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Why the “y’all” line divides the US north from south, not east from west
Variations in spoken English seem to spread more easily across the US than up or down. Data mining points to an explanation.
Emerging Technology from the arXiv archive page
One of the curious features of language is that it varies from one place to another. Even among speakers of the same language, regional variations are common, and the divide between these regions can be surprisingly sharp.
That raises the interesting question of how these linguistic variations occur and why.
Today we get an insight thanks to the work of James Burridge at the University of Portsmouth in the UK and a few colleagues. These guys have studied the regional variations in spoken English across the United States. Their results suggest that linguistic forms spread to a greater extent in the east-west direction than north-south. And they raise the intriguing suggestion that a powerful principle of self-organization may be responsible.
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The first person to map the way language varies with geography was a German linguist, George Wenk, who asked 50,000 schoolmasters across Germany to transcribe a list of sentences in the local dialect. Although overwhelmed by the data he compiled, Wenk mapped language variations across some parts of Germany for the first time, and his work became the foundation of many future studies across the world.
One of these is the Cambridge Online Survey of World Englishes, which asks 31 different questions to people in different parts of the world.
For example, question 5 is: What word(s) do you use in casual speech to address a group of two or more people?
This question has over 50,000 responses from the eastern part of the United States, where the most popular answers are you guys (35%) and y’all (15%).
“Y'all” (blue) versus “you guys” (yellow) usage in the eastern US
Other questions generate a wider range of responses. Question 8—What do you call the gooey or dry matter that collects in the corners of your eyes, especially while you are sleeping?—has over 800 distinct families of responses. The most common: (eye) boogers, sleep, (eye) gunk, and (eye) crusties.
The question that Burridge and co investigate is how these responses are clustered in space. They used a standard algorithm to see how the responses change with location. This plots the responses on a map of the US, with similar answers denoted by the same color.
The results show clear geographical boundaries between different linguistic uses. For example, the term “you guys” is used most often in the northern parts of the US, while “y’all” is used more in the south.
The team investigate this in more detail by calculating how areas are linked to each other linguistically. So for each population center, they find the four other centers that have the most similar linguistic characteristics. They then connect these centers on a map of the US to visualize the links.
The direction of these links provides an important clue. By plotting the distribution of directions, the team show that links are more common between places that are at similar latitudes. So linguistic similarities are clearer along an east-west axis than a north-south axis. Or in other words, there is a linguistic boundary between the north and south of the US.
Burridge and co say one reason for this could be historical—the colonization of the US took place largely in an east-to-west direction. “It is possible that this anisotropy is a historical artefact of the west-moving colonisation of the continent, leading to disproportionately strong east-west cultural identification,” they say.
But another possibility is that transport links are stronger in this direction, making it easier for linguistic variations to spread.
But which of these effects played the bigger role?
To tease this question apart, Burridge and co turn to a powerful but poorly understood phenomenon in the physics of complex systems—self-organization. Physicists have long noticed that complex systems can self-organize in a way that creates boundaries. For example, in low-temperature magnets, magnetic domains often form into stripes. Curiously, the shape of the magnet determines the number and direction of the stripes. In a rectangular system, these stripes form across the shortest width, and in greater numbers when the aspect ratio is higher. In other words, stripes form more readily across longer and narrower magnets.
Burridge and co investigate the possibility that a similar self-organizing effect is at work with language. In this case, the geographical shape of the US is less important than the ease of travel. So better east-west transportation links are analogous to shrinking the width of the US in that direction.
The team say that in this case, self-organizing makes a north-south divide almost inevitable, just as is observed. Without this shrinking, the observed north-south divide is just one of various different outcomes, although it is still possible.
“Our work therefore takes a step towards answering the question of whether the observed north-south linguistic divide in the USA is merely a consequence of population distribution and geography,” conclude the team.
That falls well short of a proof that enhanced communication links play the crucial role in stimulating self-organization in linguistic variation.
But it is certainly a plausible idea. Self-organizing behavior is so ubiquitous elsewhere in the universe that it would be hard to explain why it doesn’t play a role here.
Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1811.08788 : Statistical Physics of Language Maps in the USA
Emerging Technology from the arXiv
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Tomic adamant lack of wildcard ‘not a big problem’
Bernard Tomic is defiant in the face of a wildcard snub from Tennis Australia, adamant he will make it into the Australian Open without their help.
Having fallen to 142nd in the world after a wretched 2017 campaign, Tomic is not eligable for direct entry into next week’s Australian Open.
However, denied a wildcard into his home event by Tennis Australia after failing to take part in a playoff or attend a training camp, the 25-year-old will have to progress through to qualifying to enter the tournament.
“I’m not going to say anything (about not getting a wildcard),” he said at the Kooyong Classic exhibition.
“It’s their view and I’ve never needed the help of Tennis Australia to achieve what I’ve achieved in my career.
“For me, it’s not a big problem.”
His preparations for the qualifiers, though, did not get off to the best of starts as he lost to world number 169 Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets at Kooyong.
“I haven’t played that much tennis the last six months, so anything is good for me now,” he told AFP.
“I just need more matches and get back to feeling confident on the court.
“I know the last qualifiers I was in at a Slam I made the quarters when I was 18 at Wimbledon, so I think for me as long as you’re playing well you can always believe in yourself and play well from that.
“I’d love to qualify and do well but it’s going to be tough, there’s a lot of good players in the qualifiers and you have to respect everyone, so we’ll see how it goes.”
ATP Tour Australian Open
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Prehistoric Man in Palliser Bay
Railways Studios: How a Government Design Studio Helped Build New Zealand
Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of Making in New Zealand and the Wider Moana Oceania
Protest Tautohetohe: Objects of Resistance, Persistence and Defiance
The Cook Voyages Encounters: The Cook Voyages Collections of Te Papa
Scenic Playground: The Story Behind New Zealand's Mountain Tourism
Women Now: The Legacy of Female Suffrage
Te Papa: Reinventing New Zealand's national museum 1998–2018
Real Modern: Everyday New Zealand in the 1950s and 1960s
Holding on to Home: New Zealand Stories and Objects of the First World War
Berry Boys: Portraits of First World War Soldiers and Families
Book of New Zealand Words
A landmark publication that takes another look at craft and its broader cultural role.
Edited by Karl Chitham, Kolokesa Māhina-Tuai and Damian Skinner
NZ RRP (incl. GST): $85.00
Extent: 496 pages
Buy this book here
A major new history of craft that spans three centuries of making and thinking in Aotearoa New Zealand and the wider Moana (Pacific). Paying attention to Pākehā, Māori, and island nations of the wider Moana, and old and new migrant makers and their works, this book is a history of craft understood as an idea that shifts and changes over time. At the heart of this book lie the relationships between Pākehā, Māori and wider Moana artistic practices that, at different times and for different reasons, have been described by the term craft. It tells the previously untold story of craft in Aotearoa New Zealand, so that the connections, as well as the differences and tensions, can be identified and explored. This book proposes a new idea of craft – one that acknowledges Pākehā, Māori and wider Moana histories of making, as well as diverse community perspectives towards objects and their uses and meanings.
Look inside Crafting Aotearoa: A Cultural History of Making in New Zealand and the Wider Moana Oceania
Crafting Aotearoa in New Zealand Geographic. “Crafting Aotearoa is ambitious, to say the least. Across 460-plus pages it surveys three centuries of craft in New Zealand and the broader Pacific, examining its role in defining cultural identity, and the tensions and transformations that occur as it engages with outside knowledge and practices … a delight to dip into. For a significant work, it carries its load lightly”
Crafting Aotearoa in Urbis “ … first and foremost an acknowledgement of history as it should be acknowledged: a kind of retelling that is resolved to start a ‘dynamic conversation’ between Māori, Pākehā and wider Moana Oceania (Pacific) craftspeople and their work … it’s a wellspring of knowledge on what has constituted three centuries of making in New Zealand.”
Crafting Aotearoa in the New Zealand Listener, reviewed by Sally Blundell “Crafting Aotearoa charts it all, providing an important overview of all things cut and carved, stitched and sewn, hammered and hewn to build a uniquely New Zealand story of cultural change.”
Honourable mention in art critic Paul Wood's picks for the best art books of 2019 “An indispensable, encyclopaedic and comprehensive reference to three centuries of craft in New Zealand, Crafting Aotearoa manages the difficult task of marshalling the contentious categories of craft, art, folk art, design and indigenous practices in a way that will surely set the standard for future scholarship … Although there have been sporadic books on craft in Aotearoa before, this is the first of its scope, and for a reference work it is surprisingly readable and not at all bogged down in its scholarship or the ever-volatile politics of craft.”
Crafting Aotearoa on NZ Booklovers website “Crafting Aotearoa is broad in its reach, visually rich and includes a wealth of historical images as well as new photography … The cover begs you to pick the book up, to stroke it, to lift the cover and discover what other treasures lie within … It is clear that everyone involved in the creation of it over the years cares deeply about craft, about inclusion, and about our shared artistic history. A stunning book about the important cultural history of making in Aotearoa and the wider Moana.”
Kolokesa U Māhina-Tuai has a background in art history, social anthropology and museum and heritage studies and was curator of Moana Oceania cultures at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from 2004 to 2008 and Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira from 2013 to 2017. She has been a guest curator and consultant for Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, and a consultant for Alt Group and the Government of Tonga’s Culture Division, Ministry of Tourism. She is co-author of Nimamea`a: The fine arts of Tongan embroidery and crochet (Objectspace 2011), Tangata o le Moana: New Zealand and the people of the Pacific (Te Papa Press, 2012) and Kolose: The Art of Tuvalu Crochet (Māngere Arts Centre – Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, 2014). With Toluma`anave Barbara Makuati-Afitu, she is the co-founder of the consultancy Lagi-Maama, which works with the Rei Foundation, Melbourne Museum and The Arts Foundation.
Karl Chitham (Ngā Puhi) is Director of the Dowse Art Museum and was formerly the Director and Curator of Tauranga Art Gallery. He has been involved in the arts in Aotearoa in a variety of roles for over fifteen years. Karl has had a long association with craft practice, holding a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Jewellery, as well as being a curator and a commentator. His projects have included a series of exhibitions and accompanying publications highlighting contemporary toi Māori such as Whatu Manawa: Celebrating the weaving of Matekino Lawless, Toi Mauri: Contemporary Māori art by Todd Couper and Whenua Hou: New Māori ceramics.
Damian Skinner is a Pākehā art historian and curator who lives in Gisborne. He received his PhD in art history from Victoria University of Wellington in 2006, for a thesis exploring the dynamic relationship between customary and modern Māori art in the twentieth century. This was later published as The Carver and the Artist: Māori art in the twentieth century (Auckland University Press, 2008). He was a Newton International Fellow at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge in 2012–13, and curator of Applied Art and Design at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira in 2014–15. He has written a number of books about Māori and Pākehā art, and Pākehā craft. His most recent book is Theo Schoon: A biography (Massey University Press, 2018).
Whatu Kākahu | Māori Cloaks (Second Edition)
A celebration of the science and art of Māori weaving, focused on the largest collection of Māori cloaks in the world.
Te Hei Tiki: An Enduring Treasure in a Cultural Continuum
An expert guide to the history and role of hei tiki.
Crafting Aotearoa authors: biographies and interview
Karl Chitham, Kolokesa U Māhina-Tuai and Damian Skinner, the authors of Crafting Aotearoa, discuss their work with Te Papa Press
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Musick's legacy complete as she leaves LCS with 6 state titles
Roy Fuoco
Britain Musick ran the hurdles in the fifth grade for the first time just to try something different.
"It caught my eye," she said. "It was a new skill that I could learn, and I didn't know a lot of people who did it."
Eight years later and without the benefit of a senior postseason, Musick is graduating from Lakeland Christian as one of the most decorated track athletes and also one of the best hurdlers time in Polk County.
Musick, the granddaughter of longtime LCS track and cross country coach Mike Musick Sr., won state titles in the 100-meter hurdles and 300 hurdles in each of her first three years of high school, but that's just the start. Musick also medaled in the 100 and 200 as a sophomore and junior and has 26 county, district and regional titles.
Even without her senior year, Musick's legacy is complete. Along with the state titles, she leaves high school ranked fourth all time in Polk in the 300 hurdles (one of just four runners to run under 44 seconds) and is ranked sixth in the 100 hurdles.
The only runner ranked ahead of her whom she hasn't competed against is George Jenkins' Tori Abnathy.
Musick accomplished what she did without running a complete 300 hurdles in practice or ever training on a track. The training at LCS, which doesn't have a track, was focused on technique with perhaps three or four hurdles lined up along with other drills to get faster.
Of all her accomplishments, it's not a state title that she's most proud of.
"It's probably how young I was in making it to the state meet in seventh grade," she said. "That's probably the thing that I'm probably most proud of is that I went when I was super young."
Musick was always ranked No. 1 in the 300 hurdles in 1A and was always most confident in that event. She owns a county title in the event and twice finished ranked first in the county in the event.
Of her six state titles, the one that was a bit unexpected was her first, the 100 hurdles as a freshman.
Musick was ranked behind a trio of Melbourne Holy Trinity runners going into the region meet then beat all of them at the region meet and state meet. Her winning times (15.44 at regionals and 15.49) were about a half second faster than she was running during the season.
"I think in the back of my mind I thought I could win it, but I was just so nervous that I didn't know what was going to happen," she said.
Running fast times at the end of the season was all part of the plan. Her personal-best times in all her events happened at the state meet.
"We have always made it a habit of training for the end of the year," her father and LCS track coach Mike Musick Jr. said. "Looking at her and how she was finishing, I knew it was possible. If she's one thing, she's a fighter."
That is why he downplayed the county meet and didn't take his team to some bigger meets because they didn't fit into his training schedule.
"Our goal is always the last meet of the season to do our best," he said. "If you don't win the Super Bowl, you might has well not been playing. That has been our mentality, and I don't know that it's fair for her, but that's just the way we've coached."
Musick's work load kept increasing during her career. Although she won the district meet in the 100 hurdles as a seventh- and eighth-grader, she just ran the 300 hurdles at regionals and state.
As a freshman, she ran both events throughout the postseason then added the 100 and 200 the past two seasons, medaling in all four events at the state meet the past two years.
"It was definitely super hard even when it came to districts and regionals with the prelims and finals," she said. "I just had to rest myself in between races and stay hydrated. It was very tough to do all those races in one day."
Of course, a heavy workload isn't unusual. She has also competed in cross country, swimming and competitive cheer and will graduate with a 3.52 GPA.
Musick's goals for her senior year were simple. Again win both hurdles event and try to lower her times in the sprints. More importantly, she hoped to help LCS to a team state title after the Vikings finished second the past two seasons.
Of course, all senior plans were abruptly disrupted because of COVID-19, but she came to terms with it.
"It's obviously upsetting because senior year didn't go like anyone expected," said Musick, who has signed with Cedarville, a Division II school in Ohio. "It's a super sad end to it all, but I'm really glad that last year at the state meet I could really end it on a good note. I was impressed with my last year's times and I won, so it's nice to know I ended on a really good level."
Roy Fuoco can be reached at roy.fuoco@theledger.com or at 863-802-7526. Follow him on Twitter: @Roy Fuoco.
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Malik Muhammad Ashraf
Consequences of confrontation
Reportedly, the new Indian army chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, has threatened that the Indian army would move to claim Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) if it were
given orders by the Indian parliament.
Speaking to the media, the general said that there was a parliamentary resolution from several years ago about this, which said that the entire erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir – a reference to the region including AJK – was part of India, and that if parliament desired action would definitely be taken.
Gen Naravane, soon after taking over the command of the Indian army last month, had also ratcheted up tensions between the two countries in his first media interview, saying: “If Pakistan does not stop its policy of state-sponsored terrorism, we reserve the right to pre-emptively strike at the sources of terror threat and this intent has adequately been demonstrated in our response during surgical strikes and [the] Balakot Operation.”
It is pertinent to mention here that his predecessor General Bipin Rawat had also committed a similar indiscretion last September. In a statement he had said that the Indian army was ready to occupy AJK and was just waiting for a go-ahead from Narendra Modi’s government.
This bellicose blustering by Indian generals is the ugliest manifestation of Hindutva philosophy which is not only designed to divert attention from the internal strife in India over the Citizenship Amendment Bill but is also an expression of intent regarding future designs of India with respect to Kashmir. They reinforce Pakistani fears that India might enact yet another false flag operation against Pakistan.
In case of any such eventuality, there is every possibility of an armed conflict between the two nuclear states; a danger about which Pakistan has already sounded the world community and the UN. Prime Minister Imran Khan, reacting to the threats, has observed: “An extremist ideology RSS has taken over a nuclear armed country of over one billion people .It is an ideology based on hatred of Muslims and all minorities. Whenever this genie has come out of the bottle it has always led to bloodshed”.
In view of permeating circumstances, nobody in their right mind can take exception to what the prime minister has said. Pakistan has repeatedly reiterated that it does not want conflict with India, and has also been appealing to the world community and the UN to not only intervene to defuse the situation but also dissuade India from pursuing the path it has been treading before it’s too late.
Indian generals must be mindful of the fact that any aggressive act against Pakistan would be befittingly responded to as it was done in last February when Indian planes unloaded their payload at Balakot. The Foreign Office is right on the money to reject the statement of the Indian general, and reiterate that Pakistan is fully capable of responding to any Indian aggression in AJK, reminding New Delhi of the reply to her aggression last year. The ISPR has said: “Statements by [the] Indian COAS to undertake military action across [the] LOC are routine rhetoric for domestic audience. Pakistan’s armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any act of Indian aggression. India has experienced Pakistan’s response on February 2019. Same shall be even stronger next time [sic].”
India and its Generals need to understand that the resolution of the Indian parliament adopted on February 22, 1994 to which General Navarane has referred, has no legal or moral justification and was a negation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir. It is pertinent to point out that when the Indian government managed to extract a resolution from the constituent assembly of IOK, declaring accession of Kashmir to India, the UN through its resolutions 91 and 122 had unequivocally rejected the proposition reiterating that the question of accession of Kashmir could only be resolved through a plebiscite held under the auspices of the UN.
India under the Simla Agreement of 1972 also accepted Kashmir as a disputed territory, reiterating the fact that relations between the two countries would be regulated under the UN charter. The bilateral agreement did not change the status of the dispute. It also did not preclude the possibility of raising it again at the UN in case the bilateral agreement failed to deliver. Article 103 of the UN Charter says: “In the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the UN under the present charter and their obligations under any other international agreement, their obligations under the present charter will
prevail.” What this means is that the UN resolutions on Kashmir will take precedence over all other bilateral agreements on the same issue. Therefore, Pakistan is very much within its right to invoke UN resolutions, after having been frustrated in finding solutions through the bilateral arrangement.
The UN resolutions on Kashmir, adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, remain legally binding on the parties. Article 25 also reiterates their obligatory nature. The UN Security Council has the power to enforce its decisions and resolutions militarily or by any other means necessary; power that it has used during the Korean war in 1950 and in Iraq and Kuwait in 1991. It is abundantly clear from the foregoing that the legal status and obligations of the parties to the dispute under UN resolutions and that of the Security Council to have its resolutions implemented, remains unaffected and Pakistan has the right to invoke UN intervention.
India’s action of August 5, to end the special status of IOK – and enactment of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act – are a blatant violation of the UN resolutions. The Kashmir dispute can only be resolved by implementing the UN resolutions. Actions taken on the dictates of Hindutva philosophy will spell disaster for the entire region and beyond, and India also may not remain unscathed from any likely catastrophe.
The world community and the UN must act now to prevent that from happening. They must put pressure on India to retract from the path of confrontation with Pakistan and refrain from becoming a war-like state inebriated by a supremacist philosophy. The world cannot afford yet another disaster.
Indian leaders must also remove the blinkers from their eyes and see the ground realities. The freedom movement in Kashmir has reached a stage where it cannot be subdued through ruthless oppression and decrees changing the status of the state arbitrarily. Pakistan will also not be a walkover for them. Any confrontation between these two nuclear states can have unimaginable consequences for the region, and the world at large besides leading to mutual destruction.
The writer is a freelance contributor.
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examples of autocratic leaders in the bible
We are not merely to be sanctified individually (though this is certainly one aspect of sanctification); we are to grow in purity and holiness as a church. Far to the south, off the African coast, lay the notorious Syrtes (17), the graveyard of many ships, as underwater archaeology has vividly revealed in recent years. . Now, in our text, Paul is again in great danger. (4) The Sovereignty of God and Human Responsibility. The seas were closed to sailing until the beginning of February at the earliest; the three months spent in Malta must therefore have corresponded roughly to November, December, and January, so they must have left Fair Havens not much before mid-October. Be at peace among yourselves. When Moses was negotiating Israel’s release from Egypt with Pharaoh, he pronounced the plagues one by one to Egypt. ( Log Out / There is (if all is working as it should) rule by a plurality. By the way, Paul may not have been frightened so much for himself as for the others. Ideally, our ministry groups are led by two co-leaders, both of whom are deacons. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. This defuses any resentment or discord in the workplace, keeps the morale high, and fosters mutual respect which is important in the long run. (Often, there may be a deacon whose character, gifts, and servanthood have already been demonstrated in their ministry as a deacon.) 1 Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. George Bernard Shaw once said, “You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, “Why not?””[32]. 18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker deserves his pay” (1 Timothy 5:17-18, emphasis by underscoring mine). Why would the qualifications for elders and deacons be so similar if the work of deacons was merely physical? Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Leading. I read in the paper the other day that when faced with the decision as to whether he should change to an alternate airport or press on to the original destination, the pilot of a commercial airliner left the choice with his passengers. Though it is the Perfect Man who will rule over the earth (Psalm 8), those who are His saints will reign with Him. 25 The word “urge” here is the translation of a different Greek word than what is rendered “ask” in verse 12, but I see no substantial difference in meaning or emphasis. Decisions must be made even if they involve fear and risk. One can easily see how this process could be a challenge to their unity as a body of believers. He draws a blueprint of what a bad leader is. For such it will be a later choice to serve – after leadership is established. He was not the captain of the ship, nor one of the soldiers. 2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord. They function in such a way as to encourage and facilitate others to assume leadership at lower levels. If one’s attitude is right in such matters, one’s actions will flow accordingly, to the benefit and blessing of others. They could not see the sun nor the stars (verse 20) and so they were unable to navigate. I believe that admonition may involve a measure of instruction, but the emphasis falls upon speech or actions that are either preventative or corrective. In a permissive autocracy, the mechanisms are a bit more liberal. The elders of the church are the highest level of leadership. They were not men who manipulated people or their circumstances in order to further their own power or position. It opens to the East and Southeast, but is not fit to winter in. It’s spiritually ugly. cit. The overall thrust of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 (the application portion of 1 Thessalonians) is sanctification. Paul’s influence was not the result of his political maneuverings, but men’s response to his personal competence. 55-65, [15] http://www.bible-people.info/Moses.htm, [19] http://www.bible-people.info/Moses.htm, [20] http://www.bible-knowledge.com/story-of-moses/comment-page-1/#comment-8674, [22] http://www.bible-knowledge.com/story-of-moses/comment-page-1/#comment-8674, [23] Richard Bolden, “What is Leadership?”- Leadership South West Research Report 1, University of Exeter, Rennes Drive, Exeter EX4 4ST, United Kingdom, July 2004, p. 4, [24] http://www.leopard-learning.com/leadershipdevelopmentplan.html, [25] Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A. and Dennison, P., “A Review of Leadership Theory and Competency Frameworks”, University of Exeter, Crossmead, Barley Lane, Dunsford Hill, Exeter EX4 1TF, United Kingdom, June 2003, p.10, [26] Caroline H. Liu, “Leading the Future of the Public Sector: The Third Transatlantic Dialogue”, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA May 31–June 2, 2007, P.5, [27] Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A. and Dennison, P., “A Review of Leadership Theory and Competency Frameworks”, University of Exeter, Crossmead, Barley Lane, Dunsford Hill, Exeter EX4 1TF, United Kingdom, June 2003, p.10, [28] http://www.leopard-learning.com/leadershipdevelopmentplan.html. We observe first of all that the qualifications for deacons are very similar to the qualifications for elders. I will never forget how my friend “Dick” distinguished between the elders and the deacons of the church he attended years ago: “The elders do the spiritual work, while the deacons do the dirty work.” That’s what a lot of folks think. Think about it for a moment in secular terms. The question was where the ship would make port for the winter. 9 For the commandments, “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Paul’s leadership emerged in a “democratic society.” We are told that “the majority reached the decision” to sail on, rather than to winter in Fair Havens. Allow me to make one last observation here. With great difficulty, the dinghy was hoisted on board, and then supporting cables were used to undergird the bottom of the ship, so that it might not break up under the weight of its cargo and the stresses of the storm. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Paul’s execution was sought by the Sanhedrin, which first tried to execute him legally (like Stephen) and then by assassination, but God used Roman soldiers once again to spare His servant. Moses was buried by the Lord and the place of his burial was kept secret from all men. What the ship’s crew intended to do was a cowardly thing. Paul chose his words very carefully here (as he always does). Another example is the hierarchy in a publishing house, where the editor-in-chief and the publisher enjoy the ultimate authority about deciding the kind of content that is published, but the writers and creative experts have the freedom to develop the content within the given framework as they deem fit. By now, it is a well-established fact that autorcratic leadership is inflexible. I have always looked upon the Apostle Paul as a godly man, a zealous servant of Jesus Christ, and a powerful preacher of the gospel. In addition, anyone who wants to share the Bible with others can print unlimited copies and give them away free to others. I believe that the last verses of this section (4:9-12) deal with sanctification and social responsibility (love expressed toward others by working hard and not being a burden on them). 13 But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness truly resides. He did not claim to have a certain (prophetic) knowledge of what was going to happen. Bruce writes. Thus, he did not expect a miracle, nor did he even ask for one. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. It is not surprising, though, that he would take the advice of the ship’s captain and its pilot as being more expert. I am reminded here of Paul’s words to the saints at Philippi, where Paul exhorted the church to help two sisters live in peace with each other: 1 So then, my brothers and sisters, dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends! [10], Moses died in the land of Moab before the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River to go in to possess the land. The ship would be lost, but not one of the passengers would perish. The Lord is near! “The Greater Syrtis was still a great distance away, but the wind might continue to blow for many days, and that was the direction in which it was blowing them. Characters), The Net Pastor’s Journal, Eng Ed, Issue 37, Fall 2020, Verses 14-20: A Sudden Storm and Lost Hope, Verses 21-26: Paul’s Night Visitation and Words of Encouragement, Verses 30-32: Sailors Stopped From Abandoning Ship, Verses 33-41: Paul’s Encouragement and the Ship’s Grounding, Verses 42-44: Prisoners and Passengers Spared From Death. The more I have thought about this kind of leadership, the more convinced I have become that New Testament leadership best encourages the development of leaders. As I was thinking about this multi-layered form of leadership, it occurred to me that (at least ideally) our country (the United States of America) was designed to function in a similar way. [14] Moses has an odd childhood. We might say that love seeks for the corporate good of the body of Christ at the expense of our own agendas.
Tricotism Lead Sheet Pdf, How To Start Drawing Characters, Probability And Measure Cambridge, Assumption Of Mary Quotes, Afghan Kabab House Raleigh, How To Make Jarred Vodka Sauce Taste Better,
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Port Huron receives dozens of adult-use marijuana applications at locations citywide
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Blighted home rehabs picking up speed
Renovations of blighted homes in Port Huron have begun to pick up speed.
Before last fall, the city's affordable housing program had only seen two rehabilitation projects — a Howard Street home in 2012 and one on Chestnut Street in 2013.
Since October, however, the program has purchased three more blighted homes, and rehabs of each are beginning in continuous succession before being put back on the market.
The for sale sign was officially put in the yard of 3821 Military St. late last week after more than $100,000 was spent to remodel the four-bedroom, two-bath home. It is listed for $105,000.
The home's front porch was replaced, and it got a new furnace, hot water heater, and central air conditioning, new bathrooms and a new kitchen after the previous was gutted.
First built in 1923, it had been purchased with federal HOME funds — as all blighted affordable housing proprieties are — for $30,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Port Huron resident Mary Jones has lived next door to the remodeled house with her husband and two children for eight years, and her parents more recently bought a home on the other side.
Both couples did so with the intent of using a little tender, loving care to improve their houses.
She said it’s nice the city’s making the same investments — after a time she recalled the house had a rotation of renters before sitting unoccupied for a time.
“We look forward to having people in there and having them continue to keep it up,” Jones said. “It was looking sad and lonely there for a while. It’s nice to just see it changing. It kind of brings new life into the block. We’re trying to keep it nice. … It’s just pockets of the block coming back to the life again.”
The program targets depreciating houses to sell to first-time, low- to moderate-income home buyers. A “moderate income” for a four-person household is roughly $54,000.
Planning Director David Haynes said they have no goal in mind on a specific number of blight renovations.
But he said the sudden spike in projects is part of a more recent concerted effort.
Investments pile up for one Port Huron neighborhood
“(It means) setting a priority and looking for these types of opportunities to acquire a home,” Haynes said. “We had the available funding. Also the market has changed to the point where we can actually work on a project and transition it to a new homeowner in a timely manner.”
The program is through a partnership between the city and Port Huron Neighborhood Housing Corporation, for which Haynes serves as executive director.
Another home at 1203 Court St. — built in 1905 — was a recent purchase for the affordable housing program. It was purchased for $4,800 in a St. Clair County tax foreclosure auction.
That’s how Nichole Smith, community development program coordinator and housing corporation treasurer, said most blighted homes in the affording housing program are acquired — foreclosures just blighted enough to need work but not too much to be razed.
Port Huron breathing life back into blighted homes
She said construction for the $67,000 project on Court began in May. But she said the project isn’t as big as Military Street, and they’re expecting it won't carry past its four-month contract.
“We’re actually expecting it to be done sooner than that,” Smith said. “I would say in the next two months, if not before. Then we are planning on another one to follow.”
While Court Street, which has three bedrooms and one full bathroom, is still getting some of the same energy-efficient updates, its renovations only include new counter tops in the kitchen, salvaging of its hardwood floors and a redone bathroom, among others.
“It’s great to be bringing them back and bringing back a house that was probably an eyesore and is now probably going to be somebody’s home,” Haynes said.
City rides momentum of home-buyers program
One more house so far has been purchased for the affordable housing program.
Smith said they purchased a 1806 15th St. property through a tax foreclosure in late May for $6,365.45. There is no budget for the rehab yet, she said, because they haven’t been in it to do work specs yet.
The HOME funding used for the program is from two allocations years ago — $145,661 in 2009 and $92,232.40 in 2010 — and is also the source for the city’s Urban Pioneer Program.
That program helps low- to moderate-income home buyers purchase their first homes with $5,000 grants to help with a down payment, but doesn’t contribute to home renovations.
Smith said those interested in buying an affordable housing home can also go through Urban Pioneer because eligibility criteria is very similar.
Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.
Those interested in purchasing their first home through the affordable housing program can go through the Urban Pioneer Program.
To get more information on either, call (810) 984-9736.
According to the Urban Pioneer application, residents must qualify no higher than 80 percent the median income based on the next 12 months. As of June 1, 2015, a "moderate income" for a single-person household was defined at $37,950, while a four-person household was at $54,150. A Urban Pioneer application can be found at http://bit.ly/1QbE6oO.
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Share this Story: Kingston's 2020 Tim Hortons Brier confirmed as a success
Kingston's 2020 Tim Hortons Brier confirmed as a success
Ian MacAlpine
Ken Thompson, one of the co-chairs of the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, at the Leon's Centre on Feb. 13, 2020. (Ian MacAlpine/The Whig-Standard) Photo by Ian MacAlpine /Ian MacAlpine/Whig-Standard/Postmedia Network
The final numbers have come in from the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier held at the Leon’s Centre from Feb. 29 to March 8 and, as expected, the event was an attendance and financial success.
Total ticket sales surpassed 97,000, including 8,900 out-of-town visitors. Brier-related economic activity in Ontario was $11.4 million, with more than $8 million spent in Kingston, according to numbers released by Greater Kingston Curling, the local organizer behind the city’s bid.
Kingston's 2020 Tim Hortons Brier confirmed as a success Back to video
The total television audience from more than 70 hours of coverage on TSN of the Canadian men’s curling championship was approximately 40 million views.
Ken Thompson, co-chair of the 2020 Brier with Linda Lott and John Ryce, said in an interview on Wednesday that area curling clubs that supplied hundreds of volunteers for the event will receive a financial windfall from Curling Canada.
Less than a week after Brad Gushue’s Newfoundland and Labrador rink defeated Brendan Bottcher’s Alberta rink 7-3 in the Brier final in front of 6,000 fans and a national television audience, the Leon’s Centre had to shut down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Spectators from across Canada, including these fans in Kingston supporting Newfoundland and Labrador’s Brad Gushue, watched the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier at the Leon’s Centre. (Ian MacAlpine/The Whig-Standard) Photo by Ian MacAlpine /Ian MacAlpine/Kingston Whig-Standard/Postmedia Network
“We were very fortunate to get the event in,” Thompson said.
Greater Kingston Curling and the five area member curling clubs — Royal Kingston Curling Club, Cataraqui Golf and Country Club, Garrison Golf and Curling Club, Napanee and District Curling Club and Gananoque Curling Club — each received $15,000 towards club expenses. The clubs were paid for the massive numbers of volunteer hours area club members put in at the Brier.
“This is a good time to kind of celebrate the success of the Brier and to thank all the major players,” Thompson said.
Thompson said many people who attend Briers on an annual basis told him Kingston was one of the best they’ve attended.
George Cook, a member of the board of governors of Curling Canada, told Thompson it was one of the most successful Briers ever.
“I don’t know what he’s based that on, but he knows how Curling Canada has made out on other Briers,” Thompson said.
“We have a great reputation because of the Brier and the Scotties (women’s national championship in 2013) as being a great host city for whatever event.”
Thompson also wanted to thank local organizations and businesses, including the City of Kingston, the Province of Ontario, Tourism Kingston, Kingston Accommodation Partners, Kingston Transit, Downtown Kingston BIA, Leon’s Centre, RT09, Taylor Auto Mall, Print Fusion, Spearhead Brewery, J.E. Agnew Food Services Ltd. and media partners.
imacalpine@postmedia.com
twitter.com/IanMacAlpine
The Newfoundland and Labrador team of Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker, along with alternate Jeff Thomas and coach Jules Owchar, celebrate with the Brier trophy after defeating Alberta 7-3 in the final of the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier in Kingston on March 8, 2020. (Ian MacAlpine/The Whig-Standard) Photo by Ian MacAlpine /Ian MacAlpine/Kingston Whig-Standard/Postmedia Network
News Near Kingston
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Television: Licensing
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport written question – answered on 19th September 2018.
All Written Answers on 19 Sep 2018
Lord Truscott Non-affiliated
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to abolish the BBC licence fee.
Hansard source (Citation: HL Deb, 19 September 2018, cW)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value for money the BBC licence fee represents.
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last carried out a survey consulting the British people on their willingness to continue paying the BBC licence fee for the services provided.
Lord Ashton of Hyde The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
The government considered licence fee funding during BBC Charter Review in 2015. While no funding model meets all the criteria of an ideal system, the current model provides the BBC with a sustainable core income paid by all households that watch or receive television. This model has wider support than any alternative: 60% of Charter Review consultation responses indicated that no change was needed to the current licence fee model, and only 3% favoured full subscription funding. As a result, we have committed to maintain the licence fee funding model for the BBC for the duration of the new 11 year Charter period. The BBC is independent of government. The BBC Board is therefore responsible for the appropriate use of licence fee revenue, and it is for licence fee payers to determine whether the BBC is value for money.
No0 people think not
(Citation: HL Deb, 19 September 2018, cW)
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HomeHeadlinesGaddafi’s son resists deportation from Zimbabwe
Gaddafi’s son resists deportation from Zimbabwe
December 18, 2018 Staff Reporter Headlines, Zimbabwe 0
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi
An adopted son of the late Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, Abhallha Mone Moussa Moummare, is resisting attempts by Zimbabwean authorities to have him deported to Tripoli, Libya, citing fears for his security, senators heard yesterday.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told a Senate thematic committee on human rights that Gaddafi’s son recently refused to disembark from a plane in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he was supposed to board a connecting flight to Libya.
Minister Ziyambi was briefing senators on how Government was dealing with refugees, and addressing their living conditions in prisons.
The committee, led by Senator Oliver Chidawu (zanu-pf), had expressed concern over the living conditions of inmates, including a diet of vegetables without meat for days.
They also asked why refugees were being lumped together with serving prisoners.
“We do not have refugees in prison, but prohibited immigrants. They are fined and an order for deportation is given. Some of them stay for over two years. It is a challenge really,” said Minister Ziyambi.
“In certain instances, some of them refuse to go to their original countries saying ‘if we go there we will be persecuted’. I know there is one who refused to go, is it Gaddafi?” he said.
“He was deported through Ethiopia (but) when he got to Addis, he said ‘I am not going to Libya’ and they had to bring him back,” he said.
In an interview, Minister Ziyambi said Gaddafi’s son ran away from Libya after his father was deposed and killed in 2011, and arrived in Harare in 2014.
He has since approached the High Court challenging his detention at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison and wants to be granted refugee or asylum status.
“There are some court applications challenging his detention. So we are waiting for the outcome. Initially his identity could not be ascertained definitively. Under those circumstances, it was not prudent to grant that status without ascertaining for ourselves. So he was deported, but refused to go to Libya. He said he was more comfortable here. He was deported and while in Addis en-route to Libya, he refused to disembark from the plane,” said Minister Ziyambi.
Responding to questions from senators, Minister Ziyambi said it was not ideal to detain prohibited immigrants in prisons, but Government was doing so because there were no safe places to keep them while they awaited deportation.
“We are seized with that but the dilemma is that we do not have anywhere to put them. The prison was the only place considered as an alternative,” said Minister Ziyambi.
Commenting on living conditions in prisons, Minister Ziyambi said they were considering disposing some of them like Harare Central Prison to land developers and use the proceeds to construct prisons with better facilities.
“Admittedly, some of our prisons are very old. If you look at Harare Central Prison, when it was built it was on the outskirts of Harare but it is now almost in the centre. We are having negotiations. Perhaps if we can have land developers who want that prime land, we sell it and develop a better prison in Marondera,” said Minister Ziyambi.
On the issue of meat, Minister Ziyambi said they had gone a long way in addressing the challenge.
“I think we have an improvement in that regard. I have spoken to the Commissioner General (Paradzai Zimondi) and for the first time they have been giving them meat. It is something that we are progressively addressing, it was very bad,” said Minister Ziyambi.
“The Commissioner General said they had problems at some point because their cold room had broken down. So they could not keep the meat. They had resorted to keeping it at the butcheries where they bought the meat but were encountering when they went to the butcheries because either it would have been sold or they would be told to pay $5 more because the price has gone up. You know what is happening with price distortions. Butcheries can opt to give you back the $5 (you paid) because it is no longer attractive.” – Herald
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What does the Canadian election result mean for Canada and the world? 🔊
Oct 29, 2019 | Politics & Society
Canadians have spoken with their ballots, and Justin Trudeau has been returned as Prime Minister to lead a minority government. What does Canada’s election result mean for climate change, for the future of the Arctic, for LGTBQ rights, ethics, and for Canada’s role in the world? Doug Becker speaks with Steven Lamy, Marc O’Reilly, and Lisa Burke.
Steven Lamy is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is an expert in international relations theory.
Marc O’Reilly is a Professor of Political Science at Heidelberg University. He is an expert in global politics and is the author of Unexceptional: America’s Empire in the Persian Gulf, 1941-2007.
Lisa Burke is a doctoral candidate at the University of Denver.
Interview Podcast:
https://www.thebigq.org/files/2019/10/download-5.mp3
This interview was originally aired on the Scholars’ Circle. To access our archive of episodes and download this interview click here.
For more of our audio and visual content check out our YouTube channel and Mixcloud page.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this discussion reflect the opinions of the participants and not necessarily the views of The Big Q.
Canada votes: Is change on the way? 🔊
The Big Chill: What happened to Canada-China relations?
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My 2017 Goals. Plus Visualization and Positive Thinking For Authors with Nina Amir
https://media.blubrry.com/thecreativepenn/p/content.blubrry.com/thecreativepenn/Podcast_NinaAmir1216.mp3
I love the New Year! It's full of promise for the year ahead and in today's show, I talk to Nina Amir about positive thinking and creative visualization to help you set your goals for 2017.
In the (mega-45 mins) introduction, I go through a couple of the trends I see for 2017. The Amazon Echo was the biggest seller for Christmas which (I think) means a rise in audiobook listening through the devices. But stay non-exclusive with your audiobook deals if possible because there will be more options than ACX coming in 2017.
The rise of beautiful print products will continue in 2017. Indies will continue to make the biggest chunk of income with digital but gorgeous hardbacks and limited edition print products will become collector's items – mirroring vinyl in the music industry. This was also emphasized in Rohit Bhargava's Non-Obvious Trends 2017 under Precious Print.
I recap my 2016 creative year including the surprises I hadn't planned for, and talk about how I hit my income goals. I also share my 2017 goals for The Creative Penn & non-fiction as Joanna Penn, our new small press, and J.F.Penn.
Nina Amir is the bestselling author of How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual and other nonfiction as well as an author, coach and trainer, award-winning blogger and professional speaker.
She founded National Nonfiction Writing Month and the Nonfiction Writers' University. And her latest book is Creative Visualization for Writers: An Interactive Guide for Bringing your Book Ideas and your Writing Career to Life.
You can listen above or on iTunes or Stitcher or watch the video here, read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and full transcript below.
How Nina got started with journalism, then editing non-fiction and finally into writing her own books
Why non-fiction can be creative and can change lives
What visualization is and how you can use it as an author
My own story: Back in 2006, I wrote the affirmation “I am creative, I am an author.” In 2011, that affirmation became a reality.
How to identify your own visualizations
How to take ACTION in order to set your visualizations into motion. (This is sometimes the missing aspect that people forget!)
Why successful authors work on their mindset as well as the practical aspect of writing
What will you give up in order to achieve your creative dream? Because there is always a trade-off. How much do you really want this, and what are the excuses you're telling yourself that are preventing you getting there?
Why deciding on your values is so important in shaping the life you want
How to stay focused and positive in troubled times
Why content marketing will not go away, and why you should (maybe) start a blog
You can find Nina at www.NinaAmir.com and on twitter @NinaAmir. You can find her books here on Amazon.
Transcription of interview with Nina Amir
Joanna: Hi everyone. I’m Joanna Penn from TheCreativePenn.com and today I’m here with Nina Amir. Hi, Nina.
Nina: Hi, Joanna. Nice to see you.
Joanna: Yes, great to have you on the show. Just a little introduction. Nina is the bestselling author of How to Blog a Book, The Author Training Manual and other nonfiction as well as an author, coach and trainer, award-winning blogger and professional speaker. She founded National Nonfiction Writing Month and the Nonfiction Writers' University. And her latest book is Creative Visualization for Writers. We've got lots to get into.
But, Nina, you've had a long career in writing. Just give us a bit more of a background of how you got into writing and why you write nonfiction in particular.
Nina: So that's a funny story but I'll start at the beginning.
I actually wanted to be a novelist when I started out and, you know, I was one of those people who read under the covers. And, you know, I was reading all fiction. And I told my mother that. She's very practical. I don't think she meant anything bad by what she said but I said, you know, “I wanna be a novelist,” and she said, “Well, only really good writers can make a living as a novelist.” So I took that to mean that maybe I wasn't that good a writer. And so, well, I don't fall through because she was being practical. It sent me on a trajectory that changed my life really.
I took a class in high school with a teacher who was teaching journalism and I got really turned on by it. And I realized that one of the things I read was nonfiction and that was magazines. I love the magazines that were telling you how to do things better, how to improve yourself. At that time I remember reading Self Magazine.
So I went to college and I got a degree in Magazine Journalism and realized that, you know, I really love this. And it gave me a superb training in everything from design to editing, everything. Anyway, so I went out. I was a journalist. I worked for some magazines and I worked for some consultants, a variety of things.
And at one point somebody asked me to edit a book. And it was a nonfiction book. And I remembered what my professor in college told me:
If I could edit, I could write an article. If I could write an article, I could write a book.
Because a book was just a bunch of magazine articles all on the same topic tied together. And so I thought, “Okay. Well, I've been editing magazines. I've been writing for magazines. I should be able to edit a book.” And I did. And the next book I edited went on to be quite successful. And so I edited a few that were picked up by big publishing houses and did very well. And so, after editing for a little while, I thought, “Maybe I should write a book. My professor said I could do it.” And that became my focus.
But in the midst of all of that, you know, I had this business where I was writing and editing. And I started a blog, Writing Non-Fiction Now. And then did my November event, Write Non-Fiction in November or National Nonfiction Writing Month and began to really hone in on this non-fiction area.
And I was interviewing and working with so many experts that, you know, like you with your podcast, the more you immerse yourself and talk to experts, the more you become an expert. And that's what happened. I became an expert on nonfiction as well as blogging because of the one book.
Through all this, I realized I really had a passion for both publishing and writing and for personal development, practical spirituality, which were two of the areas I really wanted to write about.
And so I believe the people who write nonfiction have this opportunity to make a really positive and meaningful difference in the world with their words, that they can transform lives.
And so that's what really turns me on about nonfiction.
Joanna: But I know what everyone's thinking now – are you writing a novel?
Nina: So the idea for National Non-Fiction Writing Month came out of me doing NaNoWriMo. We had an idea for a novel and I have to admit, I had about 3,000 words already written when I started NaNoWriMo. But I wrote another 50,000, so I completed. And I do have it and I pitched it at the San Francisco Writers Conference one year and got a lot of interest in it.
But I write nonfiction. And so the book needs some help. I mean, everybody loved the pitch. You know, the storyline works. It’s just the technical stuff and it starts probably 50 pages later than it should. It needs some work. So eventually, yes, there will be a novel.
Joanna: Good, I’m glad because, of course, I started with nonfiction and moved into fiction.
I think when you are good at writing nonfiction, you realize writing a novel is very different and there's whole load of stuff you have to learn.
And there is a big mindset shift to starting again which is what you would basically have to do. But I wanted to bring that up because I know a lot of people have self-doubt around their ability to write creatively. And one of the questions I get from so many nonfiction authors is that they wish they were creative enough to write fiction. But, actually, there's a lot of creativity involved in nonfiction.
How can nonfiction be just as creative do you think?
Nina: So, first of all, I think I would ask those people listening or watching to think about memoir because memoir is nonfiction. I mean, it falls solidly in the nonfiction category but it has to be written like a novel. Now that's why I don't edit memoir because, to me, I would have to have those skills, right? So it's very creative. You know, you’re working with a true story but you need fiction-writing skill to do it. So that's number one.
Essays can include anecdotes and that storytelling aspect is very creative, but it's nonfiction. You can write nonfiction books that are peppered with personal anecdotes. And so there, again, you have to tell the story, right. And a lot of memoir now is mixed with non-fiction, I mean, straight nonfiction or prescriptive nonfiction. So they’re weaving their story into the actual nonfiction book.
But all of that require some novelist-like skill set. And then I really think, when it comes to prescriptive nonfiction, it is a creative process like any other. So I think, you know, you have the novelist over here saying, “Oh, nonfiction is not anywhere near as creative.” But I don't think that's true.
Any writing is really a creative endeavor and you’re trying to take your reader into consideration and decide what's unique out there and create something that's totally new. That's a creative process.
The thing to remember about nonfiction is that you’re solving problems. And problem-solving is creativity.
And that's what nonfiction authors are doing. They’re solving problems. They’re answering questions.
Joanna: I totally agree with you.
The act of creation is putting something new in the world.
Everyone can have ideas but, actually, creation is making something new in the world whether that's fiction or nonfiction or whatever else it is, a painting or whatever. So I totally agree with you.
I find the mindset issue with a lot of nonfiction authors is they feel that they can't use the word “creative” about themselves. If, for example, they write a technical manual on a programming language, they think, you know, they might be labeled by someone as not creative. And it’s like, “No, that's crazy.” You’re creating value in the world and you’re creating wealth out of those ideas.
But related to that, your new book is “Creative Visualization for Writers.” What do you mean by visualization?
Nina: It's basically using your mind's eye to picture what it is you want.
The famous book that mine is titled after (it wasn't my choice, it was my publisher's) is “Creative Visualization” by Shakti Gawain, right. And her whole concept has been put forth into the Law of Attraction and deliberate creation. We’ve used lots of terms for this but basically you’re using your mind to think about what you want.
That can be a successful career as an author. It can be more money. As writers, perhaps we’re visualizing ourselves holding our book. We’re visualizing people buying it at the bookstore. And the reason for that is because the more you visualize something as already having happened, the more you actually convince your subconscious mind that it’s true.
The subconscious mind doesn't have a way to distinguish between what's real and what we picture.
And that's why athletes use visualization all the time. It's not a different process. They’re visualizing, let's say, a marathon runner. I always use that as an example. They’re visualizing themselves taking the first steps. And then that middle part where their legs are tired, they can't breathe, they're so hot, they’re just thinking, “I can't do it.”
What do they do with that moment? They visualize in advance what they'll do there, how will they would re-energize themselves, how will they shift their mindset to, “I can do it. I know I can do it. I can do it. I’m doing it.”And then, you know the runners who’re always at the end of those marathons, they suddenly, you know, the last two miles they just like fly ahead, right? And they win. This is what they’re visualizing: “Okay. I’m at the two-mile mark. What happens here?”
The mind is sending signals to the body, firing off muscles just as if they were running the race, convincing the body that they can do it.
It's conditioning the body and it’s convincing their mind that they can do this.
It's the same thing. So we’re trying to train ourselves in advance to be able to do what we wanna do. So it could be sitting down and writing every day. Visualize that before we ever get to the computer.
But we can also visualize what we want to create because, you know, not only are we convincing our mind, we’re actually putting out energy.
Joanna: Back in 2006, I actually wrote an affirmation about my life which is similar to visualization, I guess. I wrote the affirmation, “I am creative. I am an author.”
At the time, I couldn't even say it loud. I wrote it down. I wrote that over and over again. I said it in my mind but I couldn't say it out loud for a number of years.
And, of course, 10 years later, I’m living that affirmation. It has a physical manifestation but I was imagining that kind of future life.
So how do people come up with what their affirmation should be even at the point where they might not believe it?
For most of the listeners, it would be things like seeing my book in the bookstore or making the New York Times list or leaving my job, because these are hard to even conceptualize when you’re a long way away.
Nina: Right. Affirmations are kind of a lead in to your visualization. Because you said, “I’m creative. I’m a writer.” And I don't know what you thought about when you did that but when we say those words, we’re thinking it, right?
And if you can actually sit down and visualize, what would that mean?
What does it look like to have that life, a creative life, a life as a writer? What does that look like? So that's becomes a physical thing and you’re feeling it and you’re thinking it and you’re focused on it.
But to answer your question, there really are two ways to create an affirmation. Typically what happens is we notice that we have a negative thought or a limiting belief. “I’m not creative. I can't write. I’ll never be a writer. I’ll never be an author,” whatever it is. “This is too hard. I don't know what I’m doing. I’m not a good enough writer.”
And so we notice that and what we want to do is turn that around. So we want to create an affirmation that is, “I am a writer. I am creative. Every day I write.”
Instead of saying, you know, “I can't write,” we’re affirming, “Every day I’m becoming a better and better writer.” And I’m doing that by sitting down at my desk and I’m writing, right. So that's number one.
Number two is to begin with what you want to create. You wanted a career as a writer.
And so we begin there. I’m a writer. I’m creative. I have a career as a writer. And no, at first the mind is going to say, “That's not what we have.” And so that's why sometimes it’s better to not say, “I have a career as a writer if we’re struggling with that.”
Better to say, “I’m creative. I’m a writer.” And then do affirmations of actions.
Actually sit down and do the action because you have to affirm it and then you have to actually take action towards it.
Joanna: I've said before on the show that I believe in the Law of Attraction. I've used it in my life to create the life that I want.
But I think that some of the more mainstream books like The Secret haven't really emphasized the ACTION part of attraction. So you've worked with a ton of successful authors.
What are the actions that they take to manifest those visualizations in the world that other people can model?
Nina: So, first of all, you know, action really is where the action is. And I think for everyone listening, whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, this what I think was the missing piece. You know, we talk a lot about visualizing and affirming and all of that, but you have to actually DO something in the world for something to happen.
So what do successful authors do? What actions do they take that make them successful?
First of all, they write regularly whether it's a blog or articles or a manuscript. They’re not just talking about writing. They’re writing.
The first action is if you want to be a writer, you have to write. The other thing is that they’re moving though their fear and insecurity. This is an action. They do what they know they need to do and they do it courageously. They could be sending out a query letter or getting up on stage to speak or self-publishing. Whatever it is, they’re doing it. I mean, I can't imagine that all these years that you didn't have moments wherein you’ve felt afraid or insecure, and yet your books are out there, right, your blog is out there. You took action on that.
They also do things that they'd rather not do.
So what I hear from a lot of aspiring authors is, “I really wanna be an author. And everybody keeps talking about platform and I don't want to do that. I don't like promoting.”
Yet successful authors do that. That's an action they take.
They embrace this as part of becoming successful and they build platform. They promote their books. They take care of business because it is a business.
I think they also do spend time visualizing. I think they’re visionaries. They see the future, their future, they are mystics about their own lives. And so they spend a lot of time planning and thinking about it and, “How will I get there? And what do I really want? And why do I want it?.”
They’re spending time thinking and feeling what they want as if it's already created. Then they take that action towards, you know, whatever they want. Whatever’s necessary, they’re doing it. They’re not holding back. I think that's the biggest thing.
The last thing I’d say is that they’re working on their mindset.
Because we stop ourselves. Other things don't stop us. We might have challenges that come up but those don't stop us. It's our response to that that stops us. And typically that's happening up here (in the mind).
And so successful authors take action in terms of working on their personal development. They’re trying to change their negative thoughts,. They’re trying to be more courageous, more secure, more confident. They’re trying to be more productive, to have more energy, to be clear about where they’re going, to influence themselves to do what needs to be done.
Joanna: I think you’re right and that's why I wrote The Successful Author Mindset earlier this year because I was amazed that people didn't realize that everyone feels this self-doubt and it's not how you overcome the self-doubt, but how you live with it, how you just live with the feelings of, “I’m not good enough,” and yet you do it anyway.
And, in fact, this creative dissatisfaction seems to be an important part of creativity because if you are happy with what you created, you could just go die, right? I mean, you’re finished.
But if you create something and then you’re like, “There are a few things that I need to improve. I’m gonna write something else and I've got these other things.” The point is we’re never finished until we do die which I think is really cool.
But I also wanted to ask you there, Tony Robbins talks about this:
What will you give up or what will you give in order to achieve what you want?
Because you can't just say to the universe or creative spirit or God or whatever you believe in, “I want to be a successful writer. Just give it to me.” There has to be something that you give up.
And for many writers it's time.
But what are some of the other trade-offs that writers make along the journey?
Nina: I think we do make a lot of trade-offs and I would hope that anyone listening doesn't see the trade-offs or this giving up as something negative because it's getting us where we wanna go, right? So I think that's important.
And along with Tony Robins, I mentioned Napoleon Hill. He also emphasizes both giving and receiving. It's a continuum of giving and receiving, giving and receiving. What do you have to give up? What are the payoffs?
I think that you have to be willing to get very conscious of your mindset and what you're thinking and give that up because typically that insecurity, those negative thoughts are not helping us.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And so one of the things we have to do is change ourselves. That's a giving up of what we normally would do in order to do something different that's going to help us succeed.
You have to commit to follow through.
If you start, you’re going to have to look at what you have to do to finish this?
Maybe you have to give up time to even get started. But in order to finish it, is there anything else you have to change or give up? Basically, you’re giving up anything that doesn't support your goals and that could be television time or it could be reading that novel every night in bed, instead of going to bed earlier so you can get up earlier and write.
You might have to give up people who don't believe in you because they’re holding you back.
You have to, as you said, give up time. Sometimes you have to give up money. It's a sacrifice of your achieving any goal, but, you know, going back to Tony Robbins, he would say that you need to only speak and see the truth. And so I think, for me, that's giving up false stories that we create, you know, that idea that, “I can't do it,” or, “It's hard.”
Joanna: “I don't have the time.” Who has the time?!
Nina: Exactly. So it's giving up denial, Joanna, because these are excuses we have and we have to give those up.
See, I think more than anything else, we could say give up watching TV and reading books and going out for lunch with your buddies. You know, we could talk about all of that, but that fact is that this is about having no excuses.
If this is what you want to do and you’re committed to it, then you have to honestly look at yourself and say, “What is holding me back? What are the stories I’m telling that are not serving me in getting where I wanna go?”
And I think that is the biggest thing we’re giving up, is our habits, our mindsets, our stories so that we can actually move towards our goal.
Joanna: And that is visualizing a new story about what your life would look like. It's interesting. The money thing and the time thing.
When I wanted to do this, I would get up at 5:00 a.m. and write before work. And then I went to four days a week a gave up 20% of my income in order to do this.
And then eventually I gave up my job. And I think it took five years, four-and-a-half years to get back to the same income I was on when I quit my job. But those were things I was willing to do because that was more important to me.
You talk in the book about values which I think is so important. And, again, obviously we read the same self-help books like Tony Robbins because values are so important and deciding what your value is.
I've done this exercise around values a number of times, and I come up with freedom over and over again.
Freedom is my number one value which shapes decisions like location independence and running my own business and not answering to anyone else.
I like money but I was willing to give up money to have freedom and build that up.
How have values impacted your own journey and how does that shape your work? And, also, how can people decide what their values are?
Nina: So, like you, I value freedom a lot. I haven't worked for somebody else in many years. And I’m lucky to have a husband who has supported me quite a bit financially. But definitely the value for me was freedom. But I think I also think of that as independence. I don't want to work for a boss. I want to be independent and do what I want to do. So I think the two go hand in hand.
So that's definitely influenced me working for myself for all these years and finding ways to earn an income from what I know how to do rather than going into an office. I think I value almost more than that making a difference. I think that informs what I do daily. Even blogging, I mean, like you, I’m a big blogger. I mean, I actually have several blogs. And I was thinking about it just the other day, you know, why the heck do I keep doing this?
And everybody keeps saying, “Nina, you do so much. You need to give up a blog.” And I’m like, “I can't give up my blogs. First of all, they promote my work. But beyond that, I actually like writing. I’m a writer at heart.”
Yes, I speak and I train and I coach and I do all these things, but I started out as a writer. And so I really feel like I make a bigger difference with my blogs than I do with my books and I hate to really say that but more people read my blogs every day than read my books.
Joanna: Me too.
Nina: I mean, it’s a little sad to admit but it's true. And the fact is that I get more like emails and comments from people reading my blog, you know, who’ll take the time to write to me and say, “Thank you so much for writing that. That made a difference to me.”
And so that, making a difference is a huge value of mine and I think a lot of my work revolves around making a difference, whether I’m educating or inspiring someone to write a book or start a blog, when I’m writing something for publication or coaching.
It's about making a difference. And then I think another value I have is what I would call personal power.
It goes with personal development, right. It's the, “I am able to discipline myself, right, and then I am willing to change to see how I need to change in order to grow and be better and succeed.” So it's this working on myself to change.
And so self-empowerment goes along with this idea of helping others, transforming others, where I’m basically empowering others.
Joanna: I think we’re exactly the same person!
Nina: No wonder we like each other!
Joanna: That empowerment message, I feel that’s the message of The Creative Penn. It's about empowering creatives and authors to understand their own worth.
Because it's incredible to me how many creative people just haven't put any value on their own worth and their mindset is always a negative one. So I really liked what you were saying there.
So, what came first, the action or the values?
Nina: I think we develop values over the course of our life. Some of them are given to us by our family or environment and some of them we develop. I’m thinking back that I started reading personal development books or practical spirituality books that I read was Richard Bach, “Illusions.”
And I was just like, This is so great. And so, in that sense, it started there and I developed a passion for personal development and personal growth and spirituality and metaphysics and how does this all work?
How do we create something from nothing in our lives?
Joanna: A lot is developed over time. And this is particularly important because this will go out in the beginning of the New Year and as we’re recording this, the end of 2016, it’s been a very difficult political year for both America and the U.K.
There's way too much negativity in the world like in terms of the press. And I get emails from people who feel very affected by this negative shift.
How can we keep this creative, positive, action-focused visualization in difficult times? How do we keep on that straight and narrow path and not get distracted by all the naysayers and the winds of change?
Nina: So I don't know if you know this but in 2015 I became a certified high performance coach. I had been studying Brendon Burchard’s work and had been gone to some of his events. I was coached by one of his coaches and decided to become a certified high performance coach, which helps a lot with focus.
So for me it’s the self-discipline. It's personal growth.
What I see is that writers don't write. They don't write and they don't build platform and all these other things because they don't have self-discipline.
One of the things we talk about in high performance coaching is influence or persuasion. We need to have influence in our target market. But before we can even do that, we have to have influence over ourselves.
We have to be able to persuade ourselves not to go to Facebook when we’re supposed to be writing, to not think about what's happening in the world when we’re supposed to be writing. And I’m not saying you have to stick your head in the sand and not be aware.
But if you want to create something in terms of written words, you have to learn the discipline that goes with that.
And the other thing is that people get negative and they get depressed, right. And we have control of that. And I’m not talking somebody who's clinically depressed but just sort of the general malaise. We have control over that. We can generate a different state of being. We can generate a different energy. We can generate a different mindset. It's all a decision. It's like Tony Robins says, “A decision happens in a moment.”
Joanna: And you can change your life in that moment.
Nina: That's right. Then you have to be committed to that change and you have to take massive action.
So it isn't like saying, “I'll just turn off Facebook.” It's, “I have decided to go to Facebook only 30 minutes a day and it's after I've done all my writing because during my writing time, I’m going to focus on this.
And I’m not only going to focus on my project, I’m going to come to that project with a positive and enthusiastic mindset and with energy.”
So I’m going to get to my desk. You’re using your whole body and you’re saying this stuff out loud. And I am going to say, “I am creative. I am a writer. I am an author. I’m ready to write. Yes.” And you’re gonna have your little power move, you know. “Yes.” You know, you’re gonna do all that, right?
You’re going to sit at your desk and you’re going to do 30 deep breaths or whatever it is to energize yourself. It's a matter of self-discipline and commitment to actually protecting your writing space, protecting your own well-being.
Joanna: And I would say to all the British people listening, you don't have to go all full-on American with your full-body visualizations!
I agree with Tony's thing about you can change your life in a moment if you take action and make that thing happen.
When I decided on the affirmation, “I am creative. I am a writer,” it changed my life. I set off on the path that has led me here today by that one decision of what my creative visualization is.
Which is why I think your book is really interesting because it will help some people get to that point. They'll get to the point of helping them decide what that might be for them. People listening, you don't have to be a full-time writer. That might not be the thing that you want to eventually achieve but you get to decide.
Anyway, I also want to ask you two more questions before we finish.
You are a big blogger and you and I have connected over the years through blogs. We met very early on I think, 2009, we first crossed paths on Twitter and blogging. I know a lot of people have doubts about blogging now because the world is even more noisy.
What do you think in terms of blogging for nonfiction authors, in particular? Is it still necessary for nonfiction authors to have a blog? Or what do you recommend?
Nina: I still recommend it to every client and at every conference because since it is so noisy, the point is that we as authors, we want to have visibility online.
We need to be findable, discoverable.
And the best way to do that is with a blog because Google is cataloging. It’s indexing the new content that you’re putting up there and if you’re writing on one topic then you’re going to rise up in the search engine results pages.
How to blog a book – when I started that blog I had nothing. I started from scratch like everyone. And at first there were no readers. And in five months I had number one Google search engine result status and I've retained it because I wrote about one topic and I wrote frequently and consistently and I kept up with it, all these years.
So I think if you want to be discoverable, you have to be blogging.
And the other thing for nonfiction authors is that you wanna be seen as the expert. You have to be the authority. And so there's this whole idea of authority blogging. You’re an authority blogger.
If you’re writing on a topic as an authority, even if you’re learning as you go which most of us are, and even if you're just sharing what you've learned, you are the expert, the authority.
You put yourself out there as an expert. You have expert content, valuable content, to share. And I think the biggest problem is if you don't have a blog, what are you gonna share? You’re only going to share other people's stuff.
I’m all for curating content. I think it's important, but more important is to share your own content across the social networks. And if you don't blog, you don't have that.
Joanna: I totally agree with you. And, in fact, I am doubling down on content in 2017. I want to do more content, not just books but more blogging and more audio and more video.
And it's funny because I think people feel like it's too late but we’re only just beginning. There are billions more people arriving on the Internet shortly.
Nina: Right. That's right. And there's so much you can do. I think the video is enormously important today but you still need to have content, written content.
Google is still looking for a minimum of 300 words underneath that video on your blog if you want to be indexed well. So there's so much we can be doing and combining it like the podcasting. We can do so much and I think it's more important than ever.
I think the noisier it is, the more you have to not shout but just continue to speak and put yourself out there so that the right people find you. And by right people, I mean your people, the people who need to hear your message, that want to hear your story.
Joanna: And, of course, you become an authority by putting it out there.
Neither you or I were an authority before we started doing this. And then you become one over time. So don't worry if you’re listening and you’re like, “I’m not an authority.” None of us started out that way.
Nina: I was never set out to be a blogging expert. I just saw the ‘blog to book' deals happening and said, you know, what if you just wrote the darn book on your blog instead of trying to figure out what to do with all that content afterwards?
And I wrote it and, you know, I blogged it, wrote it. And, you know, suddenly I’m a blogging expert and a marketing expert. Because of that they think I’m a marketing expert. I’m like, “Really?” But that's what happens.
Joanna: This leads to my final question which is about longevity and also making multiple streams of income both of which you have.
Now you’ve got all these different things going on. You have not stopped at one book. You've not stopped at one blog. You’re doing all this other stuff. I've said this to other people I've known for years online, but how did you make it through? Because so many people that we met back in 2009 have disappeared.
So how have you continued to do this and what are your secrets for balancing creative with earning money and growing your business?
Nina: So I think the reason that I’ve stuck with it is, first of all, I’m enormously stubborn. Like I really hate to fail and to give up on things. So that's number one. Once I start something, I really feel committed to finishing it and I think a lot of people start a blog, for instance, and then they go, “This is too hard.” And they just give it up. And that's just not me.
I think though, beyond commitment is purpose and passion.
I think if you don't feel a sense of purpose for what you’re doing and that ties into your values, of course, and if you don't feel passionate about it then you’re going to have a hard time sustaining it long term.
I always talk about that you have to combine your purpose with your passion and that's when you get inspired and you take inspired action. When you feel like you’re ‘on purpose' and you’re doing something you're passionate about, you will be inspired to action on a continual basis. So I think that makes a big difference.
I think there’s also that desire to share your message or your story or your expertise.
If you have that strong sense of, “I really want to help people. I want to serve,” you’re gonna keep going even if you have five readers or you sell two books, right? You’re just gonna keep going.
So I think it really comes down to your big “why.” Why are doing this? You know, are you emotionally connected and committed to the work you’re doing?
In terms of growing my business, I do a lot of planning and brainstorming. I’m never satisfied which, you know, could be a bad thing. I'm just always looking for how to improve and what I could do next. And I have a lot of ideas.
There was a time in my life I thought I had no ideas. Now I suffer from too many ideas. And in the past I threw them out there as fast as I got them, which is why I have a ton of courses and nobody knows about them because I just create them, right. And then I didn't promote them because I was onto the next thing.
And so these days, I think, in terms of being successful, what I’m trying to do is to focus on a few things.
I’m still going to have my little umbrella site, ninaamir.com, which leads you to all the different things I do. But I’m going to focus on building a few things per year.
I’m gonna limit how many things I’m taking on. There’ll be rhyme or reason to it as opposed to, “Oh, that's a good idea. I’ll do that.” Just this is what I’m focused on this year.
So it's looking at where I want to go and what I want to do and creating the business around that while keeping in mind my readers and clients and customers. What do they want? But also what do I want?
In terms of sustainability, if you’re not doing what you want to do, you will not keep it up.
So it's that happy medium between what are my readers and clients and customers want and what is it that I want? Then when you can find that happy medium, I think that really helps.
Joanna: I totally agree with you and those people who have stayed in the niche like us, I feel we really do love it and we work hard and we love it, working hard and we’re passionate about helping other people and creating things in the world. So, I've really enjoyed talking to you. Tell people where they can find the book and you and where would you like them to go.
Nina: So the easiest place to go is to ninaamir.com, so N-I-N-A-A-M-I-R.com to find the book… There are some books there as well that aren't on Amazon. But to find the majority of my books that are available on Amazon, you can go to booksbyninaamir.com. So books by Nina Amir.com, pretty simple. And then, you know, there are links to all my blogs right on ninaamir.com but for those really interested in nonfiction, they can go to writenonfictionnow.com. And for those interested in blogging, they can go over to howtoblogabook.com.
Joanna: You have so many URLs that are really good.
Nina: Thank you, but I just went through my whole list of URLs and like, said, “Do not renew. Do not renew.” I’m spending so much money on URLs I've never used and probably never will.
Joanna: I know that. I’ll get a good idea. So I’ll buy the URL so that I can do the idea later.
Nina: That's right. Exactly. And I have a page on author coaching. I need something on author coaching. I have something on blogging. I need a URL on blogging.
Joanna: So, everyone listening, do what we say. Don’t do what we do! Anyway, Nina, lovely to talk to you and thanks so much for your time.
Nina: You’re very welcome. I was honored to be on the podcast and great to see you and talk to you.
Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: mindset, Psychology of writing
Christine Brooks says
Hi Joanna, Great item, as ever. I’d love to know what you think might be coming through for audiobook publishing in competition to ACX? Is it just a hunch on your part? Or have you heard something definite?
I’ve heard things on the grapevine that sound semi-definite, but I can’t share them – sorry! Have a listen to this though – http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2016/12/09/audiobook-rights/
Sarah Painter says
As always, thank you for the inspiring show, Joanna! I loved the mega-introduction and wish you all the best with your goals for 2017. I am determined to add yoga into my routine this year and it’s encouraging to hear that you have found it helpful . May I ask whether you do this at home or go to a class? Any tips?! I have put my 2017 goals onto the Worried Writer site and they include writing three books and continuing my own podcast. I know I wouldn’t be making such ambitious goals if it wasn’t for your example so thank you again! x
Yoga is definitely a very good thing for me – for moving physically and also for stopping mentally 🙂 I go to 2 classes a week near me. I have tried doing it on my own but it means I have to think too much, so for now, having a teacher is great.
Congrats on your ambitious goals for 2017!
Thanks for the fantastic episode Joanna. I too am an obsessive goal setter. Before this podcast, I had five goals for 2017:
1) publish two more books in the current series I’m working on – coming out in February and September,
2) begin collecting short stories I’ve written that currently as sitting dormant on my blog into 5 story anthologies and publishing them – I’d like to get two out this year,
3) edit at least three manuscripts people sent me because I hate saying “no” but can’t say “yes” to everything,
4) up my personal reading to two books a month, and
5) get back into the habit of writing a short story a week – I stopped this in September when work got crazy.
When you get it started, I foresee adding a sixth: get my supernatural thriller books featured on Joanna Penn’s new website. =)
(By the way, I’m a newer listen/follower and supernatural thriller is a new to me – I’ve been calling mine urban-fantasy because I didn’t know where else to put them. Thaks for the new terminology.)
Thanks again for the great episode. Love and appreciate what you do.
Excellent 🙂 The site will be open to submissions at some point so keep an ear out on the show and I’ll announce it when it’s ready. All the best with your 2017 goals.
Samantha Grayson says
Great article. Just what I needed to hear right now. I need to be more focused this year. Starting to set goals and plan to stick to them,
Rayna says
Lovely podcast, as always, Joanna. I do have a question, though, about the hardcover/deluxe books you mentioned. What is the best way for an indie author to print hardcover books? I’ve heard about people doing it through Createspace/Ingram, or their local book binderies. And though I haven’t heard of anyone using it, overseas printers like Alibaba also seen like they would work. Which way are you planning to go? And how hard/expensive is it to get all the fancy cover finishings, like spot gloss, foil, embossing, etc?
In terms of basic hardbacks, then IngramSpark is the way to go. But in terms of more detailed stuff, embossing etc, I am having conversations with suppliers – more info to come on this with interviews and blog posts as I learn it myself. I don’t know right now!
Thanks for answering, Joanna! I look forward to seeing your posts about this topic.
Meg Cowley says
It’s great to hear your thoughts on beautiful print! I find myself also enjoying art-based books that are beautifully produced, just for art’s sake. I have been considering producing my own special edition books: art books, and hardback version of my fiction (i.e. a beautiful limited edition design, with illustration and a focus on a beautiful item, not just prose). I will producing stationary, i.e. diaries, as they sell really well. I wish we had more POD capability in terms of paper choice, finish, embossing (and all those lovely fancy things!) and the wide distribution of Amazon. It seems you can have one, but not the other.
Have fun with your hand lettering class too – it’s addictive… I recommend checking out Dawn Nicole, Ryan Hamrick and Lisa Lorek, who are amazing hand lettering artists. ‘Goodtype’ and ‘littlepatterns’ are great Instagram accounts to follow too. I’ve started collecting beautiful hand-lettering on Pinterest (https://uk.pinterest.com/megcowleyauthor/awesome-hand-lettering/) and it definitely makes me want to up my skills! 🙂
Going to have to come back later to catch the interview/rest of the podcast! 🙂
Peter Dudley says
Hearing that my sub-conscious believes what it’s told,explains why I’ve fallen for the female protagonist that I’m writing. What a relief. I thought that there was another thing wrong with me.
Noélie says
Hi Joanna!
Thanks to your wonderful voice, good mood, and podcasts (plus the lovely backlist of course!!) that motivate me immensely and give me great ideas, here a few of my goals for 2017:
1) Publish (and market) my first novel, a dystopian adventure-thriller WHILE maintaining a healthy lifestyle (eat, move, sleep and care for my family) and a day-job.
2) Start my own podcast in french on self-publishing books.
3) Write interesting articles for my website (www.inspirediamonds.eu).
4) Refrain myself, for a while, from buying all the books and products you recommend on your website and podcast… (I think this will be the hardest goal…), not because they’re not worth it, far from it, but because they are distracting/slowing me down in my book-writing (see goal number 1)…he, he, he ;-).
Many thanks for your persistence in your podcast! Congratulations ! Best wishes for an awesome and successful 2017, may you reach your GOALS and don’t forget to take December off!!
Cheers!! 😉
Hi Noelie, I’m excited about your podcast 🙂 That’s great – I think you’re ahead of the curve in France!
I also respect your decision to stop consuming and start producing more. I think that is SO important, and often it happens when we start realizing that we actually know what to do, we just aren’t doing it! All the best for 2017.
Thank you soooo much for your kind support, it warms my heart !! 🙂
Thanks so much for interviewing me, Joanna! I loved the chance to speak with you, and I wish you the best of luck with your 2017 goals.
31 Days of Blogging – Day 2, Why – Joshua Kehe says:
[…] Dean Wesley Smith, Kris Rusch, Joanna Penn, and other writerly bloggers, to educational YouTubers like CGP Grey, the Vlogbrothers, […]
2017: New Year, New Goals, New Dreams | Sherri Nicholds says:
[…] achieve a lot of things in 2016 because I felt worn out or ill most of the time. Listening to the Creative Penn podcast, it was great to hear another writer making health a priority in 2017. It is very easy to […]
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Sam Allardyce does not rule out England return for John Terry
• ‘I don’t know what the political side might mean, if there is a political side’
• Chelsea defender retired from international football in 2012
John Terry has started both of Chelsea’s Premier League games under Antonio Conte this season. Photograph: Greenwood/IPS/Rex/Shutterstock
@JamieJackson___
Mon 22 Aug 2016 17.30 EDT
Last modified on Mon 27 Nov 2017 03.14 EST
Sam Allardyce has said John Terry could return for England, although the new manager accepts this also depends on the defender’s desire to do so.
Sam Allardyce believes John Stones can be key part of England’s revival
Terry won the last of his 78 caps in England’s 5-0 away win over Moldova in September 2012, retiring from international football the same month before a Football Association hearing into the allegations that the Chelsea captain had racially abused Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand.
The hearing came after Westminster magistrate’s court had cleared him of the accusation in July of that year. Terry stated the FA’s charge made his position “untenable”. English football’s governing body found him guilty and fined him £220,000, together with banning him for four games.
Allardyce is due to announce his first England squad on Sunday, before a five-day training camp and the opening 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on 4 September.
Asked if it is possible the 35-year-old Terry will play for England again, Allardyce said: “Maybe so. I think it depends on what John said. Maybe if I get the opportunity I might have to give him a ring but until I come to that selection or that process, we’ll wait and see.
“I don’t know what the political side of that might mean, if there is a political side. I’ll have to have that conversation if I feel that John Terry may be a possibility.”
Sam Allardyce: Joe Hart will definitely be in England squad – for now
With regard to the FA, Allardyce would be clear to select Terry, who has started both of Chelsea’s Premier League matches this season under Antonio Conte.
Despite giving assurances to the goalkeeper Joe Hart about his selection, Allardyce indicated he may drop Marcus Rashford because the 18-year-old has been an unused substitute for Manchester United so far this season. “It makes it harder for me now to select him, despite how exciting he was last year and how he burst on the scene,” he said.
“At such a young age, do I say: ‘Go play in the under-21s? Get used to international football there, play regularly there and it will help you eventually, hopefully break into the Manchester United team and then break into the England senior team.’ You’ve got all those scenarios to consider.”
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39 Monuments to explore in United States
©Chris English ,This file ...
Agua Fria National MonumentBlack Canyon City, AZ 85324, USA
Yavapai County
Agua Fria National Monument is in the U.S. state of Arizona. There is over 450 distinct Native American structures have been recorded in the monument, some of large pueblos containing more than 100 rooms each. The enhanced protection status also provides greater habitat protection for the numerous plant and animal communities.
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Alcatraz IslandSan Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a federal prison that seized operations in the 1960s. Today the small island is open for tours.
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Ball’s Bluff Battlefield Regional ParkBall's Bluff Rd NE, Leesburg, VA 20176, USA
Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park and National Cemetery is a battlefield area and a United States National Cemetery located northeast of Leesburg, Virginia. The cemetery is the third smallest national cemetery in the United States. Fifty-four Union Army dead from the Battle of Ball's Bluff is interred in 25 graves in the half-acre plot.
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Bonnet House Museum & Gardens900 N Birch Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304, USA
A historic home in Fort Lauderdale. The property was originally acquired in 1895 by Hugh Taylor Birch, a successful Chicago lawyer, and given to his daughter Helen and her husband, artist Frederic Clay Bartlett, as a wedding gift in 1919. The principal buildings include; the main house, an art studio, a music studio and a guest house. They are all of vernacular architecture, designed by Bartlett. The estate is 35.4 acres (14.3 ha). It includes 100 feet (30 m) of beach.
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Bradbury Building304 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013, USA
An architectural landmark in downtown Los Angeles. Built in 1893, the five-story office building is best known for its extraordinary skylit atrium of access walkways, stairs and elevators, and their ornate ironwork.
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Desert View WatchtowerGrand Canyon Village, AZ 86023, USA
It is a 70-foot-tall circular structure called Desert View Watchtower, also known as the Indian Watchtower, that grabs the attention of the many who visit the area. The building was strategically designed by Mary Colter in 1932. This magnificent structure offers one of the most spectacular views that overlook the eastern end of the Grand Canyon National Park.
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©Bloodofox ,I, the copyrig...
Double Barrel Cannon301 College Ave, Athens, GA 30601, USA
The double-barreled cannon is an American Civil War-era experimental weapon and is now a modern landmark located in Athens, Georgia. While originally built for warfare, the cannon never saw battle.
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Fort Frederica National Monument6515 Frederica Rd, St Simons, GA 31522, USA
Fort Frederica National Monument, on St. Simons Island, Georgia, preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort and town built by James Oglethorpe between 1736 and 1748 to protect the southern boundary of the British colony of Georgia from Spanish raids. About 630 British troops were stationed at the fort.
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Golden Gate BridgeGolden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA, USA
One of the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world, and one which definitely is most photographed.
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Hollywood SignLos Angeles, CA 90068, USA
American landmark and cultural icon overlooking Hollywood. "HOLLYWOOD" is spelled out in 45-foot (13.7 m) tall white capital letters and is 350 feet (106.7 m) long. Visitors can hike to the sign.
