FiL & The Folk

I really meant to post a lot more over the past fortnight. You see, I've got stories waiting to be told. But alas, all that was pushed aside by more worldly demands. Sigh...

I shan't be able to catch up this weekend either, for I'm volunteering at the 30th Vancouver Folk Music Festival. You may recall me waxing lyrical about last year's edition here and here. You see, folk is not really my preferred musical genre; though I do enjoy significant chunks of the oeuvre, I'm not really a tie-dye-and -birkenstocks kinda guy, as my immediately preceding post makes clear. But what I find most appealing about The Festival is that it takes a very broad view of what constitutes "folk music." Indeed, Dearest Wife and I recently had a lively academic debate as to what exactly the term encompasses. I argued that a lot of punk music could be considered folk, while she maintained I was full of crap.

Anyway, my point is that although I'm no folkie, there are always a few artists performing who I'm keen to see, plus I always find myself positively surprised by someone who I otherwise never would have considered paying attention to. Last year I was especially keen to see ex-Slit (and John Lydon's stepdaughter) Ari Up (who cancelled at the last minute, unfortunately) and Feist, but was blown away by Ndidi Onukwulu and Mihirangi. This year Ndidi and Mihirangi are back, and I'm also keen to see On-U Sound dub guru and Tackhead Adrian Sherwood. But what I'm most looking forward to is once again being blindsided by the unexpected!! If you are in the Vancouver area, I'd urge you to come along - you will not regret it! Find out all you need to know right here.

Volunteering is a good gig; I'm on Safety (read: a kind, gentle, smiling version of Security) duty for twelve hours over the three night/three day fest, and I get free admission plus grub. I should add the setting is also fantastic: Jericho Beach Park, right on the water. In fact, yesterday evening after work I was kayaking off that beach as the final touches were being put on the set up. As the sun set over the distant mountains of Vancouver Island, the main stage sound system pumped out Michael Franti and Spearhead over the gently swelling water. I mean, it doesn't really get any better than that...

Hae a lovely weekend, Dearest Friends, and I'll see you all next week, with more stories to tell and hopefully more time to tell them.

Michael Franti and Spearhead - People In Tha Middle (buy here)

Never Trust A Hippy

Artwork by Stephen Youll

Like, faaaaar out, maaaaaaannnn....

Sorry, couldn't resist. The latest Contrast Podcast is out, and since this week marks the 67th episode, Dearest TiM has decided to take us back to the year 1967. Yep, back when it was all long hair, kaftans, free love, patchouli, psychedelia, be-ins, and all that hippy-dippy stuff.

Actually, the contributions this week are very balanced, with only a smattering of hippydom. Yay! That said, when I think 1967 I think flower power & all that, so I'm going to continue in this vein. At any rate, Dearest Friends, tune in, and drop out all at the same time either by downloading the cast here. After listening don't forget to comment here! You can also spiritually meld with the podcast through this magical, mystery RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast.

(00:29) Jefferson Airplane - Somebody to love
Ross from Just gimme indie rock
(03:33) Erma Franklin - Piece of my heart
Michael from The Yank Sizzler
(07:00) Dusty Springfield - The look of love
Linda from Speed of Dark
(11:18) The Turtles - Happy together
Natalie from Mini-Obs
(14:51) The Impressions - We’re a winner
Ally from dustysevens
(17:12) Kaleidoscope - Dive into yesterday
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(22:43) Louie Prima - I wanna be like you
Crash from Pretending life is like a song
(27:34) The Stooges - Search and Destroy
FiL from Pogoagogo
(34:03) Green Day - 86
Andy from Circles of Concrete
(37:13) Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take 5
Marcy from Lost in your inbox
(43:07) John Coltrane - Everytime we say goodbye
Alex from Totally True Tales from Texas
(48:39) R.E.M. - Femme fatale
Kristi from Are you embarassed easily?
(51:47) The House of Love - The Beatles and The Stones
Tom from Better in the Dark
(56:20) Prince - Alphabet street
Greg from Broken Dial
(59:06) The Adult Net - Incense and Peppermints
SAS Radio
(01:02:15) Chris Coco with Nick Cave - Sunday Morning
Matthew from Song by Toad (YAY! Toad's debut! YAY!)

So, why my distaste for hippiedom? Not sure... Perhaps it's because when I was a wee lad it was all I heard on the radio (that plus 1970s soft rock), and it said nothing to me about my life. On top of that, I cringe when I hear people say the sixties (read: mid-late sixties) were all that ever mattered musically. Why, only last week I had a tedious conversation with a rather pompous fiftysomething who crapped on about how nothing musically worthwhile came after Cream, The Beatles, The Doors, Pink Floyd and all their ilk. I begged to differ. I mean, shite attitudes like that are what prompted the Punk Wars of the mid-late 1970s.

But I digress, and over-simplify; after all, Nancy Sinatra released the sublime Sugar Town that year and my personal construct of a hippy hegemony fall to pieces in the face of "I'm a Believer" by The Monkees. 1967 was actually an interesting year, for it saw the swelling of a reaction against all that psychedelia, folk-rock, and happy poprock; The Velvet Underground, Electric Prunes, and, yes, The Psychedelic Stooges (as they were known then), who played their first concert on Halloween, 1967. So that's the story behind my choice, even though the song itself was released six years later. Don't blame me, blame the drugs...

But I did consider a couple of other songs, which I will share with you:

The Second Helping - Let Me In (buy e-here)
Even before 1967 a guerrilla war was being waged by an army of garage and surf bands. One such outfit was The Second Helping, which, amazingly, was fronted by Kenny Loggins. Yes, he who later defected to the dark side and pumped out soft dreck in the 1970s before penning the atrocious theme to the 1984 film Footloose.

The Polyphonic Spree - Light & Day/Reach For The Sun (buy here)
Why? Cos they're neo-hippies. But I really, really like them. They make me happy, though I can't explain why.

Ten Pole Tudor - Who Killed Bambi? (buy here)
Cos it's got the lyric "never trust a hippy." Ripped from my vinyl copy of The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle.

Next week Tim asks us to think "Young." To find out how, look here.

