Who Killed Albert Ayler

Wheat from chaff

2008-03-20T16:30:00.000-07:00

I love the Clash, but it's time to admit the horrible truth:

Sandinista is a three-disc stack of steaming poo. That is all.

-Steve

Impulse Piano Sound

2008-03-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to Pharoah Sanders: Tauihid on vinyl right now. And it occurs to me that one reason (among many, I suppose) that I prefer vinyl to CDs when the album was recorded pre-80's is that there are certain things that get "fixed" when many of these recordings are re-mastered and digitized. One of these things is the piano sound on many Impulse recordings from the 60's. It's a weird sound - don't know how, exactly, they miked the piano - but it's consistant across performers so I don't think it's a performers preference. That means it was likely an aesthetic choice made by Bob Thiele.

I think my first impulse (pun intended) would be to "fix" the piano sound if I was in a position to re-master these recordings for the first time. But only if I wasn't an avid listener of these recordings when they first came out. Many of these recordings (Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' is the obvious example) were listened to so *intensely* by their audience that anything that changes that sound would be considered a distraction at best - and sacrilege at worst.

I don't think it's a romantic attachment that leads one to be offended by these changes (at least in my case I *hope* not) - it's that I want the discovery from each subsequent listening to these recordings to be a result of the inherent mystical quality of the music - and not some executives attempt to "fix" the sound.

Since this is a bit of a slapdash post (the record just ended) I haven't done much research to support my claims that the digital versions of these recordings really changed the piano sound that much (though I remember that being a real distraction for me the first time I heard 'A Love Supreme' on CD) - I have digital versions of almost the entire Coltrane catalog, so it would be easy enough to A/B some tracks and see if there really is that much difference now that the original recordings have been remastered several times. More interesting to me, though, would be to get original Mono recordings of these albums and compare them to their Stereo sisters since most of my original Impulse recordings are in their Stereo versions... For another post, I suppose.

Thoughts?

-Steve

No Hippies Allowed!

2008-03-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up to this post click on the title above. If John Fahey is, in fact, alive and well - he's probably living in Thailand.

On a totally unrelated note, for those of you experiencing confusion and delay while listening to the Carmina Burana, despair no more!

-Steve

Songs About Record Labels

2008-03-04T11:02:00.001-08:00

This morning, while doing the dishes, I was thinking about the band Boston. Nevermind why or what. I was half-heartedly trying to remember some of the (mostly inane 70's-era typical) lyrics when the "He smoked a big cigar and drove a Cadillac car" line wafted across some synaps'. It was then I knew I needed to make a 'Top 5' list of 'Songs About Labels'.

I came up with the following right off the top of my head - but couldn't muster a 5th - suggestions?

4) Rock 'n Roll Band - Boston
3) Workin' For MCA - Lynryd Skynryd
2) EMI - Sex Pistols
1) I Wanna Be On Epitaph - Betty Blowtorch

A #5? Discuss...

-Steve

In Rainbows - On Turntable

2008-02-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

The 'new' Radiohead sounds awesome on vinyl - just sayin'.

-Steve

Magnetic Fields: Distortion

2008-02-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

[Hint: The title is a link]

This is my recommendation of the... day? week? month? - who knows when I'll get to another one (and thanks to HRL for the tip).

Supposedly an answer to Jesus & Mary Chain's 'Psycho Candy' album - it's a gritty mash-up of 'Pet Sound' era surf-pop, 80's shoe-gazer-pop, and Lou Reed's 'Metal Machine Music' (well, not really). I mean it sounds that way - someone else will have to weigh in on the lyrical content. I get very immersed in the noise of this record. What's most mesmerizing about it is that all the fuzz/distortion/reverb/distortion/feedback and distortion is in service to the melodic and not just the aural. Which is to say it's inside the song - not outside, leaning against it having a smoke like, say, bad Sonic Youth.

I've read a couple of critics who take it down a peg for being another experiment of Stephin Merritt's - a 'style over substance' wank of sorts. And I actually agree. 'Cept I don't think that's a bad thing. Sure, this is a stand-alone nugget that's unlikely to spur further investigation by it's composer or would-be imitators - but what a great album to have in the mix! Imagine a Liz Phair's 'Flower' segueing into 'California Girls' - perfect.

