The Hard Stuff by Wayne Kramer

books, music, , , , ,

Wayne Kramer – The Hard Stuff (Da Capo, 2018)

Growing up across the river from Detroit in Windsor, Ontario, it was hard not to be exposed to the wealth of music emerging from the Motor City. The sounds of Motown and beyond were ever-present on the radio airwaves.

The advent of so-called “underground” and “progressive” FM radio beginning in 1968 with WABX gave previously unheard sounds from AM radio a whole new venue for rock music. So, bands like the MC5 and Stooges would suddenly have an outlet for their sounds on the airwaves.

In this book, the MC5 founder and guitarist details the ups and downs of the band and music scene of the time from an insiders point of view.

Like most music bios, his begins with his childhood in and around the Detroit area. It follows his interest in music and particularly his attraction to the guitar which ultimately lead to the formation of one of the most highly regarded rock bands of the era.

The band encapsulated the raw energy behind the revolutionary talk and actions of the late ’60s. They dove in head-first and eventually came to the attention of Elektra Records who would release their debut album.

Kick Out the Jams was a raucous live recording which presented the group in their element at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom.  It was a warts-and-all presentation which Kramer was really not pleased. What could have been a hot national release was soon to have some major problems. Copies of the unedited album were rushed to promotional outlets and the major industry broadsheets which were incredibly influential at the time reacted negatively. They sited the obscene introduction of the title track (“Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!”)  and the inflammatory revolutionary rhetoric of the liner note as a reason to suppress its mass distribution.
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So, no sooner had they started as a new hot commodity, their plans were dashed. It eventually lead to the band being dumped by the label.

This was only the start of their ongoing challenges as Kramer details the world that surrounded the band during those times. The White Panther movement. the incredible Detroit riots in the summer of 1967, the harassment from the police, the drug busts etc…

Kramer continues to spin the tale through the challenges of creating music, dealing with drug addiction and eventually to his own incarceration. It is often a harrowing read which eventually ends in redemption.

In recent times, Wayne Kramer has been back on the road celebrating his former band by currently using the banner MC50.

Over the years, the legacy of the MC5 has only been on the upswing. So, it seems quite appropriate that one of its founders tells its tale some fifty years from its beginnings. If you are a fan, this will help to shed some light on the full story behind the band.

 

Going for a Song by Garth Cartwright

books, music, vinyl, , , , , , , ,

Garth Cartwright – Going for a Song (Flood Gallery Publishing, 2018)

If you are a music fan of a certain vintage, you probably have many fond memories of cruising the bins of your local record shops. Before the days of internet “add to cart” methods of purchasing music and downloading, this is what people did.

In his 2009 book Last Shop Standing, author Graham Jones wrote about some of the remaining record shops across Britain. As the founder of Proper Music Distribution, his job took him across the land to provide stock to numerous stores. In the process, he was able to get to know the people behind the scenes and tell their tales of the trials and tribulations of music retail.

Writer and music fan Garth Cartwright arrived in the UK from New Zealand some time after the explosion of the record industry in the sixties and seventies. With this book, he has attempted to put together the puzzle pieces of the British music retail industry from its very beginnings up to its current state.

As someone who has been a music fan since the sixties and worked in music retail myself (initially at the Windsor, Ontario Sam the Record Man store in the seventies), these type of stories attract my interest. Not least because of my interest in British music.

The story begins with the longest last shop in the UK which is Spillers in Cardiff, Wales. An institution since 1894, it is still in operation today.

Throughout the book, Cartwright covers the story from the inception of wax cylinders to shellac 78s, to vinyl and eventually to CDs. It’s a story which includes the large chains such as HMV to the myriad of small independent shops serving the local community.

Much of the focus is on the once ever-expanding music market of London. Of course, this place was a melting-pot of cultures from around the world. Stores opened to often feed the musical needs of specific ethnic communities. These could range from Jamaican reggae to African sounds to those of European countries.

By combing many print archives as well as interviewing several of the people involved in the industry over the years, Cartwright has been able to assemble the stories behind countless shops which have come and gone over the years.

It also ensures the same quality cialis generic france ingredient that is enclosed in the generic form. This is a most amazing and affordable medicine that can be used http://icks.org/n/data/ijks/1482457151_add_file_5.pdf cialis 40 mg for treating erectile dysfunction in male. By using Silagra 100mg tablet, it is possible to manage the blood icks.org order viagra online seeping in penile organ. While there are no scientific evidences yet to prove the effectiveness of this method, there is no harm in trying this out as it uses buy cialis a very safe medicine and anyone who has crossed the age of 40. Although much of the information is about the countless London shops, he also relates events covering the smaller markets across Britain.

It’s an intriguing tale of ups and downs, devoted music fans, local heroes, scammers, gangsters and more. It manages to successfully tell the story of an industry that was virtually limitless in its expansion that eventually imploded at the dawn of the current century. The advent of internet downloading and CD burners put an end to that was once an important community of retail music . Suddenly, the experience of running to the shop to pick up the latest release from your favourite band was rendered almost obsolete.

Of course, not all of the shops have disappeared (thankfully) and the book also serves to shed light on the people who are still out there serving the community of music fans.

It’s an interesting story for those of us whose interest includes the history of the music industry. The book is exhaustively researched and presented in a very engaging and readable manner.

On a personal note… My first trip to the UK was in 1986. On that occasion, I had the good fortune to visit the fabulous Rock On in Camden Town and the original Virgin Megastore in London (as well as other smaller shops in Bath, Coventry, Stafford etc…).

I have been over a dozen more times since the late nineties and have had the pleasure to visit many more shops. I’ve been to a number of stores mentioned in the book as well as a few which were not. They include Probe Records (Liverpool), Record Collector (Sheffield), Crash Records, Jumbo and Relics (Leeds), Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Exchange, King Bee (Manchester), The Record Album (Brighton) and many, many others.

So, reading this book helped me to gain a perspective on the history of record shops across the UK.