Who Put The 'Mod' In 'Modcore?'

Photo courtesy of Milk Milk Lemonade

Dear Friends, I just got back from the Ukrainian Cultural Centre. Yes, you heard right. The Ukrainian Cultural Centre. And it was culture I got, but not Ukrainian. No, this was locally grown pop cultcha - The Tranzmitors. You may recall my disgruntlement at missing them a couple of months back. And I was right to be peeved, because they are a splendid band.

Now, the Ukrainian Cultural Centre is a bit of an odd venue. It's basically a 1920s neighbourhood church-type hall, set in a leafy residential street that's only a block away from Downtown Eastside, the most deprived area in Canada. But it frequently hosts storming, all-ages punk gigs, and tonight The Tranzmitors were supporting intense Toronto hardcore band Fucked Up. The whole thing ended up being, in the words of Tranzmitor frontman Jeffie Genetic, "a modcore festival."

The Tranzmitors brought the "mod" bit of the equation, taking to tthe stage dressed in skinny drainpipe trousers, skinny ties, and skinny, small-lapelled three-button jackets. Bassist Mike looked like nothing so much as a lanky, skittish Buddy Holly, guitarist Nick bears a more-than-passing resemblance to Jam stickman Rick Buckler (about which more later) and keyboardist Jarrod presided over what looked to be an acely retro-red Ace Tone organ.

And the music, oh boy! From the opening song "Glamour Girls," it was a nonstop, heady mix of tightly-wound, hooky, punkymodpop. I've said it before in my previous post, but I'll say it again in case you weren't listening: think equal measures of "Going Underground" era Jam and Buzzcockian buzzsaw geetarr, with a good few tablespoons of Secret Affair stirred in. All delivered with the sweat, energy, and conviction of The Ramones at their finest. But mistake me not, this is not just a pastiche of what has come before; these lads take their influences and mix them up with their own panache to create fresh, hot, rock 'n' roll goodness. It was a storming set that came to an end all too soon.

At the merch table I snapped up all five of their original 45s, because this sort of band that makes me want to own their back catalogue on old skool vinyl, not just in intangible digital bits and bytes downloaded from e-music.

Now listen up those of you out in the UK: this was the last Tranzmitors show before the group heads out to Britain for an August tour. You see, they've recently signed to the mighty Stiff Records (born 1976, died 1985, reborn 2006), and the tour is a prelude to the release of their s/t album on 27 August in the UK and Ireland. So rejoice, my British chums, and go see their amazingness for yourself! So far dates are confirmed for Guilford (17 Aug), Newport in Wales (22 Aug), and London (24 Aug at the fabulous Dirty Water Club), but the lads will be playing a further half dozen gigs around the country. Check their Myspace page for the latest schedule. If you do go along (and you should, far better investment than shelling out to see the travesty that is From The Jam), do say hello to the boys --they're ever so nice-- and tell them FiL sent you.

Right, here's one last Tranzmitors track for you - you really should go out and buy your own.

The Tranzmitors - Bigger Houses, Broken Homes
You can buy the old 7" singles here, but the Stiff release of the the band's self-titled album will have an additional 4-track EP of the earlier songs. Those of you in North America can e-buy the latest album e-here.

Objects in the Mirror...

Dearest Friends, I got the shock of my life yesterday. While waiting at a stop sign on my drive home, I glanced at my rearview mirror and saw none other than Kim Jong Il,* Dear Leader of everyone's favourite renegade Stalinist kingdom, North Korea. He then followed me for part of my remaining journey.

I can reveal that he drives a dark blue, older model Honda Accord. Though I did not see any ballistic missiles in his backseat, I did hear the following tunes belting out of his tinny car stereo:

Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble - Reunification Rainbow (fund North Korea's WMD programme e-here)

Pop Will Eat Itself - Love Missile F1-11 (buy here)

GWAR - Bring Back The Bomb (buy here)

*Or possibly someone who was his spitting image.

Elvis is Everywhere

Come worship here

For my 7th grade music class project, I prepared a report on Elvis Aaron Presley. I recall thinking at the time that it would be far cooler than writing something about Bach or Mozart. After all, wasn't Elvis "The King??" I rediscovered this artifact not ten days ago, over a quarter century later. As I leafed through the pages of handwritten scrawl and fading, photocopied photos, I was struck by how bloodless and factual it is. A mere narrative catalogue of the man's life, career, and death. Where's the throbbing, hot soul? Where's the rock? And the roll?

Truth is, Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant scat to me. Mention his name and what springs to mind is (in the following order): bloat, polyester jumpsuit, fried peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches, velvet paintings, and expiring on the toilet. Yes, yes, intellectually I can appreciate his impact on music and "classic" songwriting. I can even empathize with how groundbreaking those shaking hips and thrumming rhythms were back in 1954. But the man himself maketh not my heart burn with sacred fire. Dearest Friends, does that make me a heretic?? Sigh.

Anyway, a looong preamble to introduce this week's Contrast Podcast episode, simply titled "Elvis." And it's brought to you this week by Dearest Marcy from Lost in your Inbox! Yaaaay! Now don't get me wrong: though Elvis himself leaves me cold, I find the cult surrounding him and it's iconography ticklingly absurd. So I am really looking forward to wrapping my ears around this selection of Presley-inspired tuneage. Uh-huh-huh. I'd urge you to do the same either by downloading it directly here or by slotting this here RSS feed into your blog aggregator: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast. And do leave comments on the CP blog!!

One for the money, two for the show...

