Live set from Pillow Full of Drone 8 @ Visionary Dance Studio (Fremont) Sunday, October 11, 2009.

The other performers for the night were Noisepoetnobody, Fejj, and Xaxis Wye.

Many thanks to Lane Brandon Phelps for the recording.

As hump day approaches (and I await an inspection from my landlord, which means cleaning the house — props to my partner for mowing our shaggy lawn), I thought I’d kick out some jams. Or rather, highlight some ladies who’ve kicked out other people’s jams, making them their own in the process. I have selected the following covers, all performed in concert by female-only bands, to simulate a rock block on the classics station.

Let’s start it out all tart and British. Here we have The Raincoats covering “Lola” in a concert they performed last month. Originally by The Kinks, the song tells the story about a man being seduced by a transvestite. In their famous revision, however, the pursued is a proper English lady singing as man, adding at least two more levels of queerness.

Next up is Rasputina’s cover of Heart’s “Barracuda,” reminding all of us that cellos can rock just as hard as electric guitars. 

Finally, we close with Sleater-Kinney, a band whose sound was heavily indebted to rock legends like Led Zeppelin and The Who. But they also came of age during new wave’s brief but delicious reign, which is why I wanted to include their cover of The B-52s’ “Rock Lobster.”

And if I had anything to do with programming a classic rock station, early B-52s would totally be on our playlists because a) Ricky Wilson was an awesome guitarist and b) it don’t get more classic than Farfisas, bee-hives, and bikini whales. Bonus points for getting K Records impresario/Beat Happening frontman Calvin Johnson, who is famous for his monotone, to fill in for the considerably less monotone Fred Schneider. Plus, like Heart and The Raincoats, The B-52s are a veteran act who can still dance this mess around, as several ACL festival goers can attest. If given the chance, I have no doubt that S-K still can too.

Sky Saxon

Wow, its mad today. In the last 2 hours I have learned of the deaths of Michael Jackson, Sky Saxon and Farah Fawcett. Farah, God bless her, meant very little to me. She was a glamourpuss from a trashy highly entertaining 70s girl cop show, and nothing more to me. But she is very famous. But then Michael Jackson- and I know this will be old news by the time you get it but please stay with me. I was really shocked by that, still am. I was in a bar a couple of hours back when the news broke, people swarmed around the tv in disbelief, totally shocked. Then some callous jocks were making remarks as you might expect. It is a shock, when someone who has intruded into our consciousness to this extent, dies. I foresaw it. That’s not, some psychic gift (although I know when a car crash is coming, and can avoid them because of precognition). But no. Its massive news, and the media were already having a field day a short while after the story broke.

Jackson Five

I had thought about MJ quite a bit, as a musician, performer and entity. Like many serious pop fans, I have always liked the Jackson 5. I know Noel Gallagher rates them, Ian Brown seemed to like them. Johnny Marr perhaps. Their bubblegum late 60s/early 70s Tamla sides were incredible pop. Great songs, sound, singing and musicianship, great production. Then there was disco material, like the beautiful Show You The Way To Go, with MJ looking beautiful too, as an untouched natural young man. He could dance, sing, he had everything. I do not warm so readily to the 80s material, although there was Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, formidable enough not to have to apologise to anyone, being a top notch pop side. Then the big hit singles, produced by soul brother Quincy Jones. Billie Jean strikes me as a really excellent record. It was very simple with incredible orchestral flourishes which had a distinctly cinematic bent, befitting an enormous hit record by the world’s top singing star. Ofcourse there were other massive hits, which defined the times and I think it is fair to say, he made the best mainstream pop records of the day, and as such probably deserved the success. But what happened then? He became known as an increasingly eccentric and erratic figure, better known for his antics than current releases. How many face jobs was he having, and all that stuff about having his own theme park, while being in essence a lonely figure. He seemed increasingly emasculated, then there was the film of him dangling the baby out of a window, and shaking violently while being interviewed. There were ofcourse other unfortunate episodes. But I always hoped, but never seriously believed, he would make another great record. What if, say, he had recorded with Lenny Kravitz, with a bunch of good songs? He could have worked with anyone, and I fail to understand how he somehow lost touch with musical greatness. It seemed an inexorable downward spiral. It is such a tragic story ending as I more than half expected.

But what has really not sunken in, is the news I got on returning from the bar of the death of Sky Saxon. I didn’t think Sky would ‘go’. When you hear my record She She Spider you will realise how much Sky’s music meant to me. So, what happened to him , I don’t know. I loved him, I did. He was fantastic. And I am glad I sent him a message not long ago, saying I thought he was a genuinely good person who wanted good things for the world. He apparently loved dogs, and seemed to talk about them at any given opportunity, apparently believing God had put him here to help dogs, or something like this. He was very into mysticism, very much a product of the mid 1960s acid orientated alternative ’spirituality’. Now that is a controversial term, and I will state I had no empathy with Sky’s type of systems. But we’re getting into deep water here, suffice to say I went down a similar road to Sky’s and got my toes burned. Off. All that Leary stuff, forget it. But I loved Sky, actually and am very sad to hear he is no longer with us. In fact my very latest (as yet unreleased) recording is indebted to his last but one fuzztone meets Farfisa sound, as well as the one I made before. The latter-day Seeds were brilliant live with the organ, and fuzztone guitar played through an AC30- check my records next year for Sky’s reflection. RIP brother Sky, you made the coolest garage sounds of all. Here’s a great clip of the great man with the original Seeds. Gassy!