 

Keith Rowe: The Room Extended

avant-garde, electroacoustic, experimental music, improvisation, , , , , ,

Keith Rowe: The Room Extended by Brian Olewnick (powerHouse Books)

The first time that I saw a reference to the British improvising ensemble AMM was probably in Op magazine in the late ’70s or early ’80s. I’m sure that their name popped up again in issues of Option and The Wire, too. But, it really wasn’t until into the 1990s that I was able to access CDs and finally discover their music for myself.

At that time, I had already been involved with creating improvised electroacoustic soundscapes and their sounds appealed to me in much the same way as Cage, Stockhausen or Feldman. It also helped to reinforce my own sonic ideas and provided added inspiration.

In this extremely well researched book, Brian Olewnick traces the path of one of the original members of the group and succeeds in connecting many dots within their historical picture.

After covering Keith Rowe’s earliest years growing up and subsequently becoming a member of Mike Westbrook’s ensemble, the real meat of the story begins to unfold.

Rowe eventually connected with percussionist Eddie Prevost and the ideas for a new form of group improvisation started to develop. Into the picture, Lou Gare (a saxophonist Rowe had worked with in Westbrook’s group) joined the duo. Bassist Lawrence Sheaff was also recruited, as well. And in 1965 a group with no name began to create unique sounds. Around this time, composer and pianist Cornelius Cardew also began to get involved, too.

For Rowe’s part, he envisioned the guitar as a tool with which he could produce raw sound. He was not interested in notes or riffs. He put the guitar on a table and proceeded to shove objects between the strings in an effort to create a new sonic vocabulary for the instrument.

It wasn’t until 1966 that the moniker AMM was stamped upon the ensemble. At this point, the group was invited to make their debut recording for the Elektra record label. Subsequent recordings from the 1960s (like the The Crypt, 1968) would not wind up  seeing release until the end of the 1980s with the formation of the Matchless record label.

While the members of the group continued to work together, some of them got involved with other musical projects including the Scratch Orchestra. Over the years, the lineup of the group was somewhat fluid with Sheaff leaving and others such as Christopher Hobbs joining.
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As time passed, there were many states of flux and upheaval. Rowe and Cardew became well entrenched in their political ventures and friction was caused amongst others. This lead to an eventual split of the group and various iterations of the group starting to appear.

The story of AMM is one that has been going on for over fifty years. In this book, Olewnick manages to search every available dark and dusty corner to present a thorough and cohesive picture of the events which lead to the various stages of that lengthy career.

Of course, Keith Rowe is the main focus of this tome although it could just as easily been labeled as a history of AMM. But, the concentration on Rowe’s later solo and collaborative works does in fact make it more of his story.

In the long run, this is a long and winding tale which involves artistic ideas, disagreements, outright battles and eventual reunions. It is a fascinating story which was long overdue in its telling.

The inclusion of a well-detailed discography at the end of the book is icing on the cake. Collectors of their music (like yours truly) will likely wind up cursing the investment in future purchases as their wallets get progressively lighter. But, it’s the price that one pays to get exposed to such wonderfully creative sounds.

In the meantime, anybody who has an interest in AMM or creative sounds in general would be well advised to read this essential volume.

 

 

John & Yoko – Museum of Liverpool 2018 – 2019

music, , , , , , , , ,

Double Fantasy: John & Yoko – Museum of Liverpool (May 18 2018 to April 22 2019)

Whenever I am visiting friends in Sheffield, I always try to make a journey over to Liverpool. One of my stops is always the Tate gallery down at the docks. This time around, I saw a wonderful exhibition of works by Egon Schiele and Francesca Woodman. However, on this occasion, I also wanted to wander down the dock to check out the exhibition on the life and work of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. I was not disappointed.

If you got a chance to experience the David Bowie touring exhibition then you have a bit of an idea about what this display has in store. Of course, the exhibition deals with the time that John and Yoko were together so, there is little of the previous years on display. But, there is certainly no shortage of interesting material to showcase.

There are photographs, videos, handwritten lyrics, personal mementos (like John’s iconic glasses) on view. It’s a lot to take in but, it’s worth the effort to check it all out.
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Since I realize that many fans will not get an opportunity to make it to Liverpool to check out the exhibition, I’ve gathered together a number of photographs that I took while I was there. The photos are in no particular order and were taken quickly so as to not interfere with anybody’s enjoyment of the exhibits. So, many are not are perfectly framed as I would like.

I hope that you enjoy this brief look at some of the exhibition highlights and that you might get to visit the museum to experience it for yourself before it ends in April 2019.

All Gates Open by Rob Young & Irmin Schmidt

avant-garde, books, experimental music, improvisation, Krautrock, progessive rock, psychedelic music, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rob Young & Irmin Schmidt – All Gates Open (Faber & Faber, 2018)

When the FM airwaves started to emit the sounds of “underground radio” in the late 1960s, a whole new world of music began to open. WABX was the first such station to enter this area in Detroit in 1968. A short while later, CJOM hit the airwaves on my side of the border in Windsor, Ontario.

One of the most interesting things to appear were programmes which features “import” records. Suddenly, people were able to hear music which was not even available on domestic labels. These LPs often never got released in North America.

It was on one episode of these broadcasts that I first experienced the music of Can. It was 1970 and Monster Movie had just been issued in Germany (and the UK). The disc jockey talked about the band and even before he started playing the record, you knew that you were in for something special. I vividly recall his playing Father Cannot Yell and Outside My Door followed by the side-long epic Yoo Doo Right. From that moment, I knew that I would be a fan of this band.

Unfortunately, import records were few and far between at my local shops and it would be a while before I had my own copy of this record. My first purchase was their album Ege Bamyasi which was closely followed by Future Days. At that point, import LPs were starting to become easier to obtain and I was able to get copies of Monster Movie, Soundtracks and Tago Mago.

I kept following their work through articles in magazines like Melody Maker and  was able to keep up with their LP releases from that point.

Over the years, there have been a couple of books published about the band. The Can Book by Pacal Bussy and Andy Hall was an essential purchase for any self -respecting Can fan. There was also another book which was available as part of the Can Box (book, VHS video and 2 CD set of live recordings). Those, however, were mainly a mild warm-for this new volume.

All Gates Open is actually two books in one. The first two thirds feature Rob Young’s details of the individual members’ lives and their subsequent collaboration in one of Germany’s most revered and respected bands.