(00:00) Belle and Sebastian - A century of Elvis
Tim from The face of today

(04:50) Gillian Welch - Elvis Presley blues
Marcy from Lost in your inbox

(10:21) Rickie Lee Jones - Elvis cadillac
Linda from Speed of Dark

(15:39) Stiff Little Fingers - Who died and made you Elvis?
Crash from Pretending life is like a song

(19:50) Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper - Elvis is everywhere
FiL from Pogoagogo

(25:46) Jimmy LaFave - Elvis loved his momma
Natalie from Mini-Obs

(28:38) Wesley Willis - Elvis Presley
Ross from Just gimme indie rock

(31:50) Public Enemy - Fight the power
Ally from dustysevens

(36:24) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Tupelo
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away

(41:24) The Pogues - Fiesta
Lyle from Mentok the Mindtaker

(47:07) R.E.M. - Man on the moon
James from Jamesisadork

(52:23) The Manic Street Preachers - Elvis impersonator
Alex from Totally True Tales from Texas

(56:33) Warren Zevon - Porcelain monkey
Tom from Better in the Dark

(01:00:52) Elvis Costello - Red shoes
Chris from Phosphorous.net

I found myself with a fair few ridiculous and sublime songs to choose between, but Mojo & Skid won out primarily for sentimental reasons. You see, the song was on heavy rotation at WGTB during my hoary old college DJ radio days, and it evokes the fondest of memories, despite it verging on novelty territory (generally speaking I do not like novelty records, not one bit). But here are a few others that shook my hip and twitched my lip:

Eilert Pilarm - Jailhouse Rock (buy here)
This is not novelty. This is a Swedish gentleman with an occasional grip on reality who produces stunning renditions of Elvis tunes sung in his own brand of semi-intelligible Swenglish. But he means it, maaan.

Gold Blade - Black Elvis (buy here or e-here)
Punky Mancunians invoke the spirit of 1977 and 1954. Maybe Public Enemy would approve. On second thought, they'd probably choose Kool Keith's Black Elvis over this one. Pity I don't have that kool track to share. Hey, who cares what Public Enemy thinks, anyway?? YEAH BOYYYY!!!

Death Ride 69 - Elvis Christ-The Resurrection (buy here or e-here)
Gotta love that Elvis-as-Saviour imagery. And I love me some dark industrial rawk. So lots to love here!

The Cramps - Elvis Fuckin' Christ (buy here or e-here)
Oh yes! Not the Cramps' finest moment, methinks, but they get full lyrical marks for "Chickin’ pluckin’, runamuckin’ Elvis Fucking Christ!"

Groovie Ghoulies - Graceland (buy here or e-here)
Who said Elvis is dead?? Zombies rule OK.

Chrisoula - O Elvis zi stis kardies (buy here or e-here, if you must)
Oh my. This is truly something. Easy world muzak listening belted out by a Greek-American songstress. Something about Elvis living in the hearts of everyone. Which shows how international Elvis is. Or something. Listener discretion is advised.

Wolfcry - Enola Gay (buy here)
Nothing to do with Elvis. But this is a kick-ass cover of the eighties OMD classic by valiant Greek power metallers Wolfcry. Because I wouldn't want you to think Chrisoula is the sole voice of Hellenic pop music.

Next week, Tim plans to take us back to 1967. So fix that date in yer mind and find yourself a song to submit! Here's how you do it.

I'll Be Back Soon, Promise...

Mayne Island, Active Pass. Photo courtesy of Cheryl J.

Dearest Friends, I did indeed worm my way out of the Big Apple and am now safely back in BC. Alas, this week has been very hectic and this afternoon I'm off to glorious Mayne Island for the Canada Day loooooong weekend. So about 4PM Pacific Time, I'll be ensconsed on a ferry much like the one pictured above, munching nanaimo bars with Darling Daughter (our little tradition). All this means I'll continue to be scarce on the blogfront until next week, when I'll back in town, living the bachelor highlife while Dearest Wife and sproglets stay on on Mayne for another week.

Part of said highlife will include seeing The Tranzmitors on Saturday, 7 July. Oh yeah!! So, to tide you over until we meet again, here's another track by this fab Vancouver band:

The Tranzmitors - Nervous Breakdown (buy their 7" singles here or their debut album e-here)

A Noo Yawk Minute

Hellooooo, Dearest Friends! I'm surviving The Big Apple!!! Over one week now and I've yet to be mugged, shot, or thrown under a subway train. Only another 48 hours to go...

It has been a powerful strange eight days, and I'll give you the skinny upon my return. But right now, let me focus on a couple of unabashedly fantastic points:

First, I had a lovely time reconnecting in person with Dearest Bishakh, both on the cruise and the following evening chez lui, where he plied me with delish ale (in particular a luurvely framboise lambic) and divine cheese (especially a scrummy Gres de Vosges, at least I think that's what it was). On top of that, I got to spend time with his Dearest J and their mate N, who's the nicest skin you could possibly hope to meet!!

Second, I met up with Dearest Colleen and Dearest Bryce at their DJ soiree at the wonderfully cozy Last Exit Bar & Grill! Yaay!! Yes, I tore away the veil of blogdom and I'm happy to report that my view was confirmed: both are wonderful folks and absolutely splendid DJ selectors. Oh, and Colleen has fantabulous tastes in videos, while Bryce gives lovely hugs!! So go visit their respective blogs here and here.

And music, sweet, sweet music. Well, since we're still in a kind of a retro frame of mind, here's a digital rip of a 7" single that I, er, um, liberated from my college radio station back in 1988. I don't know exactly what it is, but "Just Like Hemingway" has exactly the right combo of electro-synth and arty (overwrought?) lyrics that made me feel nostalgic for I-dunno-what the very first time I heard it. Blue Clocks Green were active in the New York area from 1984 to 1990, but never met with breakthrough success. Last year saw promises of an album in 2007 from a successor group, Tripp Finn, but so far they appear to remain unfulfilled. Oh well...

Blue Clocks Green - Just Like Hemingway (you can try to buy here)

I hope you are all keeping well, Dearest Friends, and I look forward to resuming normal-ish service sometime next week or possibly the next!

P.S. Fancy a trip to the Antarctic? Then head over to Contrast Podcast to hear this week's episode!!

21 Years On

You can see my high school. Thanks andy in nyc!

Dearest Friends, I'm off. Yes, FiL is going back to the old house; on Thursday I'm jetting off to the town where I was born, Noo Yawk Siddy. Now some of you know that I don't really have much love for the Big Apple. Indeed, though I grew up in New York, I am not a New Yorker. I gladly left behind the in-yer-faceness, the noise, the rush, the dirt, the crush some twenty-one years ago, when I graduated from high school.