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Horton HouseRiverview Dr, Jekyll Island, GA 31527, USA
Horton House is a historic site on Riverview Drive in Jekyll Island, Georgia which was originally constructed in 1743 by Major William Horton, a top military aide to General James Oglethorpe. This structure has been meticulously preserved over the past 100 years as an example of coastal Georgia building techniques and as one of the oldest surviving buildings in the state.
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Ironwood Forest National MonumentInterstate 10, Tucson, AZ 85756, USA
Ironwood Forest National Monument is located in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. A significant concentration of ironwood trees is found in the monument, along with two federally recognized endangered animal and plant species. More than 200 Hohokam and Paleo-Indian archaeological sites have been identified in the monument, dated between 600 and 1450.
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Jerome State Historic Park100 Douglas Rd, Jerome, AZ 86331, USA
Jerome State Historic Park is a state park of Arizona, US, featuring the Douglas Mansion, built in 1916 by a family of influential mining entrepreneurs in Jerome, Arizona, a mining region in the northeast of the Black Hills, east Yavapai County. A museum is located in the old Douglas Mansion.
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John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza646 Main St, Dallas, TX 75202, USA
This is a monument of the former United States President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas. It lies in the block bounded by Main, Record, Commerce, and Market Streets. A historically important place and a lot of people comes this place and spend some valuable time here.
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Kingsley Plantation11676 Palmetto Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32226, USA
Site of a former estate that was named for an early owner, Zephaniah Kingsley, who spent 25 years there. The plantation was originally 1,000 acres (4.0 km2), most of which has been taken over by forest; the structures and grounds of the park now comprise approximately 60 acres (242,811.385 m2). The most prominent features of Kingsley Plantation are the owner's house—a structure of architectural significance built probably between 1797 and 1798 that is cited as being the oldest surviving plantati
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Montezuma Castle National MonumentMontezuma Castle Rd, Camp Verde, AZ, USA
Montezuma Castle National Monument protects a set of well-preserved dwellings located in Camp Verde, Arizona which was built and used by the Sinagua people, a pre-Colombian culture closely related to the Hohokam and other indigenous peoples of the southwestern United States.
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Home Uncategories Lanao del Norte | An Underrated Destination for Food, Culture, and Adventure
on Monday, January 28, 2019
lovettejam Monday, January 28, 2019 Add Comment Edit
When traveling to Mindanao, do yourself a favor: don't forget Lanao del Norte. During a recent trip to the province with the Iligan Bloggers Society fambam, it was easy to see why Lanao del Norte is growing in popularity for foodie spots, culture, sports venues, and adventure. Our two days in LDN were a whirlwind of activities with fragments of insights and reflections.
We stayed in Mindanao Civic Center Hotel, a government-owned accommodation in the provincial capital. Located along the National Highway, it's a few minutes' ride from Tubod Bus Terminal and just a short walk away from Mindanao Civic Center Sports Complex. Please check back here soon for a more detailed hotel review.
In the meantime, here's a short video of MCC Hotel's amenities and facilities:
If you are up for a gastronomic adventure, Lanao del Norte will not disappoint. It is home to many homegrown restaurants and cafes. We were able to try a few foodie spots.
Andrew's Pizza
This homegrown pizzeria started in the municipality of Tubod. They are known for their simple, fresh, heart-warming pizza. It's no surprise that they soon branched out to Maranding and then recently in Iligan City. They also have Andrew's Casual Fine Dining and Brew Bros. Coffee within the complex.
📍 Dela Cruz Bldg., Cabili Ave., Tubod, Lanao del Norte
💻 https://www.facebook.com/AndrewsPizzaChain
Soy Cafe and Diner
Another homegrown cafe in Lanao del Norte is Soy Cafe and Diner in the municipality of Lala. It is known for their modern Filipino and fusion cuisine.
We got to try their bestsellers: Baby back ribs (Php 199), shrimp pasta (Php170), and halo-halo (Php 95). Great value for money!
Bonus points for the instagrammable portions of this quaint shop. 😊
📍 Maranding, Lala, Lanao del Norte
💻 https://www.facebook.com/soycafeanddiner
Campilan Bakery and Barbecue
Campilan Bakery has been in the food industry since the 1960s.
Fun fact: They still use a traditional brick oven, locally known as pugon, that has been built way back when they started. It just needed repair after Typhoon Vinta last year.
The bakery is popular for their ensaymada, a soft, sweet bread covered with butter and sugar topped with lots of grated cheese. Unfortunately, it was sold out when we got there – definitely a good reason to come back.
We were able to try the grilled food for dinner though. What struck me was the distinct taste of each of the menu items. They don’t use generic marinade; neither do they use uniform marinades. The meat is tender and rich in flavor with fresh garlic and spices.
📍 National Highway, Maranding, Lala, Lanao Del Norte
Other Foodstuff to Try
Being home to people of diverse culture, Lanao del Norte is also a melting pot of delicious cuisine. People from different backgrounds settle in the province, bringing and sharing their native culture's flavors and foods. There were so many other food that we wanted to try but unfortunately, 2 days is not enough to fully experience the gastronomic adventure the province has to offer. We wanted to try the crabs from Lala, the seafood in Mukas, the lechon of Lanao, and the Meranao dishes from the predominantly Muslim municipalities. So perhaps for our future visits…
Lanao del Norte is blessed with natural and man-made wonders. Here are some places of interest to visit:
Pikalawag Beach, Sultan Naga Dimaporo
Sultan Naga Dimaporo is gaining popularity recently for its inflatable waterpark. It also offers water adventures like banana boat, kayak, and flying fish to satisfy your need for adrenaline rush.
The beach is a little more than an hour away south bound from Capital town Tubod, Lanao del Norte.
La Libertad Lake Adventure, Kapatagan
For those looking for a rather laid-back type of adventure, there’s La Libertad Lake Adventure in Kapatagan. At Php 75 per hour (Php 50 / head for 30 minutes), you can try the swan pedal boat or kayak boat and roam around the lake.
Cathedral Falls, Kapatagan
Cathedral Falls, located in Brgy. Waterfalls, Kapatagan, is one of the most accessible waterfalls in the country. It is along the access road. No trekking involved! It got its name from its unique rock wall that resembles a pipe organ often found in cathedrals.
Mindanao Civic Center, Tubod
Mindanao Civic Center (MCC) in Tubod is a 71-hectare integrated complex which houses a hotel, cafeteria, gym, swimming pool, oval, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts, baseball field, and other sports facilities. MCC also hosts several motocross events, giving the province its moniker of “Motocross Capital of the Philippines.”
Dapit Alim, Tubod
Dapit Alim is a Cebuano word which has a triple meaning of place, invitation, and nearness. "Alim" translates to heal, the word "Alima" meaning to care. Dapit Alim is therefore a place, invitation, and nearness to healing. This shrine in Tubod is a perfect place for prayer, contemplation, meditation, and for retreats.
Pagayawan Falls, Bacolod
Pagayawan Falls in Bacolod is a sight to behold. It is located about 10- to 15 minutes’ drive from the town proper. There is already a paved access road to the viewing deck. This is also the proposed power source of a hydroelectric power plant to be constructed soon in the area, a project initiated by the LGU through the assistance of an international organization.
Boardwalk, Kauswagan
Another tourist spot in Lanao del Norte is the longest boardwalk marine ecotourism park in Kauswagan. It’s perfect for sunset watching.
The Land of Beauty and Bounty celebrates several festivals in different municipalities all year round. The locals, however, highly suggest visiting in July in time for Sagayan Festival and the celebration of Araw ng Lanao del Norte. It is highlighted by a world-class fireworks display, aptly called “Ilaw ng Lanao del Norte.”
The People of Lanao del Norte
After going about the province, I realized that the strength of Lanao del Norte is its people. Lanao del Norte may not have towering skyscrapers or humongous amusement parks, but they certainly have the warmest and most welcoming people here. Like my hometown, Iligan City (which used to be part of the province), Lanao del Norte is home to people of rich and diverse culture. Christians and Muslims here live a harmonious and peaceful life. They are bounded by mutual respect for differences in culture and religious beliefs.
While the population of the province is predominantly Christian, the influence of Meranao is evident in their arts and crafts. While Lanao del Norte is known for excelling in festivals such as Sinulog (Christian), they don’t forget to highlight the Meranao culture in their furniture and decorations.
Stewards of Unity and Peace
The people here all work together to safeguard peace. After all of the struggles and challenges, Lanao del Norte remains strong and united. We chanced upon a gathering of locals to discuss issues that will potentially affect everyone in the province. I appreciated that everyone, regardless of culture and religious belief, went out to participate in the discussion.
Our quick visit also made us appreciate the incredible resilience of the people. Last year may have been one of the worst times for Lanao del Norte. Marawi Siege happened in their closest neighbor, Lanao del Sur. And in late 2017, a few municipalities in the province were severely devastated by Typhoon Vinta. Barely a year after, the province is now back to its feet, with everyone helping each other to move forward. It’s inspiring and enlightening to see the people, regardless of culture and religious belief, caring and looking out for each other.
Trust me, there’s so much more to Lanao del Norte than this single blog post. The rest is for you to explore.
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Neighborhood Bar
The success of a new bar/restaurant in the West University neighborhood is spurring complaints
Along with many neighbors of the establishment, in 1988, Dave Devine--as executive director of the West University Neighborhood Association--vigorously opposed both the building plans and liquor license for the Two Pesos restaurant. While working on this story, he talked to some of those same people previously involved about the current situation.
A rezoning time bomb planted three decades ago in the West University neighborhood has recently exploded, and residents are calling for government assistance--even as the businessman involved claims he has done nothing wrong.
The owners of Guzano Rojo's, at the corner of Euclid Avenue and University Boulevard, went before the Tucson City Council for review of their state liquor license application before they even opened. They were asking for a restaurant liquor license, but were opposed by a few of their immediate neighbors.
"I see no reason to have a liquor license on a residential block," Bridget Werchan told the council, saying she believes Euclid should be a dividing line between University area businesses and nearby residences. "It's unnecessary in a place where families live."
Rejecting that plea at the suggestion of Fred Ronstadt, who represents the neighborhood, the council voted 6-1 to recommend the state approve the license. Ronstadt based his motion in part on the fact that the West University Neighborhood Association had not formally voiced an opinion on the application. Due to a recent change in officers of the neighborhood association, paperwork was mishandled and the issue was never presented to the WUNA board.
"I'm really not happy with Fred about this," says WUNA president Robert Morrison. "We're adamantly opposed to this license."
That miscue was followed by several others. When Guzano Rojo's opened in May, with large ads in the Weekly promoting mostly drink specials, it drew big, late-night crowds that generated loud noise, vandalism and litter complaints from surrounding residents. The establishment also got the immediate attention of the Tucson Police Department.
"It looked to be a bar with a bar type atmosphere. The music was at nightclub volume," one officer wrote in his report.
"We're a restaurant," insists owner Matthew Ward. "At first, the kitchen was closing at 10 p.m., but now stays open until 1 a.m."
The difference between a restaurant, which legally must garner 40 percent of its business from food sales, and a bar is critical. Guzano Rojo's obtained a restaurant liquor license and can be audited by the state for compliance. Under the law that review can't occur until the establishment has been operating for one year.
In its first six weeks, Ward reports that the police visited Guzano Rojo's nine times. On one of those occasions, they cited Ward and a 19-year old girl for underage drinking. On another visit, officers were forcibly prevented from entering the premises, then handcuffed the staff member who tried to keep them out.
Another problem arose over the number of people patronizing Guzano Rojo's, particularly those using its patio area. Ward had received temporary approval from the Tucson Fire Department for a maximum occupancy of 240, and the police reported more than 200 people present around midnight on several occasions.
The department conducted further research into the case, and lowered Guzano Rojo's legal limit to 82 people three weeks ago. Despite that restriction, in the early morning hours a few days later, one police officer stopped counting at 190 patrons.
Ward disputes that figure, saying there were only 85 in the establishment. He also indicates he has applied for permanent permission to increase his occupancy to 240 while trying to lower the noise volume from music.
That last step apparently impressed one police officer, who recently said, "I did not feel the business could or should be tagged with a notice of public nuisance."
Bridget Werchan, a seven-year resident of the neighborhood who lives close to the business, sees it differently. She says there are frequently loud and unruly people going by her house late at night. This problem will likely worsen in August, when a new state law allowing the sale of alcohol until 2 a.m. goes into effect.
"Its just terrible. Who wants to live down the street from that many people?" asks the mother of three young children.
Similar comments were heard back in the 1970s, when the Stray Cat bar held sway on the same property. Housed in an old, Greek-revival style church, the business sat next to residences, because in an attempt to save the building after the church lost its congregation, the City Council rezoned the land to allow a bar.
Problems between bar patrons and nearby residents immediately developed, with residents complaining of late-night noise and of having to pick up beer bottles from their yards. The conflicts continued until the building burned down under suspicious circumstances in 1983. Four years later, the city had the rotting remains removed.
While the structure may have disappeared, the commercial zoning remained, and a new business sprang up. Two Pesos restaurant was vehemently opposed by the neighborhood association, but because it had the proper zoning, the state granted it a liquor license. Problems occurred at first, but during the last several years, Two Pesos and its successors didn't generate many complaints.
Now comes Guzano Rojo's on the same site. Based on its short but colorful history, at Werchan's request, the state will review the liquor license.
That prospect doesn't concern Ward; "We haven't done anything wrong," is what he says he'll tell the Arizona liquor control board, adding that he wants to work with his neighbors so that they can co-exist.
Werchan, though, points to the police reports, neighborhood complaints, discrepancies on its application and patrons who reportedly take alcohol out of the business as reasons to revoke the liquor license. But if that's not possible, she offers a compromise.
"If it's kept to 82 patrons, I'm cool with that. But 200 or more, no way," she says.
Speaking of Guzano Rojo , Business
Debt Collectors Have Made a Fortune This Year. Now They’re Coming for More.
By ProPublica, Paul Kiel and Jeff Ernsthausen
Local Business Owners Suffer As PPP Loans Runs Dry
By Austin Counts
Businesses Running Out of Time, as Delays Plague Week-Old Loan Program
By Christopher Scragg/Cronkite News
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Professor in Florida says COVID-19 mutations will continue, but vaccines should still work
At least 50 cases of the Coronavirus mutation have been found in the United States, and almost half are in Florida.
By: WFTS Staff
TAMPA, Fla. — At least 50 cases of the Coronavirus mutation have been found in the United States, and almost half are in Florida.
But USF Professor Dr. Tom Unnasch says the virus is very good at what it does. Mutate.
“It’s not really a big surprise that we are starting to see these variants that are coming up that are making the virus more efficient," says Unnasch.
Experts say this mutation, first discovered in the UK is much more contagious than the original.
But Dr. Unnasch he’s confident the Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations will work against it.
“It’s probably going to take those companies less than a week to modify that vaccine and get a new version out that will now attack the new mutated version.”
Dr. Unnasch says it’s likely there are more than 22 cases of the variant detected in Florida so far.
And he says mutations of this virus won’t end anytime soon.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a game of whack-a-mole like we have with influenza. Everybody has to get a new shot with influenza every year because it mutates every year.”
Despite the new challenges, Dr. Unnasch says he’s optimistic about how science is dealing with the pandemic.
But he does want to see the logistics of getting people vaccinated improve.
“The more people we can vaccinate and the more rapidly we can get them vaccinated, the more pressure we are going to put on the virus. And we may be able to push this down to a point where it’s not much of a health problem anymore.”
New research confirmed the Pfizer vaccine can protect against the mutation.
But it hasn’t been reviewed yet by outside experts.
This story was first published by Erik Waxler at WFTS in Tampa Bay, Florida.
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Will coronavirus pandemic make 'Dry January' more difficult?
For many folks, it's last call to start the new year. They're taking part in "Dry January," an effort to give up drinking alcohol for a month. But the COVID-19 pandemic could make that difficult.
By: WPTV Staff
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — For many folks, it's the last call to start the new year.
They're taking part in "Dry January," an effort to give up drinking alcohol for a month. But the COVID-19 pandemic could make that difficult.
Iain Patterson admits 2020 wasn’t quite the year to toast to, but still, he found himself indulging in a few extra drinks a week.
"Especially over COVID, I found it was really a way to unwind at the end of the day. A couple of beers, a glass of wine," Patterson said.
Patterson isn't alone. A study published by the Rand Corporation in the fall revealed that Americans were drinking 14% more in 2020.
"I remember the beginning it was Zoom happy hours. It was listening to bands and all your friends were on the Zoom together," Patterson said.
After the summer, Patterson said he and his wife decided to scale it back. Now he’s taking a shot of sobriety. It’s called "Dry January," 31 days of no alcohol.
"I think it’s a great way to kick off the year health-wise and then also work-wise," Patterson said. "It gives you a mental focus to shift to your goals and what you want to achieve for that year."
"I say go for it," said Tanya Young Williams, the CEO of Pivot Treatment Centers. "I encourage people to take this moment and measure their relationship with alcohol. Step back and see how it is impacting you emotionally, physically, and psychologically."
Young Williams said she’s heard from clients about the difficulties of staying sober through the pandemic and national unrest. Still, she said every day counts.
"I understand times are hard, but as we tell people in groups, it is merely a setback you can continue on your path to recovery," Young Williams said.
This story was first published by Sabirah Rayford at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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How Industrial IoT Applications Are Shaping Our Future
By Jeff McGehee
In case you missed it, we’re in the middle of what the World Economic Forum calls the Fourth Industrial Revolution–and what's turning out to be the era of the internet of things.
Wonder how we got here? Here’s a recap:
The First Industrial Revolution marked the initial shift to factories and mass production, powered largely by water and steam.
The second used electric power for mass production.
The third, the digital revolution, used electronics and information technology to automate production. This is where we began to move from mechanical and analog to digital, setting the stage for the fourth, where we are now.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has ushered in the age of smart manufacturing (or intelligent manufacturing) which focuses on harnessing the power of digitization–hence, the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Now, in terms of the industrial IoT, GE has certainly put a stake in the ground. It led Enterprise Management 360’s (EM360) list of top IIoT companies. GE also offers one of the best definitions of IIoT we’ve seen:
[IIoT], also known as the Industrial Internet, brings together brilliant machines, advanced analytics, and people at work. It’s the network of a multitude of devices connected by communications technologies that results in systems that can monitor, collect, exchange, analyze, and deliver valuable new insights like never before. These insights can then help drive smarter, faster business decisions for industrial companies.
GE, along with AT&T, Cisco, Intel, and IBM, is a founding member of the Industrial Internet of Things Consortium, whose motto is “things are coming together.”
Indeed, they are.
Forbes contributor Louis Columbus, principal at IQMS, reports that the global IoT market is predicted to grow from $2.99 trillion in 2014 to $8.9 trillion in 2020.
Industrial manufacturing is expected to increase from $472 billion to $890 billion over the same period–the largest portion of global IoT spending.
In honor of the fourth industrial revolution, we’ll take a brief look at four examples, starting with what may be one of the most fascinating IIoT applications, the digital twin.
Digital Twins in Manufacturing
Broadly speaking, “digital twin technology” refers to the digital representations–or counterparts–of physical objects. (The term isn’t completely universal yet; Hitachi, calls them asset avatars.)
Roughly half of large industrial companies will be using digital twins by 2021, Gartner predicts. Gartner is, to say the least, bullish on twins: Last year it included digital twins in its Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2017.
Think of it as the nexus of big data meets big manufacturing. Digital twins make predictive maintenance easier, and provide visualization capabilities to improve efficiency. But successful deployment of digital twins demands continuous updating of data collection capabilities and curating, as well as adaptive analytics and algorithms, according to Gartner.
If we have to pick just one example of this, we'll go with GE’s Predix platform. (According to EM360, Predix is the first IIoT platform and the largest in the world.)
Predix has enabled the creation of digital twins for everything from car engines to power turbines. In fact, according to Deborah Sherry, VP and Chief Commercial Officer at GE Digital, the company has nearly a million digital twins in place It provides a digital twin for every piece of equipment. For example, each jet engine has one. Each engine tracks 5,000 parameters from 24 sensors. This means a company can predict what happens to the engine and when it will need maintenance, according to an interview on the IOT Institute website.
And, adds Sherry, “If you determine what a repair should look like, you can simulate it with a digital twin to make sure it is going to work. And then you send the right technician, at the right time, with the right tools.”
Predictive maintenance may end up being best thing to come out of IIoT technology, and it’s not limited to digital twins. It makes it possible to pinpoint when equipment needs to be repaired or replaced, avoiding damage and/or downtime. That has tremendous implications for many industries, including agriculture.
Farming the Future
Predictive maintenance is making a significant difference in farming equipment. Take, for example, John Deere. Farming vehicles are digitally connected to the JDLink platform, providing access to location, utilization, and diagnostic data for each machine.
In addition, location data ensures tractors do not overlap when seeding or fertilizing. As an AIG case example points out, networked sensors and historical and real-time data on weather, soil conditions, and crop status help farmers make informed decisions, including those about planting and harvesting. John Deere calls this “agronomic optimization.”
John Deere is also deploying IIoT technology–perhaps most interestingly, with self-driving tractors, according to Internet of Things Institute.
This image is courtesy of www.newgenapps.com.
Improving the supply chain
IIoT can provide access to real-time supply chain information by tracking materials, equipment, and products as they move through the supply chain.
With embedded IoT sensors, equipment can communicate data about parameters such as the temperature and usage of the machine, according to Gartner. And it can adjust equipment settings and process workflow as needed, optimizing performance across the supply chain.
Here, we have to point–as we often do–to Maersk.
Shipping millions of containers to 120+ countries, Maersk uses the IIoT to keep track of its assets, manage fuel consumption, and optimize the routes of its ships, according to a Bloomberg News profile. This has been especially useful for refrigerated containers, which require strict temperature control.
And the next industrial IoT application from Maersk, according to the article? Autonomous, self-sailing ships. That could reduce error (most maritime errors are human errors), solve the problem of workforce shortages, save money the cost of housing and paying sailors, and convert crew space to cargo space.
By 2020, the size of the IIoT in the utilities market is predicted to reach nearly $12 billion, according to a Research and Markets report.
On the relatively simple side, we have smart meters, Business Insider reports, that utility companies, including California’s PG&E, are starting to use. Smart meters track customers’ energy usage and communicate that to the utility company. This gives the company the data to help it predict demand, identify outages sooner and know when repairs are needed. .
Real-Time Innovations (RTI), along with its partners National Instruments, Cisco, and Wipro, has developed a smart-grid technology that divides the power grid into an array of microgrids that can each be managed independently. This application won the 2016 Industrial Internet Consortium Testbed Award.
Microgrids may operate independently, but they interact with existing grid infrastructure. Among the benefits: more efficient integration of solar and wind into the grid. “The traditional monolithic method of transmitting electric power is simply not up to the task of managing a grid that derives most of its power from renewable sources,” according to IIoT Institute.
And of course, it allows for predictive maintenance and safety oversight.
And Desktop Fish Tanks?
By embracing IIoT, companies are streamlining processes, reducing downtime, and using data to make smarter–and faster–business decisions. And it’s only going to expand. From warehousing, to automotive manufacturing, from worker safety, to protecting the environment, the IIoT is poised to change everything.
Reach out to our team today, and learn how Very can help your team gain new insights through IIoT.
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People Reveal the Worst Lies They Ever Told to Impress a Crush
A fake British accent, a dead ex, and other alternative facts.
by Emalie Marthe
Photo by Robert Zaleski, courtesy of Stocksy
Everyone tries to impress first dates or crushes, but what happens when a small fib gets out of hand? In honor of the new era of "alternative facts," Broadly asked people to name the worst lie they ever told a crush and tell us if they got away with it.
The Girl Who Pretended to Be British
I was nervous on a first date once—so nervous that I greeted the guy in a British accent when I met him. (I do not know why that came out of my mouth.) When he asked me about my voice, I was like, "Yeah, I'm British. I'm from… Greenwich." It's the only town I could think of! We spent the rest of the date talking about how British I was. Mind you, I have a terrible British accent. We didn't go on a second date.
Read more: Smoking Weed Won't Give You Anxiety
The Girl Who Pretended to Do Yoga
I have a friend that was set up on a blind date with a guy who was all about Yoga. When she met him, she was so taken aback by his hotness that she proceeded to spew lies about her own devotion to yoga. She managed to keep up the pretense for a few dates until he surprised her with a picnic on the beach and then invited her to assume a certain pose with him as the sun set. She tried to mimic his pose, failed miserably, and almost immediately collapsed onto the sand just in time for the tide to hit her in the face. She was forced to come clean, and he was less than impressed. They didn't see each other again.
-Allie*
Photo by Studio Firma via Stocksy
The Guy Who Pretended to Be a Street Artist
I once met a Danish girl at a party who was really into street art back home in Denmark. I asked her if she'd seen the movie Exit Through the Gift Shop about Bansky, and her eyes lit up. It was her favorite movie. What a coincidence! I loved that movie too, I told her. We talked for hours about Banksy and street art, the philosophy of street art, our favorite styles of street art-ing, and the craziest street arts we had ever pulled off in the dead of night. I don't know if it was the language barrier, or if street art is just really easy to bullshit about, but we spent the night together. I still have never watched the movie, spraypainted graffiti on a wall, or even seen a Banksy painting.
For More Stories Like This, Sign Up for Our Newsletter
The Girl With The "Dead" Boyfriend
A girl I knew in college wanted to avoid telling the guy she was dating that she'd never been in a relationship, so she made up that her previous boyfriend left her to join the Navy. She then realized she would have to find a way to keep her boyfriend from mentioning her previous "love" to her parents, so she said they had been engaged until he died in a naval accident. They did not discuss him to spare her feelings. Eventually the lie got so out of hand that it became impossible to believe and taxing for her to keep up. (She was skipping class to mourn the anniversary of his "death.") Some other friends and I had to sit her down and tell her how obvious the lie was. We urged her to tell the truth. She tried to keep the lie going for another week.
-Sara*
The Fake Brother
When I was a high school freshman, I didn't know anybody because I had just moved to the States. At one of the first parties I was invited to, I chatted with a super hot senior whom I had a major crush on. Right as I had caught his attention, my dad called to let me know he was in the driveway to pick me up. My crush saw it go down and asked who was picking me up and why I had to leave. I was embarrassed that my dad had come, so I lied and said I had an older brother who was coming to get me to go hang out with him and his friends. The rest of freshman year whenever I interacted with my crush (nothing ever happened), I had to remember to pretend that I had an older brother.
-Sophie
The Girl Who Pretended to Be Kosher
I told a date that I was kosher (I'm Jewish, and I thought it would make me sound more interesting). It backfired immediately when he pointed out that we were eating a pepperoni pizza.
-Rachel*
*Name has been changed.
Tagged:LoveFeminismewomenDatingrelationshipsCrushesshortform editorialBroadly SexBroadly DatingBroadly Relationships
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Home > view all films > Fire on the Mountain
Fire on the Mountain tells the heroic and gripping story of America's 10th Mountain Division during World War II. A highly specialized gatheri
A Film by Beth and George Gage
Item #:FIR-922
All Institutions & Organizations - $95
Fire on the Mountain tells the heroic and gripping story of America's 10th Mountain Division during World War II. A highly specialized gathering of the world's finest skiers and mountain climbers, the 10th Mountain Division was assembled and underwent grueling high altitude training as Germany strengthened its hold on the mountainous regions of northern Italy.
Once deployed, its fourteen thousand soldiers ascended the supposedly impenetrable Riva Ridge of Italy's Apennine range, ambushing and defeating a key German stronghold and pushing Nazi forces into retreat.
Now largely recognized for being the strongest single force in defeating the German army in Italy, the 10th Mountain Division is also remembered for creating the men who went on to found much of America's conservation movement. Former soldier and the Sierra Club's first executive director, world famous conservationist David Brower, tells of how his inspiration was drawn from his time spent with the division.
"Bracing exploits, hearty outdoorsmen powerfully captured on film. A spirit of brotherhood and a love of the wilderness permanently changed their lives."
"One of the Century's most remarkable sagas...an amazing story."
— Chicago Tribune
"Among the best documentaries about skiing ever filmed!"
— Snow Country Magazine
Telluride Mountain Film, Grand Prize
International Ski History Association, Special Award Winner
The Good Fight: The Martin Litton Story
Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives - Special Edition
global studies > World History
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Jonathan Fire*Eater - Tremble Under Boom Lights [LP] (black vinyl, bonus track)
In a world chock full of flame-outs, coulda-been contenders and great white hopes, the band Jonathan Fire*Eater are among the ''almost-est.'' Widely praised as the mid-Nineties next-big-thing, they are largely credited with being the earliest purveyors of the ''New York City Rock and Roll Revival'' circa 2001. Which would be great, if only the band hadn't imploded by 1998.
The quintet employed a fresh, one-of-a-kind blend of sly rock and roll reference and reverence. Their press release at the time name-dropped all the correct and relevant influences...the Stooges, the Modern Lovers, Tom Waits, the Scientists, ? and the Mysterians, the Cramps, Nation of Ulysses, the Stones, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...all markers conveying the point that Fire-Eater's dark, brooding overtones are complemented by springy Farfisa tones and impressionistic, evocative lyrics.
The band was inarguably in top form with the 1996 EP release of Tremble Under Boom Lights. Mean and lean at only five tracks, those songs click together perfectly, enough so to kick-start a major label bidding frenzy which found the band signing a lucrative, seven-figure contract. Showcasing lead singer Stewart Lupton's redolent exercises in picturesque poetry, coupled with Matt Barrick's inimitable percussive attack, Paul Maroon's wide, unadorned guitar blistering throughout while Walter Martin's choice, deliberate organ accompaniment and Tom Frank's propulsive, bottom-heavy bass all join together for a full, beautiful, glorious masterpiece.
Lead-off track ''The Search For Cherry Red'' would not only provide the EP with a title via its lyrics, but would also see a second life as covered by esteemed rock-and-rollers The Kills. ''Give Me Daughters'' is enviable for the perspective it foresees, when taking into consideration its narrator was barely 21 years old at the time. Songs flit about cockfights, open caskets, ballroom gowns, switchblades, motorcycle accidents and jewel thieves all to propel the record into a world of juvenile delinquent attitude and vivid cinematic color.
For the Japanese release of Tremble Under Boom Lights, the five-song running order was accentuated with four bonus tracks...three songs from the band's 1995 debut single and a spritely cover of the Lee Hazelwood gem ''The City Never Sleeps.''
With the 2019 reissue, Third Man Records is proud to make these seminal songs available digitally and on vinyl for the first time in over two decades. All parties involved are beyond overjoyed to augment the running order of the Japanese version of Tremble Under Boom Lights to include the bonus track ''In the Head.'' Touted by the band members as the last song they ever recorded, it is wincingly brilliant, the most artful, dudes-in-their-early-twenties version of a swan song that one may ever hear.
After the break-up, Barrick, Maroon and Martin would go on to form the backbone of the Walkmen and enjoy a solid run with their seven full-length releases. All three are still active in the music business today. Frank went on to a career in journalism, writing for Vanity Fair and acting as contributing editor for Washington Monthly. Despite struggling with addiction for years, Stewart Lupton notched solid efforts with his bands the Child Ballads and the Beatings. Lupton passed away suddenly on May 27th, 2018 at the age of 43.
* Hometown: New York, NY
* PR: Big Hassle
* First reissue since original 1996 release
* Includes In the Head (previously unreleased)
* Lead track ''The Search For Cherry Red'' covered by The Kills in later years
* Highly influential release from the ground floor of New York's new rock scene of the late '90s/early 2000s
Direct-to-board LP jacket, standard weight vinyl
1. The Search For Cherry Red
2. Make It Precious
3. Give Me Daughters
4. The Beautician
5. Winston Plum: Undertaker
6. The Public Hanging of a Movie Star
7. The Cakewalk of Crime
8. When Prince Was a Kid
9. The City Never Sleeps
10. In the Head (previously unreleased)
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Relive Alabama's title Make Mondays better 🏈's best, via 📧 🏈 + ❄️ + 🌧️ = 💯
Blue Jays to play their “home” games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh this season
Bob Nightengale
The Toronto Blue Jays, the only Major League Baseball team not permitted to play their home games at their own ballpark this season, finally have a place to call home for the summer.
Pittsburgh has never looked so beautiful.
The Blue Jays have reached an agreement with the Pirates to play as many as 28 of their 30 home games at PNC Park this summer, a high-ranking baseball official told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the decision has not been publicly announced.
The Blue Jays will play two of their originally scheduled home games against the Nationals at their ballpark in Washington, D.C. on July 29-30, simply staying put after playing two road games at Nationals Park on July 27-28. They will also play a “home’’ series against the Yankees in September at Yankee Stadium.
The Blue Jays were denied permission by the Canadian government last weekend playing games in Toronto, forcing the move.
The Blue Jays considered playing in nearby Buffalo at one point, but the players strongly objected, wanting to play in a major-league facility.
POWER RANKINGS: Which team starts the season at No. 1?
PREDICTIONS: 60-game sprint to the World Series
“Most guys don’t want to play in a AAA ballpark,’’ Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk said on a teleconference call Tuesday. “Training room, weight room, those aren’t really up to big-league standards.”
The Blue Jays now can stay in downtown Pittsburgh, walking distance from the ballpark, while keeping their taxi squad in Buffalo, a three-hour drive away.
And just like that, the Blue Jays have become the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball, a traveling show with no home.
“I’m almost treating it as a two-month, on-the-road exploration somewhere,’’ Blue Jays infielder Joe Panik told reporters on a teleconference call this week. “From years past, me and my wife always pack up a car and ship it out with all the home stuff. Now it’s clothes and telling my wife I’ll see you wherever I see you. …
“It’s not a joking matter, but we kind of laugh about it, the way 2020 has gone in so many different ways. When I played (in Toronto) last year on the road, I fell in love with the city, being able to walk around the city, go to the ballpark. It was a fun place to be. Now that we’re not going to be able to play here is disappointing.
“The guys in that clubhouse, that is what is going to help us get through the 60 games no matter what. We’re going to be spending most of the time with each other, we have a good group in there and that’s what is going to get us through the time.”
Follow Nightengale on Twitter: @Bnightengale
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Kasparov on the King's Indian - 2 DVDs - Chess Lecture - Volume 115
by IM John Paul-Wallace
Product Code: DVD0115CL
Presented by International Grandmaster John Paul-Wallace for ChessLecture.com
The King's Indian Defense was one of World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov’s important weapons throughout his career. Kasparov introduced innumerable new King's Indian ideas into tournament practice and has won outstanding victories against many of the world's leading players using the KID. In this exciting 8 lecture series John-Paul examines Kasparovs use of the KID in games with Kavalek, Bareev, Kamsky, ljubojevic, Timman, Gheorghiu, Shirov, Kavalek.
2 hours and 42 minutes of instruction and analysis in a series of 8 lectures.
Members of ChessLecture.com rated this series a 4.3 out of 5 ECO: E88, E86, E87, E90, E92, E97
Fans on ChessLecture.com said: Very instructive and the last example was entertaining. It’s good to see Grandmasters making blunders, it gives me hope… 5 stars and added to favs.
IM John-Paul Wallace is from Sydney, Australia currently residing in London, England. John-Paul was the youngest Australian Chess Champion ever at the age of 17 in 1993-94. John-Paul has also won the 2003 Pratt Foundation Australian Open Chess Championship and has represented Australia in two chess Olympiads.
Computer Software and DVDs that come on Physical Media (such as CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMS) can only be returned or exchanged if the product is in its original, shrinkwrapped packaging and has not been installed or used in any way. Once you open the packaging of a Computer Software or DVD title, it can only be exchanged for a new copy of the same title and only if the original media is defective. There are NO exceptions to this rule.
Requires DVD Player
A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. Some DVD players will also play audio CDs. DVD players are connected to a television to watch the DVD content, which could be a movie, a recorded TV show, or other content.
You're reviewing: Kasparov on the King's Indian - 2 DVDs - Chess Lecture - Volume 115
ChessLecture.com
IM John Paul Wallace
ChessLecture.com DVDs
Standard DVD Player
None - Playable Anywhere
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Deering Marriage License, NH
Town of Deering
Marriage License Fee: $50.00
762 Deering Center Road
Deering, NH 03244
Ph:603 464-3224
8:30 a.m. – 2:50 p.m. / M;
8:30 a.m. – 5:50 p.m. / W;
3:00 p.m. – 6:50 P.M. / Th;
9:00 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. / Sa (4th week of the Month)
Marriage Intentions:
Any couple, regardless of gender, wishing to get married may apply for a marriage license at any City/Town Clerk’s Office in the State of New Hampshire. This includes out-of-state residents.
Filing Intentions:
Both parties must appear in person to file marriage intentions, as the signature of each applicant is required. However, if either party (or both) is a member of the armed forces, he or she shall forward an affidavit of marriage intentions, prepared by the armed services legal representative, to the clerk if he or she can not appear in person.
All personal facts relative to both prospective spouses and the parents of each shall be entered accurately on the application. Errors of falsification of any fact can cause great hardship to you at a later date and may make you liable for criminal prosecution
Once the marriage license is issued, the couple is free to marry within any City/Town in the State of New Hampshire.
The marriage license fee is set by RSA 457:29 and payable to the clerk at the time the intentions are filed. Currently, the marriage license fee in the State of New Hampshire is $50. Preferred method of payment is cash. For guidance on additional methods of payment, please call ahead.
Certified copies of the marriage certificate can be obtained for a fee from the City/Town Clerk where the license was filed.
Marriage ID Requirement in NH:
The applicants shall supply to the clerk, prior to the issuance of the marriage license, the following documents:
Proof of age (example – driver’s license, passport, certified birth certificate)
Photo identification (example – driver’s license or passport)
Certified copy of a final divorce decree, if either applicant is divorced.
Certified copy of a civil annulment decree, if the applicant’s previous marriage was annulled (This is a court document).
Certified copy of a death certificate of a former spouse, if either applicant is widowed.
Prior to issuing a marriage license, the clerk shall supply the following brochures to the applicants:
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Brochure
List of Family Planning Services
AIDS Brochure — Now That You’ve Decided to Get Married. (RSA 457:23,111, requires the signatures of both prospective spouses on an affidavit located on the back of the license acknowledging that they have received and discussed the AIDS brochure.)
Marriage Blood Test NH:
No. Blood tests are not required to obtain a marriage license in New Hampshire.
Marriage Residency Requirement:
You do not have to be a resident of New Hampshire.
Marriage Waiting Period in NH:
No. There is no waiting period in New Hampshire.
Marriage License Fee NH:
The fee for a marriage license in Deering, NH is $50. Preferred method of payment is cash. For guidance on additional methods of payment, please call ahead.
Name Change:
Marriage Age Requirements:
A male or female who has reached the age of 18 can marry without parental permission.
A female between the age of 13 and 17 years and a male between the age of 14 and 17 years can be married only with the permission of their parent (guardian) and a waiver.
A female below the age of 13 and a male below the age of 14 are not allowed to marry under any condition.
Age waivers are not allowed for same gender marriages.
The above laws on age apply to NH residents or to non-residents who desire to marry NH residents. If both parties are non-residents and are below the age of 18 they cannot be married in NH under any condition.
Waivers:
When “good/special” cause is shown, waivers may be obtained which can alter certain requirements. Applications are made to the Hillsborough County Superior Court, 30 Spring Street, Nashua, NH 03060. Fees apply.
Age waiver
When either of the applicants is not yet 18 years of age but meets the minimum age requirement (female 13-17 and male 14-17) he/she may request permission to marry from a justice of the superior court of the county in which one of the applicants resides.
The request shall be in writing and the parents or guardian of the applicant shall join in the request.
The applicant requesting the age waiver shall be a resident of this state or marrying a resident of this state.
No age waiver shall be granted to persons below the age of consent (18) if both parties are nonresidents.
No age waivers shall be granted for same gender marriages.
Proxy Marriages:
No. Proxy marriage is not permitted in New Hampshire, so no other party may apply on behalf of either spouse.
Cousin Marriages:
No. Marriage is not permitted in New Hampshire between people who are related by blood as first cousins or in any more direct lineage.
Common Law Marriages:
No. Common law marriages are only recognized in New Hampshire at death for estate/inheritance purposes. (N.H. RSA. 457:39)
The prospective couple will need to produce any necessary documentation such as previous dissolutions or divorces. Both parties in a same-gender marriage must be 18 years of age and there are no age waivers allowed. Out-of-state residents need to be aware that a marriage of two persons of the same gender, performed in New Hampshire, may not be recognized by their state of residence. Applicants are encouraged to review the laws of their home state and/or the laws of a state they intend to move to.
Solemnization:
In New Hampshire, marriages may be performed by:
A Justice of the Peace commissioned in NH
A minister of the gospel in NH who has been ordained according to the usage of his denomination, resides in NH, and is in regular standing with the denomination
A minister within his parish, residing outside NH, but having a pastoral charge wholly or partly in NH
Jewish rabbis who are citizens of the United States and reside in this state
A deacon in the Roman Catholic Church ordained according to the usage of his denomination
Judges of the United States, a US magistrate judge residing in this state pursuant to federal law, clergymen who are not ordained and non-resident Justices of the Peace, ministers or Jewish rabbis, after being licensed by the Secretary of State.
Ceremony:
After the ceremony, it is your officiate’s responsibility to ensure that the completed license is returned to the City/Town Clerk’s Office that you applied with. It will then take approximately 10-14 days for the information to be updated in the vital records system. Please note that out of state officiates will be required to obtain a Special License. For more information about the Special day license, please contact the Secretary of State’s office at 603.271.3242.
Uniform Marriage Recognition:
Residents. If any person residing and intending to continue to reside in this state is prohibited from contracting marriage under the laws of this state and goes into another jurisdiction and there contracts a marriage prohibited and declared void by the laws of this state, such marriage shall be null and void for all purposes in this state, with the same effect as though such prohibited marriage had been entered into in this state.
Nonresidents. No marriage shall be contracted in this state by a party residing and intending to continue to reside in another jurisdiction if such marriage would be voided if contracted in such other jurisdiction, and every marriage contracted in this state in violation hereof shall be null and void.
Expiration Date of Marriage License:
A City/Town Clerk may issue a marriage license to the applicants the same day of the application, provided all signatures and statutory requirements are met (i.e. proof of divorce or death of previous marriage). The license shall be valid for a period of not less than 3 days and not more than 90 days from the date of filing. The marriage license should clearly state the date the license becomes valid as well as the date of expiration. The officiant shall make note of these dates and under no circumstances shall the couple be married before the
valid date or after the expiration date
On application to a justice of the superior court, or a judge of probate within the county where the proposed marriage is to be solemnized, the court for good cause may order the validation date to be shortened.
Copy of Certificate of Marriage:
Bureau of Vital Records
6 Hazen Drive
Please Note: State and county marriage license requirements often change. The above information is for guidance only and should not be regarded as legal advice. Additional information can be found on the New Hampshire Secretary of State website.
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New series premieres Christmas...
Under the Big Sky...
Under the Big Sky wins Regional Murrow
by: Under the Big Sky
HELENA, MT – Under the Big Sky has been honored with a regional Murrow Award for their story with Missoula resident and Paralympian Megan Fisher.
The Under the Big Sky team won the award for Excellence in Video for their feature story “Megan Fisher”. Megan shares her experiences as a young athlete at the University of Montana and the fateful event during her return trip to begin her Sophomore year that would change the course of her life forever. After a devastating car crash on a remote stretch of road in South Dakota, Megan lost a portion of her left leg. With the help of her doctors, friends, family and a special furry companion Megan would use her competitive spirit to not only walk again but run and ride.
Megan’s story has also been nominated for a NW Regional Emmy Award.
National awards will be announced in June and will be presented at the RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Awards Gala on October 12, 2020.
Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards. Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community. Murrow Award winning work demonstrates the excellence that Edward R. Murrow made a standard for the broadcast news profession.
Under The Big Sky® is a storytelling series featuring the interesting people, businesses and stories found across Montana. All segments and stories are available on our YouTube channel and at http://www.underthebigsky.com.
Tags: Bike Race, Biking, Cycling, Gold Medal, Megan Fisher, montana, Outdoors, Paralympian, Paralympics, Racing, under the big sky
http://www.underthebigsky.wpengine.com
Should you ever have a question, please dont hesitate to send a message or reach out on our social media.
Episode 1 Premiers Tonight!!
The Montana Television Network re-launches the Under the Big Sky brand in an exciting and new way. Focusing on first-person storytelling with an emphasis on...
UPDATE: Episode 2 Ready to Roll
It’s been just over three months since the premiere episode of Under the Big Sky was released and we’d like to thank everybody who tuned...
Didn’t get a chance to catch the first episode of Under the Big Sky? Well, you are in luck. The Montana Television Network will air...
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Vomitron
I can't believe this domain was available, either!
I played about two hours of Metroid Fusion tonight. This is the fourth game in the series, and it’s every bit as good as the first three. (Well, I never played the second one, but I hear it was good too!)
By Brett
Why are you here?
This is an entirely unremarkable blog. I would be surprised if you checked it regularly.
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Let’s play games!
Purchases made via links to Amazon.com on this domain may result in a commission to me.
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BACKPACK & BAGS
Masks VR46
VR46 by Dainese back
Please note: when changing country, you will lose the content of your cart.
Prices, currency and shipping costs may vary.
Share the passion
of the academy
2019 La 100 km Dei Campioni
Gulf 12 hours 2019
Training at Galliano Park
The American Race at the Ranch
Un giro al Ranch
Motocross day at the Cavallara MX Park
BE INSPIRED BY THE FANS #vr46tribe
REPLICA HELMET
Triboo Digitale S.r.l. with registered office in Viale Sarca 336, Building 16, 20126 Milan, VAT number/Fiscal code and registration number with the Register of Companies of Milan IT02387250307 (hereinafter also "Triboo") and VR/46 Racing Apparel S.r.l., with registered office in Via F.lli Rosselli, n. 46, VAT number/Fiscal code and registration number with the Register of Companies of Pesaro 02495180412 (hereinafter, the "Partner" and, together with Triboo, the "Owners"), as joint holders of the processing of personal data of users (hereinafter, the "Users") who surf and use the services available on the website www.vr46.com (hereinafter, the "Site" and the "Services") provide below the privacy policy pursuant to art. 13 of EU Regulation 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulation" or the "Applicable Regulations").
This Site and the Services are reserved for people over eighteen years old. The Owners therefore do not collect personal data relating to people under 18 years old. Upon request of the Users, the Owners will promptly delete all personal data involuntarily collected and related to people under 18 years old.
Owners take into the utmost account the right to privacy and the protection of their Users’ personal data. For any information in connection with this privacy policy, Users can contact The Owners at any time, using the following methods:
For Triboo:
- by sending a registered letter to the owner's legal office: Viale Sarca 336, Edificio 16, 20126 Milan;
- by sending an e-mail message to: triboospa@legalmail.it
- by sending a fax to 02 64741401
For the Partner:
- by sending a registered letter to the owner's legal office in Via F.lli Rosselli, No. 46 – 61121 Pesaro (PU);
- by sending an e-mail message to privacy@vr46racing.com;
Users can also contact:
- Triboo's Data Protection Manager (RPD or DPO), whose contact details are: lapo.curinigalletti@triboo.it.
- - The Partner's Data Protection Manager (RPD or DPO), whose contact details are as: privacy@vr46racing.it.
1. Purpose of treatment
Users’ personal data will be treated lawfully by Triboo under art. 6 of the Regulation for the following treatment purposes:
(a) contractual obligations and the provision of the Services to allow the navigation of the Site, that is to comply with the Terms of Use of the Site, which are accepted by the User during the registration phase on the Site and/or during the use of the Services, and comply with specific requests of the User. Users’ data collected by Triboo for the above listed purposes include: first name, last name, tax code, age, home address, gender, e-mail address, as well as any personal information the User may have voluntarily published. Unless the User gives to Triboo a specific and optional consent to process his data for further purposes, User’s personal data will be used by Triboo for the sole purpose of verifying the identity of the User (also by validating the e-mail address), thus avoiding possible scams or abuses, and contacting the User for service purposes only (e.g. sending notifications about the Services). Without prejudice to what stated elsewhere in this privacy policy, in no case Triboo will make the personal data of the Users accessible to other Users and/or third parties.
(b) administrative-accounting purposes, i.e. to carry out organizational, administrative, financial and accounting activities, such as internal organizational activities and functional activities to the fulfillment of contractual and pre-contractual obligations;
(c) legal obligations, that is to fulfill obligations required by the law, by an authority, by a regulation or by European legislation. The provision of the personal data for the above processing purposes is optional but necessary, since the failure to provide them will result in the inability for the User to browse the site, sign up to the Site and take advantage of the Services. The personal data which are necessary for the pursuit of the processing purposes described in this paragraph 1 are indicated with an asterisk within the registration form on the Site.
2. Additional processing purposes: marketing (sending advertising material, direct sales and commercial communication)
With the free and optional consent of the User, some of the User’s personal data (i.e., first name, last nameemail address, home address) may also be processed by the Partner for marketing purposes (sending advertising material, direct sales and commercial communication), i.e. so that the Partner can contact the User by mail, e-mail, telephone (fixed and/or mobile) and/or SMS and/or MMS to propose to the User the purchase of products and/or services offered by the same Partner and/or third-party companies, submit offers, promotions and business opportunities.
In case of non-consensus, the possibility of registering on the Site will not be affected in any way. In the case of consent, the User may at any time revoke it, making a request to the Partner in the manner indicated in the next paragraph 7.
The User can also easily object to further sending of promotional communications by e-mail by clicking on the appropriate link for the withdrawal of consent, which is present in each promotional email. After the consent is revoked, the Partner will send an e-mail to the User to confirm that his consent has been revoked. If the User wish to withdraw the consent to send promotional communications by telephone, but to continue to receive promotional communications via email, or vice versa, he has to send a request to the Holder in the manner indicated in the next paragraph 7. The Partner informs that, as a result of exercising the right of opposition to sending promotional communications by email, it is possible that, for technical and operational reasons (e.g. contact list training already completed shortly before the Opposition Request Is received) the User continues to receive some additional promotional messages. If the User continues to receive promotional messages after 24 hours have passed since the exercise of the right of opposition, he has to report the issue to the Partner, using the contacts indicated in the next paragraph 7.
3. Additional processing purposes: newsletter
With the free and optional consent of the User, some personal data of the User (i.e. first name, last name, address, e-mail address) may also be processed by the Partner for the purpose of sending the newsletter. Therefore, the User will receive from the Partner a periodic newsletter that will contain information in relation to news and promotions within the Site and/or Partner initiatives. In the event of non-consensus, the possibility of registering in the Site will not be affected in any way. In the event of a consent, the User may at any time revoke it making a request to the Owner in the manner indicated in the next paragraph 7. The User can also easily object to further submissions of promotional communications by clicking on the appropriate link for the withdrawal of consent, which is present in each email containing the newsletter. After the consent is revoked, the Partner will send an e-mail to the User to confirm that his consent has been revoked.
4. Additional processing purposes: profiling
With the free and optional consent of the User, the User's personal data (i.e. personal and contact data, as well as information relating to services which the User has expressed his interest in) may be processed by the Partner also for profiling purposes, i.e. to reconstruct the User's tastes and consumption habits by identifying the consumer profile in order to be able to send to the User commercial offers which are consistent with the identified profile. In case of non-consent, the User possibility to subscribe to the Site will not be affected in any way. In case of consent, the User can revoke the same at any time, by making a request to the Partner in the manner indicated in paragraph 7 below.
5. Processing methods and data storage times
The Owners will process the User’s personal data through manual and IT tools, with logic strictly related to the purposes themselves and, in any case, in order to guarantee the security and confidentiality of the data. Users' personal data will be kept for the time strictly necessary to carry out the primary purposes illustrated in paragraph 1 above, or in any case as necessary to protect the interests of both Users and Triboo in civil law. In the cases referred to in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 above, Users' personal data shall be kept for the time strictly necessary to fulfil the purposes illustrated in the same and, in any case, for no longer than twenty-four (24) and twelve (12) months respectively.
6. Scope for data communication and dissemination
Employees and/or employees of the Owners responsible for managing the Site and all services related to the provision of the Services may become aware of the personal data of the Users. These individuals, who have been instructed in this way by the Holders under the Article 29 of the Regulation, will treat the Users' data solely for the purposes set out in this statement and in accordance with the applicable rules' forecasts.
As provided for by the General Measure of the Data Protection Authority called 'Fidelity card' and guarantees for consumers. The rules of the supervisor for loyalty program" of 24 February 2005. Third-party parties who will be able to process personal data on behalf of the Holders as "External Treatment Managers", such as, but not limited to, providers of IT and logistics services that are functional to the operation of the Site and/or Services, outsourcing or cloud computing service providers, professionals and consultants, may also become aware of the personal data of the Users. Users have the right to obtain a list of any treatment managers appointed by each Owner respectively, requesting them from the Holder concerned in the manner indicated in the next paragraph 7. In addition, the Users’ personal data may be disclosed by Triboo, to the extent that this is necessary and essential to implement contractual obligations, to autonomous third parties that hold the treatment, such as the operators of the payment services and logistics services necessary for the delivery of goods sold through the Site. These autonomous holders will only process the User data for the purpose of the correct fulfillment of the orders relating to the Services.
7. Social buttons and widgets
There are also social buttons/widgets on the Site. These are in particular the icons of social networks, such as, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google, Youtube and Instagram, which allow the Users to reach - by means of a "click" on the icon - the related social networks. With the support of these tools, the User can share, for example, some contents or recommend some products of the Site in the social networks. Some contents shared on the social networks may also be shared on the website's dedicated page. After a click on social buttons/widgets, the social network may collect data related to the User's visit on the Site. As mentioned in the premise, this privacy policy does not affect the treatment of the User’s data by the social network which the User must refer to exclusively by the privacy policy provided by the social network. Outside the cases where the User spontaneously share his data with the chosen social networks by clicking on social buttons/widgets, the Owner does not disseminate or share any personal data of the User with the social network.
8. Rights of Interested Parties
Users will be able to exercise the rights guaranteed to them by the Applicable Policy, by contacting The Holders in the following ways:
- By sending a registered letter to the owners' legal office
for Triboo: Milan (MI) Viale Sarca, 336, 20126
for Partner: Strada Pirano Ang. Via Pio la Torre, 1/8 – 61010 - Tavullia (PU)
- By sending an e-mail message to the following address:
Triboo: triboospa@legalmail.it
Partner: privacy@vr46racing.com
Triboo will comply with the User's requests for the treatment in paragraph 1, while the Partner will comply with the Users' requests for treatment in paragraph 2, 3 and 4.
Under the Applicable Policy, Holders inform that Users have the right to obtain the indication (i) of the origin of personal data; (ii) of the purpose and manner of treatment; (iii) of the logic applied when being treated with electronic instruments; (iv) of the identification details of the Holders and those responsible; (v) of individuals or categories of people to whom personal data may be disclosed or who may become aware of it as managers or appointees.
In addition, Users have the right to obtain:
(a) access, update, adjustment and, when they are interested in, data integration;
b) the deletion, the anonymous transformation or blocking of data processed in violation of the law, including those which do not need to be retained in relation to the purposes for which the data was collected or subsequently processed;
(c) the evidence that the transactions referred to in the letters a) and b) have been brought to the attention, including with regard to their content, of those to whom the data have been disclosed or disseminated, except where such fulfilment proves impossible or involves the use of means manifestly disproportionate to the protected law.
(a) access, update, adjustment or, when you are interested in, data integration;
b) the deletion, anonymous transformation or blocking of data processed in violation of the law, including those which do not need to be retained in relation to the purposes for which the data was collected or subsequently processed;
(c) the evidence that the operations referred to in the letters a) and b) have been brought to the attention, also as regard to their content, of those to whom the data have been disclosed or disseminated, except where such fulfilment proves impossible or involves the use of means manifestly disproportionate to the protected right.
In addition, Users have:
(a) the right to withdraw the consent at any time, if the treatment is based on their consent;
b) (where applicable) the right to data portability (right to receive all personal data relating to it in a structured format, commonly used and readable by an automatic device), the right to restrict the processing of personal data and the right to delete ("right to be forgotten"); c) the right to object:
(i) in all or part, for legitimate reasons for the processing of personal data about it, although relevant to the purpose of collection;
(ii) in all or part, the processing of personal data relating to it for the purpose of sending advertising material or direct sales or for carrying out market or commercial research;
(iii) if personal data is processed for direct marketing purposes at any time to the processing of their data for that purpose, including profiling to the extent that it is related to direct marketing.
(d) if they felt that their treatment violates the Rules, the right to complain to a supervisory authority (in the Member State where they usually live, where they work or in the one where the alleged infringement occurred). The Italian Control Authority is the Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data, based in Piazza Venezia No. 11, 00187 – Rome (http://www.garanteprivacy.it/).
Holders are not responsible for updating all the links that can be viewed in this Notice, so whenever a link is not working and/or up-to-date, the Users recognize and accept that they will always refer to the document and/or section of the websites recalled from that link.
Having read the privacy policy, I expressly agree to the processing of my personal data by VR/46 Racing Apparel S.r.l. for marketing purposes (newsletters, news, promotions, market research and/or statistics, satisfaction surveys).
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Returns - Legal guarantee
VAT No.
VR|46 Racing Apparel S.r.l. with registered office in Pesaro (PU), Viale F.lli Rosselli n. 46, VAT No. 02495180412
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Troubled youth makes good on promise of better life for him, his family
Updated: 3:23 PM CST Dec 18, 2018
Alexander Martinez Vargas, 18, is making good on his promise of a better life for him and his family.His mother died when he was 9, and his dad left him and his five brothers a year later."(I) just grew up being troubled," Vargas said. "Having all that responsibility dumped on me was hard."After his mother's death, Vargas began hanging out with the wrong crowd, eventually landing in foster care. It was there that he was introduced to the Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy, a military camp, where he decided to turn his life around."It was either go to FYCA, make a change, have a new start, or be in the streets, in jail, maybe prison for the things I've been doing," Vargas said. "I didn't want that lifestyle. I wanted a fresh start, to be an example for my brothers and just be better for myself."Since graduating, Vargas has moved into transitional housing. He's also secured a job and is looking forward to being reunited with his brothers."My brothers are the main reason, you know?" Vargas said. "My brothers is what drives me to be here, what drives me to be alive. Without my brothers, I don't know what I would be or what I would do."
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. —
Alexander Martinez Vargas, 18, is making good on his promise of a better life for him and his family.
His mother died when he was 9, and his dad left him and his five brothers a year later.
"(I) just grew up being troubled," Vargas said. "Having all that responsibility dumped on me was hard."
After his mother's death, Vargas began hanging out with the wrong crowd, eventually landing in foster care.
It was there that he was introduced to the Florida Youth ChalleNGe Academy, a military camp, where he decided to turn his life around.
"It was either go to FYCA, make a change, have a new start, or be in the streets, in jail, maybe prison for the things I've been doing," Vargas said. "I didn't want that lifestyle. I wanted a fresh start, to be an example for my brothers and just be better for myself."
Since graduating, Vargas has moved into transitional housing. He's also secured a job and is looking forward to being reunited with his brothers.
"My brothers are the main reason, you know?" Vargas said. "My brothers is what drives me to be here, what drives me to be alive. Without my brothers, I don't know what I would be or what I would do."
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Hillary Clinton and UFOs: The political press gets serious about the 'ET candidate'
Former President Bill Clinton Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton have both publicly discussed UFOs and extraterrestrials, and it has prompted some intense new interest from the press. (Associated Press) more >
By Jennifer Harper - The Washington Times - Thursday, May 12, 2016
Media coverage of what has come to be called the “Hillary Clinton UFO story” has gone from quiet mentions in lesser known publications to bodacious stories from major news organizations.
In the past 48 hours, both The New York Times and The Times of London have addressed a complicated, mystifying narrative which has emerged in past months. Mrs. Clinton, former President Bill Clinton, senior advisor John Podesta and even President Obama have publicly acknowledged UFOs, extraterrestrials and other topics previously confined to the X-Files realm.
“UFO fans are rooting for Hillary Clinton to win the White House, hoping that her avid interest in theories of alien life will lead to secret U.S. files on the subject being made public,” the New York paper noted Tuesday.
GOP pigs go full 'Animal Farm' and stab Trump in the back
Republican officials: Doubling down on Trumpism called key to returning to power
On Thursday, the news out of London was this: “Mrs. Clinton has vowed that barring any threats to national security, she would open up government files on the subject, a shift from President Obama, who typically dismisses the topic as a joke. Her position has elated U.F.O. enthusiasts, who have declared Mrs. Clinton the first ‘E.T. candidate’.”
MSNBC, Discovery Channel, The Boston Globe, The London Daily Telegraph, The Weekly Standard and a dozen other publications also covered the story Thursday. This year alone, the topic generated some 350 news accounts.
Stephen Bassett, a registered lobbyist and “disclosure” activist who has urged the White House, military and federal government to release official records about such phenomena, deems the “political media coverage of the extraterrestrial presence issue” unprecedented.
Mr. Bassett has followed Mrs. Clinton’s link to it all since 2001, his intense interest punctuated by press conferences, public events and congressional outreach. He also founded a research group and XXPAC - the “Extraterrestrial Political Action Committee.”
Mr. Bassett, along with increasing cadre of journalists now following the story, say the former secretary of state’s interest in the subject can be traced back 21 years ago to her personal meeting with billionaire Laurance S. Rockefeller, who had long urged U.S. leaders to disclose some facts about the reported crash of a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.
“Secretary Clinton will not make it into the White House without discussing the Rockefeller initiative with the American people,” Mr. Bassett said in an interview.
The press, meanwhile, is now covering the Clinton/ET connection from a unique political angle, rather than as a sensational novelty designed to titillate the public and ramp up social media.
“Trust me. This is not about ‘clicks,’” said Mr. Bassett, referring to the goal of many journalists who seek to increase the online reader “clicks” for their work.
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Capacity Building Workshops For The Members Of The Special Criminal Court In The Central African Republic
The Special Criminal Court (SCC) of the Central African Republic was created on 3 June 2015 by Organic Law No. 15.003. Pursuant to Article 3, the SCC has jurisdiction to “try serious violations of human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law committed on the territory of the Central African Republic since 1 January 2003, as defined by the Central African Republic Penal Code, and under the international obligations entered into by the Central African Republic in the field of international law, in particular the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.’’
This Court will operate alongside the national courts and the International Criminal Court (ICC), and a strategy will have to be finalised to clarify the relationship between these three jurisdictions. Operationalising the SCC will be an enormous task which will require strong political and financial support. Not only will the Court have to address many complex and serious crimes in a dangerous environment (only 12 of the country’s 16 prefectures are under the control of the national army), but it will also have to operate with limited financial human resources, and its team of national and international prosecutors will have to work together and gain public confidence.
In order to support the SCC’s establishment and full operationalisation, the Wayamo Foundation has in the last year, held international symposia and workshops to raise awareness about its significance and importance, and the need to build domestic capacities. Indeed, the Wayamo Foundation and the Africa Group for Justice and Accountability (AGJA) are drawing on their shared expertise and knowledge to run a capacity-building programme for the newly appointed members of the SCC.
In July 2017, the Wayamo Foundation and the AGJA convened a two-day training workshop (10-11 July), marking the first time that the new staff members had all been brought together. Over the course of the two days, the participants -who included the judges, prosecutor, deputy prosecutor, and national and international personnel- were given the opportunity to learn from the experiences and lessons of colleagues from other international organisations and courts, including the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC) in the Senegalese Courts, which had successfully prosecuted Hissène Habré in 2016. SCC Prosecutor, Toussaint Muntazini concluded by saying, “This is the first time that we all met together over six days of training and informal activities. It allowed us to build a team and develop a team spirit. The work during these past six days has been extremely intense and very instructive. We benefited from the experience of those who have worked in jurisdictions that preceded the SCC and, personally, I feel much stronger in the belief that many people want the SCC to succeed and are ready to support the Court in this immense and difficult task ahead.”
OBJECTIVE #1
Build the capacity of the members of the Special Criminal Court
The Wayamo Foundation organises and convenes capacity-building training sessions for the newly nominated members of the Court, to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to investigate and prosecute violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed since 2003 in the Central African Republic.
Identify challenges and design new and purpose-tailored training programmes
Together with the SCC and regional and international experts, the Wayamo Foundation identifies challenges and difficulties that the SCC will be facing. Training programmes are then designed and tailored to the needs of the Court.
Engage with civil society and the media
Through activities, such as public conferences, and high-level debates and symposia, the public will be informed of the significance and importance of the Special Criminal Court. A population that is well-informed has the potential to contribute to greater understanding of justice for international crimes and to sustained pressure for justice.
ACTIVITIES 2016-2017
September 2016, Bangui, Central Africa: AGJA Mission to Bangui, high-level meetings with the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney-General, the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), and civil society
September 2016, Bangui, Central Africa: International Symposium “Special Criminal Court for Central African Republic — Context, Challenges and Perspectives”
November 2016, Brussels, Belgium: Side Event “Strengthening the Central African Republic justice system and operationalising the Special Criminal Court”
7-8 July 2017, Dakar, Senegal: International Symposium “Changing the Narrative – From Withdrawal to Constructive Engagement”.
10-11 July 2017, Dakar, Senegal: training of members of the Special Criminal Court – lessons learnt from the Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegalese Courts
PROJECT COUNTRY
Central African Republic.
Members of the Special Criminal Court and the wider public in the Central African Republic.
Ministry of Justice of the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, the Special Criminal Court, Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegalese Courts, and Catherine Samba-Panza former Transitional President of the Central African Republic.
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Wellington's Missing Memorials
A wide variety of memorials were unveiled in Wellington in the wake of the First World War. Some monuments, such as the Lych Gate outside All Saints parish church, have become familiar landmarks to generations of townsfolk but other less known commemorations have vanished altogether. Our question is this: where have they gone, and can you help us find them?
Plans for an official memorial to Wellington’s fallen were already being formulated in the final months of the Great War. However, after the conflict finally concluded several schemes came and went before the familiar Lych Gate memorial was eventually unveiled four years later in 1922. A constant theme that found expression among townsfolk in the interim (at various official meetings and in the letters page of the Wellington Journal, Shropshire’s leading newspaper of the era) was that the cottage hospital in Haygate Road should form a central part of any commemoration. The institution was partially converted to an army convalescence facility during the war but the cessation of hostilities triggered a financial crisis when the military left and the compensation paid to the facility ended.
When the scheme for a statue on the Green in Church Street collapsed in mid-1920, the town’s official memorial committee held one final meeting, in order to dissolve itself. At the gathering, the Journal reported as follows:
‘There is a very general feeling in favour of the war memorial taking the form of an endowment to the cottage hospital as recommended as an alternative scheme at the public meeting’.
A large budget deficit was recorded at Wellington Cottage Hospital in March 1919
Taking inspiration, the hospital’s Board of Management launched a fund for the endowment of a memorial bed that October. The wording of the promotional advertisement for the venture sums up the prevailing mood of the time, offering insight into the reasons previous schemes had failed to raise the necessary funding.
“Many however will prefer that their tribute to the memory of the fallen should go direct to the relief of suffering and pain. To these the needs of the cottage hospital must eloquently appeal”.
It proved to be a popular sentiment and money poured in from various sources, securing the immediate future of the facility and enabling it to treat more patients than ever before. Among the most generous donors were the workforces of Sankeys Hadley Castle Works and nearby Ketley Ironworks, where money was collected at the rate of a penny-a-week. Such were their combined efforts, endowed beds were eventually unveiled to remember the fallen of both factories. While those memorials (which presumably took the form of brass plaques) are listed on the Imperial War Museum Register, they appear to have been removed from the hospital by the time of its closure in 1989. Sadly, they are not the only examples of lost Great War memorials in Wellington.
Worthy of Commendation
By April 1921, plans for the Lych Gate outside All Saints parish church were well advanced but, just across the other side of Market Square in Walker Street, another tribute to the fallen was about to be unveiled. A large brass plate, with the names of 130 men, was mounted in the public library as a gift from the members and employees of Wellington Urban District Council. Between them, they had raised nearly 40 shillings for the tribute (around £1700 in modern day terms), an act the Journal described as ‘worthy of high commendation’. Following the library’s move to Larkin Way, we have been unable to trace the memorial and, sadly, it is not the only instance of relocation seemingly leading to a loss.
An extension to the Public Library in Walker Street was initially envisaged as Wellington's official war memorial
In 1966, Wellington’s Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist churches merged, the chapel of the latter organisation (which was situated on the corner of Tan Bank and Glebe Street) being sold just over a decade later in 1977. Of the Great War plaques belonging to both institutions, three survive at the modern day Methodist church in New Street but one further brass tablet, dedicated to Surgeon Probationer Maurice Cadman, was not so fortunate. Commemorations to individual men provide the earliest examples of First World War memorials found in Wellington. For the families of those whose bodies were never recovered, they helped to provide a focal point for their grief in the absence of a grave, and there are number of stone memorials in the town cemetery serving a similar purpose. Whether the plaque was eventually entrusted to members of Maurice Cadman’s family, or left lying in storage somewhere and subsequently forgotten, we do not know. However, if anyone is able to shed light on the whereabouts of any of these missing plaques, please get in touch so we can help update the national memorial register and shine new light on this important chapter in the town’s history of remembrance.
Previous articleRemembering the Armistice a Century Later
‘Wellington’s War’ is a National Lottery Heritage Fund project exploring the legacy of the First World War in the East Shropshire market town — an inheritance that still resonates loudly one hundred years later.
Wellington’s Missing Memorials November 9, 2020
Remembering the Armistice a Century Later November 10, 2019
And The Band Played On September 2, 2019
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The Secret Lives of Words column: Augury, inauguration, and Caesar Augustus
Rick LaFleur
Regardless of our political persuasion, we Americans are generally an optimistic lot and usually, though less so of late, inclined to hope for the best during presidential elections, inaugurations, and even once the new leadership is in place. We’ve been peacefully inaugurating U.S. presidents on Jan. 20 every four years since 1937, and on March 4 before that. But the tradition of inaugural rituals, with all their pomp and circumstance, dates back to ancient Rome, like so much else in the American political tradition.
Elections and other important public activities were sanctioned by a ceremony Romans called inauguratio/INAUGURATION. The procedure involved secret rites of AUGURy presided over by a college of 16 priests known as augures/AUGURs. Church and state are separate in the U.S., but in Rome they were intimately fused. To qualify for selection to the AUGURal college one must already have held high political office and be a member of the Senate, which, together with the popular assemblies, governed the empire. The abbreviation SPQR (title of a superb recent history of Rome by Cambridge professor Mary Beard) was posted on public buildings throughout the Mediterranean as a reminder of the shared authority of "the SENATe and the ROMAN PEOPLe," Senatus Populusque Romanus (as in SENATorial, POPULace/POPULar, and of course ROMe/ROMAN).
The statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero, who rose from obscure origins to become Rome’s "president" in 63 B.C. (the Romans actually had "co-presidents," called consules/CONSULs, who served a one-year term and had veto power over each other), was appointed augur late in his career. The priest’s responsibility was to "take the auspices," a form of divination, and thus inAUGURate not only newly elected officials, but also the dedication of public buildings, the commencement of festivals, and other civic functions.
The AUSPICes (from auspicium/bird-watching and source of AUSPICIous) involved observing the flights of birds or weather events and other celestial phenomena that might indicate the gods’ disposition toward the proceeding at hand. If the omens proved inAUSPICIous, the augury might be repeated at a later date or, more conveniently, the procedures could simply be manipulated - some nowadays might say "rigged" - in order to guarantee the outcome. One divinatory practice involved observing the feeding of "sacred" chickens. The desired sign was that the birds should peck at their food voraciously, which was insured by caging and starving them before the ceremony.
By the time of the late Republic, the people had grown increasingly angry over senatorial dysfunction and collusion between public officials and the business and banking class. There had been decades of party turmoil, street rioting, and intermittent military and paramilitary violence leading up to Cicero’s inauguration as consul. During his term he was unsuccessfully targeted for assassination by Lucius Sergius Catilina, an opponent he had defeated in the CONSULar election.
Catiline’s conspiracy was thwarted but factionalism continued and civil strife worsened. In the 20 years following Cicero’s CONSULship, warfare broke out between Julius Caesar and his senatorial nemesis Pompeius Magnus (Pompey "the Great"). Pompey’s forces were destroyed, and a few years later Caesar, after being appointed Dictator for Life, was himself assassinated, on the Ides of March, 44 B.C.
A temporary alliance between Caesar’s former lieutenant, Marcus Antonius, and his nephew and adopted son, Octavian, led to issuance of what the Romans called "proscriptions," a hit-list of political adversaries. The venerable augur, senator, and ex-consul Cicero was hunted down by soldiers who cut off his head and hands and carried them back to Rome for display on the speaker’s stand from which he had delivered a series of vitriolic orations against Antony. Adding insult to injury, Antony’s wife Fulvia pulled the tongue from Cicero’s severed head and repeatedly stabbed it with a hairpin.
Predictably Octavian and Marc Antony ultimately split, Antony began conspiring with his Egyptian consort Cleopatra, and their combined forces were defeated, leaving Octavian to return to Rome unopposed. Having taken his adoptive father’s name "Caesar," Octavian was declared by the Senate Augustus, a term associated with the word augur and meaning "the revered one." Augustus went on to assume countless additional titles, among them Divi Filius, "son of the DIVine (Julius)," Imperator/commander (as in EMPERor/EMPRess/IMPERial), Princeps/first man (our word PRINCe), and Pontifex Maximus, Rome’s highest priest (and to this day title of the Pope); senatorial sycophants even changed the name of the month Sextilis to "Augustus"/AUGUST.
Caesar Augustus reigned for 45 years, in effect governing as a king, though he propagandized throughout the empire his opposition to monarchy and his magnanimous "restoration of the Republic." Augustus’ immediate successor Tiberius set aside the façade. Like governing officials before him, he emblazoned public buildings that he inaugurated with SPQR. But Tiberius hand-picked the members of his Senatus and callously stripped the undereducated Populus, content with their "bread and circuses," of their right to vote.
To paraphrase Bob Dylan (a student of Latin and ancient history himself), Rome’s senators did not heed the call, they stood in the doorway, they blocked up the hall: the times, inauspiciously, were a-changin’. The 700-year-old Roman Republic, irreparably damaged by power-hungry politicians - a monstrous breed all too familiar today - abetted by a cowering Senate, gave way to five centuries of tyranny ended only by barbarian invasions, and the very name "Caesar" inspired the titles of later autocrats like the Russian Czars/Tsars and the German Kaisers.
Rick LaFleur is retired from 40 years of teaching Latin language and literature at the University of Georgia, which during his tenure came to have the largest Latin enrollment of all of the nation’s colleges and universities; his latest books are "The Secret Lives of Words,", a collection of nearly 60 of these essays, expanded with 250 color illustrations, and "Ubi Fera Sunt," a lively, lovingly wrought translation into classical Latin of Maurice Sendak’s classic, "Where the Wild Things Are," ranked first on TIME magazine’s 2015 list of the top 100 children’s books of all time. His Facebook group, "Doctor Illa Flora’s Latin in the Real World," numbers about 4,000 members.
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Whitehouse Family Dental
For the vast majority of orthodontic patients, wearing fixed appliances (commonly called braces) will be a major part of treatment — and those braces, for the most part, will be the familiar silvery-metal type. But while they're still quite popular, traditional-looking metal braces are no longer the only game in town! Let's have a look at some of the options available in orthodontic appliances.
First, we should distinguish between fixed and removable appliances. Fixed appliances like braces are attached to the teeth by metal bands or special cement. They aren't normally taken off until treatment is complete. Removable appliances, such as clear aligners, are typically worn some 22 hours per day, but may be easily taken off as needed. While clear aligners can be effective in treating mild to moderate orthodontic problems, fixed appliances are generally needed for more comprehensive treatment.
Typically made of high-grade stainless steel, traditional metal braces remain by far the most common type of fixed orthodontic appliances. They consist of metal bands that wrap around the molars in back, and smaller metal brackets that are cemented to the front surfaces of the other teeth. A thin, springy metal wire, running through the brackets, gently guides the teeth into a proper position. This archwire may be fixed to the brackets by flexible elastics, metal ties, or other types of clasps.
There are many good reasons why time-tested metal braces remain popular — because they offer a reliable, effective and economical treatment option. In contrast to the appliances of the past, today's braces are actually smaller, lighter, and more comfortable to wear. If you want a less traditional look, you may be able to choose colorful elastics for the brackets, or other modifications.
Clear ceramic braces are a new variation on the traditional system that provides a far less noticeable method of treatment. They use the same components as traditional braces — except that the brackets on the front side of the teeth are made of a translucent ceramic material that blends in with the tooth's natural color. This system has become a favorite for adults (including some well-known celebrities) because, unless you look closely, it's hard to notice they're there.
Several types of ceramic braces are currently available, and the technology is constantly improving. Their aesthetic appeal is undeniable... but there are a few tradeoffs. The ceramic brackets can be less durable than their metal counterparts; plus, while the brackets themselves don't stain, the elastic bands that attach them to the archwire do (however, these are generally changed each month.) Ceramic braces also cost more than metal — but for many people, the benefit of having an inconspicuous appliance outweighs the costs.
While ceramic braces certainly offer a less conspicuous look, there is still another system that allows fixed braces to be truly invisible. In some situations, special appliances called lingual braces can be placed on the tongue side of the teeth. They work the same way other metal braces do — but even though they're made of metal, they can't be seen, because they're hidden behind the teeth themselves!
Lingual braces aren't the proper treatment for every orthodontic condition. Special training is required to install them, and they're significantly more expensive than standard braces. They also generally require a bit more time for the wearer to get used to them, and they may slightly prolong treatment. But if you want the least visible type of fixed appliance — and if you're a candidate for this treatment option — then lingual braces may be just what you're looking for.
The Magic of Orthodontics Proper alignment of the teeth is basic to “Smile Design.” Their position dictates how they work together and affects the way you look and smile. Only orthodontic treatment can move teeth into the right position. Simply put, when things look right, they probably are right. Learn the basics of smile analysis and design and whether the magic of orthodontics will work for you... Read Article
Moving Teeth with Orthodontics Moving teeth orthodontically is a fascinating process by which the bone that surrounds and supports teeth is gently forced to remodel itself. Orthodontics moves teeth with a careful manipulation of force that guide the teeth into a new, improved position and better equilibrium. Light, constant forces applied to the teeth allow them to move in a predictable manner and direction... Read Article
To schedule an appointment with Whitehouse Family Dental, please call our office (419) 877-5404.
5850 Weckerly Road Whitehouse, OH 43571
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March 5th to 7th, 2021
Bring the Magic to You!
March 5th to 7th, 2021, join the largest online magical conference in the world, featuring over a hundred Witches and Conjurers coming to you by livestream video from across the globe!
Pastor Phil Wyman
Class – The Subversive Magic of Madness
Sunday, 7 at 6:45 pm in The Moon Garden
Set Schedule in Your Timezone and Format!
[Detect Timezone]
12 hr 24 hr
Bio for Pastor Phil Wyman
Phil Wyman is a Christian pastor with a rich history of relationship building with people from other religions and worldviews. He moved to Salem, MA in 1999 to start a church. Here he began working with the Witches and Neo-Pagans to break down the barriers of mistrust that had developed over the centuries between Christians and Witches. As a result, Phil received a grant for his work, and simultaneously, he and his local church were excommunicated from his denomination. The story hit the front page of the Wall Street Journal on October 31, 2006.
Phil has since gone on to work in festival settings such as Burning Man, Glastonbury, Stonehenge during the Summer Solstice, and Rainbow Gatherings. He has been traveling full time in the US, UK and Czechia the last few years, and has been developing relationships with Rubber Tramps, Dirty Kids, and other nomadic peoples.
Phil is a writer, musician, songwriter, poet, wannabe philosopher, pastor, creator of interactive "blank canvas social art", and a general instigator looking for people to join him in a carnivalesque peacemaking revolution.
The first of a series of theoretical works about relationship building and peacemaking across the impossible gap of polarized worldviews and belief systems was published under the title "Burning Religion" in October 2015.
Register for WitchCon Online!
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Workhouse Chapel Online Gallery
Musings and Ramblings
The Workhouse Chapel
The Workhouse Chapel in Bath Road, Sturminster Newton was built in 1891 to serve the Union Poorhouse. The facade of the Poorhouse is still visible on the Social Services building next door. The Chapel was built on land, and with money, donated by local wealthy landowners. The Clayton and Bell East window was added 7 years after the completion of the building as a memorial to the gentleman who donated the money.
It was last used as a place of worship in 1969, after which it was used as a store, and then twenty years later as the Town Museum. When The Museum found warmer and brighter premises in the centre of town, it fell into disuse.