So this goes a fair way to telling you about what I’ve been up to with Village Green Machine. Last week I set out to make a record with just fuzztone guitar and Farfisa, which is coming together. It is called Bored With Being Ignored, and is addressed to persons it would be undiplomatic to name.This song is also based on the Sonics ‘Have Love Will Travel’, I made a new riff up influenced by that song. Then put a Seeds type instrumentation to it. So its a garage rocker, into which I put a middle eight which contrasts sharply with the other, aggressive lyrics. I wanted to create a sense of beauty in the song too, so I have a fairy with gossamer wings and a Midas Touch entering the scene. Not a, male fairy. What are you laughing at? I mean a real fairy, wafting in and transforming my … oh well its wasted on you brutes but you get the idea.

We are releasing a Village Green Machine single before long. We’re sorting the track listing, there will be a new song called Believe In Love plus another as yet undecided upon, although chances are there will be 2 tracks not on England’s Dreaming Spires. Believe In Love reminds me of Smokey Robinson’s Going To A Go Go, rhythmically, and has a strong James Brown influence too. The guitars are psychedelic and experimental, surrealistic and crazy. The bass booms like an old jukebox 45, and the vocal is very soul influenced. It sounds incredible.

Also, we are still working on a video. We’ve got the story line, I want it to be great like I want everything I do to be great, but we’ve never done one before. We are having to learn everything as we go along- how to design a website and work with the new technology, how to rediscover old sounds and recording techniques, how to produce, engineer and market music in the modern age. Its a lot. Hello to everyone who had bought the CD or downloaded – I hope vinyl by VGM is on the way, its my big wish to do this and there are beautiful artwork ideas. We’ll see, I want to make it happen.

All the best

Mark.L

Gleich vorweg: Es ist eine Sache, die Staggers live zu sehen, und eine ganz andere, “nur” ihre Platte zu hören. Live sind die Österreicher eine unglaubliche Schau, ein Gesamtkunstwerk, ein wilder Haufen wie direkt aus Bobby Picketts “Monster Mash”, als ob Frankenstein und seine Freunde bei Räuber Hotzenplotz mitmachen würden, angeführt von einem arg heiteren Fürsten der Finsternis, mit mehr als nur einem Arsch voll Groove. Auf LP bleibt von dieser feinen, abwechslungs- und bewegungsreichen Optik (Vampire, verrückte Professorgehilfen, Hinterwaldschrate und eben coole Rocker), von den Gesten und Blicken, vom Grinsen und Wippen, freilich nicht mehr viel übrig, da kann man sich nur auf das Cover verlassen. Doch auch in 2D halten die Staggers einiges von dem, was sie versprechen: Zusätzlich zur ziemlich coolen Optik des Covers schenken sie einem noch ein feines Poster dazu und eine Monstermaske zum Ausschneiden, damit man selber zum “Ugly Kid” mutieren kann. Hier hat man es also tatsächlich mit Liebhabern zu tun, die ihrerseits den hörenden Liebhabern viel zu schenken haben.

Vielleicht ist es einfach ein bisserl schwierig, diesen optischen Irrsinn in Musik umzusetzen und trotzdem der Zitatenhölle des Neo-60’s-Garage-Beat treu zu bleiben, vielleicht kommt hier auch einfach nur der Unterschied zwischen einer furiosen Liveshow und einem dann doch produzierten Studioalbum zum tragen. Jedenfalls ist die Musik der Staggers deutlich konventioneller, wenn auch nicht viel weniger wild, als ihre Show und ihre Optik. Was jetzt – diese Verteidigung sei gleich hinterhergeschoben – dem Album gar nicht so viel ausmacht.

Das Album selbst besteht bis auf “Little Boy Blue” (Tonto and the Renegades) und “I am the Wolfman” (Round Robin) aus Eigenkompositionen, die sich aber nirgendwo hinter den Originalen verstecken müssen, die klingen wie aus der Feder eines 60’s-Irren, und die auch die typischen Themen dieser Musik und also die hormonell verwirrter Teens verhandeln: Sex, Girls, heiße Öfen, Surfen, wilde Tiere, Friedhöfe, Serienmord und diverse blutrünstige Gestaltwandler.

Der Sound changiert dabei minimal zwischen dreckigem Teen-Beat, dreckigem Prä-Punk, dreckigem Surf und dreckigem Monsterbeat, zwischen Fuzz und Farfisa, ohne dabei die teilweise unerträglich schlechte Soundqualität z.B. einiger Billy-Childish-Outputs zu erreichen. Die Produktion ist erfreulich klar, ohne dabei ihren Druck zu verlieren, räumt den einzelnen Instrumenten ihren Platz ein und ist trotzdem nix für kopflastige Audiophile, sondern für Leute mit Groove im Arsch.