But you see, that's precisely why I'm going back now. For it is my my twenty-first high school reunion on Friday.

Yes, I'm off to see what more than a score of years has wrought amongst the Class of 1986. Of course any visitation to one's past comes with a spot of trepidation. Old memories of youthful awkwardness are awoken. Uncertainty lurks as to how old interactions will be reflected in present ones. But I must admit that I'm looking forward to the evening, and seeing how my cohort has progressed, evolved, changed. There will be a harcore of folks with whom I will delight in catching up, particularly Dearest Bishakh (though I last saw him some three, and not three times seven, years ago). I am also looking forward to seeing Mr Banton, my beloved English teacher, who is retiring this year and is in large part to blame for enabling me to generate the screed that I slap up here on this virtual wall. And I have awfully fond memories of my high school; it was a wonderful place with an internationally and culturally diverse set of students and faculty that made the place hum and buzz.

My ace-in-the-hole, or insurance policy, if you will, is that we will be spending most of the night on a booze cruise around Manahttan. So if the unthinkable happens and it turns into a dreadful bore Bishakh and I can hole up somewhere with a bottle and watch the skyline slip past while the DJ rocks da beatz.

Speaking of music, I thought it only fitting to offer up twenty-one tracks that instantly send me back through a time/space vortex to the mid-1980s. Dearest Friends, these choonz helped form the soundtrack of my teens, and I offer no apologies if the odd song seems cheezy or cringeworthy. Each makes me salivate like one of Pavlov's dogs over a Proustian madeleine...

China Crisis - Working With Fire And Steel (buy here)

Blancmange - That's Love, That It Is (buy here)

The Cure - In Between Days (buy here)

Adam Ant - Goody Two-Shoes (buy here)

Specials AKA - Free Nelson Mandela (buy here)

Madness - Wings of a Dove (buy here)

The Beat - Hands Off... She's Mine (buy here)

The Monroes - What Do All The People Know? (buy here)

B52s - Strobe Light (buy here)

OMD - Enola Gay (buy here)

After The Fire - Der Kommissar (buy here)

Ministry - I Wanted To Tell Her (buy here)

Time Zone - World Destruction (buy here)

The Clash - This Is Radio Clash (buy here)

Killing Joke - Love Like Blood (buy here)

Dead Kennedys - MTV, Get Off The Air (buy here)

Ramones - Bonzo Goes To Bitburg (buy here)

Love & Rockets - It Could Be Sunshine (buy here)

Gene Loves Jezebel - Desire (buy here)

The Nails - 88 Lines About 44 Women (buy here)

Dominatrix - The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight (buy here)

Edit 7/7/07: Sorry, but this post was draining my bandwidth like a leech. So I fear I've had to remove the song links...

But that's not all folks! For you see, in addition to the reunion I wil be heading over Brooklyn-way on Saturday. First I'll be partaking of some luuurvely cheese and ale with Dearest Bishakh, then we're going to to see and hear ma chere Colleen Crumbcake and Dearest Hot Chocolate Boy (a/k/a Bryce) spin da wheelz ov steel at the Last Exit Bar. I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it!!

While the reunion dictated the timing of my NYC foray, the main purpose of the visit is to see My Mother. There is much unfinished business, but I prefer not to dwell on that here - I'm hopeful it will be a pleasant visit. That said, I'm calibrating my compassion generator in anticipation of possible adverse conditions...

So that's it for me for a bit. I may post during the next fortnight, I might not. But I will check in with you all every now and again, and should be back to regular programming later in the month. And I'll have stories to tell!!

The Final Link In The Chain

Ch-ch-chaaain, chain of so-o-ong... Yes, Dearest Friends, its Contrast Podcast Day again, and this week sees the conclusion of the song chain that began waaay back in episode 48 and continued in episode 53. To remind you of the concept, one person chooses a song, then the next person chooses another song linked in some way to the previous song, and so on, and so on. Tim, being the ever-thoughtful forger of podcasts, has linked all three episodes together over here. But you can download just the third length over here. Got it? Good! Go one step further and paste this RSS feed into your faithful aggregator to ensure you automatically get each episode: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast

And here's how this week's talented crop of contributors propose to chain you up:

(00:36) Weezer - Lover in the snow
Tim from FunFunFun
(05:16) Homie - American Girls
Heather from I am fuel, you are friends
(10:35) The Walker Brothers - Deadlier than the male
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(13:40) Jack Johnson - Banana pancakes
Kane from Burning Oak
(17:22) G. Love & Special Sauce - Rodeo clowns
Jeff from Kinky Origami
(20:58) The Byrds - Hickory wind
Tim from The Daily Growl
(24:41) Eels - I like birds
Tutu Vicar from The World Won’t Listen
(27:16) Charley Pride - Kaw-Liga
Alex from Totally True Tales from Texas
(32:08) Beck - Your cheatin’ heart
Ross from Just gimme indie rock
(35:51) The Sundays - Leave the city
Mark from Cinema du Lyon
(40:31) Toots & The Maytals - Take me home country roads
Chris from Phosphorous.net
(43:52) DeVotchKa - We’re leaving
Marcy from Lost in your inbox
(49:15) Siouxsie & The Banshees - Arabian nights
Elizabeth from The Roaring Machine
(52:53) Vic Chesnutt - Supernatural
Linda from Speed of Dark
(57:34) Waiting for Steve - Supernatural dreamings
SAS Radio

Next week's theme is Midwinter, suggested by Alexander who lives in the Antarctic! No joke! Isn't that exciting??? So think cold thoughts and drop by here to learn how to take part. Naturally as this was a closed-loop podcast this week, I was spared any agonizing decisions about what to pick. But here's a chainish song anyway, by Detroit's ultra-cool, ultra-blue, outta-the-garage Dirtbombs.

The Dirtbombs - Chains of Love (buy here or e-here)

And to finish off, an unrelated tale of paternal pride. This weekend Little Man and I went out and about in the car to run some errands. As we were saddling up to leave, I stopped to poke around in our glass CD case to find something suitable for the journey. Little Man asked if he could choose, so naturally I deferred to him. What did he pick? A Date With Elvis by The Cramps. But before settling on it he did ask me if it was loud...