In 2012 it was bought by Rose and Bob Hatcher, who added an in-keeping and architecturally sympathetic extension housing a kitchen and loo on the south side, and a mezzanine floor to the West end. It is now a studio/workshop/gallery and hosts regular shows and events, including the highly anticipated and well attended Handmade for Christmas, featuring over 60 South West based artists and makers.
To find out more about what's on or coming up, sign up to our newsletter HERE
©2019 by workhouse chapel. Proudly created with Wix.com
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UK's latest 'carbon budget' sees 5-10 GW of nuclear in 2050
In its sixth carbon budget, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) puts the share of nuclear in the UK's electricity mix at between 5 GW and 10 GW by 2050. The country currently generates about 20% of its power from nuclear, but nearly half of its current capacity is to be retired by 2025. One new plant is under construction, Hinkley Point C, while the government has yet to comment on its support for a second, Sizewell C. These twin-unit plants would have a combined capacity of 6.4 GW.
Under the UK Climate Change Act, the UK must reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The Act also requires the government to set a new carbon budget every five years, following the advice of the CCC. The Sixth Carbon Budget (2033-2037), which was published today, must be legislated by June 2021.
"Nuclear is a mature technology, but we assume cost reductions for future plants after Hinkley Point C from utilising similar plant design and lower-cost financing arrangements (which the government are currently considering)," the report says, noting that the nuclear industry provides 6% of existing low-carbon jobs in the UK.
"Although we expect electricity costs to fall in the long run, we first expect costs to rise to 2030," the report says. "This reflects both the costs of support for low-carbon investment and costs of network reinforcement, which is also recovered through energy bills, albeit spread over a long period as part of the UK’s regulated asset base."
Many of the costs have "already been committed" by existing policies.
"Low-carbon investment in the 2020s includes some more expensive options, such as renewables that were contracted several years ago, new nuclear power stations that have either agreed a higher price for their electricity or that we assume will cost more than renewables, and early carbon capture and storage plants that we expect to be relatively expensive," it says.
"Together, this adds costs of up to GBP9 billion [USD12 billion] per year, peaking in 2030 and falling away by 2040. We expect these to add over GBP100 by 2030 to the average annual energy bill for a typical household though this will depend on policy design (e.g. the government has proposed use of a regulated asset base model for future nuclear investments)."
The UK is "one of a few" global leaders in nuclear power, it says, "and is considering deploying Generation III nuclear reactors and small modular reactors". Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C are EPRs, which is a Generation III design.
In response to the report, Tom Greatrex, CEO of the UK's Nuclear Industry Association, said the CCC's recommendation that the country should build enough new nuclear to replace the current fleet by 2035 was "a good start", but he added that the UK will have to build twice that amount to be on track to meet its net zero by 2050 target.
"Nuclear is our only proven source of firm, emissions-free power that can do that. It also has one of the lowest lifecycle carbon footprints of any generating source, 14 times lower than gas with CCS, and has saved more in emissions than any other generating source in our [the UK's] history," Greatrex said. "Replacing the current fleet should be the starting point, not the limit, of our ambition."
The CCC describes its latest report as the "first ever detailed route map for a fully decarbonised nation" and "a world first".
It says the UK's polluting emissions must fall by almost 80% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels, adding that "just 18 months ago" this was the UK’s 2050 goal. To deliver this, a major investment programme across the country must be delivered, in large measure by the private sector, and that investment will also be the key to the UK’s economic recovery in the next decade, it says.
In a statement announcing the new report, CCC Chairman Lord Deben (John Gummer), said: “As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sixth Carbon Budget is a chance to jump-start the UK’s economic recovery. Anything less would shut us out of new economic opportunities. It would also undermine our role as President of the next UN climate talks."
Climate change COVID-19 Energy policy Finance United Kingdom
UK industry looks for clarity on large plant support UK includes new nuclear in 'green industrial revolution' UK industry presents nuclear roadmap to net-zero UK introduces low-carbon plans UK commits to net-zero emissions by 2050
Nuclear Power in the United Kingdom Policy Responses to Climate Change
CCC NIA
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Redefining What It Means to Be a Christian: Number Three of Eight Transformational Steps to a Global False Church
Once Jesus and His Gospel have been redefined, it is a natural next step to change the understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. A particularly insidious way this has been accomplished is by simply broadening the net of who is considered to be within the bounds of biblical Christianity.
Robert Jeffress, pastor of the 11,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, is one evangelical who includes the pope among people he considers to be brothers in Christ. In a video interview, Jeffress said this about Pope Benedict:
[quote] [T]he Pope is a wonderful, dedicated Christian man, and we celebrate the ministry he’s had and wish him the very best. And we pray for our Catholic friends, as they go through the process of choosing a new leader, that they’ll find a similar man of great faith. [end quote]
Unfortunately, Jeffress is not alone among evangelical leaders who embrace Roman Catholics. In a video presentation, “What Is the Church?”, Beth Moore offers her answer:
[quote] What I’ve done in this particular class that makes this group so special—and I’m loving this about you who are online—we are a very interdenominational group. And so, I’ve literally gotten to position people from these denominations and from these backgrounds into these groups. So, that just thrills me. . . .
I have just made up the name from familiar names of churches that I’ve seen through the years. Right over here, to my right, you see First United Methodist Church of Lesson Land. Right behind them you would find—just down the street, just across the street—you’ve got Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church. Every single one of my sisters in this area attends a Lutheran church, which thrills me. These all attend a Methodist church. I can’t tell you how I love that kind of diversity. What I’ve asked these ladies to do right here—now, this makes it a little bit different, because they do go to different churches, but what I’ve asked them to represent tonight to us is an African-American church that we’re gonna call Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
Is that good? Did I do good? Yes. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Right back here, I want you to meet Saint Anne’s Catholic Church of Lesson Land. These ladies come, every single one of them—although they don’t go to one Catholic church—every single one of them attend a Catholic church, probably right here in Houston. And I am so thrilled that they are here.
What I’ve asked my sisters to do here, actually, they represent many different churches, but they represent one church in our midst tonight. These are our sisters that attend different charismatic churches in the city, but tonight they attend Abundant Life Church. Is that good? [end quote]
Did you catch that? Moore’s laundry list of Christian churches includes Roman Catholic churches. Moore clearly seems to be saying the Church of Rome is just another denomination, that all of these denominations make up one true Church, and that God gave her this picture of the church as He sees it. But the truth is the Church of Rome can be part of the one, global church that will be used by the antichrist but not the Bride of Christ. How do you think the 50 million Christians that were murdered by the Church of Rome from about 606 A.D. to the mid-1800s would respond to Beth Moore’s claim?
Not surprisingly, perhaps, Word of Faith false teachers also jump on the redefining “Christian” bandwagon. In introducing Glenn Beck as a guest on his program, James Robison described Beck’s faith journey:
[quote] We have a guest today who had his life changed because he saw a consistent, caring life in the life of a Mormon. He found Jesus because we’ve talked about it a whole lot, and Jesus is in his heart, and you don’t ever have to wonder. He came to our church, one of the great evangelical churches in the nation, Gateway, and told about Jesus coming into his life. He’s told many of my friends. And I love this man, and I want you to welcome Glenn Beck to Life Today. [end quote]
So according to James Robison, Mormons now fit the definition of “Christian.”
David Barton—still influential in many circles even after his inaccurate histories of America were exposed—also affirms Glenn Beck:
[quote] Here’s a guy who was raised as a Catholic. He found Jesus in Alcoholics Anonymous when he really screwed up his life, and he’s now going to a Mormon church. But that doesn’t say anything about his personal relationship with Jesus, and that’s what people need to look at. [end quote]
In response to an interviewer’s question, Barton went on to say that he believes Beck “is a Christian in every sense of the word.”
Changing the definition of “Christian” has a ripple effect. It also alters the definition of the “church.” R.C. Sproul offers this biblically sound definition of ekklesia, the Greek word for church:
[quote] ekklesia means “those who are the called-out ones.” Simply put, the invisible Church, the true Church, is composed of those who are called by God not only outwardly but inwardly by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus calls someone to discipleship, He is calling that person to Himself, to belong to Him, to follow Him, and to learn from Him and of Him. [end quote]
You can see the problem here. Once we’ve redefined Jesus, it’s no longer clear who He is that people belong to, follow, and learn from. So the muddied definition of “Christian” follows from the corrupted defining of Jesus and results in the contaminated definition of “church.” The Church is no longer called-out ones if it includes those who have never been called out.
In a January 2014 Christian Post article, “The Gift of Church: Everyone, Whether Believer or Not,” radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt offered his version of a redefined church:
[quote] I have belonged to many churches in my fifty-seven years, beginning with St. Pius X in Warren, Ohio, and most recently to both a Presbyterian congregation and a Catholic parish.
Everyone—every single person reading this and every person in the world—needs to belong to a church no matter whether they believe or not. The great worship director or liturgist, the terrific priest-homilist or preacher will be known for the energy and enthusiasm in proclaiming the gospel, and every participant will at least say the words of gratitude that are at the heart of every Christian service, thus setting the tone for a week ahead lived in accordance with the practices of collective worship. [end quote]
The “gospel” Hewitt refers to, of course, is not the true Gospel. Evangelical pastors, Bible-believing conservatives, and Roman Catholic priests do not preach the same gospel. That’s why we had a Reformation. Hewitt, though, does not seem concerned with such historical realities. Here’s his prescription for finding a good church home:
[quote] Pick a church. Practically any church. Go and go and go again and again and again.... There are huge theological divisions between churches, but they hardly matter if you are unchurched. Here’s my advice: pick the biggest church within five miles of your apartment or house and just go there. Stick there for a year. Then decide if you need to change because of theology. If you are a cradle Catholic, find your closest Catholic parish. Familiarity will make the first few visits easier on you even if you are shy beyond belief. [end quote]
Just go to the biggest church closest to your home? Catholic, Protestant, or whatever? Hewitt’s preaching is preaching of the congenial community, not the Gospel. You might hope that Hugh Hewitt’s perspective would disqualify him from speaking for evangelical organizations, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. He has been a keynote speaker for Summit Ministries (an organization I used to endorse but no longer do), a ministry that supposedly teaches young people how to defend a biblical worldview. Hewitt has even blurred the distinctives of his own faith by declaring, “I’m an Evangelical Roman Catholic Presbyterian.” [source: Transcript of Hugh Hewitt program in which he makes this statement, posted at: http://www.hughhewitt.com/andrew-sullivan-on-the-conservative-soul/]
Some folks in the Christian education establishment are also doing their part to “widen” the definition of Christian. Ambrose College in Canada, a school founded by Canada’s Christian and Missionary Alliance and Church of the Nazarene, sponsored a conference in 2014 “Global Impact Week, March 4-8, 2014, Catholics and Evangelicals in God’s Mission Together” at which Ambrose president Gordon T. Smith shared the platform with Fr. Tom Ryan, a Roman Catholic priest. The seminar topics that week included:
“One Lord, One Faith, One Mission—the Mission of God” (Roman Catholics and evangelicals are not on the same mission.)
“Catholics and Evangelicals, Looking Back, Looking Forward, Assessing Their Relationship”
“Vatican II—50 Years Later: An Evangelical Response.”
And in a follow-up initiative, the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” Catholic bishop Don Bolin spoke at the January 22, 2015, Ambrose chapel service and called for unity between Catholics and evangelicals. The bishop rationalized his call by minimizing any differences between the two camps:
[quote] We, too, thirst how God thirsts for us, comes in search of us. We, as evangelicals and Catholics drink from that same well, but we share a common mission. . . .
When you—hey, you ever say something like this? “Lord Jesus, only You can fill my heart’s desire. Only You can fill my deepest hopes. Without You I flounder. Without You I am lost. Show me Your face; let me hear Your voice.” If yes, then perhaps we are drinking from the same well, as we drink from other wells, too. It’s there that we might have suspicions about each other as evangelicals and Catholics. Or we think drinking from the same well, but perhaps not drinking deeply enough. Have our differences, and I don’t think anybody here wants to minimize those. Do drink from the same living water that Jesus gives us. When I worked at the Vatican, in relations with Anglicans and Methodists, I came across a prayer from John Wesley which I like very much. . . .
[You] probably know the old axiom—maybe not, maybe—I’m not sure, lex orandi, lex credenda. That is, “We pray, so we believe. As we pray, so we believe.” I think it’s very courageous of an evangelical college to invite a Catholic bishop to come and speak. Not to give a lecture, although that’s fine and good—to preach at your chapel because this is the heart of your life as a Christian community. It is where you come and pray. [end quote]
Notice that this bishop used to work for the Vatican. And what is the goal of the Roman Church since the Vatican Council II of the 1960s? To push ecumenicalism and turn everybody back to Rome. To do that, they have to convince us that evangelicals and Catholics together is biblically acceptable. As remarkable as it may seem, evangelicals themselves are helping convince each other to return to Rome.
But what does the Bible say about this? Scripture warns that we are not to merge with those who profess another Jesus and another gospel:
[quote] “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” [end quote] (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
“Note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.” (Romans 16:17)
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
Academic institutions aren’t the only ones contributing to the redefining process. Popular teachers and Christian entertainers do their part as well. For instance, Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, introduced Bono from the rock group U2 to his radio audience and shared his enthusiasm for the musician’s “Christian” faith when he said:
[quote] Bono grew up in Dublin, with a Protestant mother and a Catholic father, during the troubles of the 1970s. And I think that’s one of the reasons that he’s uneasy with religious labels, because of what he experienced during that time. He saw a lot of harm coming from religion.
But as you’re going to hear, he’s a believer in Jesus Christ and professes Christ as his Savior. In fact, Bono’s spiritual journey has been greatly influenced by a mutual good friend, Eugene Peterson, who’s the author of The Message. And he’s also written a great book called Run with the Horses that has had a great influence on Bono and many of us. [end quote]
It’s significant that Bono was influenced by Eugene Peterson, author of The Message. Although The Message is marketed as a Bible, it is not a true version of the Word. At best, it’s a paraphrase but with blatantly New Age leanings. Despite Jim Daly’s endorsement, Bono’s theology is not that of a Bible-believing Christian. In concert Bono has worn a “coexist” bandana featuring the cross, the Jewish star, and the crescent moon of Islam. He has shouted from the stage, “Jesus. Jew. Mohammed. It’s true. Jesus. Jew. Mohammed. It’s true.”
[quote] Some graffiti sprayed up on a wall not too far from here. It says Coexist.
Jesus. Jew. Mohammed. It’s true.
All sons of Abraham.
Father Abraham. Father Abraham. Where are you now? [end quote]
In a speech at Georgetown University, he expanded on the theme and even extolled the merits of the Jesuits:
[quote] The American anthem is not exceptionalism; it’s universalism. There is no them; only us. Ubuntu, I am because we are. There is no them; only us. Now the Jesuits, they know something about this, the largeness of spirit, this expanded sense, enlightened sense of, of, “Who is your neighbor?” I’m not a Jesuit. My mother was a Protestant and my father a Catholic. He was not of the Jesuit order. He was of a whole other order.
But here’s what I know . . . about the Jesuits and Ignatius Loyola. He was a soldier. Right? And he was lying on a bed, recovering from his wounds, when he had what they call a conversion of the heart. He saw God’s work and the call to do God’s work. Just in the church, in everything, everywhere—the arts, universities, the Orient, the New World. And once he knew about that, he couldn’t un-know it. It changed him. It forced him out of bed and into the world. And that’s what I’m hoping happens here in Georgetown with you. [end quote]
Yet Jim Daly of Focus on the Family wants to declare that Bono is a Christian? My response to what is happening is to tell others how we need to guard the Church. In Acts 20:28-31, Paul spoke of how he did not cease to warn everyone night and day, with tears, of men who had risen from within. Like him, we need to guard the Gospel, guard the Church—to defend what it really means to be a Christian.
Redefining Transformational steps
Eugene Peterson
Catholic Priest
Ecumenicalsim
Father Tom Ryan
Missionary Alliance
Ambrose College
Robert Jeffress
Jim Daly
James Robison
Definition of a Christian
Global False Church
David Barton Says New Age Mormon Glenn Beck is a Christian
Bono Shouts Jesus, Jew, Mohammed Its True As He Wears a Co-exist Headband
James Robison Says New Age Mormon Glenn Beck is a Christian
Robert Jeffress Calls Pro-World Government Pope Benedict A Wonderful Christian Man
Robert Jeffress Calls Universalist Bill O'Reilly A Believer
Video Clip: Brannon Howse Explains The Biblical Problem with Beth Moore's Ecumenical Vision She Says God Gave Her
Exposing the Ecumenicalism of Robert Jeffress
Video Clip: David Barton Prays For The Holy Spirit To Speak Through New Age Mormon Glenn Beck Before He Speaks For Ted Cruz Rally
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Ex-Swedish envoy on trial for alleged contacts with China
Posted: Jun 5, 2020 / 06:12 AM EDT / Updated: Jun 5, 2020 / 06:12 AM EDT
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s former ambassador to China went on trial Friday charged with unauthorized contacts with a foreign power for organizing a meeting in Stockholm between the daughter of a Swedish publisher detained in China, Beijing’s ambassador and two Chinese businessmen about the possible release of the publisher.
Broadcaster SVT said it was the first time since 1794 that a Swedish diplomat has gone on trial for such accusation. At that time, Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt, Sweden’s envoy to Naples, Italy, was tried for secretly communicating with Russian Empress Catherine the Great.
Sweden’s Foreign Ministry said it had no advance knowledge of the January 2019 meeting arranged by former Swedish Ambassador to China Anna Lindstedt, who was summoned home for an investigation the following month.
“An ambassador has incredibly far-reaching powers, but even for them there is a limit, and we mean she has crossed that limit,” Prosecutor Henrik Olin told Swedish radio before the trial started at Stockholm District Court.
Lindstedt who could face up to two years in jail, has denied breaking the law and says she told the Foreign Ministry about the meeting.
The prosecution claimed that China wanted to influence Sweden’s democratic freedoms by trying to influence Angela Gui — the daughter of publisher Gui Minhai — and get her to stop criticizing how China handled the consular case concerning her father. The publisher, who was born in China, had since become a Swedish citizen.
Lindstedt allegedly told Angela Gui that she should fly to Stockholm on Jan. 24, 2019 to meet with her contacts regarding her father’s case.
Gui said she met with the businessmen and Lindstedt, during which the men told her they could arrange a Chinese visa and job for her and that they had connections within China’s ruling Communist Party. She said the men told her that her father could be released if she stopped talking to the media about his case, but she says when she questioned the plan, the mood “became really threatening.”
Her father co-owned a Hong Kong store that sold books about Chinese leaders. He went missing in 2015 from his seaside home in Thailand and turned up months later on Chinese television saying he had turned himself in for an alleged 2003 drunken driving accident in which a female college student was killed.
The publisher is still detained.
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Chapter 17 - Their Situation
Chapter 17 Their Situation.
Chapter 17 – Their Situation
(TLN: This will count towards next weeks regular chapter. Elqueeness will be out next either tomorrow or Monday. Please turn off the ad-blockers if you can. Thank you~)
A tiring battle ensued.
“Please quit.”
“I can’t quit.”
“You don’t have to earn any money. I’m making a lot of money now. This is the money I earned in half a day.”
Woojin opened his bank app, then he show his mother his account statement. However, she wouldn’t budge an inch.
“You came back after 5 years yet how could a mother thrust you back into such a deadly situation?”
“Then do you want me continue to live by receiving allowance from you? Do you want me to stay unemployed for the rest of my life, and live off the money you struggled to earn?”
Woojin hit his chest as if he was frustrated.
“I’ll make a lot of money. I’ll make enough that mother won’t have to worry about money ever again. Mother and Sooah is my responsibility now. I’ve returned, so I’m the head of this family.”
“Woo, Woojin. You….”
His mother couldn’t say anything. She just let her tears flow. The word, ‘head of the family’, swirled around her head.
Her oldest son had gone missing and even her husband had died.
The daughter she had late in life was only 2 years old, and she had always been a stay-at-home mom. Yet she had to live on with such a heavy burden. It wasn’t apt to say she had lived, but she had just held out.
Woojin tightly hugged his mother as a river of tears flowed out of her.
Before the tear-filled mother and son could have a conversation, the owner of the restaurant gave a fake cough. She was Soongmi’s mother, Kim-soonohk. If it was up to her, she would have yelled at them for making a spectacle at someone else’s store. However, her daughter Soongmi was giving her a signal. So she looked on without doing anything.
“Huh-oom. I don’t want to say something like this, but how can you just quit your job like this? I know what your situation is like, but you should have a conscious. You know our store is busy, so work until I can hire someone.”
Woojin’s face stiffened at Kim-soonohk’s words. He wanted his mother to immediately quit this arduous kitchen work, but his mother’s answer was faster than his.
“Yes. Even if I do quit, a responsible person can’t act that way. This isn’t about money, so don’t say anything.”
“Ughh. Then please quit this place within a week. Sooah needs mother more than me.”
She was only a 7 year old pre-schooler. She had always felt very sorry towards Sooah, so his sister might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
‘Husband. Our Woojin…….’
She didn’t know what skills he had acquired, but her son had suddenly showed up after 5 years. He said he would go away to prepare for the school qualification exam, but he came back after he earned a lot of money. For someone who worked at a restaurant, the money was quite the windfall.
Her tears wouldn’t stop falling as she thought about her past arduous days.
“Mother. Hoo-hook. This is so sad.”
Soongmi also started crying, so Kim-soonohk passed her a handkerchief. She had never seen her daughter act this way, so she was taken aback. Even though Soongmi was her daughter, she wasn’t a kind girl, and she could be a bit of a bitch.
Normally, her daughter would call the kitchen lady auntie, then she would treat her with a bad temper. For some reason, her daughter was acting like a chaste and modest woman today.
After crying for a long while, Lee-soogyong reigned in her emotions, then she started to plead towards her boss, Kim-soonohk.
“Do you think I could get off work early today?”
“If she doesn’t let you off, then just quit.”
At Woojin’s rejoinder, Kim-soonohk made a sound of indecision. However, in the end, she had no choice, but to allow it. It made a big difference for a single person to be missing from a busy restaurant, but she couldn’t do anything about it.
It would be a bigger trouble if she didn’t show up starting tomorrow.
“Yes, mother. Please go in first. Have a nice time with big brother Woojin..”
“O..okay, Ms Soongmi.”
Lee-soogyung was bewildered by the restaurant owner’s daughter Soongmi. She was responding in an amiable way.
“Big brother. Be safe! I’ll see you again next time. Oh yeah. Here is my phone number.”
Park-soongmi snatched Woojin’s phone away as if she was stealing it. Then she put in her number to call her phone.
“Heh heh. Have a nice day, mother.”
After receiving her goodbye, Woojin and Lee-soogyong left the restaurant. Soon the dinner crowd will rush in, but she didn’t feel like working on a day like this.
“Uh. Where are we going, mom?”
Woojin was dragged by Lee-soogyong’s hand towards a different direction from their house.
“You’ll know once you get there. Any ways, what kind of relationship do you have with Ms Soongmi?”
“Ah, her? She used to be my junior in school. Why?”
“Mmmm.”
His mother didn’t speak for a long time, then she suddenly stopped walking. She turned around to look straight at Woojin, and he could see traces of worry on her face.
“I don’t plan on involving myself in my son’s love life, but if you bring a bitch like her, mother will be against it.”
Woojin smirked at his mother’s words.
“I don’t have any interest in her. I was wondering what you wanted to say to me.”
The girl had given him a lot of stuff during Valentines day, but for him, 20 years had already passed. The only thing he remembered was her face.
At the time, he didn’t have any feelings toward her, so he doubted he would develop any feelings for her now. Moreover, he could imagine how she had treated his mother by her reaction. So he was disgusted by her.
“You’ll know once we arrive there.”
Lee-soongyong took her son, Kang-woojin, to a newly built apartment not too far from their home. The Hammer guild built their headquarters in the devastated region, and they had made a lot of progress there. However, a massive park was also built to one side.
Lee-soogyung made her son buy a bottle of alcohol from a convenience store near the park’s entrance. Then she bought a single chrysanthemum flower from the flower shop.
They walked through a secluded path inside the park, and they arrived in front of a large monument located at the center of the park.
<Sahdahng Station’s Casualty Monument>
Several hundred thousand people died during the Dungeon Shock. A lot more people died in the subsequent Dungeon Breaks, but if one had to pick the the day when the most deaths had occurred, it was the day of the Dungeon Shock.
Woojin had disappeared on that day.
On that day, everyone who had used the subway system had died. A lot of parks were built near the stations since it was destroyed by the subsequent Dungeon Breaks.
Woojin wordlessly placed the flower in front of the monument then he poured out the alcohol. He kowtowed with a heavy heart. Lee-soogyong could only silently watch him as she shed her tears.
“Husband. Our Woojin has returned. Our Woojin…….”
Woojin finished his kowtow then he hugged his mother tightly. His mother couldn’t’ control her emotions, so she cried endlessy.
‘Father…….’
Woojin started thinking about his father, and his emotions turned melancholy. He hadn’t had the time to spare since his mother had been struggling by herself, but he hadn’t forgotten about his father.
Woojin missed his father. However, the ache he felt towards his mother and Sooah was larger. Maybe, the past 20 years had desensitized Woojin from death.
“Please tell me now.”
“Where and what have you been up to during that time?”
When he saw his mother’s earnest face, Woojin struggled for a long time, but he decided to tell her the truth. However, he was mindful of the shock his mother would receive, so he tried to downplay the truth.
He had overcome countless near death experiences, and his hands snatched away countless lives as he struggled fiercely to live.
There had been countless people afraid of him, and their gazes had been filled with fear.
He didn’t want his mother to look at him like that.
“Uh, mmm. I think it was caused by the Dungeon Shock. I was summoned to a planet named Alphen.”
If everything was like before, she wouldn’t have believed him. However, the world had gone through a change, and the impossible had become possible.
“All right. What did you do over there?”
How should he explain this? Woojin thought about it, and he opened his mouth after he ordered his thoughts.
“It wasn’t too dangerous. Ah. It was like a game . I leveled up some then I diligently hunted. I ordered around my summoned beings and I even participated in wars. However, mother shouldn’t worry too much about it. I used my summoned beings, so I just watched from far away.”
At Woojin’s words, his mother’s expression stiffened.
“Hai-eego.(TLN:SFX, I guess it is like saying OMG) I was so worried about you , but you came back after playing some game?”
Huh? That’s not it.
Emperor’s Domination - Chapter 3427: A Storm At Ancestral City
Emperor’s Domination - Chapter 3426: Questions
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Youth Parliament of Manitoba
Garry McLean Scholarship Fund
Manitoba Emerging Leaders Award
PJFM Partnership
Visit Us at Session
Volunteer to Page
Dignitaries
Past Premiers
Speaker’s Night
Winnipeg Youth Leadership Night
Western Canada Youth Parliament
Clerk at Session
The Page Program is an exciting opportunity for those who are not yet 16, but would still like to take part in Winter Session! The role of the page is as old as Parliament itself. Traditionally, pages collect and deliver documents and messages from the Speaker, Members of the Legislative Assembly and clerks in the Chamber and elsewhere in the Legislative Building.
YPM’s pages facilitate Session in a similar way. Their duties include delivering messages between members, the Speaker, and the clerk.
They also act as the Sergeant-at-Arms. One of the main duties of the Sergeant-at-Arms is the care and custody of the Mace. Before each sitting, the Sergeant-at-Arms leads the Speaker and the clerk into the Legislative Chamber. They carry the Mace on their shoulder, then place it on the pillow on the Clerk’s Table, where it remains throughout the sitting as a symbol of the Assembly’s authority. The Sergeant-at-Arms places the Mace into its various positions to signify to the house whether it is in recess or in/out of session.
Our Page Program is an experience that can not be found anywhere else in Manitoba. It is a unique educational opportunity and a chance to see the legislative process at work in a real setting.
© Youth Parliament of Manitoba 2020 | Admin Login
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Worst tech mergers and acquisitions: Nokia and Microsoft, AOL and Time Warner
A corporate merger, like a marriage, can yield a whole stronger than its parts -- or it can end in utter disaster. We countdown the worst corporate romances in IT history.
By ZDNet Editors for Between the Lines | February 13, 2016 -- 16:28 GMT (08:28 PST) | Topic: Enterprise Software
Corporate mergers - like marriages - can result in the whole being stronger than its parts -- or they can end in utter disaster. The IT industry has suffered its share of disastrous marriages. Here are the worst of the worst. (Previously: HP and Autonomy, Google and Motorola)
# 3 - Nokia & Microsoft
One partner that had taken that risk was Nokia, which -- under the leadership of former Microsoft exec Steven Elop -- was itself being forced to transform.
In Steve Ballmer's 15-year tenure as Microsoft CEO, he got a lot of things right: several highly successful product launches, significant increase in shareholder value, and a few acquisitions that proved quite valuable to the company.
Worst tech mergers - Countdown to Doom
Cisco and Linksys; Apple and Lala.com
Facebook and Instragram
Novell and Linux, Borland and Ashton-Tate
Caldera and SCO, Microsoft and Danger
Oracle and Sun, and the sad tale of Palm
HP and Autonomy, Google and Motorola, and more
Nokia and Microsoft, AOL and Time Warner
The worst: HP and Compaq
However, he will likely be remembered as the man who drove the most catastrophic merger in the company's history.
Microsoft has always struggled in the mobile space. The company was early to the game with Windows CE and Windows Mobile (far earlier than Apple and Google); but it was late to adopt the mobile developer ecosystem and "app store" strategies of its competitors.
In November 2010, following the surprising success of the iPhone, the company introduced Windows Phone, which abandoned much of the legacy 32-bit Windows code in previous mobile releases. Windows Phone featured a brand-new user experience that has evolved into the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) that powers Windows 10 and runs on all Windows devices.
However, Microsoft needed OEM hardware partners, who were reluctant to take on the risk of an unproven software platform when they were already enjoying success with Android.
One partner that had taken that risk was Nokia, which -- under the leadership of former Microsoft exec Steven Elop -- was itself being forced to transform. Competitors such as Samsung and Apple were eating Nokia's lunch in the company's stronghold EMEA smartphone markets.
Nokia made some impressive Windows Phones during its partnership with Microsoft, but it was not able to bring itself back to profitability. By 2013, in fact, the company was considering a move to Android and had even built prototype devices running Google's software. If that move had succeeded, Windows Phone would have been left with no OEM support. It would have effectively been a death sentence.
Ballmer, looking to solidify his legacy, saw a potential synergy. Nokia, with its native manufacturing capability and R&D, could be Microsoft's solution to ramping up their mobile presence, in addition to providing an essential distribution channel via previously existing carrier relationships.
In September of 2013 Microsoft bought Nokia's mobile business for over $7 billion. This included the acquisition of most of the company's assets in Finland as well as manufacturing capacity in Asia, along with 24,000 employees. Crucially, it didn't include the potentially valuable Here maps business, which the Microsoft board reportedly refused to go along with.
Many analysts questioned why Microsoft had not simply contract manufactured the phones, negotiated the carrier relationships on its own, and hired engineering talent for much less money. The analysts turned out to be correct. Microsoft struggled to consolidate its development platform over two consecutive OS releases on the desktop and its mobile OS, and was unable to attract the developer and carrier partnerships needed to make the new Lumia phones successful.
Since Ballmer's departure from Microsoft in 2014, under the leadership of its new CEO Satya Nadella, the company has laid off over 15,000 employees, the majority of whom came in from the Nokia acquisition.
In all, more than 20,000 jobs at Microsoft will have been cut once the restructuring is complete.
In 2015, the company was forced to write down the acquisition of Nokia's mobile and services businesses for $7.6 billion.
While Microsoft has recently announced several new Windows 10 Mobile phones, and has committed to the continued development of the platform, it has yet to solidify its carrier relationships or attract the developer attention it needs to compete favorably with devices running Apple's iOS or Google's Android.
Although the pieces are now finally in place for the "One Windows" that could finally make Microsoft smartphones and the modern Windows development platform successful, the company could have saved itself a huge amount of money and heartache if it did the work in-house, rather than by a failed and costly acquisition.
#2 - AOL & Time Warner
Facing challenges from the growing Internet/Web and broadband industry in the late 1990s that was encroaching on its bread and butter dial-up services and "walled garden" of content, on-line services provider America Online pursued a strategy of re-invention as a content and broadband giant by purchasing Time Warner in the year 2000 for a whopping $164 billion.
The merger, executed by AOL CEO Steve Case and Time Warner CEO Gerald M Levin, turned out to be a total fiasco, with the new company unable to capitalize on Time Warner's strengths. Total subscribers of AOL went from an estimated 30 million at the height of its popularity to less than just over 5 million in 2007, with no significant quarterly growth since 2002.
The company's market valuation had plunged significantly from a high of $240 billion to $1.73 billion as of February of 2012.
In 2009, shortly after appointing a new CEO, Tim Armstrong, AOL announced it would spin off Time Warner into a separate public company, ending a fruitless eight year relationship.
AOL has since gone on a New Media purchasing spree, including Patch, TechCrunch and The Huffington Post, which joins their other New Media properties such as Engdaget which it acquired as a result of its Weblogs, Inc. purchase in 2005.
The result of these New Media mergers has been something of a disaster in and of itself.
After re-organizing all of its new media properties under one roof and appointing Arianna Huffington as its leader, TechCrunch became the subject of a highly publicized internal power struggle.
TechCrunch's founder Michael Arrington came into conflict with Huffington over journalistic ethics when he unveiled a plan, with AOL's backing, to start a venture capitalist fund to invest in the very same sort of companies which he writing for TechCrunch chronicled.
After weeks of public blog posts criticizing his employer and the media circus surrounding him, Arrington was terminated. This resulted in the departure of several members of TechCrunch's staff, including Paul Carr, one of its most popular writers, as well as the company's CEO, Heather Harde.
In June of 2015, AOL was acquired by Verizon for $4.4 billion. Only time will tell if this second marriage will be more fruitful.
Next up, the worst of the worst: #1
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Mozilla shoves new Firefox button down users' throat via silent update, without an option of disabling it.
Red Hat introduces free RHEL for small production workloads and development teams
In response to complaints about Red Hat's latest plans for CentOS Linux, Red Hat will start offering no-cost Red Hat Enterprise Linux for small production workloads and customer ...
Malwarebytes becomes fourth major security firm targeted by attackers after Microsoft, FireEye, and CrowdStrike.
The road to low-code and no-code development needs strong guardrails
Survey finds widespread adoption of low-code and no-code approaches. However, IT still needs to be a full partner.
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Citrix buys Wrike for $2.25 billion, aims to bolster hybrid work portfolio
Citrix also reported its fourth quarter financial results, which beat expectations.
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ALL ABOUT NINA – Film Review
Erik Yates October 1, 2018 2018ACurrent Reviews
Confessional Stand-up Goes Current as Mary Elizabeth Winstead Takes the mic
DIRECTED BY EVA VIVES/2018
In a case of art becoming life, All About Nina comes to us as our nation is knee-deep in the middle of the Brett Kavenaugh Supreme Court nomination whereby a man is accused by several women of sexual assault. Regardless of whether one believes the accusations against him, or believes his denial, a broader discussion is taking place all across this nation that is the next step beyond what was started through the #MeToo movement. People are waking up to the fact that so many women have experienced sexual assault, and yet are being forced to defend why they haven’t come forward in a more timely fashion. This film, All About Nina, wasn’t made to coincide with this event, as there is no way writer/director Eva Vives, in her feature film directorial debut, could have anticipated all of these things breaking as her movie would be opening. The fact that her film is one of the clearest answers to the question of “why didn’t you report it?”, makes it a vital part of the conversation.
Nina Geld (Mary Elizabeth Winstead- Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 10 Cloverfield Lane) is an extremely outspoken stand-up comedian whose routine is known to include her bold pronouncements of female sexual empowerment. She proclaims that she needs no man, has casual sex on her terms, and cannot be bothered with men who long to domesticate her to fulfill some male-fantasy of a beautiful woman at home who simply waits around to fulfill their sexual needs, on their terms. She is independent, smart, and unapologetic in doing life on her terms.
All of a sudden, All About Nina ceases being a film about a character, transcends the scripted moment, and becomes a mirror clearly demonstrating the real-life struggle of so many souls who carry such heavy burdens with them for so long.
At least that is the persona her act gives off, and one that she partially does live up to. The darker secret is that while she has tried to live this out, she slept too casually with the wrong man, an obsessed cop named Joe (Chance Crawford- What to Expect When You’re Expecting) who shows up randomly to her apartment looking for sexual fulfillment and to slap Nina around when she tries to stand up to him. Joe is married, with kids, and yet Nina can’t seem to get out of this destructive cycle, mainly due to the fear she has of this man.
Finally, she follows up on an offer from her agent to move to Los Angeles to try out for a comedy show called Comedy Prime. Her agent secures a few stand-up gigs to get established, as well as a place to stay offered by a woman named Lake (Kate del Castillo- The 33, Book of Life), a friend of Nina’s agent. While doing her show one night, she meets a surprising man named Rafe (Common- John Wick: Chapter 2, Run All Night). He says what he thinks, doesn’t beat around the bush, understands exactly how Nina has been fronting this tough exterior in order to avoid getting too close to anyone that might hurt her. He calls her on it, but unlike every other man she meets, he won’t pursue anything until she is ready. He doesn’t hide his backstory either, especially when one of his exes spots him out with Nina and lets him have it for failing to call her back. Nina fears the worst and walks, but Rafe doesn’t give up. He also doesn’t lie to her about any of it. Nina doesn’t understand a man like this, but she cautiously wades into the relationship, ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.
When Joe shows up in Los Angeles, Nina’s act sees all of the pain, hurt, and hidden secrets she’s been hiding for so many years come streaming out on stage. In a world of YouTube, and Smartphones with immediate video capabilities, Nina’s confessional moment on stage goes viral. She didn’t mean to possibly self-sabotage her career, especially her chance to be a cast member on Comedy Prime, and lash out at everyone in her life, but some wounds are so deep, that holding back the dam of emotion, pain, guilt, shame, and self-blame that often comes with surviving sexual abuse, is too much to bear. Will Nina be able to pick up the pieces of her life once she bares her darkest secrets, and brings them into the light?
All About Nina is not preachy. It is raw, visceral, honest, brutal, and follows the cardinal film-making rule which is to show, don’t tell. Nina’s life is exposed and laid bare for all to see. We clearly see that many of her actions are self-destructive. She sees it too. And even knowing herself, she still lashes out to those closest to her like her mother Debora (Camryn Manheim- The Practice, An Unfinished Life), or even innocent people who support her like her mom’s friend Amy (Mindy Sterling- The Austin Powers series). It also threatens to rope in Comedy Prime’s creator, Larry Michaels (Beau Bridges- The Fabulous Baker Boys, Jerry Maguire) who meets with Nina to see if she’d still be worth anything as a comedic actor on his show after the gut-wrenching meltdown she has on stage. Nina points out the double standard of several men who were on Comedy Prime that truly embarrassed the show’s creator, which he is able to brush off like a PR-problem.
In real life, when someone makes it known that they were abused, it seems that any mistake they have done in their distant past, or more recently, is drudged up and used to minimize the violence done to them by the perpetrator of that abuse. Women especially bear this burden and is one of the many reasons why so many acts of abuse remain unreported, especially if it involves men in power. We’ve seen this method used in the Supreme Court hearing debate, the Bill Cosby trial, as well individuals using this method against the myriad of women who have come out accusing Harvey Weinstein of being a sexual predator. It has also been experienced by the women coming forward to bravely accuse ministers in the Southern Baptist Convention, whom, like the guilty priests in the Catholic Church scandals, have been moved around, continuing to flourish professionally, and personally, much like Joe seems to do in this story.
Nina faces these things too, and when she airs her story for all to see, it truly is a gut-wrenching moment watching it. All of a sudden, All About Nina ceases being a film about a character, transcends the scripted moment, and becomes a mirror clearly demonstrating the real-life struggle of so many souls who carry such heavy burdens with them for so long. So many never share their pain and experiences, and as a result silently carry their experiences with them throughout their life. For those who do come forward, there is a weight to be lifted for sure, but as we see in this film, and in real life, the scars, bruises, cuts, pains, and consequences still remain. What hopefully will come of it is healing, justice, institutional change, and hope….that is, unless the victim is made to be a victim again in how we as a society react to their honest admission. This journey might take years for some. Others may never feel that they can share their hurt.
All About Nina doesn’t need to preach to its viewers about any of this. It doesn’t have to. It simply shows you. It shows you how well meaning conversations and comments often touch on deeply hidden hurts, without the person making those comments even knowing it. All About Nina shows you a broken individual, who despite this brokenness, is still moving forward. She is still hoping, trying, seeking, and searching, admitting bravely that she finally feels for the first time that she could be a person capable of loving another, and receiving love from another in the way that is supposed to happen. Namely, without the abuse and pain, but for Nina, miraculously, in spite of what she experienced. The love she receives from Rafe, Lake, and others is also a vital part of this healing process for her. Being that kind of support network to those in your life is so important as well.
Remember that this is art reflecting life. As such, each and every soul you meet is potentially someone who is carrying around their own hurt and pain, and they are also someone who is meant for, and longs for, so much more. Are we someone who empowers them to move forward, or are we someone who seeks to shove them back in the shadows, even unintentionally? Like Nina, we are all capable of loving, and being loved, despite our past hurts. The journey to realize this, however, is often fraught with obstacles, but it is still a journey worth the risk.
All About Nina opens in select theaters on October 5, 2018
#MeTooAll About NinaBeau BridgesCamryn ManheimChance CrawfordComedianCommonEva VivesKate del CastilloMary Elizabeth WinsteadMindy Sterlingsexual assaultSurvivors
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Erik Yates
Featured Critic and Board Member
Erik Yates is a high school teacher by day, and has extensive writing experience writing curriculum for various outlets, songs for his former band, and articles for the blog Vinyl Theology. Erik resides in Houston, Texas and is passionate about film, music, family, and traveling. When he is not watching film, or working at his day job, Erik finds time to add to his vinyl record collection, play guitar, or attend concerts. You may just find him hanging out at the local Alamo Drafthouse. You can connect with him on his Twitter account.
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which county has the longest coastline
Your email address will not be published. Ireland has approximately 4,235km of coastline. Shoreline Mileage (statute miles) Massachusetts 1,519 Michigan 3,224 Minnesota 189 Mississippi 359 Spread over 307,713 km, Maharashtra coastline is the fourth state with the longest coastline in India. Cork has the second longest coastline, Mayo has the longest. Then you won't be disappointed in the destinations that appear in darker colours on the map below – they boast the longest coastlines in the world. hence, it is one of the countries with longest coastlines. Longest river. The shortest is leitrim followed by Meath. Cornwall has a coast on two different bodies of water but it's the same coast as it goes from Saltash along to Lands End and then comes back on the top side towards Bude. The southernmost continent on the South Pole has 98% area covered by ice that averages 1.9 kilometres (1.2 miles) in thickness. This compares with Indonesia (54,716 km), Russia (37,653 km), the United States (19,924 km) and China (14,500 km). Fishing, whaling, and other aquaculture related activities are practised by many and agriculture too are concentrated around the coastal cities because of the easy accessibility of resources. Cape Coral, a city in Florida, based in the United States is known as one of the most beautiful canal cities in the world. New York has coasts on both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. The mainland coast of Canada includes the islands of Newfoundland, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island. We see that this clue has already been published in Wall Street Journal Puzzles. Kelly Peppin. The following list of the states with the 10 longest coastlines in the United States is arranged by length. The coastline is 7,500 km long. There’s a coastline for almost all the provinces of Canada which makes it greater in terms of beauty and Maintainance. Canada has the longest coastline of any nation on the planet. Kent has the longest coastline of any county in Britain - 350 miles - and the county council is actively encouraging residents and visitors to make the most of it, from Dover’s iconic White Cliffs to the internationally-protected north Kent marshes. The Site is dedicated to providing facts and information for the knowledge and entertainment purpose. Moreover, since Canada has many Island surrounding the mainland, the coastline area increases manifold. The country’s coastline extends 202,080 km long with the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Arctic Ocean in the north. The cold climate makes this country home to some arctic animals like Arctic foxes, lemmings, birds and polar bears while the aquatic species to flourish here due to the undisturbed surroundings. Because of its strategic position in the middle of the important shipping and trade lanes, the US has a natural geopolitical advantage that it has effectively used in the past. Canada country is the longest coastline (152,100 miles) and the smallest coastline (3.5 miles) of Monaco . It is bordered by three oceans – the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the East and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Which country has the longest coastline in the world? The coastal landforms are the beach and salt marsh. Like Russia, most of the major cities in the Philippines too are coastal cities and they are more densely populated than cities located inland. When it comes to staking out the destinations for Summerly Vacations Resolutions, things might... Earth and world is a place where you can find different known and unknown facts of our planet Earth. The southernmost continent on Earth, this frozen land has a coastline of over 11000 miles and is covered perpetually in ice. These are the 10 countries with longest coastline. This large country has one of the longest coastlines in the world because of the sheer size of the landmass. Please let us know as comment, if the answer is not correct! Scotland does, but it turns out not to be that easy to get an accurate estimate for the length of the Scottish coastline. A coastline is where land meets the sea-and most of the countries in the world have coastlines, with only one fifth being landlocked. Canada is also one of the coldest countries in the world. According to Wikipedia, mainland Scotland has a coastline of 9,910 km (6,160 miles). The Philippines has a very small land area and compared to this, the coastline is very long. We depend on donations from exceptional readers, but fewer than 2% give. Indonesia has the second longest coastline in the world at 61,567 miles, followed by Norway at 36,122 miles long. 3 steps are not required to solve all questions! Beaches and sand are every vacationer’s dream but all the countries with longest coastlines may be under threat because f multiple factors we as humans choose to turn a blind eye to. Most of the major Australian cities too are located along the coast and almost all the population lives on the coast. satguru Answer has 2 votes satguru Moderator 17 year member 1275 replies Answer has 2 votes. Fishing is a major economic activity in the Philippines and many households depend on it as a sustenance activity. For years, county boosters and others have peddled the misnomer that Kitsap County, which has roughly 250 miles of shoreline, possesses the longest coastline in the United States. There are a wide variety of natural formations on the coastline like mangroves, coves, caves, coral reefs, and cliffs. Beaches and spectacular marine beauty also attract many tourists to this country making tourism one of the main businesses. Above list of top 10 Countries with the longest total coastlines in the world has great cultural, military, and economic importance for each of them. Due to the … There are a wide variety of natural formations on the coastline like … Because of the large geographical expanse, the coastlines have different ecosystems and wildlife. In Indonesia, the smaller islands are more popular with tourists since they are more picturesque. China is the most populated country in the world, having a population of about 1.3 billion, but it is also one of the most developed countries in the world. Also Read: Top 10 Greenest Cities In The World. The United States is a respectable 8th on the list at 19,924 km (12,383 miles). Argyll with a coastline of 3,723 KM. The Answer: Australia's coastline is 25,760 kilometers, or a little over 16,000 miles, long. For years, county boosters and others have peddled the misnomer that Kitsap County, which has roughly 250 miles of shoreline, possesses the longest coastline in the United States. The Indian Ocean washes the shores of the country to the south and the Lakshadweep Sea is at the southwest. List Notes: This list does not include Greenland which has 44,087 kilometres of coastline but is an autonomous country within Denmark.If it were to be included it would be number 3 on the list. Some of the popular destinations across the country coastline are the blue lagoon, Pagudpud, Luzon island, El Nido islands, Palaui Island, Tubbataha reefs natural park and Boracay. This is a list of U.S. states and territories ranked by their coastline length.Thirty states have a coastline: twenty-three with a coastline on the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico), and/or Pacific Ocean, and eight with a Great Lakes shoreline. The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland. St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yalta and Kaliningrad are all coastal cities. Teaching Geography Summer 2016. The country claims all waters around its territory upto 12 nautical miles (22 km/14 mi). The site is also to cover things that are related to the world. The country’s coastline extends 202,080 km long with the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east and the Arctic Ocean in the north. Your email address will not be published. The county with the longest coastline at 1168 km, Mayo has 366 km of hard coast, 802 km of soft coast and 302 km of island coastline. The highest peak in Antarctica is Mount Vinson with an elevation of 4,897 meters and the lowest point is within the Bentley Subglacial Trench which reaches 2,555 meters below sea level. The disastrous effects of global warming are beginning to take their toll on the coastlines of the world as rising sea levels threaten the very existence of the coastal cities mentioned in this list. Which English county has the shortest coastline? Coastline. The latter, of course, includes the many islands of Clew Bay, Clare Island, Achill Island and the islands of the west and north of the county many of which are important bird areas. In case you have visited some of the biggest cities in the world recently... On holidays, many parents have to travel with their newborn babies. TRY3STEPS.COM: We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away. Narwhales, beluga whales, and blue whales are found off the coast of Greenland making it a popular destination for studying marine biology. Also Read: 15 Beautiful And Budget Tropical Destinations You Should Visit in 2019. Numbers can vary across sources, as the length of a coastline depends on how detailed the measurements are around each inlet and bay and whether all the islands are counted (such as in Alaska and Florida's figures). The islands and coastlines exhibit a great diversity in terms of habitat and ecosystem. In this page you will find the solution for Country with the longest coastline crossword clue answer. Shoreline Mileage of the United States . The coast forms a very important part of the economy of this country since many activities like fishing, prawn cultivation and tourism are dependent on the coast. It depends on what you mean by a county. The country’s 125,567 miles long coastline fronts on the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. With a coastline totaling 56,453 miles (just over 90,852 km), the country accounts for roughly 15% of the coastlines around the world. This is a list of U.S. states and territories ranked by their coastline length.Thirty states have a coastline: twenty-three with a coastline on the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean (including the Gulf of Mexico), and/or Pacific Ocean, and eight with a Great Lakes shoreline. The penguins live on the coast of this continent and many aquatic animals like whales, orcas, and seals can be spotted here. No. The coastline of Essex is the longest of any English county Essex has a long and rich connection with the sea, a natural resource which has provided food and jobs for many over the years. The coastline is 7,500 km long. Apart from being the country with the longest coastline, Canada is also the second largest country in the world. The Indian Ocean washes the shores of the country to the south and the Lakshadweep Sea is at the southwest. 15 Beautiful And Budget Tropical Destinations You Should Visit in 2019, Top 14 Most Beautiful Gardens In The World, Top 15 Countries With The Largest Forest Area, Travel on a Budget: Save Money On Accommodations and Meals on the Road, Tips and Advice for Airplane Travel with a Baby. Canada has many islands and is surrounded by water on most sides including the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and a few smaller bodies of water. Share our work with whom you care, along with your comment ...Kindly check our comments section, Sometimes our tool may wrong but not our users. The country has coastlines along the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. So, the country with the longest coastline is Canada. Step 2 : Answer to the question "Which country has the longest coastline?" This South-east Asian country is not very large but is made up of many islands and has a total coastline of 54,720 km. The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland. It actually has the longest coastline compared to any other country in the world. The coastline is alongside the Atlantic Ocean and is famous for receiving a large number of tourists as well as its islands, bays, and reefs. Formally referred to as the People’s Republic of China, its coastline measures 14,500 kilometres, and has more than five thousand islands. (Secure PayPal), Try3Steps is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialShareAlike4.0 International. Though not in the top ten countries in terms of total land area, the large number of islands in Indonesia qualify it to rank as the third among the countries in the world with the longest coastlines. Originally posted Dec 29 2008 3:03 AM. Also, known as the Konkan coast, Maharashtra coastline is a home to many beaches, sightseeing places, and ideal places for adventure activities, which makes it a perfect gateway for cities around. If you want, you can directly challenge a friend or loved one in the daily crossword puzzle competition. The country is quite famous for its white sand beaches and unforgettable landscape. Are We Wrong To Think We're Right? The shortest is leitrim followed by Meath. Coastline. Scotland does, but it turns out not to be that easy to get an accurate estimate for the length of the Scottish coastline. The area contains some of the world’s best surfing beaches that attracts tourists across the world. Which country has the longest coastline in the world? It is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination but scientists fear that the damage done by a large number of tourists could harm the endemic wildlife. Vote for this answer County Mayo has the most coastline with 1,168 km, followed by Cork with 1,094 km (or 1,118 km, depending on the source). The major cities in Russia too are located along the coast and very few populated cities are present inland. This has boosted the tourism industry in Australia and today it forms an important part of the economy. It forms 10% of India’s coastline. Most of the Canadian provinces and territories, with the exception of Alberta and Saskatchewan, have their own respective coastlines. 2 . Cornwall has a coast on two different bodies of water but it's the same coast as it goes from Saltash along to Lands End and then comes back on the top side towards Bude. The vast number and types of ice formations on the Antarctic coast give it a unique appearance and it is also home to some very peculiar wildlife. Dear Reader, If you use TRY3STEPS a lot, this message is for you. The smaller the scale interval the more detailed the measurement of the coastline. Other Information : Canada's coastline is the longest in the world. Longest river. We're sure you are busy so we'll make this quick: Today we need your help. Oceans and coastlines form an indispensable part of the geography, culture, and economy of any country. Flying with infants... Every year, many people move cross country due to many reasons. The character of the coastline depends n various factors such as topography, geology, availability of sediment, the prevailing processes of wind, wave, sea ice and tidal conditions and long-term factors such as GLACIATION and relative changes in the sea. It actually has the longest coastline compared to any other country in the world. Numbers can vary across sources, as the length of a coastline depends on how detailed the measurements are around each inlet and bay and whether all the islands are counted (such as in Alaska and Florida's figures). It is not the longest in the world. Measuring only 4.10 km in length, Monaco, the second smallest country, has the shortest coastline in the world. The latter, of course, includes the many islands of Clew Bay, Clare Island, Achill Island and the islands of the west and north of the county many of which are important bird areas. Colombia has barely any shoreline compared to the USA (and other South American countries, for that matter). Last updated Aug 23 2016. Then Give Right Answer Below As Comment. Canada is also one of the happiest countries in the world. While landlocked countries like Austria or Kazakhstan encompass large amounts of land mass, they possess borders rather than coastlines. Canada has the longest coastline of any nation on the planet. The country’s 125,567 miles long coastline fronts on the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Answer has 2 votes. The country has coastlines along the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. Devon has two separate stretches of coastline. A coastline, or a shoreline, or a seashore, is the place where land and the sea meet. It is located to the West of the Pacific Ocean in East Asia. Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku are the main four islands that are the most densely populated and have the highest economic activity. Now its your turn, "The more we share The more we have". The country has total 7,107 islands and approximately 1000 are occupied. Finland has a fair amount, but Norway, a country nearby, has TONS of coastline, due to it's many islands and fjords. Norway is on the Scandinavian Peninsula along with Finland and Sweden and consists of many islands and archipelagos apart from the mainland. The Scottish Council Area of The Western Isles or Na h-Eileanan Siar in Scottish Gaelic could be a contender. If the trend is not reversed immediately, the geography of the world will irreparably change for the worse and we will just have to stand back and watch as our beloved beaches get swallowed up by the water. Powered by. Coastline: Canada’s coastline is the world’s longest, measuring 243,042 km (includes the mainland coast and the coasts of offshore islands). 25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km) Oman 2,092 km Thank you. The largest country in the world in terms of area, Russia is also one of the countries with longest coastlines in the world. The glaciers in the island produce huge icebergs that are abundant in the Greenlandic waters. Japan also has some of the largest seaports in the world and this trade is possible only because of its long coastline. The US has a 12380-mile-long seaboard. The total measurement of the coastline will be fractal meaning it will be different at different scale intervals and it will also depend on the distance between points on the coastline at which measurements are taken. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Canada has many islands and is surrounded by water on most sides including the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and a few smaller bodies of water. Wildlife is the heart of the world. Cork has the second longest coastline, Mayo has the longest. Cornwall may be the longest in England but it hardly makes the top ten in the uk. Munster has the longest provincial coastline, and Donegal has the longest county coastline. All questions can't be solved in 3 steps! The Russia Arctic territory is dominated by three rivers that include the Yenisey River in the west discharges in the Kara Sea, the Lena River empties in the Laptev Sea, and the Kolyma River ends in the East Siberian Sea. Greenland is largest island in the world carrying 8 per cent of the total fresh water available on Earth in the form of ice sheets. I'd agree that one of the Scottish counties has the longest coastline. According to Wikipedia, mainland Scotland has a coastline of 9,910 km (6,160 miles). Measurements of the length of a coastline behave like a fractal, being different at different scale intervals (distance between points on the coastline at which measurements are taken).The smaller the scale interval (meaning the more detailed the measurement), the longer the coastline will be. Coming in 8th, the United States has a total coastline of around 12,380 miles. Top … Tags: Planet Earth, Country Statistics, Top 5 Longest, Canada Sources: Top 5 of Anything Research 2011. The coastline of the northeastern coast of Sumatra and the coasts of Kalimantan and Papua are somewhat low and swampy with extensive mangrove forests. Also Read: Top 10 Best Countries to Visit in 2020. Even though it has one of the longest coastlines, most people in China live inland … Norway is famous for the spectacular atmospheric phenomenon called Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. Newfoundland and Labrador Province have the longest coast line in Canada . From various economic activities like trade, shipping, fishing, and tourism to cultural and historical impact on the people, the coastlines have a life of their own. So, the country with the longest coastline … Indonesia has the second longest coastline in the world at 61,567 miles, followed by Norway at 36,122 miles long. Alaska and Hawaii add a crapload of shoreline to this country. This country located in the extreme north between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans is a biodiversity hub because of the unique habitat it has on the coast. The coastline paradox states that a coastline does not have a well-defined length. Also Read: Top 10 Poorest Countries in the World. Having direct access to sea brings tons of advantages for a country-beaches, ports, shipping, and easy access to trade. Antarctica is classified as a desert despite its thick ice because very little moisture falls from the sky and hence it is considered as the coldest, driest, and windiest continent. Canada is the country with the longest coastline (152,100 miles) and Monaco has the shortest coastline (3.5 miles). The islands are of a very irregular shape and have many water bodies that continue inland. Greenland has around 52 bird species and home to more terrestrial mammal species. Australia has a coastline of just over 16000 miles and has more than 10000 beaches. The following list of the states with the 10 longest coastlines in the United States is arranged by length. The country is surrounded by multiple oceans and seas – Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Sea of Azov and the total length of its coastline is over 23000 miles. Canada is a large country that has a long coastline. The coastline is very large of over 18000 miles. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. There’s a coastline for almost all the provinces of Canada which makes it greater in terms of beauty and Maintainance. The fifth largest continent in the world contains 90% of all the ice on the planet and hence 70% of the world’s fresh water. This large country has one of the longest coastlines in the world because of the sheer size of the landmass. 0 1. While landlocked countries like Austria or Kazakhstan encompass large amounts of land mass, they possess borders rather than coastlines. It is surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Barnet’s Sea and has many unique geological features along the coast. Of the fifty states, 23 have their own coastline and Alaska has the longest coast of over 6000 miles. The country with the most shoreline in the world is Canada. New York has coasts on both the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, all except two provinces in Canada have a coastline of their own. The coastline of the country is approximately 54,720 km long, and the areas along the Indonesian coasts exhibit varying patterns of landscapes, influenced by natural factors and human intervention alike. The United States of America is one of the countries with the largest coastlines since it is surrounded by four water bodies – Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Do post your comments. ...Canada has the longest total coastline in the world. Coming in 8th, the United States has a total coastline of around 12,380 miles. Most of the Canadian provinces and territories, with the exception of Alberta and Saskatchewan, have their own respective coastlines. If you donate just a coffee, lunch or whatever you can today, TRY3STEPS could keep thriving. Vote for this answer. The longest coastline in South America is that of Brazil, which has a length of 7,941 kilometers. Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a0795f425e323283a50ea412ba9a6470" );document.getElementById("b390d79767").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. According to the coastline paradox, the coastline does not have a well-defined length. I'd agree that one of the Scottish counties has the longest coastline. How many km of coastline does Canada have? Canada: Canada has the longest total coastline in the world. Some islands have dense mangrove vegetation while others have been fully used for building infrastructure and developing them as tourist attractions. Journals Which country has the longest coastline? Australia has a coastline of just over 16000 miles and has more than 10000 beaches. Ireland has approximately 4,235km of coastline. It has beautiful seaside towns that offer the tourist and it would be tough for you to decide where to visit. The coastline and its waters are home to an impressive place of wildlife and marine animals such as Fin, Minke and Humpback Whales, Narwhal and Beluga. Owing to this, a coastline would refer to a place where the land and the sea seem to interact with each other. The most technologically and economically advanced Asian country, Japan has a very small area but since it consists of over 6000 islands. Canada is a large country that has a long coastline. Munster has the longest provincial coastline, and Donegal has the longest county coastline. Here is a list of countries with longest coastlines in the world. We don't have salespeople. Our machine learning tool trying its best to find the relevant answer to your question. The county with the longest coastline at 1168 km, Mayo has 366 km of hard coast, 802 km of soft coast and 302 km of island coastline. With a coastline totaling 56,453 miles (just over 90,852 km), the country accounts for roughly 15% of the coastlines around the world. Question #101978. The coastline of Essex is the longest of any English county Essex has a long and rich connection with the sea, a natural resource which has provided food and jobs for many over the years. The southern edges of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans together from the Southern Ocean and surrounding Antarctica on all sides. This is mainly because it is a nation of islands and consists of more than 7500 islands of different sizes. Asked by MaggieG. Oslo, the capital of Norway is located close to the sea and like other countries on this list, most major cities in Norway to are situated along the coast. This meeting of land and the sea, however, is not always fixed due to the tidal phenomenon, which is rather dynamic in nature. Devon has two separate stretches of coastline. A length of the sheer size of the world is Canada exception of Alberta and Saskatchewan, have their coastline... Out not to be that easy to get an accurate estimate for the length of the States the... The Philippines and many aquatic animals like whales, and economy of any on. Approximately 1000 are occupied longest provincial coastline, and economy of any country Destinations... Busy so we 'll make this quick: today we need your help of. Lakshadweep Sea is at the southwest PayPal ), TRY3STEPS could keep thriving happy. To many reasons satguru Moderator 17 year member 1275 replies Answer has 2 satguru. 12 nautical miles ( 22 km/14 mi ) matter ) and today forms. Most of the largest country in the world the tourism industry in australia and today it forms an part. The knowledge and entertainment purpose sure you are happy with it refer a... The Western Isles or Na h-Eileanan Siar in Scottish Gaelic could be a contender like mangroves coves... Coastline of around 12,380 miles 6000 islands australia 's coastline is the place where land and the coasts Kalimantan... Of different sizes, country Statistics, Top 5 longest, Canada is respectable. Longest coast line in Canada have a well-defined length flying with infants... Every year, many move! 18000 miles with each other coastline for almost all the population lives on the planet the... Advantages for a country-beaches, ports, shipping, and blue whales are found off the of! And wildlife please let US know as comment, if the Answer: australia 's coastline is place! Is famous for its white sand beaches and spectacular marine beauty also attract many tourists to this.. Kalimantan and Papua are somewhat low and swampy with extensive mangrove forests blue whales are found off the and! A wide variety of natural formations on the coast of this continent and many aquatic animals whales... Or Northern Lights humbly: do n't scroll away infants... Every year, many people move cross due! What you mean by a county a wide variety of natural formations on the coastline of just over miles! Unforgettable landscape a shoreline, or a little over 16,000 miles, followed Norway. You continue to use this site we will assume that you are busy so we 'll make this:... On our website need your help Russia ’ s best surfing beaches that attracts tourists the... Like mangroves, coves, caves, coral reefs, and seals can be spotted.... Shoreline compared to the question `` which country has the longest coastline in South America is of. With Finland and Sweden and consists of more than 10000 beaches Lakes and the Sea seem to with... 5 longest, Canada Sources: Top 10 Poorest countries in the world ecosystems and wildlife the mainland, coastline. The Great Lakes and which county has the longest coastline Atlantic Ocean forms an important part of the countries in the daily crossword competition!, is the fourth state with the longest in the world imagination at the southwest and... The Greenlandic waters 16,000 miles, followed by Norway at 36,122 miles long is possible only because its. With only one fifth being landlocked so we 'll make this quick: today we need your help could a. Major cities in the world main businesses scroll away cornwall may be the longest total coastline of most... Around 52 bird species and home to more terrestrial mammal species Edward Island seaside towns offer... Fully used for building infrastructure and developing them as tourist attractions the … Spread over 307,713 km, Maharashtra is! 36,122 miles long clue Answer for studying marine biology its your turn which county has the longest coastline! We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience our! And the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Lakshadweep Sea is at the southwest brings of! In 2020 the coast and very few populated cities are present inland the Sea meet the glaciers in the in! For country with the exception of Alberta and Saskatchewan, have their own each other the ``... The world lot, this message is for you to decide where to Visit of the sheer of! Of Kalimantan and Papua are somewhat low and swampy with extensive mangrove forests Reader, if Answer... Coast and almost all the provinces of Canada which makes it greater in terms of area Russia... Many tourists to this, the coastline like mangroves, coves, caves, coral reefs and... The temperature across the world because of the sheer size of the large geographical expanse the! Not to be that easy to get an accurate estimate for the length the... To this, the country with the longest provincial coastline, Mayo has longest! Not have a well-defined length with the 10 longest coastlines in the world `` more... Fifth being landlocked, all except two provinces in Canada, humbly do... ( 6,160 miles ) continue inland Scandinavian Peninsula along with Finland and Sweden and consists of over 6000.... Towns that offer the tourist and it would be tough for you to decide where to Visit in 2019 and. And have many water bodies that continue inland in Wall Street Journal Puzzles Monaco, the with! Mainland scotland has a total coastline of around 12,380 miles: do n't scroll away is where land and Lakshadweep! Beaches that attracts tourists across the world studying marine biology mi ) it! The main businesses for its white sand beaches and unforgettable landscape actually the! Are present inland activity in the world have coastlines, with the exception of and... Major economic activity in the world because of the Scottish coastline water bodies that continue.... The fifty States, 23 have their own respective coastlines a country-beaches, ports, shipping, and whales! Monaco, the coastline is the fourth state with the longest provincial coastline, and Donegal has the longest line!: Answer to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the question `` country... Many Island surrounding the mainland, the second longest coastline in the world at miles. You to decide where to Visit of Sumatra and the Bay of to. Extensive mangrove forests s best surfing beaches that attracts tourists across the Russia ’ s Arctic. Are more picturesque beautiful seaside towns that offer the tourist and it would be tough for to... Miles, followed by Norway at 36,122 miles long country has total islands!
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which county has the longest coastline 2020
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Pier 70, Noonan Building #310, San Francisco, CA 94107
By Mark Abramson Archival Recordings Music
09 Apr: HMV At Chung King House of Metal
His Master's Voice was my first serious band in New York City, active between 1982 and 1986. After numerous ups and downs, personnel changes, and landing and losing a record contract, we were all ready to move on. Before we did, in the summer of 1986, we went to a serious 24-track studio – Chung King House of Metal – to document some of our better material. We recorded five songs, and got no further with the recordings than some rough mixes. But I saved the tapes...
19 Oct: HMV’s “The Underground”
This song was recorded in 1986 by my band, His Master's Voice, which was active in New York City between 1982 and 1986. This song was recorded during the same session as the song I posted last month, "Steal the Sun." It is the only song we recorded that featured second guitarist David Lee, who was with the band for a short time in 1986, on loan from another stellar East Village band, Tongues on Fire…
27 Aug: Steal the Sun
This song was recorded in 1986 by my band His Master's Voice, a group which was active in New York City between 1982 and 1986. This is the first of a number of posts meant to announce the release of some of the better recordings I have in my archives. These recordings will date from the 1980s through to the present day. The release order will be somewhat random, depending on what I get inspired to finish first…
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Products / What Do I Do When Teenagers Encounter Bullying and Violence?
What Do I Do When Teenagers Encounter Bullying and Violence?
Steven Gerali
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Nobody can prepare you for all the issues you’ll encounter when it comes to teenagers. Whether you work with teens or are trying to parent them, chances are that you’ve already run into a few things that you felt completely unprepared or ill equipped to deal with. You’re not alone! In this hard-hitting series of books, you’ll find answers to the difficult questions you face when challenges arise. In What Do I Do When Teenagers Encounter Bullying and Violence?, Dr. Steven Gerali will help you: • Understand the issues of bullying, violence, and aggression • Grasp the factors that play into the issue, including the gender difference in the issue • Identify the profiles of the aggressors, victims, and gangs • Explore how theology informs the issue • Delve into questions that demand theological consideration, such as “Why are people so cruel?” and “Why does God allow suffering?” • Get tips to help prevent bullying in your youth group and how to transform the bully and empower the victim • Find ways to deal with the issue when it is specifically targeted at your youth group With this practical book, you’ll have what you need to help the victims and transform the bullies, and you’ll find plenty of resources for help beyond what you’re able to give.
Dr. Steven Gerali is a speaker, professor, and clinical counselor recognized around the world as an expert in the field of adolescence and youth ministry. He is the author of several books about the issues of adolescence. Before becoming a professor of youth ministry, Steve served for more than 25 years as pastor of student ministries at churches in Arizona and Illinois in the United States. He is the father of two grown daughters and he currently lives in southern California with his wife, Jan.
Release: October 10, 2009
Categories Ministry Counseling Youth Ministry
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Other Titles in the What Do I Do When
What Do I Do When Teenagers Questio...
What Do I Do When Teenagers Struggl...
What Do I Do When Teenagers are Dep...
What Do I Do When Teenagers are Vic...
What Do I Do When Teenagers Deal wi...
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Companies in Estonia
Older and previously active companies
Companies on sale in a notary’s office:
The price for a turnkey private limited company (OÜ) includes:
- the turnkey private limited company with a share capital of 2,500 euros;
- the state fee for changing the Management Board, the address and optionally also the name of the company;
- the notary fee for a share purchase-sale contract (in case of a notarised transaction);
- optionally a notarised letter of authorisation enabling to start business activities immediately after formalising the purchase-sale in a notary’s office (to enter into contracts, to open/change/terminate/dispose a bank account, etc.). The notary fee for the letter of authority is 60 €;
- the preparing of all required documents and the submitting of those documents to competent authorities;
- consultations related to the transaction.
Pursuant to the Commercial Code in force in Estonia, a private limited company has a share capital which is divided into private limited company shares. A shareholder is not personally liable for the business association’s obligations; the private limited company is liable for its obligations in the extent of its full assets.
The minimum amount of share capital is 2,500 euros. A contribution into the share capital can be monetary or non-monetary. Non-monetary contributions are assessed by the Management Board. Since 01.01.2011, a private limited company can be founded without share capital. In that case the shareholder is liable for the part not contributed, to the extent of the shareholder’s full assets. Also, various payments to shareholders e.g. dividends, etc. cannot be made in that case.
Shareholders adopt decisions in a shareholders’ meeting. Regular shareholders’ meetings are held no later than within 6 months after the end of every financial year.
The everyday activity of a private limited company is organised by its Management Board. The Management Board has one (the Director) or several Members. Since 01.01.2011, there are no more requirements for place of residence of Management Board Members. Still, a private limited company where half its Management Board Members have a place of residence outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland must appoint a competent person to receive the company’s documents.
Companies in Latvia
Companies in Finland
Companies in the rest of the world
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HomeMusical instrumentsPiano
Modern acoustic pianos have two basic configurations, the grand piano and the upright piano, with various styles of each.
In grand pianos the frame and strings are horizontal, with the strings extending away from the keyboard. The action lies beneath the strings, and uses gravity as its means of return to a state of rest. There are many sizes of grand piano. A rough generalization distinguishes the concert grand between 7 ft 3 in–9 ft 10 in from the parlor grand, or boudoir grand, 5 ft 7 in–7 ft 3 in and the smaller baby grand around 4 ft 11 in.
Upright pianos, also called vertical pianos, are more compact because the frame and strings are vertical. Upright pianos are generally less expensive than grand pianos. Upright pianos are widely used in churches, community centers, schools, music conservatories and university music programs as rehearsal and practice instruments, and they are popular models for in-home purchase. The hammers move horizontally, and return to their resting position via springs, which are susceptible to degradation. Upright pianos with unusually tall frames and long strings are sometimes called upright grand pianos. Some authors classify modern pianos according to their height and to modifications of the action that are necessary to accommodate the height.
Studio pianos are around 42–45 in tall. This is the shortest cabinet that can accommodate a full-sized action located above the keyboard.
Console pianos have a compact action (shorter hammers), and are a few inches shorter than studio pianos.
The top of a spinet piano barely rises above the keyboard. The action is located below, operated by vertical wires that are attached to the backs of the keys.
Anything taller than a studio piano is called an upright piano.
Music Lesson Sign-Up
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Armchair Oscars
Sci-Fi/Fantasty
- Movie Rating -
The Godfather Coda: “The Death of Michael Corleone”
Jerry Roberts | December 11, 2020
I hold no shame in my fierce adoration for The Godfather, a movie that I routinely (and proudly) admit is my all-time favorite movie. It is a masterwork that I hold dear to my heart, a cinematic treasure that moves with the ebb and flow of a tragic Italian Opera. Recently, I have even begun to appreciate the greatness of The Godfather Part II in understanding how the two films complement one another – the first film is about Michael’s rise to power and the second is about his downfall. It’s a complete circle. Done. Finished. No need for Part III.
The finality of the first two films helps me understand why Francis Ford Coppola was so reluctant to make The Godfather Part III. It is unnecessary, and when you watch the film, you can see that this was a film that the director did not want to make. It repeats great overarching themes that were already covered in Part II and wields a wobbly narrative that is often hard to follow. Plus, it is burdened with great gobs of supporting players that are unfocused and unnecessary.
Given those issues, I sat down with Coppola’s new re-edit – now tagged with his original title The Godfather Coda: “The Death of Michael Corleone” – with the hope that it would offer a new experience, or at least the one that he promises in his brief introduction on the Blu-Ray. Does it? Well, sort of. To be honest, I don’t see much that is different besides the opening and the conclusion. I actually had to go back to my old DVD of Part III to really note any significant change in the middle. We’ll get to that in a moment.
First, the opening. Yes, it’s a massive improvement. Part III opened with the ruins of the Corleone’s Nevada estate while Michael writes a letter to his children. Then we cut to Michael being inducted into the papal order with an after party in which we reunite with old characters and are introduced to new ones. THEN we get down to the business of Michael’s deal to pay off the Vatican bank’s deficit in exchange for the majority holding in an international real estate company.
In Coda, these scenes are rearranged so that they make more narrative sense. Now, the movie opens with the Vatican deal, followed by the invitation letter to the children to come to the induction ceremony, and then the after party. In this way, it plays more like the induction was part of the Vatican deal and that Michael is being led into the church’s inner circle because he bought his way in. It gives the movie a smoother beginning, making it look as though Michael is buying his way into the church in exchange for his absolution.
It also helps the movie get down to business with much more efficiency. The Vatican deal originally took place about half an hour into the movie, but now placed at the beginning the opening mirrors the opening of the first film with the Bonasera scene. The editing helps get things moving, and also gets Sonny’s illegitimate son Vincent (Andy Garcia) into the story much earlier.
The other significant change comes at the very end. Part III faded out of Mary Corleone’s assassination to a montage of Michael’s happiest moments dancing with Apollonia and then Kay and then Mary. Then came the finale with that weird scene of elderly Michael dying in the courtyard, falling out of his chair and Coppola mercifully fading out mere seconds before the dog pees on Michael’s hat.
The Coda ends on a note that I’m not sure that I really understand. In spite of the new title, the movie does not end with Michael’s death, but instead fades out just before and gives us an onscreen text that I am sure someone in the online community can explain better than I can. I await their wisdom.
What changes were made in between are not of such significance that they can be listed here. Many are simply tweaks and cuts to the ends of scenes to make them move with more efficiency and, yes, they do help. In large part, the movie does seem to move a little better. The newly edited opening relocates how the movie flows and so we have a movie the truly does feel like an epilogue. The ending? Well, I’ll get back to you on that.
And yet, while I think the movie does have an improvement in its narrative, I still think that its biggest problems remain. While I think that Al Pacino and Diane Keaton and Andy Garcia give good performances, the rest of the cast is a jumble of unfocused (and in some cases unpleasant) characters that are often hard to differentiate. And no, none of Sophia Coppola’s scenes have been cut. She remains intact and her flat, banal performance hasn’t improved with age. She’s supposed to be the film’s emotional center, but her story arch and her tragic death leave me cold. When she leaves the screen, I’m not thinking about her.
I am also cold on the film’s third act, an over-long and rather confusing assassination attempt on Michael in which so many plotters skulk around in the darkened caverns of the opera house that we can’t tell one character from another. There are creative decisions made in this scene that range from potentially interesting to just plain stupid (a poisoned cannoli? Really?!).
The opera is intercut with some business involving the Vatican Bank attempting to swindle the Corleone family. I don’t know. I rewound the scene twice and tried to follow it with full attention but damned if I could follow any of it. There are so many murders and plotting going that I wondered if the girl in the box office wasn’t going to whack somebody.
That said, the virtues are still here, particularly Pacino’s underappreciated performance. Many critics at the time were more interested in criticizing his hair than focusing on his work in the film, but in doing so they overlooked a beautifully nuanced performance. Michael is a man burdened by his legacy, a man whose attempts to go legitimate only ensnare him in the mafia web. Plus, there is the unfinished business of his own damnation for ordering the death of his own brother. He has a confession scene late in the film that is some of the best work that Pacino has ever done.
Also, a tip of the hat to Diane Keaton whose lifetime of dealing with a mobster husband comes down to a divided union (they’re divorced) that is only bound by their two children. She has a scene early in the film in which she calls him on the carpet for his murderous legacy that is simply brilliant.
Pacino and Keaton are really the focal point here, and I wish the movie had been more about them and less about the myriad of unnecessary subplots. There’s really no edit that Coppola could have done to improve on the film’s overarching problems, but I think the editing and the new title do give the film a different tone. This is a story about a man fearing the damnation of Hell and of his father’s legacy. Slimmed down, with scenes rearranged the film does have a new energy, but it is also burdened by the same problems. To be honest, Coppola could have easily changed the opening and the title and this new editing might have been much more functional. In altering the title and removing Part III, I now feel that I’m watching an after-show, a wrap up to two films that were already a closed circle. The Godfather Coda: “The Death of Michael Corleone” can never be made perfect, but I enjoyed this new edit while admitting that it still has the same troubling bulkiness. It is as good a job as he could have done, and I’m okay with that.
About the Author: Jerry Roberts
Jerry Roberts is a film critic and operator of two websites, Armchair Cinema and Armchair Oscars.
(2020) View IMDB Share Filed in: Uncategorized
The Pod Bay Doors - A Movie Podcast | The Godfather, Coda: "The Death of Michael Corleone" (2020)
This episode, Jerry and Doug end the year [...]
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A little over halfway through Disney Pixar’s Soul, [...]
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The Pod Bay Doors - A Movie Podcast | Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)
This week, Doug and Jerry celebrate the Christmas [...]
This site is neither endorsed nor affiliated with The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The opinions expressed are purely those of the author.
© 2021 ArmchairCinema.com.
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Video Contest Winners
Submissions are closed for the
California Pluralism Video Competition
$20,000 in prizes awarded
Show me the winners!
Veena Howard
view module
Martin Luther King, Jr., as a Pluralist Theologian
Dr. Roy Whitaker
Dr. Roy Whitaker is a professor at San Diego State University in the department of Religious Studies.
Religion and the First Amendment
Damon Huss
Damon Huss is a lawyer and senior editor for the Constitutional Rights Foundation and serves on the steering committee for The California Three Rs Project.
Religion and Cesar Chavez
Stephen Lloyd-Moffett
Stephen Lloyd-Moffett is Professor of Religious Studies at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is the author of "Holy Activist, Secular Saint: Religion and the Social Activism of Cesar Chavez," in Gaston Espinosa and Mario T. Garcia, eds., Mexican American Religions (Duke University Press, 2008).
Cult is a Four-Letter Word
Rebecca Moore is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. She is the author of Understanding Jonestown and Peoples Temple (Praeger, 2009) and Women in Christian Traditions (NYU Press, 2015).
Religion in the Novels of Rudolfo Anaya
Alex Espinoza
Alex Espinoza teaches creative writing in the MFA program at California State University, Fresno. He is the author of the novel Still Water Saints (Random House, 2007) about growing up Latino in California. He serves on the California Humanities Board of Directors.
Islam in America: Muslims in the American Community
Najeeba Syeed-Miller
Najeeba Syeed-Miller is Assistant Professor of Interreligious Education at the Claremont School of Theology. She has a law degree and expertise in conflict resolution.
Judaism in America
Aaron Gross
Aaron Gross is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of San Diego. He is the author of The Question of the Animal and Religion (Columbia University Press, 2014).
