Hello Good People who read this blog

(please excuse any typos I need to take a break and will edit again later/tomorrow)

I am recovering from my evening out at the Forum last night in Kentish Town ( in London for anyone who might be reading this in Estonia) to see Steve Hillage and Gong.

Our little troupe of Hillage/Gong fans started our  journey to the gig after lots of cups of tea and a supper of winter foods including of course our green vegetables. We trailed up the road happily like well-fed hobbits, ready to face the bright lights and commuters, but had to make a detour after a rather alarming  encounter with Orcs dressed in blue accompanied by their hounds of hell.

By the time we got to The Forum , The Steve Hillage band was already on stage, playing “Love Guitar” one of my favourite soppy songs. I wanted to put it up here before but the video on youtube is to film clips and is not hippy-like at all and besides you can’t embed it. The audience didn’t seem quite warmed up at that point and so we reckon we must have arrived pretty much close to the start of the proceedings.

(double-click on the photos to see them in full-screen)

Steve Hillage Band-The Forum-27/11/2009

Left to right

Miquette Giraudy Keyboards-Synth-Backing -Vocals-Air Guitar and fun

Steve Hillage -Genius Electric Guitarist, Vocals.

Chris Taylor (I think! at least it’s him on the 2032 new album by Gong) – Drums with a zillion tempo changes

Mike Howlett-Bass-player extra-ordinaire

I know the Steve Hillage and Gong have played The Forum before in 2008 and that they have toured quite a bit in the past 18 months or so but this is the first time I have seen the “Steve Hillage Band” , i.e. Steve Hillage doing rock since 1980. Also to my embarrassment I had never seen Gong live until  last night. Although I know their early albums and the fantastic Japanese import  “Gong Live etc.” (Virgin,1977 ) back to front. If you do not have this double album, try to get one.I got mine on vinyl as a Japanese import around twenty-nine years ago now, but still love it.

Steve Hillage and Gong fans are very difficult to get rid of, as we could tell from the average age of the audience although there were a minority of teenagers looking blissful and cuddling with their significant others.

We didn’t go there to take photos or film but we took a few like the two above before the memory was full. We went to  have a good time in the audience not film, and we did have a great time, my feet, neck and throat ( from singing along) are testimony to this so I’ll stop writing now and put up some photos and clips enshrined in a couple of comments.

After the first couple of songs the audience were warmed up and the crowd had swelled, in fact the place was packed out. They had made an early start and this had obviously caught some by surprise. Steve Hillage and his band were on form. Hillage seems to have lost confidence with his vocals, as many singers do as they get older, especially if they have not been singing for a decade or two. If you listen to Joni Mitchell in the sixties and now in her sixties, her voice is totally different but it’s good, she has had to change her singing range and vocal style to keep on.

In terms of guitar playing and performing, Steve Hillage is still at the top of his league. As the evening wore on, he just got better and better ( and better) playing complicated solos and key changes, tempo changes, etc..

Here is a clip Intro to Hurdy-Gurdy Man

He played some fast and furious guitar and the band were great but we were too busy dancing to film it! No doubt more footage will appear on youtube. Also Mike  Howlett’s excellent bass playing was mixed in a way that was not beefy enough and yet obliterated the rest of the band a bit, not sure how! I guess that’s what live music is about, it depends where you stand (and the taste and/or ability of the engineer).

The set was amazing and the crowd were ecstatic,great lightshow too with great animations projected.

My only complaint about The Steve Hillage Band was that their set was so short, I would have been happy to see them play their first five albums from start to end and would have not got bored for a second or judged them if they had missed a few bits and improvised instead.

However when we saw the long set that Gong played with the same instrumentalists , we realised perhaps why Steve Hillage’s set was short but quality. When we arrived at 7.45 pm, The Steve Hillage Band was already playing and by the time Gong had left the stage it was past 11 pm.

Miquette and Steve ( Forum 27/11/2009)

There was a long break for drinks, just as well as it seemed impossible to get served. Two bars for thousands of people, the bar we queued up at only had one person serving, although after half an hour or so there were three behind the bar.

The mood was jolly, lots of blokes, average age 50, many still with long hair or bald.But there were also women of all ages and young, some very young , guys.