The Cramps - What's Inside A Girl? (buy here or e-here)

Sailing the Seven seas

Arrr, me Dearest Hearties! Shiver me timbers, splice the mainbrace, caulk the mizzen, and swab me poopdeck! This week the good ship Contrast Podcast sets sail on a sea of music dedicated to all things oceanic. And through the magic of the internet, you can all come along on the cruise! As a special treat, you'll hear the adventures of Cap'n "Salty" Tim and his band of cutthroat musical pirates as they face down the dangers of crap music and corporate greed. So slip on your eyepatch, screw on your pegleg, grab your cutlass, and come aboard! The podcast leaves from this pier, or you can join the crew using this direct RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast

Anchors Aweigh!!

(03:57) Lalo Schifrin - Jaws
Tim from The face of today
(09:18) XTC - Sgt. Rock
Mark from Cinema du Lyon
(14:11) The Magnetic Fields - Deep sea diving suit
Elizabeth from The Roaring Machine
(16:34) Michael Nyman - Prawn watching
Crash from Pretending life is like a song
(19:40) Captain Tractor - The last Saskatchewan pirate
Lyle from Mentok the Mind-taker
(24:45) The Great Depression - Sargasso sea
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(29:27) Silver Apples - Seagreen serenade
Pieter from Two Tramps in Mud Time
(33:35) The Waterboys - Fisherman’s blues
Natalie from Mini-Obs
(38:30) Jazz Crabs - You say party! We say die!
FiL from Pogoagogo
(41:15) Harold Budd, Simon Raymonde, Robin Guthrie & Elizabeth Fraser - Sea, swallow me
Conrad from 4AD 4EVR
(44:37) Frank Zappa - The ocean is the ultimate solution
Chris from Phosphorous.net
(53:30) The Decemberists - A cautionary tale
Sid from Too Much Rock
(57:02) Whale - Hobo humpin’ slobo babe
Marcy from Lost in your inbox
(01:01:09) Dead Can Dance - Ocean
Nuno from Undercover songs
(01:04:30) Blurt - The fish needs a bike
Ross from Just gimme indie rock
(01:07:26) Gregory Alan Isakov - The salt and the sea
Heather from I am fuel, you are friends

There were a couple of other sea shanties that I considered taking on board, but sadly I had to leave them waving folornly on the quayside. Here, have a listen and take good care of them until I come back to port:

Pixies - Wave of Mutilation (buy here or e-here)
The only song I know that namechecks the awesome Mariana Trench

The Pogues with The Dubliners - The Irish Rover (buy here)
Back before Shane developed his permanent slur...

Modern English - Hands Across The Sea (buy here)
Completes the transformation of ME from punk band The Lepers to noopopwave wannabies. Rather catchy, but the "Oooh lady" bits drag it through the muck, methinks...

Squeeze - Pulling Mussels from the Shell (buy here)
For the longest time I thought he was singing about pulling muscles for Michelle...

Next week Contrast Podcast continues the song chain. So no opportunity to contribute, but have a look here to find out how to take part in upcoming episodes. And if you've never submitted a song, please think about doing so - it's easy and so much fun!! Don't believe me? Look here!

A Reckoning

Last night's tally:

Two whisky sours
Two gin & tonics
Three glasses of white wine (Sumac Ridge Sauvignon Blanc, yum yum!)
One calvados
Three beers
One double Jack Daniels

Went to bed at 4:00 AM, woke up at 7:30 AM, attended a presentation at 8:00 AM.

And I suspect tonight will be the same. So time for a nap...

P.S. It's pissing down outside, and I'm chortling at the thought of those out on the green worshiping the god of golf...

RIAA - It's Whiskey [Run DMC vs The Pogues & The Dubliners] (have a gander here)

Black Flag - Six Pack (buy here)

Divine Comedy - Gin Soaked Boy (buy here)

On Business

Greetings, Dearest Friends, from the deepest, darkest wilds of British Columbia. OK, perhaps I exaggerate. But I am currently nestled among the mountains a few hours north of Vancouver, attending a conference on things financial and banking. Ah, I can hear you all yawning in unison... Granted, some of the material is a bit, um, dry, but the setting is breathtakingly wonderful, even if the weather has turned from hot, sunny, and spectacularly clear to wet, rainy, and cloudy.

As those of you who have attended conferences know, much of their utility lies not so much in the actual presentations, but in the associated networking. And of course networking must take place in the context of wining, dining, and "events," all sponsored by various companies that hope to convince you to send money money money their way. Big business is very wise. Take, for instance, yesterday's cocktail reception, put on by A Very Big Investment Bank. There were oysters aplenty, hundredweights of calamari, and chunks of roast beef the size of Volkswagens to gorge on. But on top of that, the full-size bar was carved entirely out of ice. And the piece de resistance? A four-foot tall ice carving of A Very Big Investment Bank's logo with a tube snaking through it. A comely waitress lass would pour the martini of your choice into the top of the logo, and it would wend its way through the ice and into the glass you were holding at the other end of the tube. My goodness. I will admit to enjoying the nosh and the booze, as well as the company of some of the delegates, many of whom are in fact lovely people. And I think I'll be better able to assist the righteous co-operative for which I work as a result of my attending. But I'll also admit to an uneasy sense of it being all a bit too much, too extravagant, too wasteful. Feed the world...

And then there's golf. Seems that most attendees are spending vast amounts of time doing deals and making connections on the manicured greens. Indeed, it's not a sport, it's a religion whose adherents revel in its rituals, fetishize its accoutrements ("Goodness, is that a Tiger Woods Carbon Titanium X3CR Puttmaster?"), and revere those priests who have attained enlightenment through low handiaps. Me? Can't stand the game. Bores me to tears. I hate the clothes. I can't stand the clubbiness. And I outright reject the pressure to play that many folks who share my feelings have succumbed. With this as background, you will understand why I delighted in the stories I heard today from golfers whose games yesterday were marked by nonlethal, but unnerving encounters on the green with resident black bears freshly awake from hibernation...

