theway2k’s Neighbors

Pauline Pedryc- Australian Model

nobody@vox.com(Timothy) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:32:51 -0500

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Americana, Part 2

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 06:29:26 -0500

07/06/2008 06:23:26 ♥ written by vu ()

Harry Chapin - The Mayor of Candor Lied

Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin - Dreams Go By

Harry Chapin

Get ready for another collection of Americana/Folk music. Where we last left off, I was talking about "The Boss".

With this entry, I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite American folk/protest singer: Harry Chapin. I discovered him in the 7^th grade, while driving in the passenger seat with Mr Schemling to Yosemite National Park.

We were listening to Mister Mister and Harry Chapin. I loved the songs I heard so much that he made cassette tapes of some of his more famous songs like "Taxi" and "Cats in the Cradle".

There were other songs that I loved, of course. The epic "The Mayor of Candor Lied", original appeared on On the Road to Kingdom Come (1976). I have never seen that CD, but I eventually got the song from a 3-disc box set called Story of a Life.

It may have impacted me different when I was younger, but I have always imagined it to make a great movie: two love-torn lovers, a blackmail, and "a deal made in hell". There is a twist in the song, so you must listen to this all the way to the end when you find out why Coleen never returned from holiday.

Martyn Joseph later covered this song on his 1999 album, Far From Silent, which I didn't like it too much. He made a clumsy attempt at changing the lyrics at the end...

Incidentally, I was listening to some of his songs, you know, for old time's sake. In my modest collection of 70 Chapin songs, I have noticed that I often liked his live versions much better than the studio version. They are usually full of interaction and often the lyrics were changed. Check out the opening track "Dreams Goes By" from his Greatest Stories Live, it would've been amazing to see him live.

MATT KEATING
mattkeating.com ♥ myspace.com

Matt Keating - Louisiana

When I first saw that this was a two-disc release (23 tracks) for Quixotic, I must confess, I was a little overwelm. After I gave the first disc a listen, it went down really easy. Many of the songs are standard length (3 or 4 minutes), and they seem to be to be heartland rock. Although his biography would also lists him as "urban, indie rock".

However, this quote from producer Gary Maurer really sums it up:

The thing that really reaches me about Matt is that he is a true believer in the power of folk and popular music much like Bruce Springsteen or [Bob] Dylan. The music I'm most attracted to has an immediate emotional impact on me. Not that Matt isn't a crafty songwriter -- because he is -- but he writes from a very personal perspective which is very appealing to me.

- Gary Maurer

Reading on why Quixotic was split into two discs, Keating wanted to bring back the album concept. Think of "Disc 1" as "Side A" and you get the idea. Each side/CD is about fifty minutes of music (the album in its entirety is about an hour) and each side is design to play like a musical journey - with its mix of songs to keep you interested, to the slow and quiet song to end one side and ease you to the flipside.

Many of the songs on his Quixotic seems to be about travelling and locations ("St. Cloud", "Louisiana", "Runaway Clown", "Now We're Home", "Road to Ruin", "Romeoville", "Valhalla Waltz", etc), you get the impression that Keating's been around. I believe he's refering to St Cloud, Minnesota, you can grab the free MP3 song from his website. I thought "Louisiana" was the best song on Side A, I especially love hearing this rocking music with its heartbreaking lyrics and its catchy chorus: "here in looooo-wee-zee-anna".

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like Side B is about relationship ("Do You Want (To Not Be Lonely with Me)", "Before My Wife Gets Home", "Love Ain't"). Great songs, check out "As Much as You Can Bear" and "Love Ain't", these two songs really stood out for me.

Before you know, the short violin/piano piece of "Valhalla Waltz" indicates the journey is about to end and the slow-paced, acoustic "Book of Changes" closes the album.

Quixotic will be officially released July 7^th, you can buy it directly from indiekazoo.com or the usual places (amazon, iTunes).

It looks like he'll be doing a tour to support the album, so see him if you can:

07/10/08 The Living Room New York
07/12/08 Coffee East Easton, Maryland
07/13/08 The Tin Angel Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
07/14/08 The Galaxy Hut Arlington, Virginia
07/17/08 The Pour House Raleigh, North Carolina
07/19/08 The Bluebird Cafe Nashville, Tennessee
07/25/08 Horseshoe Chicago
07/26/08 Magdlaenas Tea House East Lansing, Michigan
08/12/08 The Cinema Bar Los Angeles, California
08/21/08 Comet Tavern Seattle, Washington
09/05/08 Village Tavern Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin
09/13/08 Common Grounds Lexington, Kentucky
09/14/08 The Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina
09/15/08 The Cave Chapel Hill, North Carolina
09/19/08 Housing Works New York
09/24/08 Frequency Madison, Wisconsin
09/28/08 Club Cafe Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

ABIGAIL WASHBURN
abigailwashburn.com ♥ myspace.com

Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet - Sugar & Pie

Abigail Washburn wants you to know that she's a "banjo pickin' girl" on "Banjo Pickin' Girl", what sounds like a different take on a traditional song. There's plenty of banjo picking on this album, but this time she has an orchestra, The Sparrow Quartet (Bela Fleck, Ben Sollee, Casey Driessen), to back her up.