The final portion of the book belongs to found member Irmin Schmidt. This section is decidedly different to Rob Young’s writings.

From Young, we get a flavour of the times in Europe when the various members of the band were growing up. The four core members of the group all came from quite diverse backgrounds. Irmin Schmidt was making his name as an orchestra conductor. Holger Czukay was fascinated with all things electric including radios. Jaki Leibeziet was a jazz drummer who had worked his way into free jazz with Manfred Schoof. Michael Karoli was some ten years younger than the others with a more rock vision in his guitar playing.

The only things that any of the members really had in common was that both Schmidt and Czukay had both studied with the legendary German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen.
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It’s this diversity of talent and vision which was soon to give Can its unique approach to producing inventive and original sounds.

Vocalists also made an appearance in the group. This started with Malcolm Mooney and continued with a Japanese busker in the form of Damo Suzuki.

Throughout his portion of the book, Young paints a vivid picture of the environment in which Can existed. His presents details about their recording process, live performances and track by track analysis of their albums. This is the kind of material that any hardcore fan of the band will relish as they make their way through the pages of the book.

Irmin Schmidt’s portion of the book is a totally different affair. He edits together conversations with a host of interesting people from music, art and film.

Featured in the conversations are Mark E. Smith (The Fall), Geoff Barrow (Portishead), Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Hans-Joachim Irmler (Faust), Peter Saville, Wim Wenders, Duncan Fallowell, Nick Kent, John Maokovich and many others.

These vignettes open up the conversation to many aspects of music and all types of artistic communication. It’s a fascinating glimpse into creativity.

Schmidt also relates many entries from his diary which also give a look into his creative life.

Overall, this is probably the book that all fans of Can have been waiting for over the years. It’s a detailed look at the band from the inside and the outside. A compelling read for those who have listened to the intriguing and original sounds of one of the most compelling bands to ever put sound onto recording tape.

 

 

Thomas Pynchon to receive $100,000 arts award

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Although I own several hundred books, I’ve mainly been a reader of non-fiction works (music, art, film etc…).  So, last year I decided to make a concerted effort to expand my fiction reading horizons.

One of the authors whose work I had enjoyed in the past was Thomas Pynchon. In the late ’70s and early ’80s I read his debut novel V. and the follow-up The Crying of Lot 49. Like many other people, I made and attempt to read his classic volume Gravity’s Rainbow but, ended up putting it back on the shelf with a bookmark still in it.

After re-reading The Crying of Lot 49, I decided to once again tackle Gravity’s Rainbow. This time I did manage to complete it while both enjoying it and being perplexed. That set me on the road to read even more of his work.

Having recently completed his epic (1,200 pages) Against the Day, I have read six of his eight novels (only Vineland and Mason & Dixon to go). I’ve also read his collection of short stories called Slow Learner.

While many of his works are definitely challenging, they do reward the reader for their efforts.
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So, I was quite pleased when the Washington Post published a story on March 20 that Pynchon was to be awarded $100,000 by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Of course, Thomas Pynchon is well known for not being known. That is… he is never photographed, interviewed or available for any type of affair normally attributed to an author hawking his wares.

It’s not expected that Pynchon will make any effort to collect his award in person. In 1973, he sent Professor Irwin Corey to accept the National Book Award in his absence. It will be interesting to see if he attempts a similar gesture this time around.

 

Psychedelia and Other Colours by Rob Chapman

books, experimental music, progessive rock, psychedelic music, vinyl, , , , , , , , , ,

Rob Chapman – Psychedelia and Other Colours (Faber)

From the appearance of the cover, one might think that this is going to be a fab book with all kinds of wonderfully groovy colourful photos of bands performing with a backdrop of psychedelic lights projected behind them. Well, you know the old expression about a book and its cover. In fact, there is not one single photo contained in the over 600 pages of this tome.

What you do get in this book is a hefty amount of information relating to the progress of the drug culture and its impact on the music scene in the latter half of the 1960s. It’s a book that fits in right between two other recent volumes – 1966: The Year the Decade Exploded by Jon Savage and Never a Dull Moment: 1971 – The Year That Rock Exploded by David Hepworth.

No mention of things exploding in the sub-title of this book but, the text inside certainly does relate a lot of heads exploding as psychedelic drugs (more specifically LSD) began to make inroads into the counterculture movement of the sixties.

Jon Savage’s book goes into great detail about the social and cultural times leading up to the year 1966. There’s a bit of a sense of deja vu when reading Chapman’s book but, that is what I was expecting. So, not much of a disappointment there.

After a general introduction, Chapman divides his time towards firstly concentrating on the scene in the USA and then on the UK. This shows both the parallels and differences in the way in which psychedelia took shape in the midst of both (counter)cultural situations.

While you’ll see familiar names from this era appear – such as Timothy Leary – there are also many more people discussed who may not have been as vibrant on the radar (at the time or since).
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Throughout the book, Chapman does an enviable job of connecting the dots which relate to musical events in both the live performance realm and the release of specific recordings. Of course, a fair amount of time is spent on such artists as The Beatles and their turning (on) into the direction of pot and LSD and Pink Floyd’s areas of cerebral and sonic explorations.

But, as you’d expect in such and exhaustive cultural and musical survey, it’s the efforts of the countless minor figures that accounts for a great deal of the story. Some of the here today, gone tomorrow artists mentioned include The Drivin’ Stupid, Fe-Fi-Four Plus Two, The Factory, Jason Crest, Tintern Abbey etc… Of course, there are a lot of the more familiar bands like, Love, Moby Grape, The Incredible String Band, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead and other usual suspects.

To conclude the volume, the final section – Afterglow (Which Dreamed It?) – attempts to tie up some loose ends and reflects on the aftereffects.

For anyone with a keen interest in this era and specifically psychedelic music, this book stands as a well-researched and extremely detailed survey. It sent me scrambling to my music collection to find out if I had recordings of many of the songs mentioned on my various psych LP and CD collections. That’s usually the sign of a good book for me.