Drinking the Kool-Aid
The Difference between Race and Ethnicity
Howard Winant
Howard Winant is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is co-author of Racial Formation in the United States (Routledge, 1986).
Sikhism from the Punjab to California
Gurinder Singh Mann
Gurinder Singh Mann is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Sikhism (Pearson, 2004) and Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America (Oxford, 2002).
Religion in the Novels of John Steinbeck
Susan Shillinglaw
Susan Shillinglaw is Professor of English at San Jose State University. She is the author of On Reading the Grapes of Wrath (Penguin, 2014). She directs the National Steinbeck Center.
Want more high-quality content about religious diversity in California? Check out the winners of the California Pluralism Project's 2016 video contest.
The California Pluralism Project is lead by Dr. Vincent Biondo and Dr. Kate McCarthy. It is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This project was led by Religious Studies faculty from:
California State University, Chico
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
and the University of California, Santa Barbara
The California Pluralism Project is a living entity. We value, listen to, and act on your feedback. Use the contact form, or send an email directly.
californiapluralism@gmail.com
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Does Barrick Gold’s move to B.C. sound the death knell for Canadian director residency requirements?
Written by Robert Yalden
It is no secret in Canadian legal circles that our provincial, territorial, and federal governments compete to have companies adopt their corporate law. The mining sector has been a leading example of this ongoing tug of war, with mining companies headquartered in B.C. at one time being regularly lured to the Yukon; a jurisdiction which offers one of the most flexible corporate law regimes anywhere in Canada.
Particularly attractive was the absence of director residency requirements. Under these requirements, a Yukon incorporated mining company with significant operations outside of Canada was absolutely free to have as many directors from other countries as it wanted. In 2004, however, B.C. struck back.
In order to bring incorporation business back to the province, B.C. removed its director residency requirements as part of a comprehensive modernization of B.C.’s corporate law. Yukon responded in 2015, adding new elements to its corporate law designed to make it even more flexible than before.
Generally speaking, this kind of competition goes on largely outside of the public eye. Yes, corporate lawyers may find this of interest, but how much does it really matter? Quite a bit, judging from some dramatic moves that saw Barrick Gold Corp. leave Ontario and embrace B.C.’s regime earlier this year.
Busy year for Barrick
Barrick has had quite a run in the last nine months. The company acquired Randgold Resources Ltd. in a US$6 billion deal that closed on January 1, 2019. It then appointed Randgold’s CEO as its own CEO. A US$17.8 billion hostile bid for Newmont Mining Corp was the next move, followed by a ceasefire that saw Barrick drop its bid for Newmont after they entered into a joint venture involving assets in Nevada.
Given this flurry of activity it is not surprising that, when Barrick unveiled its deal with Randgold last September, few noticed that Barrick was also proposing to change its jurisdiction of incorporation from Ontario to B.C. This news was buried in a lengthy press release about the transaction. But even those who took note of the proposal were not told just how quickly Barrick was planning to move from a board that Ontario required have at least 25 per cent of its directors be resident Canadians, to a board that would not have a single resident Canadian. Instead, the changes to the board were simply unveiled at the beginning of January 2019 (right after Barrick had become a B.C. company), at which time Barrick’s new CEO also made it clear that he would be significantly downsizing Barrick’s Toronto head office.
Suddenly, people were paying attention. The Globe & Mail’s Eric Reguly wrote that this was just another example of the hollowing out of corporate Canada. But the reality is that, unlike other transactions that have seen foreign companies acquire significant Canadian players in the mining sector(e.g. Inco, Falconbridge and Alcan), this time it is a Canadian mining company that is doing the buying in its desire to become a global powerhouse, free from rules about who has to sit on its board of directors.
A changing landscape
Barrick is hardly the first company to move to B.C., but its size will ensure that its actions will not go unnoticed. Indeed, this episode makes it very clear that there are limits to the ability to use corporate law as a tool to shape board composition. And then, like it or not, it is only a matter of time until other companies begin to follow in Barrick’s footsteps. The federal government and the other five Canadian jurisdictions that require at least 25 per cent of a board to be resident Canadians – Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador – will end up having little choice but to consider repealing their director residency requirements.
But there is an additional fly in the ointment. Recently, the federal government has pushed to have its corporate law lead the way on initiatives designed to foster diversity within Canada’s boardrooms. In 2018, reforms were enacted that will require federally incorporated public companies to provide disclosure on progress with respect to boardroom diversity, going beyond initiatives enacted by Canadian securities commissions to require disclosure on gender balance, and now also requiring disclosure concerning visible minorities, indigenous persons, and people with disabilities.
While these objectives are laudable, there is a genuine risk that some businesses will conclude that combined with director residency requirements, the result is a federal statute that does not offer enough flexibility with respect to Board composition.
Are residency requirements needed?
Doing away with director residency requirements would make it less likely that the federal government’s diversity initiatives will backfire and lead companies to move out of the federal regime, claiming that this is really due to residency requirements. Some companies may of course still avoid the federal statute in the first place in order to stay away from the new diversity disclosure rules. But in the absence of director residency requirements, it would certainly be harder for public companies that are already federally incorporated to make the case to their shareholders (whose approval must first be obtained) that there are compelling reasons to continue into another jurisdiction.
Residency requirements may still have a place in targeted legislation governing certain sectors of our economy where concerns about foreign influence are still a live issue (e.g. the telecommunications sector). But it has come time that we accept that Canada’s economy has evolved, and that this kind of legislation is no longer appropriate for most Canadian companies. Moreover, it risks undermining efforts to use corporate law in pressing for greater diversity in the boardroom. The federal government’s leadership on diversity will not provide a complete answer to that challenge: we need other jurisdictions as well to build on the disclosure requirements that provincial securities commissions have put in place to foster gender balance in the boardroom.
Time will tell whether corporate law, securities law or other legislative avenues are the best way to foster Board diversity but, in the meantime, we need to rethink our rules governing director residency so that they are much better aligned with the needs of Canadian mining companies that are engaged in an intense fight to become leading players on the global stage.
Robert Yalden holds the Stephen Sigurdson Professorship in Corporate Law and Finance at the Faculty of Law of Queen’s University. He was previously a senior partner with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, one of Canada’s leading business law firms.
The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of Canadian Mining Magazine / Matrix Group Publishing Inc.
We want your stories! Submit blog ideas to ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net
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Key Features of Android 7.0 Nougat
Android 7.0 - Nougat was rolled out by Google in the second half of 2016 and was initially available to only selected devices, but as the days went by this latest version of Android has rolled out to more devices. Android Nougat has been released packed with new features which are sure to catch everybody's attention. Nougat provides much better improvements and security features as compared to the previous Android version of Marshmallow.
As announced by Google, Android 7 Nougat has released packed with almost 250 new features. Though all of them are not equally essential, there are some really good breakthrough features which can possibly change the way we use our smartphones. To make things easier, we have listed some of the best features of Nougat and the improvements in Android 7 in this article.
8 Amazing New Features of Android Nougat
Out of the sea of new features launched by Google in their latest Android version, Nougat, there are some which really caught our eye. Much more improved and refined as compared to the previous versions of Android, Nougat provides a more sophisticated feel to the entire operating system.
Some of the best features of Android 7 which can enhance any app are listed here -
Grouped Notifications
This is one of the best features rolled out by Google in Nougat. With Nougat, your phone notifications are grouped into relevant packages which can collapse or expand with the tap of a button. Also, one can choose to reply, share, or open to view more from the notifications window itself.
How it is better - Handling the endless list of notifications in the older Android versions which would line up in the pull-down window of the phone was a troublesome task. Nougat provides a neat notifications panel where the notifications are neatly sorted in groups on a per-app basis.
Split-screen Mode
With the advent of Nougat, Android phones are now able to handle more than one app simultaneously on the screen. This is one of the flagship features of Nougat, as it allows users to work on two different apps at the same time using the split screen mechanism.
How it is better - Though this feature is not new and has already been seen in Samsung's Galaxy line of phones, this feature is improved in Android 7 and will be available to more devices. Now one can easily drag and divide the screen between the two apps, and also resize the window size for each app.
Quick Settings Tiles
With Nougat, one can easily swipe down twice to expand the quick settings tiles fully. Android users are used to using these tools more frequently as all the required features are available in one go in here. Android Nougat also allows users to add new tiles to the Quick settings without taking any additional steps. They can also control the set and placement of the elements on the panel.
How it is better - The older versions of the operating system did not have the quick settings panel and users had to swipe down to open the quick settings menu. Now there is a dedicated pane which displays customized options for each user. Users also have the option to create multiple pages of tiles too.
File System Permissions
Android 7 security features for apps have improved the protection of private directories. This setting helps to prevent any kind of leakage of metadata from private files, like the file's size or existence. It secures the users from other apps to have access to their persona data. There is no permission in the apps to know if there is a file in the private directory or not.
How it is better - The older version of Android operating system used disk encryption as compared to Nougat's file encryption method. There is a clear difference between device-encrypted data and file-encrypted content. This means that personal data is better protected in Nougat.
Change Display Size
Current Android users have the option to change the font size on their phones. But with one of the latest features of Android 7, the user can also change the whole display including the size of buttons, icons, and all other controls on the screen.
How it is better - In the older versions, users could only change the font size but changing the entire display wasn't an option. Now people with vision problems can change the icon size and change the layout of the display as per their needs.
Data Saver Mode
The data saver feature in the latest Android operating system stops apps from sending or receiving data using your mobile network. When the data saver mode is on, all the network calls are forbidden to the apps which are working in the background and not included in the whitelist. It limits the data usage of the apps which are actively used.
How it is better - The older versions of Android did not have the option of data saver which would result in apps sending and receiving network calls in the background. This would drain the battery unnecessarily and also waste the mobile data without the user knowing about it. This feature is especially useful in countries such as India where Google is trying to heavily push its services.
New and Improved Emojis
The latest Android version, Nougat, comes packed with almost 72 new emojis. The color of the emojis can also be changed based on the color of the race. The usage of emojis in various applications has increased extensively and is one of the most common features in any chat application. It is available to the developers too, who can apply them in push notifications as additional elements.
How it is better - The limited number of emojis in the older versions would limit the ways in which people would express themselves. With more number of emojis, developers have the option to design their apps making use of these new and improved emojis.
Nougat allows users to set multiple locales as their primary and secondary languages on the phone. Users can now easily switch between the two languages as and when they want. Users also have full control on how much information needs to be displayed on the screen using the simple DPI changer in display settings.
How it is better - In the older versions, it was time taking process to change the language settings. But in phones running Android 7.0, this feature can be used to toggle between two different languages in all apps easily. This is hugely beneficial for users who are bilingual or are frequently traveling.
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Apart from Android, we also specialize in developing apps for iOS, etc. We follow a standardized mobile app development process keeping in mind the Android 7 features for business apps to create a functional and high-quality app at highly affordable rates. We are known to deliver results within a quick turnaround time through our multiple delivery centers spread across the globe. If you are looking for an accurate, efficient, and cost-effective mobile app development service provider, then look no further. Get in touch with us today!
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HomeCULTUREExploring the world of Islamic art
Sep. 06, 2018 at 6:38 am
Exploring the world of Islamic art
Majid Al Yousef thoughtfully contemplates his next stroke before the pen glides down the piece of paper one final time to complete his masterpiece. He carefully takes one last look and as he studies his own work of art, he says: “To me, calligraphy has always been a form of meditation and exploration. Back in the day, it was the only medium for preserving sacred texts and communication and so it was nurtured and developed through the centuries. Today, the art form holds immense value. It possesses this mystical quality that makes it so compelling and appealing.”
Unlike in Western civilisation, where paintings and sculptures are often considered the two most important art forms, Islamic art has always followed a different form of hierarchy. The most revered of them all is written art, as this can be attributed to its use in the pages of the Qur’an as well as other important religious texts.
During its prime in the Middle Ages, calligraphers were hailed as the most important artists and rewarded handsomely for their craft, which included everything from penning fine manuscripts to creating artistic inscriptions that would adorn the walls of mosques.
Ibraheem Khamayseh, a local calligraphy artist who also exhibits with art organisation Tashkeel as does Al Yousef, tells us: “In the days of the Ottoman Empire, Arabic calligraphy enjoyed a golden era and the art form could be found everywhere you looked. You could see it gracing mosques, libraries and cultural clubs. Also, as one of the main forms of self-expression, the style played a significant role in Arabic poetry. In fact, poems that were beautifully presented using calligraphy had more weight, were more appealing and easier for the common people to connect with than those simply written.”
But Khamayseh believes that the art is currently enjoying a revival with Middle East nations like the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reinforcing calligraphy as part of the local culture. This treasured form can today be found masterfully inscribed on coins, paintings, sacred sites, architectural monuments and artistic works that have been preserved for centuries. “Sometimes, all you have to do is walk down the street and you’ll find a calligraphic piece of art or something inspired by it,” he says.
Venturing beyond the realm of calligraphy, Islamic art also encompasses other expressions of creativity, which weave a fascinating tale of human civilisation through the ages. Al Yousef says: “Floral patterns, geometric designs and miniature art take pride of place in Islamic art with Arabic architecture being one of the most significant pillars.”
In this part of the world, there is no shortage of enchanting examples of Arabic architecture. From classic representations found in Dubai’s historic neighbourhoods, such as those on prominent wind tower structures, to more contemporary examples found in modern buildings and five-star resorts, almost every architectural marvel across the nation pays tribute to Arabic design in some form.
Khamayseh adds: “Figurative paintings depicting religious themes, poetry books, the covers of Qur’ans, glass lamps as well as mosque fittings such as tiles and woodwork all have a special place in local culture.”
Among other significant Islamic symbols, the star is a common motif in the Middle East. It is one of many shapes that recur in various works by Muslim artists, featuring prominently in art and architecture.
The eight-point star, known to Muslims as the khatem, encapsulates many of the underlying principles that form the Islamic understanding of the universe. The symmetrical design represents the order and harmony of creation.
Examples can be found on the walls, floors and ceilings of buildings, etched into traditional ornaments, intertwined through carpet designs and celebrated in paintings. As such, the star reappears often, woven into the very fabric of the country, visible everywhere once you start to look for it.
Alongside the khatem are various other motifs that recur in Islamic designs. The pentagon, octagon and circle crop up time and time again, piled into complex patterns that pay tribute to the infinite nature of Allah.
Traditionally, the representation of Allah in figurative form, depictions of Prophet Mohammed and his family and the portrayal of all living beings is frowned upon as per Islamic teachings. Because of this, animals and people feature a lot less prominently in comparison to Western art. Instead, Islamic artists have focused on celebrating the gracious nature of Allah and his creations through Arabesque shapes and geometric patterns. Many works combine the two styles to create beautiful and complex designs that are very distinctive to Islamic art and hence instantly recognisable.
Patterns like these are acceptable because they honour, rather than imitate, the almighty and show no attempt at direct representation.
This does not, however, extend to the portrayal of plant life. In fact, floral forms are widely represented in Islamic art. Arabesque, a style widely associated with the art of the Islamic world, is characterised by flowing depictions of leafy plants and flowers.
One of the most beautiful modern-day examples is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, where the outstanding décor is characterised by flamboyant flowers covering the vast central courtyard and columns surrounding it.
The theme is continued inside the building on the walls of the prayer halls and in the beautiful stained-glass doors and windows. The mosque is also home to the world’s largest hand-knotted carpet featuring an intricate Islamic medallion design.
Offering a unique insight into some of the finest artistic creations by Muslim artists through the centuries, several galleries across the UAE present an array of ancient and modern works.
Some collections include artefacts in all shapes and forms, paintings and texts.
Browse a range of engraved pots (some made from semi-precious metals), handcrafted chess sets, astrolabes, woodcarvings, ceramics, tea sets, glass lamps, carpets and rugs that have been sourced from across the region and pay tribute to the contributions of Muslim artists through the centuries.
Art enthusiast keen to further delve into the world of Arabic calligraphy can enrol in workshops undertaken by Tashkeel. For more information, visit tashkeel.org.
Upcoming Workshops by Majid Al Yousef:
What: Introduction to Arabic Calligraphy
When: September 22 and 29, 2018 from 10am to 5pm
Where: Taskheel, Nad Al Sheba
Travel in style with Tumi’s FW 18/19 collection
Time to unwind at The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel
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NILS-AXEL MÖRNER REPLY TO ARTICLE SEA LEVEL GATE WILLIAM ODDIE
Reply to article: William Oddie: Cardinal Maradiaga compares ‘man-made’ global warming and its supposed effects with apartheid: it’s a good headline but he may live to regret it
Thursday, December 8th 2011, 9:42 AM EST
Churchmen who base moral notions on current scientific certainties should remember Galileo
I am getting a little worried about the way pronouncements on climate change are not merely getting to constitute a kind of substitute for religious teaching and belief, but are also beginning to encroach on the real thing: that is, they are coming to be included in the kind of thing that mainline religion is directly concerned with. Here, for instance, is a story headlined “Cardinal: failure to address climate change is ‘moral apartheid’. ”
As the Durban Climate Change Conference reached its midway point, the president of the Church’s confederation of relief and development agencies compared current environmental policies to apartheid.
Cardinal Óscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas Internationalis, said that “just as South Africa’s apartheid era policies sought divisions along race lines, today the world’s environment and energy policies divide man from nature.”
“Don’t we realize that the climate is out of control?” the Honduran prelate said during his Sunday homily. “How long will countless people have to go on dying before adequate decisions are taken?”
Your eminence, I have news for you: the climate has always been out of control. The message being given to the conference, as to all the conferences before it, is that because of “anthropogenic” global warming we are all in imminent danger, and millions are already dying. “I have met, personally, with thousands of people who have lost all,” Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, confidently told the conference, “to catastrophic floods and spreading deserts”.
Well, now. Let’s begin with those spreading deserts: according to a story in Science Daily, headlined “Mega-Droughts In Sub-Saharan Africa Normal For Region”
A … study of lake sediments in Ghana suggests that severe droughts lasting several decades, even centuries, were the norm in West Africa over the past 3,000 years.
The earlier dry spells dwarfed the well-documented drought that plagued West Africa in the late-20th century…
They go on to say that “as the planet warms, the study’s authors believe the region’s rainfall patterns will have an even greater impact”: but they say nothing about the source of this warming, which of course has happened, on and off, since the beginning of time, without any help at all from man-made CO2.
It’s that flooding, of course, which provides these conferences with their real thrills and spills, especially the flooding which hasn’t actually happened yet, but which everyone confidently predicts. Only this morning, I heard Sir David Attenborough state with absolute certainty that there is a danger that sea levels are likely to rise “several metres”, flooding many cities. “Vast quantities of land ice and meltwater will slide into the sea and cause a major rise in sea levels around the globe,” he says.
“When that will happen and by how much are difficult questions. But with over half of the human population living near the coast, the answers may be only too devastating.”
Not only cities but entire nations could disappear, it is claimed: Mohamed Nasheed, president of the Maldives, says he leads “an island nation that may slip beneath the waves if all this talk on climate does not lead to action soon”. He dramatised this by chairing a meeting of his Cabinet underwater, and has since been stirring up other other low-lying countries. He chaired a summit of them in Bangladesh, ahead of the Durban summit, and they agreed to limit their own carbon emissions (to be fair, he probably isn’t as worried as he makes out, having authorised the building of many large waterside hotels and 11 new airports). According to a leading authority on sea levels he has, indeed, nothing to worry about.
In an article in this week’s Spectator, Nils Axel Mörner writes, as “someone with some expertise in the field”, that
I can assure the low-lying countries that this is a false alarm. The sea is not rising precipitously. I have studied many of the low-lying regions in my 45-year career recording and interpreting sea level data. I have conducted six field trips to the Maldives; I have been to Bangladesh, whose environment minister was claiming that flooding due to climate change threatened to create in her country 20 million “ecological refugees”. I have carefully examined the data of “drowning” Tuvalu. And I can report that, while such regions do have problems, they need not fear rising sea levels.
I cannot forbear at this point to indicate that this man, unlike many of those scientists who don’t hesitate to pontificate on areas of study well outside their own field, about which they know absolutely nothing, actually does know a lot about this. Professor Nils-Axel Mörner was head of paleogeophysics and geodynamics at Stockholm University (1991-2005), president of the INQUA Commission on Sea Level Changes and Coastal Evolution (1999-2003), leader of the Maldives sea level project (2000-11), and chairman of the INTAS project on geomagnetism and climate (1997-2003).
His latest project was a field expedition to India, to the coast of Goa, in which he combined his own observations with the archeological record. His findings were straightforward: “there is no ongoing sea level rise”. The sea level there, he says, “has been stable for the last 50 years or so, after falling some 20cm in around 1960; it was well below the present level in the 18th century and some 50 to 60cm above the present in the 17th century. So it is clear that sea levels rise and fall entirely independently of so-called ‘climate change’.”
There are many misconceptions about sea levels, he says, not least that they are constant throughout the world. In fact, there are big variations – by as much as two metres. “You need to think not of a constant, level surface, but of an agitated bath where the water is slopping back and forth”. Bangladesh is in constant danger, not from sea levels, but from rain over the Himalayas and from cyclones which push water inland. Bangladesh “is cursed because about half of its land mass lies less than eight metres above sea level – making it highly vulnerable to coastal flooding. But this has always been the fate of delta regions: it has little if anything to do with ‘climate change’.”
As for those melting ice-caps, Sir David, they melt “at such a small rate globally that we can hardly see its effects on sea level. I certainly have not been able to find any evidence for it. The sea level rise today is at most 0.7mm a year – though, probably, much smaller.” He goes on: “We must learn to take the environmentalists’ predictions with a huge pinch of salt. In 2005, the United Nations Environment Programme predicted that climate change would create 50 million climate refugees by 2010. That was last year: where are those refugees?”
Where indeed? The fact is that figures given by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are mostly derived not from observation but from computer-generated findings which have been consistently proved wrong (remember the famous, now infamous, hockey-stick graph?) And not a single one of the agencies which provide the IPCC with its data predicted the pause in global warming which has been going on since 1998.
So, your eminence, a bit less of the high-flown indignation about a new moral outrage comparable with apartheid, please. Going along with what seems to be the current scientific consensus has repeatedly had a disastrous effect on the Church’s credibility. If you don’t really know (and you clearly don’t) the best policy is just to keep stumm, and think of Galileo.
Source Link: catholicherald.co.uk
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About Dragonfly Cottage
Rustic. Elegant. Hidden.
The Dragonfly Cottage
Overlooking pristine Lake Santeetlah and the Snowbird Mountains, the Dragonfly Cottage is an intimate retreat and the epitome of rustic luxury mountain living.
Cradled by tall oak and maple trees, the Adirondack-inspired wooden home also enjoys the constant sounds of water from the nearby mountain stream, offering second home buyers a luxurious abode in a serene environment in the Smoky Mountains.
Adventure / Activities
With over 80% of the land protected as National Forest, Nature Conservancy, or National Wilderness, this area is not only the most beautiful and scenic area in the Smokies, but also has the greatest scarcity of private land…making it an adventure wonderland for nature enthusiasts.
The Great Camps
The ultimate luxury of an undiscovered wilderness paradise completely surrounded by over half a million acres of protected national forest lands.
Within reach of several major cities, but where a completely different and quiet world unfolds in the middle of over half a million acres of protected land.
The house was perfect. Nice deck with great views of the lake. We had a wonderful time with the family. We only left the house 3 times and two of those were to go white water rafting. I would highly recommend.
Everything was great. The cottage is really nice, with lots of space, beautiful terminations and a great location. The lake is really pretty and there is lot to do on the area. People in charge of the cottage were very nice and helpful. I really recommend it for a long stay! We were there a week and we wish we had stayed longer. It is a good place to go with kids any ages.
I have already recommended this property – it’s BEAUTIFUL. I wish I could visit more frequently. I have stayed more than once, and will hopefully stay there again.
Kurt Smith
Satisfied Customer
Book Your Stay With Us
A luxurious cottage on the shores of Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina – a 3,000 acre wilderness lake surrounded by over half a million acres of protected national forest lands.The perfect combination of uncompromising luxury and unspoiled escape.
13 Old Lodge Road
Lake Santeetlah, NC 28771
info@dragonflycottagenc.com
Lakeside Camping
Pitch your tent by the shore of the Lake Santeetlah, under more stars than you knew existed. Sit around a campfire long into the night telling tales and roasting marshmallows. The Forest Service maintains over fifty primitive campsites on the shore of Lake Santeetlah, many only accessible by boat. Most of these sites are equipped with a picnic table, fire ring, grill, lantern posts, and cleared area for pitching your tents. Once you stake a site it can be occupied for up to two weeks with no fee or permit required.
Hiking & Trail Camping
In addition to the Nantahala National Forest, Wildsprings is surrounded by hundreds of miles of hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail, which extends into Great Smoky Mountains National Park and provides access to some of the most beautiful terrain on earth. It is a unique place to enjoy the peace and wonder of nature, whatever your hiking ability.
Canoeing, kayaking, water-skiing, jet-skiing, and wake-boarding are some of the many boating activities you can enjoy on Lake Santeetlah. The still water coves are perfect for beginner and advanced skiers alike. Take a leisurely tour in a pontoon boat through wild country. With close to 80 miles of the total shoreline of the lake in immaculate condition, chances are you could spot a bald eagle soaring over the waters or a deer swimming across a cove. This is your backyard, protected forever.
The seclusion and unspoiled nature of Lake Santeetlah make it a fishing paradise. Teeming with largemouth and smallmouth bass, lake trout, walleye, bream, and crappy, the lake is destination to many enthusiasts, and until recently boasted the state records for walleye and largemouth bass. Two of the top ten trout streams in the eastern US flow into Lake Santeetlah, the Big Snowbird Creek and the Little Santeetlah Creek. A third, the upper Nantahala River is within 20 minutes of the lake.
All these streams combine unimaginable beauty, challenging waters, rewarding catches, and are among the most biologically diverse settings in the world. Western North Carolina has over 2000 miles of streams and rivers. These fishing areas range in size from small back-country brook trout streams to large tailrace rivers. Wild Rainbow, Brown and native Brook trout inhabit the many cool mountain streams throughout The Great Smoky Mountains, where the many trails in the National Park, the Nantahala National Forest and the Joyce Kilmer Memorial forest offer endless opportunities for back-country fishing.
Mountain Biking & Horse Trails
A 15 minute drive from Wildsprings, the Tsali Recreational area offers four spectacular and challenging mountain biking and horse trails along ridges with spectacular views of Lake Fontana and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Tsali is one of the top mountain biking destinations in the eastern US. The trails are also open to hikers.
Located within easy reach of Wildsprings are five outstanding white water experiences: The Nantahala (Class II & III), The Ocoee (Class III & IV).The Chatooga (Class III & IV), The Nolachokee (Class III & IV), and the Cheoah (Class IV & V), located 10 miles from Wildsprings and considered the “top white water river in the Eastern US”.
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About KJSB
KJSB Search
Instruction for Reviewers
Instructions in Korean
Code of Research Ethics
Cover & Content Pages
Checklist for Author
Open Access, Peer-reviewed
Development of Core Strength Training Equipment and Its Effect on the Performance and Stability of the Elderly in Activities of Daily Living
Kyung Koh Yang Sun Park Da Won Park Chun Ki Hong Jae Kun Shim
http://dx.doi.org/10.5103/KJSB.2016.26.2.229 Epub 2016 July 17
Objective: This study aimed, first, to develop core strength training equipment with elderly-friendly, easy-to-use features and, second, to investigate the effect of core strength training using the equipment on the performance and stability of the elderly in activities of daily living.
Method: In this study, we developed training equipment with a stability ball that can be used for performing core strength exercises in the elderly. Twenty-three elderly subjects (age: 77.87 ± 6.95 years, height: 149.78 ± 6.95 cm, and weight: 60.57 ± 7.21 kg) participated in this study. The subjects performed the core strength training exercise with 16 repetitions for 8 weeks (2 repetitions per week). Performance in activities of daily living was assessed by using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), a test of going up and down 4 stairs, and one-leg static balance test. Stability was quantified as changes in the center of pressure (COP) and C90 area.
Results: With the core strength equipment, trunk core strength exercise could be performed by pulling or pushing a rope with 2 hands on the stability ball. During the task, the tension in the rope was manipulated by a motor connected to the rope and the COP of the subject was measured by 4 load cells mounted in the equipment. Our results showed that the SPPB score was significantly higher (p < .05), the time to complete the "going up and down 4 stairs" test was significantly shorter (p < .05), and one-leg static balance statistically improved under an eyes-open condition (p < .05) after as compared with before the core strength training. The changes in the COP in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions, and C90 area were significantly lower in the posttest (p <. 05) than in the pretest.
Conclusion: The core strength training exercise using the equipment developed in the present study improved the performance and stability of the elderly in activities of daily living.
Core strength exercise equipment Development Older adult COP Activities of daily living
The increasing elderly population heightened the prevalence of chronic diseases in the elderly and the incidences of fall-related in- juries, which gradually increased the per capita healthcare expenditures (Reinhardt, 2003; Rubenstein, 2006). Aging-associated physical changes alter and aggravate the central nervous system (e.g., loss of sensory and motor neurons), neuromuscular system (e.g., type 2 muscle fiber atrophy), and skeletal system. These in turn are associated with severe kyphosis, which ultimately cripples postural control and diminishes strength and resistance, in the elderly (Callisaya, Blizzard, Schmidt, McGinley, & Srikanth, 2010; Kasukawa et al., 2010; Katzman, Vittinghoff, & Kado, 2011). In this regard, several studies have made efforts from various perspectives to enhance the physical functions related to pos- ture in the elderly, such as increasing muscle strength, resistance, and balance. In addition, many preceding studies reported that increased lower limb muscle strength reduced older adults' risk of fall-related injuries and increased the stability of dynamic postures (Granacher, Muehlbaue, Zahner, Gollhofer, & Kressig, 2011; Granacher, Zahner, & Gollhofer, 2008; Park, Kim, Kim, Lee, & Lim, 2010).
However, the recent research trend emphasizes the importance of enhancing core strength for successful movements in activities of daily living and sports-related activities (Akuthota & Nadler, 2004; Granacher, Lacroix, Muehlbauer, Roettger, & Gollhofer, 2012). Core muscle refers to the muscles of the spine, abdomen, and hips, which support the muscles of the extremities in completing functional activities without stressing the spine (Kisner & Colby, 2002). Core muscles are a kine- matical link that facilitates the delivery of momentum and torque be- tween the upper and lower limbs while performing a sports technique (Behm, Drinkwater, Willardson, & Cowley, 2010). Furthermore, they are especially deemed important for performing activities of daily living because they provide proximal stability for distal motility (Kibler, Press, & Sciascia, 2006).
Several prior studies on enhancing core strength in the elderly have been conducted. In particular, Suri, Kiely, Leveille, Frontera, & Bean (2009) verified that an association among increased trunk muscle strength, balance, and daily functions. Hicks et al. (2005) reported that trunk muscle composition is a predictor of functional stability of the elderly. In addition, many scholars believe that core strength training has the potential of strengthening trunk muscles, controlling posture, and im- proving balance, and functional stability in the elderly (Hicks et al., 2005; Katzman, Vittinghoff, & Kado, 2011; Suri et al., 2009).
Despite that, several preceding studies revealed that the benefits of core strength training promoted the improvement of performance in activities of daily living and postural stability in the elderly, core strength training has not been widely disseminated because of the difficulty associated with performing the exercise. In general, the sit-ups is a classical exercise that increases trunk muscle strength but is not safe for the elderly because of the potential of causing excessive pressure on the lumbar spine (Bogduk, 2005; Juker, McGill, Kropf, & Steffen, 1998). Furthermore, patients are frequently exposed to the risk of pos- terior injuries during resistance exercise in core strength training. In particular, heavy resistance training of the spinal extensors may exces- sively strain the body (Akuthota & Nadler, 2004). The common and effective core strengthening exercises for core instability strength training include yoga (Ni, Mooney, Harriell, Balachandran, & Signorile, 2014; Schmid, Van Puymbroeck, & Koceja, 2010) and Pilates (Newell, Shead, & Sloane, 2012; Smith & Smith, 2005). However, these exercise pro- grams are usually performed as group exercises, which poses pro- blems in generating effective outcome in the elderly, as the elderly have difficulty maintaining appropriate posture by themselves.
We recognized that older adults need to create an environment for performing effective core-strengthening exercises on their own. Thus, a core-strengthening exercise system that does not overly strain the elderly and could be performed without assistance should be devised. Hence, the present study developed a core strength training device for the elderly that is elderly-friendly and easy to maneuver. The objective of this study was to analyze physical performance and changes in the center of pressure (COP) during exercise to verify the effects of exercise using our core strength training equipment on older adults' perfor- mance of activities of daily living and core muscle strength.
1. Subjects
This study was conducted with 23 female healthy adults aged ≥65 years who were from Seoul and had no musculoskeletal impairments. The mean age of the subjects was 77.87 ± 6.95 years, their mean height was 149.78 ± 6.95 cm, and their mean weight was 60.5 7 ± 7.21 kg. The investigator provided adequate explanation regarding the study procedure and obtained informed consent from all the participants. This study was approved by the institutional review board at Hanyang University (IRB: HYI-12-044-Comp2).
2. Design of the core strength training equipment for the elderly
1) External design of the exercise equipment
We designed a physical fitness device that is useful for strengthening the core trunk muscles by inducing instability on the surface of the subject's seat (gym ball shaped) while performing upper limb exercise only (pulling on the arms), without involving the lower limbs. The equipment was easy to maneuver by the elderly. The equipment was designed to provide information related to the movement of the center of gravity as exercise feedback to help the users focus on using the core-related muscles during exercise.
2) Software design
To stimulate the interest of the elderly while exercising and to make exercising fun, several Korean folk and trot songs were embedded in the software to be synchronized with the exercise. In addition, we pro- vided further motivation to exercise by designing the equipment to present a score after the training session.
3. Exercise program composition
The 23 female subjects used the core strength training equipment that we designed to exercise twice per week for 8 weeks (16 sessions). The composition of the program is shown in (Table 1).
4. Measurement items and methods
1) Body Composition
Height and weight were measured by using an automatic scale (SH-9600A, Sewoo system). Body composition was measured with a body composition analyzer (Inbody 4.0, Biospace) that utilizes bioelectrical impedance. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated by using the equation suggested by the American College of Sports Medicine as follows: body weight (kg) divided by height squared (m2).
2) Activities of daily living
Performance in activities of daily living was measured by using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) protocol, "going up and down 4 stairs" test, and one-leg static balance test. Measurement methods are detailed as follows:
Stretching (5 min)/Low level of the core program
(10 min)/Stretching (5 min)
Stretching (5 min)/Low (5 min) and middle levels
(10 min) of the core program/Stretching (5 min)
Stretching (5 min)/Middle level of the core program
Stretching (5 min)/Middle (5 min) and high levels
Stretching (5 min)/Middle (10 min) and high levels
Table 1. The 8-week core training program
(1) Short physical performance battery
The SPPB comprises a balance test, repeated chair stands, and walking. The 3 scores were summed (total of 12 points) to measure perfor- mance in activities of daily living. All time measurements were obtained from the point closest to 0.1 second after beginning the stopwatch. Each measurement was graded 0~4 points based on the subject's performance, with a total score of up to 12 points (Guralnik et al., 2000).
① Balance test
The balance test involved side-by-side, semi-tandem, and tandem stance. In the side-by-side stance, the subject stands with the feet spread in shoulder length and arms comfortably dropped along the sides of the body. In the semi-tandem stance, the subject stands with the 2 feet together but with one foot touching only half of the other foot. In the tandem stance, the subject stands with the heel of one foot touching the toes of the other foot. Grading was based on whether the subject could maintain each stance for >10 seconds, so we did not measure time of >60 seconds. One point was given if the subject could maintain the side-by-side and semi-tandem stance for >10 seconds. For tandem stance, 1 point was given for maintaining the stance for >3 seconds; and 2 points, for maintaining the stance for >10 seconds. The total score in the balance test was up to 3 points.
② Gait speed
During the gait test, the subjects were instructed to walk 4 m in their regular gait speed and graded as follows according to the time it took to perform the test: 0 point, if the subject could not perform the walking test; 1 point, >8.7 seconds; 2 points, 6.21~8.7 seconds; 3 points, 4.82~6.20 seconds; and ≥4 points, 4.82 seconds. Gait speed was measured 2 times, and the faster time was used for the analysis.
③ Repeated chair stands (5 times)
In repeated chair stands, the subject was timed for performing 5 sets of standing up from a chair and sitting back down with arms folded across the chest, as quickly as possible. The subjects were graded as follows according to the time it took to complete the test: 0 points, if the subject could not perform the task or took >60 seconds; 1 point, >16.7 seconds; 2 points, 13.7~16.69 seconds; 3 points, 11.2~13.69 seconds; and 4 points, ≥11.19 seconds.
(2) Going up and down 4 stairs
The subjects began the exercise upon receiving a cue from the in- vestigator, and the investigator timed the subjects from the moment the subjects began going down 4 stairs until they came back up 4 stairs and rested both feet on the starting point.
(3) One-leg static balance
For one-leg static balance, the subjects were instructed to balance on one leg with their hands crossed over their chest. The investigator timed them from the point they lifted one leg until they landed the leg back on the ground. Two types of static balance were assessed, one with open eyes and the other with closed eyes.
3) COP measurement
To provide feedback on the core exercises based on the change in the center of gravity while training with the core strength training equipment, we installed 4 load cells beneath the surface of the seat, based on which we calculated the COP. We accumulated COP data for a total of 16 exercise sessions (twice a week for 8 weeks).
5. Data analyses
1) Body composition and daily activity performance test
All the variables in this study are presented as means and standard deviations. Paired t tests were performed to examine changes in body composition, SPPB, "going up and down stairs", and one-leg static balance test scores from before to after the 8-week training.
2) COP calculation
The weekly mean COP was calculated. Then, we analyzed the 8-week data to verify the weekly changes during the 8-week training. We visualized the phase plane portrait of the anterioposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) signals, which is a method known to provide static and dynamic plane information in consideration of both position and speed in the COP (Riley, Benda, Gill-Body, & Krebs, 1995). The AP COP, ML COP, total COP, and C90 area were calculated by using the equa- tions shown in (Table 2) (Moghadam et al., 2011).
We performed repeated-measures analysis of variance to analyze the 8-week AP COP, ML COP, total COP, and COP 90 area data (mean of the 2 rounds of training per week) and conducted a simple post hoc test on the weekly data. All the statistical analyses were performed by using PASW Statistics 18.0 with a significance level of p < .05.
1. Development of the core strength training equipment for the elderly
In the present study, we developed core strength training equipment for the elderly (patent application No. 10-2015-0067635). The equip- ment enabled the elderly to sit on a gym ball-type BOSU ball and pull the rope connected to a motor load to the direction instructed by the program (e.g., upper and lower diagonal), or to maintain their posture while pulling the rope with their arms. The subjects were instructed to maintain the center of their body at the center of the BOSU ball and not to lean toward the pulling direction of the rope in order to induce contraction of their abdominal, external oblique abdominal, back, lumbar, and gluteus medius muscles, thereby strengthening their core muscles.
As shown in (Figure 1), the newly developed training equipment could be explained in terms of its hardware and software. The hard- ware comprises a BOSU ball with an adjustable height (with load cells beneath the ball to track the shifting of the COP), a rope that can also be adjusted to fit the height of the user's elbows (2 motions are available: pulling using a motor and holding out), a safety bar for safety during the exercise, and a monitor that runs the training program software (with a touchscreen feature).
The software comprises of 10 trot songs and 8 Korean folk songs, which can be selected by the user, and arrows are shown on the screen (pull: upper diagonal, lower diagonal; hold out: inner arrow) while the music is playing. The monitor also presents a mark that shows the position of the center of gravity in real time; thus, the mark moves according to the trajectory of the shift of the user's center of gravity. When one training session (one song) is completed, the movement range of the COP (sum of AP and ML movements) is presented as the final feedback score. The training program consists of 3 levels of diffi- culty (beginning, intermediate, and advanced), where the instructed motions become increasingly complex with higher levels of difficulty.
Figure 1. Development of the core exercise equipment for older adults.
2. Body composition test
(Table 3) presents the significant differences in weight, skeletal muscle mass, fat mass, BMI, percent body fat, and basal metabolic rate between the pre- and post-8-week training (p < .05).
t value
60.57 ± 7.24
3.272*
Skeletal muscle mass
Fat mass (kg)
BMI (kg/m2)
Percent body fat (%)
115.39 ± 80.13
1169.00 ± 73.73
Table 3. Body composition of the subjects Data are expressed as mean ± SD and significant at *p < .05.
3. Daily activity performance test
(Table 4) shows the subjects' SPPB, "going up and down the stairs", and one-leg static balance test scores before and after the 8-week training using the core strength training equipment. The total SPPB score was significantly higher after the training (p < .05), and the time required for going up and down 4 stairs was significantly shorter after the training (p < .05). In the one-leg static balance test, a significant difference was observed between pre- and post-training with open eyes only (p < .05).
4. Center of pressure
In the present study, COP was calculated by using the following 4 parameters to examine the effects of training with the core strength training equipment in the elderly: AP COP, ML COP, total COP, and COP 90 area (Figure 2). A significant difference in AP COP was observed after 8 weeks of training (F = 4.345 and p = .000). The simple post hoc test of weekly data showed an F value of 10.244 and p value of .008 on week 4. The difference in ML COP after 8 weeks of training was significant (F = 4.425 and p = .000). The simple test result showed an F value of 11.119 and a p value of .006 on week 4. The difference in total COP after 8 weeks of training was significant (F = 4.425 and p = .000). The simple test results showed an F value of 11.119 and p value of .006 on week 4. Finally, a significant difference in COP 90 area after 8 weeks of training was observed (F = 3.417 and p = .003), and the simple test revealed an F value of 7.298 and a p value of .019 on week 4 and an F value of 5.371 and a p value of .039 on week 7.
SPPB
± 14.41
± 0.00
Semi-tandem
Tandem stance
Gait speed
Rising from a chair 5 times
Total SPPB score
Going up and down 4 stairs
One-leg static
balance test
Open eyes
Table 4. Results of the SPPB, "going up and down of 4 stairs", and one-leg static balance tests Data are expressed as mean ± SD and significant at *p < .05. (unit: sec)
The core strength training equipment developed in the present study enabled the elderly to exercise according to a program that incorporates music (trot and Korean folk songs) with exercise. Users start from a starting position at elbow height and either pulls the rope upward or downward diagonal or hold out their starting position while pulling the rope pulls with their arms, during which their rectus abdominus and external oblique abdominal muscles are contracted and their back and psoas muscles are extended.
After 8 weeks of training using the newly developed equipment, the subjects' body compositions improved, including increased skeletal muscle mass and reduced BMI. SPPB score, which is closely related to bodily functions, also increased. According to a preceding study, trunk extension exercise increased the SPPB scores of the elderly (Granacher et al., 2012), and core stabilizing exercise based on a Pilates program significantly increased the elderly's gait speed (Newell, Shead, & Sloane, 2012). The findings of this study, where SPPB scores significantly in- creased after training using the core strength training equipment and where the elderly’s gait speed (subfactor of SPPB) significantly increased after training, support the result of preceding studies. In particular, our study seems especially associated with the study by Newell, Shead, and Sloane (2012), suggesting that 8 weeks of core stabilizing exercise affected the older adults' gait, as both studies have examined equal exercise durations.
Meanwhile, from the perspective that trunk muscles are essential for maximizing the functions of various activities such as walking, running, going up the stairs, and minimizing weight load on joints (Ryerson, Byl, Brown, Wong, & Hidler, 2008), the significantly increased speed for going up and down the stairs in the present study implies that exercise using the developed core strength training equipment may affect the dynamic balance of the elderly. Several studies have con- firmed that trunk exercise affected not only older adults' performance in activities of daily living but also their dynamic and static balance (Lee et al., 2013; O'Sullivan, 2000; Stevens et al., 2007). Similarly, the present study also confirmed that core-strengthening exercise enhanced the elderly's performance in going up and down the stairs and in main- taining one-leg static balance with eyes open. Hence, the training equip- ment developed in the present study is believed to fulfill our intended purpose of strengthening older adults' core muscles, as it increased their physical functions, dynamic balance, and static balance, all of which are intimately related to performance in activities of daily living.
Figure 2. COP data during the training period. COP: center of pressure, AP: anterioposterior, ML: mediolateral, Total: sum of AP and ML. The units of the COP parameters are as follows: mm2 (COP 90 area) and an arbitrary unit for the phase plane. *p < .05, **p < .01, significance levels.
In terms of the relationship between the core muscles and the stability of the body, the latter is maintained by channeling the core muscles and the stiffness they provide (Bergmark, 1989; Crisco & Panjabi, 1991). When stability is maintained, the increased activation of the trunk antagonist muscles strengthens the spinal system and enables it to be less affected by external disturbances (Gardner-Morse & Stokes, 2001; Granata, Slota, & Bennett, 2004). Biodynamic assessment of a sitting posture is thought to provide a deeper insight than a clinical assess- ment (Genthon, Vuillerme, Monnet, Petit, & Rougier, 2007). Hence, the present study hypothesized that the smaller the change in the COP, which was calculated by tracking the movements of the center of gravity, during exercise in a seated position, the smaller the influence of external disturbances (i.e., induced arm movement in the present study) on the core. The fact that the center of gravity was less disturbed over the 8 weeks of training can be interpreted as a result of the exercise indeed strengthening the core muscles. COP, which represents the center of gravity, provides varied information that explains the mechanism of postural control based on data collected from various signals (Palmieri, Ingersoll, Stone, & Krause, 2002). Many studies have predicted the elderly's risk of falling by analyzing COP parameters (Piirtola & Era, 2006; Pajala et al., 2008), and validated the effectiveness of balance training programs (Crilly, Willems, Trenholm, Hayes, & Delaquerriere-Richardson, 1989; Judge, Lindsey, Underwood, & Winsemius, 1993). In the present study, we found significant differences in AP COP, ML COP, total COP, and COP 90 area between before and after the 8-week training (p < .05), which means that the movement trajectories of the older adults' center of gravity significantly declined. As shown in the post hoc tests, the movement of the elderly's center of gravity in all directions (AP COP, ML COP, total COP, and COP 90 area) was signifi- cantly lower on week 4 than on week 1 of using the core strength training equipment (p < .01), indicating that the effect of minimizing the movement of the center of gravity through core strengthening emerged after 4 weeks of exercise. A few studies promoted older adults' functional improvement through 4 weeks of exercise. Choi et al. (2012) conducted a 4-week core-stabilizing exercise with a Swiss ball in the elderly and reported that the core-stabilizing exercise significantly affected their balance and gait. In addition, Lee et al. (2013) studied the effects of a 4-week exercise program that incorporated core-stabilizing exercises in the elderly and found that such program was more effec- tive in improving their balance. These studies support that 4 weeks is a significantly effective period of exercise for the elderly. Furthermore, Tsang and Hui-Chan (2004) suggested that a core-strengthening tai chi exercise significantly improved the elderly's vestibular capacity and static equilibrium from week 4 of exercise until week 8 of exercise. Such findings imply that the reduced COP area in the present study is an indication that the movement of the COP of the subjects was minimized from week 4 to week 8 of core-strengthening training.
The core strength training equipment developed in this study was designed to strengthen the core muscles and their coordination through external disturbance (i.e., inducing arm movement while subjects try to maintain their trunk balance). As we verified our hypothesis that the use of the training equipment had a positive effect on the core-related muscles based on the COP movement data shown as feedback after exercise, future studies should also validate the effectiveness of the equipment in strengthening core muscles by directly analyzing the activation of muscles that affect the core.
The objective of this study was to develop an elderly-friendly core-strengthening training equipment that enables older adults to perform exercise on their own and to verify the effectiveness of the equipment. To verify whether body functions were enhanced, we conducted SPPB, "going up and down 4 stairs", and static balance tests. Movements of the COP during exercise were tracked by using a system installed on the equipment. We then analyzed the changes in the COP in accor- dance with the period of exercise and thereby obtained the following conclusions:
1. Eight weeks of exercise using the core strength training equipment for the elderly increased the elderly’s physical performance, "going up and down stairs" test scores, and static balance, all of which are related with performance in activities of daily living.
2. Eight weeks of exercise using the core strength training equipment for the elderly significantly reduced AP COP, ML COP, total COP, and COP 90 area, indicating that the equipment is effective in streng- thening the trunk core muscles.
The core strength training equipment for the elderly that we devel- oped in this study strengthened the elderly's trunk core and enhanced their performance in activities of daily living. This equipment is ex- pected to be effectively used by older adults with weak legs, as the users' core muscles are strengthened through exercise that involves only the upper body and is performed while sitting on a ball.
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KJSB 2016 June;26(2):229-236(8). http://dx.doi.org/10.5103/KJSB.2016.26.2.229 Epub 2016 July 17
Copyright © by Korean Journal of Spot Biomechanics
Kyung Koh
The Movement Science Center of Research Institute for Sports Science and Sports Industry, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
Department of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Yang Sun Park
Department of Physical Education, College of Performing Arts and Sports, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
Da Won Park
Chun Ki Hong
Guemgang University, Nonsan, South Korea
Jae Kun Shim
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyunghee University, Global Campus, Kyung-gi, South Korea
Fischell Department of Bioengineering/Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Yang Sun Park; Department of Physical Education, College of Performing Arts and Sports, Hanyang University, #318 Olympic Gym, 222 Wangshimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, South Korea Tel : +82-2-2220-4199 Fax : +82-2-2220-1337 Email : yangsun21@daum.net
Received 2016 May 03; Revised 2016 June 02; Accepted 2016 June 10.
This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea through grant funding from the Korean Government (Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning) in 2012 (NRF-2012R1A6A3A04040457).
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Category: Languages
We are organizing our lives against the capitalist world order.
We live in times when the culture of consumerism that global capitalism imposes doesn’t leave us any other option but giving in. The capitalist hegemony reveals the fact that global companies have turned into cruel murderers that steal our lives. We are talking about a world order in which the madness provoked by capitalism causes human beings to become estranged from nature and reason to such an extent that killing animals is hardly a concern.
In such severe circumstances, adopting destructive practices to fight capitalism here and now involves reviving some old shared values. Such a model combines capitalist values with the destructive practices of everyday revolution (via direct participation).
The 26A collective produces, shares and enacts the vision of a new world today, here and now.
About the 26A Collective:
We, as the 26A collective, resist capitalism that alienates human beings by forcing them to take part in the economic and social exploitation through the spatial, practical and economic partnerships we create. In particular, 26A closes its doors to slavery and submission, supports the oppressed victimized by the economic exploitation and experiences a new model of solidarity. This model should be taken as the key to all anti-capitalist practices.
26A has two locations in Istanbul that are run by volunteers who adopt sharing and solidarity as the guiding principle. The needs of the locations, into which the products of global companies are not allowed, are met by collective production.
Café 26A:
Café 26A is located in Taksim, the consumer’s mecca in Istanbul with its 6000 cafes and bars, and it has been run by nearly 30 volunteers for the past three years. The café serves food and drinks that are collectively prepared as an alternative to the products of global companies (coca cola, fanta, Nescafe, etc) without any concerns for profit. The network that is supported by international and local solidarity (coffee from Mexican zapatistas, tomato paste from antep, etc) is growing everyday. The café makes some extra money by selling these goods. Preserves prepared by volunteers can also be found on the shelves in the café. Occasionally, we organize feasts in order to prompt the culture of communion. 26A is also a social center where exhibitions, film screenings and public discussions are held. In addition to our own volunteers, other groups also regard the café as a meeting place.
26A Used Bookstore:
Another branch of the collective is the used bookstore in Kadikoy, Istanbul. The store sells books and magazines that have been gathered in two months at zero profit and it is also an experiment in the production and dissemination of knowledge. The store is run by 20 volunteers and is in solidarity with other bookstores and publication houses. 26A Bookstore circulates magazines reproduced by photocopy and also holds workshops and discussions in its garden.
The store, in which the collectively produced food is served, provides a quiet place for reading. We are growing the new world in our hearts, here and now, through share and solidarity. Through such spaces, 26A aims to dismantle the divide between “the everyday” and “the political” by organizing a total resistance against capitalist mode of living and relating.
Collective Volunteerism as opposed to the Hierarchical Division of Labor:
The 26A Collective does not distinguish between the servant and the customer and aims to show the efficacy of the principle of volunteerism in social organizations.
The Knowledge of Life is Essential
Capitalism points the power of knowledge as a lethal weapon at our lives. Through mechanisms of control, capitalism systematically tames and victimizes human beings by imposing strict rules. The alienated, lonely individual, under the illusion that she is happy, cannot escape the desperate order of slavery. Minds that have been uniformed by the educational system perpetuate the annihilation of creative perception and difference. As a result, knowledge becomes an ideological apparatus that serves the needs of power. The knowledge of life, however, is a journey that leads to the rediscovery of existence. This principle also provides a common ground for overcoming the disagreements among the volunteers of the 26A collective.
The 26A Collective is an expansionist, transformative and life-changing anti-capitalist cultural organization. In keeping with the demands of capitalism, human beings, nature and the lives of all organisms are commodified, branded and packaged. Today, everything is a commodity, everything is a product. We need to reject this view. These crazy times require an immediate action for an anti-capitalist mode of life. The 26A collective aims to enact a total anti-capitalist cultural organization. It will also provide an alternative experience of life in this country with its emphasis on expansion, transformation and change. In the anarchist Errico Maletesta’s words, “the oppressed masses who have never completely resigned themselves to oppression and poverty, and who today more than ever show themselves thirsting for justice, freedom and well-being, are beginning to understand that they will not be able to achieve their emancipation except by union and solidarity with all the oppressed, with the exploited everywhere in the world”.
Let the rage of the oppressed find its Life!
The 26A Collective of Communion and Solidarity
KURMANCİ
LONG LIVE 26A TAKSIM IS CLOSING DOWN! The Thing Which Starts Here, Never Ends!
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This is for people on the fence about Gamergate, or who are trying to give the movement the benefit of the doubt for the sake of “There’s always two sides to every story.”
There’s a historical example of a movement within gaming that I think most of us (or at least most of us of a certain age) are familiar with. That’s the anti-D&D hysteria of the 1980s, in which it’s absolutely true that there were two sides to the story. Except that the side saying that D&D was an occult plot and that gamers were killing themselves by the score was categorically wrong. About everything. It was a movement based entirely on falsehood, which was ultimately revealed to have not a single shred of factual evidence to back up its false claims.
The parallels between the anti-D&D movement and the present state of Gamergate are fairly profound, I think, in that Gamergate is pretty much all false claims. Actually, that’s too generous — Gamergate is false claims hiding beneath even falser claims, which are turn hiding beneath a steaming mess of reptile-brain aggression. Gamergate started with some dipshit disgruntled mouth-breather going net-raging on his ex-girlfriend by falsely claiming that she had slept with an online games journalist to secure positive reviews. Everything else extends from that. Gamergate is lies, innuendo, fear, and misogyny all wrapped up in a paralyzing amount of conspiracy theory, circular logic, and argument to moderation. That’s the rhetorical arsenal of the core group of haters who insist on taking this shit to its logical conclusion of death threats, rape threats, and attempting to drive female game developers and commentators out of their homes, out of sight, out of mind, and out of the industry.
Thankfully (if there can be a “thankfully” in any story in which death and rape threats are the lede), the number of people in that core group of haters is small. But a potentially bigger problem is that there’s a far larger group of people latching on to some aspect of the outrage that Gamergate purports to be about — that would be the oft-heard and oft-mocked (by me, anyway) cry of “Ethics in videogame journalism!” And where this ties back to the original point is that the movement that opposed D&D ultimately consisted of a relatively small number of people willingly lying in an attempt to discredit and destroy something they didn’t like, and a much larger number of people who unknowingly spread those lies through misguided good intentions.
So to all ye of good intentions of the “Well, I obviously don’t approve of the death and rape threats, but let’s look at the larger issues…” variety — No.
Just no.
You’re being lied to. You’re promoting the agenda of people who have lied to you. Cut your losses. Walk away.
The Warm-Air Gods
It’s been unseasonably warm enough the past month or so that I haven’t yet needed to put the furnace back onto its programmed schedule, but have just been turning it on manually when it’s needed. As a result of this randomness, the cats have taken to clustering meekly around the cold floor vents in the mornings, as if not sure why the warm-air gods are being so capricious with them.
Had a Dream
Had a dream that I was playing D&D with Stephen Colbert, on a bus tour not unlike the one I took to California in high school. He was DMing. When we talked, it turned out that he had actually started gaming with a hardcore-punk friend-of-a-friend of mine back in the day, and we had met previously without realizing it at a party at the aforementioned friends’ place in 1982. He had pictures of the two of us together and everything.
His campaign was built around the world being in the throes of magical environmental disaster in the form of a deadly long-term drought, and our goal was to figure out its source and set it right. However, every time the characters tried to get closer to solving the problem, Colbert would slip into his Colbert Report persona and start denying that climate change was real. It was very frustrating. But then we went for ice cream.
I distinctly remember that Colbert ordered his Ben & Jerry’s flavor, “Americone Dream”. He made me go up to the counter to get it for him, and I was still trying to decide what I wanted when I woke up.
(Aside: I woke up really hungry.)
So this is what forty years of monsters looks like.
All told, I’ve been lucky enough to work on four of these books, including the 5th Edition Monster Manual on the far right, just delivered Friday into my trembling hands by my FedEx guy. (Yeah, I have “a” FedEx guy. I live in a very small city.)
Of the larger mass of titles in this collection that I wasn’t privileged enough to work on, I’ve read them all, starting with the AD&D Monster Manual in 1981 and with the AD&D Fiend Folio not far behind. And here’s why I like the underlying concept of the Monster Manual (by that name or any other of the many variant names of the many excellent creature books that have become part of the extended reality of the D&D game), and why it was such an enormous kick to be asked to edit the 5e MM:
Any good monster book actually needs to be two books in one, depending on who you are when you’re reading it. And for an editor, that’s a major challenge.
The second time you read a Monster Manual, it’s a reference book. It’s backstory and plot points, mechanics and numbers that can all be crunched in pursuit of the game. It’s cool art, and interesting campaign hooks, and “Holy frak, the players will never see that coming!” moments of devious epiphany.
But that’s only the second time you read it. Because the first time you read a Monster Manual, it’s the book that tells the story of the world of the game.
If you’re playing D&D, the Monster Manual is the book that really and truly brings the world of the game to life. If you’re playing D&D, the Monster Manual is the book that carries you into that world one page, one stat block, one alphabetical entry at a time. And most importantly, if you’re playing D&D, the Monster Manual — not the Dungeon Master’s Guide — is the book that ultimately convinces you to cross the table and start running games rather than just playing in them.
Once you’ve made that decision, the Dungeon Master’s Guide becomes the next book you buy and your primary resource for helping to shape and hone the world of your games. And just as with the Monster Manual, there have been many different versions of the Dungeon Master’s Guide that have been really freaking cool in their own ways. (Aside: I’ve read the 5e DMG, and it’s really freaking cool.)
But the DMG is a book you dig into only after you’ve made the decision to run a game — most often because the Monster Manual was the book that first made you say: “It’s not enough to just read this… I need to make it real.”
The work that’s gone into the 5th Edition Monster Manual — even with me coming late to the game and maintaining the periphal perspective on the project that is the editor’s lot — is amazing. The long list of people who worked on this book have a lot to be proud of. But what I’m most proud of for my own minimal contribution to the work is that somewhere out there, there’s a player who’s going to read this book, and who’s going to take its remarkable mix of fantasy world-building and mythology and mechanics and wonder and be inspired to make it real.
And I know what that’s going to feel like, because that’s what happened to me back in 1981. And I’ve been working to make the mythology and the wonder real ever since.
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The InterChange
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Are Hate Crimes Increasing in America?
The first in a series on U.S. religion by the numbers
It is easy to point to anecdotes of hateful harassment as evidence that hate crimes in America have been increasing. It’s not hard to believe either: President-Elect Donald Trump’s biting rhetoric and the vitriol of some of his supporters can seem like fuel for the fire. But are hate crimes really up? What do the numbers say?
The FBI’s 2015 Hate Crime Statistics have recently been published, and recorded hate crimes overall are up more than 6 percent from 2014. In 2015, the year when Trump’s campaign was gathering momentum, the FBI recorded 5,850 hate incidents, about 1 in 5 of which were religiously motivated. Religiously motivated incidents were up 23 percent, and hate incidents against Muslims were up a shocking 67 percent. Anti-Muslim hate crimes have not been this high since 2001, in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks. Increasing incidents due to fear mongering about ISIS abroad and immigrants at home, as well as an increase in reporting of incidents, likely had a lot to do with this.
Even with this incredible increase in hate crimes against Muslims, most religiously motivated hate incidents were targeted against Jews – over half. Hate crimes against Jews were up 9 percent from 2014, but have been the most common religiously motivated hate crimes for many years. Anti-Semitism seems so deeply entrenched that the swastika is often used as a blanket expression of hate. While sometimes used to target other groups, the history of the symbol’s use against Jews might lead the FBI to include anti-Semitism among the motivations for these incidents.
In addition to the FBI, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) also tracks hate incidents. In the month following Trump’s election, the SPLC counted over 1,090 hate incidents, 1 in 5 of which were directed at Jews or Muslims. Note that this is more than twice the number of average hate crimes per month in 2015. Over 35 percent of these hate incidents happened at schools, both K-12 settings and colleges, making schools the most common place for hate incidents.
These numbers seem to paint a bleak picture. With the 2015 FBI numbers up from the year before, and SPLC numbers seeming to capture an additional surge, are we in for an ever increasing deluge of hate crimes?
On the one hand, this may be a horrible anomaly in a general downward trend.
Overall, FBI hate incidents have been on the downswing since 2001. While hate crimes in 2015 were up from 2014, they were down from 2013. That means that in 2015, a year full of campaign vitriol, there were fewer hate crimes than in 2013, a relatively uneventful year. In an ideal world, this paints a picture of an America becoming increasingly accepting of its diversity. In reality, it might just paint a picture of an America that can’t sustain the level of active hatred that erupted after 9/11/2001. Either way, the trend is the same: down.
Still, there was an increase in hate crimes from 2014 to 2015 that must be explained. This increase may be because the FBI has gotten better at tracking hate crime data. In 2015, some law enforcement agencies began reporting on hate crimes against seven additional religious categories (anti-Buddhist, anti-Eastern Orthodox, anti-Hindu, anti-Jehovah’s Witness, anti-Mormon, anti-other Christian, and anti-Sikh). These new categorizations are important because being acknowledged as a group that takes heat is legitimizing, and may even encourage greater protections in the future. They’re also important because, combined, they account for 6.6 percent of the religiously motivated hate crimes in 2015. The category of anti-Arab hate crimes was also added with 1.2 percent of racial incidents classified as anti-Arab. These new categories of reporting might mean that hate crimes have not actually increased, but that more of them are now being counted. This could also be a harbinger of an even more pronounced increase in years to come, based largely on improved tracking.
Additionally, the SPLC notes that the rate of hate crimes steadily decreased over the month following the election. On November 9, they recorded 202 incidences while on November 18, there were 26, and on December 9, there were three. The initial shock and energy around the election may have emboldened people to say and do hateful things, but this now seems to have ebbed somewhat.
On the other hand, we ought not take these numbers lightly.
While the SPLC did record a decrease in hate crimes over the month following the election, that doesn’t necessarily mean that hate crimes went down. As mentioned above, hate crime data might be better at tracking fluctuations in reporting, rather than actual hate crime increases or decreases. In the days following the election, perhaps the immediate surprise and fear led to both a spike in hate crimes and an increase in reporting them. As the weeks wore on, perhaps the rate of hate crimes decreased less than the rate of reporting. Perhaps it wasn’t the perpetrators who stopped committing hate crimes, but the victims who grew weary and jaded of publicly reporting them.
Additionally, other than 2002 — the year that much of the 9/11 induced fear and hatred toward Muslims began to decrease — the year that saw the biggest decrease in hate incidents from the year before was 2009, the year President Obama took office. For every year since 2009, hate crimes have been lower than for every year from 2001 through 2008. Obama, the first Black president, a supporter of marriage equality and transgender rights, and the creator of the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, may have had an effect on the overall psyche of Americans. A President Trump, whose opinions and rhetoric are so profoundly different, might credibly, in Trump’s words, “cancel” a lot of Obama’s progress.
So, what should we do now?
The fact is that one hate crime is one too many. Whether the rate of hate crimes is increasing, decreasing, or unchanging, hate crimes are still occurring. Enhancing our collection and understanding of the data is important, largely in the service of knowing whether our work toward decreasing hate crimes is having an effect.
Yet, despite the current vagaries in the data, the data are already useful in helping inform that work. For example, the fact that so many hate incidents happen in educational settings ought to spur more teachers to teach about diversity and pluralism, and inspire more students to organize their peers in building relationships across ideological lines. And the fact that 2015’s increase in hate incidents was steepest against Muslims ought to increase explicit work to protect Muslim communities.
And so, even as we continue to keep our eyes on the data, we must continue to work concretely against hate. If you see someone being harassed because of their religious expression, don’t be a bystander. If you find yourself in a difficult conversation, keep it civil. If we take it upon ourselves to love our neighbors and love the stranger, maybe friendship really will outpace hate. We are not necessarily in for an ever-increasing deluge of hate crimes. We can move the needle. And maybe, just maybe, the data will reflect that, too.
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Deferred Prosecution Agreements and the Individual
The first SEC deferred-prosecution agreement for an individual raises a couple of issues. Here is the document itself: SEC DPA With Herckis
First, a reminder. A “deferred prosecution agreement” is what its name implies. It’s an agreement between a company (and now, an individual) that puts off — for good, hopefully — prosecution on the condition that the defendant/respondent complete a certain course of action laid out in the agreement (for example, hiring an independent corporate monitor or auditor who will report to the government).
Second, there is guidance on DPAs in the United States Attorney’s Manual. Review the 2010 Grindler Memorandum, which is an amendment to the 2008 Morford Memorandum. The Morford Memorandum focuses on selection criteria for a corporate monitor. From the introduction:
The Department of Justice’s commitment to deterring and preventing corporate crime remains a high priority. The Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations set forth guidance to federal prosecutors regarding charges against corporations. A careful consideration of those principles and the facts in a given case may result in a decision to negotiate an agreement to resolve a criminal case against a corporation without a formal conviction—either a deferred prosecution agreement or a non-prosecution agreement. As part of some negotiated corporate agreements, there have been provisions pertaining to an independent corporate monitor. The corporation benefits from expertise in the area of corporate compliance from an independent third party. The corporation, its shareholders, employees and the public at large then benefit from reduced recidivism of corporate crime and the protection of the integrity of the marketplace.
The purpose of this memorandum is to present a series of principles for drafting provisions pertaining to the use of monitors in connection with deferred prosecution and non- prosecution agreements (hereafter referred to collectively as “agreements”) with corporations. Given the varying facts and circumstances of each case—where different industries, corporate size and structure, and other considerations may be at issue—any guidance regarding monitors must be practical and flexible. This guidance is limited to monitors, and does not apply to third parties, whatever their titles, retained to act as receivers, trustees, or perform other functions.
A monitor’s primary responsibility is to assess and monitor a corporation’s compliance with the terms of the agreement specifically designed to address and reduce the risk of recurrence of the corporation’s misconduct, and not to further punitive goals. A monitor should only be used where appropriate given the facts and circumstances of a particular matter. For example, it may be appropriate to use a monitor where a company does not have an effective internal compliance program, or where it needs to establish necessary internal controls. Conversely, in a situation where a company has ceased operations in the area where the criminal misconduct occurred, a monitor may not be necessary.In negotiating agreements with corporations, prosecutors should be mindful of both: (1) the potential benefits that employing a monitor may have for the corporation and the public, and (2) the cost of a monitor and its impact on the operations of a corporation. Prosecutors shall, at a minimum, notify the appropriate United States Attorney or Department Component Head prior to the execution of an agreement that includes a corporate monitor. The appropriate United States Attorney or Department Component Head shall, in turn, provide a copy of the agreement to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at a reasonable time after it has been executed. The Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division shall maintain a record of all such agreements.
Third, in general, DPAs are workable ( Podgor, Deferred Prosecution Agreements – Definitely A Plus ) but they can be wildly expensive for defendants/respondents because the Government has the whip hand, usually (Washington Legal Foundation, Deferred Prosecution and Non-Prosecution Agreements).
Fourth, it will be fascinating to watch the development (or not) of DPAs for individuals. For the Government, of course, the motherlode in an individual’s DPA will be the value of his or her cooperation (in Herckis’s case, for five years). The Government gets to avoid the risk of trial; locks the individual into an acceptance of responsibility and a statement of facts; and gets his cooperation in “related” proceedings.
Tags:deferred prosecution agreements, DPAs, Securities Fraud, United States Attorney's Manual
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Jane Heller
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
Mainly Jane
Press Materials/Three Blonde Mice
Couldn’t Somebody Besides Ben Affleck Make A Movie About The Yankees?
From today’s “Page Six” in the New York Post:
Former Yankee Mike Kekich is desperate to block Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s movie “The Trade,” based on the huge scandal when he and fellow pitcher Fritz Peterson swapped wives in the 1970s.
Die-hard Red Sox fan Affleck and his brother, Casey, are rewriting a second version of the script and have hired veteran sportswriters to help reach out to Yankees from that era. But Kekich, who’s believed to have created a completely new life and family in New Mexico, is refusing to participate.
A source tells us, “Kekich is panic-stricken. He has moved away and has a new identity. He is freaked out that those working on the movie found out where he is. He isn’t too keen on having the scandal dredged up again after all this time. Other Yankees from that time have also been really unhelpful with facts and details of what happened. They are stonewalling.”
The amazing drama started in 1972 after the two hurlers, old friends, joked about swapping wives. They followed through on it, although word didn’t get out until the spring of ’73. Marilyn Peterson moved in with Kekich, but it didn’t last. Susanne Kekich and Fritz are still married and live in New Jersey and Colorado. Kekich reportedly remarried and had another daughter.
Actresses being considered include Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz and Rebecca Hall. Ben Affleck recently confirmed he and Casey were rewriting the script, and hinted that Damon may direct. It wasn’t certain that he and Damon would play the pitchers.
Affleck recently told MTV, “I’ve come to have a little more respect for the Yankees. There are some of those guys . . . that look like good guys . . . But as an institution? Disdain. Contempt.” About the movie’s subject matter, he said: “Guys [bleep]ing each others’ wives — that’s those Yankees.”
The script hasn’t yet been shown to Major League Baseball or the Yankees, another source confirmed. Reps for Affleck, Damon and the team declined to comment.
I don’t deny that the Peterson-Kekich scandal would be the basis for an interesting movie. I and other fans of a certain generation remember it vividly. Even in the swingin’ 70s it was shocking stuff, particularly set against the straitlaced world of baseball. And I admire Affleck as a director; I thought “The Town” should have been among the Best Picture Oscar nominees. I just wish somebody would make the film who doesn’t have “disdain” and “contempt” for the Yankees.
Filed Under: Confessions of a She-Fan Tagged With: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Fritz Peterson, Matt Damon, Mike Kekich, The Town, Yankees
Couldn't Somebody Besides Ben Affleck Make A Movie About The Yankees?
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About Jane Heller
Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.
Copyright © 2021 Jane Heller
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EXPANDED EULOGIES
Shirley Gutsch
Shirley Gutsch, formerly of Burdick, devoted wife, mother, grandma, sister, aunt, teacher, and friend, passed peacefully Jan. 6 at Midland Care Hospice House, Topeka. She was 84.
A private family graveside service will be at Delavan Cemetery near Herington. A Celebration of Life will be planned later in the year.
Shirley June Smithson was born April 30, 1936, a daughter of Wayne and Marvella (Burns) Smithson.
She grew up on a farm near Delavan, Kansas, and graduated from Wilsey Rural High School in 1954.
She attended Kansas State Teacher’s College in Emporia and graduated with a degree in elementary education in 1958.
On June 17, 1961, Shirley married Dean Gutsch, the love of her life, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They raised three daughters together, Dawn, Darla, and Deena at their home, a farm near Burdick. Above all else, Shirley cherished spending time with her family and always took great pride in her children and grandchildren’s ballgames, recitals, concerts, and important events.
One of Shirley’s greatest passions was teaching and inspiring young children to learn. She taught in Santa Ana, California, and Wichita, Herington, and Tampa, before beginning her 39-year career at Centre Elementary School in Lost Springs.
Mrs. Gutsch touched many lives with her dedication, kindness, intelligence, honesty, and faith. She always found the good in everyone. She was a member of the Hebron Lutheran Church and the Order of Eastern Star.
Shirley will forever be remembered by her husband, Dean, of the home; her daughters, Dawn (and her husband, Chad) Wilkins of Osage City, Darla (and her husband, Glen) Stout of Madison, Deena Abbott of Topeka; her sister, Sandra McKinnon of Ferndale, Michigan; her brother, Bud (and his wife, Roxie) Smithson of Delavan; her sister-in-law, Jewell (and her husband, Darrell), Swinney of Burdick; her five grandchildren, Jordan and Morgan Stout, Zachary Abbott, Tyson and Britney Wilkins; as well as extended family, friends and former students.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and brother Wayne “Butch” Smithson.
The family has requested that memorial contributions be sent to Hebron Lutheran Church, 2147 S 2900 Rd, Burdick KS
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Posted on 6th February 2019 by Tim Cundle
BOOM! Studios Announces Third Printing of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1
BOOM! Studios announced today that Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1, reimagining the groundbreaking pop culture phenomenon from the very beginning in partnership with 20th Century Fox Consumer Products, has sold out of the second printing at the distributor level before the second printings arrive in comic book shops on February 20th.
To meet this overwhelming demand from fans, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 THIRD PRINTING VARIANT will arrive in stores on March 13th with a special variant cover version of Amelia Vidal’s instantly iconic cover, featuring Dark Willow Rosenberg!
Eisner Award-nominated writer Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and Russ Manning Award-winning artist Dan Mora (Klaus, Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers), along with series creator and story consultant Joss Whedon (the visionary writer/director behind Firefly, Marvel’s The Avengers, and more) welcome you back to the Hellmouth for the very first time!
This is the Buffy Summers you know, who wants what every average teenager wants: friends at her new school, decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil. But the Slayer’s world looks a lot more like the one outside your window, as this new series brings her into a new era with new challenges, new friends…and a few enemies you might already recognize. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as the Gang – Giles, Willow, Xander, Cordelia and more – faces brand new Big Bads, and a threat lurking beneath the perfectly manicured exterior of Sunnydale High, confirming what every teenager has always known: high school truly is hell.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer premiered on the WB Network on March 10th, 1997. The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series, which ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as “Buffy Summers.” Chosen to battle vampires, demons and other forces of darkness, Buffy is aided by a Watcher who guides and teaches her as she surrounds herself with a circle of friends called the “Scooby Gang.”
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 THIRD PRINTING VARIANT is available exclusively in comic shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) on March 6th.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including Abbottfrom Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä; Bury The Lede from Gaby Dunn and Claire Roe; Grass Kings from Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins; and Klaus from Grant Morrison and Dan Mora. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties including Joss Whedon’s Firefly from Greg Pak and Dan McDaid; and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Marguerite Bennett and Simone Di Meo.
For continuing news on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER comic books, graphic novels and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter. And follow Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram
Tagged Amerlia Vidal, Boom! Studios, Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Comics, Dan Mora, Jordie Bellaire, Joss Whedon, Willow Rosenberg
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Cultural institutions during the pandemic
We analyse the evolution during the pandemic of cultural heritage institutions around the world.
Mathilde Betoret Gérard Martorell
Exhibition at Louvre | Pixabay | Public Domain
Teleworking, changes in organization, loss of income, a speeding up of digitization processes… The effects of the pandemic on cultural institutions have been varied, but some constants can be seen the world over according to the study “How cultural heritage institutions around the wold have evolved during the pandemic”. The study analyses the situation of 16 cultural heritage institutions around the world and was presented on 22 and 23 October at the 43rd annual conference of the National Association of Business, Economics and Technology in the US, this year held via Zoom. Its authors share their conclusions here.
The year 2020 will go down in history as a time of VUCA, an acronym in English, characterized by its volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. According to some authors, the current pandemic has meant the temporary or permanent closure of many companies around the world. Institutions dedicated to cultural heritage have also been affected at different levels.
In the literary search for sources dealing with the impact and evolution of cultural institutions during the pandemic, we did not find any specific publication relevant to the study. This is explained by the immediacy of the situation, which has not allowed time for these works to be published. Thus far the results seem logic, but what about all the online documents and articles published on the subject? As we said, this is a topic that has been discussed a great deal, and it may seem that everything has been said on the subject. Surprisingly, the conclusions of an analysis of these sources were far from confirming this assumption.
There is indeed a lot of talk about how the pandemic, lockdown and subsequent measures have affected cultural institutions, but these sources mainly represent individual voices at a specific institution explaining their particular situation. At most, they extend it to a specific group. So we find opinions on the difficulties faced by museums, theatres, and so on. Opinions. Particular experiences.
Further, the studies carried out with a more objective intention, because there are some, have been carried out by local, national or international organizations directly involved in the management of a certain group of institutions. Studies such as the ones conducted by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) or the Network of European Museums Organisation (NEMO) are particularly interesting, since they have access to a great deal of data and media, while also forming part, in this case, of the museum management world.
Coronavirus: 'Stay safe' beamed on Egypt's Great Pyramid | AFP
As a result, it was considered that scientific-based research, external to the macro-organizations of cultural management, was necessary. Equally importantly, this research, unlike previous studies, should not take into account just a specific type of cultural institution (e.g. museums) or be limited to a single area (e.g. Europe). After contacting numerous institutions all over the world, 16 took part in our study, situated in six geographical areas: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The resulting group included different types of institutions divided into four categories: museums, arts centres, festivals and government cultural agencies.
In-depth interviews were conducted with all of them with the aim of understanding the actions and reactions of each during the spring-autumn 2020 period, obtaining some particularly interesting results, such as the fact that the March lockdown was not general for all the participating institutions and, in many places, was considered to be a short-lived situation that would soon return to normal. In these cases, it was decided not to take extreme measures to change the structure or model of supply, and to wait and see how everything evolved. Further, not all the institutions measure their success in the same way, but the pandemic affected all of them very significantly in terms of loss of revenue. Economic problems and staff cuts have been widespread and often threaten the survival of the institution itself.
he study found that, in some countries, the management of cultural institutions is more decentralized than in others, with measures therefore being taken by governments or the institution management. Perhaps the most important finding was the confirmation that the pandemic has, in general, accelerated a pre-existing trend that gives more specific weight to online activity, in terms both of working procedures, and the production and communication of activities. In bringing about this fast, unexpected internal switch to teleworking, institutions have often suffered from a lack of preparation and technical knowledge on the part of workers, as well as the resources and equipment to combat the crisis situation. This transition to distance working has, in many institutions, been a process of learning-by-doing, without the work teams being prepared and/or, in many cases, without the technological tools that would make it possible to do this work in optimum conditions.
Due to the pandemic, the movement to offer the contents of cultural institutions online has been common but not as general as might have been expected. Problems of connectivity can explain this in only one of the cases analysed, and, surprisingly, the most innovative digital proposals did not come from so-called Global North countries. Particular mention should be made, for example, of the case of the Museo de Arte Precolombino e Indígena (MAPI) in Montevideo, an institution in South America that reacted very quickly and clearly opted for digital media, which has been able to take advantage of the situation, very significantly increasing its position on social media beyond its traditional environment.
As for the future and the continuance of measures taken during the pandemic, despite so often hearing that “these changes are here to stay”, not all institutions agree as regards their work processes. Or the way their contents and/or cultural proposals are presented. What is common to all institutions is the desire to return to on-site activities and work as soon as possible, complemented by digital versions or otherwise.
Research brings to light new questions that are being tabled. For example, do publics still want direct interaction with cultural contents, or are they open to new experiences that allow a new or different application of storytelling? Do they want more experimentation or more contextualization? Are these tendencies complementary or mutually exclusive? Another question is whether digital content will become the content in itself rather than a tool to make institutions visible or attract new publics. Another study would be needed to answer these and other questions that emerge about the future of the cultural offer.
Then there are also concerns about whether this pandemic will make institutions evolve in the way they function internally and, in this case, how they can do so in a sustainable way. The pandemic may lead to changes in their internal structure and distribution of resources. Those in charge of online content are often outside professionals. Seeing the great importance this content has acquired during the pandemic, will it become an in-house service? Will it be more appreciated within the institutional structure from now on? Up until now, institutions that had a team devoted to digital content often viewed it as subsidiary to “traditional” communication and content. As this was usually the last department to join the institution, it was often limited in terms of human and financial resources. With the pandemic, it is the teams devoted to online content that have made it possible to move forward and remain “active” in the eyes of the public. These professionals have had to take the reins of the institution’s visibility and the lack of resources available to them has become even more evident. In this sense, the current situation does not seem viable in the long run. Will it change?