Anyway, the music. There's not much rock 'n' roll in my immediate vicinity, but as a counterpoint to where I find myself right now, I thought I'd share with you some rips I did recently off of 1987's "Wake Up!" EP in support of the ill-fated UK miner's strike. This is a cracker of a record, the highlight of which for me is the live version of the Clash's "Garageland" sung by Billy Bragg, his bestest mate Wiggy, the wonderful Atilla the Stockbroker, and The Neurotics at a festival in East Germany. Howevr, I've screwed up the mp3 and can't fix it remotely. I promise promise promise to do so upon my return, but in the meantime here are The Redskins doing a version of Billy's "Levi Stubbs' Tears" and a Neurotics track as well. From each according to their ability, to each according to their need.

The Redskins - Levi Stubbs' Tears

The Neurotics - This Fragile Life

You can, in fact, buy the EP on CD. Where? Go here and scroll down.

How It's Done

Oh my, it's been a week, hasn't it? Sigh. Sigh again. And once more for good measure...

Dearest Friends, my cyber-absence was due to me being kidnapped by the usual suspects, work and family. But I've managed to break free for a smidge - SEND HELP (in the form of lovely music, dark chocolate, stinky cheeses, Audrey Hepburn, bolshy red wines, PJ Harvey, and real ales, please). Truth be told I was also feeling a wee bit down on the weekend, but managed to swat away the pesky black dog come Monday. Huzzah!

And so, let me launch into my weekly song-and-dance about Contrast Podcast! Yes, episode 61 (Can you believe it?!?? Sixty-one weeks of lusciousness already!) came out this Tuesday and it asks a simple, yet burning question: "How??" To find out, download the podcast here or stuff your automatic podcast downloader thingy with this: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast

Here's a sneak peek at the answers:

(00:00) Dusty Springfield - How can I be sure?
Tim from The face of today
(03:15) The Hot Puppies - How come you don’t hold me no more?
FiL from Pogoagogo
(09:34) The Auteurs - How I learned to love the bootboys
Jim from Quick before it melts
(13:46) Ry Cooder - How can you keep on moving?
Linda from Speed of dark
(17:50) Ivor Cutler - Good morning, how are you? Shut Up!
Chris from Phosphorous.net
(19:51) Kultur Shock - How to fucc songs and irritate musicians
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(24:59) Snow Patrol - Ask me how I am
Andy from Circles of Concrete
(27:52) Junior Walker - How sweet it is to be loved by you
Crash from Pretending life is like a song
(31:09) Pelle Carlberg - How I broke my foot and met Jesus
Marcy from Lost in your inbox
(35:30) Martini Ranch - How can the laboring man find time for self culture?
Tom from Better in the dark
(40:42) The Shaky Hands - Why and how come
Bob from Gimme Tinnitus
(42:46) B.B.King - How blue can you get?
James
(48:10) Heaviness - How to avoid the sugartraps
Ross from Just gimme indie rock
(53:56) Sam Phillips - How to quit
Natalie from Mini-Obs

The Hot Puppies track shone through on sheer appeal - the torchy, pleading vocals and the timelessly retro arrangement snagged me. And it was such a perfect lament to accompany Cherie Sorbet's heartbreak. But I did consider these:

Boyracer - How Come You're Such A Hit With The Boys, Jane? (off the Girlracer EP, but no idea where you can find it)

Wetherby tweepop-punkers cover the Dolly Mixture classic. Wanna know more? Go here - Dearest Liz tells you all you need to know.

Inspiral Carpets - This Is How It Feels (buy here for only 74 cents!!)
I am frequently inspired by floor coverings. But I digress. FACT: Noel Gallagher auditioned unsuccessfully to be lead singer of this Cool-as-Fuck gang of organ-parping cow hypnotizers.

t.A.T.u - How Soon Is Now? (buy here)
Kakiye krasiviye maladiye Russkiye devotchki!! Manufactured Russian fake-lesbo kinderwhores cover/butcher (delete as appropriate) a fine, fine Smiths tune. But regardless of what you think of their talents, full props and respect are due for their outspoken stance against the endemic and brutal homophobia of their native land. And I think All The Things She Said is a grand piece of eurotrash pop brilliance. Damn, now I've done it...

Next week, Contrast Podcast takes to the ocean with all things maritime and marine. So dig out your briniest sea shanties and drop by here to learn how to take part! And I can promise you a special intro...

Catching Up

Hello, Dear Friends, I hope this finds you all well. Time for a spot of tidying up the odds 'n' sods, of doing thing that really should have been done already. Sigh, so delinquent, and that clock stares at me with such reproach...

First, Dearest Danielle of the lovely, multisensual blog music is art kindly invited me to participate in the latest instalment of her song/context/result feature. The idea is that contributors describe how a song takes them back to a specific momet, and what it all means to them. A neat, simple idea, but one that yields wonderful insight and revelation. Danielle posted part three exactly a week ago, and I have been far too slow in sharing it with you. So I invite you all to pop round here for a look, a read, and a listen. Though contributors are not linked directly to their contributions, you'll get no prizes for guessing which is mine...

Second, I was flattered, embarassed, humbled, tickled, and honoured to be given (relatively) recently not one, but two Thinking Blogger Awards: one from Dearest Marcy of Lost In Your Inbox, and one from Dearest Ash of Ash BC. Both of these lovely friends said very nice words about how my cyberscribbles make them think, which is the single, sweetly simple criterion for this award. Ash, Marcy, thank you so much for your kindness. I'm so very pleased that you find my little bit of the blogosphere worth coming to!

As a TBA recipient, I am invited to choose five blogs that make me think. Now, I'd like to make it clear that both Ash's and Marcy's blogs consistently stir my brain's thoughts and emotions. So by rights I should award TBA's right back at them. But I don't think that's the way it's supposed to work. Sigh, I always overcomplicate thinks when I'm forced to choose... Anyway, my five Thinking Blogger Awards go to:

Dearest Young Tim of Contrast Podcast fame. As curator of this marvellous cabinet of wonders, Tim has forced me (mind you, I did go willingly) to open my mind further to a host of musical wonders.