There is always a new crop of hippies germinating from any background, they emerge at around the age of 14 and by 16 they are either in a band or leading some form of alternative lifestyle with individual image to boot.These budding hippies who emerge from nowhere decade after decade, will always gravitate towards the music of Gong and Steve Hillage.

Gong appeared on stage at around 9.15pm. The consisted of the members of  The Steve Hillage Band , plus Daevid Allen ( vocals and  guitar, and much leaping around), Gili Smyth ( Vocals, “Space Whispers”, Goddess/Witch) and Theo Travis ( playing some rather excellent flute and sax).

Gong at The Forum 27/11/2009 ( minus Miquette)

We couldn’t help but notice that Gilli seemed older than the kind of woman you’d expect onstage with a rock band. Well we have been conditioned to expect only young people onstage doing weird rock music, and especially when it comes to women, we are super-conditioned that only certain types of sexualised young women or alternatively young teenage rebel girls who shave their heads or dye it blue will  be there. But I believe in breaking boundaries, most of the best classic bands are older, too old to rock and roll and too young to die? No! Get on stage I say!

According to Wikipedia, Gilli Smyth, is 76 years old,she used to be in academia, lecturing at the Sorbonne before deciding to do something all the more intellectual by forming Gong with her partner Daevid Allen.

Here is Gilli being a Witch on stage along to a free-form jazz jam from other members of Gong.

The Witch’s Song Performed at The Forum 27/11/2009  originally released 1973 on “Radio Gnome Invisible.Part One”

Daevid Allen is 71. But he bounces around the stage like a kangaroo on acid and speed. Daevid has such a stage presence and is such a character that I can’t help but wonder what on earth he would do if he didn’t go on stage and dispel that energy. He is a jester with apparently boundless tigger-like energy. He definitely needs a stage to bounce on!

Gong- You Can’t Kill Me

Unfortunately we ran out of memory before being able to film Daevid in his special silver-white silk catsuit embellished by CDs, or his “No one Knows I’m a Lesbian” T-Shirt, or when he chases Miquette around the stage, but his energy is impressive.

Daevid Allen at The Forum 27/11/2009

Miquette having fun playing air guitar along to Steve (27/11/09-Forum)

There were times when Gong shouted and repeated the same line over like a cross between a sergeant major barking orders and the rat-rat-rat of a self-loading machine gun, which reminded me of war , riots and abrupt change. There were times when Gong intoned half-sung and half-spoken poems with collective unconscious and mythical archetypes to a free-from jazz jam, with a strong melodic chorus planted wherever and whenever it seemed least expected. There were times when the music became ultra-psychedelic , the same repeated riff and beat, getting faster and louder with glissando guitars and strobes, it went on in a cyclic trance fashion. I could not help but close my eyes to take it in ,it felt like I was at some spiritual ceremony and that spiritual energies were being purposefully raised. I felt like I was in the dance tent at some winter festival. People didn’t dance as much, but then we are older and were tired by the end of the evening .However there seemed to be some incredibly strong positive force present within the music. ..and I couldn’t help but notice that at the end of the evening, after a long encore and a very long gig, that Daevid Allen seemed to do a little ceremony to seal off each one of his chakra points, starting at his head and working his way down.

Aha! I thought to myself , that’s where Daevid gets his energy from: rituals and chakras!

I am somewhat cynical about anything too religious, but they must be getting their energy from somewhere!

Love and Peace ( off to do yoga,meditation and find my chakras now!)

Born2rant

p.s. for more of a spiritual explannation click on Pete’s comment on the upper part of the left hand column of this blog or follow this link ( thanks again Pete)

http://vimeo.com/1626328

First Sound File.
Second Sound File.

Some Spirtual Music from other sites.

“The Family Music” – Widmer Family

The Green of the Forest – Sri Chinmoy
Theme from my Supreme
Nijere Karite
Hiyar Duar
Amar Amire
Tabla Solo
Nijum Rate
Abar Jabo
Ami Kandi
Borobodure

Sri Chinmoy’s Celebratory Esraj Concert – Video

Meditative Music

Beauty Of The Blue

A gentle dream-like blend of Sri Chinmoy’s songs, arranged for voice and keyboard by Russian group Infinity’s Sky

Cosmic Dream

A meditative recording of Sri Chinmoy’s music, arranged by Arthada and Friends of Austria.

