Sunday, April 24, 2005
So I guess that some kinda catching up has been achieved. Plenty for you folks to get your trigger fingers clicking on. Let's face it, that's more fun than what you probably oughtta be doing. particularly if you're reading this at work.
Uh, oh - there goes that foul four letter word. I apologise profusely for using it before the adult watershed but I always get the meechs (pronounced like the ch in och aye) by this time on a Sunday. A mild form of depression brought upon by the prospect of Monday being way too close for comfort. Actually, the act of just going over the doorstep these days is getting pretty difficult. Working from home, now there's something that appeals. Doing something that is actually worthwhile, now there's an entire 'nother entchilada. Can a person actually, like, er, do that?
Uh, oh - there goes that foul four letter word. I apologise profusely for using it before the adult watershed but I always get the meechs (pronounced like the ch in och aye) by this time on a Sunday. A mild form of depression brought upon by the prospect of Monday being way too close for comfort. Actually, the act of just going over the doorstep these days is getting pretty difficult. Working from home, now there's something that appeals. Doing something that is actually worthwhile, now there's an entire 'nother entchilada. Can a person actually, like, er, do that?
The third Laura Cantrell album, "Humming By The Flowered Vine" will be out on Matador on June 21st. It includes a cracklingly Spectoresque rendition of Emily Spray's "14th Street", Laura's latest tribute to women in country, "California Rose" (about Rose Maddox), an unreleased Lucinda Williams song "Letters" and a cover of Wynn Stewart's "Wishful Thinking" among its 10 tracks. As previously mentioned she will also be doing shows with Lucinda during the summer. Prior to that there's a London Show at The Jazz Cafe on June 1st. Here's how it's looking thus far...
wednesday 22nd June - Boston, MA Museum of Fine Arts (with Paul Burch)
thursday 23rd June - Burlington, VT Higher Ground (with Paul Burch)
friday 24th June - Northampton, MA Iron Horse (with Paul Burch)
tuesday 28th June - Arlington, VA Iota (with Paul Burch)
friday 1st July - Atlanta, GA Red Light Cafe (with Paul Burch)
monday 4th July - New York, NY Battery Park (with Yo La Tengo and Stephen Malkmus)
tuesday 19th July - Amsterdam, NL Paradiso (with Lucinda Williams)
wednesday 20th July - Amsterdam, NL Paradiso (with Lucinda Williams)
friday 22th July - London, GB Shepherds Bush Empire (with Lucinda Williams)
tuesday 26th July - Manchester, GB Bridgewater Hall (with Lucinda Williams)
wednesday 27th July - Glasgow, Scotland Carling Academy (with Lucinda Williams)
friday 29th July - Gateshead, GB Sage Arena (with Lucinda Williams)
Just read on the (slightly) updated Boonaraaas site that European Warners have issued a threat to the German Ramones fan site telling them to turn the site over to them. Not sure about the legalities but what I do know is that this is not chuffing on. Another nail in the dirty big coffin that is the industry which surrounds the band "brand" these days. The only crime that the site is guilty of is flying the flag for the band when nobody else gave a rat's ass. Dunno about you but I find this behaviour utterly fucking reprehensible.
The lazy Sunday continues. The pedal will be back to the metal soon enough so let's tackle a couple of items that are not of the fire-breathing r&r variety...
Hobotalk hail from Edinburgh and their latest album "Notes On Sunset" is a mannered set of mature songs. It's not country or pop or instantly pigeonholeable but it should appeal to folks who like the idea of American Music Club with a less volatile vocalist. "Give Your Heart" is like The Pearlfishers ghost-writing a Jimmy Webb song. This will be available in Europe on Glitterhouse and it fits their roster perfectly.
Angel Dean & Sue Garner's Pot Liquor has been out in the US on Diesel Only for some time but has recently been released in Europe by Trocadero in a nifty matt-laminated digipack with booklet. This is dark but uplifting American Folk Music, not Country. Traditional sounding and evocatively recorded to steer it clear of the faux authenticity basket. The way their voices weave out and in one another is faultless. "Dark Sky" is an understated gem which contains the line "You never know for what you wish". That makes at least three of us then.
Essential Americana marks the end of the initial chapter of Spit & Polish Records of Glasgow. Or so it seems. This collection includes songs curated from all of the imprints' releases kicking off with the lassie that made it possible, Ms Laura Cantrell (who incidentally will be opening for Lucinda Williams here in the UK this summer). It also includes Amy Rigby's "Don't Ever Change", a song that will have it's day in due course. Amy Allison's "Hell To Pay" and Tim Carroll's "If I Could, Then I Would" are also here along with material from Paul Burch, Tom Armstrong, John Miller and Steve Young. Bonus tracks include harder to find cuts by Mr Burch and Ms. Cantrell. Not sure exactly what the future holds for Mr Macdonald's next step but he's sure to have a trick or two waiting to rain on down.
Hobotalk hail from Edinburgh and their latest album "Notes On Sunset" is a mannered set of mature songs. It's not country or pop or instantly pigeonholeable but it should appeal to folks who like the idea of American Music Club with a less volatile vocalist. "Give Your Heart" is like The Pearlfishers ghost-writing a Jimmy Webb song. This will be available in Europe on Glitterhouse and it fits their roster perfectly.
Angel Dean & Sue Garner's Pot Liquor has been out in the US on Diesel Only for some time but has recently been released in Europe by Trocadero in a nifty matt-laminated digipack with booklet. This is dark but uplifting American Folk Music, not Country. Traditional sounding and evocatively recorded to steer it clear of the faux authenticity basket. The way their voices weave out and in one another is faultless. "Dark Sky" is an understated gem which contains the line "You never know for what you wish". That makes at least three of us then.
Essential Americana marks the end of the initial chapter of Spit & Polish Records of Glasgow. Or so it seems. This collection includes songs curated from all of the imprints' releases kicking off with the lassie that made it possible, Ms Laura Cantrell (who incidentally will be opening for Lucinda Williams here in the UK this summer). It also includes Amy Rigby's "Don't Ever Change", a song that will have it's day in due course. Amy Allison's "Hell To Pay" and Tim Carroll's "If I Could, Then I Would" are also here along with material from Paul Burch, Tom Armstrong, John Miller and Steve Young. Bonus tracks include harder to find cuts by Mr Burch and Ms. Cantrell. Not sure exactly what the future holds for Mr Macdonald's next step but he's sure to have a trick or two waiting to rain on down.
The early Sunday morning output of Radio Scotland is a diverse pool. I like it. It bucks the typical talk radio formats and is pretty much news-based. It also, being the Sabbath, has a theological leaning and many beliefs have a platform for discussion. It’s never preachy and some of the angles it throws up indicate that maybe the world isn’t overpopulated by idiots. This morning I heard the expression “audit-ridden” and it struck a chord. It was used in context with the fact that education these days is far too concerned with administration. It’s a symptom that pervades our everyday existence though and is largely the stick that stirs the blame culture soup. Teflon-shouldered diddies use this tickbox type of innate pandering to accounting. Accounting to justify their cowardly existence. Sorry asses that are happy to take their place in the pecking order of life just so long as they don’t have to achieve anything to skip several rungs of that ladder. Qualifications are nothing without common sense and they’re further devalued when arrogance and a deep seated contempt is levelled at individuals who are perhaps just trying to do what they can. Generally, the main factor in all this is greed. An inherent desire to be “bigger” (they're generally fatter for sure) than any such individual deserves to be. There’s a line that says you should be respectful of people on the way up so that they might proffer the same should you find your ass on the way down. I think there’s satisfaction to be had in taking a pop at bullys and charlatans. If only for conscience sake.
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