To be honest, I first heard of her writing about her celloist, Ben Sollee, but looking at her discography, she was already well-established as a bluegrass/folk banjo musician.

I've been bicycling to work and I put on her latest album, Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet (just released in May) to listen to, and this Chinese song came up that made me stop on the trail. I had to open up my iPod to look at the song title: "Sugar & Pie".

At first I was confused, then I thought maybe it's gaelic or something, it possibly couldn't be Chinese?

I later found out that she actually began her music career playing throughout China, doing a ten plus dates with a group of friends.

She recalls:

The audience was mostly Chinese at the Universities and mainly ex-pats at the bars. We played American folk songs, and original material in both Chinese and English, and it seemed to go over well. At this point, I’m caught between two cultures, but I like being a bridge. I want to keep going to China and living a creative existence. I want to learn more about Chinese folk traditions, so I can integrate them into my music and continue to be a part of the development of a more universal language.

In addition to "Sugar & Pie", I was pleasantly surprise that she has other Chinese songs on the album, "Taiyang Chulai" and "Journey Home".

If you're wondering, she does sing in English, be sure to check out "It Ain't Easy", "Strange Things", and "Kangding Qingge/Old-Timey Dance Party" (it looks like the song is based on a traditional Chinese song, but the lyrics are old-fashion English).

It looks like she is doing a ton of dates, be sure to check out her live to see the marriage of Traditional American music and Chinese folk songs. If she's also playing with The Sparrow Quartet, you should keep an eye out for Ben Sollee, his music have had very positive reponses from W♥M readers.

07/10/08 Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua Bayfield
07/11/08 Winnipeg Folk Festival Winnipeg, Manitoba
07/13/08 Vancouver Island Musicfest Vancouver, British Columbia
07/14/08 Benaroya Hall Seattle, Washington
07/15/08 Aladdin Theatre Portland, Oregon
07/17/08 Boarding House Park Lowell, Massachusetts
07/18/08 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Ancramdale, New York
07/19/08 Vancouver Folk Festival Vancouver, British Columbia
07/20/08 Vancouver Folk Festival Vancouver, British Columbia
07/26/08 RockyGrass Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Lyons, Colorado
07/27/08 Calgary Folk Music Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Calgary, Alberta
07/28/08 The Myrna Loy Center Helena, Montana
07/29/08 Wilma Theatre Missoula, Montana
07/30/08 Sacajawea Center Salmon, Idaho
08/01/08 Kaslo Bay Park Music Festival Kaslo, British Columbia
08/03/08 Dunegrass and Blues Festival Empire, Michigan
08/08/08 Grand Targhee Bluegrass Fest w/Sparrow Quartet Alta, Wyoming
08/09/08 Edmonton Folk Music Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Edmonton, Alberta
08/10/08 Regina Folk Festival with the Sparrow Quartet Regina, Saskatchewan
08/23/08 San Francisco Music and Arts Festival San Francisco, California
08/29/08 Moe Down Turin, New York
08/31/08 Hookaville Thornville, Ohio
09/11/08 Memorial Hall Chapel Hill, North Carolina
09/13/08 Dominican University PAC River Forest, Illinois
09/14/08 Turner Hall Milwaukee, Wisconsin
09/15/08 Guthrie Theater Proscenium Minneapolis, Minnesota
09/16/08 Barrymore Theatre Madison, Wisconsin
09/17/08 The Music Mill Indianapolis, Indiana
09/19/08 The Ark Ann Arbor, Michigan
09/20/08 Parrish Auditorium Hamilton, Ohio
09/27/08 Dosey Doe The Woodlands, Texas
09/28/08 Austin City Limits Music Festival Austin, Texas
10/01/08 Fisher Center w/Sparrow Quartet Woodstock, New York
10/02/08 Town Crier Cafe Pawling, New York
10/03/08 First Parish Church Cambridge, Massachusetts
10/04/08 Flynn Theatre Burlington, Vermont
10/05/08 The Community Theater Morristown, New Jersey
10/10/08 Portland Art Museum Portland, Oregon
10/17/08 Ferst Center for the Arts Atlanta, Georgia
10/19/08 Lake Eden Arts Festival Black Mountain, North Carolina

STEVEN ALVARADO
stevenalvarado.com ♥ myspace.com

Steven Alvarado - Get This Far

One look at Steven Alvarado's cover artwork for Let It Go, an album that was released in April 2008 from Mott Street Records, I thought it was a tribute to Bob Dylan's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but completely opposite: without a girl, presumably sadder, a little more modern, and his back to you.