 

Mark E. Smith 1957 – 2018

Gone Gone Gone, music, vocal, , , ,

Back in the late ’70s, I was still in the habit of picking up one of the weekly British music newspapers. I mainly picked up Melody Maker for many years and by the end of the ’70s, it would either be that or the New Musical Express. I can’t recall which one featured info about The Fall that piqued my interest back then. But, when I spotted the Canadian pressing of their debut LP Live at the Witch Trials at a record sop in 1979, I felt compelled to pick it up without having heard so much as one note.

Having already purchased many UK albums and singles through the preceding Punk Rock couple of years, I was quite versed in the sounds that had been coming out of England in recent times. However, The Fall seemed to be something different. It was the start of the Post-Punk era and The Fall seemed to represent something even more exciting and revelatory to these ears.

At the heart of this sound was the caustic, language-bending and often humourous words spewed by band founder, songwriter and vocalist Mark E. Smith. Over the years, Smith virtually WAS The Fall. He ruled the roost with an iron fist and the line-up of the group changed several dozen times over the many years of the band’s existence.

Dave Thompson’s essential 2003 book entitled A User’s Guide to The Fall covers the band’s history from their first line-up in 1977 up until their 39th(!) variation in 2002. Considering the fact that the band was active right until the latter part of 2017, I’m not even sure what number line-up that would be. 73rd? Dunno.

This sildenafil in usa our web-site is the only reason why this cheap kamagra succeeded to get constantly improving victory graph. If you are not able to achieve an orgasm, it doesn’t matter how good & strong your erection be – you will viagra generic india always be deprived of “divine” pleasure. Tightening of vagina: A loose vagina may plague you after childbirth which http://appalachianmagazine.com/2015/02/08/what-to-do-when-youve-wronged-someone/ levitra sale can bring down your libido drastically affecting your physical relationship with your partner. Before the purchase, you will think- why you are suffering from ED. that’s dangerous because buy generic cialis ED is a condition in which a man is unable to get and maintain erections during sexual activity. I followed the band with quite a bit of dedication until the end of the 1980s and still bought the odd release when I’d come across it over the subsequent years. During their long career, the band issued over 30 studio albums. I think that I’ve probably got about 20 or so. Plus live albums, compilations of singles and an impressive CD box set of all of their John Peel BBC Radio Sessions.

At the end of last year, The Fall played some gigs in the UK which featured Smith sitting in a wheelchair as he spouted his patented brand of vitriolic verbiage accompanied by the current line-up of the band.

Mark E. Smith was a one of a kind artist. For better or worse, a true original. You either got/enjoyed the sound of The Fall or you just simply could not stand them. For those of us who loved the sound, their albums will just have to keep us happy into the future. I have a feeling that there will soon be some archive releases in the offing as the years progress.

 

So, that was 2017…

Gone Gone Gone, music, , , , ,

It seemed like my blog from 2016 basically became and endless obituary column. Of course, this year has had its share of famous and influential musicians shuffle away, as well. I ended up making less posts this year simply because I didn’t want to keep things on a low note (as it were).

So, I’ll now just wrap up the year acknowledging many faces that have disappeared from the music scene in the past twelve months.

At the start of the year, the drummers from two of my favourite bands passed away – Can’s Jaki Liebezeit and the Allman Brothers’ Butch Trucks. But, later in the year, we lost Can’s Holger Czukay (pictured above) as well as the Allman Brothers’ Gregg Allman.

AC/DC took a hit with the passing of Malcom Young and Soundgarden lost Chris Cornell. The death of Tom Petty also seemed to come out of the blue. One of the musicians who I saw several times back in the late ’70 and early ’80s also passed – guitarist J. Geils.

A couple of the original rock and rollers also left us – Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. The world of jazz also lost a trio of fabulous guitarists – John Abercrombie, Larry Coryell and Allan Holdsworth.

Here is a list of just some of the musicians and composers who we lost this past year…

John Abercrombie

Gregg Allman

David Axelrod

Walter Becker

Chuck Berry

Charles Bradley

Paul Buckmaster

Glen Campbell

Ralph Carney

David Cassidy

Chris Cornell

Larry Coryell

James Cotton

Holger Czukay

Fats Domino

Gord Downie

J. Geils
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Johnny Hallyday

Grant Hart

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Jaki Liebezeit

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Roswell Rudd

Keely Smith

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Butch Trucks

Peter “Overend” Watts

John Wetton

Of course, this list just scratches the surface. For a much more detailed (and depressing) list, check out:

Musicians Who Died in 2017

 

 

 

 

Hawkwind: Sonic Assassins by Ian Abrahams

books, experimental music, progessive rock, vinyl, , , , ,

I recently posted the following brief review of this book on Goodreads:

Quite a well researched book that would be enjoyed by any hardcore Hawkwind fan. I’m sort of glad that I waited to buy this one as the 2017 updated version brings the story up to date.

There are a couple of things that would have made the book a bit better. There are a number of black and white photos scattered throughout the book. They seem to be out of place. It may have been better to include them in their own section in the middle of the book. It’s also strange that Stacia who was an integral part of the band’s performance visuals is not pictured at all!

Although album releases are detailed during the normal course of the story, it would have been nice to have a thoroughly annotated discography at the end of the book. Sure, people can look up that stuff online. But, why not have it right there in your hands while you are reading the book?
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After posting the review, author Ian Abrahams dropped me a message with a useful link:

Thanks for the review, really appreciate it! For an annotated discography, have a look at the blog that’s associated with the book: http://sonicassassins-book.blogspot.c… as I’ll be continuing to post bits and pieces there that didn’t make it into the book itself.

 

John Cage tribute – photos and video

avant-garde, electroacoustic, electronic music, experimental music, music, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am most pleased to report that the event Ocean of Silence: A Tribute to John Cage was an unequivocal success. A good size crowd attended the event at the theatre in Museum London and even more viewed the event from around the globe via a live stream of the proceedings.

The live stream footage has now been archived and is available to view via the link below.

Just click.

 

Audience member Howie Kittelson took some photos of the show and kindly granted his permission to post them here.

The full stage setup with Timothy Glasgow’s modular synthesizer in central focus.

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My prepared guitar setup.

Richard Moule’s prepared violin setup.

