RIP - Stanley Kamel

Well I'll be... (cheers Ben)

The countdown is underway to the first-ever Record Store Day on Saturday, April 19.

It's going to be an unprecedented event when the independent stores across the world join forces to celebrate the essential cultural and economic roles they play, both in their local communities and nationally. During these tumultous times, it's been so encouraging to hear of the widespread support this initiative has garnered from fans, artists and the industry.

Each and every day, independent record stores of all shapes and sizes (and the people who own, manage and work in them) bring not only their heart and soul, but also their creativity and their financial investment in the success of the music business. Artist development...customer service... innovative marketing and promotion... the list goes on and on. They have more than earned this chance to step into the spotlight and take their well-deserved applause from an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

Everyone should embrace the spirit of RSD in order to change the focus from what's not working with the music industry to instead focus on what... vibrant and resilient businesses that thrive in today's climate by remembering that it really is all about the music and the people who love it.

Here's to a wild... and wildly successful... Record Store Day 2008 and many, many more to come!

No big chainstores, Tesco or any other supermarkets, OK? Independent mail order is fine but lay off Amazon for that day too.

"In celebration of eight year old Esther Mae Griffin triumphantly riding her garishly pink bicycle for the first time on her own this weekend proud father, author and parttime bicycle instructor Sid Griffin announces he will speak/enthrall/singsong about Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes era at Borders Books this very Friday, 11 Apr 2008, 6:30pm...

a bookstore which is of course conveniently located for all weary shoppers at the ever fashionable address of:

203-207 Oxford Street, London, W1D 2LE Cost :FREE

Borders is located a easy walk just one block from the Oxford Circus Tube stop, via the Central, Bakerloo, and Victoria lines. Phone: 020.7292.1600

Yes, yes, this is Dad Griffin again plugging his recent 94,000 word Million Dollar Bash book which is of course about the Basement Tapes which are of course important which is of course interesting so you of course should be there with all 'yer pals. Of course.

You need not bring a bicycle. Alas at this performance Esther Mae Griffin will NOT be singing her own unique take on "Quinn The Eskimo" as she is off to Millie's in Walthamstow for a sleepover but Dad will be yakking at authoritative length and singing a few Basement Tapes tunes as well.

All the Griffins hope to see you there. "

So, first thing I see this morning is the news that Tine is leaving The Boonaraaas. Quite a bummer but these things happen so I'll be posting the vacancy in the hope that it'll help them find a replacement toot suite. In keeping with getting oneself into the proverbial fankle, I head downtown to stop at the docrors surgery and then to the post office to mail my Gaff donation. The place was bloody queued out the door. This is indicative of trying to access any such service and sure evidence that the early bird can sing for a bloody worm.

Fast forward an hour or so and I go to read the electricity and gas meters and find that the gas one's l-e-d's are gubbed. Hoping this won't be the start of another round of hassles with the supplier, the fault was duly reported but who even approaching their right mind would trust these people?

And the icing on the cake, I figured it was time to donate a pint of blood. Putting aside my utter hatred of the venue, I venture over to find that it's not all running smoothly. Not at all. But anyway, wishing to have the blood taken and to get out of there - a modicum of patience was summoned and I make it to the bed. Only to have the person who puts in the tube make an utter lady's front bottom of it. So now I'm gonna have a technicolour forearm into the bargain. Joy of joys. So, note to self - make an appointment at the proper donor centres in either Glasgow or Edinburgh in the future. The evil spirits that inhabit the "Sports Complex" won't get their chance to screw me over twice.

So here's an admission - I may have been better off going to work today. Nurse - the screens and the padlocks!

I look forward to the remainder of this day passing without further incident but you never know...

Not long back from the Lumet double bill of "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" and "Dog Day Afternoon". Read some lukewarm reviews about the former but it's good solid stuff told in typical Sid style. It's about things falling apart, I half expected to heat "Fallar Isar" in the soundtrack. The cast includes the fantastic Amy Ryan. Must have been at least 20 years since I saw DDA and it holds up very well. Both as a film and a snapshot of the times.

There was a light dusting of snow here today but it was all gone by the return train trip as the light ebbed. Too bad. I like the bright, clean white of the landscape while it's cold enough for the blanket not to be turned into slush. Anyway, that's about your lot for today... take a look at this piece about Chris Gaffney that Lloyd sent a link to.

RIP - Don (Screamin Hellvis Johnson) Buchanan (of The Mad Daddys and Casino Evil, info from Staysick)

RIP - Charlton Heston

I relented and watched the rest of the Strummer documentary. As it turns out, life after the thing known as The Clash was considerably more interesting. And the additional interview extras actually shed some light as to who the interviewees are. Just as well because the credits on my relatively tiny TV screen are too wee to read. So anyway, not a lot of progress has been made today so we'll see what tomorrow brings in addition to a Sidney Lumet double bill at The Cameo.

Here are the Margaret Dollrod dates... Patrick is working round the clock to complete his interview with the lady herself for your reading pleasure. It'll be along in due course...

