We took a walk between rain showers yesterday and spotted these turkeys. They can fly if they have too but they are almost too clumsy to do so. They aren’t the most graceful walkers either. They are still evolving.
We have a number of small jobs that keep us strapped to our computer chairs and one of them is mp3 fulfillment for Pete LaBonne. We’ve sold two copies of his “High Time” release in the last few days and we’re wondering what the flurry is all about. He must be getting some North Country press. Last we heard he was firming up a date at Turning Stone Casino. Pete will be in town on September 2nd to play with Margaret Explosion for the last of this summer’s outdoor “14 Fridays” in the Village Gate Courtyard. Pete LaBonne “My Clock Stops” from Gigunda Box Set
Vinyl records sound better than cds or digital files. I’m not talking about clean 180 gram virgin audiophile vinyl, I’m talking about dusty old lps and 45s. And there is no question that record covers look much better especially the gatefold spreads weather inside or out. So I’m hanging on to a few and putting the rest in a garage sale next weekend. I offered two boxes of cds to my nephews yesterday, deliberately arranging them so the White Stripes were on top. They looked down at the boxes and giggled as they said no thanks. I asked if they had a cd player and they said no.
I thought yesterday’s 4 Season’s post on “So Many Records, So Little Time” was cool but today’s was a sensation. Kevin posted Margaret Explosion’s “Purple Heart” What a way to start the day.
We took a long bike ride in the direction of Irondequoit Bay and wandered around in the dreamy little neighborhoods that overlook the bay. We stopped at a few garage sales and rode down streets with “No Outlet” signs on them. Perfect Day so far.
I love the Blindfold Test that DownBeat gives a musician in each issue. Listening with with an open mind, no cover image, liner notes or baggage, can be exhilarating. That’s why I like “iTunes DJ” shuffle mode so much. Knowing what song is going to come up in what order takes all the fun out listening. I’m always running to my computer to find out what it was I just heard come out of there.
I was working at my computer with the iTunes DJ at work in the background when Peggi came in to ask who the last song was by. I was kind of surprised because it was her on sax with Margaret Explosion doing “Sargasso Creek.”
Columbian coffee bags at Canaltown Coffee in Rochester New York
It feels really good to look at something and decide you could live without it and then throw it in the trash. I had this old rusty wheel barrel that I found in someone else’s trash a long time ago. Sparky put a new wheel on it for me. I filled with other junk last night and took it out to the curb. I usually have a moment of remorse but don’t look back.
Still getting rid of junk is not as easy as it sounds. Where do go with stuff that might be worth some money like old records. eBay is not as easy it seems either. I brought a pile up from the basement and let Rick Simpson take his pick from them. He found ten that that liked and built his weekly “Gumbo Variations” radio show on WRUR around the scratchy old vinyl. Each set started with one of our old records (Paul Butterfield, Ginger Baker, Charlie Hayden, Chuck Berry, Crazy World of Arthur Brown) and Rick built on those for a pretty cool but sort of out-of-body show.
We order our coffee ten pounds at time, whole bean from Canaltown. The owner, Pete, roasts in the back room and provides an incredible aroma for the whole neighborhood.
Pale Swallow-Wort, invasive species plant in New York State
I hate this stinking weed, an invasive species, called Pale Swallow-Wort, that pops up everywhere. It’s really tough to pull out because in most cases you don’t get the roots when it snaps off just above the ground level but the dry conditions we have now make it the perfect time to rid your yard of this sucker. You can see in the photo above that I was able to get most of the roots. I use two the hand technique and pull straight up with focused concentration.
We have a recording of Hildegard Von Bingen’s music that we play quite a bit but we didn’t realize she was such a polymath. The movie we watched last night about her life, a thousand years ago, hardly touched on her monophonic vocal works. Instead it portrayed her as a dark ages religious mystic struggling with a Catholic church hierarchy that unfortunately still exists today.
Polymath would have been a better name than “New Math”, which was already retro when we called ourselves that back in the late seventies, but anything with the word “math” in there sounds too progressive or soulless which isn’t quite fair too mathematics but . . . I played in the band when we recorded the first single with Howard Thompson behind the glass wall of PCI Studios.
Duane sent us this link to his newest video, one he did for “Juggler” from Margaret Explosion’s latest 45. He takes the the light side of the single and goes dark on us, enriching the music twofold. It’s a total knockout.
We finished Netflix Season 3 of “Breaking Bad” last night and spent some time today with extras at the iTunes store. In that spirit I posted some of Duane’s comments on the making of “Juggler” below.