Sicher, nicht alles erreicht dabei die Größe des “Eagles Surf” oder des großen Hits der Staggers, “Do the Ripper”, der dreist bei “The Crusher” (von wasweißichwem, unter anderem von den großen Cramps) klaut, aber wer weiß, wo der wiederum geklaut ist, und außerdem ist das eh wurscht. “Little Girl” wäre 60’s-Garagen-Massenware mit leicht rockistischem Einschlag, klänge dann nicht doch ein bißchen zu sehr der Irrsinn durch, der die Live-Shows zu so einem Erlebnis macht, was vor allem dem hysterischen Gesang von Wild Evel geschuldet ist, dem Mann mit der bescheuertsten und deswegen coolsten Frisur des Rock, und der schrillen Orgel der gruslig-anziehend unnahbaren Lightning Iris. Den Refrain von “Out of my Mind” hat man auch schon oft gehört, der Anfang von “Black Hearse Caddilac” zitiert Chuck Berry, aber, ich kann es nur betonen: Was soll’s? Hinter der eleganten Freak-Coolness der Band hört man eine derartige Spielfreude, eine Lust auf diese schön primitive Musik, daß die drei Ausrufezeichen hinter dem Titel “Come on!!!” wirklich mal gerechtfertigt sind.

Gerade ein Song wie besagter “Black Hearse Caddilac” bringt mich sogar jetzt, müde von der Arbeit, vollgefressen und faul wie sonstwas, fast zum Aufspringen und wilden Rumhüpfen, müßte ich nicht das hier schreiben. Und höre ich hier nicht auch ein Quentchen teen angst raus? Ein bißchen zu viel Dringlichkeit und Verzweiflung im Gesang? Geht es hier sogar um mehr als nur um den auf dem Cover angepriesenen “Fun”? Dochdoch, irgendwie sind die Staggers auch Getriebene, und so eine Welt voller Vampire, Werwölfe und heißer Schlitten ist eben nicht nur ein Vergnügungspark (wohnt nicht z.B. dem Surf auch eine ständige Moll-Melancholie inne?). Aber hey, nochmal: Was soll’s? Hauptsache, die “Wild Teens” kommen auf ihre Kosten, ehe die Platte mit dem fast traditionellen Rock’n'Roll von “I am the Wolfman” schließt.

Kurz gesagt ist “Teenage Trash Insanity” ein klassisches 60’s-Garage-Beat-Album, mit allem, was daran Spaß macht, aber auch mit einigem, was daran ein wenig fad wirken kann. Aber weil es den Staggers ja nicht darum geht, das Rad neu zu erfinden, sondern damit einfach nur ihre Hot Rods zu bestücken und einmal durch sämtliche Garagen und Höllenschlünde der Stadt zu brettern und dabei verdammt gut auszusehen, kann man über ein paar Flauheiten hinwegsehen, vor allem, wenn man Lust hat, sich auf den Sozius zu schwingen und mitzubrettern. Und dafür sorgt diese Platte dann doch ziemlich effektiv.

www.staggers.net.tf
www.soundflat-records.de

Características : 7/10

Órgano de los años 70 (el mío es de 1978 según el sello dentro del instrumento). Dos teclados de 44 teclas y una pedalera.

Teclado superior : 4 sonidos de flauta (octavas diferentes) + 1 clarinete + 1 oboe.

Teclado inferior : 1 flauta + 1 clarinete + 1 reed.

3 sonidos de bajo para el pedal + 1 sostenido. Todos los efectos se activan con lengüetas (o mejor dicho válvulas). El teclado superior tiene 6 otros efectos de instrumentos de viento (en mi opinión no se pueden explotar). Un pedal de volumen + vibrato (2 velocidades y delay), y un “sphera sound” (2 velocidades) para un efecto Leslie. Un potenciómetro de ajuste de la reverberación + 2 otros para los teclados.

Se añaden presets de acompañamiento (bossa-nova, samba, rock, y ajuste del tempo).

Una conexión MIDI por debajo, un conector para auriculares y un ajuste del volumen de salida. En la parte posterior, una salida extra ampli (jack audio) o Leslie Cab en opción.

Diseño vintage.

Utilización : 8/10

De uso bastante sencillo, con un poco de bricolaje, uno encuentra rápidamente sus sonidos. Las salidas extra ampli y MIDI son perfectas para conectar a un PC (con un pequeño soplo pero mi guitarra no es mejor).

Cuidado, no se mueve todos los días, este mueble pesa (sobre todo cuando no entra en el ascensor).

Las teclas son perfectas (estaba acostumbrado a las de un sintetizador más moderno, nada que ver).

Sonoridades : 8/10

Me gustan los sonidos de tipo Pink Floyd (Atom Heart Mother o Careful Eugene) o Doors (When the Music’s Over), y con un poco de tiempo uno logra encontrar el buen matiz. Los efectos de vibrato y Sphera no son malos y hasta añaden color. Los graves son tremendos, muy cálidos. He realizado algunas grabaciones en PC y hay mucha presencia y calidez.