Every Time You Love

A gentle and refined album of Sri Chinmoy’s songs, arranged by the world-class ensemble from Switzerland: Mountain-Silence.

Sacred Dawn

Shindhu’s music is very calm, soothing with an ethereal, heavenly touch.

A pdf file on security Issues on web sites

This has to be the most inspirational album of the year!

Sout Project have masterfully woven together an album of spiritual songs that is so listenable and sublime at the same time as bringing forth  a gift, to emerging spiritual communities, of songs that need to be sung collectively.

Each song is a gem reflecting a facade from emerging themes of sustainable spiritually centred on the Divine.

I’m listening to the CD over and over and our Faith Community has been singing some of the songs at our gatherings.

You can buy it online here

PRODUCED BY KEDARVIDEO, SWITZERLAND

Kennt ihr den verrückten Asiaten der nichts von traditionellen Musikinstrumenten hält sondern lieber ins Gemüse bläst um Töne zu produzieren? Nicht? Na dann wird’s aber höchste Zeit!

Foto: Veri’s kleiner Winkel

Ich verstehe zwar leider kein Wort davon was er in seinen Videos erklärt und erzählt, aber der Japaner begeistert mich immer wieder, bringt mich zum Lachen und lässt mich staunen. Es gibt zahlreiche Videos von ihm auf YouTube wo er mit Karotten, Äpfeln, Melonen, Kürbissen, Brokkoli und Co. Musik macht. Ein paar wenige will ich euch vorstellen und hoffe, dass sie euch genauso begeistern wie mich. Have Fun!

Und hier musiziert seine ganze Familie mit – entzückend!

I am promoting this cool new product in the blogging industry.

If you are interested in check it out, click here to find out more.

Schon seit ein paar Jahren kenne ich den australischen Sänger, Songwriter und Multi-Instrumentalisten nun schon, aber er verwundert mich immer wieder aufs Neue. In Europa ist Xavier Rudd eher weniger bekannt, dafür hat er aber in Amerika, Kanada und in seiner Heimat, Australien schon dutzende Preise gewinnen können.

Foto: stephaniegaga

Sein erstes Album veröffentlichte er vor 7 Jahren, also 2002, mit dem Namen „To Let“. Es folgten viele weitere Alben. Seine letzte Scheibe trägt den Titel „Dark Shades of Blue“. Mit einer interessanten Mischung aus Welt-, Roots-, Folk- und Reggae-Musik versucht Xavier mit seinen Songs für ihn wichtige Themen anzusprechen, wie zum Beispiel Umwelt- und Sozialprobleme. Vor allem sind ihm aber die Rechte der Aborigines wichtig.

Mich fasziniert an Xavier Rudd besonders sein ausgeprägtes Talent verschiedene Instrumente zu spielen, meistens auch noch gleichzeitig. Er ist seine eigene Band und tritt eher selten mit anderen Musiker auf, nur wenn es notwendig ist, holt er sich Schlagzeuger oder Gitarristen dazu…Hier eine kleine Liste der Instrumente die er beherrscht:

• Slide-Gitarre
• Djembe (Trommel)
• Mundharmonika
• Aztec Drum
• Bass Gitarre
• Stomp Box
• Verschiedene Didgeridoos
• Akustische/Elektrische Gitarren
• Weissenborn
• Shakers (wie z.B. Regenmacher)
• u.v.m.

Dieser sympathische Musiker von Down Under der mit einer Kanadierin verheiratet ist und schon Vater von zwei Söhnen ist, liebt es barfuß die Welt zu entdecken und  ist bekennender Vegetarier. Die Organisation PETA hat ihn 2007 sogar zum „World’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity“ gekürt.

Zum Abschluss, hier noch eine sehr gelungen „No Woman, No Cry“-Interpretation von Xavier Rudd:

Ich hoffe wirklich diesen außergewöhnlichen Musiker mal live erleben zu dürfen!

CLICK HERE to view the video and listen to the song by Larry Hayden. Visit our home page www.LarryHaydenMusic.com to listen to other songs, buy cd’s, get free lyrics, pictures, videos and more.