“The camera is shooting 10 sec clips and turning them into 40 sec slo-mo’s internally. So those little swaying camera moves were actually happening fast. And those swinging planes that sailed by within inches of the camera were really going fast. On another take, I jumped back suddenly, thinking I was about to get hit. Shot at Coney Island till they closed. Back home I came to the shot of the swinging chairs and immediately decided that shot was the opening w/o even seeing the rest. It dictated the whole feel & path. The machines are juggling people. The life we lead juggles us, we learn to be juggled by it from childhood onward. It all fit. I started seeing it all this way and it basically assembled itself. I made a choice not to ride any of the rides, to keep the point of view objective vs subjective. But I’m dying to go back at nite & just ride the rides.”
Bootsy at the Party In The Parking Lot in Rochester New York
It was perfect weather for Bootsy’s touchdown at the “Party In The Parking Lot” last night. Of course he opened with “What’s The Name of This Town?” and when the cameras came out he said “You gotta take a picture of me because I’m not really here.”
We first saw Bootsy in the seventies at the War Memorial when the Brides of Funkenstein opened the show and Bootsy followed and was then followed by Parliament and Funkedelic. He’s still doing “Telephone Bill” and “Munchies For Your Love” from back then but not “Very Yes” and “I’d Rather Be With You.” With Bernie Worrell on keyboards he did a Hendrix tribute a Sly Stone song and sounded as good as ever but loud as hell.
Jonas Kullhammar before his show at Max’s at the Rochester International Jazz Fest
The jazz pass is still a great deal so you won’t hear me complaining about the relative lack of the off beat. We stayed away from the big shows like k.d. lang, Elvis Costello and Bela Fleck and managed to find some great music every night of the nine day fest even if it meant hearing Jonas Kullhammar two nights in a row. I tracked the fest The Refrigerator for anyone who cares about this stuff.
After Norway’s “In The Country” set last night Peggi and I stopped over at Abilene to have a drink celebrate the end of the fest. I didn’t notice who was playing there but I’m guessing it was some shit kicking stuff. This is based entirely on the biker babe who came out of the back room all sweaty and ordered a shot of cherry vodka while we were talking to Olga at the bar. We skirted the crowds in the streets as we walked to the car and we were blown away by the mad sounds bouncing off the buildings, a mix whoever the extremely loud Budos Band in the tent, 38 Special on the Chestnut Street Stage and G Love & Special Sauce on the Alexander Street stage. That was some off beat stuff!
Jonas Kullhammar Quartet at Xerox Auditorium at the 2011 Rochester International Jazz Fest
Jonas charms the crowd between songs and refers to us as the “beautiful people of Rochester.” Jonas Kullhahhar Quartet have been playing together for thirteen years or so and are widely considered Sweden’s best jazz band. If they lived in the states they would be one of our best jazz bands. They’ve been at this festival three times now and we can’t get enough of them.
The piano, bass and drum rhythm section takes off like a rocket and the band is an exhilarating full tilt for most numbers. But their joyous, fresh, crisp playing is also giving way to slower, moodier, seasoned compositions with plenty of space for gorgeous piano, big bass lines and bare hand drumming. They may have stole the festival again this year. They’re playing again tonight at Max’s.
Bill Frisell on the street before his show at the Rochester International Jazz Fest
We were standing in front of the Rochester Club Ballroom but weren’t headed there. We were in the long line for Kilbourn and it was still an hour before the show when I spotted Bill Frisell heading into Brenunzio’s guitar shop on East Ave. I snapped this shot and then got back in line. The woman in front of us, who was also in line for the Frisell show, turned to us and said, “This is and embarrassing question but what instrument does Bill Frisell play?” Popularity comes with a price. After ten years the lines are longer than ever, the shows are more crowded and it’s getting harder to find alternatives to “festival favorites” like Bonarama or The Shuffle Demons.
Frisell opened with some really gnarly, prog stuff and then settled into one of his trademark, lazy, country blues things but the band never really gelled for me. I was always aware of the parts, Frisells restrained control, the plunked violin, the scattershot drums and I couldn’t hear the whole. It all felt rather tedious. We spotted Bob Martin in usual Frisell spot, right behind the sound board. He said he was having dinner with Frisell between sets. Maybe he’ll have the skinny.