One listen to the album, it definitely feels like good-time American folk rock.

I love the interaction of electric blues guitar fighting against the acoustic guitar on the brilliant opening track, "Get This Far". Even the lyrics seems to be duking it out and full of contradictions: "I'm outta gas, I got no car, I never thought I'd get this far"

Many of these songs are short, but catchy, pop-rock-oriented songs, perfect for the radio. The few exception does stick out, for instance "Nobody Knows", a slow burning depressing song. What Alvarado does best here is give such a descriptive setting:

It's Saturday night, and I'm drinking and thinking about you.
It's cold and it's raining, I'll stop complaining soon.
I cannot help myself, my heart is aching again.

Somebody throw him a lifeline, it sounds to me as if he's committing suicide here!

Fortunately, there's more happier songs makes up for that depressing one. Check out "New York", a song dedicated to Alvarado's friend and poet Aaron Smith. The song lyrics also lends itself to the title, "Let it Go".

Let It Go is out now, you can pick it up directly from CD Baby. He's planning on doing a European tour in and around September 2008, I'll be sure to mention it if I hear anything.

JJ APPLETON
jjappleton.com ♥ myspace.com

JJ Appleton - Today Today Today

I'll tell you right off the bat: I love green packaging.

JJ Appleton's Black & White Matinee comes in a recycled cardboard, down to the soy ink that was used to print the cover.

This short six-track EP was recorded in Finsbury Park, London last year, 2007.

Now, I'm under the impression that Finsbury Park is festival (live music), but listening to all the songs, the sound quality is too good to be live. Maybe he's just that good?

I especially enjoyed the pianos on "Coming Back Alone". The lyrics on "You're Sweet On Him" does get a little repetitive... yeah we get it, "you're sweet on him."

I think the song that you guys will really enjoy is "Today Today Today", it's very easy to get into and it reminds me of The Beatles. Kudos to the songwriters: JJ Appleton & Stephen Lironi

You can catch those two, as well as Ged Lynch on a few selected dates for the month of July:

07/07/08

FYI

07/10/08

07/30/08

I believe you can download all the songs on his website, but I recommend the Earth-friendly packaging for Black & White Matinee. So pick up a physical copy from your favorite CD Baby and, of course, if you wanted higher quality downloads, there's always iTunes.

These articles takes me very long to produce because they are essentially five articles in one, so expect a final Americana article one this week.

Links: www.weheartmusic.com

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Myth vs Fact #103

nobody@vox.com(Ben) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:27:29 -0500

Myth	Fact
Islam: Religion of peace.	33:26-27 And those of the people of the Scripture who backed them (the disbelievers) Allâh brought them down from their forts and cast terror into their hearts, (so that) a group (of them) you killed, and a group (of them) you made captives. And He caused you to inherit their lands, and their houses, and their riches, and a land which you had not trodden (before). And Allâh is Able to do all things.
Tafsir	Allah drove back the Confederates disappointed and lost The Campaign against Banu Qurayzah

Read the Tafsir to discover the identities of the groups killed/captivated.

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Too Little Too Late

nobody@vox.com(Timothy) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 04:00:04 -0500

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At one time, Jimmy Carter wanted to give Mugabe the Noble Peace Prize

nobody@vox.com(Timothy) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:47:29 -0500

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Veterans need a new deal

nobody@vox.com(Timothy) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 03:39:53 -0500

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Las Vegas falls on hard times

nobody@vox.com(Timothy) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:13:48 -0500

Well well, times have sure changed. Today, Las Vegas is mired in a real slump. People are so hard pressed financially, they do not venture to Vegas.

Since the day Las Vegas was created in the shimmering Nevada desert, visitors have been drawn by one simple promise: "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas".
These days, that motto is imbued with a worrying sense of irony. Because America's most outrageous city is facing a growing multitude of problems, and they all boil down to a single, unavoidable point: right now, far too little happens in Vegas, because not enough people are actually staying there.

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On My Watch Tonight

nobody@vox.com(American Infidel) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:19:21 -0500

.
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U.S. Marine Video made by II MEF. Song by Marine Maj. Mike Corrado.