Thanks again to Anita and Melanie at Museum London. A big thanks to Tim, Alex, Angie and Richard for participating. Many thanks to Alex’s audio support team and Chuck at Museum London for their excellent work.

 

A Tribute to John Cage concert

avant-garde, electroacoustic, electronic music, experimental music, music, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sometime during the late summer of 2016, I was spending a lazy Sunday afternoon listening to music. On this specific occasion, one of the CDs that I was playing was called Fifty-Eight by the American composer John Cage. As I scanned the liner notes of the disc, it suddenly occurred to me that 2017 would mark the 25th anniversary of Cage’s death in August of 1992. This made me reflect upon how the words and music of John Cage made their way into my life.

Back in the early 1970s, I found myself gaining an interest in avant-garde music of the contemporary classical variety. I was still living in Windsor at the time and would spend a great deal of time at the downtown main branch of the public library. It was there that I delved into books about this genre of music and could also borrow LPs from the library collection.

After reading a number of books, the one name that seemed to crop up more than any other was that of John Cage. His way of composing involved processes which likely sounded pretty crazy to many listeners of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven.

Cage would experiment with putting bits and bobs between the strings of a piano in an effort to completely change the sound which it produced. This became known as “prepared piano.” He also composed percussion works for ensembles which included such items as automobile brake drums.

He used the I Ching as well as maps of constellations in order to explore new and different ways to create compositions. He also found much of interest in using chance operations and indeterminacy. These parameters could create a new sounding work each time that a composition was performed. Some works could also be performed by superimposing one composition on top of another for an even greater end result.

By 1980, I had purchased my first synthesizer and used it to create abstract sounds and compositions which no doubt owed some debt to John Cage among many other contemporary composers.

So, in 2016, I had the idea to create an event which would celebrate John Cage in a novel manner. Instead of simply arranging to have people perform his works, I wanted to present an example of how, some 25 years after his passing, his ideas and sounds continue to be an influence on composers and performers into the 21st century.

With this idea in mind, I approached Museum London to see if they would be interested in helping to present this performance to the public. I was very pleased to hear of their enthusiastic support for the idea. And now, almost 25 years to the day (he actually passed away August 12, 1992), we plan to celebrate the ongoing influence of Cage’s work.

The evening will feature three performances of new works. Timothy Glasgow will create sounds using a modular synthesizer setup. This assemblage of electronic modules is especially interesting in that the results of turning a small dial or flipping a switch can reveal unintentional and surprising sounds. This is an excellent example of Cage’s approach to randomness and indeterminacy.
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Alex Schmoll and Angie Quick will present another take on Cage. For their contribution, Alex will create a backdrop of synthetic sounds while Angie reads extracts from Cage’s numerous writings. The snippets of the writings will be arranged in a random manner in order to create a unique presentation.

The evening will conclude with a performance by the Transmorphous Sound Ensemble which consists of myself along with Richard Moule. For our contribution entitled 1+1 4 JC, I will utilize a prepared table-top guitar setup while Richard will use a prepared violin. This will be accompanied by a new video work which I have created specifically for this event.

In keeping with the idea of a 25th anniversary, each performance is set to clock in at 25 minutes.

Event details:

Ocean of Silence: A Tribute to John Cage

Transmorphous Sound Ensemble

Alex Schmoll & Angie Quick

Timothy Glasgow

Thursday, August 24, 7:00 PM

$10 advance / $15 door

(advance tickets available @ museumlondon.ca)

Museum London, 421 Ridout St., London, Ontario, Canada (519-661-0333)

 

Cosey’s Tale

avant-garde, books, electronic music, experimental music, music, , , , , , , , , ,

Cosey Fanni Tutti – art sex music (Faber)

Many people may know Cosey from her work with Throbbing Gristle or Chris & Cosey. But, the story that led up to that point (and beyond) is certainly a tale worth exploring.

In her new autobiography, Cosey details her formative years growing up in Hull on the east coast of England. Hers was a working class background which found her wanting to branch out and explore the arts and music. Her home life was eventually shattered when her strict father kicked her out. While she would still carry on a (fairly covert) relationship with her mother as well as her sister, she found herself dealing with the world on her own.

Eventually, she would connect with a man who was known as Genesis P-Orridge. The partnership became both personal and artistic as they created a body of performance works under the moniker of COUM.

COUM was a loose group of artists from various backgrounds who came and went leaving Cosey and Gen as the main constants of the organization. Through various performances or “actions,” COUM’s profile began to rise… not always from a “positive” response.

They pushed the boundaries of society’s accepted norms and managed to stir up a lot of outrage in the process.

Cosey also had her own ideas for actions and projects related to getting involved in the sex industry. This was done via nude modelling, stripping and films. I was her way of creating a portfolio which could then be used in her future actions and art.

Along the way, one of the others who would become involved was Chris Carter who was keen to add his knowledge of electronics to the group and bring their works into a more “musical” direction. Chris would also serve as the person with whom Cosey would eventually pair up with and leave the possessive/abusive clutches of Gen.

When Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson entered the picture, the bones of Throbbing Gristle would soon come to fruition. Cosey, Chris, Gen and Sleazy decided that the direction to go was a full-on sonic assault on the senses.

Keep your doctor updated with the possible results or changes in after the intake of levitra 10 mg appalachianmagazine.com. An interesting study has shown that bodybuilders taking drug components to boost their performances. levitra prices canada More Product Information Pharmacies are often cialis cheapest busy and aren’t always able to provide their customers with any negative results. We recommend that you gulp absolute http://appalachianmagazine.com/2019/10/02/the-time-georgia-north-carolina-went-to-war-with-each-other/ viagra overnight shipping & entire precise details on gulping of each pill; you find the right products for losing weight here. TG certainly did leave their mark along the way. They created the Industrial Records label as the outlet for their sound-works and performed many gigs which would leave ears ringing for days.

Their time together as a quartet may have been relatively short but, they became known as the pioneers of Industrial music.

Upon the breakup of TG, Chris and Cosey began their own musical work together. They recorded many LPs and performed worldwide. (A personal side-note: I brought Chris and Cosey to Canada in 1985 to perform a half dozen shows across the country.)