Many Worlds with Greg Burk at the Rochester International Jazz Fest
“Many Worlds with Greg Burk” were the most adventurous band we have seen at this year’s festival and they were one of the best. Led by Detroit’s and now Rome’s Greg Burk on piano they indeed explored many worlds. They aired out their arrangements to the point where they teetered, just long enough to make you wonder who’s in charge and then they were off again. They have enough confidence and trust in each other to pull way back intensifying their music with every rest. Colorful arrangements featured flute, soprano and tenor sax, a great bass player and a loose limbed, left handed drummer made for an extremely melodic set
We talked to Greg after their set and told him how much we loved their music. He said they were a little nervous because they felt the other acts here were so much more straight ahead. He’s right on. With club passes that would get us into ten different venues we could not find anything else of interest last night.
Phronesis back stage at the Lutheran Church before their performance at the RochesterInternational Jazz Fest
Finally, a fresh, clear headed, energetic band, unbound by tradition and just enough off kilter to make it all brand new. Phronesis was riveting at the Lutheran Church last night. The bass player drove this band with wild abandon egged on by the frenetic drummer who dampened his snare with a towel and then rode on the snare, tom rims and just about anything but his ride cymbal. He sounded more like a tap dancer than a drummer. The piano player was great and the band tore it up.
Beer Lady at Durand EastmanGolf Course in Rochester, NY
I had always heard there was a “beer lady” at Durand Eastman and we walk that way a few times each week but I’d never seen her until now. The cans of beer she sells are on ice in the bucket attached to her cart. I reached for my camera and she said “Are you going to photograph me?” and then turned away for this shot. I told her it wasn’t a closeup but I’m sure she gets hassled by guys all day. As far as I can tell beer is big part of golf. We find cans in the woods all the time near the holes we cross and I chuck them right back out on the course.
I were asked to fill out a survey card at the Jazz Fest last night. It’s an opportunity to suggest artists you’d like to see at upcoming festivals but it’s also an opportunity for the promoters to ask how much you earn per year and how much you plan to spend at the festival. I lie about everything but the musicians I’d like to hear, Ornette Coleman, Mostly Other People Do The Killing, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee. Logic would tell you the information is used to give the people who have the most to spend the kind of entertainment they want. This might explain why the six venues we visited last night were packed with festival goers and such mediocre bands.
We came home and watched Monte Hellman’s 1971 cult classic, “Two Lane Blacktop” with Dennis Wilson, James Taylor and Warren Oates. I remember seeing this with Dave Mahoney back in our Bloomington Days and remember not much happened but that is the whole point.So beautiful to see the movie unfold in what feels like real time with no manipulation or plot twists and the dead pan, non actors with the masterful Warren Oates. Laurie Bird is “the girl.” Monte Hellman deliberately holds back from giving us what we want. I loved every bit bit of it.
Is it my imagination or is the city falling apart? This view of downtown Rochester contrasts nicely with yesterday’s post of Madrid’s skyline. Midtown Plaza was built in 1960 and they are already tearing it down or at least we thought that was the case. We were scurrying to our next Jazz Fest stop at the Xerox Auditorium when we stopped to take in this view. I said “I thought they were tearing this whole thing down” to Peggi but a guy on the street behind us said “Oh no. They’re going to save that part of the building.”
I was thinking of the time Personal Effects had 2000 people up in that overhanging portion of this building for a record release party in the early eighties. It was called the Top Of The Plaza back then.
This post appears rather slight but it is sort of monumental for me in that I tried my card reader on the iPad for the first time. I loaded a photo I took in the park this afternoon and and then managed to FTP cropped and scaled versions to our server. I linked to those files in the WP app and posted from the iPad.
Margaret explosion plays our last gig (until September) at the Little tonight. There’s a bunch of new downloads on the Margaret Explosion site. Here’s Lube Job.
Bob Dylan Birthday Bash at Snake Sisters Café in Rochester NY. Steve Dollar is seen performing a Dylan song. Photo by Gary Brandt.
Bob Mahoney emailed us this morning to ask what song Margaret Explosion performed at Saturday’s annual Bob Dylan Birthday Birthday Bash. I emailed back “Long Black Coat” and asked, “Where were you?” He said “It was a grandkids night” and that exchange pretty much illustrates why Hunnu, the host band with core members from Colorblind James Experience, has decided to take a break after twenty five years. Rita Coulter, who arranges rehearsals and organizes the long string of guest musicians, admits it is just too much work. It has always been a bit of a slog and this year’s which started at eight was still going when we left near one but there are always shining performances that pay respect to the Bard while transcending the form. And Chuck Cuminale, the astute Dylan fan, who started this tradition when Colorblind hosted the first ten or so, lived for those moments.