Please visit www.mikecorrado.com, www.marines.com

.
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4th of July entertainment

nobody@vox.com(Ankhesena) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 20:45:03 -0500

My husband and I decided to go out for a quick late dinner, before finding a great spot to view fireworks. Little did we know, pizza would be so entertaining. We got to the restuarant, a little mom and pop type pizza place. Got seated, when this teenage girl comes in and says "this drunk won't quit hitting on me, keeps talking about sex etc, and when I told him I was 17, he laughed and said heck that didn't matter." At this point the owner of the restaurant says, he could be put in jail for that! And takes the girl and asks her again what happened. She tells him and he gets madder. He asks her if he went back into the bar next door and she nods. We are the only people in the restaurant, and didn't know the girl was an employee. The owner leaves and goes to the bar to talk to the guy. He goes in and tells the bartender whats up and they agree its not right and he goes to talk to the drunk. The guy of course gets mad, and the bartenders toss him for life out of the bar. The owner comes back, and tells her what happened and she leaves to go home. The phone rings, and its the drunk, screaming and swearing...the place has caller id...the owner writes down the number. Next thing we know the drunk is in the door! Swearing, screaming and going for the owner. The owner doesn't back down, but tells the guy to leave and walks towards him looking pretty serious. The drunk backs up to the door, still swearing. We tell the teens behind the counter to dial 911, and the boss gets the guy out the door. The drunk proceeds to tear up window screens and screams and swears more. The owner goes outside to keep an eye on the guy til the cops arrive. They disappear around the corner of the building and my husband gets up, better make sure Dave's ok (the owner) He gets outside in time to see Dave (the owner) come back around the building holding his face, the drunk punched him!! The drunk climbs a nearby tree and Dave and the Bartenders and husband, surround the tree til the cop arrives. Of course they arrest the drunk and we have to fill out statements. We laughed all night about the dinner and a show...oh and the fireworks were great too!

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The Forms

nobody@vox.com(W♥M) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:34:29 -0500

07/05/2008 19:24:36 ♥ written by derek ( / www.pegritz.com)

The Forms - Knowledge in Hand

The Forms

Seriously, is everyone in New York City in a band? The sheer number of musical acts to come that one city is staggering. However, given the filthy, overcrowded, damnear horrific condition of the Rotten Apple, it only makes sense that so many would turn to music to liberate them from the putrid reality of their surroundings.

The Forms' music is a perfect example of that escape-from-reality sound. The Brooklyn-based quartet of Alex Tween, Matt Walsh, and Brendan and Jackson Kenny have garnered a great deal of positive press for their debut album Icarus and self-titled follow-up--both produced by the legendary Steve Albini himself. For a band that's been together since 2000, their output has been scarce, but always high-quality. In many ways, The Forms sound rather like a cross between Coldplay and prog-rock, producing melodic indie rock in all manner of odd, nonstandard time signatures--which may be somewhat offputting to some listeners, but stick with them: the sound will grow on you. Even if the time-signatures are rather alien to pop music, the melodies are strong and easy to follow.

Unlike many The Forms focus first and foremost on songwriting, not on musical virtuosity, and this is apparent througout their self-tilted second album. "Knowledge in Hand" opens the album with a defining statement of the band's somewhat psychedelic, largely distortion-free sound, with a groovy layering of piano and guitars to back up a powerful lead vocal. "Bones" and "Blue Whale" are both stirling examples of shimmery pop-rock that recalls the glory days of 4AD while featuring a distinctly modern sound (mainly created by Albini's clean and no-nonsense production, which hasn't changed much since the 1980s, though it now clearly partakes of modern studio technology). At 3:50 long, "Blue Whale" is the longest song on the record, with most of the other tracks measuring only three minutes in length. This musical economy actually serves the band's melody-driven quality well, as there is no sonic "filler"--like extended guitar solos or bridges--in any of their songs.

However, this brevity also works against the music, in some cases. Many songs do not end, but simply fade out after the three-minute-mark as if the band just doesn't know how to bring them to a conclusion, so they just keep playing while Albini pulls the master mix fader down to zero. I wonder just how well this stuff translates live: if you can't figure out how to end a song, what do you do after the final verse is sung--just quit playing? And though none of the developed tracks themselves have any musical filler, there are two tracks, "Borges" and "Blue Whale (outro)" that, at less than a minute long each (the latter is only seventeen seconds long), seem to serve no purpose whatsoever on the record. They're not even sketches of songs. Quite frankly, I think they're simply studio outtakes the band decided to throw on the album just for the hell of it.

Nonetheless, The Forms is a very good listening experience whose etherial chords and atmospheric vocals will certainly open up a gateway in your mind to a prettier place. If your reality is bleak and crummy as any Brooklyn street, The Forms will gladly take you along to a much better realm.

Sadly, they have no live dates listed.

Links: theforms.org myspace.com/forms

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