As Chris and Cosey made music, Gen formed Psychic TV and Sleazy the band Coil. But, the TG legend continued to build over the years and offers to re-form began to happen. The harrowing details of these gigs are related in brutal detail with Gen becoming an eternal antagonist in the situation.

In recent years, the reputation of Chris and Cosey’s duo work lead to a vinyl re-issue campaign which saw their work appreciated by a new generation of music fans. At the time, they had adopted the Carter Tutti name and would do performances billed as Carter Tutti Play Chris and Cosey.

In addition to the music and art, Cosey relates a number of scary health related incidents involving herself, Chris and their son Nick.

The stories in this book are related with a direct honesty which often can make the reader run through an amusement park ride of emotions. Not the least anger and frustration at some of the details of events.

It’s an inspiring read, to say the least.

Chris Meloche with Cosey Fanni Tutti, Sandringham House, England, 1986. Photo: Chris Carter.

Brix by Brix

books, music, , , ,

Brix Smith Start – The Rise, The Fall, and The Rise (Faber & Faber)

Laura Salenger was born in Los Angeles, California in 1962. Her father was a psychiatrist who divorced her mother when she was only two years old. Her mother would go on to get employment as a researcher at CBS Television on the programme 60 Minutes.

While growing up, her mother often brought Laura to work where she would sit in a studio and watch while people like Sonny and Cher did the rehearsals for their TV show. Not a bad life for a young kid.

Eventually, music started to become an important part of her life. When she heard The Clash, she was so taken with the song Guns of Brixton that her nickname soon became Brixton (or Brix for short). She also got an earful of a strange sounding band called The Fall.

After her mother decided to move to Chicago, Brix was not amused. She hated the environment and wished to go back to LA. However, her new location would lead to a drastic life change.

After seeing The Fall perform at a Chicago club, she would end up bumping into their leader Mark E. Smith. This chance meeting would develop into mutual attraction and it wasn’t long before Brix decided to move to the UK to be with Mark.

To call the move “culture shock” would probably be a gross understatement. But, before long she adapted to the situation. She would soon join the band as well as marry Mark.

So far, so good. However, trouble began brewing in paradise. A grueling tour schedule, shortage of money and Mark’s increasing intake of speed and alcohol seemed to aggravate things. Also, his constant mistreatment and seemingly random ousting of band members added to the problems. The camel’s back finally broke and Brix was compelled to split up with Mark.
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This led to her next romantic coupling with classical violinist Nigel Kennedy. Kennedy was a superstar in the classical world. His fame was soon to shoot even further as his recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons crossed boundaries and pushed his profile beyond the classical world.

As time passed, Brix felt smothered and her own identity suffered. She had attempted a musical venture of her own with Adult Net but, the sales of her records were not satisfactory enough to keep on going. So, she basically quit music altogether.

At this point, Brix was once again in a limbo state of life. That is, until she met fashion entrepreneur Philip Start. This would open up the most recent phase of her life and change things around for her.

Brix married Philip and in 2002 and they started a very successful fashion store called simply START. This seemed ideal for Brix with her penchant for fashion. It was around this time that she also got involved in presenting fashion on television.

Most recently, Brix found her way back into music. This developed into her current band called Brix Smith and the Extricated (featuring former members of The Fall).

That’s the story so far. There are sure to be more twists and turns in the future… which, for now, seems quite bright.

 

Shock and Awe by Simon Reynolds

books, music, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

Simon Reynolds – Shock and Awe: Glam Rock and Its Legacy, from the Seventies to the Twenty-First Century (Dey St.)

When I picked up my first issues of the British weekly music magazine Melody Maker back in the early 1970s, the glam rock movement was in full swing. It seemed like every issue had a cover photo, feature story or interview relating to somebody involved with glam. There was Marc Bolan (T. Rex), David Bowie, The Sweet and many others catching the attention of the press and ears of the music fans.

On this side of the pond, there seemed to be substantially less interest in what was known as “glitter” over here.  However, in the Windsor/Detroit area, I did manage to hear quite a bit of music from the likes of Bolan, Bowie and eventually Roxy Music, Sparks etc…

Approaching 700 pages in length, Simon Reynolds’ book attempts to relate the context of the early group of artists who were at the forefront of glam and also to continue the story beyond its seemingly finite existence.

He begins in the logical place with Marc Bolan and fleshes out his early career and the lead-up to his place as a leader of the pack. The same holds true of Bowie’s story in the next chapter.

As one would expect, an analysis of the social aspects of this fad/trend are examined in depth. That includes a deep look into facets of androgyny and dandyism and their context in society over the years. These often stretch back to references from the 19th century and its attitude towards social issues. While initially interesting, these details often get caught up in a feedback loop of cleverness which can get exhausting.

The story continues in the US with the introduction of Alice Cooper to the mix. His contribution included his outrageous stage act which incorporated such aspects as a guillotine and electric chair. His work was more towards the shock rock than glam rock aspect of music.

Meanwhile, the UK added more stars to their glam roster with the entry of such artists as Slade, The Sweet and Gary Glitter. Joining them was an American in the form of ex-Detroit native Suzi Quatro. While these artists did have some following in on this side of the Atlantic, it still remained quite small. The Sweet failed to make any inroads up until the time of their hits Ballroom Blitz and Fox on the Run. Even the Detroit radio stations seemed to show little interest in the fact that Suzi Quatro was becoming a big star in England. Most people would have likely not heard her name until she started making appearances on the popular TV show Happy Days.

So many men focus on sex, the woman’s sexual gratification can form the wide viagra uk range. When the child experienced severe anxiety because his primary caregiver (mom or dad) leaves him with another person without getting precise notes of ‘who qualifies for it?’ can cheap tadalafil 20mg notify afterwards with hazardous results. This generic for cialis is an efficient medicinal drug belonging to the branded tablets. If you experience symptoms of nausea, dizziness, chest pain and overall physical discomfort.It is important whether you are consuming the dosage of 20 mg or sildenafil generico online 40 mg. Eventually, the trio of David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop started to make some waves. Along with them came Mott the Hoople. At this point in time, Bowie was attempting to get some exposure for these other artists on the back of his own fame as a producer (Reed, The Stooges)  or songwriter (All the Young Dudes).