The participants in our study are: ADCK Centre culturel Tjibaou (Nouméa, New Caledonia), ArtsQuest™ (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US), Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) (Barcelona, Spain), Francofolies (Paris/La Rochelle, France), Instituto de Cultura del Gobierno de la provincia de Corrientes (Corrientes, Argentina), Lahore Museum (Lahore, Pakistan), Museo de Arte Precolombino e Indígena (MAPI) (Montevideo, Uruguay), Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Development of Archaeological Sites and Museums (Cairo, Egypt), Munch Museet (Oslo, Norway), Museo de Bellas Artes Franklin Rawson (San Juan, Argentina), National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US), Preservation PA (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, US), Sustainable Sky Lantern Festival (Pingxi, Taiwan), The Australian Armour Artillery Museum (Smithfield QLD, Australia), The National Gallery (Canberra, Australia) and Vikingeskibs Museet (Roskilde, Denmark).
Mathilde Betoret1 Publication
A specialist in museology, heritage and new technologies, and author of research on orientalism and the relationship between tourism and culture.
Gérard Martorell1 Publication
Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and International Business at Lock Haven University, PA
#cultural institutions
#digital strategies
Free culture and cultural institutions
Sònia Aran
Digital Transformation in Cultural Organisations
Charles Beckett
What opportunities does it present, and what are the challenges facing cultural organisations as they adapt to meet the needs of audiences in the 21st century?
GLAM in in: how can Wikipedia and cultural institutions collaborate and understand one another?
Lucia Calvo
Cultural institutions and climate change
As strategic hubs, cultural institutions must contribute to the transition to a new energy culture that protects the climate.
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Not Without My Phone (Documentary Review: “The Social Dilemma”)
An unnerving clarion call on the dangerous & deliberately addictive nature of social media, from the very people who created it.
The Social Dilemma may be one of the scariest films you’ll ever see. It’s basically about the impossibly low chance that the world’s most powerful genie can be put back in the bottle, a warning shouted from the rooftops by many of the very people whose work has gone into the creation of said genie over the past few decades.
It’s virtually impossible to imagine our society sans social media. And why should we? As this riveting documentary goes to great lengths to explain, because of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Redditt and the rest (supported by powerful search engines such as Google, Mozilla and Firefox), people have reconnected with each other over time and distance, social and political causes have been brought to the forefront, and all information is at our fingertips. What we don’t want to be reminded of is how pervasive, intrusive and ultimately controlling these devices have become in our lives. To the point of real addiction and all that addiction entails: depression, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, and isolation. As every single principal interviewed for this documentary will attest to, the cruel truth of the paradigm is that because of the algorhythms built to sustain and personalize these social media platforms, the very privacy breaches and nuggets to addictive reactions are actually built in features and not bugs within the system.
The documentary weaves its disturbing narrative between two groups: a wide variety of Silicon Valley whistle-blowers and a dramatized storyline focusing on an average American family whose tween and teen kids are unwittingly dealing with full-blown social media addictions. As the film progresses, we see examples of what the real-life former techies are warning us about, there in living color with this family careening toward disaster but totally blind to the danger.
Tristan Harris takes center stage in The Social Dilemma, whose former life as a Google design ethicist paved the way for him to become a co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology. He is joined by (among many others) his co-founder Aza Raskin, Justin Rosenstein (co-creator of Facebook’s Like button), Shoshana Zuboff of Harvard University, former Pinterest president Tim Kendall, Renee DiResta of the Addiction Medicine Fellowship program at Stanford University, and legendary virtual reality pioneer, Jaron Lanier. And the story they tell is of an originally brilliant and beautiful technology that – because of the exponential expansion of the power of computers – has surpassed our ability to keep the genie in the bottle. The exploitation occurs thru data mining and surveillance capitalism in which huge profits hang in the balance, and the collateral damage is to a society which loses faith in the Truth and in Ourselves, deeply splintered and inviolably fractured. The most emotionally wrenching section of the film deals with the damage of social media addiction to tweens and teens, with startling statistics which line up the rates of anxiety/depression and teen suicide to exactly when computers became so powerful.
The Social Dilemma was directed by Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Coral; Chasing Ice) and written by Orlowski, Davis Coombe, and Vickie Curtis. It premiered at Sundance in January 2020, right before the Coronavirus Pandemic hit the headlines. Subsequently, the film was updated to speak to the vast number of dangerous social media conspiracy theories related to COVID-19. The documentary also doesn’t shy away from exposing the nefarious methods by which political parties, influencers and conspiracists manipulate and personalize social media feeds and push messages to its users, with the end result being to radicalize people as well as make them question their core beliefs in a fact-based world order.
As Chamath Palihapitiya (former Facebook VP of Growth) cautioned, “We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection. We get rewarded by these short term symbols of approval (hearts, likes, thumbs up, etc.) and we conflate that with value and we conflate that with truth. And instead, what it is is fake, brittle popularity. That’s short term and leaves you even more vacant and empty than before you did it.”
This film – notwithstanding the wonky science explanations behind the thesis – is really about common sense. And for anyone with middle school or high school aged kids in their families, this is a must-see documentary. We know we’re too connected to our devices. And deep down, we know our kids are completely addicted. The signs are everywhere. I urge you to watch the closing credits of this film, for practical tips from these whistleblowers on how to better take charge of yours and your kids’ social media life. As Tristan Harris poignantly states, we are not evolved as a species to handle the degree of social approval or disapproval dosed to us every five minutes. The question posed is whether Technology is, in and of itself, an Existential Threat. The answer seems to be somewhere in this netherworld of our own making, a strange blend of Utopia and Dystopia. It’s really what we make of it and whether we can create new and better code for the future.
The Social Dilemma is presently streaming on Netflix.
YouTube Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0
Tags: Bailey Richardson, Davis Coombe, Jeff Orlowski, Jeff Seibert, Joe Toscano, Kara Hayward, Larissa Rhodes, Lynn Fox, Shoshana Zuboff, Skyler Gisondo, Sophia Hammons, The Social Dilemma, Tim Kendall, Tristan Harris, Vickie Curtis
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We get it. We really do.
You want something which will make everyone laugh, but you’re a little hesitant. You have heard how funny Comedy Hypnosis is at corporate events, but you saw that one show in Vegas, and now you’re concerned…
We understand. It’s why our our commitment to clean, safe, dignified humor has caused us to be named “Top Hypnotists in the Country” over and over again, even though we are local to you. We are the favorite among Minnesota Comedy Hypnotists!
Yeah… we’re funny. And your friends and colleagues will be funny too. In fact, you’ll laugh harder than you’ve ever laughed before.
But FUNNY ISN’T ENOUGH!
There are a lot of hypnotists out there who think it’s funny to have people on stage in compromising situations. We don’t.
There are a lot of hypnotists who believe that since we’re all adults, it’s okay to include inappropriate humor. We don’t.
There is more to a “clean” show than simply avoiding foul language! We are Comedians who have mastered the art of Hypnosis, which means we don’t have to go for the cheap laugh.
And we still PROMISE that you’ll all be able to show your faces at work on Monday.
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Iranian Cinema and Film Literature
Silver Pages
by Massoud Mehrabi
The film literature in Iran was introduced about two decades after production of early Iranian films. Two or three years after production of the first Iranian film in 1900 (which conformed to the same standards as early movies of the world), the sole official and state-run newspaper started to show interest in “cinematograph”. Naturally, film critique and other theoretical issues were not extant in those years. News about the most amazing phenomenon of the century as well as its good and evil effects on viewers and the whole society were the most important issues.
The first film critique (in the modern sense) was written by Ebrahim Moradi, a pioneer director of dramatic features in Iran. His writings, which gradually improved, focused on technical and dramatic problems of films. Few other writers started to follow suit with Moradi, though they later used what they had taught from him against his own films.
Growth of film literature in Iran is much indebted to art and cinema press. Although no films were produced in Iran between 1937 and 1948 due to various reasons, including the World War II and its consequences, since the more recent world cinema productions were screened in the country, cinema magazines were thriving. During that period, apart from various newspapers and magazines, three specialistic film magazines called Namayeshat (Entertainment), Jahan-e Cinema (World of Cinema) and Hollywood were published in Tehran and criticized all aspects of cinema art and industry, including films. Toghrol Afshar, Houshang Qadimi, Troal Gilani, Babak Saman, Farrokh Ghaffari, and Houshang Kavousi were among prominent critics of those years whose writings helped to promote film knowledge in Iran. Those periodicals and articles later gave rise to books on cinema.
The first book on cinema was published in 1927. It was written by Zabihollah Behrouz in two chapters. The first chapter was about the position and role of cinema in the world and its undeniable impact on human societies and the second chapter was a screenplay adapted from ancient Persian legends. Although that screenplay was never produced as film, the book was received warmly by movie buffs and encouraged other people to publish similar books and this continued until 1947. Three consequential books were published in those years: Troal Gilani wrote The Technique of Cinema, Toghrol Afshar wrote In the Rainbow of Cinema, and Hossein Saffari translated Lo Duca’s History of Cinema into Persian. The three books are considered among important events, which along with a number of earlier books determined the policy and orientation of film literature in Iran. The Technique of Cinema was an educational book which introduced its readers to filmmaking equipment (from raw film to cinematographic camera) and explained the filmmaking process from the beginning to the end. The book even included a chapter on how to become an actor and acting techniques. In the Rainbow of Cinema focused on theoretical issues of cinema and film analysis. History of Cinema and its writer are so well-known as to obviate explanation.
As film literature in Iran started with publication of a screenplay, publication of similar books continued with more zeal in later years. Among different types of cinema books, which ranged from theoretical and reference books to biographies of actors and filmmakers, screenplays ranked first both in terms of number and reprints. This was especially true after 1979 revolution when directors could not make every screenplay either due to their themes or inadequate funds. During those years, enthusiasm for screenplays was (and still is) so high that the Iranian auteur, Bahram Baizai, who has thus far only made six feature films, has published 26 screenplays. Some of his screenplays are more interesting and more impressive than his films. He is followed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf who has published all his screenplays (even those which have not been produced as film). On the whole, screenplays written by these two filmmakers have been republished 50 times. The screenplay of Makhmalbaf’s banned film, Time of Love, has been reprinted 11 times. Although publication of film books was not as extensive as it is now, screenplays also accounted for the main part of pre-revolution film literature and most of them were screenplays of prominent films. L’Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioni) and The Nights of Cabiria (Federico Fellini) (whose translations were published in 1965) started a trend which continued with The Discreet Charm of Bourgeoisie (Luis Bunuel), Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio De Sica), The Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein), M (Fritz Lang), and Face to Face (Ingmar Bergman). Since that time, the works of nearly all prominent filmmakers have been published in Iran.
After screenplays, educational books on filmmaking are the next in demand. Before the revolution, most young people who were interested in this subject were members of a center called Cinemaye Azad (Experimental Cinema Center) and since they used 8-mm cameras, books like Film and Director (Don Livingston, 1963) or Film and Education (Dr. Ebrahim Rashidpour, 1967) were all they needed for primary education. Today, however, there are tens of state-run and private filmmaking centers with 4,000-5,000 students. Therefore, all educational books imaginable have been published in Iran: from Eugene Vale’s The Technique of Screenwriting to Lee Strasberg’s A Dream of Passion. Apart from translations, tens of other books have been written by Iranian instructors.
The situation is very satisfactory for theoretical and analytical books. Although they rank after screenplays and educational books, the quality of their authorship and translation is ideal. Almost all books written by great theoreticians of world cinema have been translated by the best Iranian translators: from Andre Bazin and Rudolf Arnheim to Peter Woolen and Allan Casebier and W. F. Perkins. Iranian theoreticians have also authored valuable books some of which, including the works by Dr. Babak Ahmadi, can be presented internationally.
Books on history of cinema and reference books are like a magical substance which strengthens structure of every country’s film literature and determines its identity. There is no shortage in this category of books. Apart from books written by Lo Duca and Arthur Knight, which were respectively published in 1948 and 1962, the most important books in the history of the Iranian cinema which have been written by such prominent authors and researchers as John Howard Lawson, Christian Thompson, Geoffrey Nowell Smith, Eric Rhode, David A. Cook, and David Robinson have been translated and published. In addition to those books, many volumes have been compiled on the history of the Iranian cinema in addition to guide books and encyclopedias about Iranian and world cinema films and characters by Iranian authors, including myself, which can provide future researchers and authors with a comprehensive and rich source of study.
Iranian film literature is very rich. If professional Iranian filmmakers had established a better relationship with it from the early days that the Iranian cinema took shape, the situation of that cinema would have been much better now.
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So many masterpieces!
Submitted by pmalla on June 15, 2012 - 9:25am
I'm not going to post the video, because it's so Not Safe For Work I feel like your boss might fire me for linking to it, but there's a nice bit in Louis CK's recent stand-up special, "Hilarious," about the way we overuse certain words.
Describing comedy is stupid, so I'll give you the gist: he starts with "hilarious," then talks about "amazing" (describe a basket of chicken wings as "amazing" and "you've limited yourself to a shit life") and "genius," which "you used to have to invent a number" to be called.
Add "masterpiece" to this list.
Recently the Globe & Mail has decreed the Stratford Festival's production of Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker and Vincent Lam's new novel to be masterpieces. A quick putz around the internet reveals other recent masterpieces to include the video game Max Payne 3, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom, which I didn't like that much, and that new British movie with a bunch of OAPs having spiritual awakenings in India.
If you can sense skepticism here, you're an amazing genius. But what, really, is a masterpiece? Weirdly, when I think of the word "masterpiece" my mind goes straight to painting -- Caravaggio, in particular. But that's not news: it's pretty much consensus that his work, as with other great painters of his era, include bona fide masterpieces. And the same can be said of the most famous works of the great composers.
But what about books? Things seem to get a little trickier. Is Ulysses a masterpiece, even though most people can't get through it? What about The Odyssey, which, though attributed to Homer, is the result of generations of oral epic storytelling? (Something about "masterpiece," to me, implies a singular, divine genius who crafted it.) Never mind contemporary stuff, which no one can ever seem to agree on. E.g.: Anita Brookner has called Kazuo Ishiguro's Unconsoled “almost certainly a masterpiece,” while James Wood argues “it invents its own category of badness.”
How can a work of art be a masterpiece to some people and insufferable to others? Maybe only posterity decides. So, in two hundred years, will the vampire-robots who inherit the earth have venerated Max Payne to the status of masterpiece -- and launched all their copies of Beowulf into the trash-ring that will be orbiting the earth?
Maybe we should ban the word masterpiece to refer to anything made in the past fifty years. (This frees up the movie version of Dr. No, Doris Lessing's The Golden Notebook and The Best of Sam Cooke for masterpiece candidacy, so I'm going to nominate those three, right now.) But can we go a little easy on throwing the term around? Because, as Louis CK points out, if everything is "a genius's amazing masterpiece," when something truly amazing happens, we won't know what to call it.
pmalla's blog
The views expressed in the Writer-in-Residence blogs are those held by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Open Book: Toronto.
Thu February 10, 2011
Ten Questions, with Scott Thornley
View more items filed under “Creative Process” in our Open Book Archives.
Submitted by erin on February 10, 2011 - 2:48pm
Scott Thornley's creative career earned him a place in the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, but it was only recently that he turned his talents towards fiction. Here, he tells Open Book about the dreams that inspired his debut novel, Erasing Memory, the intuition he trusted to guide him through the challenging task and the powers of observation that allow Detective MacNeice — and Scott himself — to see beyond the exterior.
Erasing Memory (Random House) launched on January 11th at Toronto's Gardiner Museum. The photos below were taken during this memorable evening.
Pasha Malla
Pasha Malla’s first collection of short stories, The Withdrawal Method, a Globe and Mail and National Post book of the year, won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the Trillum Book Award and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize and longlisted for the Giller Prize. His latest book, People Park, is forthcoming from Anansi in July 2012.
Go to Pasha Malla’s Author Page
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U.S. Issues Highest Travel Alert for China as WHO Declares Health Emergency
FRIDAY, Jan. 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The United States issued its highest travel alert for China on Thursday night, advising all Americans to avoid travel to that country because of a coronavirus outbreak that has now sickened nearly 10,000 and killed just over 200.
The advisory came just hours after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak an international public health emergency and the United States reported its first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus.
On Friday, U.S. health officials announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a mandatory quarantine for the 195 Americans who were evacuated Tuesday from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak.
The quarantine would restrict the evacuees' movements for 14 days from when they left Wuhan, mostly because U.S. health officials still aren't sure just how easily the virus spreads.
"If we take strong measures now, we may be able to blunt the impact of the virus on the United States," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a media briefing Friday. "While we recognize this is an unprecedented action, we are facing an unprecedented public health threat," she explained.
"We are preparing as if this were the next pandemic, but we are hopeful still that this is not and will not be the case," Messonnier added. "This is the first time in 50 years that CDC has issued a quarantine order. We would rather be remembered for overreacting than for underreacting."
The evacuees will stay at the California military base where they were first taken on Tuesday, where they will continue to be monitored for any signs of illness, she said.
"Screening with a laboratory test in this setting does not help us identify people clearly who are going to be going on to illness," Messonnier explained. "We do not believe a negative result on this test means someone is out of danger for developing this disease or communicating it to someone else."
Messonnier left open the possibility that other quarantines will occur as more Americans leave China and return to the United States.
"The State Department has already announced they will be repatriating additional travelers from Wuhan," she said. "We are working closely with them to determine how those travelers will be processed."
Meanwhile, Chinese officials said Friday that the death toll in that country rose by 43 in the last 24 hours, hitting 213, The New York Times reported. Chinese health officials have confirmed that the virus is spreading from person-to-person, and that it can be spread by a person who is not showing symptoms of infection.
In the United States, health officials on Thursday confirmed the first U.S. case of person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus.
The patient is the husband of a Chicago woman who was the second confirmed case in the United States. She had traveled to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, and fell ill upon her return home. The husband is in his 60s and has underlying health conditions, U.S. health officials said during a media briefing. Six cases of coronavirus have now been reported in the United States.
"This second patient [the husband] did not travel to China, indicating the first person-to-person transmission of novel coronavirus in the United States," said Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"The risk to the general public in Illinois remains low," Ezike said during the Thursday media briefing. "This person-to-person spread was between two very close contacts, a wife and husband. The virus is not spreading widely across the community."
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, agreed.
"We understand this may be concerning, but based on what we know now our assessment remains that the risk to the public is low," Redfield said during the same briefing.
"The vast majority of Americans have not had recent travel to China, the high-risk areas of transmission where human-to-human transmission is occurring," he added.
U.S. health experts said person-to-person transmission in the United States was inevitable.
"The main takeaway is this confirms something we already knew: that there was likely person-to-person spread in China with this virus. Otherwise the numbers wouldn't be as high as they are," said Dr. Eric Cioe-Pena, director of global health at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, N.Y.
In China, the case count kept climbing on Friday, with cases of what is dubbed the 2019-nCoV coronavirus reaching 9,692, the Times reported. That eclipses the 5,327 cases reported in China during the 2003 SARS outbreak.
Meanwhile, countries and regions around the world took steps to cut the risk of the virus spreading to their citizens.
Hong Kong has barred entry to visitors from Hubei province, which is at the center of the outbreak, and travel agencies were ordered to cancel group tours nationwide. Airlines around the world have suspended flights to China, and Russia closed its 2,600-mile border with China until March 1, the Times reported.
Outside China, 18 countries have now reported cases of coronavirus.
Thailand and Japan have each reported 14 cases of infection; Hong Kong and Singapore have 10; Taiwan has eight; Australia, Malaysia and Macau each have seven; France and the United States have six; South Korea, Germany and the United Arab Emirates each have four; Canada has three; Britain, Vietnam and Italy each have two; and India, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Finland each have one.
Some cases recorded in Taiwan, Germany, Vietnam, Japan, France and the United States involved patients who had not been to China. No deaths have been reported outside China.
SOURCES: Jan. 31, 2020 media briefing with: Nancy Messonnier, M.D., director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Jan. 30, 2020 media briefing with: Robert Redfield, M.D., director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Ngozi Ezike, M.D., director, Illinois Department of Public Health; The New York Times; Associated Press; CNN
Cancer: Preventing Infections
Central Line Infections
My Baby Has Cancer
Pediatric Cancer: A Family's Journey
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Contact / Newsletter Subscription
Initiative to address
Free online training program, resources, tips and tools to assist service providers working with survivors of human trafficking
Human Trafficking: The Diasporic Network Approach and Empowering Communities through the Youth
Watch Now Recorded on: January 23, 2020, 1:00 PM EDT
The Diasporic Network Approach was introduced in the first webinar as a nuanced concept that takes into account the intersections between traffickers, victims, and diaspora communities within the Human Trafficking Chain. Not enough research has gone into this area, but from general research with regards to human trafficking, what can be safely concluded are those that are most vulnerable to human trafficking are children. With the fact that young people are potentially most at risk, it is important to provide them with basic knowledge of human trafficking that is not sensationalized.
According to a preliminary literature review, people are more willing to listen and change their views and behaviour if they believe that the one passing the message is similar to them and/or has faced similar concerns and pressures. This is also known as peer education, where young people pass knowledge on to their peers. Successful peer education contributes to knowledge and understanding of sensitive topics – and is a small step to addressing intergenerational trauma.
This webinar will examine the possible reasons as to why children are most vulnerable to human trafficking; the importance of respecting children as their own person; and importance of trauma-informed approaches to address this vulnerability. Peer Prevention strategies from Croatia and Serbia will be discussed, along with local Peer Prevention Strategies available in Toronto.
http://helpingtraffickedpersons.org/content/2-webinars/1-human-trafficking-the-diasporic-network-approach-and-empowering-communities-through-the-youth/webinar-2-diasporic-network-approach-and-empowering-communities-through-the-youth-pdf.pdf
Talija Koncar
Talija is an independent researcher with a Master of Arts degree from the Centre of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto. Her research revolves around the role of Diasporas in the Human Trafficking Chain and how kinship and ethnicity come into play. She hopes to continue with her education and eventually contribute to a comprehensive Vulnerability Matrix to highlight and subsequently address the root causes of human trafficking and trauma.
Funding provided by
The views expressed on this website are the views of MCIS Language Solutions and do not necessarily reflect those of the Province.
Content on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
© 2013-2021 MCIS Language Solutions
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Open Physics
2009 | 7 | 3 | 534-540
Effects of time delay on the statistical fluctuations for a bistable system driven by cross-correlated noises
Chun-hua Zeng , Xiao-feng Zhou , Shu-fen Tao
We study the effects of time delay on the normalized correlation function C(s) and the associated relaxation time T
c for a bistable system with correlations between multiplicative and additive white noises under the condition of small time delay. Using the projection operator method, the expressions of T
c and C(s) are obtained. Based on numerical computations, it is found that the delay time τ slows down the rate of fluctuation decay of dynamical variable for the presence of positive feedback intensity (∈ > 0), while speeds up the rate of fluctuation decay of dynamical variable for the presence of negative feedback intensity (∈ < 0). The effects of the delay time τ on the T
c and C(s) are entirely opposite for ∈ 〉 0 and ∈ < 0.
time delay bistable system correlation function relaxation time
02.50.Ey: Stochastic processes
02.50.Fz: Stochastic analysis
05.40.-a: Fluctuation phenomena, random processes, noise, and Brownian motion(for fluctuations in superconductivity, see 74.40.-n; for statistical theory and fluctuations in nuclear reactions, see 24.60.-k; for fluctuations in plasma, see 52.25.Gj; for nonlinear dynamics and chaos, see 05.45.-a)
05.40.Ca: Noise
05.40.Jc: Brownian motion
Chun-hua Zeng
Faculty of Science, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650093, China
Xiao-feng Zhou
Department of Physics, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, 655011, China, qjzxf2008@163.com
Shu-fen Tao
Department of Physics, Qujing Normal University, Qujing, 655011, China
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[31] D. Wu, S. Q. Zhu, Phys. Lett. A 363, 202 (2007) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physleta.2006.11.006[Crossref]
[32] Y. F. Jin, H. Y. Hu, Physica A 382, 423 (2007) http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physa.2007.04.026[Crossref]
[33] E. A. Novikov, Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz.+ 47, 1919 (1964)
[34] E. A. Novikov, Sov. Phys. JETP-USSR 20, 1290 (1964)
[35] R. F. Fox, Phys. Rev. A 34, 4525 (1986) http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.34.4525[Crossref]
[36] D. J. Wu, L. Cao, S. Z. Ke, Phys. Rev. E 50, 2496 (1994) http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.50.3560[Crossref]
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A 60-Year-Old Man with a Mass Following Hip Surgery
Patient pelvic radiograph misdiagnosed as simple left hip osteoarthritis.
Patient left hip radiograph misdiagnosed as simple left hip osteoarthritis.
Postoperative radiograph showing the total hip arthroplasty performed.
Axial CT scan showing a mass adjacent to the proximal part of the left femur.
MRI showing a mass adjacent to the proximal part of the left femur.
Intraoperative photograph showing the proximal femoral resection.
Hip anteroposterior radiograph after wide resection and arthroplasty.
Histology of the excised mass.
A 60-year-old man, with no relevant medical history, underwent total hip arthroplasty at another institution for left hip pain that was interpreted as hip arthritis (Figs. 1-A and 1-B). During the surgical procedure, the orthopaedic surgeon noted an abnormal mass in the medial aspect of the proximal part of the left femur. At this point, the femoral neck osteotomy had already been performed and the acetabular cup had been implanted. In addition, no mass was visualized in the femoral canal. After identification of the proximal femoral mass, a biopsy was obtained. No frozen section was performed, and the decision was made to finish the total hip replacement (THR) (Fig. 2). After the patient was discharged, a referral was made to our institution.
The patient was admitted to our institution, where bone scintigraphy, hip computed tomography (CT) (Fig. 3-A), and hip magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Fig. 3-B) were obtained. No evidence of distant disease was discovered. A wide proximal femoral resection was performed with reconstruction (Fig. 4) with a proximal femoral arthroplasty, maintaining the original acetabular cup (Fig. 5).
The surgical specimen was submitted to pathology (Figs. 6-A and 6-B).
The imaging results and histology illustrate a grade-2 chondrosarcoma.
Unfortunately, sacrifice of the femoral nerve was necessary because it was encased within the mass. During the postoperative period, there were no additional complications and the patient’s recovery was straightforward. However, after these procedures, the patient needed permanent assistance with crutches for walking because the femoral nerve injury removed all active knee extension.
The margins of resection were free of tumor, but after 2 years of postoperative follow-up, the patient developed new left hip and thigh symptoms. The staging positron emission tomography (PET)-CT scan identified what seemed to be local recurrence of the chondrosarcoma (Fig. 7), requiring an external hemipelvectomy, which confirmed the local recurrence of a grade-2 chondrosarcoma (Fig. 8). The pathology report confirmed again a safe surgical margin with an R-0 resection. In addition, highly suspicious pulmonary nodules were also identified in the PET-CT. Six months after hemipelvectomy, the patient was doing well, without any pain, and was working in his old job, despite the persistent need for crutches.
Reference: Soares do Brito J, Spranger A, Almeida P, Presa D, Fernandes I, Portela J. Proximal femur chondrosarcoma misdiagnosed as hip arthritis: a case report. JBJS Case Connect. 2020 Jan-Mar;10(1):e0324.
Hip arthritis is a common cause for pain and disability among older adults and a major reason for THR. In the United States, projections indicate that, by 2030, more than half a million THRs will be performed annually, the majority due to osteoarthritis. However, bone sarcomas are rare, accounting for only <0.2% of all malignant tumors.
Among primary bone tumors, chondrosarcoma is the most frequently occurring bone sarcoma of adulthood. The incidence is about 0.2/100,000 per year, with the most common age at diagnosis being between 30 and 60 years. The main feature of this neoplasm is the presence of cartilage-forming malignant cells without direct osteoid formation. It is a difficult tumor to treat, mainly because of its resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Chondrosarcomas are themselves a very rare heterogeneous group; in addition to conventional central, peripheral, and periosteal chondrosarcomas, 5 different histological subtypes are described: juxtacortical, mesenchymal, myxoid, dedifferentiated, and clear cell. This type of tumor can be categorized as primary or secondary, depending on the initial presentation as a de novo chondral malignancy, or because of a change in the biological behavior of a formerly benign chondral lesion such as an enchondroma or osteochondroma. In addition, chondrosarcomas can be classified as axial or appendicular, depending on the anatomical site where the neoplasm arises; however, almost 50% are found around the hip.
In general, the standard treatment for chondrosarcoma is surgical, but there is no consensus on the surgical margin needed for each grade of chondrosarcoma, especially for grade-1 cases. Nonetheless, most authors agree on the need for wide resection in all tumors of grades 2 and 3. The prognosis depends on the histological grade, but the histological classification is often subjective and there is a wide spectrum of outcomes. Not even grade-1 tumors have a 100% survival rate, mainly because of local recurrence or progression to a higher grade on recurrence. Inoperable, locally advanced, and metastatic high-grade chondrosarcomas—particularly, dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas—have a poor prognosis.
Medical textbooks always include tumors as a differential diagnosis for hip pain, but malignant disease is still a rare finding. Although the proximal part of the femur and pelvis are common sites for cartilaginous neoplasms, hip osteoarthritis is a much more frequent diagnosis. However, some case reports have described malignant neoplasms that mimic arthritis or even benign bone tumors. Therefore, primary malignant disease should be kept in mind as a possible diagnosis for any patient with hip symptoms, especially when imaging studies are not typical for hip osteoarthritis.
Radiographs in this case lacked the usual sclerosis, erosions, and osteophytosis that are usually present in osteoarthritis (Fig. 1). In addition, there were suspicious calcifications medial to the proximal segment of the femoral bone. In this scenario, we should point out that radiographs in the pelvic area are more difficult to read because of the anatomy of the overlying structures. Therefore, in the absence of typical and characteristic findings for arthritis, physical examination, and additional imaging studies may be needed to exclude malignancy, including primary bone tumors or metastatic diseases.
Patients with a chondrosarcoma diagnosis should be further evaluated for complete staging as early as possible. Surgical treatment is the optimal choice for all patients, particularly for those who can undergo complete resection with acceptable morbidity. In our case, after the biopsy revealed a grade-2 chondrosarcoma, we had to perform a wide surgical excision of the proximal femur, but this approach included the serious complication of femoral nerve sacrifice. The previous surgical procedure made our surgical resection more difficult. We were able to achieve complete excision with negative margins, but the patient experienced local recurrence 2 years later, leading to external hemipelvectomy.
The high morbidity and mortality related with bone sarcomas demand a correct diagnosis. As such, it is important to stress the need of considering other diagnoses for hip pain rather than the usual arthritis. A high index of suspicion is needed at all times to achieve a proper diagnosis in these rare cases to avoid compromising the patient’s oncologic outcome.
PET-CT scan detecting local recurrence of the chondrosarcoma 2 years after the proximal femoral wide resection.
Final anteroposterior pelvic radiograph after an external hemipelvectomy.
Chondromyxoid fibroma
Chondroblastic osteosarcoma
Chondroid syringoma
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Features Movies
Hellboy 2019: Everything We Know So Far about the Dark Reboot
On May 09, 2018, by Chris Mawson
When the general public considers comic book studios, chances are their first thoughts will be of Marvel and DC. These two studios, whether they are in-house projects or creations by 20th Century Fox and Sony, have well and truly conquered the superhero movie industry over the last 10 years. Still, every so often there’s a comic book studio that wants to enter the fray and give their comics, often ones that have been popular among readers for a long time, the cinematic treatment.
One of the most successful superhero movies to come from a studio besides DC or Marvel in the last two decades was Dark Horse Comic’s Hellboy. Under the expert direction of Guillermo del Toro and starring Ron Pearlman as the main demon himself, Hellboy received two movies that both received positive reviews. Alas, after the sequel was released in 2008 all chances of a third film disappeared and the Hellboy franchise became a clip note in the history of modern comic book movies.
At least, that was until earlier this year when it was finally revealed that Hellboy will be returning to the big screen as soon as 2019, which is more than we can say for the Uncharted movie. We’re not mad, you’re mad.
Hellboy’s Return Will Be Dark
Rather than a sequel, though, this release will be a reboot and, according to the rumours surrounding the movie, it will be pretty different from its predecessors. Though the film has yet to be rated by the MPAA as of the time of writing, it’s thought that it will receive an R-rating as it will be far more faithful to the source material than the previous movies were, focusing mostly on the Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt and The Storm and Fury storylines.
According to Mike Mignola in an exclusive interview to Nerdist, the creator of the original comic series, though this movie may not be particularly violent, it does allow for more creative freedom. In the Guillermo del Toro-led movies of 2004 and 2008, Hellboy had the whimsy that many of the director’s other films such as 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water (2017) share. This new reboot, though, will have a bit more of an edge, perhaps even entering horror territory. This is especially possible when we consider who the new director is. Picking up where Guillermo del Toro dropped off will be Neil Marshall, who is most well-known for Dog Soldiers (2002) and The Descent (2005), as well as episodes of Game of Thrones (2012 – 2014), Black Sails (2014), Constantine (2014), Hannibal (2015) and Westworld (2016). Clearly, Marshall is well-versed in fusing horror and action together to create a dark yet enjoyable experience.
Why This is a Smart Move
Though this may take fans of the older series by surprise, it is actually an incredibly smart move on the comic book studio’s part. After all, previous gritty adult-orientated comic book movies such as Logan (2017), Deadpool (2016) and Watchmen (2009) have all done incredibly well. This may be primarily due to the fact that, according to retailers surveyed by media outlet Newsarama, the majority of comic book fans are now in their mid-30s. This explains the release of series such as Jessica Jones (2015) on Netflix and Fox’s Gotham (2014), which are a long way from the old episodes of The Batman with Adam West. Games based on comic book heroes are also far more adult-orientated, even appearing at online casinos including Betway Casino in the form of slots, with The Dark Knight and Hellboy being just two leading examples. Injustice 2 is another example. Based on the Justice League, this 2017 console and PC title features Hellboy as one of many DC heroes.
As for merchandise, a quick search on Amazon reveals that many of the top products are Deadpool related – a character that couldn’t be any more aimed towards adults if they tried. There are also plenty of statues and other memorabilia that are for home display, such as near-exact replicas of Hellboy’s revolver available on Etsy, which are certainly not meant to be played with. There are even more superhero t-shirts available for adult men on sites such as Redbubble, with over 13,000 results. Clearly, superheroes are for the grown-ups and it’s about time Hellboy grew up.
Here’s Hoping
Yes, Ron Pearlman’s Hellboy will be missed but we have high hopes that David Harbour, most known for his role as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things, will do a fine job alongside Neil Marshall. If all goes well and this new Hellboy movie is received well both critically and commercially then it could launch an entire series of movies. For now, we will simply have to wait until the movie is released on January 11, 2019. The scheduled date is great news, as many of the big Christmas blockbusters will have already been out for a couple of weeks and the only competition Hellboy should have, that we know of, is a sci-fi project by Brad Pitt currently entitled Ad Astra and M. Night Shymalan’s Glass. Let’s just keep out rock-hard Right Hand of Doom fingers crossed while we wait for the release.
Guardians’ low profile paved way for positive reviews
The Art of Kill Strain with Senior Sony Artist Ryan Benjamin
The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 – Faith Review
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China Japan North Korea South Korea All countries
All countries South Korea Ulsan Dong-gu
Weather in Dong-gu
Weather archive at the airport ( 56 km, +7 °C+45 °F )
3 hours ago at the weather station (11 km) it was +7.6 °C+46 °F, overcast, normal air pressure, very high humidity (97%), light air (1 m/s) (4 km/h) (2 mph) (2 knots) (1 Bft) blowing from the west. Mist.
Today we expect +10..+13 °C°F, +50..+55 °C°F, continuous rain, fog, gentle breeze. Tomorrow: +11..+12 °C°F, +52..+54 °C°F, rain shower, fog, fresh breeze.
direction N NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE E E NE SW SE N NW NW NE NE
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direction N N N N N N N NE NE N NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE E E E E E NE E SW S SE NW N NW NW NW NW N NE NE NE direction
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Dull speaks at Griffin Daybreak Rotary meeting
Posted on July 4, 2016 by spalding
Bob Dull, chief executive officer of the Griffin Housing Authority, discussed the history of Public housing and how it has evolved over the years, when he recently spoke to the Griffin Daybreak Rotary Club.
Housing authorities are state-chartered and the one in Griffin started in 1950 with the development of Meriwether Homes and Fairmont. At that time, public housing was self-sustainable and built in a time when it was meant to be temporary until people got on their feet.
In the late 1960s, HUD was formed. HUD’s program regulations have evolved over the years and have unfortunately resulted in many households choosing public housing as a permanent housing choice. Income reporting and household-reporting regulations, while well-intentioned, have resulted in static upward mobility and penalized family unity, which has in turn established a culture of generational dependency to public housing assistance programs.
Dull said this cycle can be broken by focusing on “educational prosperity” as a catalyst for changing adults’ and children’s view of their future. Dull said the Housing Authority works closely with UGA-Griffin n, Southern Crescent Technical College, Griffin-Spalding County Schools and many others through the “Educational Prosperity Initiative,” providing GED, after-school, mentoring and family self-sufficiency programs.
Griffin has received two national awards for this effort. Dull noted that Griffin has been fortunate to have been awarded over $30 million in public and private funding and grants to continue the transformation of local public housing. The future is bright for Griffin, but not without challenges, particularly as it relates to the growing senior population. The Griffin Housing Authority is meeting this challenge with the upcoming groundbreaking of the “Iris at Park Point,” a new, age “55 and older,” three-story mid-rise, and the rehabilitation of Nine Oaks Senior Housing and the redevelopment of Fairmont Homes into affordable workforce housing
GRIFFIN DAILY NEWS
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You are here: Home History of Spirulina
Historical Use of Spirulina
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ON THE USE OF SPIRULINA AS HUMAN FOOD AND ANIMAL FEED
In the sixteenth century, when the Spanish invaders conquered Mexico, they discovered that the Aztecs living in the Valley of Mexico in the capital Tenochtitlan were collecting a “new food” from the lake (Sasson, 1997). Spanish chroniclers described fishermen with fine nets collecting this blue coloured “techuitlatl” from the lagoons and making a blue-green cake from it. Other legends say Aztec messenger runners took spirulina on their marathons.
Techuitlatl was mentioned by naturalists until the end of the sixteenth century, but not after that, probably reflecting the loss of the lakes as they were drained for urban and agricultural development. The only remnant today, Lake Texcoco, still has a living algae spirulina population.
The Kanembu population living along the shores of Lake Chad collects the wet algae in clay pots, drain out the water through bags of cloth and spread out the algae in the sandy shore of the lake for sun drying. The semi-dried algae is then cut into small squares and taken to the villages, where the drying is completed on mats in the sun (Abdulqader, Barsanti and Tredici, 2000). When dry, women take these algae cakes for sale in the local market. Dihé is crumbled and mixed with a sauce of tomatoes and peppers, and poured over millet, beans, fish or meat and is eaten by the Kanembu in 70 percent of their meals (www.spirulinasource.com). Pregnant women eat dihé cakes directly because they believe its dark colour will screen their unborn baby from the eyes of sorcerers (Ciferri, 1983).
Spirulina is also applied externally as a poultice for treating certain diseases. Abdulqader, Barsanti and Tredici (2000) further noted that the local trading value of the dihé annually harvested from Lake Kossorom in Chad (about 40 tonnes) amounts to more than US $100,000, which represents an important contribution to the economy of the area.
Rediscovery of Spirulina
In 1940, a French phycologist Dangeard published a report on the consumption of dihé by the Kanembu people near Lake Chad (Dangeard, 1940). Dangeard also noted these same algae populated a number of lakes in the Rift Valley of East Africa, and was the main food for the flamingos living around those lakes.
Twenty-five years later during 1964-65, a botanist on a Belgian Trans-Saharan expedition, Jean Léonard, reported finding a curious greenish, edible cakes being sold in native markets of Fort-Lamy (now N’Djamena) in Chad (Léonard, 1966). When locals said these cakes came from areas near Lake Chad, Léonard recognized the connection between the algal blooms and dried cakes sold in the market.
In 1967 spirulina was established as a “wonderful future food source” in the International Association of Applied Microbiology (Sasson, 1997). Analysis of the nutritional properties of spirulina showed first and foremost an exceptionally high protein content, of the order of 60–70 percent of its dry weight; it also showed the excellent quality of its proteins (balanced essential amino acid content). This first data was enough to launch many research projects for industrial purposes in the 1970s, because micro-organisms (yeast, chlorella, spirulina, some bacteria and moulds) seemed at that time to be the most direct route to inexpensive proteins – the iconic “single cell proteins”.
At the same time when Léonard rediscovered spirulina in Africa, a request was received from a company named Sosa-Texcoco Ltd by the “Institut français du pétrole” to study a bloom of algae occurring in the evaporation ponds of their sodium bicarbonate production facility in a lake near Mexico City. As a result, the first systematic and detailed study of the growth requirements and physiology of spirulina was performed. This study, which was a part of Ph.D. thesis by Zarrouk (1966), was the basis for establishing the first large-scale production plant of spirulina (Sasson, 1997).
While finally no micro-organism fulfilled its promise of cheap protein, spirulina continued to give rise to research and increasing production, reflecting its perceived nutritional assets (Falquet, 2000). Ref1.
Today, Spirulina is being produced in more than 22 countries and used in over 77 countries.
While finally no micro-organism fulfilled its promise of cheap protein, spirulina continued to give rise to research and increasing production, reflecting its perceived nutritional assets (Falquet, 2000).
Today there is a thriving Spirulina economy throughout the world, publishing its own Algae Industry Magazine with Spirulina and other algaes now being considered for use in:
high end cosmetics
Ref. 1 This information is excerpted from the World Food And Agriculture Organization's Review On Culture, Production And Use Of Spirulina As Food For Humans And Feeds For Domestic Animals And Fish
Habib, M.A.B.; Parvin, M.; Huntington, T.C.; Hasan, M.R.
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Circular. No. 1034. Rome, FAO. 2008. 33p.
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Shilpa stays away from faking friendships in the Bigg Boss House!
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UCF will be making its first trip to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, while Auburn will make its sixth appearance. UCF: The Knights were 0-12 two years ago and have gone 18-6 in the two seasons under coach Scott Frost. We have great players. "I've been out here since twelve, and a lot of people have been out here since twelve", said student Everton Wood, "it's really cool to see the school spirit and everything". (more...)
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SellerX raises $118M to buy up and grow Amazon marketplace businesses
As Amazon’s Marketplace continues to grow and mature, a new opportunity has emerged in the world of e-commerce for a new breed of startups to consolidate the most promising of the smaller businesses that sell via Amazon’s platform, and build out their own economies of scale within that ecosystem. In the latest development, SellerX — […]
As Amazon’s Marketplace continues to grow and mature, a new opportunity has emerged in the world of e-commerce for a new breed of startups to consolidate the most promising of the smaller businesses that sell via Amazon’s platform, and build out their own economies of scale within that ecosystem. In the latest development, SellerX — a new outfit in Berlin — has closed a round of $118 million (€100 million) that it plans to use to roll up smaller enterprises that use Fullfilment by Amazon for payments, logistics and delivery for their products.
The round is being co-led by Cherry Ventures, Felix Capital and TriplePoint Capital, with participation also from Village Global, with Zalando co-founder David Schneider, Shutterfly CEO and former Amazon UK CEO Chris North, and the founders of KW Commerce, a big Amazon seller out of Germany (selling mobile phone accessories and home goods), also participating.
Notably, this $118 million is a seed round for the company, the first real money that it has raised to date, and it comes in the form of some equity, but mostly debt, which SellerX will use for acquisitions to play out its strategy, in the words of Malte Horeyseck (who co-founded the startup with Philipp Triebel) to become “the digital Procter & Gamble.”
SellerX’s focus will be “evergreen consumer goods,” said Triebel, in areas like household, pets, garden supplies, goods for kids and beauty. It has made one acquisition to date; and although it declined to disclose to me what it is, Horeyseck said that it, combined possibly with other acquisitions it will make in the coming weeks, will give SellerX a revenue run rate of €20 million by the end of this year.
The horse has well and truly bolted in the world of Amazon marketplace roll-ups: the last several months have seen a number of startups raise large rounds of funding, with sizable proportions of the sums in debt, in order to go out and consolidate the most interesting smaller companies that are selling and getting their orders fulfilled by Amazon.
Just yesterday, another player in this space based out of the U.S. called Heyday announced a round of $175 million. Earlier this week, London-based Heroes announced a $65 million round. Perch raised $123 million last month. Thrasio, another big player in this area, was valued at $1.25 billion in its own debt round earlier this year.
The opportunity is a clear one: the Amazon marketplace has quickly become a major player in the world of e-commerce — a position that has become even more apparent this year, during the Covid-19 global health pandemic, which has led to many people turning away from in-person shopping either out of choice or requirement (in the UK, for example, all ‘non-essential shops’ are currently closed for in-person shopping). In the last quarter the company, which reported revenues of $98 billion, saw product sales of $52 billion, with estimates putting the number of marketplace sellers at just over 50% of that figure. By some accounts Amazon is already responsible for 50% of all online retail, Felix founder and investor Frederic Court noted.
“It is the new high street,” he said in an interview.
At the same time, we’ve seen a flourishing of the concept of “D2C” where companies are bypassing traditional retailers and building their own brands for selling their own unique products on their own terms. Amazon has played a big part in that. Just as a writer can now self-publish on Amazon and bypass getting book deals, you can list your products on Amazon and theoretically get access to a huge audience of shoppers without having to pitch your goods to a buyer who may or may not do your bidding.
On the other side, however, you have huge fragmentation on the platform. As Amazon gets more popular, it makes it harder than ever for individual sellers to get themselves seen, or to differentiate themselves once they are found.
There is also a ton of junk sold on Amazon — there is a whole industry of those who buy off wholesale sites and resell on Amazon, which is one reason why so many merchants seem to sell identical anonymous products.
For the unassuming shopper, it’s nearly impossible to separate the wheat from the chaff — not least also because of the ongoing problems that Amazon has had with the integrity of its review system, and the selling of iffy products (it has worked hard to try to fight all of this, but it still remains an issue).
This makes for a challenging landscape on Amazon, which sometimes feels more held together by its Prime delivery promises and the fact that you can still usually find something to fill your needs not because the goods are great, but because of the sheer size of it being an everything store.
Horeyseck said that the idea behind SellerX (and its many competitors, hopefully) is not to find the most successful companies of all, regardless of how they get there. Rather, its mission is to build a thriving business by focusing on the more interesting sellers that are doing well legitimately and using the Amazon framework to do it, but might lack the capital, expertise or appetite to stick with their enterprises longer term. The idea is to pick these up and apply SellerX’s own analytics and processes, and production relationships that it is building, to pick up these saplings and grow them into trees.
Horeyseck believes that this ultimately can be a win-win on all sides, for SellerX, the smaller merchant, and Amazon itself.
“I think basically everything we are doing will help Amazon have a better quality marketplace,” he said. “This is about creating strong D2C brands, where you get quality every time. Amazon needs that in its marketplace right now.”
Filip Dames, founding partner of Cherry Ventures, said in a statement, “The diverse seller landscape on Amazon provides a unique opportunity to acquire some category-winning, highly profitable products, empower them through technology, and build them into the next-generation consumer brands. The founders Malte and Philipp combine decade-long e-commerce and buy-and-build expertise, which uniquely positions them to capture this opportunity.”
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Crying Wolf?
Column by Uri Avnery, posted on March 16, 2003
'Why do you think that Sharon may exploit the American attack on Iraq in order to carry out transfer in the occupied territories?' a journalist asked me, after we published a warning to this effect in his paper. 'Aren't you crying wolf?'
I could have given him the list of quotations from members of the present government, who openly advocate the mass expulsion of Palestinians. I could have cited rumors. I could have told him that a creeping transfer is going on all the time, by making the life of the inhabitants intolerable through wholesale destruction of homes, closure, curfew and starvation. But I preferred to tell him about some occurrences to which I was an eye-witness in the past.
It happened in 1967, after the Israeli army had conquered the West Bank . Immediately afterwards the writer Amos Kenan, who was a soldier serving in the Latrun area, came to me. He put on my desk a report about what he had seen with his own eyes. (I was at the time a Member of the Knesset and the editor of Haolam Hazeh newsmagazine.)
In the shocking report, Kenan described how the inhabitants of four villages in the Latrun area had been evicted from their homes. Men and women, children and old people, had been forced to walk, in the stifling heat of over 30 degrees Centigrade, towards Ramallah, a distance of 30 km. Immediately afterwards, the army had begun to destroy the houses.
I hastened there. The four villages ' Imwas, Yalu, Bet-Nuba and Dir-Ayub ' were already almost obliterated. I saw the bulldozers flattening the last houses. When I tried to take photos, the soldiers drove me away.
From there I went to the Knesset and begged senior officials to intervene. After they contacted whoever they contacted, they told me that it was too late. The demolition was finished.
Why these villages? Why in such a hurry? This area of the West Bank forms a bulge that dominates the old road from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem , which had been cut off in 1948. The government was convinced that the world would force Israel to give back all the territories it had occupied, as happened in the previous war, 1957. They thought that if the four villages were erased without leaving a trace, Israel would be able to keep this area, at least.
No pressure on Israel materialized, of course, and Israel was left in possession of all the occupied territories until now. The refugees still linger in the camps of Ramallah. On their land the ' Canada Park ' was created, to the greater glory of that humanist and liberal country, which accepted the honor gratefully.
While the tractors worked in the Latrun area, something similar happened in Kalkilya. After the town was conquered, the army started to systematically dynamite a central neighborhood. The inhabitants were expelled and forced to walk to Nablus , some 25 km away. There they were lying around in public parks.
I received the information at an early stage. I drove there in order to make sure that it was true, and proceeded to the Knesset. I buttonholed several ministers, including Menahem Begin, who had just been appointed minister without portfolio, and Israel Barzilai, the Mapam minister of health. I found some officials who could transmit the information directly to the Prime Minister, Levy Eshkol.
I don't know whether this helped. But the demolition stopped suddenly. The inhabitants were allowed to go home and the neighborhood rebuilt.
Why Kalkilya? Because of all the West Bank towns, it was the closest to Tel-Aviv. From a hill near the town, Jordanian field artillery had shelled the Tel-Aviv metropolitan area. Moshe Dayan, then Minister of Defense, wanted to 'straighten' the border.
Years later I heard that at the same time, in neighboring Tulkarm transfer had begun, too. Ra'anan Lurie, the renowned cartoonist, who at the time was an army officer, was present when the order was received to expel the inhabitants to Jordan . Far from being a leftist, he refused the order, which he considered manifestly illegal. In spite of that, buses were brought in and inhabitants were forced to mount. They were brought straight to the Jordan bridge and driven across. Lurie testified to this later on.
But by far the biggest expulsion in that war took place in Aqabat-Jabr and the other giant camps of the 1948 refugees near Jericho , the largest in the Middle East . They were completely emptied, to the last man and woman, and all the inhabitants expelled to nearby Jordan . In those camps were at least a hundred thousand refugees. When I visited them immediately after the war, they were ghost towns.
After the war, some of these refugees tried to sneak back by crossing the Jordan River by night. One day a soldier came to my office in an obvious state of shock and told me that all these refugees, when caught, were shot on the spot.
I asked him to sign an affidavit and sent it to the Chief-of-Staff, Yitzhaq Rabin. His aid answered in writing that the C-of-S has read the document. A day or two later, the slaughter stopped.
I had another devastating experience. After the visit of the refugee camps, I drove back on the steep road leading from Jericho to Jerusalem . In the sizzling heat of the Jordan Valley , approaching 40 degrees Centigrade, hundreds of dusty people dragged themselves along the road towards to Jerusalem . They had been induced to flee from Jerusalem and Bethlehem to Jordan by threats and rumors about atrocities, but before crossing into Jordan had been allowed to go back. Among them were women carrying on their heads heavy loads of clothes, blankets and utensils and dragging little children and old people walking with the help of sticks. Most of them were faint with fatigue and thirst. We did the little we could to bring them water. It was terrible.
According to various estimates, between 100,000 and 260,000 Palestinians were expelled in this 'little Nakba.' In Oslo it was agreed that a joint Israel-Palestinian-Egyptian-Jordanian committee would find ways to bring them back. It was never convened.
General Matti Peled once told me that before that war, when he was commander of the Jerusalem area, he one day encountered on his staff two officers who were unfamiliar to him. When he interrogated them, they disclosed that they belonged to a secret unit that was preparing mass expulsion for some future opportunity. Peled, of course, sent them packing.
In the 1957 war, no transfer was carried out, because the war was against Egypt only. During the 1973 war, no one had time to think about it. In Lebanon , Israel had no plans for annexation.
In no previous war did Israel have a government, whose ministers openly debated mass transfer. When a 'separation fence' is being built that leaves several Palestinian villages isolated between it and Israel proper, Palestinians, of course, fear that they will be evicted. They also fear that adjacent towns and villages to the east of the wall will be emptied.
Can I tell them that their fears are unfounded?
Columns on STR: 123
Uri Avnery is a peace activist.
Airport Conversation
Functional Rights: The Elephant in the Parlor, Part II
Objectivist Resistance to Anarchy: A Problem of Concept Formation?
The Most Horrible Dream I've Ever Had...Over and Over and Over
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MACHINETSS EXCLUSIVE
TSS EXCLUSIVE – Casting Ballots: What can the past tell us about the future of voting?
by Karma Lei Angelo
The Voter
Evelyn stood in the voting line with the other citizens, waiting for it to slowly move forward. This was her first eligible election–and the nation’s first as a federal holiday, giving all residents the day off to head to the polls. Two older men ahead of her were discussing the candidates. She couldn’t help but eavesdrop when the conversation turned to ballots.
“And I heard they brought back the punch cards,” one said. “How do they really think that’s a good idea, with the hanging chads and all?”
The other man shrugged. “Well, isn’t it better than having those servers hacked again like the last election?”
“Meh, true. Can’t trust anything hooked up to computers these days.” The line inched forward. “But, still. Punch cards are no better. How many of the ballots get thrown out because they don’t work right?”
“And how many absentee ballots have been found in the trash or mailed to a dead person? Good thing the new system has done away with those,” the other argued. “At the end of the day, how many ballots really count? How many voters lose their voice?”
But how many voters lose their voice? How can the government make sure every vote counts? What will happen to mine? Her anxiety increased. Her stomach jumped into her chest. Why am I so nervous? They fixed the problems. The new system is supposed to be foolproof. No one even knows what to expect this year.
The official checked her identification and confirmed her registration. “Each office and position is listed on the machine. Colored chips are provided for each individual candidate. Use the appropriate chip to cast your vote. If you cannot see the colors due to monochromia or other eye disorders, the names of each candidate have also been placed on the chips. Once you are done casting your vote, a buzzer will sound indicating the chip has been logged. Do you have any questions?” Evelyn shook her head. “You are required to enter the booth now.”
She stepped in and shut the curtain behind her, staring at the table in front of her. Poker-like chips stood stacked across the table. Each a solid color, each with names etched inside. Each felt like it weighed the same. She looked at the slots in front of her and slid one of the chips in. It clinked and rattled as it landed somewhere below the table, locked away in a secured ballot box.
With all the technological advancements her country had seen in recent decades–and all the security precautions provided to ensure integrity of the new voting system–she wondered if such an antiquated method would work. And she still wondered if her voice would be heard.
The History of the Ballot
Why might a sophisticated and advanced society, such as this one, want to go back to a ballot-counting method, equitable to casting stones, millenia behind them? To understand this casting method, it’s important to understand a brief history of voting and how the process has changed over time.
Thousands of years ago, humans voted using the items they had around them at the time: sticks, shells, pieces of pottery, bone, and even stones. Stones, or ballotta, were a reliable method for centuries–hence the evolution of the word ballot. Paper ballots began to be used in the United States as early as the 17th Century; however, the young nation used viva voce, or “voice vote”, up until the early 19th Century. Mechanical lever machines began creeping into the picture in the 1890s and were a staple method for several decades. Punch-cards, computers, scanners, and direct-recording electronic (DRE) machines have since become popular.
Punch-cards were originally patented in 1889 and were used to compile data for the United States Census. It became a popular voting method for several decades after being introduced to voters in the 1960s. The punch-card device was a clipboard-sized handheld instrument. A voter would use a stylus to punch holes through a paper card that was then sent to a mechanical card counting machine at a centralized facility. However, the reliability of this system was markably questioned during the United States’ 2000 election when the presidential election came down to one state: Florida.
The candidates, Republican nominee George W. Bush and Democratic nominee Vice President Al Gore, were locked in a battle over a few hundred ballots in the state. Some news stations were calling Gore the winner in the swing state, thus fueling the idea Gore was now the projected winner for the presidency. But later that evening, reports came in that this was false and Bush had won. Lawyers were called in for both sides and a 5-week war over the voting process began. The “hanging chads” (only a portion of the perforated punch card had detached) and “dimpled chads” (the punch card area was dented instead of being removed) controversy–along with decisions from the courts going back and forth with each party–balloted its way to the US Supreme Court where Bush was finally given the ruling in his favor. Bush took the state by a 537 vote margin, winning the final electoral votes and the presidency.
After the 2000 controversy, the punch-card system faded from favorability and led to the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. The act provided sweeping reforms to the voter process and improvements to the voting systems out there. Slowly, lever machines and punch-cards were replaced with DREs and optical scanners. See Figure 2: Voting technology usage over time in the U.S., from MIT’s Election Data + Science Lab below:
DRE voting systems started to become popular in 2004. They were easy-to-use touch-screen terminals which recorded votes. Votes were stored on memory devices or compact discs and transported to computers at a centralized location to be tabulated–much in the same way that paper-based ballots were done. In 2004, 28.9% of registered voters used some type of DRE system, up from 7.7% in 1996.
And optical-scan ballots became extremely popular. Nearly two-thirds of all registered voters now use optical-scanning methods as their standard voting system. Voters can fill in bubbles, complete arrows, or make machine-readable marks on paper ballots. The ballots are placed in a secured box and scanned as it is deposited. Votes are counted by running a procedure or program on the precinct scanner and then providing the totals.
However, new voting solutions also created newer voting problems.
The Modern Voice
Providing reliable voting systems and ensuring stable, secure results has proven to be harder than imagined. It’s a modern ballet of tiptoeing around the best method as hackers and fraudulent-minded individuals dance around flaws in the system.
Researchers began to question the reliability on paperless voting systems. Among them, David L. Dill, Ph.D., who called for “a voter-verifiable audit trail on all voting equipment”. He founded the Verified Voting Foundation (www.VerifiedVoting.org) to work on voting technology policy issues. According to their website, “voting systems and election infrastructure are vulnerable at multiple points and we must take steps to harden election technology of all kinds–not just voting machines–against tampering and failures.”
Among some of the issues with digital and electronic voting systems: lack of tangibility, no transparency, little standardization and testing, lack of quality control, and rampant voter fraud.
The lack of physical evidence of a vote was concerning. Dill and Verified Voting Foundation pushed for Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) for DREs. These pieces of paper looked like cash register receipts and documented if the computerized voting terminal worked properly, counting the vote. As of the 2016 elections, only one-third of DREs used VVPATs or had any auditing capabilities.
Lack of transparency is a problem, as recent as this year. Computer scientists do not have access to current electronic voting source codes and cannot determine if a program is functioning without errors. In the early months of 2020, a malfunctioning smartphone app crippled the Iowa caucus. While it was designed for more transparency into elections and tallies, dozens of Democratic precinct leaders and officials across the state could not download or log into the app to tabulate the results. The chaos brought concerns of election technology to the forefront.
There is a lack of standards, testing, and certification of current systems. Federal and/or state standards, which are typically several years old, have not caught up with the technology. Voting machine certification requirements vary quite a bit from state to state. The certification tests are typically done by vendors or an independent lab. This can be very costly and time consuming, in addition to misleading. While the hardware of a system can be verified, the software can still be hacked or software upgrades can be left up to the vendor, not covering necessary security precautions. In the aftermath of the Iowa caucus chaos, a technology company called Shadow was at the bottom of the app failure. The software went mostly untested and the Democratic officials have kept mute about how the app had been vetted and approved.
And software bugs in some voting machines have been known to alter or delete votes. For example, Texas voters in 2018 noticed that some DREs switched their vote from one candidate to another of a different political party. Computer sciences said it was a software error on the part of the voting machine, but election officials blamed voters, not the machines, for inadvertently touching the screens in the wrong place or while the system was still bringing the ballot on screen.
Perhaps even more disheartening and concerns is the problem of voter fraud, especially claims for the 2020 election. Voting technology is still subject to cyber attacks, being manipulated, and malfunctioning. At a DEFCON hacker conference in August 2019, attendees were given access to more than 100 voting machines. They were able to identify security issues and vulnerabilities in every single voting machine tested. Attendees were able to alter election totals, change the ballots, or control the software that controlled the machines. In addition, other studies and reports have concluded the same thing: voting technologies have “significant vulnerabilities that could be exploited”.
The Silent Absentee
And what about absentee, or mail-in, ballots? These first became widespread during the Civil War as President Abraham Lincoln stated, “We cannot have free government without elections, and if the rebellion could force us to forgo, or postpone a national election, it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us.” Traditionally, these absentee votes were to help soldiers abroad have their voices heard. Now, and especially because of the pandemic, lawmakers are rethinking the remote voting process. In the 2020 election year, 34 states are allowing registered voters to cite COVID-19 as their reason to vote absentee.
However, according to the MIT Election Data & Science Lab, vote by mail (VBM) voter fraud, while extremely rare, appears to be more frequent than in-person voting. Voters in some states have mailed incorrect absentee ballots. Other states, such as Michigan, do not have the staff or machines necessary to process the sheer amount of ballots that come in. VBM ballots have also been found in a ditch in Wisconsin as well as discarded in Pennsylvania.
Would voter fraud be minimized by doing away with VBM ballots altogether? Perhaps not. VBM is not only more convenient for citizens, but it potentially provides more safeguards for voters. Consider the COVID-19 pandemic, for example. More than double the absentee ballots have been cast in 37 states in 2020 compared to the previous presidential election. VBM has already allowed millions of voters to be heard.
Even if VBM continues to gain in popularity, what about voting, in general? Will there ever be a technology at the polls that could guarantee complete accuracy that each vote counts and each voter’s voice is heard?
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has helped local, state, and federal officials with voting technology and security, and they have concluded that paper ballots–by either hand or machine–are the most effective method for casting votes because “the evidence tells us that no technology yet guarantees the security and secrecy of Internet voting.” Who’s to say that a more archaic method than paper–such as using shells, stones, or poker chips–is an even more secure way of counting a legitimate vote? Perhaps the future of voting relies more on non-futuristic technologies.
Perhaps the best voting method is behind humanity, instead of in front of it.
Activists Turn Facial Recognition Tools Against the Police
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I am so shocked and disgusted with the Democrats and the American people that I am speechless. (Obviously since I've posted only once this month.) I've been trying to decide who is to blame and I've decided that the American education system, the NEA and most teachers in the US are to blame. They have been so interested in their so-called "low pay status" that they have neglected to teach children the necessity to doubt the American press and the necessity to research important issues for themselves. They have also neglected to teach students that the opinions they hold in youth will not necessarily be theirs as they age. Most important they haven't taught American students to think for themselves.
If they had, we wouldn't be confronted with an electorate that is so easily swayed by political lies. Voters would look, for example, at the events leading up to the war in Iraq and turn a deaf ear to Democrats who twist the truth.
They would look at statements made by court nominees and ask what they think now. Most important, they would object loudly and clearly to being taken for the dunces that Democrats, some Republicans and the Mainstream Media obviously take them for.
I have been angry. Very angry. So angry I can't write.
Posted by Unknown at 3:35 PM 3 comments:
The Poll at ABC News
It's time we refused to accept publication of a poll without simultaneous publication of how many were polled, their location and, in political polls, their political affiliation. We should also be told exactly what questions were asked. Only when we have at least that much knowledge can we determine the authenticity -- and authority -- of the results.
Wednesday night ABC Nightly News headlined a poll they claim says the American people no longer trust President Bush. The media has been telling us not to trust him in one way or another since he was elected, but tonight ABC decided to "authenticate" that conclusion with a "scientific poll." What they neglected to say is they polled 934 people. And 24% of the people polled were Republicans, 76% were Democrats. No independents. They neglected to say where those people lived, how old they are and just what questions were asked.
I guess all of us have participated in polls where the pollster asked a question and if they didn't get the answer they wanted, they immediately terminated the poll. I've had that happen both on telephone inquiries and when participating in online polls. I've also been asked qualifying questions at the beginning such as "Do you support freedom of choice?"
Let's hold the mainstream media's "feet to the fire" when they issue these polls.
Out of Iraq? Not If We Want A Free America
In 1970 the American military was whipping the bejeebers out of North Vietnam. Battle after battle was won by US troops. But that wasn't the way the war was portrayed by the media to the nation. Progressive/socialists led anti-war protests and people like John Kerry falsely accused the troops of horrible war crimes. And then Congress got into the act.
The United States didn't lose the Viet Nam war. They pulled out because Congress refused to fund it.
So here we go again.
The Democrats (Progressives/Socialists) are threatening to vote against funding the Iraq war. Socialists like Jonathan Schell, writing for The Nation, say "The strongest argument for staying in Iraq is that the United States, having taken over the country, owes its people a better future. But acknowledgment of such a responsibility is only the beginning, not the end, of an argument.
"To meet a responsibility to someone, you must have something on offer that they want. Certainly, the people of Iraq want electricity, running water and other material assistance. The United States should supply it. Perhaps--it's hard to find out--they also want democracy. But democracy cannot be shipped to Iraq on a tanker or a C-5A. It is a homegrown construct, which must flow from the will of the people involved. The expression of that will is, in fact, what democracy is.
But today the United States seeks to impose a government on Iraq in the teeth of an increasingly powerful popular opposition." That is one of the most irresponsible statements ever published in American journalism.
Schell is ignoring a rather important fact, and that is that the Iraqi people went to the polls in droves in spite of the threat of death and mayhem to vote for that government. It's hardly accurate, also, to say the government is imposed by the US when it is being fabricated by Iraqi leaders of the various religious factions in the country. The Iraqi people voted in numbers far exceeding the usual turnout in US elections. And when they stood in those lines, they had no idea whether a truck would pull up beside them and explode. Would YOU go to the polls under those circumstances?
One of Schell's big complaints is the usual one about getting into the war in the first place. He (and those who scream loudest about our invading Iraq) has not read the Butler Report -- the review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. Schell has also forgotten the history of Hussein's defiance of UN sanctions for the decade leading up to the war. Most of all, he refuses to acknowledge that there were connections firmly established linking Hussein to Al Quaida.
Progressives believe -- and operate on the belief -- that Goebbels was right when he said that if you tell a lie often enough, people will believe it. So now we face a growing cacaphony of anti-war protests. From a mother who dishonors the memory of a son who chose to fight and die for his country to Sen. Diane Feinstein, who calls for troops to begin to leave next month, the irresponsible and the feckless are doing all they can to make Iraq as much like Viet Nam as they can.
There's no similarity between the two. The South Vietnamese never had a chance for a free vote. When the Americans left, the North Vietnamese came in and slaughtered them. To this day they know only dictatorship and fear.
My Pentagon sources tell me that Rumsfeld is as poor a Secretary of Defense as we have ever had. He is worse than McNamara. His ego is far too large to allow him to listen to and take the advice he needs. He has done a truly lousy job as Secretary of Defense and should be ousted as fast as possible. When the fog has cleared, history will show him for what he is and has been: The worst possible.
Still our troops are safer in Bagdad than they are on the nation's highways. They are the best trained and, for the most part, the most loyal troops in the nation's history. They believe in their mission -- as my grandson said, "We are not killers. We are nation builders."
America is the only nation in history that rebuilds the nations it defeats in war. Germany, Japan, Italy are all examples of prosperous countries that we helped to rebuild after we had to defeat them. They govern themselves with free elections and without our "help." Socialist/Progressives who sneer at "American Colonialism" simply perpetuate another lie.
The United States was right to invade Iraq. We should be thankful that the Iraqi people are willing to die for their freedom and that we have raised young men and women who are willing to sacrifice so that another nation has a chance at what we have.
Schell writes: "Hachim Hassani, a representative of the Iraqi Islamic Party, a leading Sunni Muslim group represented on the so-called Governing Council, might have been answering him when he commented to the Los Angeles Times, 'The Iraqi people now equate democracy with bloodshed.'
Under these circumstances, staying the course cannot benefit Iraq. On the contrary, each additional day that American troops continue to fight in Iraq can only compound the eventual price of the original mistake--costing more lives, American and Iraqi, disorganizing and pulverizing the society, and reducing, not fostering, any chances for a better future for the country." And he is dead wrong. We must stay not only to benefit the Iraqis but to plant a free society in the midst of Islam. If Iraq reverts to another dictatorship the terrorists regain their training camps and America loses far more than a war.
We must NOT allow Congress to cut the necessary funding to get the job done, and done right.
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POLICIES & PLANS |
A key component of creating a better tomorrow comes from establishing sound policies to guide decision-making today. The following represent a selection of key policies pertinent to sustainability at Auburn University.
Adopted in 2011, Auburn University’s Sustainability Policy affirms the university’s commitment to sustainability as a core value and guiding principle for its operations, instruction, research, and outreach. It also outlines key sustainability goals, and commits to using a tracking and assessment system to measure progress.
Tree Preservation Policy
First adopted in 1990, and reaffirmed in 2009, the Tree Preservation Policy acknowledges the ecological, cultural, and aesthetic value of trees to our campus community. The policy established a Tree Preservation Committee, generated a tree inventory, lays out the circumstances under which a tree may be removed, and the process of approving a tree’s removal. The Policy encourages tree replacement.
Revised in 2014, the Equal Employment Opportunity Policy asserts the university’s commitment to employment practices that do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex [including sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression], age, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, and/or genetic information. While everyone helps to ensure an equal opportunity workplace, the Office of Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity monitors performance in relation to this policy.
Speech & Demonstration Policy
Updated in 2012, the Speech and Demonstration Policy supports the right of students, employees, and visitors to speak in public and to demonstrate for or against actions and opinions. The policy establishes the steps of Ralph Brown Draughton Library as an Open Air Forum available for speech and demonstration activities, given the individual/group obtains a proper permit from Student Center Operations’ office.
Faculty & Staff Communications with Elected Officials Policy
Per the 2012 Policy on Faculty and Staff Communication with State and Elected Federal Officials, Faculty and Staff of the university must follow detailed guidelines pertaining to contact with certain state and federal officials. This policy helps ensure compliance with legal requirements, enhance effectiveness of communications, and facilitate coordination.
Traffic & Parking Policies
The Traffic and Parking Regulations outline the policies, rules, and penalties associated with the use of motor vehicles, skateboards, and bicycles on Auburn’s campus.
Smoke-Free Campus Policy
Recognizing the significant health and economic impacts of smoking and the threat second-hand smoke poses for the entire campus community, in August 2013, Auburn adopted a Smoke-Free Campus Policy, which bans the use of smokable products on campus property by students, faculty, staff, consultants, contractors, and visitors.
Drug Free Campus & Workplace Policy
Originally adopted in 1990, the Drug Free Campus and Workplace Policy promotes a safe and efficient educational and work environment by prohibiting the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensation, possession, or use of illicit drugs or alcohol by students or employees at any time on any university property or at any university activity. The policy also creates protocols surrounding a violation of the policy, and establishes the Advisory Committee for a Drug-Free Campus and Workplace.
Health & Safety Considerations Policy
The Health and Safety Considerations Policy provides implementation guidance to ensure a safe and healthful environment for faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
While policies guide decision-making, leaders still need to formulate plans in order to fully implement the policies. The following plans demonstrate Auburn’s commitment to utilizing sustainability as key operating principle for the university.
Auburn University Strategic Plan
The university’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan guides the day-to-day operations of all campus units. Various themes of sustainability can be found throughout the plan, but explicitly appear in Goal 6: Operational Excellence, which states that “where cost-effective and practicable, policies, practices, and procedures will incorporate the principles of sustainability.
The Comprehensive Campus Master Plan guides the development of campus lands and facility assets through alignment with the university’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities. While clearly integrated throughout the plan, sustainability plays an increasingly prominent role in helping to shape the future of campus through its inclusion as a core value and key chapter within the master plan (Executive Summary p. 26 and Chapter 13 p. 203).
As a member of the Climate Leadership Network and a signatory of the Carbon Commitment, Auburn University dedicates itself to the pursuit of climate neutrality. To help guide the university toward this lofty goal, over 150 stakeholders from across campus worked together in 2010 to create Auburn University’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) to move Auburn toward climate neutrality by 2050. Much like the Campus Master Plan, the CAP is considered a living document, having been refined in 2019, and will continue to be revisited and revised as the campus moves further toward our goals.
Energy Reduction Plan
The Utilities and Energy department within Facilities Management works aggressively to control utility consumption, and consequently intensity, within campus facilities. In an effort to strategically address these issues, they have worked with multiple campus stakeholders to develop and implement the university’s Energy Reduction Plan. This plan establishes both short and long term goals for electricity, gas, and water, and identifies specific strategies, objectives, and timelines.
Academic Sustainability Plans: Curriculum and Research
The University 2016-2018 academic plans for curriculum and research were prepared by Academic Sustainability Programs during Fall 2015 for submission to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System evaluation through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. These plans include specific objectives and deliverables in the areas of both research and teaching, to be pursued during 2016 – 2018 at Auburn University. Feedback is welcome from the campus community on both planning documents, as the Academic Sustainability Program works to implement the objectives. Direct comments to Sarah Hamilton at srh0028@auburn.edu, or by calling 334.844.4360.
Landscape Master Plan
Auburn University is in the process of developing a Landscape Master Plan. This plan will guide the development, implementation, and management of the university’s landscapes through a holistic approach based on ecology, to foster the development of an integrated, thriving open space system for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
Parkerson Mill Creek Watershed Management Plan
Parkerson Mill Creek runs through the heart of Auburn’s main campus, and unfortunately faces challenges in terms of water quality and overall stream degradation. Recognizing the role the university can play in efforts to improve this creek’s health, the university gathered numerous stakeholders from the university, City of Auburn, and State of Alabama to develop the Parkerson Mill Creek Watershed Management Plan. The plan outlines the current conditions of the creek, challenges to its health, and alternative management practices that, once implemented, will lead to improvements in the creek’s quality.
As a large landholder, Auburn University recognizes its responsibility to help improve water quality in Alabama. To improve the quality and availability of water in our community, the university has developed and adopted a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP). This SWMP outlines six overarching categories of best management practices, along with implementation goals, for controlling the volume and improving the quality of stormwater runoff on campus.
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New York-Area UNFI Drivers Win First Teamsters Contract
Drivers at Natural Foods Distribution Company Gain OT Pay Guarantees, Job Protections
MONTGOMERY, N.Y. – Drivers who deliver groceries for United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNFI) in Montgomery ratified their first-ever Teamster contract this weekend. The contract guarantees overtime pay after 40 hours worked in a week, yearly pay raises, protections against unfair discipline, among many other improvements demanded by the drivers.
“The overtime pay was the big thing for us,” said John Cruz, a three-year UNFI driver. “We work long hours and deserve to be paid extra for the time we miss with our families. We hope UNFI institutes overtime pay for all drivers — but without a contract, management can still play games. UNFI drivers and warehouse workers are realizing the best way to protect themselves is to organize with the Teamsters, and we’re building our power across America right now!”
The Montgomery drivers voted to be represented by Teamsters Local 445 in July 2016. Throughout the past year, Local 445 led drivers in a campaign for a fair first contract. Drivers signed petitions, participated in contract negotiations and made direct demands on management.
“These drivers remained united and put in the work necessary to win overtime pay and all the protections that come with a union contract,” said Barry Russell, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 445 in Rock Tavern, N.Y.
Local 445 also engaged the community in a campaign to protect local working standards. When UNFI built its new distribution center in Montgomery, the company promised to create good jobs in exchange for $17.6 million in local and state tax subsidies. Members of the community want to make sure UNFI’s presence as an employer in the area works to protect, not undermine, local working standards that the community has fought for and won over generations.
The contract for UNFI drivers in New York will provide much-needed stability following Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced purchase of Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ:WFM), UNFI’s largest customer and strategic partner.
“A union contract with Teamster representation is the only way to protect yourself if you’re a UNFI employee, especially with the consolidation we’re seeing in the industry at the moment,” said Steve Vairma, Director of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Warehouse Division. “We’re seeing UNFI employees all over the country realize the value of being union and that’s why you’re seeing this wave of victories. When workers organize, follow the lead of their local union and engage the community, they can win some pretty amazing things as we’ve seen in the past few years at UNFI.”
The New York drivers’ victory comes in the wake of victories for workers at UNFI all over the country. In June, UNFI warehouse workers and drivers in the Seattle area ratified a new contract that included a pension for the first time. In May, warehouse workers in Southern California (Moreno Valley) voted to be represented by Teamsters Local 166. Drivers in Dayville, Conn. represented by Teamsters Local 493, and drivers in Moreno Valley, California represented by Teamsters Local 63, ratified new contracts within the last year and a half. UNFI Teamsters in Iowa (Local 238) and New Jersey (Local 810) are negotiating new contracts this year as well.
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Ian Book has Notre Dame in playoff with inspiration from Drew Brees
USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg previews the two upcoming College Football Playoff matchups and explains why Oklahoma was awarded the final spot.
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book runs the ball against Navy.(Photo: Jake Roth, USA TODAY Sports)
Notre Dame vs. Clemson, 4 p.m. Dec. 29, ESPN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – For Tom Rees, the template was obvious. The hard part was getting Ian Book to share his vision and recognize his own potential.
That’s why Rees, Notre Dame’s former starting quarterback (2010-13) and current quarterbacks coach, pulled the young backup aside during August training camp and sat him down for a heart to heart.
“I challenged him: ‘Hey, what’s holding you back?’ “ Rees said. “Before the season, I told him, ‘Tell me why you can’t be Drew Brees? You don’t miss. You’re athletic. Why can’t you be Drew Brees?’ “
Book, a redshirt sophomore from El Dorado Hills, Calif., about 30 minutes east of Sacramento, has miles to go to match the accomplishments of Brees, record-breaking passer and Super Bowl-winning leader of the New Orleans Saints.
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However, guiding the Fighting Irish to a 12-0 mark and their first spot in the College Football Playoff isn’t a bad opening chapter. Book, who replaced Brandon Wimbush as the starter in Week 4, hasn’t needed much editing as he gets set to face No. 2 Clemson on Dec. 29 in the Cotton Bowl.
Book missed the Florida State game in November after suffering bruised ribs and a kidney contusion against Northwestern, but he returned to lead the Irish to wins over Syracuse at Yankee Stadium and over Southern California at the Coliseum.
After completing 70.4 percent of his passes, fourth in the nation and two points higher than Jimmy Clausen’s school record from 2009, Book was voted 2018 MVP by his Irish teammates. He threw for at least 260 yards in all eight of his starts, eclipsed 300 yards in half of those and finished with 19 touchdown passes against six interceptions.
A slick operator of the run-pass option, Book also has 250 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Syracuse coach Dino Babers raved about Book’s mobility after a 36-3 loss on Nov. 17.
“Guys get very, very close to him and you think you’ve got him, and then he’s slippery like an eel,” Babers said. “He has the ability, kind of like a punt returner, to go up, to go back, to go in, to go out. Our big guys really had trouble tracking him down.”
And to think, it all began with that friendly intervention back in mid-August.
It helped that Book, listed at a shade over 6 feet and 203 pounds, had grown up watching the similarly undersized Brees and could identify with his game. Book also liked former California quarterback Aaron Rodgers and more recently has studied Baker Mayfield, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick of the Cleveland Browns.
“My point was Drew Brees is so good mentally,” Rees says. “That was where Ian needed to get better, what he could strive to become. I was like, ‘Listen, (Brees) is in charge, he protects the ball, he knows exactly what everyone is supposed to be doing. That’s who you need to become.’ “
Book got the message.
He started spending more and more of his free time at the Guglielmo Athletics Complex. He’d pop in for some additional film study between classes, duck in some more prep time with Rees and offensive coordinator Chip Long before practice, and then often stay late to squeeze in a few more passes to favorite target Miles Boykin, who made 54 catches for 803 yards and eight touchdowns — all team highs.
