Werf

Judy was the mother. Barbara was the daughter. Celine is the Holy Ghost.

You're supposed to wait until September 9th dude.

Looks like another late night... *skronk*

October will resuscitate my Braxton obsession. I'm geeking for it.

Great show. I listened from 10 until just before 2am, when I nodded off. Loved the "Nonaah" stuff, I hadn't heard anything from that lp in at least ten years. Fantastic. The program was infectious, it prompted me to pull out several dozen AEC, Roscoe, and related discs for Sat. and Sunday night listening. Thanks, man.

That cover shot is by Roberto Masotti. For a couple of years he photographed countless musicians posing with that table. He eventually published a book of them titled You Turned the Tables On Me. More about him HERE. There's some nice shots by Masotti with Schlippenbach Trio plus Peter Kowald in the booklet for their Atavistic release "Hunting the Snake."

The Sadies alone could sanctify the rock genre. All of the energy of early Kinks/Stones/Who wrapped up in an encyclopedic understanding of song lore, able to swing it instrumental, or lyrically. They played to a room of about a dozen in GR about 9 years ago, looked at us and said, "Looks like a party!" and whipped out a dozen great covers around playing their new album. Greatness.

Checking out The List at The Chicago Reader, I saw that this week alone holds some tasty ROCK offerings: Robert Plant and Allison Krause (with Buddy Miller on gtr) Meatmen Detroit Cobras Drive by Truckers (ROCK SHOW) 16 Volt Simply Saucer Liz Phair Shearwater Sadies (!!!!) Warlocks Drams Tren Brothers Thalia Zedek Motor Psycho Sloan Just a rockin' week in Chicago...

If I suddenly doubted the existence of great ROCK, the recent Drive by Truckers show at The Intersection in Grand Rapids would disabuse that notion. ROCK SHOW. Also... DEXATEENS rule.

Artists Who Rock My World: Robert Pollard Takeovers Psycho and the Birds SM and the Jicks Destroyer SPOON Black Mountain The New Pornographers My Morning Jacket Sonic Youth Yo La Tengo Mission of Burma P.J. Harvey The Wrens Broken Social Scene The Decemberists Sleater-Kinney Silver Jews Dinosaur Jr

Small company? More like one (big) dude.

Great tribute, Lazaro. I forgot about that whacked out keyboard sound. WTF was Dave Hay playing? At times it almost sound Sun Ra like, but didn't really fit Dave's bebop approach. It was still wonderful to be taken back to that night. The live in-studio stuff was tremendous. Mel sounded inspired throughout. Thanks for a fun night of listening.

There's going to be a New Orleans style jazz celebration at Gillespie Funeral Home, Wed night April 16th beginning at 7pm. Musicans who knew and played with Mel are invited to join in. Dr John Hair is putting out the word... Mel was so cool. The first time I saw him was at the Caribbean Club with Junior Valentine, with Randy on drums. Must've been '87 or 88 or thereabouts. I was at the tenor summit that Blue Lake taped and that was maybe my favorite night of jazz saxophone in GR. It was a total scene, too, the place was overflowing. I did an interview for the now defunct The Paper with Mel. He told me a great story of how he visited NYC as a young man, met Charlie Parker at a diner, and introduced himself. Bird wrote the chord changes to Scrapple in the Apple on a matchbook for him. RIP Mel.

Schuler Books and Music, which is a Borders affiliate, had CD sales only 65 percent in 07 what they had in 06, according to a close source of mine. I was told this after mentioning that I had been in the store and noticed that while there were hundred or so customers browsing books, not one person was looking at CDs.

My knowledge of Giuffre is scant, but I love Lacy. This past weekend I dug out some CDs that I hadn't listened to in years: "Bye-Ya" the trio recording on Free Lance from 96, "Staples" with Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Trevor Watts, John Stevens, and others (including a badass synth noise maker), "Vespers" with his sextet expanded, and the eternally great "Trickles" with Rudd. This world of ours is without Lacy right now, which is sad.

So it was the Grammies when I briefly switched TV on all drunk ass before bedtime.

I would definitely buy it, but not if it's more than 25 or 30 bucks. I'm guessing a 100 limited lp would probably cost more. Maybe you should think about 300 or 500 pressings. At least 80 percent of the music I've bought since August 2004 has been on vinyl. I gave up my turntable by 1989 or 90, but have reclaimed it very happily. I'm not an audiophile, and I remember Chuck saying how pressing qualities have declined. But most of the new records I've bought I've been happy with. I have bought atrocious pressings from some labels. The Okka Disk limited Brotzmanns were a disappointment, and usually the major label vinyl efforts seem crappier than the indie labels, especially the rock stuff from Matador, Merge, Jagjaguwar, Sub Pop. This is a good thing to contemplate, as CD sales falter and vinyl sales increase (even if it's only slightly).

I'm digging The Pony's new record "Turn Out the Lights," The Broken West "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On," the Sonic Youth comp of B-sides and unreleased tracks "The Destroyed Room," Robert Pollard's new ep "Silverfish Trivia," and last years self-titled Broken Social Scene record. I'm really looking forward to hearing the new Dinosaur Jr. record and The National "Boxer."

Definitely my favorite new record in...1989? 88?

I walked out of Mexains san Frontiers high as the proverbial kite from the music. Mesmerizing. The conversation those four guys were having on their instruments was like a quartet of physicists joking, preaching, praying over the secrets of the universe. I was transfixed, and transformed, at least momentarily. And receiving the sounds in such an inviting, intimate atmosphere, with an appreciative audience made the experience more memorable. A very special musical event happened on S.Division last night. Cool to see all the informed fan(atic)s there, too.

I just park on Division, in front of Vertigo or the DAAC. There are parking spaces behind Hugo's building, but they are probably just for residents. Call Hugo on that one. I sometimes park on Cherry St. too.

I'm planning on being there, Chuck. Genuine loft jazz in GR!!

Happy Birfday, Chico! Hope it's celebratory!

What, no Banks? I should get that 30th Anniversary edition of Asimov's. Trouble is, the store where I used to pick up occasional copies of Asimov's and F & SF doesn't carry them anymore! All of a sudden they only have Analog. Banks is one of those guys I'm intending on reading, along with Ken MacLeod, Jeff VanderMeer, M.John Harrison, Steven Baxter, Jay Lake, etc. So many books, so little time.

Pick up some copies of "Asimov's Science Fiction" and "The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction." The latest "Asimov's" is their 30th Anniversary double special edition, with stories from Allen Steele, Lucius Shepard, Gene Wolfe, Liz Williams and others. Both magazines are publishing some of the finest SF short fiction, and fantasy. And both are losing circulation, so support 'em! Some current SF favorite authors: I'm reading Neal Asher right now, and highly recommend him to those who like plenty of pyrotechnic action in their SF. "Gridlinked," "The Skinner," "Cowl," "Line of Polity," "Prador Moon," and "Brass Man" are the ones I've read, and loved. I started "The Voyage of the Sable Keech" yesterday, the sequel to "The Skinner." Others: Rudy Rucker, Dan Simmons, Alastair Reynolds, China Mieville, Charles Stross, Nancy Kress, Kelly Link, Ian MacDonald, Jack Skillingstead, Paolo Bacigalupi, Lucius Shepard, and David Marusek.