Blog written by:

Larry Hayden, Singer, Guitarist, Songwriter
www.LarryHaydenMusic.com
Popular site for Christians and Christian themed music.
Gospel, Oldies, Funny Songs, Guitar Albums, Piano, videos and more.

CLICK HERE to view the video. You will be listening to lead guitar, baritone guitar and nylon string guitar all playing harmonies with each other.

If you enjoy the song, I have two CDs of all guitar instrumentals.  This one, named Just My Guitar, which contains mostly slow paced songs (although this song is not slow paced) and another one named Guitar Fest. Visit www.LarryHaydenMusic.com to listen to others.

Blog written by:

Larry Hayden, Singer, Guitarist, Songwriter
www.LarryHaydenMusic.com
Popular site for Christians and Christian themed music.
Gospel, Oldies, Funny Songs, Guitar Albums, Piano, Truckin Songs and more.

One of my favorite songs is called Jesus Is The Light House. Lyrics are below.  You can listen to it here.  (This is not me singing)

Please visit my website www.LarryHaydenMusic.com for more good songs, vocals and guitar instrumentals by yours truly.

Written by Ronnie Hinson Copyright © 1971 All Rights Reserved

Recording by Greater Vision Copyright © All Rights Reserved

This blog posted by:

Larry Hayden
Christian Music, humor and more
www.LarryHaydenMusic.com

   ]]> http://myconstanthope.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/master-the-tempest-is-raging/ Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:48:14 +0000 Laurel Blair http://myconstanthope.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/master-the-tempest-is-raging/

The music for Master, the Tempest is raging came really fast to me.  Sometimes I struggle with a song.  I’ll have the melody stuck in my head but no accompaniment.  But it wasn’t that way with this song.  It just came and stayed in my brain.  It was all I could think about when I woke up in the morning and all I could think about when I went to sleep in the evening.  The original music is much more cheerier than my version.  However, I like the way the song reads in this new order (verse, verse, verse, then chorus).  I think that it portrays a heart-felt plea that we sometimes have in life, and the response we can eventually feel.

Mary Ann Baker lived between 1831 and 1921.  Raised with a belief in Christ, she was orphaned at an early age.  A life of much hardship followed.  As she grew up she became what she termed as “wickedly rebellious”.  She wrote:  “But the Master’s own voice stilled the tempest in my unsanctified heart, and brought it to the calm of a deeper faith and a more perfect trust” (quoted in Phil Kerr, Music in Evangelism, Glendale, California.  Gospel Music Publishers, 1939, pages 167-168).  Though her life was difficult, I am deeply thankful to Mary Ann Baker for writing these words down.  I hope you enjoy this new version.

Copyright 2009 Laurel Blair

CLICK HERE to view video. This sample is from my new CD “Just My Guitar – Soft Guitar Praise”

This music is peaceful and relaxing. Pleasant sound created by a combination of lead guitar, rare baritone guitar, and nylon string guitar, all playing harmony with each other.

This blog posted by:

Larry Hayden
Christian Music, humor and more
www.LarryHaydenMusic.com

I’ve been touring recently! I was in Seattle and really enjoyed it. That was my first time and I really searched around for Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) and didn’t find him.  Ha HA! Anyway, we’ve also been all around California and our touring goes on! I will be in San Diego for the first time in a few weeks. My tour schedule is on my site: andrealane.org

much love to all! Connect with me here or send an email! andrea@andrealane.org

Welcome!

The first song that I composed in the this project is Jesus, Savior, Pilot me.  In late 2007 I had a friend diagnosed with cancer.  It quickly took her life.  It was hard to watch her and her family suffer through this hard time.  I turned to a hymn book that I have found previous solace in,  sat down at the piano, and a new tune for this beloved hymn was born.

The lyrics were written sometime after 1870 by a minister named Edward Hopper.  He wrote the text because his congregation was made up mostly of sailors whom he thought would connect with a sea themed song.  Having grown up near the Pacific Ocean, I know first hand how boisterous the waves of the sea, and the waves of life, can be. Enjoy.

Copyright 2009 Laurel Blair
Photo courtesy of Vladimir Fofanov

Close your eyes and listen.