Roxy Music seemed to appear out of nowhere with a strange vision of the past mixed with scenes from the future. Their sound was like no other at the time and it caught people’s ears with it’s skewed mash-up of styles that by all reason should not have gelled. But, strangely, it did.

At this point, Reynolds changes his focus to the US. While the story of the New York Dolls seems to fit in fine, his attempt to also include the work of Wayne (later Jayne) County just seems to derail the proceedings. To this reader, it just seemed very out of place.

As glam started on its inevitable down-slide, there were still some interesting acts joining the scene. Cockney Rebel, Sparks, Queen and even Be-Bop Deluxe got their fingers in the glam pie.

For my money, this would have been a logical point at which the story (and book) should end. However, Reynolds decided to explore the world of post-glam without really calling it that.

He continues to explore the work of Bowie right up to the (literal) end as well as including artists such as Heavy Metal Kids, The Tubes, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Ultravox. While stories on these people do have their own interest, it seems like the subject for another book.

The final chapter of the book is Aftershocks which focuses on “Glam Echoes.” This section carries on right up to the death of David Bowie in January 2016. It encompasses everybody from PiL to Prince to Grace Jones to The Smiths to Kate Bush to Lady Gaga. Unfortunately, it just feels like adding some extra padding to the story and once again feels like it belongs in another book.

Overall, I did enjoy the content of the book which actually dealt with glam rock. It was well researched and presented. However, I did feel that the diversions from the main theme did the topic a disservice. This is a book that wants to be two books combined into one. If it had been two separate books, I likely would have had enough interest to purchase the second one as a stand-alone volume. But, in the context of a single volume, it did make for a bit of a schizophrenic reading experience.

Jaki Liebezeit, Butch Trucks RIP

Krautrock, music, progessive rock, , , , ,

 

As we come to the end of the first month of the year, rock’s rhythm section has already taken two great hits.

Jaki Liebezeit 1938 – 2017

My first exposure to the music of Can was in 1970 when I heard their debut LP on an import records radio programme. The DJ felt strongly about the album and even featured the side-long track Yoo Doo Right. I was immediately a fan of the incredible sound that this band could make.

After a stint as a jazz drummer with the Manfred Schoof Quintet, Jaki Liebezeit went on to become one of the four core members of Can. The other members were Hoger Czukay (bass), Irmin Schmidt (keyboards) and Michael Karoli (guitar). Czukay and Schmidt had both studied with avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen and Karoli was a rock guitarist. This made from an eclectic mix of musical influences.

When Liebezeit locked with Czukay’s bass groove, the duo would go on to create an unstoppable force. With this power behind them, Schmidt and Karoli could dive-bomb around the rhythm to create a unique sound.

Jaki would say that his style was an attempt to be “monotonous.” That was far from the case. It was a hypnotic rhythm which was both simple and elegant in its approach.

From the driving beat of Mother Sky (Soundtracks) to the subtleties of Bel Air (Future Days), he could paint a stunning background with which the other members could overlay a foreground of unique and brilliant sounds.
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Jaki Liebeziet would go on to play with many other musicians like Brian Eno and also with his own Phantom Band.

He sadly passed away on January 22 due to complications of pneumonia.

Butch Trucks 1947 – 2017

Butch Trucks was one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band in 1969. From the start, the band was feature two drummers.

Trucks was the steady backbeat of the rhythm section. He was paired with Jaimoe (Jai Johanny Johanson) who added an array of complimentary percussion that would flesh out the backdrop for the band.

Live recordings like the Allman’s classic Live at Fillmore and tracks from the subsequent Eat a Peach showcased the amazing synchronicity between the two players. It would be difficult to imagine the sound of the Allmans without the two of them locked together with a single driving purpose.

Butch Trucks died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on January 24.

Goodbye 2016 (we will not miss you)

avant-garde, classical, experimental music, Gone Gone Gone, jazz, music, progessive rock, vocal, , , , , , , , , , , ,

I have been dreading having to write a wrap-up piece about the year 2016. The last post that I made was in November when Leonard Cohen died. Since then, it seems to have been difficult to write anything. It has never been my intention to have my blog look like an obituary column but, it quite often feels like that.

In recent years, I have been reminding people that the musicians whose music we have enjoyed since the ’60s and ’70s are now mainly in their 60s and 70s. That means that the inevitable signs of mortality will surely take hold. This has certainly been the case in 2016.

The year seemed to start off on a high note with a brilliant new release (Blackstar) by David Bowie. However, this event seemed to quickly get overshadowed when Bowie died a couple of days after its release.

The death of Bowie seemed to resonate hard and deep within both the music industry and among his long-time fans. As someone who had been a fan for 45 years, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. This seemed to be a shared experience as many people that I talked to or exchanged messages with appeared to be doing their best to hold back a wellspring of tears. Many tried but did not succeed. The last time that I can honestly recall such a reaction was when John Lennon was brutally gunned down.

But, that was just the start of a year that appeared to be voracious in its appetite to take away so many musicians and music related personalities away from us. It didn’t matter which genre of music was your favourite, the losses touched all aspects of music from rock, pop, R&B, jazz, classical and avant-garde.

Bowie, Cohen and Prince were among the biggest or most influential names for most of the year and then word of the death of George Michael slipped in on Christmas day.

I’ve owned records by many of the people who have passed this year. I’ve seen some of them in concert. I’ve even had the pleasure to meet a couple of them. The sad fact is that as time marches on, more of these people will make the headlines as they continue to leave us. So, let’s enjoy their music while they are still here and continue to honour their memory after they are gone.

Music can make us happy. Music can make us sad. Music can make us think. Music can make us feel how great it is to be alive. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like, it just matters that it means something to you. Be grateful for that. It is rare.