Como lo decía arriba, los otros efectos (instrumentos de viento) dan lástima, pero bueno, en aquella época… se tiene que relativizar (tampoco es un sinte).

Pequeño punto débil : la reverberación no es genial, un poco discreta para mí pero es aceptable.

Opinión Global : 8/10

Lo tengo desde hace dos semanas. Normalmente toco guitarra pero buscando otras cosas en eBay, he encontrado este órgano y visto el precio, he tentado a la suerte, para ver. Estoy empezando la MAO y quería otros instrumentos para mis composiciones, y aun si existen buenas cosas en VST o programas, me gustan más los viejos instrumentos vintage (cuando lo vio, mi padre me dijo “cuando era joven, se tocaba con esto”). Sólo necesitaba una buena limpieza.

Traducido de la opinión de TomTom Clun en AudioFanzine en Francés

The Village Green Machine’s Letter From England

This week we had one of our not entirely irregular disturbed recording sessions. Sometimes there’s a smooth run where I do take after take and get an entire song recorded in a couple of hours, drums, bass vocals the lot. Other times, I go ****you (not sure who to) and throw the drum sticks down the hall, and have to ask the vicar for a back rub. Well, Monday was such a day. Drums took a few takes. Then, I realised I had left my Danelectro guitar at home, so with recording time running out I drove back to collect it, but it was nowhere in the house. Stolen! I thought and was upset about it. Got back to the hall to record, then wondered if I had in fact left it there last time I left. Dave and I simultaneously moved towards the church side room which had been left unlocked, and there! There it was. In a mood of some elation I carried on with the keyboard overdubs I had begun, piling Farfisa on top of the northern soul riff which is so central to my new song, Downtown Downtown. I overdubbed another lead vocal and a load of hand claps. The farfisa sounds fantastic on this, adding a cheap 60s soul sound, which is just the job. It has been a struggle this one, but I think I’m getting there. Next week I put tremolo guitar on, and it will need something more. Its not there yet, it could flounder still, I have to trust intuition to make it happen.

I also put drums and guitar and keys down on one called She She Spider. I have produced these already, so not just working with a bare sounding backing track. I want a very experimental approach on this one, it is kind of psych/garage r&b. The thing is, I have no fixed reference point where I can say ‘this is the Village Green Machine’ sound, because I try something different every time. So its usually a case of venturing into the unknown musically, as it should be. With an arm full of 60s influences up my sleeve, of course.

Incidentally if you are reading this having just signed as a myspace friend, have a look at the other people who are signed as friends, quite a few mods and general 60s types are signing up, it is amazing to see the lists of people’s favourite music. I see all the cool names of bands, The Kinks, The Fleur De lys, The Who, The Small Faces….and then I look at the pictures, honestly its like a 60’s dandies fashion gallery! I see a lot of my own tastes reflected. Also with the mod thing, there are a lot like myself who are mods, but into a wider scene musically at least than might strictly be described as mod. Me with the mod thing, I wanted a more conservative dress code which reflected my love of the 60s. Before, I’d worn velvet jackets and had quite long hair, but I’m not a hippie. So I found myself drawn towards mod. I read Paolo Hewitt’s interesting and informative Soul Stylists book. I sent Paolo an LP a while back, and judging by the ominous silence, I don’t know if he is into it. However, John Hellier from the Small Faces Whapping Wharf fanzine is well into England’s Dreaming Spires, as are legendary cult magazine Bucketful Of Brains. New Untouchables Dr Robert also likes the album. Anyway, as I began to learn more about mod style, simultaneously I was falling in love with northern soul music. And, personally speaking, mod is the only way I can think of dressing these days. I allow myself a little slack, I’ll wear Beatwear Chelsea boots, for instance, which aren’t strictly mod. But then when it comes to shirts, I like all the correct detailing. Jackets and suits, its got to be a high narrow collar with 3 buttons and slim fitting trousers. Speaking of which…

Last night I was watching with keen interest a programme on Savile row. It was really interesting. For 200 years they have been established. They showed the front window of Poole and co, who supplied Churchill with pin stripe. All the established tailors were up in arms as a shop selling t shirts was opening in their road, long famed of course for the very best tailoring. It was quite comical really, they had a meeting and were all grumbling and wondering what to do about this American intrusion. What I was really interested in though, was the possibility of having a suit made there. My father, when he was an officer in the army, had a tailoring budget which enabled him to have a pin striped double breasted suit made in Savile row, and I rather thought I might follow suit. Ha ha. I thought, I wont copy my dad’s handlebar moustache, or monocle. You think I’m joking. Actually, maybe I should go for a rose tinted monocle, might look quite cool! Anyway, how much do you think I would have to pay for the privilege of wearing the best tailored suit in the world? £500? £800? No, apparently £2,500 might see me in the right direction. So, if you haven’t already downloaded England’s Dreaming Spires, or bought the CD, could you please do so now.

