took a face-firster down 12 stairs during a concert then got up, dusted herself off, and kept workin' it! Some concert-goers reported that Miss Knowles even appeared to be bleeding. The show must go on, I suppose- bravo, Queen Bee!

After the show, Beyoné requested that no one release any video footage of the fall on the internet, but it surfaced quickly on YouTube anyway. Sony music yanked it, though, by the time I got there. Doesn't matter anywho because I managed to find some stills of the video that was released to Fox News and the quality is so bad you've got no clue what you're even looking at- could be Beyoncé falling down a flight of stairs, could also be a fuzzy bootlegged scene from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Probably the second, I think.

*Edit* Maybe, it's both....

Where You Been?

To anyone who might have thought that I'd been devoured by dinosaurs or pushed off a cliff for insurance money, I apologize for my glaring absence from the Effect Return over the past couple of months. School and work have been alternating, taking bites out of my pearly-white seat cushion, and I'm just now getting my head above water. Fortunately, our man on the scene, Dr. Confusion, has stepped up and been posting overtime with a fury that would make even the 300 Spartans proud.

Thanks, Dr. C, for keeping ER alive!