Here is a very brief list of some of the musicians and music-related people we lost in 2016:

Signe Anderson (Jefferson Airplane)

Gato Barbieri

Paul Bley

Pierre Boulez

David Bowie

Leonard Cohen

Tony Conrad

Keith Emerson

Glenn Frey (Eagles)

Dale Griffin (Mott the Hoople)
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Merle Haggard

Sharon Jones

Paul Kantner (Jefferson Airplane)

Greg Lake

Neville Marriner

George Martin

George Michael

Scotty Moore

Alphonse Mouzon

Pauline Oliveros

Rick Parfitt (Status Quo)

Prince

Leon Russell

Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention)

Rudy Van Gelder

Alan Vega (Suicide)

Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire)

For a much more detailed (and depressing) list of the people that we lost this year, please visit Musicians Who Died in 2016.

Leonard Cohen 1934 – 2016

folk / folk-rock, Gone Gone Gone, music, vocal, ,

Canadians have a reputation for being rather quiet, polite and certainly not braggarts. It seems to be an inbred part of our culture. We have produced some of the most talented people involved in the arts but, we seem very surprised that their work becomes known outside of our own country. Luckily, the rest of the world has embraced such Canadian artists as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen.

It seemed quite fitting that within hours of his passing, the word that Leonard Cohen was gone appeared to make the news around the globe. His words and music appeared to resonate well beyond our Canadian borders.

Although he was a successful poet and novelist in his early years, Leonard wished to have a career with which he could actually afford to pay the bills. He was in his thirties by the time he began to set his words to music. Judy Collins and others began to cover his works and Cohen soon followed suit to begin his own recording career.

Both his dark voice and even darker lyrics seemed to make for an unlikely path to success. However, he became an unlikely “star” none the less. His worked garnered both love and respect from other artists and his audience.

As with any artists with such a lengthy career, his also included many ups and downs – musically, personally and financially. Through it all, he kept going and created a body of work which would keep his star shining right up until the end.

Those who thought that his music was a doom and gloom have missed the point on many occasions. There was often a great deal of humour hidden among the black thorns.

When I began playing his album Old Ideas upon its release back in 2012, I was soon laughing out loud. The song Going Home pretty well says it all.

Going Home (Leonard Cohen / Patrick Leonard)

I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit

But he does say what I tell him
Even though it isn’t welcome
He just doesn’t have the freedom
To refuse

He will speak these words of wisdom
Like a sage, a man of vision
Though he knows he’s really nothing
But the brief elaboration of a tube

Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without the costume
That I wore

He wants to write a love song
An anthem of forgiving
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A cry above the suffering
A sacrifice recovering
But that isn’t what I need him
To complete

I want to make him certain
That he doesn’t have a burden
That he doesn’t need a vision
That he only has permission
To do my instant bidding
Which is to say what I have told him
To repeat

Going home
Without my sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without this costume
That I wore

I’m going home
Without the sorrow
Going home
Sometime tomorrow
Going home
To where it’s better
Than before

Going home
Without my burden
Going home
Behind the curtain
Going home
Without this costume
That I wore

I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv4J7sID3Pk

Recent Arrivals: Discus & Leo Records

improvisation, Krautrock, music, Recent Arrivals, , , ,

Martin Archer – Storytellers (Discus): Over the years, Sheffield-based musician and composer Martin Archer has issued several albums of music with various groups of musicians but, it’s a rarity to see something come out under his own name. This recent project is certainly a fine time to toot his own horn (so to say) as it’s another one of his excellent offerings.

Over the course of two CDs spanning nearly 2 1/2 hours, six “books” are related in suite form. Each book revolves around movements around a common theme. They feature performance by the full band as well as sections designed to highlight specific soloists.

Each book weaves its own tale which winds its way from start to finish with sparkling dexterity among the musicians. What seems to make this music really gain an extra dimension of life is the fact that almost all of it was recorded live in the studio by the group. There is very little done in the way of subsequent overdubbing of parts. This process has resulted in a sound which harks back to some of the best recorded jazz works from the past. Top marks, indeed!

Sergey Kuryokhin – The Spirit Lives (Leo): As mentioned in the liner notes of this set, Leo Records was the first record company to issue the music of Russian composer/musician Sergey Kuryokhin which was smuggled out of the Soviet Union. It seems only fitting that they have decided to issue this recording of a live performance celebrating the twentieth anniversary of his passing.
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Recorded in July 2015, this set contains both an audio CD and DVD. The works are performed by Alexei Aigui & Ensemble 4’33”. The sixteen works contained in this performance show the breadth and scope of Kuryokhin’s catalogue of work.

The arrangements by Aigui which incorporate jazz and classical players brings the music a powerful scope. The strings build and sweep to propel the music to wonderful sonic heights as the jazz ensemble bob and weave a tapestry of sound.

There are even moments when the music rocks out with near Status Quo guitar riffery in pieces like Tragedy, Rock Style.

This is an essential document which truly does justice to the legacy and memory of the late Sergey Kuryokhnin.

 

47th Anniversary for King Crimson debut LP

music, progessive rock, vinyl, , , , , ,

kingcrimson-inthecourtofthecrimsonking-island-germany-gatefold

47 years ago today, King Crimson unleashed its debut album in the UK.

I can still recall that the “underground” FM radio stations in the Windsor/Detroit area were quick to jump on it. There seemed to be a great sense of anticipation for when the next airing of 21st Century Schizoid Man would jump out of the stereo speakers. The aggressive metronomic guitar slashes of Robert Fripp’s guitar coupled with the overdriven distorted vocals of Greg Lake seemed to create a tension which made even the previously aired strains of the Velvet Underground’s Sister Ray seem suddenly somehow tame.

When playing the LP, it seemed like a shock to hear the quiet beauty of the following track – I Talk to the Wind. But, such was the mystery and awe inspiring monster that was King Crimson.
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Throughout the rest of the album’s lengthy excursions, this balance of light and dark, loud and quiet, beauty and ugliness was exploited to its fullest extent.

The second most broadcast song was the title track. The use of Ian McDonald’s mellotron seemed to take the sound into the stratosphere. By the end, the listener would inevitably be attempting to put their dropped jaw back into proper facial alignment as well as catch their breath. It was a sound that would literally leave the listener gasping for air.

The sounds of thousands of albums have come since this record was released in 1969. However, extremely few have managed to create such a stunning impact upon first listen and then continue to do so over the years.