See you next week

-Mark. ps I am sat here in a sealed bedroom with a mouse- still.

More about another track from England’s Dreaming Spires, Village Green Machine’s debut LP.

Hear Hillbilly Redneck

Mark Lemon – ”This song was inspired by White Stripes Hotel Yorba, one of my favourite records, and also by early Presley, maybe ‘Thats Allright Mamma’ or one of those great ones with Scotty Moore playing guitar.

I knew it was one of the best songs I’d ever written from the outset. Ofcourse, it is full of 50s influence, but I wanted to put a 60s spin on it recording wise. The drums are pure Bo Diddley, just being a straight rocking rhythm throughout. I played the drums with the maraccas, so no one can accuse me of playing the maraccas out of time with the drums! The vocals were really difficult for me but we got it after a few takes, I think it sounds like Morrissey. I am into that 80’s rockabilly aesthetic of The Smiths and I think that shows on this recording. But ofcourse I put a 60’s angle in there, which partly here is to do with the guitar line which is pure early Rolling Stones, itself a very Smiths/ Johnny Marr reference point. I wanted to experiment instrumentally so I put a 12 string acoustic on the guitar solo and I think by this stage the track has its own identity, not sounding like any other or from any particular era. Lyrically, its about a character who hasn’t seen much cosmoplitan life. I think this track is very much part of the backbone of the first LP, and I would like to add that I set out to not have any filler on the record. It is my intention NEVER to have any filler because that is disreputable and wholly undesireable. I don’t intend to let people down.”

This week more overdubs have been applied to Magistrate On A Donkey, namely Mark’s 1966 Farfisa organ, which he is delighted to hear sounding brilliant going through his AC30, giving the correct sound. Also fuzztone guitar has been applied to the track, courtesy of The Searchers, whos John Mcnally gave Mark the fuzzbox, which was used on the original Searchers 45s such as Have You Ever Loved Somebody.

Mark – ”I had interviewed The Searchers and met John later at a gig and he happened to mention he had his original fuzz pedal and that I could have it if he could find it. It took a year of e mails with the help of the lady who runs their website, but it eventually showed up. I had despaired of ever getting one, then the next thing I knew I was using the one played on one of my very favourite 60s records. My manager had to fix it. Its sounding great with the Farfisa organ, on the recordings for the second album”.

This week Mark attended the funeral of his Aunt. He says it was deeply disturbing to think of the ‘’small, dead, broken body of someone you love in that flimsy box.” To be honest I was worried the lid was going to come open as they loaded the coffin off the hearse. But the ceremony was tastefully carried out and it was all OK. I was not the only family member who was reminded of Steptoe. I’ve been losing sleep over it though, it has done my head in. The vicar seemed like a nice boy, I rather relish the final irony of someone as homophobic as my Aunt being sent on her way by a sort of Dale Winton man of the cloth”.

This week Mark and his manager have been going more deeply into ways to raise online awareness of Village Green Machine. It has to be said Mark lives in a world of valve radios, radiograms, and Tootal cravats and wears suits made from the same pattern as those made for The Small Faces.

Modernity is not his strong suit, no pun intended.

Village Green Machine

One of my favorite keyboardists of all time, Rick Wright, died yesterday of cancer.

For anyone who loves the early Pink Floyd sound and despises their later stuff, it’s worth noting that Roger Waters basically kicked Rick out of the band just as they were starting to suck, probably because Wright refused to suck as much as the Seventies crapola-fest fans demanded.  And so the wonderfully psychedelic phantom of the opera keyboard sounds that made their first albums sound so good fell at the wayside.  

Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets are such monumental albums, and such influences on my own keyboard experiments.  Somewhere in Lucifer’s shining barleycorn mansion in the heart of the sun, Syd Barrett and Rick Wright are working up an album to send beams of celestial rabies right into Roger Waters’ brain.

I just picked up a copy of Cluster & Eno, the collaborative effort between Brian Eno and the electronic Krautrock duo Cluster recorded in 1977.  It’s beautiful, atmospheric music that doesn’t seem blah or prog, and it’s delightfully repetitive even though there were no sequencers used, just echo machines, tape recorders, guitars, bass (sometimes played by Holger Czukay of Can), and of course, “early polytone Farfisa synthesisers!”

Here’s a little documentary about Cluster’s early days.  Boy, I wish I had that many cool noise boxes on top of my Farfisa!

This is one of my favorite garage bands from Germany–and I’m including the Monks and the early Beatles in that list!  The Satelliters discs on Dionysus have always rocked, and this new video’s tremolo keyboards don’t disappoint.

It’s been a rough couple days as far as money goes–most people in this country can relate, I’m sure!

To cheer myself up, I’m creating a new category of blog, in which I’m celebrating my favorite songs that incorporate the mightiest of all electric keyboards, the Farfisa!  The first inductee for Farfisa Hall of Fame is the Revillos, a combo that might seem an unlikely nomination, what with their being punkers from the Seventies.  But eclecticism being the rule of law in those early days of punkdom, they actually used the Farfisa organ as the lead instrument in this song, “Where’s the Boy for Me?”  They don’t show it in the video (a Farfisa probably didn’t look New Wave enough), but you can hear the shit out of it in the actual song.