The only complaint I can muster about this album is... Dude, if you want a cymbal to sound like a trash can lid just use... a trash can lid.

-Steve

P.S. Aural Porn bonus question: A love song written by a guy for his girl (probably?) but then sung by a chick. Hot or Not. Discuss.

Back on the horse - but for how long?

2008-02-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

I've finished the dishes and am knee deep in the laundry (literally) - so I thought I'd take a break and revive this blog. Don't know for how long, but with short, music related entries I ought to be able to squeeze out an entry every once in a while, no? We'll see...

The real inspiration for this entry came from my much-maligned ipod [side note: I bought this device for one reason only - 160g. With that much space I can digitize a decent sized chunk of my CD/Record collection]. The 'rock' playlist was on random while I was doing the dishes and the Pixies 'Space (I Believe In)' from Trompe Le Monde came on and a lightbulb went on over my head, I seemed to levitate in space for a moment and an other-worldly voice whispered to me: "One word Steve, PRIMUS".

Every "alternative" band that made a record from 1990-1998 claimed that their greatest inspiration came from either A) the Velvet Underground or B) the Pixies. I don't know if anyone from Primus ever made this claim (in fact, I rather doubt it) - still, I've never heard one bands entire conception so totally encapsulated by another bands song than this example. Check it out for yourself (at your local independent record store) and hear what I mean!

Am I full of shit? Discuss...

-Steve

Old Email on MP3 players

2007-09-09T14:16:00.001-07:00

[This was an email I sent to some friends of mine this summer - recent "developments" by Apple made me think of it again, so I decided to post it for posterity]

After an invigorating afternoon watching the PDX Beavers loose to the Tacoma Rainers (something they do often) - Andre, Caden, Owen, Sam and I made a pit stop at our house before ACO went home. While the chillen' were chillin' I went downstairs to see if I could find Andre' a 9-V power adapter. I failed. However I did find this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_PMP300

Andre - I was wrong. This was the *2nd* MP3 player released for mass consumption and it came out in '98 (not the first and '97 as I had said).

So all those pompous Apple eaters who love to tell you how innovative and revolutionary the iPod was/is are as ignorant as they are full of shit:

"The Rio also spawned one of the first Digital Music service providers (ASP or SaaS), RioPort. RioPort was the first to license commercial downloads, i.e, $0.99 songs from the five major record labels."

and:

"In October 1998, the American recording industry group, the Recording Industry Association of America, filed a lawsuit in the Ninth U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco claiming the player violated the 1992 Audio Home Recording Act. The three judge panel ruled in favor of Diamond, paving the way for the development of the MP3 portable player market."

Oh, and then there is the click wheel interface - look familiar?

I bought one of these when they were first released and immediately dropped some ungodly amount of money on a 32M card to expand its memory to a whopping 64M.

-Steve

BTW - on a lark I replaced the crusty AA battery that was in it and what do you know? It sparked right up! The first song was 'Dig Me Out' by Sleater-Kinney (from '97) - see how hip I used to be?

I Post

2007-07-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

I am, I post.

We moved to Portland. There is an enormous amount to be said about that. My wife has covered some already - and I may provide flashbacks here and there, but it's clearly time to move forward.

This weekend we went up to Port Townsend to pick up the Cabrio and see some friends. It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend - in spite of the 4hr.s up and the 4hr.s back. The highlights for me were seeing all the new things that had been done to the store by the new owners and a poker game held to coincide with my visit (I won $5).

What I tell myself

2007-02-18T00:22:00.000-08:00

I never seen you looking so bad my funky one
You tell me that your superfine mind has come undone

Chorus:
Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again
When the demon is at your door
In the morning it wont be there no more
Any major dude will tell you

Have you ever seen a squonks tears? well, look at mine
The people on the street have all seen better times

Chorus

I can tell you all I know, the where to go, the what to do
You can try to run but you cant hide from whats inside of you

Chorus

The Crawl

2007-01-23T23:23:00.000-08:00

Bad: I had to let two people go on the Friday before Christmas.
Good: We should be able to make payroll this month without getting another credit card (and subsequent cash advance).

Bad: Lovey is slowly destroying both the inside of our house and our yard.
Good: Lovey is fat, happy and can often be found playing or sleeping with the kids.

Bad: I had to get a second job as a data monkey editing spreadsheets for online math textbooks
Good: It pays $20/hr.