Designer of Spirit Nests and producer of an absolutely full on annual musical program at Big Sur Spirit Garden, Jayson Fann is a percussionist and organizational genius. Check out the summer lineup at BigSurSpiritGarden.com to see what Jayson has been up to. I had the pleasure of staying over night in one of the nests and I swear it was the best night’s sleep I have ever had, waking and peeking through the branches out to the mountains of Big Sur. Formerly program director at Esalen, Jayson’s connections to the world of visionaries and world musicians is enormous. We certainly won’t be able to touch on everything he has been up to, however, we will certainly give it a go in this hour show tonight.

I will also be featuring the divinely inspired spiritual music of singer Faith Rivera in this special Music of Awakening Show.

7 pm PST, 10 pm EST

Wednesday, July 1

www.VisionaryCulture.com

Later in the week, join me for a visit with Buckminster Fuller’s Grandson Jaime Snyder.

Der Montag zählt nicht zu meinem Lieblingstagen der Woche und so bin ich am Wochenanfang immer eher träge oder lustlos unterwegs, meist sogar ein wenig schlecht gelaunt. Heute zum Beispiel wollte ich unbedingt am Abend zu einer Party, nur die Motivation ging im Laufe des Tages verloren. Um endlich was dagegen zu tun entschloss ich mich, wieder ein wenig Yoga zu machen. Eine sehr gute Freundin, Maja, von mir kam vorbei, damit wir die eine Stunde purer Entspannung gemeinsam genießen können. Ohne Musik allerdings finde ich die Übungen langweilig, aber ein Fan von Meeresrauschen und Vogelgezwitscher bin ich auch nicht. Maja hatte das wohl „gerochen“ denn sie brachte diesmal eine neue CD mit. Die Gruppe nennt sich „Beyond“ – ein Trio bestehend aus drei Frauen: Superstar Tina Turner, Yoga Lehrerin & Musiktherapeutin Regula Curti sowie der Mantra-Sängerin Dechen Shak-Dagsay.

Foto: ©Universal

Eine seltsame Kombi möchte man meinen, aber sie haben mich mit ihren spirituellen, buddhistischen & christlichen Gesängen überzeugt und berührt. Man lässt sich fallen, vergisst alles um sich herum und entspannt einfach. Trotzdem musste ich anfangs ein wenig schmunzeln, denn ich konnte mir so gar nicht vorstellen wie die Rockröhre sich in dieses Projekt hineinpassen sollte. Ich wusste zwar dass sie sich vor Jahren zum Buddhismus bekannt hat, dennoch war ich sehr von ihr überrascht – zum ersten Mal setzt sie ihre gewaltige Stimme ganz leise und sanft ein, spricht sehr langsam & gefühlvoll und verbreitet Ruhe. Wer aber jetzt glaubt dass Tina Turner weiterhin im Musikbusiness bleiben wird liegt falsch, denn diese CD soll ihre letzte sein. Der Abschied nach über 40 Jahren im Showgeschäft ist auf jeden Fall gelungen – leise, meditativ und wohltätig!

Hier gibt’s eine kleine Hörprobe und Interviews von „Beyond“:

Sehr schön finde ich wieder einmal, dass auch die drei Nachbarinnen aus der Schweiz eine Foundation gegründet haben. Die gesamten Einnahmen der Künstlerinnen werden zu gleichen Teilen in deren Stiftung fließen die sich zum Ziel gesetzt hat, friedensfördernde Projekte zwischen verschiedenen Kulturen und Religionen in Erziehung, Bildung & Forschung für Kinder und Jugendliche zu unterstützen. Es dreht sich also alles um Wohltätigkeit, Besonnenheit und die Liebe zum Menschen und zur Musik. Sogar der Dalai Lama und Abt Martin Werlen OSB, vom Kloster Einsiedeln in der Schweiz, sind auf das Frauentrio aufmerksam geworden und gaben ihren Segen.