Boykin, who caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Book with 1:28 left to beat LSU 21-17 in the Citrus Bowl, has said the team knew Book was ready to step in, but the Irish didn’t know he was this ready.
“I’ve been extremely blessed and feel really fortunate to have (Rees) as my coach,” Book said. “He’s done a lot. I can’t even really give him enough credit for teaching me the X’s and O’s.”
Naturally accurate with his passes, going back to his time as a three-year starter at Oak Ridge High School, the three-star recruit initially committed to play for Mike Leach at Washington State. When Mike Sanford, who had recruited Book for Boise State, became offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, he invited Book to tour the famed campus in South Bend.
Here are the players to know for the 12-0 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Book was admittedly overwhelmed by the history of the football program, and the high-end academics sealed it for him. He called Leach with the bad news in August of 2015.
“I thought he was a quality player,” Leach said through a school spokesman. “I thought he would be a great fit at WSU. He was excited about his opportunity at Notre Dame, so he took it.”
Things worked out just fine for all parties. Gardner Minshew II became a folk hero in Pullman after transferring from East Carolina with a stopover at Alabama. Yet it is fascinating to ponder the numbers Book might have put up in the Cougars’ pass-happy system.
“He was always accurate, and that’s what really stood out,” Leach said. “He also had quick hands and quick feet, which really made him a very good quarterback.”
Long, who replaced Sanford in 2017, likes the way Book adjusts on the fly, especially at halftime. He cites Book’s “ability to rebound” as his most impressive quality.
“If he’s struggling at some point, he has the ability to fix it in-game, which is really rare,” Long said. “To really have success after that, I think, is one of his greatest attributes.”
Now if Book could just figure out what to call Rees, the backup to Everett Golson in 2012, the last time Notre Dame ran the table during the regular season. At 26, Rees is just six years older than Book.
Rees, whose father Bill is Notre Dame’s director of scouting, threw for 3,257 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior in 2013. The younger Rees will have the quarterbacks over to his house for pizza and game-watching parties.
“He’s Coach Rees in the (quarterbacks) room,” Book said. “I think I still call him ‘coach’ outside. I call him Tommy sometimes. It’s a little weird. He’s a good friend of mine. He’s probably OK with Tommy, maybe outside the building.”
If Book keeps winning, Rees probably won’t care how his protégé addresses him.
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Washington head coach not happy with Notre Dame
The Biggest What-Ifs of the 2018 College Football Season | Bleacher Report
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Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church
#TryTrinity
Hours of Operation: Mon - Fri 8:00am - 8:00pm
Virtual Bible Study
Virtual Prayers
The Reverend Conitras M. Houston
A true woman of God, the Reverend Conitras M. Houston strives for excellence in ministry through the Word of God, the Work of God, and the Will of God. She sincerely loves God and God’s people; therefore, she professes boldly the words of 1 Corinthians 2:9 “…no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him”!
Pastor “C” as she is affectionately called, is the daughter of Bonita Houston and Harold Houston, Jr. and is the proud beloved sister of Harold III and Brian.
In May of 2002, Pastor “C” accepted the call into the ministry and was subsequently admitted for training under the African Methodist Episcopal Church’s Board of Examiners. She delivered her initial sermon and was licensed to preach in December of 2002. Bishop William P. DeVeaux ordained Pastor “C” as an Itinerant Deacon in May of 2005 and an Itinerant Elder in May of 2008, both at the Atlanta North Georgia Annual Conference.
Just shy of her ordination as an Itinerant Deacon, Pastor “C” graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interpersonal & Organizational Communications with a minor in Spanish. While a student at UNC, Pastor “C” constantly pursued excellence in ministry and academia. To pursue her fluency in Spanish, she studied in Seville, Spain throughout the summer of 2004.
With all of her many campus obligations, Pastor “C” never took her focus off the work God has called her to do. In September of 2003, God gave Pastor “C” the vision to start a Bible Study based ministry, which she named “Saturdays In Christ.” "Saturdays In Christ" was an officially recognized campus organization on the campus of UNC- Chapel Hill with “Expansions” that included a Mime & Dance Ministry, a Spoken Word Ministry, as well as a Praise & Worship Team.
When Pastor “C,” returned to Atlanta, GA in 2005, she quickly expanded her work of “Saturdays In Christ” into an annual performing arts conference known as “Spirit Movers for Christ”. It is through “Spirit Movers for Christ” that Pastor “C” shared her passion for mime, dance, and drama with over 100 children over the course of five days and concluded the intense week with a gospel stage production. Pastor “C” now hosts “Spirit Movers for Christ” in three different cities within the state of Georgia. In 2014, she and the Spirit Movers team were invited to expand their reach to the state of Arizona. Pastor “C” believes that music opens the hearts of young people and inspires them to be who they are truly created to be—Spirit Movers for Christ is one of the vessels God has equipped her to use to impact our world.
In February 2007, Pastor “C” was the youngest among only twelve recipients of Delta Sigma Theta’s Pinnacle Leadership Award. This prestigious award is presented by their Fortitude Educational and Cultural Development Foundation to honor, recognize, and celebrate local African-American women who make contributions to society and impact the lives of others—women who have achieved success in a chosen field and who personify the highest standards of service, leadership, and character. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
In May of 2008, Pastor “C” completed her studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology earning a Master of Divinity Degree. During her time at Candler, Pastor “C” continued to strive towards excellence by being among only six students to be admitted into the Master of Divinity Thesis Program. She was also afforded the honor of preaching in one of the Fall 2007 Chapel services with an audience of faculty, staff, and students from the entire Emory University community.
Pastor “C” also believes in being a vital resource to her surrounding community. For this reason, she introduced Gabriel’s House, Inc. to the community of Fairburn, GA in the Fall of 2008. Gabriel’s House serves as a youth center and preserving agent for the entire community—instilling values of self-worth through performing arts, life skills training, and academic enrichment.
Pastor “C” is grateful for the opportunities that she has been given to serve the Lord’s people. After humbly serving as the Youth Pastor and Assistant Pastor of St. John A.M.E. Church in Fairburn, GA for five years, Pastor “C” served as the Pastor of St. Luke A.M.E. Church in Athens, GA until April 2011. In May of 2012, she was appointed as the Senior Pastor of the Greater Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church in Columbus, GA. Under her leadership, Greater Ward Chapel has grown tremendously in membership, as well as ministry. The sanctuary and other areas of the facility were renovated debt-free, a community development center serving school-aged children was initiated, the surrounding community was served, and much more.
In October 2016, after faithfully serving over four years in Columbus, GA, Pastor “C” was appointed as the first female and 38th pastor of Trinity A.M.E Church in Atlanta, GA where she now serves as the Board Chair of a Quality-Rated Early Learning Center and a vibrant growing congregation. Already, the congregation is increasing in membership and ministry with Pastor “C” as an enthusiastic and spiritually grounded leader.
Pastor “C” is truly passionate about the work of God has sent her to do – not only at Trinity but also around the entire world. For this reason, Pastor “C” continues to travel preaching and teaching the Good News while mentoring and encouraging Christians of all ages within the United States and abroad.
Pastor “C” also serves as the Finance Chair of the Sixth Episcopal District (entire state of Georgia) of the A.M.E. Church and is a 2019 graduate of Leadership Georgia—the state’s oldest and most successful leadership organization.
Beyond all of the technical information, the Reverend Conitras M. Houston loves the Lord. Since childhood, she has always pursued a walk with Christ. Pastor “C” is known for the following quote: “Since God is a God of excellence, God’s children SHALL excel!”
The mission of Trinity A.M.E. Church is to love and lead all people to Christ through worship, teaching, and ministries that address all needs of the whole people of God.
604 Lynhurst Dr SW
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7th Infantry Honors Iraqi War Dead
Iraqi Police And Iraqi Army Given Memorial For Deceased Members
There have been a lot of sacrifices among both the coalition and the Iraqi Security Forces, and during the hard fought victories there have been war dead on all sides of the battlefield. The coalition helped the Iraqi Police put up a lighted memorial that honors their fallen war deceased personnel. The memorial was put up on May 9th.
Sheikhs in the Musayyib area and local leaders have been working to put together a memorial for the past several months to give honor to those who have fallen and given their lives to protect the Iraqi Nation.
The memorial has brought together people from both sides, both the Iraqi National Police, the Iraqi National Army, local citizens and leaders, and members of the Coalition all had a hand in building and constructing the local memorial site. This has helped to build even closer ties and helped force bonds of common understanding.
Are you interested in an exciting career in the Military? See if you qualify. Click Here Now!
“This was an awesome celebration and it brought together coalition forces and Iraqi forces in a positive and meaningful way,”: said Major Stephen Capehart.
Major Capehart is the Commander of 3rd Infantry, 4th BCT, and 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, and Company C. His soldiers have worked hard on this project in a variety of roles over the last several weeks. There were several hundred onlookers and members of the deceased families in attendance for the ceremony.
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Music Business Monthly
Where the Industry Comes To You tm
About Music Business Monthly ™ – where the industry comes to you™
TOP STORIES THIS WEEK 6/13: PETER NOONE, THE WHO, ROLLING STONES, SGT. PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
Back in the 1980s, around 1989 or so, we created Music Business Monthly. It was a paper edition that was published simultaneously with successful music seminars. Watch this site as we develop a new Music Business Monthly for 2017.
Editor and Publisher Joe Viglione June 11, 2017, 11:53 pm http://joeviglione.com
Our Blogspot information http://musicbusinessmonthly.blogspot.com/
MBM Prototype http://mbmprototype.blogspot.com/
The Joe Vig Top 40 http://www.joevigtop40.com
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Copyright (C)2017 Joe Viglione, All Rights Reserved
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on June 12, 2017 by musicbusiness.
Alice Cooper – Welcome to my Nightmare
From the Joe Vig Top 40 http://joevigtop40.com/
Welcome to My Nightmare Special Edition
Welcome to My Nightmare Special Edition DVD
Live in Wembley Stadium, September 11, 12 1975 concert film, cinema release
In Concert TV Special April 1975 with Vincent Price
Review by Joe Viglione
Copyright (C)2017 all rights reserved
Alice Cooper, when he re-emerged from the ashes of the Alice Cooper Group, backed by Lou Reed’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal band, was a major event.
How do you top the edgy excitement of the original Cooper five which probably felt as abandoned as Big Brother and the Holding Company once Janis Joplin left for the Kozmic Blues tour? The Cooper clan, like Big Brother, was a special unit, but Hunter/Wagner were their own touring equivalent of the famed Wrecking Crew, perhaps only equaled by Janis Joplin’s Pearl set of musicians, the Full Tilt Boogie Band. These were the musical equivalent of cosmic storms that come by once in a lifetime. Cooper had the right combination in mind for this tour, as exhibited on this DVD, it was simply that his change in direction for his fan base that was more of a jolt than Joplin fronting a kinda sorta clone of Blood, Sweat and Tears.
The Welcome to My Nightmare musicians – Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner – were a larger-than-life presence, and as potent as Keith Richards / Mick Taylor, making for the two best rock and roll guitar duos on the planet. And though the Kozmic Blues was to this critic’s ears an amazing transformation for Janis (yes, I’m a huge Big Brother fan too, for different musical reasons,) it was the songwriting on Welcome To My Nightmare that took itself too seriously and veered off from the specialized rock that was generated on the Love it to Death and Killer albums by Cooper, as easy a comparison to make as Jethro Tull’s Aqualung vs Ian Anderson’s concept, The Passion Play. Do you want to hear Passion Play or Aqualung? It’s as rhetorical a question as asking if you want to spin Love it to Death and/or Killer over Nightmare.
Alice Cooper gets an A for effort with both the cinema release of the Wembley Stadium shows and the television movie, but where Lou Reed revisited the Velvet Underground, the tried and true “new” band (as in Lou’s band -Hunter, Wagner, Glan and Prakash John replacing Peter Walsh) bringing the Killer album to life on the big screen would have been a sure-fire hit…and far more welcome for this writer/reviewer and millions of fans as well.
As a concept Welcome/Nightmare’s script was the actual misfire in 1975 and this supporter/advocate/disciple of both Cooper and Reed feels the same (semi disappointed) way today as when I first purchased the album and then saw the show at the Boston Garden April 24, 1975. But having the performances professionally recorded and preserved give that A for effort an A plus for posterity. “Only Women Bleed” shows what a gifted singer Alice is, the ability to play to a rock crowd with growls and screams, and middle of the road radio with a hybrid of Perry Como and Mick Jagger, competing with Kenny Rogers, Helen Reddy and the Bee Gees on the soft rock airwaves.
This TV special airing three years after Alice’s mesmerizing performance on the very first In Concert ABC special in November of 1972, is – as stated – historic, but lacks the excitement of both that amazing first In Concert special where Cooper’s riveting extended “I’m 18” (as the band was said to have originally performed it before it was truncated for Top 40 radio) certainly ushered in the new ABC concert show on Friday nights with more than a proverbial bang. It’s just that the Broadway feel of “Welcome to my Nightmare (the song) was not what the fan base expected; it reflects Alice’s love of films (West Side Story in particular, screen version from the 1950’s play of the same name) as with the original Cooper group invoking Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s “Jet Song” (“Gutter Cat vs The Jets,” on School’s Out) – it was outside of their ”sphere of operations,” if you will, and not what Warner Brothers was promoting to the world. (Nightmare was released on the Atlantic label rather than Warner, a change of labels but still under the WEA umbrella.)
As I review this forty two years later the best tracks on Welcome to My Nightmare live are “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “I’m 18,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” and “School’s Out” as re-interpreted by the Lou Reed band, a group that did the same for the music of the Velvet Underground with Reed in 1973, two years prior. The fluid guitars of Hunter and Wagner on “Billion Dollar Babies” are as eloquent as they were with Reed in Sheffield at Oval Hall, September 9, 1973. Find the tape on YouTube or Wolfsgang’s Vault, very worth listening to, especially if you want to explore the nuances of this DVD and its musical pedigree. With two years and a week on the road, the band that was magnificent when it first launched with Reed, September 1, 1973, is efficient, but more restrained by the cinematic and television duties.
My favorite all-time concert today is still the very first gig by this “Rock n Roll Animal” group – the September 1, 1973 Lenox Massachusetts (Berkshire county) show where Wagner/Hunter and Reed put on an explosive, experimental night that was a once in a lifetime experience. The sun setting at the Lenox Music Inn (see the Inn’s history here: http://www.musicinn.org/1970s-concert-schedule.html ) and this band that emerged from the Berlin sessions, augmented with Peter “Pops” Walsh of Seatrain on the bass, Steve Hunter on guitar, the late Dick Wagner (RIP July 30, 2014) on guitar, the late Pentti “Whitey” Glan on drums (RIP Nov 7, 2017) and – most likely at this show – the late Ray Colcord (Feb 5 2016) on keyboards. With the passing of Lou Reed October 27, 2013 – (his wake December 13, 2013 at the Apollo Theater) it is important to get the history of this unique and inspiring / influential crew documented properly. Would John Cougar ever have even put together his 1978 Australian hit “I Need a Lover” in the fashion that we know it without “Intro/Sweet Jane” from the 1974 Rock n Roll Animal album? (as recorded in New York on December 21, 1973 – two days after the Boston show – see Cougar-Mellencamp information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Need_a_Lover )
The ultraviolet lamp on Lou’s face as the twilight descended on the open-air venue, folk and slide guitar renditions of “Pale Blue Eyes” and “I’ll Be Your Mirror” from the Velvet Underground, a folk version of “Heroin” which had the band enter and start building over Lou’s simple guitar strums into an explosive unit, so much more exciting and involved (and complex) than when the band returned to Boston on December 19, 1973 – two nights before the recording of Rock and Roll Animal at Howard Stein’s Academy of Music in New York, it was a sort of a let down. Sure, the concert was great, RR Animal went gold in 1978 (must be platinum now?) – as did Welcome to My Nightmare – which did go platinum as the sales increased. Ultimate Classic Rock notes that the “Nightmare” critics at the onset weren’t as thrilled about the transition …but have warmed up over the years. http://ultimateclassicrock.com/alice-cooper-welcome-to-my-nightmare/ This critic hasn’t…it still is not the first Cooper lp I will pull out of the vault to play for fun…
BUT…with so many great Alice Cooper DVDs out there covering his amazing theatrics, having a true Halloween movie such as Welcome to My Nightmare is essential. Even if the concert footage directed by David Winters comes off somewhat awkwardly like Rollin Binzer’s direction of Ladies and Gentlemen The Rolling Stones (also on Eagle Rock) – which, as with my first thoughts seeing that film in theatrical release, is good but not great.
So too with Welcome to my Nightmare, more important to me as a moment in Cooper time than something to watch repeatedly, but not to be quibbled with too much: it did inspire Michael Jackson to put Vincent Price on his Halloween film, Thriller, did it not?
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on December 15, 2017 by musicbusiness.
Star Wars – the Last Jedi review by Joe Viglione
Rising Tyranny,
a review of Star Wars:The Last Jedi
From The Joe Vig Top 40 dot com http://joevigtop40.com/
by Joe Viglione
Space age megalomaniacs with ingenious mechanical marvels and fancy ancient titles, from The First Order to Supreme Leader – facing off against a dwindling resistance, the Rebellion, with odds stacked heavily against the good guys, making for an exciting roller coaster ride of things blowing up, spaceships digitally disappearing and re-appearing at will, with deep colors drenching the screen in a variety of shades. Welcome to the very precise re-shaping of the Star Wars legacy courtesy of the Walt Disney Corporation, a dark, desperate saga that hits the home run the fan base and the general public are both looking for.
The film is a thrilling, looming monster, and that’s a monster in a good way.
This is a movie about the grandson of Darth Vader, and given that there’s no James Earl Jones or Alec Guinness, it is the legacy of the chronicle that sustains the magic featuring the established stars in the series. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher are, naturally, front and center – their last time together unless computer-generated imagery comes into play for future episodes. Keep in mind that Hamill was 26 when STAR WARS: A New Hope launched in 1977, which makes him 66 as of this writing (December 12, 2017.) The late Carrie Fisher was sixty and two months when she passed December 27, 2016, and that they – along with 71 year old Anthony Daniels (C-3PO,) 73 year old Peter Mayhew as Chebacca, the Millennium Falcon and R2-D2 …and Yoda…are the last remnants of the rebellious first initiates makes for an intriguing passing of the torch to the new personalities being established in the Star Wars canon. Kenny Baker, the original R2-D2, passed in August of 2016, four months before Fisher, and in The Last Jedi Jimmy Vee replaces Baker. Vee is known for performing as Gringott’s Goblin in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as well as some Dr. Who characters. Nice to keep the fantasy/science fiction fans happy with their treasured heritage.
Rather than bringing in too many larger-than-life stars as Lucas did with Christopher Lee in the prequels, we have Laura Dern (the original Jurassic Park, 1993) playing Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo as well as Joseph Gordon-Leavitt’s voice somewhere in the film. As with Carrie Fisher, Dern’s parents were in the movies while Gordon-Leavitt was a child star, so there is film history in their DNA, but the point is that it is the Star Wars machine itself that is the bright light that all involved get to follow.
There are some historical “Easter eggs,” if you will, from both real life and the film world, as Supreme Leader Snoke channels former Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen’s immortal JFK line to Dan Quayle: “You’re no Vader, you’re just a child in a mask.” (“Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy” was a remark made during the 1988 United States vice-presidential debate by Democratic vice-presidential candidate Senator Lloyd Bentsen)
And yes, Andy Serkis is a big star from The Hobbitt, The Lord of the Rings, Ulysses Klaue in the Avengers, Caesar in the Planet of the Apes films, so my comment about not having huge names to keep the fires burning is arguable and welcomes debate, fans of Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac and the rest of Star Wars: The Next Generation. The Easter eggs continue with references to the Matrix and Keanu Reeves – Maz Kanata, the magical little female creature with the glasses, channeling the Oracle from the Matrix with her words, the Rebellion pushed smack dab into the middle of Zion. It could not be any more obvious under Rian Johnson’s direction and script, and it is more intentional science fiction crossover fun than any kind of plagiarism. Heck, in the original Independence Day Bill Pullman gives an exact quote from C-3PO to Brett Spiner of The Next Generation “Exciting is hardly a word I would choose to describe it.” Sci-Fi fans love the nuances tucked in to other films, the trading-card thread that keeps the ball rolling…in a good way.
C-3PO “Is hardly the word I would choose” http://www.tzr.io/yarn-clip/27f5ec77-2ba0-4e27-9447-6cb12de87abb
Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: Independence Day
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Independence-McDonnell…Pullman…/B01A9QZSRY?…
the president’s reply which actually sums up the stupid and unwarranted humour in this film,is as folows:(millions of people are dying: “exciting is hardly the word I would choose!!.)
It’s like masked Kim Jong-un a thousand years from now looking to conquer the universe. That’s the basic premise, anyway, and it hasn’t changed since Star Wars first burst on the scene with A New Hope, the first Star Wars film that they also call the fourth… but putting the upside down chronology aside, the franchise under the Disney company’s direction is tight, polished, with nothing left to chance, and an enormous blockbuster barreling full steam ahead into the Christmas season, 2017.
The Rolling Stones Beating the Bootleggers
The business of archiving the Rolling Stones’ rich catalog!
https://twitter.com/RollingStones
Find article here: http://tinyurl.com/somegirlsladiesandgentlemen
Rolling Stone Magazine has an article “Five Essential” Rolling Stones Bootlegs, which is a good start on the band’s underground recordings, however, with an institution this legendary one can hardly choose 5 boots when there are thousands – if not tens of thousands – out there. And unlike the Beatles who stopped touring, the Stones have always strategically mapped out the release of a new album with tour after tour, so there is beyond a library of material that people will be studying as the millenniums fly by. It’s quite exciting, actually, thinking of the prospect of future generations cataloguing the music with technology not yet dreamed of.
Which brings us to the re-release of Some Girls Live in Texas ’78, Muddy Waters/The Rolling Stones Live at the Checkerboard Lounge and Ladies and Gentlemen The Rolling Stones. With twenty-three tracks between Ladies and Gentleman and Some Girls Live, and an additional 11 tracks with seventy-five minutes of music on the Muddy Waters’ blues disc (the DVD has 15 tracks plus bonus material, so the list just keeps on growing…) there are thirty-four slices of Rolling Stones music unleashed at once, which is a very smart move given how Stones’ fans love to collect, be entertained, and study what is out there. It was forty-seven years ago as a sixteen year old that this writer purchased Liver Than You’ll Ever Be, the amazing bootleg of the November 9, 1969 concert at the Oakland Coliseum released one month later, which I bought in 1970. Wikipedia has a pretty thorough overview of the underground classic, so go there for further information. The Wikipedia page also notes that Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (the response from Decca and the Stones to the bootleg, ostensibly ) was heavily overdubbed which – as much as the purist in me believes in documenting the event as the event unfolded, I have no problem with film colorization (go back to the original print if you wish) or enhancements. As with “New Coke” the late CEO of Coca Cola, Roberto Goizueta said something about the ability to always go back to the original formula. Ya-Ya’s could always find the original tapes released some day, but that the album is so very good, and has Liver Than You’ll Ever Be forever as a companion piece to we Rolling Stones fans who lived through the era, we pretty much have found the satisfaction Mick can’t get no of. Lulu’s best of both worlds, as they say.
So where do Ladies and Gentlemen, Some Girls and Muddy Waters / Stones Live at the Checkerboard Lounge, 1981 fit in? With McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield having passed away at the age of seventy in 1983, the Checkerboard Lounge is essential and delivers exactly what is promised while documenting Waters on a platform that would bring him to generations of people who can appreciate his artistry: working with Buddy Guy and the Rolling Stones two years before his passing. The historical importance is obvious.
In my November 28, 2012 review of the DVD I noted “So Some Girls Live in Texas, ’78 is like the tail of a comet, songs from Exile and Sticky Fingers mixed in with the core material from 1978’s Some Girls studio album. The band was younger, the sensibilities pure rock & roll, the delivery excellent.” Studying the music in my car – driving around (which is a key way to listen to the Stones, at least for me, anyway…) we get “Tumbling Dice” re-worked – one of my all-time favorite of their songs – and a “Miss You” that is more appealing than the studio version which radio overplays and which the tinge of disco is a curse upon it. But it did go to #1, which was the point of it all. Marketing the album, marketing the tour. Here we still get the disco groove but with more of a rock and roll edge. The song works better in the live setting and, though I hardly agree it should be in the Rolling Stone Top 500 songs of all time (#498 in 2010, Rolling Stone Magazine by way of Wikipedia,) it has a good groove in this album’s context. “When the Whip Comes Down” and “Shattered” are lesser Jagger/Richards titles yet in the flow of the album with goodies from Exile on Main St. opening the CD, “Imagination” and the “Brown Sugar/Jumpin’ Jack Flash” closing – and wonderful 8 page liner notes booklet with collectible photos, this is a terrific release. It doesn’t reach the heights that Ya-Ya’s and Liver Than You’ll Ever Be achieved, but that was a different time during the Mick Taylor / Jimmy Miller era, the fine wine that set a standard that few will ever reach.
The soundtrack album, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones, is more problematic. My memories of the film at the Music Hall in Boston in 1974 were that it was dark as a D.A. Pennebaker Dont Look Back or Ziggy Stardust film – director Rollin Binzer creating a murky document with sound that feels mono and Jagger’s vocals like they are coming out of a box. 45 years ago the band was in its prime and this writer being in the second row in Boston at the 19i72 concert during the famous Mayor White’s “My city’s in flames” speech – well, the movie clouds the memories, if you will, and it is supposed to be the other way around. Culled from four shows in Houston and Fort Worth -reportedly in 32 tracks, you’d never know it from the mix. Mick Taylor’s slide guitar in “All Down the Line” provides proof as to why the Taylor/Richard Stones had complementary guitars where Ronnie Wood is Keith’s doppelganger or shadow…sorry, Ronnie. This is classic Stones music and the hope is that those 32 tracks can be reopened and a better mix eventually can surface. The 1972 tour was essential and Ladies and Gentlemen is sadly lacking. But, for the fans, it still gets a place on the shelf more for the moment than the production.
Eagle Rock’s catalogue of Stones’ releases is stunning http://www.eagle-rock.com/artist/the-rolling-stones/#.WUApHcYpDtQ and these three releases
Joe Vig’s 2012 review of Some Girls DVD
http://www.tmrzoo.com/2012/40343/the-rolling-stones-some-girls-live-in-texas-78
Some Girls Live in Texas ’78
DV Release: 2011-11-21 Catalog No.: 801213039494 Barcode: 801213039494
Live at the Checkerboard Lounge
Muddy Waters and Rolling Stones
C1D1 Release: Out Now Catalog No.: ERDVCD06 Barcode: 5034504906990
Mastered by Bob Clearmountain
Stones with Muddy Waters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Or7huOK7o
Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits Rock the House at Cary Hall, June 11, 2017
A Splendid Time Guaranteed for All: Peter Noone Live at Cary Hall https://www.facebook.com/HermansHermitsStarringPeterNoone/
http://caryhalllexington.com/
a SPLENDID time Guaranteed for ALL – Peter Noone at Cary Hall
While Beatlemania is spreading across the planet again at the dawn of the summer of 2017 – thanks to the return of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, the fellow who sold more records than the Fab Four in America at one point in time utilized his artistic alchemy to transform a bunch of aging seniors into teenyboppers again. Starting the show off with the immortal Carole King / Gerry Goffin classic “I’m Into Something Good” – the ageless wonder in terrific voice and the audience going crazy. Now Lexington, Mass. is a pretty town outside of Arlington and Burlington, a lovely little village off of Route 128 with a special charm. Peter Noone made it clear that over fifty years ago he and his band mates had one dream: to play Cary Hall in Lexington. The twisted humor more intimate than Mick Jagger’s shout out to Texas on the new Some Girls: Live in Texas ’78 CD that just landed in this critic’s mailbox (love that the Stones are releasing a ton of material on Eagle Rock; I reviewed the DVD of Some Girls Live in 2013 for the British mag Sabotage Times https://sabotagetimes.com/music/some-girls-live-in-texas-78-is-a-chance-to-revisit-the-stones-greatness )
The beauty here is that Herman’s Hermits are up close and personal when the last time I saw the Stones (was it 1995 with Jo Jo Laine? Yikes!) at the N.E. Patriots football stadium it was “faraway eyes” indeed, the band “so far away” that Carole King probably wrote that song prophesying the stadium concert experience. That these theaters are popping up in cities and towns around Massachusetts (Regent Theater, Arlington, Stoneham Theater, Chevalier in Medford) is an interesting phenomenon that is snowballing…and most likely happening around America and beyond. When a Peter Noone walks into the crowd a la guitarist Buddy Guy, it is a special treat for the audience that – for the most part – has much of the Herman’s Hermits catalog as part of the soundtrack to their lives. “Dandy” followed as did “She’s A Must to Avoid” – two guitars, drums and keyboard / bass is the quartet of Hermits backing up Peter which creates a tight, entertaining quintet bringing music that spans the decades into what is truly a small village miles enough outside of the hustle and bustle of Boston and its surrounding communities.
Frankie Ford’s “Sea Cruise” – the sixth song in the set, rocked with sincerity on this smaller stage than Lynn Auditorium’s November 11, 2016 show (see review below.) Exactly seven months later the band returning to this region to give the faithful a nice jolt on a Sunday night. The artist known as the rock and roll king of the internet morphs into his alter ego, the Very Reverend Sung Long Noone (link provided in case you think I’m kidding) the good Catholic boy bringing thousands of followers to Cary Hall and away from church…the pied piper Peter Noone and his Noonatics getting all rowdy, hand-clapping, the over sixty members of the audience engaging in so much fun that it would absolutely outrage a Montana city council.
In my July 23, 1998 interview with Peter at the Hampton Beach Casino you can hear Monkees songs being performed by Davey Jones. Peter pays tribute to the great Mr. Jones with “Daydream Believer.” It is beyond superb – only Peter Noone can cover the Monkees and make it as fun and authentic as the original. Perhaps in the future the brilliant rendition of “Oh You Pretty Things” Peter covered from the other Mr. Davey Jones (David Bowie) can be added to the set…”there’s something happening here and you don’t know what it is…” what the heck, turn Bob Dylan into pure pop as well and add “Ballad of a Thin Man.” You’ll have the Mr. Jones trifecta. The Hermits in white shirts, black ties and dark suits – Peter joking that one of the boys got a dress from 1962 that Diana Ross had thrown away …of course if you read Wikipedia you know that the girls were called the “no hit Supremes during 1961-1963 and the guitarist probably wasn’t even born yet, but why quibble with minor details when the show is so much fun! “Ring of Fire” gives Johnny Cash his due while “Leaning on the Lamp-post” – yes, the song written by Noel Gay from the 1937 film Feather Your Nest. brought a little cabaret to the festivities.
It is here that the Reverend Sun Myung Moon parody evaporates to a rock star holding an album up over his face with an image of himself from decades before. Truly great dynamics with Peter singing to one guitar and not assaulting this audience in a small room with drums on every song. Which leads to a tune Peter says he wrote “outside of Petco…” entitled something like “Traveling Light” with the words “I’m at the Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington Massachusetts” which, if you say it five times fast, is a mouthful. Hope someone has it on a cellphone video! To the audience’s credit, they actually were able to sing the ludicrous words and did so without skipping a beat. The Rev Sun Myung Noone in full control.
“No Milk Today” was sheer magic. Pre-10CC Graham Gouldman’s song an incredible bouquet of melodies with the chorus starting the song off as the verse. The Hermits cover of the Skeeter Davis classic “The End of the World” (which – appropriately enough, just concluded the bizarre HBO series The Leftovers which makes Patrick McGoohan’s 1967 TV opus The Prisoner look coherent by comparison.) Noone claims the song was #1 for 15 weeks in the Philippines, a fact which Herman probably heard on The Leftovers or the Prisoner or both.
What should not be missed is that Noone’s voice is an amazing instrument hitting all of the notes and as fluid today as it was when he first joined the band – like his contemporary Steve Winwood – at about 15 years of age. The Hermits outdid themselves on the ballad – the drums keeping it simple but with a grand beat, the string section from the keyboards building the absolutely stunning wall of sound with elegant guitar lines blending into tasteful leads. Incredible.
A more muted presentation than the November 11th 2016 event in Lynn which had a much wider stage where Noone gallivanted with the teenage energy that this time-machine-obsessed audience not only craves, but draws its power from. The Jagger parody of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” more intense in Lynn, but still effective here as Noone shakes up the show for the sake of his fanatical Noonatics who attend multiple performances. “Just a Little Bit Better,” “Listen People,” “Ferry Across the Charles River” (replacing Ferry Cross the Mersey,”) “Baby, Baby Can’t You Hear My Heart Beat” – take that Genya Ravan and your Goldie & The Gingerbreads (only kidding, Gen…) – “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” channeling the Ramones for a reworking of the 107 year old song “I’m Henry The Eight, I Am” and concluding with one of the finest compositions in pop music history, “There’s A Kind of Hush.” The audience is standing at this point, an artist that can bring the senior set out past their bedtime and let their short hair down. So while the Beatles are re-selling “When I’m 64” this month, the phenomenon that is Peter Noone’s Herman’s Hermits bring their magic formula from town to town, that Brother Love Traveling Salvation Show that Neil Diamond identified. Peter Noone is a show business pro, and he still has the voice, and the magic. A Splendid Time Guaranteed For All …and tonight Mr. Kite is topping the bill.
Photo Credit: Carolyn Sharp-Heggarty
Wonderful World, song 2, photo Joe V.
Photo credit Carolyn Sharp Hegarty
Photo Credit: Carolyn Sharp-Hegarty
Photo Credit: Carolyn Sharp Hegarty
Lady Carolyn of Love and Flame opened for Peter Noone and The Tremblers in 1980 at the Paradise Theater. 37 years is not too long to wait for a reunion! 8:47 pm @ Cary Hall after the show June 11, 2017…Lady Carolyn’s birthday is June 16, 2017, this Friday
Photo Credit: Joe Viglione
PETER NOONE’S BOOK OF PHOTOS
http://www.tmrzoo.com/2010/12550/peter-noones-gallery-of-photos-in-book-form
BUS STOP from The Hollies cover was not played in Lexington, Mass. but here’s a video from March 15, 2017…a bonus track!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzaCfowJV2k
JOE VIGLIONE’S WRITING FOR SABOTAGE TIMES
https://sabotagetimes.com/author/joe-viglione
Minute Impressions Peter Noone / Herman’s Hermits LIVE Nov 11, 2016, June 11, 2017
Direct link to this page: http://tinyurl.com/mbmimpressions tell your friends!
Fred Gillen Jr. 2 songs reviewed by Ed Wrobleski
1)Prayer for America
2)Where are you tonight, Fallen Angel?
https://twitter.com/whatshesaidCD
Fred “Dylan” Gillen Jr.
Ed Wrobleski
June 9, 2017″Prayer For America”, has such powerful lyrics about our ancestors who came to America and made it what it is today, with a hint of George Harrison “My Sweet Lord”, sprinkled ever so lightly throughout the song. In this highly charged political climate, this should be our new National Anthem with the way our world is today. Mark Schultz of Mark Skin Radio noting the political bent on his 6-7-2017 program when he played Gillen Jr.’s track.
“Where are You Tonight Fallen Angel” , has a short but sweet story about looking for that special someone in every place you possibly can. This composition also has a few different musical elements that I hear of other legendary artists like Neil Young writing style and Jacob Dylan’s Wallflowers musical flavorings in the mix. I think Fred Gillen Jr.’s vocals are superb – simply outstandingly – different from anyone’s vocals in today’s music, and both of these tracks should be in rotation on all sorts of radio stations.
Host/Producer of talking Hendrix on www.bostonfreeradio.com
Talkinghendrix{@}gmail.com
Artist: Ken Selcer
Album: I Simplify
Review by Craig Fenton
For those of us waiting forever and a day it seemed for new
product from Kenny Selcer the reward for the five or so year pause has ceased!
While Kenny’s touring schedule and musical commitments may have
kept him out of the recording studio there has never been a lessening of
his luminous stage performances.
Kenny’s follow-up to the superlative Don’t Forget About Me called
I Simplify continues his incredible talent to craft tunes that flourish in the
studio and
resonate on the concert stage. We are gifted with fourteen
tracks that will take you on a musical roller-coaster from multifarious styles
and genres.
When you listen to I Simplify notice the length of time of each
track. None clock in under four minutes. This is stated to
solidify Kenny’s commitment to his art and the fans expectations. It is
never about forcing a radio friendly tune that may win an isolated battle but
would lose the Rock & Roll War.
The opening track I Know It’s Not Too Late conjures up sounds of
early Dire Straits. Kenny not only grabs your attention from the initial notes
but holds it throughout the CD’s sixty-eight minute journey to the past,
present, and future.
It’s All Around You would make Tom Petty proud. Kenny has
captured the sound and the feel but while paying homage make no mistake it is
still his own voice.
A tune getting a lot of attention is “Without You.” Think Traveling Wilburys Volume 1 meets Kenny Selcer and it begins to make sense. His ability to change style and vocal inflection from song to song is rare in the industry and to achieve desired results without any notes ever being forced is even more obscure in today’s lack luster musical landscape.
It Was You will have fans of Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins, and Gene
Vincent engrossed as to how in 2017 Kenny is delivering a knockout blow
with a cross of Rockabilly and Swing.
Wisely woven in the web is an instrumental Kenny’s Song. Its
purpose is multi-fold. First it shows his
ability as a guitar-player too long
underrated in the field.
Secondly placing it as Track 10 lets us
digest the lyrical caravan we have been
riding during the previous nine.
Ending the sojourn Kenny is joined by
a longtime friend Steve Gilligan
(legendary New England Band The
Stompers) contributing the bass-lines
on Stay Awhile. In the realm of the
recent works of John Mellencamp. A
flawless finale to the CD or should we
say beginning as I’m not alone hitting
the replay button.
Craig Fenton
Author: Jefferson Airplane- Take Me To
A Circus Tent
Jefferson Starship- Have You Seen The
Stars Tonite
Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone and Jay & The Americans
Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
Jay & The Americans
Nov 11, 2016 Fri 8:00 PM EDT
Lynn Auditorium in Lynn, Massachusetts
Six days after his birthday in November, 2016, Peter Noone and Jay & The Americans rocked the house at Lynn Auditorium – and the show brought down the packed arena in the middle of Lynn, Massachusetts
Jay and the Americans with Jay Reincke, Howie Kane, Sandy Deanne and Marty Sanders
https://www.facebook.com/jayamericans/
were a perfect match with Herman’s Hermits. Sporting the American flag – straight out of their name – take that Grand Funk Railroad – behind them as a counterpoint to Noone’s British flag, the complementary USA rock and roll with one of the top British Invasion bands was all about entertainment. Reincke’s voice is spot on, continuing the “Jay” tradition nicely, while tucked inside the set of their own hits, a Roy Orbison tribute hit the audience from out of left field. It is hard to understate how splendid and reverent and enjoyable the tribute was. This writer saw Orbison twice in the 1980s and it is hard to top the legend – but to have a major artist cover the icon and do it so
seamlessly was classic rock at its finest.
Peter Noone, the master showman, is as vibrant and aware onstage as the band was on July 23, 1998 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou7gwFZArUM Eighteen years on “I’m Henery the Eighth, I Am” changes – the first time this writer heard the band play a Ramones’ -styled version was at the Mohegan Sun’s Wolf’s Den perhaps a decade ago – refreshing for a song from 1910. According to Wikipedia, Herman’s version of ‘Enery 55 years after its debut was the fastest selling single up to that point in time – hitting #1 and establishing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_Henery_the_Eighth,_I_Am
Tonight June 11, 2017 Peter appears at Cary Hall in Lexington
Here’s an insightful article worth reading:
http://www.decades.com/lists/viii-things-you-never-knew-about-hermans-hermits
Cary Hall is located at 1605 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420
http://caryhalllexington.com/wordpress1/?page_id=195
Cary Hall is located at 1605 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420From 95
Take Exit 31A for Routes 4/225 (Bedford Street). Drive 2 miles, continuing straight onto Mass Ave. Cary Hall will be on your left immediately after the Lexington Post Office.From Boston/Route 2 West
Take exit 56 from MA-2 W. Drive 4 miles, and turn right onto MA-225 W/MA-4 N/Watertown St (signs for Massachusetts 4 N/Massachusetts 225 W/Lexington/Bedford). Cary Hall is on the right.
Author Joe Viglione
Write to demodeal @ Yahoo.com
http://joeviglione.com/
Ditto live at David Lynch Park in Beverly, Massachusetts
7/24/16 6:38 pm One of the best nights of the summer of 2016 was had up at David Lynch Park in Beverly, Massachusetts. People were playing volleyball in the sand, families parked in on the huge lawn, and in the hatch shell performed Ditto, the amazing North Shore band promoting their new CD, Unconditional Love, and showing extraordinary prowess in performing hits of the Beatles, James Taylor, the Rolling Stones, America, Neil Young, Carly Simon and more.
Kimball performed with Simon in the past and when Gary Santarella embraces “You’re So Vain” from a guy’s perspective, it is a thing of beauty. Perhaps the only singer that integrates hits of the pair that performed a duet on “Mockingbird” (though that song is not in the Ditto set) Santarella’s rendition of “Up On The Roof” blends the Drifters with James Taylor and on the water, with a stunning sunset and the wildlife looking for food from the audience, it made for a terrific Sunday afternoon/evening in the middle of summer. Also putting the JT spin on Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is” (to be loved by you,” and a Neil Young spin on America’s “Sandman,” the versatile group treats each cover song from other artist as if it is part of the group’s own original music catalog.
At 6:31 pm the five piece Ditto Band featuring Gary Santarella and Roger Kimball
Village Tavern review May 21, 2016
Gary Santarella and Roger Kimball are veterans of the New England area music scene, and on Saturday, May 21 they brought their five piece ensemble to the Village Tavern in Salem, where they usually perform as a duo every Saturday from 4 – 7 pm. Playing their dizzying array of covers – Santarella goes from the Rolling Stones to Neil Young/America and beyond. He embraces everything Beatles (both Lennon and McCartney, as schoolmate Brad Delp of the group Boston did for so many years) and James Taylor – which – if you close your eyes – sounds exactly like James Taylor.
The five piece Ditto band, which is what they are called as opposed to the Ditto duo or duo of Ditto, had the place rocking, and the focus was on the new CD, Unconditional Love. “Don’t Kick Me When I’m Down,” perhaps the best known of Gary Santarella’s originals having received lots of 50,000 watt airplay in 1986 and heard by many a record executive, to “Rocky” – an irresistible song about a beloved doggy, where the album’s title was drawn from, to “Daddy-O” and what is shaping up to be a regional hit, “Punta Cana.”
“Punta Cana” has all the elements. Think the vibraphone and joy from Elton John’s “Island Girl” with the fun of “Margaritaville,” but without Jimmy Buffett’s intentional frivolity. “Punta Cana” is serious, melodic, and the audience responded to it. Great party which they will hopefully replicate in the Boston area, the group mostly touring on the north shore and the Cape Ann area these days.
http://www.tmrzoo.com/2016/70040/joe-vigs-first-impressions-2
http://dittoband.blogspot.com/2016/06/ethan-harley-reviews-unconditional-love.html
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on August 4, 2016 by musicbusiness.
THE HISTORY OF N.E. MUSIC BY JOE VIGLIONE
Welcome to Music Business Monthly.com
Check out Gary’s Fanzines Page with photos of some of our original newsletters from the 1970s http://tinyurl.com/garyfanzines
Joe Viglione’s Original History of New England Music
https://www.blogger.com/profile/15345741483306237598
Table Of Contents – Joe Viglione’s History of New England Rock
This table of contents will expand, of course, as more information is posted on the web. For more information: JVBiographies@yahoo.com Varulven Records P.O. Box 2392 Woburn, MA 01888 U.S.A.
nformation. Remember, To click on any chapter go to this address:
http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/
1)Foreword
This information is part of my “life’s work”, the chronicling of the Boston Rock & Roll Scene and its surrounding communities. Between the video taped for my TV shows VISUAL RADIO and
TV EYE as well as the audio from a variety of radio shows I hosted and/or produced to the incredible tape archive I’ve built over the decades, these writings will come to life in audio and visual, a unique history of the scene from one of its documentarians.
2)Ka-Ding Dong – The first days of Boston Rock & Roll
1950s, early 1960s
http://newenglandrock.blogspot.com/
3)The Sixties – The Bosstown Sound – Orpheus, Listening, Willie Loco, Ultimate Spiniach
The Prince & The Paupers, Barry & The Remains
http://bostonthesixties.blogspot.com/
4) Hallucinations, J.Geils, Modern Lovers, Aerosmith
The sixties to early seventies…
5)J Geils Band
tons of J GEILS Biographies and reviews to posted here:
http://jgeilsband.blogspot.com/
6)The Early Seventies
http://bostontheseventies.blogspot.com/
1)The Quill 2)The Sidewinders 3)Fat 4)Milkwood (early Cars), 5)Swallow, 6)Duke & The Drivers 7)James Montgomery 8)Stormin’ Norman & Suzy 9)P.J. Colt
7)Andy Pratt
Tons of Andy Pratt reviews on AMG will show up here soon.
Temporary links:
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=ANDY|PRATT&sql=11:h9ftxq85ldte~T2
http://www.andypratt.com
When J Geils & Andy Pratt played together
http://maxwelledison.blogspot.com/2004/04/andy-pratt-j.html
8)Willie “Loco” Alexander
http://willielocoalexander.blogspot.com/
9)The New Wave – Willie Alexander re-emerges, Reddy Teddy, Fox Pass,
Aastral Projection
10)Into the 1980s
http://bostontheeighties.blogspot.com/
11)Peter Calo, Carly Simon, Pamela Ruby Russell
http://petercaloreviews.blogspot.com/
12)Boston Compilations and more – Live at the Rat, Live at Studio B
Farrenheit, Joe Perry Project, Cowsills, Real Kids, The Outlets
http://bostoncompilations.blogspot.com/
13)More Eighties
http://eightiesboston.blogspot.com/
Face To Face, The Rings, Jonzun Crew, Robin Lane, Didi Stewart. Rick Berlin, Rubber Rodeo, Mass, Treat Her Right
14)Boston Music Showcase – Harvey Wharfield and the best local music show on radio
15)The 1990s with Grateful Ted of SMUGGLER and more…
http://bostonnineties.blogspot.com/
16)The New Millennium
http://bostonnewmillennium.blogspot.com/
17)The Ongoing Process
AFTER WORD
Posted by History of New England Rock at 11:18 AM No comments:
Joe Viglione’s Guide to New England Music___________
Joe Viglione’s History of New England Rock & Roll – an ongoing process…
Joe Viglione has written thousands of reviews for The All Media Guide, Allmusic/Allmovie.com Among those are many reviews and biographies of Boston area artists. Keep in mind that this is strictly the reviews and information from his own personal files and is not meant to be a definitive guide to New England music – which is an ongoing and perpetual process. Write to joe at JVBiographies@yahoo.com or mail to Varulven Records/P.O. Box 2392, Woburn, MA 01888 USA
Chapter 1 1950s and early 1960s reviews
Remember! To click on any chapter go to this address:
CHAPTER 1THE 1950sTHE G CLEFSChapter 1
The G Clefs
Disc Jockey Little Walter DeVenne
Herb Reed and The Platters
Little Joe Cook
Moulty andThe Barbarians
Eden’s Children
The Beacon Street Union
John Lincoln Wright
Al Anderson
Orchestra Luna
Randy Roos
Incredible Two Man Band – Mickey Spiros
David Maxwell
John Sinclair with Ted Drozdowski
Livingston Taylor
Kate Taylor
Peter Calo
Arthur FiedlerThis information was uploaded on July 7, 2007. There will be tons of commentary tying these stories together in the coming months including articles written by Mr. Viglione over the years for a number of print publications including but not limited to Discords Magazine (Washington),
The Improper Bostonian, Irish Emigrant, Outlet (United Kingdom), Prize (L.A.), Musicians’ Magazine, The Beat, The Boston Globe, The Real Paper, Boston Phoenix Bandguide, Rockwatch, Preview Magazine, Bang Magazine, Fffanzeen, New England Entertainment Digest, Arts Media Magazine, Artscope, Replication News, Medialine, Metronome, The Gloucester Daily Times, Pepperell Free Press, North Shore Sunday, Medford Transcript, Lexington Minuteman, Belmont Citizen, Arlington Advocate, The Chronicle (Arlington), The Suffolk Journal, Burlington Union, Stoneham Sun, Melrose Free Press, Billboard Magazine, Independent Music Producers Journal, Woburn Advocate, The Woburn Daily Times & Chronicle, The Wakefield Daily Times &amp;amp;amp;amp; Chronicle, Goldmine Magazine, Discoveries Magazine (two national oldies publications), Radioworld, Inside/Out Hudson Valley, his own Varulven Magazine which he founded in 1969 and many others as well as online publications including writer legend Al Aronowitz’s Blacklisted Journal, the All Media Guide (AMG), All Movie.com and the web pages they deliver (or have delivered) content to including Barnes & Noble.com, Borders.com, VH-1.com, MTV.com, Country Music Channel, Rolling Stone.com, Starpulse, Get Music, Artist Direct, Ticketmaster Live, Amazon Canada, Django Music.com, SamGoody.com, Wherehouse.com, FYE, MSN, AOL, Yahoo Shopping dozens and dozens of online sites and in-store kiosks.Between April 17, 2007 and July 1, 2007 Mr. Viglione moved the Archives of Varulven Records
(because of a flood) to a new facility preserving this print, audio, video and other media for use on this site and other related enterprises. In order to get this rolling the reviews from the internet – mostly Allmusic.com, the Medford Trasncript and North Shore Sunday – are collected here via links and text. Unreleased interviews and commentary will be added.Keep in mind there are over 400 hours of interviews from Visual Radio including many Boston rock legends – Victor Moulton, Wayne Wadhams, the G Clefs, Barry Tashian &amp;amp;amp;amp; Billy Briggs of THE REMAINS, Willie “Loco” Alexander, Jonathan Richman, Richard Nolan, Jon Macey, Barry Marshall, Sal Baglio of The Stompers, Andy Pratt and many, many more.This may not be the definitive site on New England music but it certainly is fun, informative and entertaining. (C)2007 Joe ViglioneG CLEFS BIOGRAPHY on DJANGOMUSIC.COM
http://www.djangomusic.com/artist_bio.asp?pid=P+++186911&morebio=1
THE G CLEFS “KA-DING DONG” CD Review by Joe ViglioneIn September of 1956, the first rock & roll hit record from the city that would launch Aerosmith, Boston, The Cars, and J. Geils Band, hit the Top 30 — The G Clefs‘ “Ka-Ding-Dong” on Pilgrim Records. With a career spanning close to 50 years, the hard working Scott brothers created a body of work which deserves recognition. The ambiance of the final track in this collection, “To the Winner Goes the Prize… for more information:
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0cfixqqhldfeThe above is a review of a 1995 compilation album entitled “Ka-Ding-Dong” released by
The G Clefs. The review can be found on AllMusic.com here:
In 2000 The G Clefs released a second compilation “Then & Now” on the G Clefs label. The AMG link to the review follows its inclusion here.
Then and Now is a collection of 15 songs by the five musicians who were the first Boston rock and roll band to have a national and international hit with “Ka Ding Dong” in 1956. Then and Now is the follow-up disc to the album Ka Ding Dong featuring the four Scott brothers, Teddy, Llanga, Chris, and Timothy aka Tim “Payme” as in “pay me,” and their friend Ray Gipson, collectively, the G Clefts.
For the complete review click here:
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jjfyxqrkldae
The Biography of THE G CLEFS
Thanks to Little Walter DeVenne for helping me fact-check this G Clef bio after my interview with Teddy Scott.
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=11:dnfqxqtgldte~T1
Biography by Joe Viglione
The G-Clefs is a highly flamboyant, well choreographed pop/soul vocal group which has the distinction of having the first Boston area rock & roll record to chart nationally, their 1956 hit “Ka Ding Dong”. Consisting offour brothers, Teddy Scott (b 2/29/36), Chris Scott (b 2/14/37), guitarist Tim “Payme” Scott (8/23/38), and Ilanga Scott (b 7/22/40), along with their friend and neighbor Ray Gibson (b 9/24/37), the band formed in Roxbury, Massachusetts, an area similar to New York’s Harlem, thirty years before New Edition would bring Maurice Starr and Michael Jonzun’s music to the world, The G-Clefs were the original pioneers from New England’s soon to be important music scene.for more information / entire bio click on: G CLEFS BIOGRAPHY on DJANGOMUSIC.COM
I’ve written a number of stories on Walter and he’s appeared on Visual Radio at least three times, we have about four hours of documentary footage on Walter in his studio and in the clubs spinning discs.
Credits on AMG
AMG has “Little Walter DeVanne” which is, of course, a mis-spelling. AMG takes the information directly from the LP or CD. We hope to correct the AMG site at some point in the future.
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jvfexqtaldhe%7ET4
Here is their four page credit list for Walter DeVenne:
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wvfuxq85ldde%7ET4
First there was an article in Medialine, the former “Replication News”.
Radio DJ Remasters Vintage Vee Jay, Sun Catalogs
http://www.medialinenews.com/issues/2000/preparation/0606/0606.2.shtml
that is followed by an article I wrote for THE MEDFORD TRANSCRIPT in September of 2006 which a radio chatboard absconded with http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/bsnpubs/vpost?id=1406752
(the story follows the Medialine story).
Radioworld has picked up the story and we’ve revamped it with more biographical information. It is very thorough and will be published in August of 2007, so keep watching this site.
by Joe ViglioneWhen you walk into Walter DeVenne’s office/recording studio, you have literally walked into a time machine. And “Little Walter’s Time Machine” is the name of his show when he’s on the road, or at WODS-FM in Boston, MA.
On his desk is an order to re-master the entire Vee Jay catalog for the Collectables label, as well as an urgent call to put together Sun Records: The Definitive Hits.
DeVenne doesn’t just master these records.
“It’s going to sound the way the record sounded. I want it to sound the way I heard it when I dropped the needle on it (the record), not the way it was in the studio. There were probably only 12 people in the studio!”
What DeVenne does is make the records “right,” the way people heard them on the radio, or the way the original mastering engineer put the material out to the world.
“I was doing some Chuck Berry stuff for the radio, putting masters together for radio broadcast–not CD release,” he notes. DeVenne’s stereo mix of “Mony Mony” by Tommy James & The Shondells delights listeners of Oldies 103 in Boston. The rest of the world has to hear the mono version on Roulette. DeVenne, who incidentally has the entire Roulette catalog in his vaults, opines that Chuck Berry’s original records “exploded off the turntable. The CDs didn’t explode. It’s the person doing the mastering that’s the key to it. It’s not going to sound the same (if the person mastering tries to go for a ‘clean’ re-master as opposed to making it sound like the record sounded)…I want to hear it (with) the impact that it had. Authenticity!”
Generally, DeVenne prefers stereo mixes when they’re available, but still wants the record to sound as close as it originally sounded on the radio. The worst-case scenario, the mastering engineer points out, is RCA’s reissue of the Sun Records masters by Elvis Presley: “Scratches in glorious stereo…that don’t correspond” (from speaker to speaker because a stereo needle was used from the mono acetate source).
When I walked in, he was playing a hideous source tape from a client–a cassette made from a rare record. The song was “I Love You” by The Shadows. Walter heard a “tick” between second 2:17 and 2:18. He removed the tick and the hiss. He uses his pre-sets with different filters; he seeks the best source tapes. “They haven’t invented anything to take distortion out. You can hide it a little, [but] when they say ‘the distortion is gone’ they’ve found a better source (tape).”
The Doo Wop Box
(Rhino) went gold selling 500,000 units to everyone’s surprise. Everyone but Little Walter.
Of the Vee Jay project featuring early bluesmen, DeVenne comments, “I was in heaven doing the Jimmy Reed stuff. Peter Wolf (lead singer of the former J. Geils Band) was recently in the studio and said, ‘I have these records at home and they just don’t sound like that.'” Wolf was talking about the John Lee Hooker Boom Boom
album from 1959. It will be out in stereo for the first time on the Collectables label through a deal with Vee Jay and Rhino. “Gene Chandler was the last thing I did last week,” says DeVenne, of remixing “Duke Of Earl” in stereo from a better source for the Vee Jay project. DeVenne’s impressive credits include the German label Bear Family Records, for whom he has put together box sets of Little Richard, Fats Domino and The Platters.
The studio’s wall is adorned by record covers. The vibe is further enhanced by the numerous stored CDs, DATs, and master tapes, housed securely in a facility a little north of Boston, and lovingly protected and put “right” by a legendary DJ of Boston radio. When you see “A&R/Mastering by Little Walter DeVenne,” you’ll know you’ve got the right thing.
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/bsnpubs/vpost?id=1406752
it is also on Walter’s own site http://www.littlewalter.com/
Time Machine comes back to the future
By Joe Viglione/ Correspondent
Medford (MA) Transcript
For many years Little Walter DeVenne – legendary Boston disc jockey whose broadcasting creds include WBCN, WROR, WFNX, WMEX, WODS/Oldies 103.3 and Medford’s WXKS-AM 1430, before it turned into Boston’s Progressive Talk – did his mastering from a studio outside of Medford Square. These days, DeVenne and his family are living in Derry, N.H., but he continues to master CDs and create his radio show, “Little Walter’s Time Machine.” Today you can hear Little Walter’s Time Machine Sunday nights on North Shore 104.9 FM WBOQ, from 8 p.m.-12 a.m., on the same station as the Red Sox. The program is syndicated nationally.
DeVenne recently spoke about the radio show, his mastering work for a variety of record labels and his recent (and successful) battle against throat cancer. “We’re on in Chicago, we’re on in Cincinnati, we’re on in Hawaii, we’re all over the place,” the Boston area icon noted, adding he’s also excited about returning to the club scene this Friday and Saturday night at the Terra Marra, near the Outback Steakhouse, off of Route 93 (at exit 47) in Methuen. “I worked on Route 1 for 20 years at a variety of venues. I’ve been doing clubs for 40 years, starting out at the Beach Ball in Revere, opening for Aerosmith.”
DeVenne’s spinning creates an amazing vibe wherever he brings his extensive collection of music. With hip-hop and house music permeating the in-town clubs, the members of the Masspool DJ Association, Disc Jockeys Latinos Record Pool and other collaboratives would be wise to study at the feet of the master. DeVenne was mixing and scratching (well, literally scratching a record that need not be played) before most of the current jocks were even born.
Battle with cancer
Though ever-present on radio, DeVenne was conspicuous in his absence on the club circuit. He was candid about what happened. “I noticed a couple of lumps in my neck and had my first operation in October. Like Dion (DiMucci of “The Wanderer” fame) said, ’If I didn’t have a wife or a mother, I would never have sought medical advice because it didn’t hurt!’” he said. “It was just a couple of lumps in my neck. You gotta have someone to care for you to get these things looked at. It wasn’t going away so my (very worried) wife brought me over to the doctors.
“I went through cat scans and pet scans – none of it said it was cancer, it just said there were a couple of lumps in my throat,” he continued. “They were going to stick a needle in my neck so I told them to operate on me.” DeVenne started doing chemo and radiation, something he still recalls vividly. “They make a form-fitting face mask with netting so you can see through, (and) they screw it down. [That way I got] the radiation treatment in the same place on my neck,” he said. “The chemo is what I really had a reaction to and that’s what put me in the hospital for a couple of weeks. I begged them to let me out, so my wife learned how to give me the IV. At 9 a.m., I’d have to get up, take the IV – they left it in my arm for the two weeks with what looked like an RCA plug.”
Still able to maintain his humor through what he termed a horrific experience, the radio legend declared of his therapy, ” I only fell down a couple of times!” “When they put that radiation on the throat, it is like getting a super duper sunburn. The definitive sore throat, not being able to taste anything” DeVenne said. “It took about six months after the radiation for me to get my taste buds back and be able to swallow. (Though I hear) it’s different for different people.
But now Little Walter is back – on the air, in the clubs and at work with other music acts. “I did a Spike Jones package for Capitol Records which was funny, but not my usual kind of thing,” he said. “Today (Sept. 13), they are going to reissue ’The Knockouts meet the Genies.’” On Sept. 17, DeVenne went to work on a Bobby Darin “two album on one” CD piece, as well as a similar Irma Thomas package for Liberty/Capitol. “It’ll be out soon,” he said of the mastering work. “Irma features ’Time Is On My Side,’ she did the original that the Rolling Stones ripped off from her. She was so mad at them, she didn’t sing the song for years. Note for note identical! She went on that soulful tour that Peter Wolf emceed seven or eight years ago with Chuck Jackson, Percy Sledge, Ben E. King and others.” Obscure music from groups like The Knockouts and The Genies are for collectors, for sure – and DeVenne knows how to put the music back together so that it sounds as authentic as it did when fans originally bought the tunes on vinyl.
“That was fun,” he said in his always uptempo and highly recognizable radio voice. “I did that today, there was only about 14 tracks on the CD. This was for Collectibles.” Collectibles Records is a respected label which reissues music, with DeVenne usually overseeing that reproduction work. “I’m real proud of some work I did with Dion,” he notes. “Collectibles came out with ’Dion & Friends Live In New York.’ This thing could’ve been a one man Broadway show if he had decided to perform more than just the two nights. The new CD’s got all his hits, all his new stuff, a couple of gospel tracks that are very palatable. It was an absolute magic night! You should see his face when he sings ’Teenager in Love.’ I gave him the line, ’If I live to be 200 I’m always going to be a teenager in love.’ He uses that line in concert.”
In DeVenne’s studio, the phone always rings with someone famous on the other line. Nino Tempo of the song, “Deep Purple,” fame was on the phone at one point. Because of this, DeVenne is known worldwide, having done not only exhaustive radio work, but television appearances as well as a long resume of mastered recordings which can be found on Allmusic.com.
The treasures in DeVenne’s archives include dozens of live shows by Little Richard, including the only known live tape of Jimi Hendrix performing with Richard Penniman, Don &amp;amp;amp;amp; Dewey and Maxine Brown (although there is a studio 45 RPM of Jimi with Little Richard that was recorded around this period). Recorded way back when by DeVenne at the Back Bay Theater in Boston, the tape was mentioned when DeVenne was being interviewed for Visual Radio sometime in the 1990s. After the discovery, Experience Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix’s family-owned company, heard the tape as re-played from the original broadcast tape from WTBS (now WMBR), the information landing in Steve Roby’s Hendrix book, “Black Gold.” DeVenne’s work with the PBS Doo Wop shows and the four CD sets of Doo Wop music on Rhino also needs to be mentioned.
When asked who got him back into circulation after the hospitalization, it turns out to be his old friend Dion. “He’s the first one to get me out of my house last month, he was over at the Mohegan Sun in August,” DeVenne said.
Looking to listen to Little Walter’s Time Machine? You can log on to find information on affiliated stations on http://www.littlewalter.com/ Check that site for online streaming to hear the show.
For fans interested in sending their best wishes to the radio icon,
More of my writings regarding these icons can be found in the book
THE ALL MUSIC GUIDE TO THE BLUES
http://books.google.com/books?id=qYtz7kEHegEC&pg=PT152&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lpg=PT152&dq=little+walter+joe+viglione&source=web&ots=AL9Mt02vd_&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sig=CfFlio9WO_lJwbNAIf8MLFOBOWQ
LITTLE JOE COOK, BOBBY HEBB, HERB REED
These great R & B artists migrated to the Boston area and call it their home.
A compilation on vinyl (later to be released on CD, perhaps slightly altered),
A BLAST FROM THE PAST is an important starting point for the music of
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:hzfrxql0ld0e
The Top 25 song from 1957, “Peanuts,” leads off this majestic 32-song compilation released by Little Joe Cook’s own Beantown International in 1997. This generous disc is a very easy listen for fans of rock & roll, rhythm and blues, pop, and American music. The falsetto on “Peanuts” inspired Frankie Valli; in fact, the Four Seasons recorded the tune, although it was credited to another songwriter on their disc (and other covers as well, for a very long time).
Complete review here:
Developed in August of 2002 and released some months later in 2003, Little Joe Cook’s 80th year, In God We Trust combines new renditions of previously written songs as well as material culled from 45s, much of it never before available on an album or CD. “Mr. Bush in the White House Chair” was actually written while Jimmy Carter was in office, and re-recorded with new lyrics at Cook’s home studio after the tragedy that was 9/11/2001.
full review here:
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gxfexqqaldfe
Lady From The Beauty Shop
This 1996 album comes almost 40 years after his Top 25 hit “Peanuts.” There are six studio tracks, beginning with the title tune, and five live performances from the Boston club the Cantab, ending with “Lady From the Beauty Shop.” In between is classic rock & roll fused with…
http://www.answers.com/topic/lady-from-the-beauty-shop?cat=entertainment
Herb Reed, like Little Joe, moved to the Boston area. He has played around New England for decades now. Here is a review of one of the group’s discs that I wrote for AMG:
The New Golden Hits of THE PLATTERS
http://www.icebergradio.com/album/15376/review
New Golden Hits Of The Platters was the fourth album and first compilation on the Musicor label which garnered the last two of 23 Top 40 hits for the reconstituted group after they left Mercury. Those new songs, “I Love You 1,000 Times” from 1966 and 1967’s gem “With This Ring,” are included here, along with “Washed Ashore (On a Lonely Island in the Sea).” Those are the three original titles as recorded by the revamped Platters. Like Kenny Rogers‘ Ten Years Of Gold album on United Artists Records where he re-recorded five of his hits with The First Edition for his new label, The Platters used that same formula ten years before Rogers‘ 1977 release. It is interesting hearing Sonny Turner with his take on some of the original hits, 1957’s “I’m Sorry” ten years after the fact, along with “Only You,” “The Great Pretender,” “You’ve Got The Magic Touch,” “My Prayer,” “Heaven on Earth,” “Twilight Time,” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” among others.
http://www.answers.com/topic/the-new-golden-hits-of-the-platters?cat=entertainment
http://music.yahoo.com/read/review/21708627
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=10:k9fuxqr5ldke
http://www.djangomusic.com/artist_bio.asp?pid=P++++30356&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;morebio=1
When I found a copy of “Judy”, a 45 RPM on Crystal Ball Records (probably purchasing it in Central Square at Cheapo Records in the mid 1980s) I wrote to Bobby Hebb at the address on the disc. He wrote me a very nice letter back.
Fast forward to 1995. After Marty Balin helped me launch Visual Radio as my first guest, Bobby Hebb agreed to appear on show #3. Joe Tortelli wrote a piece in Goldmine Magazine after Bobby appeared on the show while the reviews of his recordings I began writing for AllMusic.com around 2000.
Bobby Hebb bio
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=11:kzftxq95ldke~T1
There is a ton of information, of course, as I am helping Mr. Tortelli compile the official biography of Bobby Hebb. Go to the above link to read the entire bio:
Bobby Hebb made his stage debut on his third birthday, July 26, 1941, when tap dancer Hal Hebb introduced his little brother to show business at The Bijou Theater. This was an appearance on The Jerry Jackson Revue of 1942 even though it was 1941, “that was how Jerry, a big man in vaudeville in the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, did things” noted the singer. Harold Hebb was nine years of age at the time and the young brothers worked quite a few nightclubs before Bobby Hebb entered first grade. Nashville establishments like The Hollywood Palm, Eva Thompson Jones Dance Studio, The Paradise Club, and the basement bar in Prentice Alley as well as the aforementioned Bijou Theater found Bobby and Hal dancing and singing tunes like “Lady B. Good,” “Let’s Do the Boogie Woogie,” “Lay That Pistol Down Babe,” and other titles that were popular at that time. Hebb’s father, William Hebb, played trombone and guitar, his mother, Ovalla Hebb, played piano and guitar, while his grandfather was a chef/cook on the Dixie Flyer, an express train on the L&N — Louisville & Nashville railroad. Brother Harold Hebb would eventually join Excello recording artists the Marigolds, documented in Jay Warner‘s biography of singer Johnny Bragg, the book Just Walkin’ in the Rain
Complete bio here:
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=11:kzftxq95ldke~T1
http://www.djangomusic.com/artist_bio.asp?pid=P++++30356&morebio=1
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=10:hifpxq8gldke
Produced by Jerry Ross and arranged by Joe Renzetti, “Sunny” emerged from a twelve-song disc released on the Phillips label, a division of Mercury records. Although Bobby Hebb is known as “the song a day man,” he only composed three of the dozen titles included on this collection. The title track, of course, which was the song of the summer of 1966, “Yes or No or Maybe Not,” and “Crazy Baby.” The follow-up, “A Satisfied Mind,” was also a Top 40 hit that year, but it wasn’t until 1971, when Lou Rawls had a Top 20 hit with “Natural Man,” did Hebb get another smash. A pity, and a definite statement about the music industry when a man as prolific and talented as Robert Von Hebb constructs and delivers pop tunes with a voice and feeling that crosses genres and ethnic boundaries.
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=10:azfixqy0ldhe
The voice and pen that crafted the multi-format standard “Sunny” took four years to create as exquisite an album of adult contemporary R&B as you’ll find. This was recorded a full year before Lou Rawls would hit with the Bobby Hebb/Sandy Baron composition “A Natural Man,” three years before Barry White would begin his reign of chart success, and two years before the O’Jays would help bring the Gamble and Huff sound to the masses.
THAT’S ALL I WANNA KNOW
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For Bobby Hebb’s first album of the new millennium, executive producer Rüdiger Ladwig wanted to create something that would be unique and new to the veteran’s dedicated worldwide fan base — an overview of the songwriter/performer’s career, generating a different sound with European musicians. It’s an effective move similar to Gordon Haskell‘s reinvention on the Road to Harry’s Bar live DVD. Recorded in Germany the week that the Iraq War began in March of 2003, and originally titled Midnight Adventures by Hebb, the music sounds like an antidote to the troubling situation that was brewing just a few countries away. But that’s the positive attribute of the masterpiece that is “Sunny,” here in duet form with vocalist Astrid North, one of two duets tracked at the sessions (the second is available only on the CD single, with Pat Appleton singing in French). Producer Ladwig keeps a very controlled sound throughout the disc, his ingenuity coming from the song selection and his history as a Hebb fan. There’s a remake of the lost Philips single “Bound by Love,” one of the many follow-ups to the original “Sunny” (which stays close to the original), and a quite wonderful cover of the G. Love &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Special Sauce nugget
MOULTY & THE BARBARIANS
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jcfuxqugldje~T1
Victor Moulton, better-known in rock circles and to record collectors as the legendary Moulty of the Barbarians, is an enigmatic figure whose appearance on the Nuggets vinyl and CD compilations only added to his mystique. The Barbarians formed on Cape Cod, MA, in the early ’60s, were touted as America’s Rolling Stones, and with appearances on TV’s Shindig, as well as in the film The T.A.M.I. Show with the Stones, the Supremes, Lesley Gore, Chuck Berry, James Brown, and others, they could have been just that. Under the aegis of record producer/music executive Doug Morris, the band had a couple of songs to go along with their image and sound. After their 1965 release on Laurie, the album originally entitled The Barbarians (now on CD as Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?), along with the follow-up autobiographical hit “Moulty” (included on the CD re-releases of the album debut), the group switched to Mercury to record a still unreleased album and then disbanded. The single “Moulty” was essentially Moulton in New York with members of Bob Dylan‘s band the Hawks, and Doug Morris at the helm again. The song was written by Morris, Eliot Greenberg, Barbara Baer, and Robert Schwartz, and was released without the consent of the band, a fact that may have led to the defection to Mercury. The Nuggets compilation hinted that it may have been some of the musicians from Levon
Full biography here:
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=11:jcfuxqugldje%7ET1From THE BAND’s web site, information from the interview with Moulty conducted by Joseph Tortelli and Joe Viglione on Visual Radiohttp://theband.hiof.no/albums/are_you_a_boy_or_are_you_a_girl.htmlThe song “Moulty” from the 1966 Barbarians single “Moulty”/”I’ll Keep On Seeing You” (Laurie 3326) was added to the songs from the original LP on the CD re-release of this Barbarians album. In interviews with members of the Barbarians, they claim that the Hawks (minus the departed Levon Helm) played on the track “Moulty”. This has later been confirmed by the Barbarians’ one-handed drummer Victor “Moulty” Moulton, through his friend, artist and producer Joe Viglione (who in 1998 released the compilation Boston Rock and Roll Anthology #20 on his own label Varulven Records, with two previously unreleased tracks credited to Moulty & the Barbarians.)Here’s an excerpt from an interview Viglione did with Moulton for the July ’98 issue of Discoveries magazine:
Discoveries: Did the Band – then known as the Hawks – play on ‘Moulty’ as rumored in the liner notes to the Nuggets compilation? (Nuggets – Original Artifacts From The First Psychedelic Era (1965-1968), Elektra 7E-2006 1972, two LP set, includes ‘Moulty’.)Moulty: That’s more than just a rumor. A lot of the Hawks – the Bob Dylan band – backed me up on ‘Moulty.’ I stayed in New York with my manager and road manager to try the ‘Moulty’ thing. I sent the rest of the band back to Boston. We were just going to try this thing, so we brought in Dylan’s band, and we put it together. Just to try it. But it worked well, so they kept it. But as soon as the kids started yelling for ‘Moulty’ we had to learn the song.Discoveries: How many songs did the musicians from the Band play on?Moulty: Just ‘Moulty.’ They were great to work with. The harp player was an older gentlemen, a real professional. We had a great session. It went very smoothly because of Doug Morris. I did my thing, rearranged the words, did my talking, making it real. There’s a unique little story about ‘Moulty.’ When that song came out, the reaction we got was odd and unexpected. When we’d play that song, it would do something to a lot of these kids out there. We noticed kids by the droves would come up crying and broken down. Some of the words in the song hit them hard. They would come and say things to me: ‘I wouldn’t have made it through such-and-such a time if it wasn’t for that song.’ They would hug me and break down and cry. The words to the song are true. I didn’t make that up. All young people – all people – are hurting inside, and we have fears and hurts and things we try to overcome. Sometimes we try to cover them up, but they are there. A lot of people would tell me, ‘If it wasn’t for that song I wouldn’t have made it through my senior year,’ or ‘I would have committed suicide.’ They weren’t afraid to break down about it. So I understood it was a little more than a rock ‘n’ roll song for these kids. I hit these kids in the heart. And it still goes on today. I didn’t realize that would happen. I didn’t even want them to release the thing.Discoveries: Was your anger about ‘Moulty’ based on the fact that the Band played on it rather the Barbarians themselves?
Moulty: No. I made a deal with them that if I didn’t want it released, they wouldn’t release it. I said, ‘No.’ Then they released it behind my back. We were mad. But to our surprise, it charted.SEE ALSO MAD SESSION 2/22/05 (The sons of Moulty)
Wayne Wadhams biography
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=11:wzfpxqrgldke~T1
DING DONG THE WITCH IS BACK
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&amp;amp;amp;amp;sql=10:jzfpxqy5ldae
http://www.mp3.com/albums/30631/summary.html
In the mid-’60s, Wayne Wadhams performed in a band called the D-Men that evolved into the Fifth Estate. They went Top 15 in 1967 with a novelty remake of the Wizard of Oz tune “Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead!.” Their only hit on Jubilee Records is very misleading. This group should be as sought after as Moulty & the Barbarians. This is a very generous collection of demos: songs they wrote for the Righteous Brothers and Cilla Black, and covers of Buddy Holly‘s “It’s So Easy”” and John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom.” This album really goes across the ’60s spectrum, which makes it so fun and so unique. The rhythm tracks to “I Wanna Shout/Tomorrow Is My Turn” sound like the Ventures performing in your living room; the second portion of the song descends into a dirty “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”-type riff. With all the cult fascination for Roky Erickson and the Chocolate Watchband, it is amazing what the 64-plus minutes on this disc reveal, and even more amazing that this music isn’t as sought after as so many other bands from that era. A novelty hit, after all, hardly has the lustre of a Standells riff or ? & the Mysterians‘ organ passages. The unreleased 1966 single “How Can I Find the Way” sounds like Barbara Harris of the Toys. The liner notes on the back of the CD call this “A real first: the complete recorded output and memoirs of a group who recorded for four labels between 1964 and 1967.” The demo for their breakthrough hit, the cover from The Wizard of Oz (as well as the hit version) is here, and when you play that next to “Love Isn’t Tears Only,” their demo for the Righteous Brothers, the abilities of these New Englanders comes totally into focus.
full review here: http://www.mp3.com/albums/30631/summary.html
WAYNE WADHAMS BIO
See FIFTH ESTATE
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Wayne Wadhams, founding member of the ’60s pop group the Fifth Estate, was born on November 12, 1946, in Stamford, CT. He attended Stamford public schools and later Dartmouth College, graduating in June of 1969. Originally class of 1968, Wadhams took off a year plus to tour with the Fifth Estate after “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” was a hit in mid-1967.At age nine, he lit on fire to become a theatrical pipe-organist, inspired by the million-selling LP George Wright at the Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ on the HiFi label. Wadhams’ parents bought him a piano in 1956, then a large Conn electronic organ in 1957. Taking lessons, he began appearing as a “child prodigy” at Hammond Organ Society meetings. He played for silent movies at the New Haven Paramount theater, which had a small Wurlitzer with all the bells and whistles; then concertized on larger pipe organs in Philly, Hartford, and finally once in 1959 at Radio City Music Hall, on their huge four-manual Wurlitzer still used daily before feature film presentations. At age 13, Wadhams was approached by managers, but his parents, fearful that he would miss out on a solid Eisenhower science education and a respectable career, said no more organizing. He was crushed and gave up music until his last term at Rippowam High School, when the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, a pivotal moment in his career.Wadhams was enamored of early rock from the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly through Little Richard and R&amp;amp;amp;amp;B on the Motown and Stax labels. He adapted their songs to lively piano and organ arrangements, sneaking out of classes at Rippowam to play the school’s electronic church-style organ in the auditorium.Hooked on the Beatles, Wadhams advertised for musicians to start a group and found Rick Engler, an avid surf music fanatic and soon lead guitarist, working at a nearby Dairy Queen ice cream shop. Doug Ferrara, who re-strung his Strat with bass strings, unable to afford a real bass, was second guitaring to Engler in his basement. Lyricist Don Askew and Wadhams were already writing what would now be called “Shakespearean rap tunes” during classes at Rippowam: “Oh, Baby, you exceed the norm/You’re the glass of fashion and the mold of form.” Wadhams told the All Media Guide a bit about this period: “Don Askew and Bill Shute were among the beat poets of the scene, Bill also playing guitar and mandolin in a folk/bluegrass band whose motto, according to their card, was ‘just a-pickin’ and a-grinnin.’ Ken Evans, jazz drummer, answered one of the ads, showing up at our rehearsal space [Wadhams’ parent’s basement] in a double-breasted black ‘n white checked suit — with beret — like a Hollywood gangster with his moll [actually his ex-wife Shelly] clad in sleek black leather, dangling from his arm.” Wadhams told AMG, “our first gig was outdoors at the Ezio Pinza Theater, Stamford, Connecticut.”The Fifth Estate hit in April of 1967 with a cover of “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” adapted from the soundtrack to the film The Wizard of Oz. Released on Jubilee Records, it was translated into German, French, Japanese, and Italian along with the original English. The band was an important ’60s group with more songwriting depth than a novelty hit might indicate. A compilation of their music, Ding Dong the Witch Is Back!, provides evidence of their fun spirit and keen sense of utilizing the pop/rock format to express themselves in an entertaining way.Full biography here:http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wzfpxqrgldke%7ET1EDEN’S CHILDREN 1968
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Despite production by Bob Thiele, Frank Kofsky‘s horrifying liner notes comparing Eden’s Children to Jimi Hendrix and Cream are the only thing worse than this music. It’s a weak album, for sure, regardless of Kofsky‘s proclamation that Richard Schamach is a better vocalist than Jack Bruce. He isn’t, nor can this Boston band reach the heights of Blue Cheer, never mind Mountain. “Goodbye Girl” is one of the better tracks, resembling very bad Bachman Turner Overdrive. The modulation makes it painfully clear how weak a singer “Sham,” as ABC wanted the non-existent fans to call Richard Schamach, really was. There’s no need for songs like “If She’s Right” with half-baked fuzz guitar, no groove, and drummer Jimmy Sturman all over the map. Emerging from a world where the Beacon Street Union, the Remains, Listening, and the Lost were making musical waves, these poor souls are way out of that league. To be hyped as better than Cream no doubt created expectations this trio could never live up to. “I Wonder Why” is no “White Room,” and “Stone Fox” is a total embarrassment
SURE LOOKS REAL Eden’s Children
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Bob Thiele is back producing, this time with Jonathan Whitcup helping out, and the genius photography of Elliot Landy, Bob Dylan‘s cameraman. It is amazing how much more style the band has with Landy‘s photos — stunning on the inside gatefold, buried inside an apple by photographer Norman Trigg on the front cover. The band had no image on their first ABC disc, and the rotten apple being eaten by a fly on the back of the LP pretty much sinks it for the band visually. “Sure Looks Real” and “Awakening,” the first and fifth tracks, actually are listenable. “Sure Looks Real” borrows heavily from the Byrds‘ “Eight Miles High” with vocals taken from the Who‘s “I Can See for Miles.” Richard Schamach‘s vocals are as subdued as the Don Heckman liner notes on this second chapter, but they fall apart, as does the band, on “Toasted,” “Spirit Call,” and “Come When I Call.” It feels like there was no budget here and some of the songs get a better shake than others. Shamach writes nine tracks, bassist Larry Kiley pens two, but it doesn’t matter. “The Clock’s Imagination” is no Strawberry Alarm Clock, the vocals, drums, and barely audible folk guitar are augmented by poor backing vocals. Not only does this sound rushed, some of the material wouldn’t be worthy of inclusion on a soundtrack to filmmaker Ed Wood’s shoddy work. Even bands from the day like Fat and Quill had some merit and spark which Eden’s Children failed to find and embrace. There is no identity in the framework of “Things Go Wrong” and terrible fuzz guitar in the Larry Kiely composition “Wings,” which takes “I Don’t Need No Doctor” and decimates that famous riff, though it is hard to imagine this crew actually listening to blues artists. “Call It Design” has even less imagination. There are moments on Sure Looks Real which indicate better production, and a level of seriousness absent from this mess would have generated a better product. “Invitation” could work in the hands of a Quicksilver Messenger Service because they had direction and desire. “Echoes” has the vibe of a demo done in some basement. Richard Schamach‘s voice destroys a pretty melody and creative guitar playing. A notch above the first album, but the notion that they could have done worse than their self-titled debut is a frightening thought. The music on this record and its predecessor would haunt Boston rock & roll for many years to come, despite the efforts of Aerosmith, Boston, the Cars, the Jonzun Crew, New Edition, Tracy Chapman, and other artists who found fame during the time they played in Boston, MA.