Neutral: I turned 41 on Wednesday
Good: I got a sushi dinner out of the deal

Good: Alec got me a Wii!
Bad: I'm supposed to be editing spreadsheets...

Good: Sammy loves playing baseball on the Wii
Good: Sammy wants to play "real" baseball
Good: He's old enough to sign up for Tee-Ball this spring
Good: I got him a Tee-Ball bat, ball and tee so we can practice
Bad: The back yard is buried under Lovey turds

Good: Athena has a vocabulary better than that of most college freshmen
Bad: She will turn it on you like a weapon

Good: Sammy has a heart of gold
Bad: Kids at 'Sunday School' (and probably elsewhere) have started making fun of his stammering

Good: Beths cooking
Bad: Beths lingering illness

Good: Beth
Good: Sam
Good: Athena
Good: Lovey

Good:Night

Things I never thought I'd say... Pt. 11

2006-12-27T18:40:00.000-08:00

"No. You don't drink booty - you eat it."

John Fahey is my hero.

2006-12-13T22:35:00.000-08:00

In a 1997 interview John Fahey had this to say about participating in the new/experimental music scene:

----
Interviewer: What where you listening to that gave you encouragement to do this?

Cluster, Bang On A Can, Sonic Youth. Some of the classical people like Stockhausen. Jim O'Rourke was doing really crazy stuff. Loren Mazzacane Connors, who's a good friend of mine.

....

Interviewer: You were saying that you found people are pretty accepting of this?

Yeah, they have a much wider knowledge of music and noise and experimentalism. I'm not dealing with hippies anymore. I always hated hippies. I ran into this chick the other night when my trio was playing here in Portland. Everybody was digging it but here comes this old chick making a lot of noise, wanting me to play shit that's forty years old. I told her 'go to hell'. She started screaming and stuff so they had to take her out. I don't car. Get lost. That stuff was too sentimental anyway.

....

Interviewer: In some of your recent writing, you were saying how you felt you had more in common with the punk and alternative crowd than with the hippies and the folk crowd.

Yeah. I never thought I had anything in common with them. I didn't like them. I was never a hippie. They picked up on my music and they thought I was one of them. They thought I shared their value system and I took LSD and so forth. They just didn't understand me. But they bought my records and I had to play for them. Secretly, I always hated them. Now you can see what they're really like. I always knew that they were control freaks. Like that chick, they want to control everything, control me - they don't want anybody to be free. This new group is all for freedom. That's one hell of an improvement. With the alternative people, there are some social do's and don'ts. But in comparison, it shows that the hippie movement was always quite rigid even though it was always talking about freedom. It was phony.
----

"Secretly I always hated them."

-John Fahey (R.I.P.)

Bored, not enough responsibilities...

2006-11-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

So we adopted this dog:

--------
We have a purebred Chocolate Lab that someone relinquished. He is registered with the AKC, we have the papers. The owners purchased him from a breeder when he was six weeks old, he's now 4 years of age.

He was brought in because they're moving and cannot have any pets.
He has had some basic obedience training.
He has spent the majority of his time in a house so he's really housetrained well.
He's great with children but doesn't like other male dogs, that may be because he needs to be neutered, which we will do.

If anyone's interested, the adoption is $94 dollars, a good deal for a lifetime of love and companionship, cheaper than some other lifetime commitments...(wink, wink)

The fee includes the neuter, a basic wellness check by one of the local vets and a vaccination.
------------

Beth, Athena and I went and met him tonight. He's super-friendly and a complete lovey. Athena was a bit scared after he barked (because he wanted out so that we could touch him) but she likes his tail - so I'm sure she'll come around. Sam hasn't met him yet, but gets to go with Beth to pick him up tomorrow. Seeing as how they have the same basic temperment, I'm sure they'll get along famously.

Picking him up tomorrow will be Sam and Mom's "date" (which they do every other Thursday morning). First they'll go to the pet store and get the basics - collar, leash, bowls, food, toys, bed (blanket), etc. - then they'll go pick up _______ at the shelter when it opens at 11am and bring him home in the truck. Athena and I will get out of playschool at 11:30 and run right home to play.