6/04 Lucera @ Arcisonica (I)
8/04 Catania @ La Chiave (I)
11/04 La Spezia @ La Skaletta (I)
12/04 Vigevano @ Coffee Pub (I)
13/04 Cuneo @ Circolo dei Briganti (I)
17/04 Firenze @ Ulysee (I)
18/04 Piacenza @ Circolo Arci for Sale (I)
19/04 Bolzano @ Bunker (I)
20/04 Rovigo @ Ungawa Tiki Bar (I)
27/04 Freiburg @ Swamp (de)
28/04 Cologne @ Tsunami (de)
29/04 Liege @ le pot au lait (be)
30/04 Courtrai @ The Pit's (be)
01/05 Paris @ le rocher-Malakoff (fr)
02/05 Bourges @ Cosmic trip fest (fr)
04/05 Clermont ferrand @ Ratpack (fr)
05/05 Tours @ donald's pub (fr)
06/05 TBC
07/05 Toulouse @ Fairfield pub (fr)
08/05 Perpignan @ Divine Comédie (fr)
13/05 Rostock @ mau club (de)
14/05 Berlin @ white trash fast food (de)
15/05 Darmstadt @ Bessunger Knabenschule (de)
16/05 Dijon @ deep inside (fr)
18/05 Montpellier @ secret place (fr)

Obviously you should check with the actual places for any further details.

Not a bad start to the weekend, got home to find a DVD of the Säkert! TV thing so I can watch it properly and not on this gas-powered pc with tinny sound. Thanks Lennart.

On top of that there are some new Girl Trouble songs on their myspace. Hear 'em and wish you were going to The Dive tomorrow night. Heck, maybe you are?

If you're in LA, Lysa Flores and El Vez are at East Side Luv tonight. When you're in Rome on April 4th what do you do? You go see Margaret DollRod, that's what.

Her Eurojaunt kicks off tonight and all going well we'll be catching up with her via Brother Patrick. Doesn't include the UK unfort but one of these days...

OK, if this mood persists then I might get some work done this (long) weekend. We'll see.

THE GO-GO's 8th Birthday Party with live music from THE FIVE ACES.(Rockin soul and r'nb). Band on stage at midnight.

DJs Tall Paul & Angus; 60's garage, pop, mod, beat, soul, ska, psychedelia, girl groups, French pop, and punk.

Upstairs at Studio 24, Calton Road, Edinburgh.
11pm til 3am, Admission £5/4.

£3 before midnight (with a flyer).

First Saturday of the month, next 'un Saturday 3rd May..

myspace.com/thegogoedinburgh

RIP - Klaus Dinger

Readers in China (are there any?) and Japan wil be awaiting the imminent of Ms Annika Norlin and Ms Maia Hirasawa in their respective locales next week. Details can be found here and here.

The recent concert broadcast of Sakert! from Malmo last December can be accessed via this link and includes their very soulful, haunting version of The Wannadies "My Hometown". Not to be confused with the Girl Trouble or even Springsteen songs of the same name.

The skinny on Ben Vaughn's honest to god "first band". (Thanks Ben)

I still haven't watched the rest of that Strummer thing and after watching The Dictators from Randall's Island (courtesy of Brother Patrick), I might give it a miss altogether. We'll see. It's nearly Friday again and not a minute too soon, computer shenannigans are not altogether solved but we're getting there. Thanks to all of youse that have sent me yer e-mail addresses, the addy book is slowly coming together and now I know how to back it up properly. Possibly...

Ticket info for the Amsterdam show now available from sickjules@hotmail.com

This is the Dublin show (sorry about the faux pas Liam, it wis early...) but they're in the UK (including Glasgow) during the same period. Warner E. Hodges has some solo shows and an album out just prior too... There's a mini-roots-rock hurricane about to hit the UK...

It was a shock to hear about my old friend Chris Gaffney's liver cancer diagnosis. There's a button on the sidebar there if you can make a donation toward his medical expenses. I know that some of you folks have met Chris with Dave Alvin and/or The Hacienda Brothers and would want to be informed. He's a fighter and I'm sure he'll beat this thing. However "land of the free" evidently isn't a reference to waiving the hospital bills If you don't have the right insurance then what's the word again? Oh I guess "fucked" would cover it. So help The Gaff out if you can...

On a more upbeat note, another NBT stalwart, Ms. Laura Cantrell has some new songs on her myspace. I'm away to rassle with my Mudhoney assignment...

Just before that though, not only have I lost my computer address book - I've mislaid my handwritten backup too. So if you could send me a quick e-mail so I can rebuild the lost info, that would indeed be grand.

Aaaargh... the trip south, subsequent extended conned-puter problems and doing two 6am stints at the stalag this past weekend has kind of taken it's toll. Add the clocks going forward, a stinker of a cold and a red raw schnozzle into the mix and you've got a recipe for a right pisser.

Is it really just over a week since The Sonics? Seems like bloody forever ago...

I passed out in front of that Joe Strummer doc last night but will endeavour to watch the whole thing again. It has to be said though, it's pretty dull. When Boner from U2 comes on, you know it's time to go and pour a cup of something. I walked past him in East Berlin once you know.

Somebody told be that this was better than "The Filth and the Fury". That is, no pun intended - really - bollocks. It does indicate to me that my relative indifference toward The Clash has been completely vindicated. One thing that is evident is that Simenon spits/spat a lot and that is neither big nor clever. Clarty blighter.

Anyway, I have a couple of pressing tasks to undertake, then I have to attend to my facebook exit. I'm being encouraged to ditch the applications and stay on there but that's unlikely. The urge to make like my Razzia pals and bale is strong.

Louie Louie...

Roll up, roll up... it's the Fleshtones documentary trailer!

Better late than never innit?!

I'm busy and trying to get something done before Monk comes on... which reminds me, the electronic billboard whassname in Kings Cross Station last Monday was flashing a message - "Monks sign record deal". Alas it wasn't our Monks so I guess that means it isn't hop time after all.

So here's a very cool looking clip for a song of the recent Ben Weasel album to keep you amused...