Tuesday, March 17, 2009

single.handedly making a case for twitter...

AS IF THE '08 PRESIDENTIAL RUN WASN'T ENTERTAINING ENOUGH...LADIES & GENTLEMEN, OUR FAVOURITE RENAISSANCE MAN!


cwalken

I made a little pimp outfit and put it in the yard. The bluejay hasn't come back since. Some weird shit going on with the squirrels though.
1:15 PM Mar 16th from web






Sunday, March 15, 2009

'world keeps turning...'

Interesting coincidences...what would have been the first post of this blog, that for time reasons just stayed buried in the notes, will now see the light of day. And what brought it to light was the surprise re.emergence of a retired band, Australia's Midnight Oil, who saw fit to give it another go in Melbourne, in support of relief efforts for the horrendous fires recently. With Mr. Garrett occupied with his cabinet level position in Australia, it was truly nice to see the boys back in business, and for a cause we here on this coast can truly appreciate. Don't be fooled by the ultra.clean production work on their later LP's, let history note that this was the 2nd loudest band i have ever seen in my life!

As the sun bursts through the rainy season (all of February, and badly needed!), the transition is in place to: Fire Season...pretty much until October. Been very lucky, dodging fires at home & work the last two consecutive years...here's hoping the streak continues...

This dates back to summer, 2008:
The Gap Fire sprung fast from near a gun club, spewing out hard and hot north of the freeway, quickly threatening suburbs still twitchy from the Painted Cave fire, more than fifteen years previous. In just two days, it was thieving headlines from Big Sur, and ever Der Arnold has stepped up to respect, paying us a visit when there are no more chips on the table electorally….very impressive. Sometimes you have to give credit where it’s due, and he’s all of a man on this one.

One voice, however, is recurring…every time I drive the outskirts of the blaze, it intrudes on my consciousness, no matter what else is playing, however loud. High pitched and lonesome, like the hills engulfed…it merges with that particular quality of light and haze, my breathing inhibited as much by the lines that spring to mind as the air itself.

‘World is turning…hope it don't turn away"
NEIL YOUNG: 'On The Beach' 1974

Monday, March 9, 2009

mo' coachella updatedness...
















Or...Amy, we hardly knew ya...
looks like these shots from '07 will have to stand, as it appears that due to visa issues, she might not be gracing our shores for awhile...

Sunday, March 8, 2009

books shmooks I (out in the street)

OK, so inevitably we would drift into books...ah, where better to begin than Michael Davis' 400 page epic "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street". Undoubtedly more than you will ever need to know about the formation of the show, there are still some unanswered questions at the end of the journey, (what about the 'third David'), not quite 'grassy knoll' stuff, but still...Prepare for a history of children's television, as well as the show itself, that is great background, but sometimes overwhelming.



While lessons can certainly be learned about where the show has ended up today compared to the late 60's mission statement, (cough...cough), and there will always be endless debate about actual educational value. The biggest takeaway for me is the impact the show had on a whole generation that, in between getting the fundamentals on letters and numbers, was slipped the concept of multi.culturalism, and how could that be quantified as to where we stand today? As opposed to 'boomer', or 'x', the only generational label i've ever related to would be the 'sesame street' generation...having been 4 when it hit the air, I'll stand up for that.

The glory years have been repackaged for your consumption/edification on the aptly named: "Sesame Street: Old School" DVD collection. Vol. 1 covers '69-'74, while Vol. 2 moves on to '74-79. Indulge in some classic moments or freak out at revisiting some of those special guests...



It's a nice little ramble down memory lane, and it's amazing just how much of that stuck, word for word...

Saturday, March 7, 2009

reality interruption...

A.K.A.: 'Black Thursday' in these parts...or: 'And the hits keep coming'. I'm still tracking calls & emails from across the country to see just who survived and who didn't.

Just want to take a moment to say thank you, whether you mentored me, or I trained you, whether i worked with, above, or under you...

To those who didn't go on, thanks for being part of the Family, in times good and bad...

To those who remain, carry on...and good luck, we'll need it!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

memo from the weird side...

Just want to take a moment to reset your parameters of odd, and pay homage to a man who's provided me w/many a morbid chuckle over the years, & who's work i've proudly supported, and sometimes admit out loud...

Ladies & Gentlemen...
the one & only Max Cannon:

On the serious tip, his website contained an impassioned missive that i felt duty bound to pass along, and i can only add, as bad as the traditional newspaper biz is doing, imagine the situation
at alternative papers...



Thanks for indulging me, not everyone can pimp it Blondie & Dagwood style...

She Put A Spell On You...

CAT POWER & DIRTY DELTA BLUES BAND
LOBERO THEATRE, SANTA BARBARA, CA
13 FEBRUARY 2009

On the second of two straight nights at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara for me, it was as much a 360 as the mind could bear: an evening in the company of that inimitable stylist, Cat Power, in a special benefit for DANCEworks.

First, a word about the location for those of you outside my so-called beltway…the Lobero is as close to a home base as I have. It started life as an opera house in the 1870’s, founded by Jose Lobero, hence the name. In the ‘20’s, it was ransacked by the Great Earthquake that leveled much of the town…(there’s a great picture of the California hotel on State St w/one wall completely down, you can see inside all the rooms…very hip!) A community facilitated effort saw its re.establishment, and it has chugged on merrily since, attracting performers of every stripe, from Marian Andersen to Baryshnikov to Bill Maher, and including 'Sings Like Hell', one of the first subscription concert series, now in it's 25th season!).

It is located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, on Canon Perdido St, formerly Santa Barbara’s ‘chinatown’ in the ‘30’s, home of opium dens & general shenanigans, and this history seems almost palpable during Cat Power’s set.

Backed by the Dirty Delta Blues Band, she, (a.k.a. Chan Marshall), tapped her inner Nina Simone and cruised gracefully through a set leaning heavily on her recent album of covers, “Jukebox”, and the trailing EP, “Dark End of the Street”; James Carr’s soul monument was one of many highlights, including her gender twisted take on Hank Williams ‘Rambling Man’, and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Fortunate Son’, slowed down to a methadone blues, but no less lethal…
Working back to her 2006 record, “The Greatest”, she dug out “The Moon”, and later loosed a towering version of “Angelitos Negros”, effectively capping the night.

The band features Erik Paparazzi, Greg Foreman, Jim White (Dirty Three), and Judah Bauer (anchor of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion!).

After the show, Cat came out & apologized (?!), apparently her expectations weren’t met, but from the cheap sets it was her usual magic, effective & evocative. She spent some time distributing to her fans the roses that were given to her, a nice closing touch...