So, the name is still TBD - his current name is 'Brutus' which just won't do - we decided that this would be a good task for Sam, who quickly tired of the 'name game'. Before he completely crapped out he glommed on to a name I threw out which I really wish I hadn't - Buzz (Lightyear). Other names considered before quitting for the evening included: Woody (my personal favorite), Smoov Dog, Dash, Jaguar and Choco-dog.

He's housetrained and lived happily with a 2yr.old and a 4yr.old before he was dropped off at the shelter. Our yard is completely fenced so that's no problem. Perhaps most conveniently, he's used to being left alone in the house for up to 6hr.s a day.

What have we done?

Quote Of The Day

2006-10-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

"I'm happy to respect authority when it's genuine authority, based on moral or intellectual or even technical superiority. I'm eager to follow a hero if we can find one. But I tend to resist or evade any kind of authority based merely on the power to coerce. Government, for example. The Army tried to train us to salute the uniform, not the man. Failed. I will salute the man, maybe, if I think he's worthy of it, but I don't salute uniforms anymore."

-Edward Abbey

If only Harris could see me now

2006-08-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'm typing this on my MacBook. I own an Apple product. I didn't even spring for the shame diffusing black model. I got the holier-than-thou white one. Because, in true "fuck you" fashion, Steve Jobs makes you pay an extra $200 for the different-than-our-brand-identity colored plastic (and an extra 20G's on the hard drive).

Why did I choose to submit to a lifetime of shit-slinging by Harris? We needed another laptop in the office for the coffee manager. Rather than spend 1k for a perfectly servicable laptop for her, I decided that I would splurge and drop a couple hundred more to get new one and she could have my hand-me-downs.

Why a MacBook? The combination of Darwin, the Intel processor and bootcamp. One of the first things I did was get X working and KDE and a few apps installed (thank you fink). Then I ran bootcamp and installed Windows on a seperate partition (and installed the usual bevy of work/internet related apps - firefox, putty, open office, google desktop, quick books and a few others). At this point I have a portable computer than can comfortably run (essentially) three different OSs natively.

So if anyone needed proof that Steve Jobs was an evil genius, the fact that I have a Mac should dispel any doubt.

...and another thing...

2006-05-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

What's the deal with yard sales? Why does a family that has enough money to feed/clothe/house themselves need to sell their excess material goods at .50c a pop? It's not that the stuff is worthless (well not all of it, anyway) - most of it would be appreciated greatly by *someone*. Chances are good, though, that that "someone" is not out cruising garage sales on a Saturday morning. No, the vast majority of people who are out garage sale-ing on a Saturday morning don't need the stuff anymore than the people selling it. GIVE THE STUFF TO CHARITY.

(Oh, look, my soapbox just broke)

3yr. Old Attention Span

2006-05-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note as I sit here watching Sam listening through headphones to Peter Maxwell Davies Naxos Quartet No.5 (I've got it playing in the room as well). The notion that toddlers don't have very long attention spans is bunk. Sure, every kid is different - but I've observed Sam's playmates become fixated on "building a road" - to the exclusion of everything else (including the enticement of sugary snacks) - for 20-30 minutes at a time. Right now Sam's at 10min and counting listening to a 21st Century string quartet on headphones... Playhouse Disney can bite me.

"The Eagle Has Landed"

2006-05-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

OK – so, the “something big” has commenced. The game is on. And, if you are wondering if it is something “bad” or has anything to do with Beth or the kids – don’t worry, it doesn’t (well, not directly anyway). Because of the unknown quantity of randoms reading this, I’m not going to spill any beans here – at least not yet. If you want the skinny IM me – it’s easy, it’s free and it’s the LAW. C’mon, you know you can do it:

AOL: sw548
Yahoo: sw548
MSN: sw548
ICQ: 234882033
Google: swilmart

Spinnin' Wheel

2006-05-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

Big day today – bigger day tomorrow.

Check Your Head

2006-05-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

Treating myself to an evening of records. So far:

1) Beastie Boys: Check Your Head
2) Melvins: Interstellar Overdrive (45rpm 10” played at 33 – dude)
3) Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: 1957/1972
4) Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones, Now! (Original Mono on London)

Time for another vicodin!*

*I had part three of an epic five part root canal yesterday

(Addendum: The party continued as follows:
1) TV And Radio Bloopers: Vol. 7
2) Frank Zappa: Joe’s Garage Act 1
3) David Murray: Live At Sweet Basil Vol.2
4) Jimi Hendrix: Live At Winterland)

a small goal

2006-05-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

I want any expressions I use to be more well thought out and considerate of the inherent complexity of any social/political issue than are found on any bumper sticker.