Dearest Bryce of Plastic Music is, by his own admission, a sporadic poster. But over time his mix of musical gems, tales of domesticity, and personal commentaries on that which seizes his fancy has been compelling.

Dearest Mentok of Mentok the Mind-taker has misnamed his blog. He doesn't take your mind at all. Rather, he gives it provoking and humourous tidbits to gnaw on.

And now, a newcomer, one that has only just made it onto my blogroll. You see, I only recently began visiting Minge and reading about his Morbid Adventures. But his evocative, wonderfully written pieces on temps perdu, his poetic tropes (see the Fib Sunday), and his fondness for The Pet Shop Boys and Doctor Who have all prodded my grey cells. Oh, and his photos are rather nice too, apart from the one of the vomiting fat lady.

Also hailing from Scotland, whence Minge, is my fifth award-winner, Dearest Colin of And Before The First Kiss. Colin is ace; he's got fabulous taste in music, a compulsion to share it generously with everyone, acerbic wit, firecely held convictions, a keen eye for the old piccies, and the wonderful ability to stitch it all together with lovely words. He is also my original cyberbloggy friend.

So thank you, you Famous Five! And now you have the chance to nominate your thinkingest blogs...

Finally, let me leave you with some songs that I found nestling with the dust bunnies under the sofa. You see, the ancient, creaking turntable that I have hooked up to the PC is STILL choosing to cooperate with me, and I have been taking advantage of this to rip a few tracks from some olde vinyle records. So here's some of what I found:

The Jasmine Minks - Cut Me Deep (buy here)
Coaxed from the grooves of Doing It For The Kids, a 1988 Creation Records sampler. The Jasmine Minks were one of the first bands to hop on Alan McGee's label, and can thus legitimately be called granddaddies of C86-twee. And they're Scottish, but if you didn't know you probably would have guessed it coz the music is so fine...

The House of Love - Destroy The Heart (buy it here if you're keen)
Sticking somewhat to the same vibe, this is the a-side to the proto-shoegaze band's 1988 single, also released on Creation. It's a bit scratchy, so apologies. House of Love split up in 1993, but reformed in 2005 and have been performing sporadically since. Enjoy the texture!

The Theme From...

Dear Friends, it's Contrast Podcast time yet again, and this week our contributors are sharing their personal theme songs. Thank goodness no-one chose "Private Dancer" or "The Pina Colada Song..." Anyway, to listen to the words and music by which the CP nation lives its life, download the 'cast here, or subscribe using this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast.

(00:00) Chet Baker - Look for the silver lining
Tim from The face of today
(03:24) Getatchew Mekurya with the Ex - Musicawi Silt
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(08:19) Loney, Dear - I am John
Marcy from Lost in your inbox
(12:28) Bach - Sich üben im lieben
Cindy from Adzuki Bean Stash
(17:30) Julian Cope - I gotta walk
Chris from Phosphorous.net
(20:15) Kraftwerk - The man-machine
Mark from Cinema du Lyon
(25:40) Massive Attack - Unfinished sympathy
Ross from Just gimme indie rock
(30:40) Hole - Celebrity skin
Lyle from Mentok the Mindtaker
(34:39) The Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
James
(37:34) Ben Folds - There’s always someone cooler than you
Natalie from Mini-Obs
(42:14) The Wannadies - Might be stars
Crash from Pretending life is like a song
(46:20) The Jam - Going Underground
FiL from Pogoagogo
(51:43) Michael Storey - Another Country OST
Colin from And before the first kiss

To be perfectly honest, I actually went with my backup personal theme. You see, Dear SAS Radio submitted the song I live by a few podcasts ago as his favourite 45, and I didn't feel it right to trot it out again, even though it galvanizes me like nowt else can. The song? Why, it's "Public Image" by Public Image Limited. Yes, yes, I know, Metal Box was far more groundbreaking, but, oh, that thrumming bass, those yowled lyrics, and that clanging, circular guitar!! "You never listened to a word that I said, you only seen me for the clothes that I wear..." Indeed! And yes, FiL was derived a long, long time ago from PiL...

Public Image Limited - Public Image (buy here)
Listen, and ye shall understand FiL...

Now Going Underground was a close second, don't get me wrong. It still maps my general political outlook rather accurately, and every time I flip on CNN I see those braying sheep and I want to shout and scream. But while "Public Image" has remained wholy relevant, I sometimes wonder if I'm a bit too old (gasp!) for"Going Underground." It has a tinge of the angry, spotty, young man about it, and at the ripe old age of 38 I occasionally feel that I should put away childish things. But then at other times I listen to it and I think that just coz my acne has cleared up doesn't mean I can't and shouldn't get all pissy and indignant about the shite that's being shovelled...

I Am The World Trade Center - Going Underground (buy here )
OK, nowhere near as stunning as the original, but this electrosynthoparp version is rather groovy in its own way. It's sorta like Paul Weller snogging that chick out of Berlin on the warm leatherette in the back of a Ford Cortina with Ladytron squalling out of a tinny dashboard cassette player. Or something.

Next week's theme trots out the last question in the "who, what, when, where, why" series and asks us to contemplate "How?" So click here to find out how (nyuk, nyuk) you can contribute a song with that word in the title to the podcast.

Where Do Drifters Go?

Photo not mine, courtesy of bigkyle28

Thursday morning, six-twenty. Already it's a fine day, clear sunshine washing the still empty streets. I'm in my car, a few blocks away from work. I drive past a parking lot on my right. Standing at its entrance is a husky, pear-shaped man. He is wearing jeans and a slate-blue hoodie. His arms are outstretched; in one hand he clutches a worn broom, in the other a dustpan on a stick. His mouth is open and he seems to be singing, like a tenor serenading cars to the lot.

I smile to myself.

Thursday afternoon, twelve-thirty. I'm walking along the seawall towards Granville Island, mulling over my lunch options. The tide is out, exposing the barnacle-crusted rocks that slope down into the water. I pass a worn broom and a dustpan on stick lying on the wall. The pear-shaped man is down on the rocks, grey mud on the cuffs of his jeans. He is still wearing his slate-blue sweatshirt, despite the warmth. He moves his arms slowly, gesturing to the sea while chanting inaudibly. The sun shimmers in his spectacles.