P.S. You might know them as “the Rezillos.”  Basically, it’s the same band, but with ever-so-slight line-up changes that made them decide changing the name by one letter would be cute.  This fucks up my iPod’s playlist royally.

Yesterday, my baby and I rolled on out to the High Desert to Pappy & Harriet’s to see Winter Flowers, the Chapin Sisters, and a bunch of really amazing bands at the Manimal Festival.

We left L.A. early, didn’t hit much traffic, and about an hour in I put in the first CD from the Zabriskie Point soundtrack, which was recorded in 68 and 69 and had songs by Pink Floyd, the Youngbloods, the Kaliedoscope (U.S.), and even, gasp, Jerry Garcia solo (yes, I have finally made the fifteen year transformation from spit-gobbing punk rocker to road-trippin’ hippie. Jerry Garcia’s solo stuff was the final threshold I needed to cross. Good morning, Starchild!).

Anyway, all the tracks sounded remarkably good coming out of my car’s speakers as we cruised through the desert, but once we got off the Interstate and were zipping up and down through boulders and burnt-out cacti, Pink Floyd’s “Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up” started coming through my speakers.  Maaaaan, there is nothing better for boulder-hopping than a good strong case of Rick Wright’s farfisa playing and the groovy sound effects from the Space-Rock era of Pink Floyd. Fuck Dark Side, this song is where the gettin’ is good.

The next day driving back, lysergic delights now dimmed but not fully dissipated, and sleep and refreshing coolness being only distant memories, the CD worked even better, though this time it was the country-rock that really helped us take a load off. The cool, alienated feeling of these songs felt so similar to what was rattling around in my head, that it made me feel like “okay, I’m normal, this music is normal, my environment around me is at peace with my mental state, so who cares that I have to drive two hours to Los Angeles with no sleep and a belly full of gross?”

On another note: aside from the Burrito Brothers, this album seems to be where Beachwood Sparks got all their ideas.  And I love them for it.

Os americanos The Lords of Altamont regressaram ao Porto-Rio para mais um concerto explosivo, em pleno fim-de-tarde de domingo. Os barcelenses Green Machine voltaram a fazer a primeira parte. A Cooperativa dos Otários juntou organizadores do Porto, Coimbra e Lisboa para organizar o espectáculo, no carismático Barco Gandufe.

Com um pequeno atraso de uma hora, os Green Machine abriram as hostes. A sala aqueceu em pouco tempo. A banda de Barcelos já nos habituou a bons concertos e este não foi excepção. João Pimenta é o frenético vocalista que provoca o público do início ao fim. Joca, como é habitual, saltou, rastejou, deitou-se no chão, desapareceu no meio do público, com uma energia inesgotável que não deixa ninguém entediado. Mas não é só o vocalista, toda a banda é “dinamite em palco”: o guitarrista Bruno Costa, o baixista Ângelo Sousa e o baterista Pedro Oliveira.

Os Green Machine lançam em Abril o novo álbum “Plays Ghost”, pela Rastilho Records, e até Junho espalham o seu rock aliado aos blues numa nova tour que começa na Galiza e percorre Portugal. A verdade é que os Green Machine prometem continuar a dar que falar.

A viagem no barco prosseguiu com os The Lords Of Altamont, que se apresentaram com o seu rock directo, alto, rápido, fora de controlo. A atitude é de rock sem grandes pretensões. Das cinzas dos Fuzztones, Cramps ou The Bomboras, nasceraram os LOA, contando, desde Agosto de 2007, com a participação do baixista Michael Davis dos memoráveis MC5. A banda formada em Detroit revolucionou o mundo do rock no final dos anos 60. A rebeldia gritava-lhes a plenos pulmões: “Kick out the jams, motherfuckers”. Michael Davis, apesar dos seus 64 anos, ainda recentemente andava em alta velocidade na sua Harley Davidson.

The Lords of Altamont em palco cumprem a tradição do bom velho rock’n’roll. As descargas de rock e garage punk “motorizado” rompem as colunas num cocktail de altas octanas. A todo o ritmo extenuante associa-se o som apaixonante do órgão Farfisa, do vocalista Jake “Preacher” Cavaliere. Este instrumento era usado muito no rock dos anos 60 e 70, mas ainda hoje são várias as bandas a apostar no som único dos Farfisa.

The Lords of Altamont ao vivo são uma descarga de adrenalina. A sua presença é de tal forma intensa que eles próprios não resistem à energia: o baterista, Max “Sicko” Edison, passa metade do tempo a tocar de pé e o vocalista salta para cima do Farfisa vermelho. Apesar do som exageradamente alto, o dia não foi um típico domingo. Depois de toda a demonstração do quão caloroso deve ser um concerto de rock’n’roll, todos os músicos ficaram a conversar com o público, com uma simpatia e humildade, no mínimo, notável.

Por Sara Santos Silva

Várias pessoas têm me pedido para escrever sobre o processo de composição, então vou escrever um pouco sobre o pouco que eu sei.