Zum Abschluss würde ich euch gern die schönsten spirituelle Botschaften von Tina Turner mit auf den Weg geben:

• Umarme den Kreislauf des Lebens: Das ist die größte Liebe.
• Gib dem Drängen von Angst, Wut und Rachsucht nicht nach, und du wirst jenseits der Angst sein, dort, wo die Liebe wächst und gedeiht.
• Losgelöst zu sein bedeutet, wirklich dich selbst zu fühlen.
• Liebe wächst, wenn du vertraust. Wenn du vertraust, wird Liebe heilen und erneuern.
• Liebe inspiriert und gibt uns die Kraft, Großes zu leisten. Sie macht uns zu einem liebevolleren und liebenswerteren Menschen.
• Liebe gibt uns das Gefühl von Geborgenheit und bringt uns näher zu Gott.
• Singe – Singen trägt dich über alles hinaus, weit, weiter, immer weiter.
• Geh auf die Reise nach Innen So wirst du still und hörst das Unhörbare. So wirst du geduldig und empfängst das Unerreichbare. So wirst du offen und lädst das Unerwartete ein und sei dankbar: So kann das Unbegreifliche zu dir kommen.
• Sei gegenwärtig, ganz im Moment: So bist du frei von Zeit und Raum.
• Wagst du dich über das Bekannte und Begrenzte hinaus, wirst du wahre Liebe finden.

Übrigens: die CD wurde schon am 19.Juni veröffentlicht, aber ohne Maja wüsste ich wohl noch immer nichts davon – danke dir für die musikallische Bereicherung und die Yoga-Session die ich so nötig hatte!

Zenzo Matoga is a local worship leader and musician from the Eastern African country of Malawi. Matoga along with his band The True Worshipers fuse modern beats and African rhythms with spiritual lyrics to create a fresh inspiring sound. Recently, their video for the song “Vina” reached the top of the charts in Malawi.

Matoga also works coordinating the Boston Night of Worship, an event bringing together worship leaders and their followers for a night of praise in Boston.

Listen below to hear from Mr. Matoga and to hear more about his band and the country of Malawi.

LISTEN HERE:

Background music “Vina” courtesy of Matoga and the True Worshipers

Photo Courtesy of www.facebook.com/zenzomatoga

For more information on Boston Night of Worship, please visit: http://bostonnightofworship.org

Hello Good People who read this blog ( this is a revised version of earlier entries. I do this sometimes when I think of extra things…sorry if it is irritating)

To begin some more meditative music to generate peace in the world

I forgot how completely amazing this piece of music was until  I just listened to it again:

Yes it’s got to be Steve Hillage “the Glorious Om Riff” from the “Green” album ( 1978) , quite appropriate for this post. (If you listen to this wearing headphones you get the full ping-pong  synth effect .)

Om!

My son sent me this film ( below this little rant) showing the police trying to disrupt an environmental climate camp which is organised totally legally.

I don’t think the police should meddle in politics. I think they should just be there if the public needs them in an emergency, when they are being violated, robbed, burgled etc..

Who is instructing the police to violate, rob, burgle and occasionally kill the public?

Once the police start to harrass people for their politics isn’t that what a police state is?

This is how Wikipedia defines a police state:

“The term police state describes a state in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population. A police state typically exhibits elements of totalitarianism and social control, and there is usually little or no distinction between the law and the exercise of political power by the executive.

The inhabitants of a police state experience restrictions on their mobility, and on their freedom to express or communicate political or other views, which are subject to police monitoring or enforcement. Political control may be exerted by means of a secret police force which operates outside the boundaries normally imposed by a constitutional state.^[1]“

Here is the little film my son sent me :  “Investigating the Police” from the Kingsnorth Climate Camp last August. Crayons, felt-tip pens and chalk sticks are confiscated as dangerous weapons that could be used for writing political messages on banners.You may find some of the images of police violence in the second half of this film disturbing.

In many way it is reminiscent of the Battle of the Beanfield and other incidents of police violence. I heard many accounts of police violence over the years from friends being taken in the back of the van and given a “good kicking” for being alternative .

All the private “kickings” were illegal but now there is legalised harassment and violence against the public evident in this film. (if you can’t see this film and you have “No Script” on your computer, enable “blip.tv”)

They have given the police way too much power and surprise, surprise,  they are abusing it. In this film the police can legally force someone to be searched who is not wearing anything suspicious or behaving in a suspicious or agressive way.

If you refuse to be physically searched then they can legally, make you lie on the ground and set seven police officers on top of you and legally press your pressure points to inflict pain.