We followed the festivities from Snake Sister’s Café to Jazzberries to the Warehouse to Milestones and the last few in the Village Gate. The place was packed and full of old friends.”Old” is a key word. Chuck was born two days before Bob Dylan’s birthday and the annual bash was often on Chuck’s birthday. Today is Chuck’s birthday! Gary Brandt was always taking pictures and took this one of music critic Steve Dollar singing “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. Phil Marshall is shown on lead guitar (he transcended the form on Saturday night), Ken Frank (now with Margaret Explosion) on bass, Chuck, Jim McAvaney on drums and David McIntire on sax.
So Many Records posted a single from Rochester’s Dick Storms this week, a sensational Velvet Underground & Nico song. Not all 45 are hit bound. The format is a medium unto itself.
Peggi and I finished printing the second color (black) of our 45 sleeve last weekend. We had to do the second color in two passes because we didn’t have enough wooden letters to do “Margaret Explosion” twice. In fact we didn’t have any wooden letters at all until Bill Jones cut them for us on his type making machine. We ordered 100 pre-scored and die cut 45 sleeves, flat and pre-folded or glued, from Stumptown printers in Portland and Geri McCormick, a member of the Printing & Books Arts Center here, coached us through the press run on their Vandercook letterpress. Tom Kohn from the Bop Shop insisted that we hand number the edition so we did that as well.
Both songs were recorded live at the Little Theater Café last November. Jack Schaefer had joined us on bass clarinet for the second set “Juggle” was the last song of the night. We got an encore and that became “Purple Heart.” Jack is joining us on Wednesday at the Little for an old fashioned record release party so stop by and pick up a single. It includes free digital downloads of the songs.
Kurt Feuerherm painting “Two Romans” at Philips Fine Art in Rochester, NY
Duane was in town for a wedding so we hooked up on Friday evening for dinner (Steve Lippicott leftovers) and then headed out to gallery hop. I dropped Duane and Peggi off at Anderson Alley and I headed over to Kurt Feuerherm’s opening at the Philips Gallery on East Ave. Kurt was my painting mentor at Empire State but last I knew he was doing abstract landscapes. This was a nice little show called “Ancient Images: Fayum Inspired Portraits.” I said hi to Kurt and reminded him I was a student of his. I remember Kurt encouraging me to go bigger and more abstract and I did that for while. I just ripped apart a pile of those old paintings last summer but I kept the stretchers. Peter Monacelli was behind the snack table at the opening. Pete taught drawing at MCC and has just retired. He’s a carpenter too and one hell of a drummer. He can make a snare drum with brushes sound like a whole kit. Turns out he went to Empire State as well and Kurt was his mentor. We finished up the evening wandering around the Hungerford building. That place was packed.
We printed the second color on the Margaret Explosion 45 sleeves on Saturday so now we’ll have to schedule a glue party. We’re planning to release it on Wednesday the 18th at our Little gig. We left the house with our earplugs thinking we’d check out SLT at a club on Monroe Avenue but the printing took forever. Actually the printing went pretty fast. It took us a few hours to get the registration right. In the end it was close enough for letterpress.
Margaret Explosion’s limited edition 45 cover for “Juggler/Purple Heart” on press at Printing & Book Arts Center in Rochester, NY
I’m not much for talking on the phone but Brad Fox and I are in the habit of talking on our birthdays. He is the same age as me for two days, the two days between our birth dates. This year he reminded me of something we did a long time ago, so long ago that I had to get reacquainted with the me that would have done something like this. I had a summer job mowing lawns at apartment buildings during the day and then sweeping parking lots with this tank like machine at night. Brad worked with me for a few weeks and we stopped at Harry’s Hots on East Ridge for a late night snack. They had juke box there with satellite machines at each of the tables and Brad remembers us loading up the juke box with about ten plays of Bobby Goldsboro’s “Honey” and then leaving the restaurant.
Steve Lippincott is in town for a few days and he offered to cook dinner for us last night at Tom Kohn’s new house in the city. Tom’s place is in our old neighborhood and we just loved the house. Tom was was spinning records including the double, white vinyl, live Television album that was released on Record Store Day a few weeks ago. Steve is working on a cookbook and we were a live test group for ten spice chicken and vegetarian tortilla with fresh corn. We gave it our thumbs up.
I check in with So Many Records every day. The juke box in the sky that at first seemed like a museum now feels like part of current culture. With the resurgence of vinyl I thought it would easier to find die cut blanks for a 45 sleeve but the only ones I could find were chip board from Stumptown Printers in Portland Oregon so we ordered a hundred. With the help of Bill and Geri at the Printing & Book Arts Center Peggi and I ran the first color of our two color package on a Vandercook letterpress and tomorrow we are scheduled to run the black.