Há várias maneiras de se escrever uma música, aliás, há tantas maneiras quanto há compositores. Mais ainda, porque, embora algumas pessoas componham sempre da mesma forma, outras, como eu, têm mais de um método.

Portanto, vou relacionar resumidamente alguns métodos.

• Música primeiro
• Melodia primeiro
• Letra primeiro
• Improviso
• Cópia
• Inspiração divina

Música primeiro – meu método preferido é criar a melodia junto com a progressão de acordes. Começo tocando uma sequência de acordes que eu ache interessante repetidamente e tento criar uma melodia para a voz. Isso pode ser feito também gravando uma sequência de acordes, uma variação desse método é gravar a seqüência de acordes e tentar criar a melodia com a voz ou com outro instrumento, como o piano.

Melodia primeiro – outro método é criar a melodia de voz primeiro (cantarolando, por exemplo) e depois adicionar a progressão de acordes. Funciona como o método acima, mas ao contrário.

Letra primeiro – muitos compositores escrevem a letra primeiro. Eu particularmente nunca fiz isso, portanto não posso comentar nada sobre esse método.

Improviso – o improviso é muito usado quando se tem uma banda para compor junto. Alguém sugere uma progressão de acordes ou um riff e em cima disso, todo mundo tenta criar alguma coisa. Não gosto muito desse método porque o que soa bem no calor do momento não necessariamente funciona depois. Esse método pode funcionar bem se você tiver como gravar tudo e depois pinçar as partes interessantes, fazendo uma edição.

Cópia – um método muito usado, mas que poucos admitem é começar sua música a partir de outra música. Uma banda que eu me lembro já ter confessado fazer isso é o New Order. Outra, mais óbvia, é o Oasis. Não há nada de errado nisso, desde que você crie alguma coisa original e não resvale no plágio. Um exemplo desse método é a música “The World Doesn’t Need You” inspirada diretamente pela música “Foxheads StalkThis Land” da banda Close Lobsters. Tudo que restou da música original foi uma parte da seqüência de acordes, o resto foi sendo modificado até surgir uma música totalmente diferente.

Inspiração divina – o último método é bem mais raro e é resultado de trabalho contínuo. Quando você está sempre compondo, fica mais fácil vir uma música do nada. Essas muitas vezes são as melhores idéias que você, mas têm a desvantagem de aparecerem nos momentos mais inoportunos, por isso, muitos músicos andam sempre com um gravador ou com um bloquinho de anotações para registrar as idéias. Saber ler música é muito útil nessas horas porque você pode anotar em qualquer lugar. Há também que sonhe com músicas e acorde no meio da noite para registrar as idéias. Já aconteceu comigo. Numa atualização futura vou colocar aqui uma exemplo de música “sonhada”.

Se alguém tiver alguma dúvida ou quiser alguma dica sobre composição, basta deixar um comentário aqui ou me mandar um email.

Para não perder o costume, vou colocar um link para mais uma música nossa. Essa não é nova, mas é uma das minhas preferidas. Trata-se da versão de “Weather Sensitive” que nós gravamos para nosso álbum International Breeze. Esta versão, para mim, é muito melhor do que a versão do EP, mas parece que a que mais rola nos blogs e sites por aí é a do EP. Vou tentar remediar essa situação colocando essa versão aqui e pedindo para todos baixarem e distribuirem para quem quiser.

Weather Sensitive

Como combinado e como pretendo fazer durante um bom tempo, segunda-feira aqui é dia de música nova. Esta é a terceira música inédita que eu estou disponibilizando.

Como no caso das duas músicas anteriores, esta também foi gravada no mesmo esquema: computador, Sonar, soft synths, órgão B-4, soundfonts etc. E, aliás, sem controlador midi também. Portanto, tudo que se ouve nessa gravação é digital, com exceção de guitarra, baixo e voz.

Não que eu não goste de instrumentos de verdade. Muito pelo contrário. Se possível, eu preferiria ter gravado com microfones valvulados, um órgão B-3 vintage, sintetizadores analógicos tipo um Prophet ou um Moog Opus e bateria acústica. Mas, infelizmente, não é possível.

Essa situação, aliás, mudou um pouco recentemente, porque eu sou agora o feliz proprietário de um órgão Farfisa Mini Compact dos anos 60 e de um sintetizador moderninho mas que tenta emular os antigos sintetizadores analógicos chamado Alesis Micron. São dois instrumentos que eu adoro e que são muito úteis, principalmente o Micron. Mas nenhum dos dois foi utilizado nesta gravação, isso fica para uma próxima segunda-feira.

Esta música especificamente foi gravada há uns dois anos, mas somente aparece agora porque eu fiquei longe da música por mais de um ano e porque eu pretendia lançar essa e outras (inclusive as outras que já postei) num disco solo num futuro incerto. Aliás, uma das minhas músicas solo já foi lançada sob o nome Adélie pela gravadora canadense Humblebee Recordings, a mesma que lançou nosso último EP.