Some of the scenes in this film are of innocent people being violated legally by the police. Can you honestly say that the nice protesters in this film were a threat to anyone?

If the actions of the police were illegal then at least we could put a stop to it.

Compare and Contrast the wikipedia definition and the film clip!

What do you think?..Do you think? or do you just party?

A musical interlude:

Here & Now another band from the Gong rock family tree. I saw this band 10 trillion times in the late seventies and throughout the eighties. The first time I saw them was at Meanwhile Gardens with “Blank Space”and possibly  “The Androids of Mü”, Grant Showbiz was doing the desk.

Here is Here & Now with “Floating Anarchy Radio”

Here’s Here & Now playing in 2005. In the foreground on synth, Joie Hinton ( ex-Eat Static/Ozrics/O’Roonies etc…I was once told that he played for Steve Hillage as a teenager..not sure about this).

Today I am also a bit concerned about the police deciding about whether or not MPs should be arrested for fiddling their expenses.

Of course I think the MPs should pay back the money they fiddled and made to live on a council estate for a year with only income support and housing benefit to live on.

However I don’t agree with the principle that the police can arrest the democratically elected government. That really would make us  a police state.

It would be better for democracy if the government itself forced every single dodgy MP to resign and pay back the money and be fined.

I don’t see that happening because the ones at the top are the dodgy ones!

Some more excellent music. I love Egg.

Weird difficult and complex music is never boring or pretentious as long  as you can either tap your foot to it or sing a bit of the tune in the bath.

This track is one of my favourites and  has some of those appetizing complex bits!

According to Wikipedia ( my font of all knowledge for today) Steve Hillage plays on this track:

“Wring out the Ground” from “Civil Surface” by Egg (1974) …yep a couple of minutes in, that’s got to be Steve Hillage!

Love and Peace

Born2rant ( voting Green in European Elections ..will stop editing and revising this post now promise! 16/5/09)

For a new group, coming straight out of the chute with a great album can be as much curse as blessing. For better or worse, it’s Austin, Texas-based choral group Conspirare’s cross to bear. Both their debut, Requiem, as well as their 2007 follow-up, Threshold of Night, an adventurous collections of works by British composer Tarik O’Regan, share a subtle and frequently not so subtle brilliance, pushing the boundaries of where vocal music can go. Conspirare’s pioneering director Craig Hella Johnson’s claim to fame is his collages, as he calls them, intricately polyrhythmic arrangements of two or more choral works simultaneously. One literally exhilarating example here on the new cd (also available as a dvd) blends segments of an Appalachian folk tune with Motown, a Roy Orbison hit, medieval plainsong and Broadway. Anyone who might think choral music can’t be psychedelic ought to hear this. Since recording a choir utilizes pretty much the same techniques in the studio and in concert, calling this a live album is somewhat beside the point. And in contrast to the often haunting, starkly beautiful sound of the ensemble’s previous release, this frequently has the feel of a PBS special…maybe because it was recorded for one.

Conspirare particularly excels at spirituals and soul music. They also ably explore both country – notably Dolly Parton’s Light of a Clear Blue Morning – and contemporary gospel with a surprising majesty and depth. To their infinite credit, the performances generally transcend the more commercial material here, for example, finding the inner poignance in an otherwise forgettable Annie Lennox top 40 hit. Yet unsurprisingly, it’s the edgiest material here – Eliza Gylkison’s stoic Requiem, the title track from their first album; an excerpt from Triptych by Tarik O’Regan, and an often spine-tingling take of Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei that spring the latch, voices and arrangements soaring free of a Pandora’s box of schlock (Johnson should leave writing power ballads to those who sing them – with their bands, that is, not with this unit).

Yet the sheer craft and unabashed joyousness of the group raises even the most lightweight material here above the level of a tune-out – although Lucid Culture’s resident jazz critic walked by the front desk when this was playing, scrunched up her face and announced that “This sounds like what my mom would listen to around Christmastime when she’s baking cookies.” Well, at low volume, maybe: all the voices here turned up to ten will rock your stove. And it’s reason enough to look forward to Conspirare’s next album, hopefully making a fullscale return to their paradigm-shifting roots.