I am somewhat bemused.

Thursday afternoon, one-fifteen. I am returning to the office, again along the seawall. I look for the pear-shaped man on the rocks, but I do not see him, nor do I spy his broom and pan. I scan a bit further along the shore's edge and spot a heron, standing in the water. My heart flutters with possibility; it is slate-blue and staring out to sea.

Something moves past me on my left, and I turn to look. It is the pear-shaped man, muttering incoherently. His hoodie is up around his head, and haunted eyes stare out from behind skewed glasses at nothing in particular. He clutches his broom and pan tight to his chest as he lurches past me. He smells of stale sweat.

I feel unreasonably disappointed.

Jussi Bjoerling & Robert Merrill - Au Fond Du Temple Saint (buy here)
Camera Obscura - Lunar Sea (buy here or e-here)
The Icicle Works - Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) (buy here)

Playing with Tom, Dick, and Harry

A picture of the three gents, courtesy of Tim.
How he got Tom Jones (centre), Dick Whittington (left)
and Harry Enfield (right) in the same room, I haven't a clue...

So, Dear Friends, you see, it's true: Contrast Podcast is the voice of the common person. For this week it was turned over, thanks to Dearest Nats, to Every Tom, Dick, or Harry. Each of these fine gentlefolk is well represented in the mix of contributions, and it seems there is also a smattering of smutty double entendres concerning Richard - ooer, missus!! So, as ever, I counsel you to download the podcast directly here, or via this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast

Now, come meet the nice boys:

(00:00) Harry Belafonte and The Smothers Brothers - Every man should be free
Tim from The face of today
(03:17) Harry Nilsson - You’re breakin’ my heart
Natalie from Mini-Obs
(07:08) Little Richard - Nuki suki
Murf from False45th
(13:00) Mickey Avalon - My dick
SAS Radio
(16:11) Faces - Pool Hall Richard
Steve from Domino Rally
(21:18) Sham 69 - Hurry up Harry
FiL from Pogoagogo
(24:47) Thomas Mapfumo - Ndanzwa Ngoma Kurira
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(28:52) Thomas Truax - Escape from the Orphanage
Crash from Pretending life is like a song
(33:12) Buffalo Tom - Treehouse
Ross from Just gimme indie rock
(37:38) Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Billericay Dickie
Chris from Phosphorous.net
(41:38) subNatural - Omnipresence
Cindy from Adzuki Bean Stash
(47:22) The Dicks - Dicks hate the police
Bob from Gimme Tinnitus
(49:41) RATM - The ghost of Tom Joad
Waffles from Waffles Radio
(55:26) The Muffs - I’m a dick
Linda from Speed of Dark
(57:25) The Dickies - Gigantor
Tom from Better in the dark
(01:00:29) Placebo - Peeping Tom
Alex from Totally true tales from Texas
(01:06:06) Phil Ochs - Here’s to the state of Richard Nixon
Charles from Heartache with hard work


So, I bet some of you are wondering where the phrase "Every Tom, Dick, or Harry" comes from. Apparently pairs of common male names were frequently used in Elizabethan times to refer to the great unwashed. The first recorded instance of this practice dates to 1555 and Sir David Lindesay's Ane Dialog betwix Experience and ane Courteour. Indeed, at the end of the 16th century even Willy Shakespeare had jumped onto ye olde bandwaggone, referring in Henry IV, Part 2 to "Tom, Dicke, and Francis." The famous triumvirate was most likely first brought together in The Farmer's Almanac of 1815, which tells us 'So he hired Tom, Dick and Harry, and at it they went.' Ooer missus, yet again.

I had a bit of a tough time choosing a song this week, but in the end elected to stay away from Dick, as most of the choonz bearing his name were rude and I've not yet recovered from CP's X-Rated episode. So here's what you might have had:

Gorillaz - Dirty Harry (buy here)
Getcha some light funk, some kiddiez singing, and a cartoon band. Um, yeah...

Thompson Twins - Lies (buy here)
My word! Timewarp! Everybody, flop your fringe about and dance lika a dementedly happy eighties chicken!!!

Oh, alright, you dirty people. Just to stop you salivating, here's one of the naughty tunes. Actually, it's not a Dicky one, but it is still very sordid and not at all suitable for children:

Momus - Harry K-Tel (buy here or e-here)
Harry is a dirrty, dirrty man...

Next week's meme is "My Personal Theme Tune." So get thinking, get recording, and go here to find out how to take part.

Adieu, Jerry

Moral Majority = Immoral Rat Joy

I don't believe in infernal damnation, nor do I believe in a heavenly gated community staffed by winged harpists. The idea of reincarnation based on karmic accounting also stirs my incredulity. But when I heard that homophobic, sexist, intolerant, preacher man Jerry Falwell died today, I had a hard time stifling thoughts of him slowly marinading in an eternal deep-fat fryer, or being recycled as a lamprey.

This was a man who said "AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."

This was a man who said "the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians" helped bring about 9/11.

This was a man who sought to replace democracy with theocracy.

This was a man who preached divisiveness and exclusion from the most commanding of pulpits.

That said, I was doing pretty well on the compassion groove. Reflecting on the fear and anger that might have given rise to his views. Avoiding all those destructive emotions. All the right things. Then this song came on the mp3 playah in the car, and I yowled it all the way home, visions of a roasting Jerry in my mind:

The Tiger Lilies - Hell (buy here or e-here)

Beware of the Voice in the Sky

Driving through Delta, 22 April 2007

Yesterday afternoon Little Man spent quite some time running around the garden while ominously intoning: "Be-WARE... of the VOICE... in the SKY!!!"

I have no idea what he was talking about.

Jens Lekman - Sky Phenomenon (buy here or e-here)
The Harvey Girls - In The Sky (buy e-here or e-here)
The Bats - Up To The Sky (buy here or e-here)
Echobelly - Big Sky Mind (buy here or e-here)