De volta à música do dia, nessa gravação, como havia dito, tudo que se ouve sou eu e o mouse, acompanhado de guitarra e baixo elétricos. Foi uma das primeiras que eu gravei inteiramente sozinho. Estão nos meus planos, inclusive, fazer um vídeo para essa música, que vocês provavelmente verão nos youtubes da vida. O roteirinho já está sendo desenvolvido.

Bem, vamos ao que interessa:

When You’re Not Here

Monday is new song day at the Weather Sensitive lair. So inkeeping with my original plan, I’m posting song number three today.

This is another one of those click-through-arrangements, like the other two I already posted. It was all done within Cakewalk Sonar with soft synths, the b-4 organ plug in and soundfonts, so everything you hear in this recording apart from guitar, bass and vocals is digital.

I have nothing against real instruments, in fact I’d love to have done this recording with a few thousand-dollar tube mics on live drums and some vintage gear, like a real B-3 organ, and some analog synths like a Prophet or a Moog Opus. But, alas, I lack the wherewithal.

However, that has (partially) changed since I now am the proud owner of a vintage Farfisa Mini Compact (that I actually had to do a lot of work on, but that’s for another post) and a snazzy piece of digi-analog sound called an Alesis Micron. I love those two pieces of gear. You can’t hear them on this recording, though. That’s reserved for a future and more recent recording.

This particular tune was recorded a couple of years ago, but is only now surfacing because I have been away from music for about a year, and previously I had my mind set on releasing this (and the other songs I posted previously) as a solo record. I have actually already released a solo song in the compilation “Hey, Where’d the Summer Go” on Humblebee Recordings under the name Adélie. I’ll probaly post that tune here in the near future, as it’s a great song, and not many people have heard it. It actually deserves a proper release for itself, as I think most of the songs in this blog do. That is why I plan on re-recording them in the future.

Back to the song of the day, this one is also a number I’m firmly intent on including in an upcoming release, as it’s one of the first I recorded all by myself. Yes, all you hear in this is yours tryly, playing guitar and bass, clicking away at the sequencer and singing. This is one tune that I’m also planning to make into a video that will probably be surfacing on youtube or wherever soon.

Anyway, you now know a lot more than you did before about this song and my gear, so let’s get to the fun part:

When You’re Not Here

‘Torched Laughter’ was the result of a tumultuous and sultry evening I had in an opium den in Egypt.  Involved was a farfisa organ and a stick of butter. There were monologues given to corpses recently exhumed for Bacchanalian amusement. Amputee children throwing sewage at passed out policemen. And cocaine. Good times were had by all involved.

 That’s what I would have liked to have ocurred, but sadly it didn’t quite happen this way.

 `Torched Laughter’ originated with a little Radio Shack tape recorder which I carried with me at all times a few years ago. I would mumble warbly melody lines, strum guitar ideas, and capture the sounds of my immediate environment. Guitars, planes and arguments. Any sonority committed to this tape player would be consumed by crackling, hiss and distortion. It was a dirt cheap recorder. A few of the sounds/ideas that were recorded were the foundations of a few of the `Torched Laughter’ songs. Instead of listening to the idea and then record the song properly, I took the original bad hiss recordings and built the songs around them.

This is the most straightforward recollection I have of this idea. There are a lot of other experiences that happened (much stranger, sadder, dramatic things) which contributed to `Torched Laughter.’ I apologize for alluding and not expanding on those things yet. It’s tantalizingly cheap for any of you who may have an interest in this.

The reason it has taken a week to write even this much is because of all those experiences. (started writing this last Wednesday after recording) I couldn’t figure out what to write. There is just too much. I start with one experience and then it naturally ties into another one. It’s all interconnected and the story gets longer and longer. And then I beat myself up about how over-involved I might be getting into it.

Internet assholism and cynicism aside, many of these experiences I have not come to terms with yet. Are they that bad? No. But it is a lot to take in and finally process at one time. Especially if I’m going to write them out in a coherent grammatical fashion.

I do not know how far I will get in terms of writing out these experiences. Already I’m avoiding/dreading/denying the existence of it. I have an extremely hard time conveying what I really want to say via text aside from questionable humour and hate. Everything else seems to get muddled.

We’ll see what happens.

Oh, I started recording the African Djembe on this particular day. It sounds good but I’m out of practice so the performances are clumsy at best. Need a few more days to get my hands in rhythm.

Its weekend and I am sitting in my studio, working on an edit of Julia’s lovely semi-instrumental “summernights” from our last album “us, together, now!” for Barikes upcoming fashion show. 

My goal is it to make an extended version of about 12 minutes length that features western guitars, out-of-space keyboards, strings, harmonicas and more. It should capture the feeling of a lonely, melancholic – well – summer night:)

So I added some danelectro baritone guitars to it, a twangling melody line, some chords. I recorded some layers on my farfisa and put a noise gate that is triggered by the bassdrum on that track to recieve a funky phased filter sound. Its now 8 minutes long, not bad for a 2:55 track. I need to make it even longer, since Barbara wants to have only one piece of music for the show.