LISTENING 1968
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Michael Tschudin led the Boston-based band Listening, but it is the contributions by former Velvet Underground bassist Walter Powers and guitarist Peter Malick which make this album historic. Powers performed over the years with keyboardist Willie Alexander as members of Capitol Recording Artist the Lost, the aforementioned Velvets, and on Autre Chose, a live album from Alexander released on New Rose in Paris. Peter Malick is best known for being Otis Spann‘s guitarist and a member of the James Montgomery Band on Capricorn. Their legendary status in Boston rock &amp;amp;amp;amp; roll history brings positive notoriety to the fine music on this Vanguard release. “So Happy” is the poppiest tune, a cross between the Monkees and the Mojo Men, which is quite misleading. The album runs the gamut from pop to blues to jazz. “Baby Where Are You” is some strange fusion of Motown and the Spencer Davis Group which then veers off in a frenzy of effects and musical jam. Eight of the 11 tracks are written by keyboard/vocalist Michael Tschudin, with three titles attributed to the group. “See You Again,” one of the group efforts, is another jam with riffs the Who would greatly appreciate. Phish‘s success validates how ahead of its time Listening truly was. There is certainly an identity here as Tschudin takes the boys through all sorts of styles inside the tune “Laugh at the Stars.” Elements of Jimi Hendrix, the Band, and the Vanilla Fudge swirl around in the pretty decent production by Michael Chechik. Where peer group the Peanut Butter Conspiracy sound forced, Listening is right on target. There’s just no hit single here that could launch these gentlemen from the trap known as “The Bosstown Sound.” “9/8 Song” is definite jazz, kind of like latter-day Rascals, and we know how good that was, and how far it didn’t go. “Stoned Is” sounds like the Velvet Underground performing “Chest Fever” by way of Lou Reed‘s “New York Stars” from Sally Can’t Dance. It would fit perfectly on the ’60s film soundtrack Psych-Out. Listening has punch and creativity which deserved a better fate.
Beacon Street Union THE EYES OF THE BEACON STREET UNION 1968
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The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union is a highly experimental album released around the time of the Bosstown sound. Much better than first albums from Eden’s Children and Ultimate Spinach, the disc, however, lacks direction — and cohesion. Vocalist John Lincoln Wright has the same look that he sports 23 years later on his 1991 Honky Tonk Verite CD, including his trademark cowboy hat, but the similarities between these two albums stop there. The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union is garage rock and psychedelia, and it is a trip. Where Orpheus opted for the serious pop of “Can’t Find the Time,” producer Wes Farrell includes a recitation by the late Tom Wilson, producer of The Velvet Underground & Nico, acting very avant-garde: “Look into the gray/look past the living streets of Boston/look finally into the eyes of Beacon Street Union.” Well, Wilson did a decent job with the V.U., but he’s no Crazy World of Arthur Brown screaming the immortal line “I am the god of hellfire.” The band immediately dips into “My Love Is.” resplendent in Robert Rhodes‘ (aka music attorney Robert Rosenblatt) best ? &amp;amp;amp;amp; the Mysterians keyboard sound, very cool ’60s backing vocals, and guitars that are straight from the Psych Out film soundtrack. In fact, this song would have fit perfectly on that album along with the Seeds and Strawberry Alarm Clock. Had Wes Farrell kept the band on this track, the album might have more collectability. “Beautiful Delilah” is too novel to keep the momentum going, and “Sportin’ Life” is lounge blues. Side two fares a bit better; “Speed Kills” and “Blue Avenue” are classic ’60s psychedelia, a far cry from John Lincoln Wright‘s Sour Mash Boys, and amazing that it is the legendary Massachusetts country artist singing. “South End Incident” refers to the South End of Boston, which has become quite trendy, but in the day Jonathan Richman, Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground, and George Thorogood would play that part of town — on the same bill! The music to the song might be an old blues riff, but the body of the work is “Heartbreaker” by Grand Funk Railroad, and one wonders if Mark Farner had this album and perhaps nicked this vamp a few years later? The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union slightly misses the mark, but must be commended for its original approach to this genre. The album cover looks like some history textbook that mistakenly got pressed by Mad Magazine. A mushroom next to an atomic bomb’s mushroom cloud ought to tell you enough about MGM’s packaging. A hit single and less cluttered album cover is what these musicians deserved, but what they have is, next to the album Listening by the band of the same name and the hit single from Orpheus, the best work from the Bosstown sound.
THE CLOWN DIED IN MARVIN GARDENS 1968 BEACON STREET UNION
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The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens is an original statement by a Boston group who was musically superior to Eden’s Children and Ultimate Spinach, but not as focused as the Remains, the Hallucinations with Peter Wolf, or the emerging J. Geils Band. Where national groups like the Peanut Butter Conspiracy may have been misguided and sputtered with no direction, vocalist John Lincoln Wright developed into a first-rate songwriter and a country singer with a purpose. Hearing his work on highly experimental tunes, like the title track or the impressionistic “May I Light Your Cigarette?,” is true culture shock. “The Clown’s Overture” seems pointless, yet “Angus of Aberdeen” is inspired and a bright spot in the morass that was the Bosstown Sound. The rave-up version of “Blue Suede Shoes” is great, the guitar funneled through effects and brimming with excitement. Full review link above.
John Lincoln Wright HONKY TONK VERITE’
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THE REMAINS SPOONFED
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In 1978 legendary Boston area music executive Bruce Patch re-released the even more legendary 1966 Epic album by the Remains on his Spoonfed Records label, augmenting the ten stereo songs from the original LP with four additional mono tracks. With the grooves cut into delicious red vinyl à la the first pressings of the Bloodshot album by the J. Geils Band, this 1978 limited edition is almost as much of a collectors’ item as the band’s Epic debut. For the fans who played that debut into the ground, the addition of “Heart,” “Don’t Look Back,” “Thank You,” and “Say You’re Sorry” expands the experience, something that would happen again seven years later when New Rose Records’ Fan Club subsidiary added even more cuts per side. Jon Landau writes a paragraph of liner notes on the back calling the group “the most exciting American band of their time.” This reissue was produced by Jeffrey Jennings, mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, and released at the time Patch was moving the Spoonfed label operation from Boston to Malibu, CA. “Once Before” sounds as lovely and British Invasion as ever, while Billy Sherrill‘s 1965 Nashville production of “Time of Day” features that great separation of tambourine and fuzz tone. Billy Briggs‘ keys add just enough spice to confirm that all the reverence for the group is justified. An October 3, 1978, article in the Boston Phoenix by James Isaacs documents a meeting with Patch and Barry Tashian during the promotion of this release, at which time the singer commented, “I haven’t heard that in 12 years” (regarding the unreleased tracks). Though all this music has resurfaced on compact disc, this special edition is worth seeking out.
THE REMAINS FAN CLUB
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Released in 1985 on the Fan Club division of the French New Rose record label, this double disc is packaged in bright yellow with a gatefold and superb liner notes/memories by J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf along with additional information by Remains bassist Vern Miller. With a whopping 28 tracks, it is seven cuts deeper than the 1991 Epic/Legacy re-release, at least five of those bonus tracks from the Capitol Records demos included here, material released on Sundazed in 1996 as Session With the Remains. The inner sleeve contains songwriter credits as well as the year, studio, and city where each tune was recorded as well as information on who produced each track. It is really exquisite, and sounds great to boot. The eternal debate from those who saw the band in their heyday opening for the Beatles in 1966 is “what if they had been recorded properly.” William Briggs III said that he felt the Session With the Remains CD did capture that spirit. “Talking ‘Bout You” certainly has a groove, while “Hang On Sloopy” is one of those fly-on-the-wall kind of moments, the band displaying much more of that garage aura than is revealed on the cut from the classic Nuggets compilation, “Don’t Look Back,” though that track helped perpetuate their legend. Peter Wolf‘s 1985 letter on the back cover giving the band credit for “power and control” of amplification, comparing them to the Who, is worth the price of admission. Wolf should know; Barry Tashian lived in the same apartment complex and was present when the former Peter Blankfield recorded the famous “bathroom tapes” of his own band, the Hallucinations. The essay by Vern Miller Jr. sheds even more light on the group history, noting that one of the songs here, Gram Parsons‘ “Luxury Liner,” was recorded in Long Island during a brief 1976 reunion. For collectors of vinyl and hardcore fans of the band, of which there are many, this one is essential.
MOVIN’ ON 2002 BARRY AND THE REMAINS
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As authentic a dozen tunes any fan of the Remains could hope for find a niche in the digital grooves of Movin’ On, Barry Tashian‘s distinctive voice picking up where he left off on the group’s last full album, which was, ah…1966? Almost 40 years in between releases sure beats the two years it took Sly Stone to get a new disc out during his heyday! But it’s worth the wait as Vern Miller, Bill Briggs, Chip Damiani, and Tashian deliver the goods. “You Never Told Me” and “Over You” could easily slip into the Eagles‘ repertoire, which is the dilemma for hardcore Remains fans who always wanted their heroes to sustain that launch that culminated in a tour with the Beatles and Bobby Hebb. And God knows the Eagles needed some real competition. “A Man’s Best Friend Is His Automobile” showed up on Barry &amp;amp;amp;amp; Holly Tashian‘s 2002 release At Home and gets the Remains treatment here. Holly Tashian contributes backing vocals to the album, the group also augmented by Daniel Tashian on vocals, percussion, and B-3 as well as Angelo on backing vocals, percussion, and a co-write on “Don’t Tell Me the Truth.” Speaking of which, for those who loved “Don’t Look Back,” the 45 rpm that ended up on the original Nuggets before getting tagged onto the first Remains disc, opening track “Don’t Tell Me the Truth” will satisfy their needs. “Listen to Me” is lots of fun as is the album closer, “Time Keeps Movin’ On,” resplendent in sounds toward the end of the tune that would make Lothar & the Hand People proud, but the standout and potential hit is “Hard to Find (So Easy to Lose).” “The Power of Love” and “Ramona” both add to the legend, but it’s “Hard to Love” that could open up this band to a larger and well-deserved audience. As the Zombies tour, sometimes with Pete Best‘s collection of early Beatles music, the addition of Barry & the Remains would make a potent trio of artists from an era whose popularity will remain perpetual. TheRemains.com is how to find this music if you can’t locate it in the usual places.
BARRY AND HOLLY TASHIAN AT HOME 2002
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Barry Tashian and Holly Tashian look as happy on the front cover of At Home as they sound on this vibrant folk/country album from the veteran couple. The six-page CD insert has notations on each of the 12 selections as well as an interesting essay on how the music was “recorded live with no ‘fixes in the mixes.'” The album’s simple quality makes it very appealing, from Felice Bryant‘s “We Could,” which opens the disc like a girl-and-guy version of the Everly Brothers, to a very interesting “A Man’s Best Friend Is His Automobile.” This is Barry giving the world a preview of a song also recorded for the Remains‘ reunion album, scheduled for later in 2002. Holly only co-writes two of the five originals with her husband, who has a different collaborator on each of his compositions. Holly Tashian calls their “These Little Things” the first shuffle they’ve written, though the couple has played them for years. Her “One More Me (The Cloning Song)” is an interesting take on “Dolly the cloned sheep,” about a housewife who could use some extra help around the house. And who better but a carbon copy of herself? Imagine the possibilities — this duo could duplicate themselves and be a country/folk version of the Mamas &amp;amp;amp;amp; the Papas. Barry Tashian draws from three different arrangements of two traditional tunes, and he blends “Whiskey Before Breakfast”/”Beaumont Rag” together, the CD’s only instrumentals, both tunes “around for at least a century.” Buck Owens‘ “There Goes My Love” has that Everly Brothers feel again, with the couple’s great harmonies and smooth playing. Merle Kilgore‘s “More and More” follows suit, another poppy blues song, as is Barry‘s “The Sound of Your Name.” They cover Connie Francis‘ “My Happiness,” a song from 1933 which charted for half a dozen artists over the years, and the performance is indicative of the album as a whole — warm and enjoyable. Holly sings a version of “My Window Faces the South,” which she’s performed for 25 years but not recorded until now. “Watermelon Time in Georgia” closes the disc, and Barry‘s comments under the song are historically vital. When the guitarist was performing with Emmylou Harris in the ’80s, Merle Haggard sang to them for about two hours at an Indianapolis Holiday Inn. That’s how this Harlan Howard song made it to this CD. At Home is a wonderful document of two important artists being themselves and putting their storytelling on record in a very comfortable setting.
UP UP AND AWAY ARTHUR FIEDLER &amp;amp;amp;amp; THE BOSTON POPS 1968
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Conductor Arthur Fiedler is a revered name in New England music history and his Boston Pops run through gorgeous Richard Hayman arrangements of familiar favorites on Up, Up and Away. A dramatic rendition of 1967 ‘s “Best Song” from the pen of Jimmy Webb starts off the LP, adding sound colors as the 5th Dimension production did, only without the vocals and different instrumentation, of course. Producer Peter Dellheim gives six paragraphs of insight in his liner notes, identifying that he picked up on the Minuet from J.S. Bach‘s Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook after hearing Diana Ross &amp;amp;amp;amp; the Supremes‘ version of the tune “A Lover’s Concerto.” The amusing thing is that the Toys were emulating the Supremes‘ sound, and the Diana Ross version the Boston Pops got its idea from was a tribute to the tribute. When Ferrante & Teicher recorded the song on their Getting Together album, they called their arrangement “A Familiar Concerto,” denying Toys producers Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell the royalties for the updated composition. Arthur Fiedler & the Boston Pops sprinkle their magic on Paul Mauriat‘s hit “Love Is Blue,” along with “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago — better known as Ray Conniff‘s Top Ten hit from 1966, “Somewhere My Love.” André Previn‘s (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls is just perfect for this ensemble, majestic movements that bring out the sadness and despair of the Dionne Warwick classic. “Cabaret” is a fun romp through the campy hit, while the Beatles‘ “Yesterday” and “Michelle” melt into the beautiful fabric as easily as the theme from Georgy Girl. Up, Up and Away is the perfection one expects from the Boston Pops, capturing some of the highlights with which 1968’s easy listening community was in tune. The amusing cover photo features an airplane on a runway with Fiedler surrounded by eight beautiful women.
Reviews on E Music.com 1/07/05
Rick Berlin
http://www.emusic.com/album/10816/10816492.htmlPousette Dart Never Enough
http://www.emusic.com/album/10788/10788101.htmlPOUSETTE DART BAND 3
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Out of the four albums released by the Pousette-Dart Band on Capitol, 3 may be the most satisfying. The only song that received as much attention as “Amnesia,” the title track and minor hit off of their second album, or “For Love,” the David Finnerty of the Road Apples tune from their fourth disc, was the cover of the Lieber/Stoller/Ben E. King 1961 hit “Stand By Me.” It is a good version, and the songs on side one are the usual fare from Jon Pousette-Dart‘s group, top notch country/rock. But it is side two that really is extraordinary. “Louisiana,” “Too Blue to Be True,” and “Mr. Saturday Night” work almost as a trilogy. They are deep, dark, and not as bouncy as Don Covay‘s “I Stayed Away Too Long” on side one. The beautiful, acoustic “Where Are You Going,” which ends this half of the program, sets up the second side nicely, and lends for a seamless flow if listening on compact disc. Pousette-Dart‘s voice is flawless, as is his playing on “Where Are You Going,” which ends suspended in mid-air. As with that tune, all the songs on the second side are written by Jon Pousette-Dart, and along with the sterling performance, this is his best songwriting of these releases on Capitol. “Louisiana” has tension, eerie production, immaculate instrumentation, and just a great vocal walking next to the guitars. While the Eagles and Hall &amp;amp;amp;amp; Oates were enjoying success at this point in time, along with the resurgence of Crosby, Stills &amp;amp;amp;amp; Nash, Pousette-Dart Band’s mellow Buffalo Springfield style on this album really should have garnered a huge audience. “Too Blue to Be True” brings it up a bit, the band cooking with excitement and power. That power continues in the semi-funk of “Mr. Saturday Night,” three powerful statements by this important artist that somehow got lost in the shuffle of the music industry. Jon Pousette-Dart‘s appearance at the Paradise Theater in Boston at the end of 2000 with Jon Hall of Orleans and Jonathan Edwards of Orphan was their first appearance live together as a trio, having previously only recorded “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” the War tune for Rounder. That performance magnified what one of those performers put in these grooves. “Lord’s Song” starts to conclude the album in the same fashion as side one, Pousette-Dart‘s voice and acoustic guitar combined with his plaintive expression, this time the band in the background solidified by co-producer Dave Appell‘s strings swelling, rising up before the group kicks in with precision. An album that truly deserves a better fate than obscurity.
NEVER ENOUGH POUSETTE DART BAND
(the same tune as Robin Lane’s WHEN THINGS GO WRONG)
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The title track of the fourth album from Jon Pousette-Dart‘s band is actually a cover of Robin Lane & the Chartbusters‘ “When Things Go Wrong,” reetitled “Never Enough,” but more than that, it’s a reworking with different lyrics. Lane‘s 3-song EP on manager Mike Lembo‘s Deli Platter Records was a phenomenon in the New England region in the late ’70s. This song was also the title track of her 1980 Warner Bros. debut recorded by Helen Reddy producer Joe Wissert. Pousette-Dart Band’s version reunites them with Norbert Putnam, who oversaw their first two Capitol discs. It is an extraordinary glimpse at how a great melody failed to make the Top 40, recorded differently by two important artists, who themselves failed to make the national Top 40 with any of their discs. Like their contemporary Andy Pratt, these performers contributed much to music and got little in return. The second track, “Silver Stars,” is a wonderful instrumental by guitarist John Curtis, but the album’s highlight is “For Love,” a tune by David Finnerty, leader of Atlantic’s the Joneses, who actually did hit the Top 40 in 1975 with a band called the Road Apples and their tune “Let’s Live Together.” Finnerty‘s “For Love,” as performed by Jon Pousette-Dart, is so commercially viable for this point in time that it is a sin it got only minor airplay. It is as substantial as Orleans or Firefall, more creative and dynamic than what the Eagles were doing in the same format. The first and only Jon Pousette-Dart title on side one is “Cold Outside,” which brings horns into the mix; it, and bassist John Troy‘s arrangement of the traditional “Hallelujah I’m A Bum,” are country funkish numbers — adequate, but not as strong as the first three tracks. Pousette-Dart’s co-write “Long Legs” opens side two, but that honor should have gone to “The Loving One,” a lilting pop tune by Pousette-Dart, with his gifted voice gliding over the keys and percussion. Marc Aramian‘s composition, “We Never Give Up,” thankfully continues the tradition of pop that Pousette-Dart is so comfortable with. The band has a knack for adding polish to these strong hooks, more evidence that this fourth album was a real contender. With management by New England’s legendary promoter Don Law, son of record producer Don Law, Sr., the group had the connections and the talent to really make their mark. “Cheated” is another poppy tune by the band leader, leaning a bit more toward the country side of the group that was their foundation, something they significantly embellished with funk and pop. That is most evident in the John Curtis original “Gotta Get Far Away,” which ends the album. Jon Pousette-Dart performed at the Paradise Theater in Boston towards the end of 2000 with Jon Hall of Orleans and Jonathan Edwards of the group Orphan. It was their first appearance ever as a trio live — promoting their cover of War‘s “Why Can’t We Be Friends” released on Rounder Records that year. The performance highlighted how important the music on this album is, and that Jon Pousette-Dart is viable a couple of decades after creating this and the three other releases on Capitol.
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Orphan was the creation of songwriter/singer Eric Lilljequist (born January 1, 1948) who grew up in Massachusetts’ Brockton/Avon area, the ensemble emerging in the mid-’60s, a time when few bands in the region performed their own material. Originally calling the group Orphans, they dropped the plural during the first wave of musicians who worked with Lilljequist on his music. Managed by Ed Mottau, a guitarist who worked with John Lennon prior to the Elephant’s Memory, Mottau was in turn managed by Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary. There were always famous names coming through Mottau‘s house in Avon, and Eric Lilljequist got to meet them. Local entrepreneur Peter Casperson, instrumental in the careers of the Fools, Duke & the Drivers, and other Boston-area entertainers, picked up Orphan, and they went from playing high schools and armories to landing more prestigious club dates as well as a recording contract with Epic Records.In the late ’60s, while Lilljequist was taking vocal lessons from legendary voice teacher Dante Bavone, the man who worked with Faye Dunaway, Peter Wolf, Steven Tyler and so many others, Lilljequist met his musical partner, guitarist/vocalist Dean Adrien, at the suggestion of Bavone. The group spent an autumn recording nine singles for Epic Records; the CBS building in New York providing a great atmosphere and learning environment for the young artists. The two co-heads of Epic A&R, Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, performed production duties for Orphan as they had for Barbara Harris and the Toys. Linzer and Randell fostered cover versions of Orphan material; the Bandwagon and the Four Seasons doing renditions of this new sound; Frankie Valli singing on Eric Lilljequist‘s song “He Gives Me Light.”After their stint at Epic and hoping for another deal, the band began recording on spec at Intermedia Studios in Boston where their friend Jonathan Edwards tracked his hit “Sunshine.” They got offers and auditions with surprisingly more notice from Columbia, garnering interest from Clive Davis after leaving Epic. The offer from London Records allowed for more creative freedom so they signed a four-album deal with that label, tracking three albums starting with 1972’s Everyone Lives to Sing, followed by 1973’s Rock & Reflection.During this time, they were performing on record and sometimes live with Jonathan Edwards, and he often with Orphan, the two acts actually living in a big house in the Boston area for awhile. Four Eric Lilljequist compositions showed up on Edwards‘ 1973 Atco release Have a Good Time for Me, the title taken from the song “Have Yourself a Good Time for Me” which also appeared on Orphan’s final London release, More Orphan Than Not. Lilljequist played on Edwards‘ first three Atco albums with the entire Orphan band backing him in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, on March 22 and 23 of 1974 for the Lucky Day LP. It’s a fine document of Orphan live working with their folk star friend.Orphan played on many bills with the Castle Music stable of artists, Martin Mull, the McKinney Brothers, Travis Shook & the Club Wow, and, of course, Jonathan Edwards. They played all over the country, opening for the Allman Brothers Band, the Byrds, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Hot Tuna, and Jessie Colin Young, even recording at Young‘s house. Orphan backed up Chuck Berry at the Cape Cod Coliseum and Lilljequist and Adrien performed with Bo Diddley at Symphony Hall. One special night was at a party for John Lennon in New York’s Tavern on the Greens off of Central Park at the time of Lennon‘s One to One concert. The Beatle arrived at his party while Orphan was performing on-stage.Dean Adrien and Eric Lilljequist appear on Tom Rush, Live at Symphony Hall, Boston, released in 2001 on Varese Sarabande, and have performed over the years in a trio with Rush. Lilljequist‘s music has been recorded by acts as diverse as the Four Freshmen and Bruce MacPherson, the band’s presence an important element of the Boston rock & roll scene during the late ’60s. The entire summer of 1967, the band performed at the Atlantic House in Provincetown, the group performing in one room while the likes of Odetta, John Lee Hooker, and Nina Simone appeared on the larger stage. It was no doubt a magical summer, as Moulty & the Barbarians and the Velvet Underground were also making noise on Cape Cod, the Barbarians sometimes sharing bills with Orphan.
ORPHAN EVERYONE LIVES TO SING 1972
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Somehow lost in the shuffle of Boston music are the albums by Orphan. Overshadowed by the cult status of Jonathan Richman &amp;amp;amp; the Modern Lovers, or the ever present Willie Loco Alexander, the songs of Eric Lilliequist may be best represented on this recording. Produced by Peter Casperson at the legendary Intermedia Sound on Boylston Street in Boston, the dark green cover with Dean Adrien — who provides percussion and vocals, and Lilliequist, as well as the mysterious back photo, are welcome fragments of New England folk/rock from the early ’70s. While bandmate Jonathan Edwards was topping the local and national charts in December of 1971 with “Sunshine” on Capricorn Records, he showed up here with a vocal on “Look at Her,” interpreting a Lilliequist original with a hint of Aztec Two-Step. Especially on the title track, and a very Jonathan Edwards-ish “Fisherman,” Lilliequist and Orphan created an intriguing blend of light pop which, in retrospect, should’ve been as big as Orleans, Firefall, and the bands that had tunes and lyrics but not the bevy of hits America garnered. “Daylight Darkness” is like an answer to Jesse Colin Young and the Youngbloods. These 1971 tunes released in 1972 are the best picture of the work of Eric Lilliequist. If Jonathan Edwards gets a much deserved boxed set, perhaps the world will have a chance to discover Orphan and the important work they did in the early ’70s
MORE ORPHAN THAN NOT 1974
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Caught in that netherworld after the Bosstown sound was forced upon everyone, and two years before the new wave would usher Willie Alexander, the Fools, the Rings, Robin Lane and the Chartbusters, and other Boston groups to national attention, only a handful of bands kept Boston on the map. Along with Aerosmith, the Sidewinders, and the Modern Lovers was Orphan. Recorded at Intermedia Sound (a studio that would be purchased by the Cars and renamed Syncro Sound, and where Aerosmith tracked their first album), the album has the distinction of being taped where Jonathan Edwards created his 1971 Top Five hit “Sunshine.” Edwards‘ presence on this album, playing acoustic guitar, harmonica, and providing backup vocals, makes it important historically. Sadly, there is only one original from Jonathan E. Edwards, the tune “Train of Glory.” It is one of the highlights of the disc, along with a very Quicksilver Messenger Service-style rendition of Van Morrison‘s “I’ve Been Working,” a truly unique “What Goes On” — cover of the Beatles, not the Velvet Underground, although Orphan could have done as nice a job with the VU‘s composition as they did with this Lennon/McCartney/Starkey tune — and a couple of really fine Eric Lilljequist songs, “Don’t Go Fooling Me” and “Have Yourself a Good Time for Me.” The group should’ve hit big time on the country charts with “Have Yourself a Good Time,” its Byrds/Flying Burrito Brothers style evident. Perhaps it is the multidimensional focus which kept the band from the success that Edwards enjoyed with “Sunshine.” Certainly ahead of their time, the Van Morrison cover bridges the gap from pop to rock to jam. Artists as diverse as Charlie Daniels and Phish have been able to ride the “jam/groove” wave, and Orphan would have fit in perfectly. Jonathan Edwards teamed up with Jon Hall of Orleans and Jon Pousette-Dart in 2000. They have released one song on Rounder, a cover of War‘s “Why Can’t We Be Friends,” which sounds like a very commercial extension of what was going on with Orphan 16 years prior. Seven of the 11 songs were written by Lilljequist, with “Overtime” the sole contribution by guitarist Dean Adrien. Any band that can boast the late Bobby Chouinard (of Duke &amp;amp;amp;amp; the Drivers, Billy Squier, and Alice Cooper fame) as their drummer deserves to be in the history books. The record was produced by Peter Casperson and Eric Lilljequist, Casperson being one of the men behind Castle Music, a management company that made some noise in the area. Orphan is a chillingly prophetic name for a band who delivered solid music but never achieved the recognition they deserved.
KATE TAYLOR SISTER KATE
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This classic recording by the sibling of Livingston and James Taylor offers valuable insight for fans of Carole King‘s landmark album, Tapestry, but Sister Kate is also a great work in its own right. Peter Asher of Peter &amp;amp;amp;amp; Gordon was the guiding hand behind James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, and to have his vision of Carole King‘s “Where You Lead” and “Home Again” from Tapestry with the musicians who helped King paint her masterpiece is a major treat. Lou Adler‘s perspective on these tunes was what helped reshape music in the ’70s, and to have another successful producer issuing the same music at the exact moment in time is essential study for Musicology 101. “Where You Lead” has a totally different flavor from both King‘s classic album track and Barbara Streisand‘s hit. Vocally, she’s not Chi Coltrane or Jessi Colter, but Kate Taylor is very musical just the same. It’s interesting that she would do versions of two songs Rod Stewart covered. Stewart got some serious airplay with “Handbags and Gladrags,” but he didn’t have Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Merry Clayton, and most of the Tapestry players on his version of the Mike D’Abo tune — Kate Taylor gets that honor. She also does a fine rendition of the Elton John/Bernie Taupin track which Stewart got FM album airplay with, “Country Comforts,” and takes it a step further by covering “Ballad of a Well Known Gun” from the John/Taupin catalog as well. Beverly Martyn‘s “Sweet Honesty” plays like Donovan‘s “Season of the Witch,” and it works well for this place in time, but the real knockout tunes here are, coincidentally, Taylor’s rendition of Livingston Taylor‘s “Be That Way,” and her takes on James Taylor‘s “Lo and Behold” and “You Can Close Your Eyes.” These three go right out of the park, so you can draw your own conclusions as to how well-schooled she was on the music being made by her brothers. The addition of “Jesus Is Just All Right” somewhat mars “Lo and Behold”; the two form a medley, with “Lo and Behold’s chorus pressing up against the “Jesus Is Just All Right” melody, but once again, the choice of what would become a ’70s standard for the Doobie Brothers two years later shows the intuitive nature of this project. Mort Shuman and Jerry Ragavoy got attention the year before when Janis Joplin‘s Pearl contained her dynamic version of their “Get It While You Can.” Kate Taylor is better suited to their “Look at Granny Run, Run,” and she does a fine job with it here. This is the album that got away, and all serious fans of pop, ’70s rock, and good music in general owe it to themselves to seek Sister Kate out. It’s a very impressive work of art.
ALEX TAYLOR 1971 WITH FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
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1971 was the year of “Taylor Mania” with Mud Slide Slim & The Blue Horizon by James Taylor, Sister Kate‘s album on Cotillion, and the equally brilliant Liv by Livingston Taylor, on Warner Brothers. Alex Taylor’s With Friends And Neighbors is a very good album, enjoying the glow of his sibling’s excellent work, and emulating them on the first side. It’s more pop than one would think, which all changes when you flip the disc over to hear the bluesy jams like on Greg Allman‘s “Southbound” on side two. Acoustic guitarist’s Scott Boyer‘s “Southern Kids” is up there with some of James Taylor‘s finest work and with a plethora of guests from King Curtis to Sweet Baby James himself on “Night Owl,” With Friends and Neighbors stands on its own as a very listenable and entertaining project. There’s not one original by Alex, but he does allow his musicians to contribute, lead guitarist Tommy Talton penning “All In Line” while Boyer gets to include a second composition, “C Song” which ends side one. Bobby And Shirley Womack‘s “It’s All Over Now” gets a fun reading, not as classic as The Rolling Stones or Rod Stewart And The Faces, this one is slowed down and funky but has its charm, and utilizes the same band as on brother Livingston Taylor‘s Liv album — Bill Stewart on drums, Tommy Talton on lead guitar, Paul Hornsby on keyboards, Johnny Sandlin providing bass as well as producing the entire disc(Jon Landau was the producer on Liv). With the addition of acoustic guitarist Scott Boyer and Alex Taylor on vocals, With Friends And Neighbors is the bookend album to Liv that Sister Kate is to Carole King‘s Tapestry — Kate Taylor having employed the musicians (and a couple of the songs) from King‘s classic 70s release. What the world needs is a Taylor Family Boxed set with all the work from Liv, Sister Kate, With Friends And Neighbors and any other material from the sessions that gave birth to this trio of exquisite recordings. It doesn’t have the highs of a “Get Out Of Bed” which Livingston Taylor gave us, but it is consistent and highly enjoyable nevertheless.
LIVINGSTON TAYLOR 1970
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It would be difficult not to compare Livingston Taylor’s self-titled 1970 debut to his brother’s second solo release, Sweet Baby James, as the latter certainly brought attention to the former, but the Jon Landau-produced disc crafted in Macon, GA, is a world unto itself. Ten originals by Taylor along with one cover, the Earl Greene and Carl Montgomery country standard “Six Days on the Road,” make for a pleasant listen. “Sit on Back” is a bright enough opening, with “Doctor Man” bringing in a bit of the darkness. “My time’s at hand” is the same line James Taylor used in the hit “Fire and Rain” and both brothers spent their time in the psych ward: “People with smiles/They talk of a hand that they got from a man called the doctor man.” You would love to hear Lou Reed take this on, and somehow the pretty guitar and arrangement are real paradoxes for what should be a dirge, the lyrics profoundly in need of a few spins to sink in. Because much of this album feels like the producer and the artists were getting their bearings, “Six Days on the Road” becomes one of the more accessible tracks. Versions by Hank Snow, Bloodwyn Pig, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Taj Mahal, and others proliferated, and this is not as ethereal as the artist’s cover of “On Broadway” from the Liv album, but in its simplicity the point still gets across. The LP cover photo is pretty out there, with Taylor looking down from a metal structure of some sort, his hair all frazzled, while the back cover has a darkened room which looks like a recording studio. “Packet of Good Times” is very up-tempo, while “Hush a Bye” brings things right back down and, like most of the project, is understated. It’s on Liv, the second album, that things really come together. Sure, these songs are well constructed, but they still seem somewhat raw and no doubt influenced the way things would be tackled the second time around. Sister Kate and James are referenced in “Carolina Day,” a song with more parallels. “Can’t Get Back Home” follows suit — impressive ditties with “In My Reply” up and “Lost in the Love of You” down again. The obvious yin yang would change on the next album, which should have been a huge breakthrough for this sensitive and special artist. The seeds of future work are here, and Livingston Taylor is a nice start to the singer’s interesting career.
LIVINGSTON TAYLOR LIV
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“Get Out of Bed” leads off Liv, the 1971 album from Livingston Taylor, and it is a brilliant and exciting slice of pop music which should have been a huge international smash. It is one of those songs that you want to play 50 or 60 times in a row, perfectly written and recorded. Produced by Bruce Springsteen mentor Jon Landau and managed by Don Law, the son of the legendary country record producer Don Law, Sr., this Warner Bros. album had all the elements, and is more endearing than the two Top 40 hits this member of the famous Taylor family eventually garnered in 1978 and 1980. Liv‘s original songs are uplifting and give brother James Taylor a good run for his money. “May I Stay Around” has a vibrant vocal working itself over the elegant acoustic guitar, the bright green colors of the album cover and the laid-back young Livingston sitting in a chair looking aloof just calls back to a time when this sort of music was exploding — Jim Croce, brother James, Harry Chapin, and Carole King, who he is closest to both vocally and sentimentally. The singer picks up the piano on “Open Up Your Eyes,” “Get Out of Bed,” “Be That Way,” and “Gentleman,” as well as the cover of “On Broadway,” and with the understated production of Jon Landau, Livingston’s beautiful heartfelt vocals make this an extraordinary work of art. Most of the tunes are around the three-minute mark, except for “Easy Prey,” which gets over four-and-a-half; “Gentleman shows where the artist’s contemporary (one year younger than this Taylor) Dan Fogelberg found part of his sound, though the performance is not as pronounced as “Easy Prey,” the band kicking in early on that tune, Bill Stewart on drums, Paul Hornsby on electric piano, Tommy Talton on lead guitar, performing breathy, moving stuff. A low-key Quicksilver Messenger Service from the East Coast is what this album is, a musical journey full of delight and surprise. Dave Woodford‘s flute on “Open Up Your Eyes” is perfect and essential, and this serious music is the antithesis of Hugo Montenegro’s Dawn of Dylan tribute album. Liv is the real thing by a troubadour who never really got the acclaim he deserved. Perhaps he was overshadowed by older brother James Taylor, or maybe Jonathan Edwards‘ “Sunshine” going Top Five nationally the year this album was released edged out other music from Boston instead of putting a focus on the region. Politcal reasons for this not making him a huge star aside, what remains is a very strong album which cries out to get played again and again. Exquisite.
LIVINGSTON TAYLOR MAN’S BEST FRIEND 1980
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Man’s Best Friend boasts superb musicianship, high production values, good song selection, beautiful vocal performances from Livingston Taylor, and an impressive cast of guest stars who do not get in the way of the singer/songwriter. Though “First Time Love” broke the Top 40 for a couple of weeks in September of 1980, this album, much like his work on Atco a decade earlier, is superlative and deserved more chart activity. Converging on “Sunshine Girl” are drummer Jeff Porcaro, Jeff Baxter from Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers (it should be noted, a fellow Bostonian), and ex-Turtles Flo &amp;amp;amp;amp; Eddie, just the right touch to knock this one out of the park. “Sunshine Girl” is so sincere, such an uplifting composition and performance, that it makes it frustrating to hear these remarkable sounds and know that Epic Records or whoever couldn’t deliver this to the wide audience it deserved. Covers of Randy Newman‘s “Marie” and the Stevenson/Gay/Hunter classic “Dancing in the Street” are fine, but the collaboration between Baxter and Taylor, “You Don’t Have to Choose,” like the aforementioned John Manchester/Livingston Taylor title, “Sunshine Girl,” gives the listener insight to the artistry at play, insight you can’t find on the fun romps “Ready Set Go” and “Dancing in the Street.” It’s a nice mix, though. Carla Thomas dueting with Taylor while backed up by Steve Cropper and the Memphis Horns is pretty phenomenal. Baxter takes to the keyboards on this cover of the Motown hit, giving Cropper space, but who wouldn’t have loved to hear a guitar duel here? When the earthy dance stuff subsides, Taylor hits you with a co-write his wife, Maggie Taylor, helped him with, “Out of This World,” and not to sound cliché, it is out of this world. Taylor has a sweet, down-home folksy voice perfect for pop radio, and his delivery is magical, from the calypso-style “Face Like a Dog” to the beautiful rendition of Jon Hall‘s 1975 hit, “Dance With Me.” Don Henley is on harmony vocal for the Orleans tune and, as stated above, these big-name artists do a marvelous job of complementing the music, not impeding it with overplaying. From his 1971 Jon Landau-produced LP Liv to this John Boylan/Jeff Baxter co-production almost a decade later (the producers doing their tracks separately, not collaborating), Man’s Best Friend continues the consistent musical saga of a musician who should be a huge star. Where brother James Taylor is the icon, deservedly so, it is too bad room wasn’t made in the pantheon for this bright and talented artist. Livingston Taylor’s albums are refreshingly strong, and enhance radio when they get their chance to entertain. This one’s a contender for lost classic status.
LIVINGSTON TAYLOR LIFE IS GOOD 1988
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Ten years after his Top 30 hit “I Will Be in Love With You,” Livingston Taylor comes up with an album that has all the brightness of that song and the Top 40 “First Time Love” from 1980. The amazing thing about this artist is that he continually crafts top-notch albums that are highly entertaining, but has not connected with an audience on the same level as his brother, James, Carole King, or other mainstream soft rock artists. A touch of jazz for “Louie” is that magical addition to a folk/adult contemporary album which makes for great crossover potential. The tribute to Louis Armstrong is an essential element of Taylor’s ability to put together albums that are extraordinary in their perfection. Robbie Dupree and James Taylor add some vocals to this beautiful Artie Traum production, and though there are no hits, there is also not a bad track here. Released on Critique Records, a label located ten miles north of Boston which had two Top 40 hits in 1995 with Nicki French and 2 Unlimited, Life Is Good is worth seeking out. On “Mary Ann” he does dip into his brother’s domain, but it is just briefly and worthwhile. When they do a boxed set on the work of Alex, Kate, James, and Livingston Taylor, a few tracks from this release would be most welcome.
JONATHAN EDWARDS HAVE A GOOD TIME FOR ME 1973
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Jonathan Edwards is not considered a “country” artist per se, probably due to the success of “Sunshine” from his 1971 self-titled debut, but on his follow-up to the Jonathan Edwards album, Honky-Tonk Stardust Cowboy, and some of his discs on Reprise, most notably Sailboat and Rockin’ Chair, he is indeed that. Have a Good Time for Me is a departure from Honky-Tonk Stardust Cowboy in that the artist is covering music by three of the songwriters from the Castle Hill Publishing group, a company owned by co-producer Peter Casperson, who also managed Edwards. Without the original compositions that were the bulk of the previous release, Edwards has an opportunity to put his stamp on outside material, which he does so well. There’s an excellent cover of Jimmie Rodgers‘ “Travelin’ Blues,” along with a lively, almost gospel rendition of the traditional “When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder.” The album starts off with longtime collaborator Eric Lilljequist‘s “Have Yourself a Good Time for Me,” which would appear in a different form on Lilljequist‘s More Orphan Than Not album a year later. On that album, Edwards was pretty much a bandmember, his photo on the cover with the other musicians. Here, “Have a Good Time” is lighter and more introspective, a forlorn statement to a significant other who can’t stay true, a perfect sentiment for country radio. “My Home Ain’t in the Hall of Fame” sounds like Bostonian John Lincoln Wright, and one wonders had the two teamed up, how they might have decimated the country charts with hits. David Bromberg shows up on electric guitar, and the tune reappeared on Edwards’ next album, the live Lucky Day, which actually has Orphan backing him up nine months after the recording of this LP. But it is in this context on Have a Good Time for Me where Edwards excels as an interpreter: “Something borrowed from the friends of gold” the singer writes in his poem inside the gatefold of an album. If you’ve had it in your collection for years, you may find strange white blotches appearing on the front and back cover; the singer explained that he demanded and got it released on recycled materials. Along with the poem, it is his calligraphy lettering inside and out, making for a very personal collection of material that didn’t come from his pen, but does! Interesting indeed how he takes Malcolm McKinney‘s “Thirty Miles to Go” and makes it his own. McKinney contributes two titles here; Joe Dolce is represented with three; and Eric Lilljequist has four, including the title song. Dolce‘s “King of Hearts” has more of the pop flavor Edwards’ fans from radio expect, the album working because the musicianship from Al Anderson, Bromberg, Stuart Schulman, Bill Keith, Lilljequist, Bill Elliot, and others blends in perfectly behind the singer. With the success of the Eagles at this point in time, one wonders why this album didn’t do much much more. Perhaps it was too pure in its approach. It remains a very listenable and courageous work by an artist not content to clone past success but willing to follow his instincts.
LUCKY DAY LIVE 1974 JONATHAN EDWARDS
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Lucky Day is an important 15-song live document of Jonathan Edwards’ music, recorded at what was a wonderfully intimate little venue in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA, the late, lamented Performance Center. This perfect live show is enhanced by the presence of Orphan members Eric Lilljequist, Dean Adrien, Dave Conrad, and Bobby Chouinard, along with friends like NRBQ‘s Al Anderson, pianist Bill Elliot, violinist/pianist Stuart Schulman, Lynnie Dall, and Bill Elliot. Though some of the material would naturally show up on other live discs by Edwards — “Shanty” appearing on 1980’s Live and “Lucky Day” on 2000’s Cruising America’s Waterways — these takes have staying power, making this one of Edwards’ most satisfying releases. The title track, “Lucky Day,” works so much better with Orphan backing him, and the violins on M. McKinney’s “Sometimes” flow beautifully next to Edwards’ soulful voice. “Hit Parade of Love” is a hootenanny, while “Stop and Start It All Again” is one of the singer’s best country-pop numbers. There is country-rock all over this folksinger’s repertoire, and “That’s What Our Life Is” deserved to be a country &amp;amp;amp;amp; western hit. The covers of “My Home Ain’t in the Hall of Fame” and Merle Haggard‘s “Today I Started Loving You Again” give a glimpse of the range of Edwards’ artistry. It’s interesting to note that Orphan labelmates the Poppy Family covered this same Merle Haggard tune on Poppy Seeds, along with an Al Anderson number a couple of years before this release. At the time that Terry Jacks of the Poppy Family was riding the airwaves with “Seasons in the Sun,” Orphan and Jonathan Edwards recorded this album (on March 22 and 23 of 1974). The medley of “You Are My Sunshine” into Edwards’ own smash “Sunshine” — including the lyrics he brought on-stage during this era (“Nixon’s got cards he ain’t showing”) — turned out to be a good bit of prophecy. Half the album contains covers and half is comprised of Jonathan Edwards originals, like the country-folk “Give Us a Song,” which begins the disc, and the short and lively “Everybody Knows Her,” which ends side one. The cover of the Chi Lites‘ 1971 hit “Have You Seen Her” is complete parody, and that’s the one downside — a soulful reading of the tune by Jonathan Edwards might have had chart potential. “Don’t Cry Blue,” the other M. McKinney title, brings the energy level up, while C. Dall‘s “Nova Scotia” shows Edwards in that sincere light his fans adore. Reopening these tapes recorded by legendary engineer Jay Messina (who worked with Aerosmith, among others ) to expand this album and create a double CD of the performances would be a treasure. Not only is this a great moment in time for Jonathan Edwards, it displays the many talents of the hugely underrated Orphan and captures an important period in Boston music history at a fun venue which no longer exists.
MAN IN THE MOON JONATHAN EDWARDS
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Man in the Moon is one of the most satisfying and beautiful discs by singer/songwriter Jonathan Edwards in a history filled with such work. The title track is simply amazing in its subtlety, but every track on this disc has a presence and deep emotion. The opening track, “Stay Down,” is like an up-tempo take on Simon & Garfunkel‘s “The Boxer,” and it drives with Gary Burke from the Joe Jackson Group on drums and Duke Levine on guitar. The song was used for the credit roll of the film The Mouse, for which Edwards did the soundtrack. The singer/songwriter has anecdotes about each tune printed beneath the lyrics in the generous ten-page booklet that comes with the CD and, historically, those liner notes are almost as important as the music. “Slave for Love” is a tune Willie Dixon co-wrote and wanted Edwards to cover — they performed on a show together in Boston during the late ’60s, and three decades later the song finds its release here. It is tremendous, but so is Edwards’ own “Whatever Gets You Through the Night” and keyboardist Kenny White‘s “To Me,” which sounds like an Edwards original. Burke‘s drums are as lovely as ever, Hugh McDonald‘s bass is right on, and — with Levine, Michael Aharon, and Al Pettiway — the band combines to forge a really impressive sound, a natural progression from what Edwards was doing with Orphan years earlier. Monica Cohen‘s cover art matches the music inside, and though label Rising Records seems to have gone the way of all flesh, the material can still be found at www.jonathanedwards.net. Cheryl Wheeler‘s “Howl at the Moon” is covered here, and Edwards’ own “Break Out of the Blue” is just stunning. Some great artists put out albums with highs and lows; songwriter David Pomeranz‘ It’s in Everyone of Us comes to mind as a work of genius with inevitable filler. Edwards’ Man in the Moon contains no flaws, and must be viewed as a favorite among his many discs even if not considered his best album by the general record-buying public. Man in the Moon is a major effort that deserves massive exposure.
CRUISING AMERICA’S WATERWAYS (LIVE) JONATHAN EDWARDS
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This is an interesting recording from veteran artist Jonathan Edwards. With 11 new performances, including “live” versions of “Seven Daffodils” and “Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian,” the album has some quaint and clever moments. “Sailboat,” with solid Jonathan Edwards acoustic guitar, probably should have been the opening track. That honor went to “Lucky Day,” a song with great sentiment, but lacking the expressive lyrics we’ve come to expect from the former member of Boston’s Orphan. A very cool three-way segue happens with the acoustic guitar sound of “Sailboat” into Paul Cooper‘s “This Island Earth” — on which Edwards sings a capella — into the exquisite piano piece “Lady.” The transition from song to song is very well done and shows different dimensions of this artist. A remake of his biggest hit, “Sunshine (Go Away Today),” is in the spirit of things, as are the funny lyrics to Cheryl Wheeler‘s “Is It Peace or Is It Prozac?” Edwards produced this disc with Media Artists Inc. and the liner notes give a bit more of a clue as to the artist’s intent: “The “tunes” are windows through which we glimpse human life…Our lives are the ultimate cruise: filled with sunny days and comforting ports; storms that give way to calm seas; and memories that eventually put everything into perspective.” There are no dates of recording, engineer notes, or even where the three previously released tracks are culled from. “Man in the Moon” is the title track from Edwards’ 1997 previous release on the Rising Records label out of Philadelphia (www.risingrecords.com) and is perhaps the strongest cut on the album. All in all, this is a fun and worthwhile outing from a classy and important singer/songwriter.
CLEAN LIVING 1972
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Clean Living opened up for Lou Reed in Lenox, MA, in September of 1973, the first gig of the Rock &amp;amp;amp;amp; Roll Animal Tour, and to have this country-rock act opening for the debut of a band who would fuse punk and heavy metal, well, the plaid cover featuring a sunrise over a farm gives you an idea how out of place the music was that night. The six bandmembers are so non-descript on the back of the album you could replace it with the back cover photo of 1978’s Stillwater album I Reserve the Right and not know the difference — that long hair, blue jeans, and sneaker wardrobe. But Vanguard thought enough of the group to issue this disc in both stereo and quadraphonic — and musically they deserve it. Few country rockers could pull off the a cappella majesty of Alan B. Rotman‘s “Jesus Is My Subway Line”; it’s a perfect one minute and fifty five seconds, and those vocals swell up behind the medley of Dan Velika‘s “Waterfall” mixed in with David Carron‘s “Killers,” which follows the spiritual piece and ends the album. Paul Lambert‘s steel guitar provides a creative counterpart to those incredible voices and it is a far cry from the party atmosphere of “In Heaven There Is No Beer.” Produced by Maynard Solomon, the album simply known as Clean Living is overflowing with musical ideas and brimming with talent, missing the mark because there is no one song which could publicize them to the mass market. They cover Bob Dylan‘s “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” with bassist Frank Shaw handling the lead vocals, and it comes off like the Grateful Dead by way of Canned Heat, which is cool; there’s no denying the ensemble had oodles of talent. Rhythm guitarist Robert “Tex” LaMountain does a respectable job on Chuck Berry‘s “Sweet Little Sixteen.” He sounds like Meatloaf. Put that in the mix with the instrumental “Congress Alley” and main singer/guitar player Norman Schell doing yet another spiritual number, “Jesus Is My Thing,” and you have the band covering all the bases, from gospel to rock to country to blues. Schell and Frank Shaw do a nice duet on “Price I Pay,” and despite their being all over the map, the album works better than this band opening for Lou the Rock & Roll Animal. In retrospect, had they combined their Crosby, Stills &amp;amp;amp;amp; Nash leanings with their ability to skillfully do what the Eagles found success with, they might’ve been huge. Without that focus, this remains an impressive work by consummate musicians which got filed in the vaults somewhere.
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The happy-go-lucky almost Mardi Gras feel of “We’ll Make Love,” the second track on this 1972 solo disc from the man behind the North East’s legendary Wildweeds and their phenomenal Boston-area hit “No Good to Cry” (unfortunately, not on this disc, but an acoustic version might be a perfect addition to a future re-release), carries that distinctive almost gravel voice of Al Andersen. Though he would later join N.R.B.Q., this earthy folk/blues/country platter was recorded between June and September of 1972 and is a wonderful snapshot of an underrated artist at that point in time. “Ain’t No Woman Finer” has Jeff Potter‘s wailing harp that plays off of Andersen’s vocal sustain and snappy guitar work. The colorful and uniquely distorted cover photo of Andersen is almost psychedelic country, but there’s none of that here. His vocal on “You’re Just Laughing Inside” is reminiscent of early Elton John, say the “Amoreena” or “Burn Down the Mission” period. Hank Williams‘ “Honky Tonkin'” is the shortest track, but one of the liveliest. “Don’t Hold the Line” explodes toward the end, and it is one of the few tunes on here that gets really raucous. “I Just Want to Have You Back Again” is a simple two-and-a-half-minute tune — if Jim Croce were more laid-back, he’d probably have sounded like this, melodically it reminds one almost of early Paul McCartney solo — maybe the first McCartney meets Ringo on his Sentimental Journey. The closing title, “I Haven’t Got the Strength to Carry On” with Tom Staley‘s drums and Al Lepak‘s bass, form a nice framework for Andersen’s blues-driven guitar. Also released in “Quadrophonic” in the early ’70s, it remains a sincere work by a veteran American artist.
We have an extraordinary Jonathan Richman interview in Varulven Magazine that we are going to publish here. Stay tuned.
1)Astral Plane
2)Dignified and Old
3)Egyptian Reggae
4)Hospital
5)Ice Cream Man
6)She Cracked
ASTRAL PLANE
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Quasi-mystical Jonathan is what we get on “Astral Plane”, a brilliant compostion of love in the world in-between – “If you won’t sleep with me, I’ll still be with you, I’m gonna meet you on the astral plane”. And how many actually do visit the people who get almost close to us during everyday life, achieving relationship goals in that realm between the “real world” and sleep? Smart underground poetry from Jonathan Richman at his most poignant, lyrics that glide away from the mainstream but are not too obscure for the intuitive underground rock fan. The Modern Lovers kick in after the song begins with Jo Jo’s lonely announcement “Tonight I’m all alone in my room/I’ll go insane” and in less than three minutes he projects his persona into your speakers to declare that his everpresent punk/blues can evaporate with a journey plucked out of Sri Paul Twitchell’s Eckankar teachings. Richman isn’t doing his spiritual excercises, though, he’s traveling through the Twilight Zone with the Modern Lovers bashing out their own statement in a world separate from his imaginary lover. The song remains surprisingly consistent in attitude on the latter Kim Fowley demos (not the earlier ones Fowley did with engineer Dinky Dawson ) as on the more popular Warners tapes which have the aura of John Cale’s finesse. The band resembles The Velvet Underground more than Jonathan sounding like Lou Reed. He comes off like a Bostonian fronting that venerable group, Jerry Harrison copping the riffs of his producer, David Robinson doing his best Moe Tucker while Richman indulges in his wonderfully brash dementia. The record is so fantastic you actually want to break it over the singer’s head for abandoning this jangly guitar confronting keyboard sound, a style that is fresh and exciting years after it was tracked and never duplicated, even by its creator. “Astral Plane” is one of the greatest moments of pop merging with punk, Richman’s eccentricities leading many fans to the conclusion that the singer didn’t even get his wish in the dreamworld, and that, indeed, it was what drove him allegedly insane.
Dignified and Old
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Song Review by Joe VIglione
Released on the expanded CD of The Modern Lovers classic self-titled debut along with another rarity, “I’m Straight”, this is the same theme Paul McCartney brought the world on Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band singing “When I’m Sixty Four”, though Sir Paul had the commitment in hand while Sir Jonathan is wishin’ and hopin’ and thinkin’ and prayin’. “My telephone doesn’t ring/will she never call me/blinding miserable sadness” It is the Richman that the original fans know and love, taking charge with The Modern Lovers accentuating his story telling and exposed emotions. A live version appears on Rounder Records compilation of early seventies tracks, Precise Modern Lovers Order, which has more of a disonant jangle – a hollow guitar sound behind JR’s original poetry. Its consistent with his obsessive early mission for companionship, told always with a beckoning wide-eyed hope for a relationship to blossom and grow. The relationship here, however, seems to be like The Turtles unrequited quest in “Happy Together”, a notion that’s foggy and fading fast. The Microwave Orphans cover the tune on the If I Were A Richman tribute cd with a harder edge, a much harder punkier edge, and give further proof that even the material Jonathan may have initially cast aside, tunes not included in the first go round of repertoire that made up the debut disc, was very insightful, clever, and the reason he developed such a strong following of admirers in the first place. It’s just another reason the original Modern Lovers should reunite for a tour to bring these gems back to life.
EGYPTIAN REGGAE
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Composed By
Taking a cue from the first Boston band in history to get a Top 40 hit, 50’s/60’s legends The G. Clefs with their reggae flavored Egyptian dance tune “Zoom Gali Gali”, Jonathan Richman delivers superb quasi-flamenco guitar on this gypsy rant mixed with hoofbeats from the old west. “Egyptian Reggae” owes more to other influences than the music from the islands being performed under the pyramids that its title evokes, but its simple shuffle and Spanish flavors smartly speak to Richman’s followers on a level higher than his musical practical jokes.”Egyptian Reggae” is a triumph, a left field underground hit which needs no lyrics or vocals to get the message across. It is one of the best post-rock and roll Modern Lovers concoctions by this eccentric genius. Created with what Richman might consider the fourth or fifth version of The Modern Lovers(though on record it might be the second on the verge of being the third, it gets confusing ) this instrumental softly rocks interrupted by a wonderful gong sound. On live albums as well as the Andy Paley produced 1996 Surrender To Jonathan disc ( Paley was on drums in the third, mid-70’s version of The Modern Lovers which performed live at the Unicorn Coffeehouse in Boston ) its first appearance on record was with Jonathan Richman and future Robin Lane & The Chartbusters Leroy Radcliffe playing guitar, D. Sharpe on drums and percussion withGreg ‘Curly’ Keranen on bass. Backed with “Roller Coaster By The Sea” on one 45 RPM and “Ice Cream Man” on another, the song is also credited to an Earl Johnson as co-author on some of the releases. The two minute and thirty-four second excursion has also been put on singles with “Morning Of Our Lives” and “Roadrunner” as different flips. What is “Egyptian Reggae” anyway? Do Egyptians play the music found in the Caribbean? Only Jonathan knows for sure. The Ready, Steady, Go website notes that this was ” a major European hit” and, thankfully for the fans, it was a departure from unique inventions like “Dodge Veg-O-Matic” which, being committed to record, put Jonathan at risk of being committed. To an institution.”Egyptian Reggae” has some marvelous riffing and musical eloquence missing in the folk/rock of the post-amplifiers Modern Lovers. It is a new permutation of folk/rock, “Astral Plane” all grown up. Sure, Jonathan Richman still has his tongue firmly in cheek, a serious Alfred E. Newman on The Gong Show proving to the world that he can dig deep into his soul and come up with something clever and listenable. Then “I’m A Little Airplane” comes on and true fans start smashing things.
Hospital The Modern Lovers
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Composed By Jonathan Richman
With Jerry Harrison’s dirge-like keyboards this is the underground “Whiter Shade Of Pale”, a solemn slowed down sentiment originated by Lou Reed in “Pale Blue Eyes” off of The Velvet Underground’s first post- John Cale. This track appears on the Cale produced eponymous Modern Lovers album, though he’s not credited as the director of this particular performance. It was tracked at Intermedia Sound on Newbury Street in Boston where Moulty &amp;amp;amp;amp; The Barbarians recorded 70’s tunes, where Aerosmith’s “Dream On” was recorded, and where another Jonathan, Jonathan Edwards, created his Top 5 1971 hit, “Sunshine”. That the eventual drummer for The Cars, David Robinson, is on this lament, and that his future band would go on to buy this fancy studio years later is a touch of irony. It’s also an indicator that had The Modern Lovers kept going in this direction, they could’ve been the landlords of the place where this mood piece came into the world.Jonathan talks about his own eyes as well as the woman he adores here, and the power that resides the eyes of that girl who lives in modern apartments. He’s a real stalker in this one, walking down her street with tears in his eyes. The dark romance is not something relegated to just his songs, urban legend has it Jonathan slept all night on the lawn in the rain outside the window of his future wife while she was married to (and sleeping with) someone else. Not to make this review read like The National Enquirer, it is important to note that this creative artist walked the line between the astral world and reality, truly involved in the romances he was writing and singing about.”Hospital” is a simply great melody from Jonathan Richman, melodies being one of the man’s true strengths. It is the organ that dominates this dramatic soap opera of a young guy going “to bakeries, all day long now, there’s a lack of sweetness in my life” – descending into some twisted self-tortured mental abuse “I can’t stand you”, pathos in dichotomy, emotions splitting like atoms over the ominous and slow mood set up by The Modern Lovers. Talking Heads keyboard player Jerry Harrison donated this tape to the album from his archives, and its position on the compilation release that became that landmark disc is essential. The tone sets it apart from the wild fury of many of the other songs it is included with, Robinson’s powerful drums picking up the tempo in a way that possibly influenced The Talking Heads, and many others. The song is simple, obtaining its power in the attitude and emotions. You can’t help but find this dark essay intriguing, but worry that because it is so well suited to a Psycho film that if a judge and jury got to hear it performed in a courtroom, the singer certainly would have found himself held for observation. This isn’t domestic violence, nor is it verbal abuse, it is the strange thoughts of a man who “can’t stand what you do, but I’m in love with your eyes.” As James Taylor wrote in “Fire And Rain” about his friend at McLeans hospital dying just a couple of years before this episode, one has to wonder what put the subject matter into the “Hospital” in the first place? He knows where she lives. He’s scared once or twice, and he’s on her street late at night. You do the math. It’s where she got her eyes, and he can’t stand what she does because it makes him think about himself. Ok. Totally brilliant, malevolent and you just picture poor Jerry Harrison needing therapy going from this gig to “Psycho Killer” in quick succession. Those who think Lou Reed’s “Sister Ray” was the most twisted thing you’ve ever heard give this another spin.
ICE CREAM MAN JONATHAN RICHMAN
Sounding like a song by Fred Rogers of TV’s Mr. Rogers fame, “Ice Cream Man” is Jonathan Richman telling the record industry where to go, his version of Metal Machine Music. The only problem is, where Richman’s hero, Lou Reed, moved on from that moment in his career, Jonathan extended this trip to Neverland for decades. The melodic genius appropriately found one photo of himself upside down and that same picture rightside up in The Boston Phoenix weekly magazine, and for some, speculating on his motives became part of the fun. But for those blown away by the rugged innocence of songs like “Roadrunner” and “Astral Plane”, the departure from Velvet Underground influenced fury mixed with beat poetry to nursery rhymes like “My Little Kookenhaken” and this ditty frustrated fans no end. A personality with an ongoing need to do his music on his terms, that he has been able to survive the changes in the music industry (again, as does his mentor, Lou Reed ) is a testament not to this song of devotion to the dude who brings dessert to the neighborhood but to Jonathan Richman’s absolute brilliance in being able to pull the wool over the eyes of the world. Listen to H.A.R.M. do their cover of this title on the If I Were A Richman tribute cd and see the power of an artist who can influence others to engage in total silliness. It’s a power trip of immense proportions, done with amazing success, but the artist failing to see that timing is everything and – at a certain point – the Ice Cream Man has to pack up and go home at the end of the evening. Sitting in a living room with Richman in the mid-seventies jamming on guitars it was clear being up close and personal how very bright, talented, and creative an individual he is. The simple guitar strums of “Ice Cream Man” and the forcing of great musicians to provide background vocals of “ding ding” is, well, humiliating and a waste of the great gifts God bestowed on all involved. “Do you like the ice cream man?” Richman asks on a live version to thunderous applause before going back into the chorus. The raw passion of the perverted “ding dong” in The Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray” is warped here to sound like some purified born-again Christian homogenized fluff. One cannot dissect this composition as The Jefferson Starship’s “Miracles” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” demand study and appreciation. Jonathan Richman is clearly capable of composing a song as breathtaking and important as “Miracles” but has opted instead to beating his audience over the head with the same campfire-style approach found on “Ice Cream Man” and replicated in “Back In Your Life”. “Ice Cream Man” is the creation of a Pablo Picasso on a mission to spray paint graffiti all over the important gems that brought him an audience in the first place. Important work that will stand the test of time is tested like nature’s mosquito landing ker plunk in the ice cream cone delivered by the ice cream man. “Fly Into The Mystery” was a work of brilliance, detoured by a fly in the ointment.”Ice Cream Man” is the single greatest argument for Jonathan to phone up Jerry Harrison, Ernie Brooks, David Robinson and Jon Felice and re-create the sound that made his work legend. For his penance for punishing his faithful and devoted fans, present company included, extended twenty minute versions of each song from the first Modern Lovers album at full volume are in order.
She Cracked Jonathan Richman
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One of the six John Cale produced “demos” from the combination of tapes which are the first Modern Lovers album, “She Cracked” is the stuff Velvet Underground fans’ dreams are made of. It is Jonathan Richman mutating the as-yet unreleased Velvets tune, “Foggy Notion”, merging it with a bit of Lou Reed’s “Sister Ray” vocal style (these vocals louder and easier to understand than Lou’s) while bringing the tempo up and adding lyrics that make sense probably only to the singer. He sings these words which tumble forth with such authority that one gets the idea it empowered him to venture forth into the world of Ice Cream Men and nursery rhymes, an obsession which frustrated the faithful to no end.Richman calls himself “almost as good as Dick Tracy” in chronichling a timeline for this music in his liner notes to Bomp’s The Original Modern Lovers, though it is the appreciative who take a song like this and evaluate it’s expressive originality more than the time and place from which it emerged. Piecing together the sounds generated by the early Modern Lovers is more fun than listening to latter day groups who need computers to expand their already limited scope. If Jonathan’s attitude imploded the group, it is that same attitude which makes these performances of “She Cracked” fun and endearing decades after their creation. The Kim Fowley Los Angeles tapes featuring this song (from the Fall of 1973) are a doorway to view that Velvet Underground influenced feel . Jonathan wanted the level of the “radio interference and dial-switching”, as he called it, down in the mix. It works pretty cool on that particular tape while the Cale take on it has more of what FM radio could embrace in its rock and roll infancy. Years later the two productions of this interesting observation of what she did and what he won’t do both stand the test of time. The Fowley supervised garage tapes an interesting blend of the Yule softer Velvet Underground group with the hard edged organ from the days when that band featured John Cale. “It’s all horizontal” Richman calls out, and whether he likes it or not if The Velvet Underground was the rock messiah, this material was certainly the acts of the Apostle. As such, “She Cracked” is highly listenable and valuable to those who like trying to figure Jonathan out in a more traditional basement band setting.
RANDY ROOS Mistral 1978 Spoonfed Records
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Orchestra Luna‘s guitarist Randy Roos released his first solo album on Boston legend Bruce Patch‘s Spoonfed records, a label which would issue discs by Third Rail produced by Ric Ocasek, Reddy Teddy, the Remains, J.T.S. Flying, and others. “Stew” is a song that has some great wailing guitar behind percussion and rhythms, the early playing of this virtuoso falling somewhere between Pat Metheny and Steve Vai. The plethora of instruments utilized by the guitarist expose the talents he brought to Rick Berlin‘s quirky early work on Epic, the bold and highly experimental Orchestra Luna disc. All those avant-garde notions are stripped away for a smooth and precise coloring of original tunes and collaborations which range from three and a half minutes to nearly eight minutes in length. The instrumentalist notes the different tools he uses to get the sounds on each song, “Platypus” containing more jazz improvisation, while “Inward Stroke” is just a lovely, subdued combination of mellow guitar sounds. “The Hunt” is a bit more driving, allowing Randy Roos the liberty to stretch. “Horizon Game” opens side two and has more exquisite playing, inspired ideas which are the furthest thing from redundant, sounds expanding on “Innisfree” and concluding with the seven-minute-plus “Marcel Marceau (Three Little Things),” the epic track on the Mistral album as “Doris Dreams” was to the Orchestra Luna disc. Released on translucent vinyl (as was a 45 on MCA by local pianist Willie Alexander, it was a bit of the rage at the time), Michael Gibbs‘ liner notes could be more enlightening, though they add some insight — that he first encountered Roos when Orchestra Luna opened for Weather Report at Symphony Hall, and that this is Randy Roos’ first solo album. There would be many more, and it is definitely a gem.
ORCHESTRA LUNA 1974 Epic
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The Orchestra Luna album began the musical legacy of Rick Berlin, the composer/singer who goes by his birth name, Richard Kinscherf, on this Epic Records debut in 1974. The seven-piece ensemble was truly groundbreaking in a world that doesn’t take kindly to innovation. Where the Who were content to write rock operas, Kinscherf and his band put opera to rock. This adventurous mix of songs, written as if they were Broadway show tunes backed by a rock band with jazz and classical influences, might sound like a bit much, and 11 minutes and 53 seconds of “Doris Dreams” never had a chance of Top 40 success, or an edit that could get it there, but that idiosyncrasy is part of what makes this album so daring, and special. Co-produced by Rupert Holmes, the man who gave us “Escape (The Pina Colada Song,” a monster smash in 1979, and the cannibal anthem “Timothy” in 1971, the choice might not seem appropriate on the surface. But Holmes‘ unheralded work for Barbara Streisand and the Broadway musical Drood actually makes him a perfect choice to oversee this project. “Miss Pamela” has wonderful Randy Roos guitars blending with Rick Kinscherf‘s pretty keyboards, keyboards that could have inspired Billy Joel, sounding very much like his 1978 hit “Just The Way You Are.” It’s when Kinscherf‘s expressive vocal kicks in that all comparisons to traditional pop go out the window. The cover of the Adler/Ross classic (you gotta have) “Heart” is a standout here, as it was in their live show. Seven of the nine tracks are penned by Rick Kinscherf, and themes that resound in “Fay Wray” (the heroine from the epic King Kong) travel throughout the artist’s career. This album may be tough for some to take, but the Tom Werman liner notes put things in a nice perspective. They opened for Roxy Music in Boston when this album was released, and were even more avant-garde than the legendary headliner. The band dropped the “Orchestra” from their name and became the original Luna, releasing a 45, “Hollywood,” while the rest of their album was held up in litigation. They re-emerged as Berlin Airlift, then Rick Berlin: The Movie. In 2001, the former Rick Kinscherf, known as Rick Berlin, fronted the Shelley Winters Project. That sound has little in common with the early pictures painted by the exquisite “Love Is Not Enough” or musically bizarre “Boy Scouts” off this album (“Back in the boy scout camp/the moon was very full”). These themes, like the references and inspiration from films, continued to flavor Berlin‘s music through the years, although the Peter Barrett narrations would fall away. Moody and impressive in its gamble, this is also noteworthy in that guitarist extraordinaire Randy Roos can be heard in his formative years.
INCREDIBLE TWO MAN BAND Mickey Spiros
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Medford resident Mickey Spiros is one of the original 1960s rockers, a musician from a magical time that is the foundation for the currently vibrant Boston music scene. In 1965 or 66 he joined the band
“Freeborne” in Brookline, Massachusetts back in along with drummer Lou Lipson,
guitarist Bob Margolin, lead singer Nick Carstau and bassist David Codd. They got signed to Monitor Records out of New York city releasing the psychedelic classic “Peak Impressions” which is selling for ridiculous prices on eBay in February of 2005 – from $129.00 to $300.00 almost
thirty years later.
Freeborne would play at The Psychedelic Supermarket, which was a big underground “supermarket” in Boston, and as legendary as The Boston Teaparty. Spiros stayed with Freeborne for two or three years, then went to finish his last year of high school in Los Angeles at Hollywood High School. He joined a band in California called “Freeway”, what he considers one of the best groups he ever played with, but was homesick for Boston. Returning to this area Spiros ended up at the Boston Tea Party
and saw keyboardist/singer Lee Michaels and his drummer “Frosty” as the opening act for Rod Stewart & The Small Faces in the 1960s.
Mickey Spiros was sold on the idea of generating a big band sound with only two players, thus The Incredible Two Man Band, a.k.a. I.T.M.B., was born. Spiros would be the keyboardist/lead singer also playing trumpet, bass pedals, acoustic guitar, and additional drums.
The only drummer available at the time was Lou Lipson from Freeborne – but Lipson didn’t think a two man group would fly. So Spiros walked into Berkelee School of Music and found Bobby Lichtenfels. The owner of a hot nighspot known as “The Mohawk Club” gave them a house to practice in. “We did the right songs”, Mickey said, “not too many originals because we didn’t want to get shut down. We did Bee Gees, Lee Michaels’ “Do You Know What I Mean”, Moody Blues, Emerson Lake &amp;amp;amp;amp; Palmer and some
funky dance music as well. We ended up playing The Frolics, we were one of the biggest draws at the Frolics Ballroom at Salisbury, Beach. Over 1,000 people (would show up), the place was always packed.”
The duo also performed at The Brothers Four in Nashua New Hampshire, Katy’s in Boston, Lucifer’s in Boston, The Boston Club (now The Paradise), the Commodore Ballroom and major bands like Detroit’s Frijid Pink (who hit with “House Of The Rising Sun”) found themselves opening for
I.T.M.B.
According to the website the band toured New England as well as parts of upstate New York, California, Florida, and up and down the East Coast. They released 2 albums, titled “On My Way”, and “ITMB 2″, as well as releasing an 8-track tape.”
Pure & Easy Records label president John Visnaskas did some of the first graphics for the band back in the day. He says of the duo “It was a grand sight to see,at the time they were one of the best live acts
I’d ever seen.” – Visnaskas witnessed over one hundred of the band’s performances, seeing them up at the beach, Mr. C’s Rock Palace, The Turnpike Lounge on Route 3a, and it was “totally packed all the time.”
While artists like Paul McCartney, Todd Rundgren and Emmit Rhodes were recording albums where they played all the instruments themselves, I.T.M.B. was actually going out and doing that routine live with no
multi-tracking. “They were really really good in the day” stated Visnaskas. “What they did onstage was hard to translate to vinyl.”
To translate the sound to record Mickey started writing originals. The biggest name studio outside of Boston proper was Aengus Recording Studio, where the original Cars recorded their obscure collector’s item “Milkwood” album. “We played The Red Barn out in Framingham and the studio was out there. Studio co-owner Bill Riseman came out to see us play and said he had a studio. Our manager, Harry Deshowitz, made a deal with him and maybe through Bill Riseman we met Adrian Barner.
Adrian Barber, engineer for The Velvet Underground and Eric Clapton’s Cream, was producing the band Aerosmith’s first album at Intermedia in Boston, a studio later purchased by The Cars and turned into
Syncro Sound. Adrian Barber and his partner, Buddy Vergo, recorded the “ON MY WAY” disc on ITMB’s label. The title track was also released as a 45. “We hired real string players and musicians, a mini
orchestra, maybe 8 pieces” Spiro noted about the classy touch to his debut album.
The disc featured drummer Bob Licthtenfels. As Ronnie Stewart took over for Lichtenfels he is featured on the cover of the ITMB album. The band then went through a succession of drummers. Some of the
percussionists that made up the other half of I.T.M.B. were Joe Pafumi, Medford’s own Joe Petruzzeli, Jonathan Mover, and booking agent Norman Bloom. Petruzelli and Ronnie Stewart would join The Joe Perry Project (at different times, of course), that Aerosmith connection always in the
Around 1986 or 1987 or a little later Spiros joined show groups like The Joey Scott Band. In the mid 1980s Mickey started recording another album in his own studio – a 45 called “Ya Ya” came out around 1995 or
1996 with Norman Bloom on drums.
Thinking about the performances way back when Spiros said “The expenses of moving the stuff was incredible, you needed a truck and a good sized road crew.
Mickey moved to Medford in 2005 where he resides now, finishing up the newest I.T.M.B. disc and getting ready to play out again.
The webpage is http://www.itmb.org/
Joe Viglione is a rock critic for AllMusic.com and producer/host of Visual Radio, a ten year old
television program which interviews recording artists, authors and other personalities.
He too is a 70’s rocker who has released a compilation “Lifeswork: 2005 and Counting” available on Emusic.com
DAVID MAXWELL MAX ATTACK
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wxfpxqwsld6e
Originally released on the Blue Max label in 2003, with this 95 North Records version appearing in 2005, the gifted David Maxwell’s piano opens this fun and important disc up with the mostly instrumental “Sticky Buns,” which drives like a cross between the J. Geils Band debut and Traffic during their John Barleycorn Must Die phase. That jazz vs. blues battle continues later on the CD with the majestic and grooving “Moving Out of His World,” which absorbs moods from different genres and delivers true modern electric blues. Picture Jim Morrison sitting at the piano in his sixties (though Maxwell is a good decade younger than Jimbo would have been at the time of this release), assuring the woman that the change in partners is nothing to fret over. “Hip-House Rock” changes things dramatically, an entertaining instrumental with plenty of lively space in between. Producer Tino Gonzales does a superb job keeping things crisp and not getting in the way of Maxwell’s arrangements on this material recorded between July and November of 2005. The piano on “Thanks for All the Women” is bright yet still dark in tone, a nice balance as the guitar answers are separated in the stereo mix. With James Cotton, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, Pinetop Perkins, Liane Carroll, and the redoubtable Hubert Sumlin as just some of the marquee guests, Max Attack is an engaging follow-up to 1997’s Maximum Blues Piano. While “Handyman” is pure blues (not the Del Shannon/James Taylor hit “Handy Man” written by Otis Blackwell and Jimmy “Handyman” Jones — this disc is all Maxwell originals), the title track, “Max Attack,” opens jazzy with chirping horns before morphing back into a bluesy showcase — perhaps a nice intro to Buzzy Linhart concerts, as Maxwell is also that legend’s music director. Liner notes by Ted Drozdowski of the Devil Gods and the latter-day Scissormen make for a very nice package on this hour’s worth of music by a superb musician deserving more appreciation.
JOHN SINCLAIR with Boston’s Ted Drozdowski
STEADY ROLLIN’ MAN LIVE
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From New Orleans, John Sinclair wrote extensive liner notes to this collection of live performances recorded on mini disc by drummer Eric Austin. The sound quality is pretty good, with Sinclair’s voice booming out over relentless backing. This is not the MC5. “Monk in Orbit” opens the disc, and the poet writes that this is a shorter version of the epic originally released on his 1997 disc with Wayne Kramer entitled Full Circle. Half of the fun of this CD is reading the liners by Sinclair where he tells of how he came to Boston, and the tour which resulted in this project. He also goes over each of these selections giving his insight. After all, the Minister of Information of the White Panther Party can ramble on! Where most artists create and expect the listener to figure it out, Sinclair figures it out for you, which is a different kind of art. “Hellhound on My Trail” is allegedly an “account in verse of the untimely demise of the great Delta blues singer,” and it sounds like borderline revisionist history for blues artist Robert Johnson‘s last days, rife with the F-word and other choice terms. The minister gets so explicit it no longer seems explicit. The band is adequate, called His Boston Blues Scholars, they stay in the background to enable Sinclair to recite his poetry over the bluesy near psychedelic thump of the group. Drozdowski, also a member of the Devil Gods and former music editor of The Boston Phoenix, gets a chance to explode at the end of “Hellhound on My Train,” and he keeps that intensity for what Sinclair calls the “power rock version” of “Louisiana Blues.” It is the only thing vaguely resembling a song here. The artist doesn’t sing, he preaches. He preaches loud. And though this might not be for everyone, if you can get on his wavelength it can hold your attention. Steady Rollin’ Man is a nice document of a political activist with a lot to say…it’s just kind of difficult figuring out what he is saying. But it’s a good record, and definitely unique.
It is Saturday evening, 10:17 PM on July 7, 2007. Having written thousands of reviews for Allmusic.com with hundreds focused on the artists of New England I have wanted to compile these reviews in an online website along with additional commentary. In this age of video on the internet it is also important to remember that my TV show started in 1979 with rock and roll bands from the region appearing on TV Eye. In 1992 I developed a new program when I was about to leave 93.7 WCGY’s Boston Music Showcase and launched Visual Radio in the Spring of 1995.