Two examples – one obvious, one maybe less so:

1) Dick + Bush = Screwed
2) What If The Military Had To Hold A Bake Sale Every Time It Wanted A New Bomber?

I realize that bumper stickers don’t exist to substitute for considered political discourse. However, they do provide a useful foil by which to judge my own glibness where political issues are concerned.

Humility - Part 1

2006-04-30T11:51:00.000-07:00

There are so many things that occur to me during the course of a day that I really want to make a note of – create some permanence so that I can go back later and explore them more thoughtfully. While it’s probably a good thing that I’m not able to do this most of the time – who’d want to see their daily banalities staring back at them all the time – sometimes I really regret not capturing them. The following is not profound in any way, but should be helpful to me to refer back to as I ponder this question further.

Those who know me well know that the virtue I honor above all others is Humility. Of course, those who know me well could easily argue that they have seen no evidence of that virtue in my being for months – nay years – at a time. Nonetheless I pay lip service, at least, to this virtue as the single most important thing I strive for. Clearly there is still much work to be done.

The fundamental problem with Humility as a ‘virtue’ is its definition. Like so many things, it means different things to different people. I was thinking in the bathtub this morning (I should really take baths more often…) that there are three ‘lines’ along which the idea of humility is indicated:

1) Righteousness – Humility means subservience to a higher power.
2) Denial – Humility is the acceptance of degradation and humiliation.
3) Acceptance – Humility is the acknowledgement that one is a part of something larger than oneself.

I’ve tried to make these quick definitions as free of judgment as I could – but I definitely have some personal emotional/religious baggage associated with each one. And I do not mean to imply that one continuum is “correct” while the other two are not. In fact, in my experience, the three are almost always inextricably intertwined in some way or another.

As oversimplifications go, though, I think this will be a good starting point for me as I explore what Humility really means to me. Ultimately, my goal is not to create a hard and fast personalized definition of the word – I’m far to fond of the mystical for that – but rather to have a place from which to start my explanation of spirituality to Sam and Athena.

More later… I hope.

Holy shit!

2006-04-20T23:51:00.000-07:00

Holy Shit!

Holy Shit!

Unbearably Good...

2006-04-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were in Portland visiting some friends. They have two wonderful boys just a little (and a little more) older than Sam. They all three play great together and their energy seems to skyrocket exponentially (at least Sams did) when they are all together. Needless to say, by the end of the second day he was beyond wiped out. He was a shell of a man. Those of you with small children (or decent memories of small children) will understand how irrational this can make a child. While Sam was ready to pass out around 5pm there was no way he was going to bed until he'd had his "treat" after dinner.

After talking him off the ledge two or three times (he was hysterical - even though he liked his dinner, you'd think he was in searing pain and going through an horrific psychedelic/existential crisis) I finally got him to eat all his salmon. Then it was time for his treat. A peanut butter cupcake with ice cream - something delicious beyond his wildest dreams. Literally, as you'll see...

When I put it in front of him he started wailing. I asked him what was wrong and he was nearly incoherent. Something about needing help eating the cupcake. I said something like "You need help eating a cupcake?!" with the appropriate exasperated incredulity. And then this:

Sam: "Yes yes yes yes I need you to *help* me daddy!"
Me: "Eat a cupcake?"
Sam: "*Yes* daddy!"
Me: [tears a small piece of cupcake off and puts it in his mouth]
Sam: [spits piece out and starts wailing again]
Me: "Sam! What's wrong, sweetie?"
Sam: "It's too big a bite daddy!"
Me: [splitting the spit up piece in half and putting it gently back into his mouth]
Sam: [swallows it like he's swallowing a pill and starts screaming]
Me: "Sam! What is the matter *now*?!"
Sam: "It's Just. Too. Tasty!"

We put him immediately to bed with no protest, in his clothes, and he was asleep before we could turn out the light. I can only hope that someday I can actually have such an insanely great day that I collapse in delirium while eating the tastiest dessert of my life.

P.S. Yesterday at dinner he started calling croutons "croutrons" - seemingly so he could rhyme them with "neutrons". I love him more than anything in the world.