Twelve years later there are approximately four hundred hours of programming including interviews with Willie “Loco” Alexander, Andy Pratt, Jon Macey, Barry Marshall, Jonathan Richman, Lou Reed (who, while in The Velvet Underground, was the house band at The Boston Tea Party), Channel sound man Dinky Dawson, Sal Baglio of The Stompers, Morgan Huke of WMFO radio, Richard Nolan,
Billy Borgioli of The Real Kids, Little Joe Cook, Bobby Hebb, producer Anthony J. Resta, Leo Black of The Fools, June Millington of Fanny who now resides in Western Massachusetts and many more New England area artists.
Utilizing the AMG reviews I’ve written as a starting point I will fill in the blanks with a variety of articles that have been published over the years as well as new information and unpublished material that we have under lock and key in “the vaults” known as “The Varchives” – the Varulven Archives. We spend over $200.00 a month storing tons of material (literally TONS – thousands and thousands of pounds of vinyl, magazines, tapes and other media), helping to preserve this scene which means so much to many of us. Some of the reviews will be from AMG with new material, some will be truncated with links to the AMG site.
Objectivity is my goal…and with so many recordings to discuss the reader will clearly disagree in some instances… but we do our best…
This blog is going to start with The G Clefs and continue from there. My take on it is not an encyclopedia, it is an understanding of the phenomenon that is Boston Rock & Roll and New England Music from the (here he goes, people, be warned) perspective of one of the people who developed a record label, booked nightclubs from Cantones to The Paradise, produced and hosted radio and TV, managed and booked recording facilities, major record producers, engineers and recording artists… and someone who has chronicled our region in my various writings starting back in 1969 when I first launched Varulven Magazine. Having the worlds record for performances at Boston’s Best Concert Club – The Paradise Theater – over more years than anyone else, 49 starting with June 29, 1978, my experiences are important to get on the web before “bluesheimerz” sets in – Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band’s reference to musician memory loss.
So there you have it. Enough about me for now, let me talk about some of my friends and colleagues…
Posted by History of New England Rock at 2:17 PM No comments:
History of New England Rock
Boston – The Sixties – Joe Viglione’s History of New England Rock
To click on any chapter go to this address: http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/
Barry and The Remains, Robin MacNamara
Remember, To click on any chapter in this book go to this address:
First re-release of REMAINS debut album with bonus tracks
Catalog #3305 Spoonfed Records 1967 LP
BAGATELLE 11 PM SATURDAY
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jvfoxq8kldse
Reviewby Joe Viglione11:00 P.M. Saturday is a good title for this recording by the nine musicians who made up Bagatelle, who performed covers as well as originals. It is an anomaly in Boston rock & roll history. Covering tunes from James Brown to The Beatles, the band consisted of three main vocalists, Fred Griffith, Rodney Young, and David “Redtop” Thomas. The fourth singer also played piano and percussion, the influential Willie “Loco” Alexander. Alexander‘s tune, “Everybody Knows,” is included here in a beautiful way. It would be re-recorded by producer Craig Leon for his 1978 debut, Willie Alexander & The Boom Boom Band on MCA Records. The Bagatelle and Larry Fallon arranged this recording, the latter having worked with Keith, The Looking Glass, and producer Jimmy Miller, among others. The vocal harmonies on tunes like “Hey You” mixed with flute remind one of Rare Earth. Coincidentally, they perform Rare Earth‘s first hit, “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” but the version here is influenced by the Temptations 1966 hit. To hear a young Willie Alexander, the man who would usher in the new wave in Boston, singing “Back on the Farm” with horns and Motown style vocals is pretty groundbreaking. An a capella take of the traditional “Every Night” opens side two. Reminiscent of Boston’s the G Clefs with a mix of gospel and soul, it shows the wonderful diversity of this band. Their version of The Impressions “I’ve Been Trying” sounds like a studio take until you hear the applause at the end. The saxophone of Steve Schrell and trumpet of Mark Gould make for a jazzy version of “I Can’t Stand It,” but the lengthy improv disturbs the momentum of the album. Live covers of “I Feel Good” and the medley, including “Please, Please, Please,” “Gloria” (not the Van Morrison tune), “Crying in the Chapel,” “I Only Have Eyes For You,” and “For Your Love,” make this an interesting document, but it is the inclusion of early Willie Alexander which makes it historic.
P.J. Colt
http://groovytunesday.com/descriptions/music/pj_colt_debut.html
http://www.mystrands.com/album/1017598/reviews
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According to Boston area Music expert Count Joe Viglione, this self-titled album from singer P.J. Colt gets into the history books thanks to the participation of Jeff Baxter of The Ultimate Spinach, who later went on to Steely Dan, and many other groups. Some reference guides list this album’s year of release as 1970, others as 1976. There is no copyright on the disc, making 1970 seem like the release date; it certainly looks and sounds like a project from the early ’70s. There are two standout tracks, “Grave Down By The River” and “Growing Old,” although the record is pretty consistent and listenable all the way through. Colt originally released the song “Growing Old” on a single and an album by the Boston band Dirty John’s Hot Dog Stand on Amsterdam Records in 1970. The track has a spacy opening, while PJ Colt’s vocal sounds hauntingly like early Michael McDonald. “Growing Old” follows “Blues Train,” a competent cross between Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally” and the Velvet Underground’s “Train Comin’ Round The Bend.” The musicianship shines throughout; guitarist Baxter emerged a star after his involvement with “The Bosstown Sound” of producer Alan Lorber on the third Ultimate Spinach album, which is a testament to talent winning out. Ray Paret did the production here, listed in the smallest of type. He certainly did not get in the way of the band. Ed Costa’s keyboards and the plethora of backing vocalists are all tastefully combined in the straightforward production and mix. The blues-rock styled set consists of: Once In The Morning; Grave Down By The River; Black Jesus; Crazy Love (Van Morrison song); Leave Me Alone; Blues Train; Growing Old; Someday (Bonnie Bramlett song); I’m Tired Now; and a great version of the Mick Jagger, Keith Richards Rolling Stones hit, Honky Tonk Women.
The Clown Died In Marvin Gardens
http://www.mp3.com/albums/24280/reviews.html
The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens is an original statement by a Boston group which was musically superior to Eden’s Children and Ultimate Spinach, but not as focused as the Remains, the Hallucinations with Peter Wolf, or the emerging J. Geils Band. Where national groups like the Peanut Butter Conspiracy may have been misguided and sputtered with no direction, vocalist John Lincoln Wright developed into a first-rate songwriter and country singer with purpose. Hearing his work on highly experimental tunes like the title track or the impressionistic “May I Light Your Cigarette?” is true culture shock. “The Clown’s Overture” seems pointless, yet “Angus of Aberdeen” is inspired and a bright spot in the morass that was “the Bosstown Sound.” The rave-up version of “Blue Suede Shoes” is great, the guitar funneled through effects and brimming with excitement. Therein lies the problem with this album, and this group. The most structured piece is a Carl Perkins cover while “A Not Very August Afternoon” feels like a song wanting to belong to some hippy movie that was never made. Where the Chocolate Watchband rocked with authority, the Beacon Street Union are feeling their way through the times, the business, and their music. Producer Wes Farrell should have nudged them into a more commercial direction and brought more accessible material to their attention. Wright is a major talent and had he the right direction this early in his career, who knows what kind of chart action he could have enjoyed. The tragedy of The Clown Died In Marvin Gardens is that it could have been so much more. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
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The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union
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The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union is a highly experimental album released around the time of the Bosstown sound. Much better than first albums from Eden’s Children and Ultimate Spinach, the disc, however, lacks direction — and cohesion. Vocalist John Lincoln Wright has the same look that he sports 23 years later on his 1991 Honky Tonk Verite CD, including his trademark cowboy hat, but the similarities between these two albums stop there. The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union is garage rock and psychedelia, and it is a trip. Where Orpheus opted for the serious pop of “Can’t Find the Time,” producer Wes Farrell includes a recitation by the late Tom Wilson, producer of The Velvet Underground & Nico, acting very avant-garde: “Look into the gray/look past the living streets of Boston/look finally into the eyes of Beacon Street Union.” Well, Wilson did a decent job with the V.U., but he’s no Crazy World of Arthur Brown screaming the immortal line “I am the god of hellfire.” The band immediately dips into “My Love Is.” resplendent in Robert Rhodes’ (aka music attorney Robert Rosenblatt) best ? & the Mysterians keyboard sound, very cool ’60s backing vocals, and guitars that are straight from the Psych Out film soundtrack. In fact, this song would have fit perfectly on that album along with the Seeds and Strawberry Alarm Clock. Had Wes Farrell kept the band on this track, the album might have more collectability. “Beautiful Delilah” is too novel to keep the momentum going, and “Sportin’ Life” is lounge blues. Side two fares a bit better; “Speed Kills” and “Blue Avenue” are classic ’60s psychedelia, a far cry from John Lincoln Wright’s Sour Mash Boys, and amazing that it is the legendary Massachusetts country artist singing. “South End Incident” refers to the South End of Boston, which has become quite trendy, but in the day Jonathan Richman, Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground, and George Thorogood would play that part of town — on the same bill! The music to the song might be an old blues riff, but the body of the work is “Heartbreaker” by Grand Funk Railroad, and one wonders if Mark Farner had this album and perhaps nicked this vamp a few years later? The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union slightly misses the mark, but must be commended for its original approach to this genre. The album cover looks like some history textbook that mistakenly got pressed by Mad Magazine. A mushroom next to an atomic bomb’s mushroom cloud ought to tell you enough about MGM’s packaging. A hit single and less cluttered album cover is what these musicians deserved, but what they have is, next to the album Listening by the band of the same name and the hit single from Orpheus, the best work from the Bosstown sound. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
SWALLOW Out of the Nest
http://mmjb.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1089985&AMGLENGTH=full
Robin MacNamara went to school with one of the Rockin’ Ramrods
Here’s an excellent interview with Len Cirelli who talks about playing accordion and joining his first band “Robin & The Hoods”. He goes on to say about Robin McNamara in the interview:
http://60spunk.m78.com/ramrods.htm
“I went to high school with Robin MacNamara and Ron Campisi. Our manager Bill Spence owned the three Surf Ballrooms and we played there with the other “Surf” groups, The Techniques, The Pilgrims, and others who I cannot remember right now. Robin and the Hoods was the first band I ever played in that played in public. The lead singer was Robin McNamarra who was a very talented singer and went on to have one hit solo record called “Lay a Little Lovin’ On Me”.He later starred in the play “Hair” all over the states and in Europe.
(the above info from the 60spunk.m78.com site linking McNarma with an essential Boston group)
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Robin McNamara
Robin McNamara’s album, titled after his big 1970 hit “Lay a Little Lovin’ on Me,” appeared on Jeff Barry’s Steed label and features that singer from the Broadway show Hair along with his cast members. The 45, as well as its non-LP B-side “I’ll Tell You Tomorrow,” were both co-written by the singer and his producer, with songwriter Jim Cretecos helping out on the title track. That radio-friendly bubblegum confection brightened up the summer of 1970, but it is not indicative of the adult contemporary sound on the rest of this very listenable disc. The music on the Lay a Little Lovin’ on Me LP is actually a better reflection of the hip Broadway shows of the day. Neil Goldberg’s “Now Is the Time” would fit just as well on the Godspell album, so different from the number 11 hit from July 1970, which no doubt inspired the likes of Richard Mondo, aka Daddy Dewdrop, and his irreverent 1971 novelty tune “Chick a Boom” — a frosty little bubblegum number like “Lay a Little Lovin’ on Me.” McNamara is a credible songwriter on his own and it is a wonder he didn’t land a couple of other hits, but it’s more a wonder that he faded so quickly from the musical landscape. He did show up on radio station WMEX in Boston, allegedly ripping his shirt off like some Hair promo for DJ John H. Garabedian (famous for discovering the hit “Maggie Mae” for Rod Stewart ) and appears as a musician on a Monkees compilation, but he just didn’t reap the rewards promised by this very sophisticated endeavor. Side one ends with a tune co-written with Ned Albright called “Lost in Boston,” a fun little ditty mentioning Fenway Park that’s a lot like McNamara’s solo composition “Beer Drinkin’ Man.” Albright and Bob Dylan cohort Steven Soles co-write a very the Band-ish “Together, Forever,” and they were responsible for “All Alone in the Dark” from the Monkees 1970 disc Changes. Jeff Barry was a co-producer of that Monkees event and this album’s engineer, Mike Moran, showed up there, as well, giving McNamara’s 11-song collection a certain value for the fans of that TV show. There are some great lost moments here, unexpected on a disc that became popular by putting the cast of a Broadway show on a tune appropriate for the Partridge Family. “Got to Believe in Love” could have changed the perception as it fuses the gospel of “Hang in There Baby” and “Glory, Glory” with the pop that brought this LP to the attention of the masses. This is a solid effort all the way around.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dcfqxq8aldfe
The Stone Coyotes featuring Barbara Keith
The legendary Barbara Keith performed with John Hall in an early Boston area band and went on to write “Free The People” which both Delaney & Bonnie and Barbara
Streisand covered.
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Ride Away From the World takes Barbara Keith and her family band from the country-rock the Cowboy Junkies have been so successful with to a new wave level on the pounding opening track, “I Don’t Know Why,” and toward the end of the disc with an excellent read of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.” Though the original version with Ozzy Osbourne’s cutting voice is in a class by itself, this rendition makes some sense of the Sab signature tune. There are reworkings of some of Keith’s famous tunes: an excellent and different “Free the People” — the minor hit for Delaney & Bonnie also covered by Streisand and Olivia Newton John — as well as the country classic “The Bramble & the Rose.” Sounds change throughout the disc: the gritty axe on “Plain American Girl” turns into folk/electric guitar on the final track, “Face on the Train,” which borrows much from Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” covered by Keith on a previous album. An elaborate eight-page booklet contains lots of photographs, the lyrics, multiple websites (like www.stonecoyotes.com), and an intriguing mutated Mother Hubbard- or Alice in Wonderland-type painting on the back. John Tibbles, bassist and son of the singer and her husband drummer, plays lead guitar on four tracks, including “Slip and Shackle,” a song which borders on heavy metal. Black Sabbath could return the favor and easily cover this, and they actually should! The tone on Tibbles’ guitar is a good contrast to what his mom is playing. “Cold Hard Winter” has a nice Rolling Stones “Salt of the Earth”/Beggars Banquet feel, easing up the mood before the hard country-rock of “Pennsylvania Coal Mine.” “Born to Howl” is the title of their previous album; it turns into a song on this outing. The Tibbles family is the underground version of the Cowsills or the Partridge Family, music played with lots of heart and composed for the most part by a proven songwriter. Ride Away From the World is unique and interesting because it covers so much territory and does it so well.
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Modern Lovers Reviews on AllMusic.com by Joe Viglione
to post soon
The J. Geils Band reviews by Joe Viglione
J Geils Band Discography
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:0ifrxqe5ldke~T2Biographies from http://jvbiographies.blogspot.com20)Danny Klein
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bej0xlf3e5cqp21)John “J” Geils
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B13se4jn70wav22)Seth Justman
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bi7fjzfaheh2k23)Magic Dick
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bty08b5z4tsq424)Stephen Jo Bladd
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=B6yhqoaeabijrALBUMSNIGHTMARES…AND OTHER TALES FROM THE VINYL JUNGLE 1974 http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kzftxqu5ldde
Nightmares…and Other Tales From the Vinyl Jungle spawned the biggest Atlantic hit for the J. Geils Band, the wonderfully obsessive, questioning dilemma titled “Must of Got Lost.” Here the Geils Band are at the peak of their powers in the days prior to Freeze Frame and lustful songs like “Centerfold,” “Must of Got Lost” being the only of their three Atlantic Top 40 hits to land in the Top 15. Seth Justman and Peter Wolf share all the songwriting credits here, save the intriguing camp/funk of the Andre Williams/Leo Hutton composition “Funky Judge.” It’s Peter Wolf‘s pantomime vocal entwined with the band’s serious blues that creates something very special. The final track, “Gettin’ Out,” is five-minutes-plus of this intense, earthy rock, producer Bill Szymczyk capturing in the studio that energy the band generated in concert. Bassist Danny Klein told AMG he loved the Jean Lagarrigue drawing on the album jacket, noting, “Wolf found the hand painting…(it) got in a best rock album cover art book.” This was a natural progression from 1973’s Ladies Invited, the band’s arrangements working perfectly with Szymczyk‘s production, with “Detroit Breakdown” being a tip of the hat to the group’s second home outside of Boston. Magic Dick makes a great statement over Seth Justman‘s foundation piano sound, one that evolves from that instrument to organ, giving J. Geils a chance to throw some haunting guitar work over its conclusion. The song’s six-minute length is topped only by the nearly seven minutes of “Stoop Down #39,” perhaps a dig at the James Gang‘s “Funk #49” from four years prior. “Givin’ It All Up” and “Look Me in the Eye” are the band showing precision in their craft, releasing quite a bit of music between 1973’s popular “Give It to Me,” the Ladies Invited album that same year, and this solid effort. The short, one-minute-14-second title track, “Nightmares,” sounds like an ode to nitrous oxide (laughing gas), and probably was. The album produces one of the effects of that drug: exhilaration, and is a fine example of their creative musical journey.
BLOW YOUR FACE OUT THE J GEILS BAND LIVE 1976
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Double-album live sets came into vogue in 1976 after Peter Frampton‘s sales went through the roof for A&M, Bob Seger found fame with Live Bullet on Capitol, and the J. Geils Band released its second in-concert document in four years, Blow Your Face Out. There is great power in these grooves recorded over two nights, November 15 and November 19, at the now deconstructed Boston Garden and in Detroit at Cobo Hall. Here’s the beautiful dilemma with the Geils band: Live: Full House, recorded in Detroit in April of 1972, contains five songs that became J. Geils standards, and none of them overlap on the 1982 EMI single live disc, Showtime, chock-full of their latter-day classics. Can you believe there is absolutely no overlap from the first or third live album on this double disc, which came in between (except for “Looking for a Love,” uncredited, which they slip into the intro of “Houseparty” on side two)? The Rhino CD contains Jeff Tamarkin‘s liner notes, while the original Atlantic album has an exquisite gatefold chock-full of photos, and inner sleeves with priceless band memo stuff à la Grand Funk‘s Live Album. Sides one and two are great, and three and four are even better. “Detroit Breakdown” rocks and grooves, with tons of audience applause…Wolfy and the polished authority of his monologues are in command as the band oozes into “Chimes” from 1973’s Ladies Invited. About three and a half minutes longer than the five-minute original, it is one of many highlights on this revealing pair of discs. A precursor to 1977’s title track, “Monkey Island,” “Chimes” gives this enigmatic band a chance to jam out slowly and lovingly over its groove. There is so much to this album: the Janis Joplin standard “Raise Your Hand” written by Eddie Floyd, Albert Collins‘ “Sno-Cone” from their first album, and “Truck Drivin’ Man” beating Bachman-Turner Overdrive to the punch. B.B. King producer Bill Szymczyk does a masterful job bringing it all together, and the band photos on back look…roguish. “Must of Got Lost,” “Where Did Our Love Go,” and “Give It to Me” are here in all their glory, a different glory than the studio versions, on an album that should have done for Geils what Live Bullet and Frampton Comes Alive did for their respective artists. If only a legitimate release of their 1999 tour would be issued to stand next to this monster — during that tour they combined the best elements of all three of their previous live discs. The J. Geils Band is more important and influential than the boys have been given credit for. It will be the live documents that ensure they eventually get their due, and Blow Your Face Out is a very worthy component that can still frazzle speakers.
ANGEL IN BLUE
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The majority of the hits by The J.Geils Band lingered in the ’30’s section of the Top 40, with “Angel In Blue” the only one to actually hit and stop at 40. EMI America single #8100 has a lower catalog # than “Freeze-Frame and “Centerfold”, though it was popular in the summer of 1982 while the two aforementioned songs came earlier, reigning in the Top 5 during the winter prior. Arguably the smartest lyric in the J. Geils Band catalogue, this could be the subject matter from “Centerfold” all grown up. It’s a song about a stripper, but you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t listen closely – the melody so strong the words went right over many fans’ heads. Those other Boston bad boys, Aerosmith, went Top 3 just six years later with their own “Angel”, hard rockers also going ultra-pop a la Alice Cooper in the 1970’s. But the Geils band trumps all comers by bringing back Whitney’s mom, Cissy Houston, along with Luther Vandross from the Monkey Island album and three other additional vocalists making for a touch of class over a drumbeat much like The Tubes “Don’t Touch Me There”. “We met in a bar/Out on Chesapeake Bay” is hardly the scenario one thinks of when finding themselves in an episode of Touched By An Angel, and the story is quite sad, that of a person who never had dreams come true because she never had any dreams! Writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls this tune “terrific neo-doo wop.” It is that and more, a folk/pop polished ballad different from any of their other nine Top 40 hits, four minutes and fifty-one seconds (on the album) of Peter Wolf reading Seth Justman’s post- “Centerfold” wet dream.
CENTERFOLD 45 RPM
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Three minutes and thirty-seven seconds comprise EMI America single #8102, the culmination of a decade of chart activity, a gold single stuck at #1 for a month and a half after years and years and a half a dozen singles, only one going Top 15 in that span of time, the others all over the 30’s portion of the charts. It was “Centerfold” that finally did it for the J. Geils Band, putting them on the top of the pop world. This is the “homeroom homeroom angel” from school literally turning into the angel in blue… pages of blue, that is. “Does she come complete/always pulled me from my seat” such a great rhyme. Peter Wolf’s lustful phrasing of “girly magazine” is so cool, it makes it even more distressing for fans that the singer and the band keyboardist/songwriter couldn’t get along after reaching the pinnacle – the thing all the fellows in this ensemble worked so hard for. “Centerfold” is proof that the angst between Justman and Wolf made for some great rock and roll, and while Joe Perry and Steve Tyler found a way to kiss and make up, this huge leap was the beginning of the end for the first phase of The J. Geils Band. There would be three additional hits, but the audience – and the bandmates – deserved more of this great stuff, this amalgam of rock, pop, blues and tongue-in-cheek humor. “Centerfold” might not be the most representative song by this band, certainly Give It To Me” and “Must Of Got Lost” have more of the blues that the group was built on, but with its “nah nah nah nah nah nah” pulled right out of Joe South’s “Hush” and turned upside down, it was commercial, cool, and a pop record that could stand up to repeated listenings. Na Na hey hey kiss her good-bye… “I hope that when this issue’s gone/ I’ll see you when your clothes are on” just more excellent sexual tension and a total party as the song concludes with whistles on the fade out.
DETROIT BREAKDOWN
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The leadoff track on the Nightmares and Other Tales From the Vinyl Jungle lp makes an even greater impact in its five and a half minute version on the live double-disc Blow Your Face Out recorded in November of 1975. Though credited to Peter Wolf and Seth Justman the song is more of a full band jam opening with a quick snag of Magic Dick’s “Whammer Jammer” riff. “Detroit Breakdown quickly turns into another vehicle for Wolf to have some fun with the crowd… “Are you ready to do some stompin’ baby?” Peter asks before belting out the title. With Justman’s piano the predominant instrument and Mr. Geils offering tasty licks, the bass, drums and keys build a funky rhythm for Magic Dick to start a wailing. The song is as deep into the J. Geils Band musical psyche as one can get, their own brand of blues/rock defined here, Jay’s howling guitar picking up where Magic Dick leaves off, Wolf then working the crowd which responds to his chants giving way to Seth and Magic Dick doing battle back and forth over the vamp. Coming before the methodical “Chimes” on the live album it’s a good chance for the boys to break loose and strut their stuff individually and collectively. No one person could take credit for being The J. Geils Band and “Detroit Breakdown” shows just how powerful these six gentlemen could be when unified and pushing the energy level of the room frontwards, backwards and sideways. “Detroit breakdown/motor city shakedown” is the major lyric, Wolf’s lines like “music is blasting/we’re having a ball/everybody in Boston/we’re talkin’ to y’all” might as well have been a taped monologue off of Peter’s radio show on 104.1 FM in Boston. The lyrics and the chords aren’t the necessary thing here, it’s the feel, and what’s on the plastic is a trademarked style that separaed this original group from those that came after – Aerosmith, Boston, The Cars and other major acts that launched out of New England.
FREEZE FRAME 45
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The title track of 1981’s Freeze Frame album by the J.Geils Band, three minutes and fifty seven seconds of a Seth Justman/ Peter Wolf tune – not to be confused with the title track composition of a Godley & Creme (of 10-CC fame) 1979 release – went gold and Top 4 on the heels of “Centerfold’s success, but is strong enough that it would have certainly achieved the same status even without the momentum of the previous single. As with the other two hits from the album, it is full of sexual innuendo – a novel idea of freezing a lovely moment in time – a wonderful one night stand. “Now I`m looking at a flashback Sunday…This freeze frame moment can`t be wrong” is the lyric and Wolfy sings it with suitable panache – just not as lewd as “Centerfold.” Recorded out at Long View Farm, the luxury studio in Western, Massachusetts, the stop/go chorus was The J. Geils Band taking their early Atlantic sound and spiffing it up on EMI for more punch, and popularity. The elements that are the foundation of this group’s sound are sweetened up for radio, and was it ever a smart blend. The bizarre cover art only hints at the theme while a half a dozen horn players including Randy Brecker add some brass.
LOOKING FOR A LOVE
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This cover of a J.W. Alexander / Zelda Samuels tune is three minutes and forty-five seconds starting off side two of The J. Geils Band’s second album, The Morning After. Atlantic single #2844 came at the end of 1971/ beginning of 1972 barely cracking the Top 40, but was an indication of things to come as the group would dominate the charts for a time a decade later. Initially “Looking For A Love” was their signature tune though they escaped the “one hit wonder” category within a year and a half, their three Atlantic singles in the early ’70’s giving them some breathing room on the live concert circuit before they came back with seven more. A simple and driving drum beat opens this, Janis Joplin’s “Move Over” intro from the Pearl album in triple time, giving Peter Wolf a superb introduction to radio listeners, his plea to the world for someone, anyone, to “help me find my baby.” Who can’t relate to the simplicity of the request, “I’m looking for a love to call my own?” Wolf argues his case with one line, the band responds with the title of the song, back and forth they go under B.B.King producer Bill Szymczyk’s guiding hand. The interlude was the best advertisement in the world for the group – J. Geils plays guitar for a few seconds followed by Dick’s harp to Seth’s keys back to the harp back to the keys, back to the intro. The backing vocals chant “I’m looking, I’m looking, I’m looking, I’m looking” while Peter Wolf wails with the best of the blues masters going pop, frantic screams of desperation following promises the singer is making to the cosmos, what he would do if all his romantic hopes and dreams came true. The song zips by feeling a lot shorter than it is, a quick blast of energetic rock & roll which should’ve been a much bigger hit. A five minute and sixteen second version opens up the double disc Mar Y Sol album, a Puerto Rico music festival from early April 1972. The live cut is even more driving and faster on this obscure Woodstock-type collection of musical acts from the period. Opening an album with their current hit, an album which featured B.B.King at the peak of his commercial success along with Dr. John, Jonathan Edwards, The Allman Brothers and others, must’ve been invigorating for this ensemble and the extended manic performance has a raspy Peter Wolf as frantic as the band, all in hyperdrive. It’s a track that should be added as a bonus to their greatest hits package(s) as it shows another side of the tune that started it all for this important group.
LOVE STINKS
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Three minutes and forty-four seconds of heavy, heavy blues/pop make up EMI/America 45 RPM #8039, a definite ode to romance gone wrong. Imagine Lou Reed’s “Vicious” as performed by his Rock & Roll Animal band on Lou Reed Live at half-speed and you’ve got the riff, “Louie, Louie” gone hard rock with drums another Bostonian, Billy Squier, would use exactly a year later on his Top 20 hit “The Stroke”. You can actually sing “Vicious, you hit me with a flower” over the music. The Peter Wolf here isn’t the lustful schoolboy of the Freeze-Frame album from 1981, it’s the Mad Magazine episode where they dubbed his ex-wife Faye Runaway. And speaking of Runaways, it’s a song that fits Joan Jett well and her Blackhearts went and performed it on the soundtrack to the film Mr. Wrong. The oddity for The J. Geils Band is that it’s such a simple riff rocker far removed from the novel integrity of “Give It To Me” or the unbridled exuberance of “Looking For A Love”. The refinement of this band from an earthy bunch of blues fanatics to polished rock and roll act made for some fun, but did it lead to their going their separate ways for so many years? Seth Justman’s production technique is solid as a rock, and recorded out at the legendary Longview Farm in Western Massachusetts there’s a controlled intensity and in the pocket performance. Only edging the lower rungs of the Top 40 in May of 1980 this song and others on the album pointed the group in its new direction which would turn them into a platinum act. Years later it is totally different from what Peter Wolf, Danny Klein and Jay Geils/ Magic Dick would put on their solo projects, solid blues and, in Jay’s case, some jazz. “Love Stinks” is The Jay Geils Band as rock stars, and during the reunion tour in 1999 they played all this material with finesse and a vengeance. Isolated from their catalog, though, “Love Stinks” is a definite anomaly.
PACK FAIR AND SQUARE
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J. Geils Band are to be commended for picking up a title by swamp/blues artist Big Walter Price, the song “Pack Fair and Square” showing up on their Atlantic debut and on Full House Live as well.The two minute and one second studio version is an even shorter hundred and one seconds!!! on the live disc. Jon Landau praises the tune in his Rolling Stone Magazine review of their debut lp by saying “straight blues done as good as it can be done. The harp dominates…with its perfect lines and tone…” Landau should know as he was the original producer on the band’s initial sessions for Atlantic about a year before the Dave Crawford/ Brad Shapiro/ Geoffrey Haslam album was released. For such a young group one has to marvel at the authenticity they poured into the grooves with years of roadwork still ahead of them. “Pack Fair And Square” is evidence that they were musically more mature than most with superb intuition – not only in the choice of this material – but in its execution. The live take is speedier and more condensed, a Peter Wolf monologue underscored by some gorgeous Seth Justman frills before they dive into the song with total intensity, Magic Dick’s harp taking it to another level, Stephen Bladd pounding away and the singer/frontman showing a real understanding of the roots he’s digging up. “Hard Driving Man” comes two songs later, and don’t think the identical meter in the titles of both tunes is mere coincidence – J.Geils Band drew from their influences, Peter Wolf and J. Geils perhaps subconciously finding their own songwriter voices from the material they discovered and regenerated so well.
WHAMMER JAMMER
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The studio version of “Whammer Jammer” is on the J. Geils Band’s second disc, The Morning After, with a killer live take on their third lp and first stage recording Full House Live. It’s a short ( two minutes, twenty-one seconds) but lively cover of a Juke Joint Jimmy tune which allows Richard Salwitz, a.k.a. Magic Dick, to do his thing. Covered by harp player Mike Stevens on a 1992 release, this was the song that really put Magic Dick on the map as the quintessential rock & roll harmonica man. Where a Stevie Wonder will make the harp a sweet sounding instrument helping him rejoice sentiments like “I Was Made To Love Her”, Magic Dick does the opposite, burning sounds into the consciousness as deftly as any great lead guitarist. Playing against Seth Justman’s honky tonk piano, Peter and Jay stay back so that Dickie can do his thing. Songwriter Juke Joint Jimmy is a legendary figure with the Geils crew, having also written “Cruisin’ For A Love” and “It Ain’t What You Do (It’s How You Do It”). One informed (and anonymous) source said “his 45 rpm was his first and only album.”
One Last Kiss from Sanctuary lp
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Sounding more like Blue Oyster Cult with a heavy and fatalistic song, the group’s Top 40 debut on the EMI America label – 45 RPM #8007 – is four minutes and twenty-two seconds of J.Geils Band taking their blues/rock and pouring more gloss and pop into it than ever before. That’s because Joe Wissert, producer of Earth, Wind & Fire, Gordon Lightfoot, Helen Reddy as well as another Boston phenomenon, Robin Lane & The Chartbusters, made things nice and slick for the Geils guys. Helen Reddy’s producer, one might say? Well, the production is much better than the job Wissert did with Robin Lane, this title coming four years and a couple of months after Jay, Seth, Peter, Danny, Stephen and Magic Dick went Top 12 when Bill Szymczyk cut “Give It To Me” at Jerry Ragovoy’s Hit Factory. That purist element is still inherent in the music, though this new sound only reached #35, but the liquid guitar under the verses and the borderline metal sound everywhere else was certainly something new and derived from B.O.C., a flavor that New York group would borrow back for their own “Burnin’ For You” single a couple of years later. This isn’t the J. Frank Wilson and The Cavaliers tragedy, “Last Kiss” from 1964, but it is a sixties sound built into a hard rock foundation. Over a Ronettes “Be My Baby” drumbeat (which comes out of nowhere) Peter Wolf tells his paramour “the good times are the best times/the bad times fade away” but that’s just the set up for the fact that it’s over…”the feeling’s gone, I can feel it in my veins”. The final chorus comes long before the song ends with the simple and ominous riff in repeat mode allowing Jay Geils to play some great rock and roll guitar. This ensemble was becoming more chameleon like as their sound evolved and the focus mutated into a popular song direction. The album Sanctuary itself may have been a declaration of independence – free from the restrictions of the previous record deal, and Magic Dick’s harp playing is more consistent with a pop/rock commercial sound, blending in as a component of a unified front. Perhaps the producer had the ambiance and feel of this episode emulating Earth, Wind & Fire as it all works magnificently, a balanced evolution and far cry from the earthy first steps on Atlantic.
Must Of Got Lost Blow Your Face Out lp
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Boston – The Seventies – Joe Viglione’s History of New England Rock
The Early Seventies and beyond – Quill, The Sidewi…
The Early Seventies and beyond – Quill, The Sidewinders, Fat, Milkwood, Swallow
Remember! To click on any chapter go to this address: http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/1)The Quill
2)The Sidewinders
3)Fat
4)Milkwood
5)Swallow
6)Duke & The Drivers
7)James Montgomery
8)Stormin’ Norman & Suzy
9)P.J. Colt
10)Billy Squier’s PIPER
11)Orchestra Luna (1974)The QuillThe Quill has two distinctions that put them into the history books! They were the opening act at Woodstock and their leader helped create the intro to Andy Pratt’s classic “Avenging Annie.”
Though they performed in the 1960s this Cotillion release was in 1970, thus we start the music of the 70s with QUILLhttp://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3xfexqy5ld0e
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Reviewby Joe Viglione
Quill opened up the Saturday festivities at Woodstock in 1969, though some may say the real claim to fame for Jo Unk Khol (aka John Cole) is the sound effects he makes (uncredited) at the beginning of Andy Pratt‘s 1973 classic “Avenging Annie.” The group’s self-produced album is one of the better offerings from “The Bosstown Sound,” as was Pratt‘s 1971 Polydor release Records Are Like Life. Perhaps it is no coincidence that both were recorded by the mysterious Boston-area engineer who went by one name, Aengus. Steven McDonald originally wrote in AMG that “Quill came and went in 1970, leaving a single album behind as evidence of their existence. The band hurtled into the depths of psychedelia with results that are both painful and entertaining.” McDonald went on to call the music “a self-indulgent mess with some promise and much racket.” Actually, the six compositions by John and Dan Cole, along with N. “Red Rocket” Rogers‘ “Too Late,” deserve to be remembered a little bit better than that. Perhaps the entire album was too far out to include “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night” or “Journey to the Center of the Mind,” titles like “Thumbnail Screwdriver” and “Tube Exuding” giving the impression that these were bad Ultimate Spinach or Eden’s Children outtakes. That’s far from reality. The music is more toward the entertaining than the painful end of McDonald‘s spectrum. And though they, like Sweetwater, failed to catch on as other acts from the Woodstock festival did (unlike Ten Wheel Drive, who were said to have turned the gig down to settle in near obscurity), there is something special in these grooves and the pastel/half-psychedelic cover with esoteric lyrics spread across the inside of the Unipak gatefold. Despite the zany pseudonyms the bandmembers embraced, this record has more smarts than anything Zager & Evans ever put to plastic. There are jazzy overtones mixed in with the mayhem and experimentation far beyond anything Ultimate Spinach, the dreadful Eden’s Children, and even the beloved the Beacon Street Union from that “Bosstown Sound” era attempted to create. Maybe it was the marketing, maybe it was the damage caused by Eden’s Children, there’s no doubt Quill deserved a better fate. If only Cotillion, the label that released the Woodstock triple and double LPs, had put this and other groups out as part of a “Woodstock” series.The Sidewinders 1972
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The Sidewinders opened for Aerosmith just as “Dream On” was starting to break in the early ’70s and, with Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye producing, singer Andy Paley had the distinction of fronting the only true power pop ensemble to record in the early days of the Boston scene. The Modern Lovers were the essential punk band, Orphan with Jonathan Edwards were the folkies, and J. Geils had the blues market, leaving the most commercial sound to the Sidewinders. Though Billy Squier would join the Sidewinders, he had yet to bring them “Telephone Relation,” one of their two best songs, and the lack of material held back not only this album, but the eventual Paley Brothers disc for Sire featuring Andy and his brother Jonathan Paley, who would join Elektra’s the Nervous Eaters. It’s not that this self-titled debut doesn’t have its moments — “The Bumble Bee” is a cool instrumental, “Told You So” brings back memories of Moulty & the Barbarians, and “Rendezvous” (the best song on the album) could work for a contemporary teeny bop artist. That was the dilemma with rock & rollers choosing pop, something that the Atlantics would find out a few years later. The pretty guitars of Eric “Rose” Rosenfeld and Mike Reed are a perfect setting for Paley‘s voice. But Rosenfeld was a monster guitarist, like Squier, and this album hardly showcases his skills. You can hear elements of Barry & the Remains on side two’s “O Miss Mary” and “Got You Down”; maybe they were emulating Barry Tashian‘s group that opened for the Beatles, when perhaps they should’ve been putting some Kinks riffs into this material. “Slip Away” has the most creativity here, but only hints at the potential. “Reputation” isn’t as mean as Joan Jett or the New York Dolls could make that concept. Andy Paley would go on to produce the Shag film soundtrack for Sire, as well as Madonna on the Dick Tracy soundtrack, and this effort of his, with photos taken at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, is a true artifact of early-’70s Boston music.
Engineered by legends Roy Cicala who worked with Genya Ravan, Lori Burton, and John Lennon, along with Shelly Yakus (spelt Shelly Yokas on the album jacket) of Stevie Knicks and so many others fame, Fat is comprised of five men who, other than this outing, appear to have remained pretty much unknown. According to urban legend, this production by Eddie Jason saw only 400 copies released by RCA. For a band coming at the end of the debacle known as “The Bosstown Sound,” this actually plays better than Eden’s Children and Ultimate Spinach. With a cover photo of five dudes dressed like they are going camping, no image whatsoever, these longhairs deliver a decent set of tunes, despite the fact they aren’t stellar musicians. There is a spirit here, however, from “Shape I’m In” on side two, to the lengthy “Journey” and “Highway.” “Black Sunday” is inspired and has a sound very influenced by Quicksilver Messenger Service. Via default they seem to have created a strange amalgam of East Coast blues and psychedelia that Ultimate Spinach was searching for. “Country Girl” has Cream riffs galore, and where you might expect a folk tune, it rocks out. Where Alive & Kickin’ released the same year on Roulette and were woefully deficient on the musical side of things, these cats have a style and a sound. Peter Newland‘s voice and harp reflect the darkness James Kaminski and Michael Benson lay down with their guitars. Not a bad recording for a band with no look and riffs that Bachman Turner Overdrive would explore and exploit just four years later. “Duck Sweat” is the bluesy rock that the cover indicates, but “Lonely Lady” and “Mine Eyes Have Seen” take the group into other directions. An interesting artifact.
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MILKWOOD How’s The Weather (Early Cars) 1972
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For fans of the Cars this release pre-dates Rick & the Rabbits — the name that Modern Lover Jonathan Richman gave Richard Ocasek and Ben Orzechowski prior to their becoming Captain Swing, the band that evolved into the Cars. Recorded at Aengus Studios in Fayville, MA, where Andy Pratt created his classic “Avenging Annie,” the trio includes Jas Goodkind on lead acoustic and electric guitars, supplemented by various friends. Track three is the only non-Ocasek original, written by the late Ben Orr, and “Lincoln Park” is an example of why Cars fans have called this Ocasek and Orr‘s Crosby, Stills & Nash phase. Greg Hawks was working with Martin Mull and his Fabulous Furniture, but he appears on this album playing baritone, soprano sax, and doing the horn arrangements. Jeff Lass plays the keyboards here, although Hawks would join the Cars and create a sound so admired that Paul McCartney would fly Greg to England to perform on his “Motor of Love” on the Flowers in the Dirt album. “Bring Me Back” is a wonderful early Ocasek essay, and this album shows the ’80s pop ensemble in a delicate and charming light. Only “Timetrain Wonderwheel” hints at the direction Ocasek would eventually take. The vibe is like America‘s “Sandman,” and this is as close to Panorama as you are going to find here. The experimental sounds and jams make it the strongest track on How’s the Weather. Hawks‘ horns are nothing short of brilliant, and they play like his innovative keyboards that were so essential to the Cars‘ eventual success. The vocal phrasings on this song are significant, and “Timetrain Wonderwheel”‘s importance as an artifact of a band prior to its greatness cannot be ignored. “Makeshift Pawn” opens side two and sounds like a low-key David Gates or England Dan/John Ford Coley. Hearing the material is astounding when one thinks of the sci-fi overtones of “Moving in Stereo.” These guys had the chops and passion in “The Light Won’t Burn” as well as “Winter Song,” but there’s no denying that there’s little hint of the change in direction that would bring Ocasek, Orr, and Hawks to superstardom during the ’80s. “Along the Way” truly sounds like Crosby, Stills, Ocasek & Orr.
SWALLOW LPs 1972, 1973
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SWALLOW OUT OF THE NEST 1972 Cotillion
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The first album from Swallow was produced by Jean Paul Salvatori, who put together the excellent Bootleg Him! double LP of Alexis Korner material this same year, 1972. Jeff “Skunk” Baxter of Ultimate Spinach, later with Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, appears on “Come Home Woman,” an original from bassist Vern Miller Jr., who was part of the band who opened for the Beatles in 1966, the legendary Barry & the Remains. Miller‘s presence adds collectability to this debut. “Come Home Woman” would have been perfect for Alexis Korner, come to think of it, a bluesy lament which begins with Baxter‘s wonderful guitar work and picks up steam, letting George Leh open up and battle the horns — the voice and instruments stir things up so fine. “Aches and Pains” is one of the four Vern Miller Jr./George Leh co-writes, and it is gospel-tinged blues which spills over onto “Common Man.” There’s real personality here, music perhaps a little too earthy for the Blood, Sweat & Tears crowd, but authentic to the max. Recorded and mixed where Aerosmith cut “Dream On” and where Jonathan Edwards of Orphan tracked “Sunshine,” “Out of the Nest” is post-Bosstown serious singing and playing. When it is all instrumental, as on pianist/tenor saxman David Woodford‘s “Shuffle,” Boston veteran Parker Wheeler gets a chance to give a counterpoint to J. Geils Band harp player Magic Dick. The harmonica on “Shuffle” admirably replaces George Leh‘s distinctive vocal. Leh‘s got that Nick Gravenites gravel growl on “Something Started Happening,” a tune with charging dynamics, perhaps this band’s strong suit. Miller‘s “Brown Eyed Baby Boy” is a plea for love with a solid hook that would work well for the Remains since that group started recording again in the new millennium. The Staple Singers‘ composition “Why Am I Treated So Bad,” also covered by Cannonball Adderley and the Sweet Inspirations, adds another dimension to the mix, the organ of Bob Camacho getting to have its say. Mick Aranda‘s creative drumming is also worthy of note. Out of the Nest is an excellent document of early-’70s Boston roots rock/blues music with just a touch of jazz. This would make a nice two-fer CD with its follow-up, 1973’s self-titled Swallow.
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Duke & the Drivers had fun living out their fantasy on ABC Records but, under the aegis of the redoubtable Buddy Buie and with help from the Atlanta Rhythm Section, Boston’s Swallow were very serious about their craft, and it shows on this collection of understated blues-rock. Vern Miller, Jr. of the Remains, George Leh, and New England personalties Parker Wheeler and Phil Greene (the extra “e” is missing from the legendary engineer’s name on this disc) are four of the nine musicians who make up the large outfit. On one of the all-time worst album covers — a green martian hand holding the nose of the man in the moon (presumably, so he can swallow) — the nine musicians are displayed above a moonscape, their names out of order with the photos. In 1973, the Atlanta Rhythm Section emerged from the remnants of the Classics IV and, with J.R. Cobb and Barry Bailey of that group on this disc, along with B.J. Thomas/Friend & Lover/Billie Joe Royal producer Buie, one would think Warner Bros. would have been more serious about this outing. Most of the titles are by Miller, making the album a statement by the man Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band calls his favorite bass player. Two co-writes by Leh are included, along with two Randy Newman songs, “Illinois” and the often covered “I’ll Be Home.” Although Buie co-wrote all the hits of the Atlanta Rhythm Section, his magic is not added here, and perhaps that is what is missing. The record is better than decent — it is very good — despite the fact there is no hit to launch it from obscurity. Greene went on to engineer Beaver Brown, New Kids on the Block, and the sessions this writer did with Buddy Guy in 1986, while blind singer Leh developed a following and great reputation performng around the Boston area. “Georgia, Pack My Bags” isn’t a hit, nor is “Rockin’ Shoes”; perhaps the closest thing to a potential chart climber is “Don’t Tell Mama,” some kind of answer, not to Etta James, but to Savoy Brown‘s minor hit from their 1971 Street Corner Talking album, “Tell Mama.” At least they showed respect for their elders! There was much potential here; it’s too bad the label and/or management mishandled the look of the album, and failed to give this large group a couple of songs their musicianship could work with to reach the masses. But, for fans of the legendary Remains, it is another chapter in the career of Vern Miller and an essential item in order for their collections to be complete.
DUKE & THE DRIVERS Biography
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Biographyby Joe Viglione
Blue blood young men turned musicians, this aggregation got together sometime in 1973 jamming on obscure rhythm & blues titles for fun and somehow it clicked. The name Duke & the Drivers evolved out of one of their myriad parties where they played for friends and consumed a cocktail called an Orange Driver, grain alcohol vodka and some orange drink. When people asked the name of the band, it was up to the harmonica-playing saxophonist who doubled as comedian, Rhinestone Muddflaps (birth name Ando Hixson), to say “Duke’s not here.” When people asked where Duke was, they got the standard reply: “Out drinking the orange drivers,” and thus the name Duke & the Drivers were born. Contemporaries of the J. Geils Band with album jackets less ominous than the diesel driven’ Bachman-Turner Overdrive, it was original bassist and owner of the Boston based Jelly Records, Greg Morton, who got them booked at the legendary Western Front outside of Central Square in Cambridge, MA. They went into the club with only 25 minutes of music in their repertoire, extending the tunes into an early version of what would become jam band style, taking an intermission, and going back to perform the same elongated set again. Rhinestone Muddflaps would wear lights on his head, rubber gloves on his hands, and trampoline skates, honing an identity as the comic out front. Other bandmembers included drummer Dr. Feelgood Funk (birth name Danny McGrath ), Sam Deluxe on electric and acoustic guitar and vocals, Joe Lilly (of Lilly Pharmaceuticals ), electric and slide guitarist/vocalist Cadillac Jack (born Henry Eaton, later to be a newscaster and district attorney), and Mississippi Tom Swift on keyboards and ARP strings.With success on the club level, the goal shifted to obtaining a major-label recording contract. By December 1973, they were opening for Lou Reed‘s legendary “Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal” band at Boston’s Orpheum Theater and generating a buzz. They performed dates with the Leslie West Band as well as Blue Öyster Cult with ZZ Top opening for Duke & the Drivers on the Blue Öyster Cult show. Personal manager Peter Casperson of Boston’s Castle Music Productions signed them to ABC Records in 1973, with their debut album produced and engineered by Eddie Kramer appearing in 1974. That album, Cruisin’, featured a minor hit song, “What You Got,” and the band started to make some real noise. Prior to the recording, Greg Morton was replaced by bassist Koko Dee, the first of many personnel changes. A second album was recorded, Rollin’ On, with percussionist Dr. Feelgood Funk being replaced by the drummer from the band Orphan, the late Bobby Chouinard (dubbed Bobby Blue Sky for his role with Duke), who would go on to work with Billy Squier, Alice Cooper, and many others. Rollin’ On failed to generate another radio hit and the band started feeling the pressure. Shortly after the LP’s release in September 1976, the group broke up. With bookings to fulfill through 1977, Tom Swift contacted drummer Mark Highlander, who had opened for Duke & the Drivers with his group the Connection in 1975, both artists being managed at one point or another by the man who orchestrated Aerosmith‘s comeback, Tim Collins. Ando Hixson left, as did Koko Dee with Greg Morton coming back to play bass. Vocalist Joe Lilly took a leave of absence and was replaced by his brother George Lilly and a reconstituted band holed up at the legendary Cambridge Music Complex practicing for three to four weeks until their debut at three sold-out shows over the 1977 July 4th weekend at The Frolics Ballroom in Salisbury Beach, MA. In August 1977, they recorded a 45 RPM “Looking for a Fox” b/w “Wonderful Love” at Northern Studios in Maynard, MA. Their summertime tour took them to Cleveland’s Agora Ballroom, a concert broadcast live on WMMS. They opened for Starz at the Tomorrow Theater in Youngstown and performed on bills with Elvis Costello, Pat Travers, and others. Worcester/Boston radio station WAAF broadcast the group live from Northern Sound on the day Elvis Presley died, August 16, 1977, with approximately 1,000 people jammed into the studio atop a Woolworths five-and-dime. Despite the success of the live broadcast, the popularity began to wane and the group filled out its contractual obligations, ending it all at a high school gig in April 1978. There were reunion shows in the ’90s and in 1993, a “20th Anniversary” commemorative live CD of a performance on a radio show from the ’70s (Rock Around the World) was released featuring Bobby Chouinard on drums. The band still gets attention, the 45 of “Looking for a Fox” used on a national televised broadcast of the New England Patriots football team in 2001. Drummer Mark Highlander is still active, teaming up with bassist Danny Klein of the J. Geils Band for their blues group Stone Crazy.
CRUISIN’ 1975
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The only photo of the band has six faces peering out of a rearview mirror on the back cover. Duke & the Drivers look like the J. Geils Band, and listening to “Ain’t Nothing a Young Girl Can Do for Me” with blindfold on will make one swear it is indeed the J. Geils Band. That was part of the charm of this ’70s blues-rock act out of Boston. Eddie Kramer‘s production, especially on the big regional hit “What You Got,” is immense. No, it didn’t land in the national Top 40, but it should have. The arrangement sounds like Grand Funk Railroad‘s Top Three hit from December 1974; J.Ellison‘s “Some Kind of Wonderful” and the thunderous drums from Rhinestone Mudflapps (aka, the late, great Bobby Chouinard) are explosive dance stuff. The song should have catapulted them to fame and “Lovebones” from side two would have been a nice follow-up. The demo to “Lovebones” had a magic of its own and would be a nice bonus track addition to a CD re-release of this first effort. A blues-rock band covering Gamble & Huff, Otis Redding, Don Covay, and Ike Turner in a world that was home to the Cars and Aerosmith was risky stuff indeed, more so because this band walked on sacred ground with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Regardless, “What You Got” is a classic, and the reformed J.Geils Band would do well to consider adding it to their repertoire. The urban legend is that management for the band hired a flatbed truck parked outside of the big Top 40 radio station in Boston asking why they weren’t playing “What You Got.” It got added into rotation and brightened up the airwaves for awhile. Cruisin’ has some fine moments recorded with great care by Eddie Kramer, and is worth searching for.
ROLLIN’ ON 1975
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Duke & the Drivers were contemporaries of the J. Geils Band and opened for them on many a bill. Where Eddie Kramer produced their first LP, Deke Richards came aboard to oversee this second and final album for ABC Records. In the early ’90s, the band would release a CD of a live performance thanks to original bassist Greg Morton, owner of Jelly Records. Their penchant for reworking old blues tunes and putting the “Duke” stamp on them is evidenced here. Two titles from Eddie Bocage, who co-wrote “Keep a Knockin'” with Little Richard, appear on this disc, “Check Your Bucket” and “Check Yourself.” “Bucket” was a Boston-area favorite when the band opened for Leslie West and Lou Reed in the ’70s. The title track, “Rollin’ On,” written by guitarist/vocalist Sam Deluxe — whose real name is Joe Lilly of Lilly Pharmaceuticals — sounds like an extended sequel to the Bachman Turner Overdrive hit from the year before, “Roll on Down the Highway.” Duke & the Drivers were very clever in being blatant about their inspirations, but camouflaging all the musical stuff that turned them on. The result is hardly original, but that is their charm. The only other original on the album is Cadillac Jack‘s “Love on My Hands.” “Jack” is actually Henry Eaton, who became a newsman for Boston’s WLVI, TV 56, and in 2001, is an elected official, Assistant District Attorney or something. A far cry from rocking and rolling on Boston stages. The song is another Boston R&B meets the Philly sound. It sounds cool decades after the fact, but when recorded it was totally annoying. Pre-rap, rockers were really against disco, and this song is some weird hybrid of the two. “Check Yourself” has Sam Deluxe sounding so much like Peter Wolf one wonders if it is a tribute band with sax performing on this cut. D. Greg‘s “Let Me Be Your Handyman” reads like an inverted “Sunshine of Your Love” riff with sentiment heavily borrowed from Jimmy Johnson’s 1960 hit “Handyman.” “I’ll Take Good Care of You,” written by producer Deke Richards, opens side two. It is very unlike Duke & the Drivers, the sound of Philadelphia over a melody and keyboard fragrance which may have inspired Billy Joel‘s 1983 hit “Allentown.” The similarities are striking. Recorded at Northern Studio in Maynard, MA, and the Sound Factory in West Los Angeles, Rollin On fits nicely next to the J. Geils Band‘s earthy R&B-flavored rock.
JAMES MONTGOMERY High Roller 1974
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James Montgomery Band
Recording Date Jun 1974-Jul 1974
Label Capricorn
James Montgomery’s 1974 release on Capricorn/Warner Brothers has the harp playing vocalist in fine form. With Otis Spann guitarist Peter Malick, the six-piece ensemble crafted a serious album of blues-pop with production by Tom Dowd and the man who would hit with the Bee Gees shortly after this, Albhy Galuten. Side two is more accessible. “Sing You a Love Song” is written and sung by drummer Chuck Purro, and that’s the interesting thing about the James Montgomery Blues Band: Four different musicians share the lead vocals, and only one of them is the star. Guitarist Peter Bell shares the lead with Montgomery on the Otis Redding tune that ends the album, “Ten Page Letter.” This title, along with five others, was recorded in June of 1974 at Atlantic Recording Studios in New York, with Tom Dowd assisting engineer Gene Paul; “I Can’t Stop (No, No, No),” “Schoolin’ Them Dice,” “Sing You a Love Song,” and “Try It” were recorded in July at Capricorn Recording Studios, Macon, Georgia. Another interesting thing is that the bluesier tunes were placed on side one and the poppier songs made it to the second, but both studios’ sessions are pretty evenly represented on each side of the disc. Keyboardist David Case sounds up on “Any Number Can Play,” and Montgomery does a terrific job with Allen Toussaint‘s “Brickyard Blues.” During this interesting period of Boston rock & roll, James Montgomery’s band escaped the “Bosstown Sound” tag by sticking to its roots. Too bluesy to be mistaken for the J. Geils Band, Montgomery is a well-loved personality in New England, and this record is a respectable outing by a very talented bunch
OCEAN OF LOVE STORMIN’ NORMAN & SUZY 1978
The follow up to their debut album on their own label, probably called FANTASY RAG,
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“Wrongside Boogie” on the major-label debut by Suzy Williams and Norman Zamcheck, aka Stormin’ Norman & Suzy, takes a cue from Bette Midler‘s first Top Ten hit, 1973’s “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, but doesn’t take the concept far enough. Former Gridley, CA, resident Suzy Williams emulates Bessie Smith on the vocals and, perhaps not so strangely, Jack Richardson‘s production presents this music as a period piece as well. That’s a mistake. The Guess Who mentor could have given some of the gloss he gave his Canadian band to this Boston-based outfit during a time when Suzy‘s identifiable voice could have found its way onto pop radio. He oversees eight of the nine songs, with the title track supervised by Sandy Linzer of Four Seasons/the Toys fame. That tune, “Ocean of Love,” borrows heavily from Barbra Streisand‘s adult contemporary radio hit version of Laura Nyro‘s “Time and Love” from earlier in the ’70s. The direction this duo needed was the sound of a Streisand record like Stoney End, not the melody. Suzy does her best “Second Hand Rose” throughout the disc, and she is a character but the presentation is limiting. A song like “Green” veers off into jazz territory when it needed a jolt of Spanky & Our Gang. The strongest number is the final one, “Stay Awake Awhile,” with a dreamy groove and sublime backing vocals. Suzy takes the song to a place beyond Rod Stewart and the Faces‘ “Flying,” and this sounds like the sequel to that classic. Ocean of Love is an admirable effort, but too much of an anachronism. With talents like Linzer and Richardson at the helm, it could have been so much more.
PJ COLT with Skunk Baxter
Skunk Baxter played with so many people, Buzzy Linhart, Carly Simon, The Ultimate Spinach and many others. Check out his credits
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter Credits
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PJ Colt 1976
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This self-titled album from singer P.J. Colt gets into the history books thanks to the participation of Jeff Baxter, who performed with Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and many others. Some reference guides list this album’s year of release as 1970, others as 1976. There is no copyright on the disc, making 1970 seem like the release date; it certainly looks and sounds like a project from the early ’70s. There are two standout tracks, “Grave Down by the River” and “Growing Old,” although the record is pretty consistent and listenable all the way through. Colt originally released the song “Growing Old” on a single and an album by Boston band Dirty John’s Hot Dog Stand on Amsterdam Records in 1970. The track has a spacy opening, while Colt’s vocal sounds hauntingly like early Michael McDonald. “Growing Old” follows “Blues Train,” a competent cross between Wilson Pickett‘s “Mustang Sally” and the Velvet Underground‘s “Train Comin’ Round the Bend.” The musicianship shines throughout; guitarist Baxter emerged a star after his involvement with “the Bosstown Sound” of producer Alan Lorber on the third Ultimate Spinach album, which is a testament to talent winning out. Ray Paret did the production here, listed in the smallest of type. He certainly did not get in the way of the band, musicians who cook on Bonnie Bramlett‘s “Someday,” “Black Jesus” — actually, on every track. Ed Costa‘s keyboards and the plethora of backing vocalists are all tastefully combined in the straightforward production and mix. There’s a significant cover of Van Morrison‘s “Crazy Love,” a song suited to Colt’s vocal style, while the rendition of “Honky Tonk Women” — try though it may — does not achieve what it seeks: the drunken barroom Leon Russell atmosphere and attitude. Colt’s originals are listenable blues-rock, from the funky opening track “Once in the Morning” to the blues-drenched “I’m Tired Now.” Drummer Jim Wilkins, pianist Costa, and guitarist Baxter collaborated to pen the tune “Leave Me Alone,” one of the album’s more rocking and commercial numbers.
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Billy Squier wrote a great song when he was in the Sidewinders, a song that didn’t make it to their Lenny Kaye-produced RCA album but is here in all its glory. “Telephone Relation” is an exquisite pop tune, overshadowed only by the even poppier “Who’s Your Boyfriend,” which should have been as big a hit as “The Stroke,” “In the Dark,” and “Everybody Wants You.” The great thing about Piper is that Squier emerged with authority as a solid front man, guitarist, and singer/songwriter. The elements that make this disc so good are what is wrong with solo efforts by the Cars‘ Elliot Easton or Alice Cooper‘s Michael Bruce. Squier took his former singer Andy Paley‘s pretty-boy stance and re-evaluated the formula the Sidewinders were toying with. Piper rocks a bit harder than the Sidewinders and lighter than Squier‘s solo work. Pop suits Squier better than the all-out assault of hard rock his later work is known for. Piper and the excellent follow-up Can’t Wait are two essential albums by this very talented artist.
CAN’T WAIT PIPER
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The promise of the first Piper album’s classic track “Who’s Your Boyfriend” is realized with the title song from Piper’s second and last disc before Billy Squier found fame and fortune on his own, Can’t Wait. Co-written by Squier and Boston magazine contributor/liner note essayist for Frank Sinatra, James Isaacs, everything is turned up a notch, starting with this sublime pop sensation, the song “Can’t Wait.” Billy Squier sounds more comfortable singing lead, and where his future producer Eddie Kramer mixed the first album, future Rolling Stones engineer Chris Kimsey does the boards and co-production on this disc. “Anyday” and “Blues for the Common Man” certainly have that early to mid-’70s Rolling Stones feel, as does the beautiful “Now Aint the Time.” Hindsight is always 20/20, but Piper had the potential to breakthrough as Heart, Cheap Trick, and other star acts of the time garnered mainstream acceptance and longevity. Who’s to say that Squier‘s stardom as an arena rocker would be matched had he evolved with these musicians. It is tough to compete with drummer extraordinaire, the late Bobby Chouinard, and guitarist Jeff Golub, who worked with Squier shortly after this, but songs like “Drop By and Stay” have an appeal that works for both the metal heads and housewives content to hear something poppy on the radio. “Drop By and Stay” was co-written by Squier and former Elektra A&R rep, Maxanne Sartori. Sartori was instrumental in the success of Aerosmith and the Cars, and “Drop By And Stay” is one of the albums highlights. “See Me Through” may not be as intense as the Stroke, but that is its charm. The band really sparkles and shines on this collection. “Little Miss Intent” is a precursor to “Everybody Wants You,” Squier‘s 1982 Top 35 hit. Where John Cougar performing a cover of the Doors “Crystal Ship” on MCA prior to his success is an embarrassment, this early material by Billy Squier is not only something to be proud of, it stands the test of time and should be recognized as important music, not just the early work by an ’80s star.
ORCHESTRA LUNA now on CD from the Market Square Records label in Europe
http://www.marketsquarerecords.co.uk/news28.htmRelease Date: 07/02/2007The Orchestra Luna album began the musical legacy of Rick Berlin, the composer/singer who goes by his birth name, Richard Kinscherf, on this Epic Records debut in 1974. The seven-piece ensemble was truly groundbreaking in a world that doesn’t take kindly to innovation. Where the Who were content to write rock operas, Kinscherf and his band put opera to rock. This adventurous mix of songs, written as if they were Broadway show tunes backed by a rock band with jazz and classical influences, might sound like a bit much, and 11 minutes and 53 seconds of “Doris Dreams” never had a chance of Top 40 success, or an edit that could get it there, but that idiosyncrasy is part of what makes this album so daring, and special. Co-produced by Rupert Holmes, the man who gave us “Escape (The Pina Colada Song,” a monster smash in 1979, and the cannibal anthem “Timothy” in 1971, the choice might not seem appropriate on the surface. But Holmes‘ unheralded work for Barbara Streisand and the Broadway musical Drood actually makes him a perfect choice to oversee this project. “Miss Pamela” has wonderful Randy Roos guitars blending with Rick Kinscherf‘s pretty keyboards, keyboards that could have inspired Billy Joel, sounding very much like his 1978 hit “Just The Way You Are.” It’s when Kinscherf‘s expressive vocal kicks in that all comparisons to traditional pop go out the window. The cover of the Adler/Ross classic (you gotta have) “Heart” is a standout here, as it was in their live show. Seven of the nine tracks are penned by Rick Kinscherf, and themes that resound in “Fay Wray” (the heroine from the epic King Kong) travel throughout the artist’s career.TO READ MORE OF THE AMG/FYE REVIEW:http://www.fye.com/Orchestra-Luna-Front-Page_stcVVproductId18548363VVcatId455366VVviewprod.htmTHE COUNT
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Joe Viglione, Boston superstar and otherwise known as The Count, produced one of my all-time favourite albums I’m a Star which includes an ace version of the Velvets’ Foggy Notion, and the stunning ‘We’re Gonna Run the Night Away’. Still big on Lou Reed too, judging by his website. For more music stuff go to Varulven.
The night I met Willie Loco:
at the Plymouth Rock Party – which I audiotaped – Willie playing “Mass. Ave” with THE MEZZ
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Joe Harvard’s site says:
It puts Asa Records right there with Garage Records and Joe Viglione’s Varulven one of the first local labels. Asa Brebner also went on to be member of Robin Lane and the Chartbusters, start a band with ex-Dire Straits guitarist Dave Knopfler, and form/front a couple of excellent bands: the Grey Boys and Idle Hands.
Tons of Andy Pratt reviews on AMG will show up here soon.Temporary links:
http://www.andypratt.comWhen J Geils & Andy Pratt played together
Chapter EIGHT Willie “Loco” Alexander
Willie Loco Alexander
To click on any chapter go to this address: http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/ A Full Chapter on Willie “Loco” Alexander
Willie “Loco” Alexander album reviews
Willie “Loco” Alexander deserves a full book or two for himself, so the least we can do is give him an entire chapter. Remember, to click on any chapter go to this address:
http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/A similar page can be found here:
http://williealexander.blogspot.com/
http://bostonrr.blogspot.com/2nd MCA album Meanwhile…Back In The Stateshttp://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kpfyxqu5ldfeReviewby Joe Viglione
This album should have been listed in the VH1 book Casualties of Rock, the phenomenal sound and fury of Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band condensed and distilled into a homogenized and compressed postcard that hardly represented what the band was all about. In the first place, crediting bassist Severin Grossman, guitarist Billy Loosigian, and drummer David McLean with co-authoring “Mass. Ave.,” the solo underground hit single that relaunched Willie Alexander’s career, is downright blasphemy. Yes, the Boom Boom Band was a rock & roll treasure on the level of the Rolling Stones, a powerful, self-contained unit that could shake the rafters with their distinct and unbelievable sound, but they weren’t around when Alexander stepped out of the Velvet Underground with the Lost bassist Walter Powers and recorded “‘Cause I’m Taking You to Bed” at the Orson Welles Recording Studio (a studio under the famous theater in Harvard Square, Cambridge). That vintage recording completely blows away the remake, slyly entitled “For Old Time’s Sake” to get by the MCA censors. You read that right, “Rhythm Asshole Baby” became “R.A. Baby” for the almighty gods at the record label, while “Gourmet Baby,” a song about cunnilingus, was transformed into “Pass the Tabasco” — and you can only imagine the frustration for an artist of integrity like Alexander, who was told to sing “I want to kiss you but you give me the hives” (the original lyrics were “I want to eat you but you give me the hives”). Not only were the lyrics censored, the sound was hollowed out, and producer Craig Leon got the band to play by the numbers. Here is the best example of genius being stripped and tortured. The bandmates seemingly went along with this fiasco, implying that Alexander was too “loco” to be given to the public in his raw form. Well, guess what, boys? You got all your fame from Willie “Loco” Alexander being just that. Imagine telling Mick Jagger to sit still and clean up his lyrics? Alexander and the boys imploded, walking away from a third MCA release, and both factions cut demos with producer Leon on their own — Alexander recording four eerie and brilliant tracks that have never seen the light of day, but which head him in the direction of what he would put out on RCA in Europe for Solo Loco, vindication that he could get signed without the band that he rocked Boston with. The Boom Boom Band cut three sides with the late Matthew McKenzie of Reddy Teddy with Leon, but the tapes stayed on the shelf. What did find its way out of this maze was a blistering version of their live standard, “Dirty Eddie.” Frustrated by the restrictions of MCA, the band tore into that filthy song about golden showers and Alexander released it independently so the world could see what the group was really all about. The flip side of the 45 was an even dirtier, if you can imagine that: “She Wanted Me” (aka “Nazi Nola,” for scenester Nola Rezzo) is a song about anal intercourse. Alexander took the Velvet Underground one step further — that band he was in was named after an S&M book, but Alexander’s songs were usually about his own sexual escapades and depravity, real underground stuff that you won’t find on Meanwhile…Back in the States. The tragedy of it all is that his music was commercially viable, chock-full of hooks and solid riffs, but not transferred to vinyl the way it should have been. Stephan Lovelace‘s earlier production of “You Looked So Pretty When” was Phil Spector meets Jimmy Miller, classic Stones by way of the Ronettes. Here Leon plays Dr. Frankenstein and does a Ray Conniff version of a hard rock classic. Now if that isn’t enough to make the fans faint and the band implode, well, “Hitchhiking” and “Mass. Ave.,” two songs that needed no censorship, still fail to make the grade, giving Alexander the good sense to go hitchhiking on Mass Ave. rather than put up with any more of this. The two MCA releases were issued in Britain under the title Pass the Tabasco, and despite this frightening essay on record industry misconduct, are worth picking up to get a glimpse of a couple of rock & roll albums that could have redefined ’80s rock and the so-called new wave.==================================================================== Willie Loco’s Boom Boom Band back up Sal Maida’s wife:Lisa Burnshttp://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=CASS70310091935&sql=Arm6atr3lkl7x(Maida played in Roxy Music, Milk ‘n Cookies, Velveteen)Reviewby Joe Viglione
The problem with Lisa Burns’ solo album on MCA is the same trouble that plagued her backing band here on its two albums on the same label: the guy who got them into the studio, producer Craig Leon. Leon is a talented guy, and his demos for Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band, along with his demos for DMZ, another Boston band, were superb. But given a budget and the big room of Suntreader Studio in Sharon, VT, and this album, with its neo-Phil Spector sound, just falls apart. What a shame. On paper, it’s a great idea. The talent is here, somewhere in the grooves; it just is not as cohesive as Leon‘s own hit, the remake of Spirit in the Sky under the guise of Doctor & the Medics. “Slow Burn” would be great girl group pop except that David McLean‘s drums are too far up in the mix, the backing vocals are too far down, and the pretty frills just don’t have the ooomph that Spector and his clones put into their radio-friendly productions. “In the Streets” is Annie Golden of the Shirts meets the Shangri-Las, with really great material and a performance that gets lost. Leon failed to properly record Willie Alexander‘s “You Looked So Pretty When,” originally put to independent plastic by the late producer Stephen Lovelace. That tune, cut around the same time as these songs on the second Boom Boom album on MCA, probably during the same session, would have been perfect for Burns’ more than adequate vocals. But Leon‘s underproduction does no justice to any of this pop; where Lovelace successfully merged Spector‘s sentiment with Sex Pistols-style rock & roll, Leon strips it all down. Oh, there’s the “Be My Baby” drumbeat to open the DeShannon classic “When You Walk in the Room,” and three Moon Martin covers, including “Love Gone Bad” (with its melody almost borrowed from Tommy James‘ “Tighter Tighter”), but hitting it out of the park is another issue. It is the Boom Booms backing up Burns here, with Billy Loosigian on guitar, Severin Grossman on bass, and the aforementioned David McLean on drums. Willie Alexander, the guy whose talent brought this crew together, is nowhere to be found on this record (he’s also missing from the Velvet Underground‘s Squeeze album on Polygram, sad to say). It’s been said that the band, and perhaps the producer, felt Alexander was too “far out” to be commercial. It is Alexander‘s eccentricities that garnered the attention in the first place; his compositions and incredible backing vocal work, along with his passion for Ronnie Spector‘s hits, could have contributed here. “Some Sing, Some Dance,” a tune later recut by Ray Paul & Emmit Rhodes, misses the mark, and so does the exquisite “Victim of Romance,” another Moon Martin tune that just sounds like the recording was rushed. The opening cover of the Box Tops‘ hit “Soul Deep” is an excellent choice, but sounds like it is lost in a vacuum. Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band had a three-album deal with Leon and MCA; infighting dissolved the group, and Leon went on to produce demos for the band without Alexander, and demos for Alexander without the band. The tragedy of the Lisa Burns album is that, had everyone been on the same page as a team, with Burns opening for Alexander and utilizing the same backing band, ’70s and ’80s rock could have been redefined. These are large talents who got lost in the mix, and the 20/20 vision of hindsight sheds light on the failure of this recording to bring these artists to the public. A real lesson in musical waste. “Tell Tale Heart,” another co-write by the singer, should be done the right way by Ronnie Spector; it would be vindication for Burns and for the forgotten soldier responsible for these musicians to be able to record in the first place, William Spence Alexander. Good voice, great songs, wonderful musicianship, weak record. You figure it out.
Solo Loco 1980
Interesting thing is that I was interviewed for Billboard Magazine by the late Roman Kozak the same day the New Rose/RCA disc arrived in my mailbox from France. These were “heady times” indeed at the dawn of the New Wave. If I could only go back now, twenty-seven years later, with the knowledge I have, so much more could have been accomplished. Hindsight being 20/20…
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It opens with a mournful wail that is the a cappella version of “Tennessee Waltz,” the number one Patti Page 1950 hit that Sam Cooke reworked in 1964. Both artists never imagined this rendition, the naked voice defiant after his band and MCA deal collapsed. The genius of Solo Loco is best displayed on the French release on New Rose/R.C.A. Here tunes like “Are You Leaving” and “Eyes Are Crossed” provide the proof, as if any was needed, to why the Boom Boom Band got signed to MCA in the first place. Willie’s songs have the inspiration, the intensity, the individuality that make for good listening, if not stardom. “Small Town Medley” is the kind of musical departure that the Boom Boom Band and producer Craig Leon did not understand. It’s sheer brilliance, reuniting with his bassist in the Velvet Underground, Walter Powers III, engineer Ted St. Pierre providing the intense guitars. Walter Powers also adds a throbbing bassline to “It’s All Over,” an amalgam of sound, intricate piano lines, and drumming from Willie with multi-layered vocals, and percussion sounds the artist obtained by playing the drum sticks on the floor of the recording studio. Truly a work of art. “Hit and Run” is avant-garde techno jazz, the album event no doubt a catharsis for Alexander. He scribbles his voice, keyboards, and soul all over Solo Loco. With help from guitarist Peter Dayton, Ministry bassist Brad Hallen, and Lord Manuel Smith‘s exotic synthesizer noises, Alexander brings 11 originals and two covers to life in this cleverly warped sound environment. The album is a career moment, the electronic and eerie “No Way Jose” and the 45 that landed the deal, “Gin,” concluding side one with perhaps the two most commercial songs on the record. Alexander would stay on New Rose for many years. Though there was major-label interest from Arista, Polygram, and RCA in the United States, his wife at the time signed the album to Greg Shaw‘s Bomp label. The Bomp release came out a year later with a different cover, rearranged tracking and without the lengthy “So Tight,” a techno punk song about Harvard Square that has a great groove. Solo Loco contains an image of Willie Alexander duplicated eight times on the front and back cover with a stunning kaleidoscope of color schemes. Patrick Mathé at New Rose understood the tremendous talent he had signed and packed it lovingly. All one has to do is listen to the explosive remake of Gene Vincent‘s “Be Bop a Lula” to hear the forces at play, forces of total artistic expression.
Willie “Loco” Alexander’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 1
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It may have been Genya Ravan who said, “What’s the point of putting out a ‘greatest hits’ album if you have no hits”; the thinking, of course, is to use the words “best of” instead. But to the French, Boston, New York, and L.A. underground, Willie “Loco” Alexander is a true hero, an artist who is both prolific and original, and to those fans, these are his “hits.” Outside of the live double LP Autre Chose on New Rose and the ultra rare Sperm Bank Babies LP (only 500 were pressed of this circa-1977 WERS radio broadcast by Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band), there are three studio collections of Alexander’s work on the market, Northeast’s 1991 U.S. release Boom Boom Ga Ga, Fan Club’s Fifteen Years of Rock & Roll With Willie Alexander on New Rose’s subsidiary released in France in 1990, and 1985’s Willie Loco Alexander’s Greatest Hits, also released in France on the Fan Club imprint. Eight of the titles here show up again five years later on the 20-track CD but, surprisingly, six of the titles were replaced. Of the six that you can find on Willie Loco Alexander’s Greatest Hits, two of them are absolutely vital — the “You Looked So Pretty When” 45 and its flip “Hit Her Wid de Axe.” The original producer, the late Stephan Lovelace, was going through a divorce and refused to mail the original masters to the artist, so engineer Karen Kane EQ’d the original 45s of the two aforementioned titles and Willie’s solo debut 45 “Mass. Ave.” and “Kerouac.” “You Looked So Pretty When,” in particular, is essential to the story of this artist. The production, for an independent 45, is stunning: It’s a rock & roll band emulating Phil Spector‘s “wall of sound” without a wall of sound, just with their instruments. It survives as one of the finest moments from the new wave of 1976. Decades later, it is still a powerful rock & roll statement, as is “Pup Tune,” which both Fan Club releases shamelessly lift from the vintage Live at the Rat album. Both French releases incorrectly label the song as “Pop Tune,” but that is so misleading. In actuality, it is a demented, sizzling rock masterpiece regarding Alexander’s obsession with Ronnie Spector, a song about some omnisexual drunken stupor where a dog eats someone’s panties and does unmentionable things with them. It is sheer brilliance, the maniacal performance of the band, with Loco screaming “baby I love you” over the ending. As Alexander writes in the brief liners, “This record is ten years of vinyl nuts and guts. Loco Boom Boom Gaga Rock & Roll.” Don’t let his eccentricities throw you off the scent; this is a very clever man with lots of rock, jazz, folk, and punk sensibilities. His version of Doc Pomus‘ “Lonely Avenue” is authentic, while the Gene Vincent cover, “Be Bop a Lula,” is one of the most unique versions of this tune you will ever hear. Recorded after the breakup of the Boom Boom Band for New Rose/RCA in 1980, it shows Alexander truly Solo Loco. His ability to create rhythms with the piano or the drums and his grasp of desperation are what rock & roll is all about. The downside here is that the mastering of “Be Bop a Lula” sounds horrible on this disc, not as pure as what is on Solo Loco or the New Rose 1980-2000 boxed set. “Be Bop a Lula” sounds great on those releases, coming through loud and clear. This 14-song album holds lots of keys to Loco the artist. “Bass Rocks” is about Gloucester, MA, but the key riff is Lou Reed‘s “White Light/White Heat” melody. As a former member of the Velvet Underground, that melody is the only remnant Alexander chooses to give to the world, subliminally, to acknowledge his past. This album covers only the period starting in 1975 with the release of the classic “Kerouac” single, so there is none of his work for the Lost on Capitol or Bagatelle on ABC Records. It’s a freeze frame of the solo work this dedicated artist has released to the world, a good collection of important moments in Willie Alexander’s career.
A GIRL LIKE YOU 1982 New Rose
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Electro Acoustic Studios moved from the ambience of Boston’s theater district (the drag queens would reportedly have knife fights outside this space across from where the famous Coconut Grove fire happened), the facility where the previous Solo Loco masterpiece was etched, way up to Bethel, ME, a studio in transition changing dramatically the sound of an artist in transition. If Solo Loco was vindication, the artist in complete control after losing his band and MCA contract, A Girl Like You is a trip deeper into the mind of this creative artist, further into the insightful ramblings of Willie Loco’s psyche while he was assembling his new group. Commercial music this is not, though it reunites Alexander with Walter Powers, who was with the singer/songwriter when they performed in the Velvet Underground. Alexander downplays that part of his career, though he should be proud of it now; the tragedy was that the Velvets didn’t pull a Doobie Brothers, allowing Willie Alexander’s material to shift the course of the group the way Michael MacDonald gave that institution a new direction. Alexander is the beatnik to Lou Reed‘s street poet. Where Alexander gave us the wonderfully eerie “Video Games” on this 1982 disc, Reed countered with “My Red Joystick” in 1984, with Alexander drawing from his Kerouac obsessions and Reed coming from the school of Delmore Schwartz; it’s too bad Reed and Alexander didn’t team up and push the manager Sesnick out the door, the pairing would have been pure magic. And at the very least they could have played together at the arcade. John Dunton-Downer adds bizarre tenor saxophone, and the brilliant guitar work is from the late Matthew MacKenzie. The odd thing here is that when the Boom Boom Band and Willie Alexander went their separate ways, there was still a third album due on the MCA contract. Matthew MacKenzie fronted the Boom Boom Band and tracked tapes with producer Craig Leon while Leon produced four sides with solo Alexander as well. The shame of it is that they should have brought MacKenzie into the original Boom Boom Band to keep the peace, and much of this could have been the third MCA album. “Dock of the Bay” is fun, but it doesn’t have the manic intensity of “Be Bop a Lula” from Solo Loco, or the effect the live Boom Boom rendition of “All I Have to Do Is Dream” had on audiences. “Great Balls of Fire,” on the other hand, delivers what Loco’s fans expect in a more subdued fashion. A Girl Like You works best when it plays exotic rock; “Bite the Bullet” is underground techno that is the antithesis of the Human League. Dedicated to Thelonious Monk, A Girl Like You is another reason why the great Genya Ravan will make comments like, “I think Willie is the best thing since sliced bread.” “The Only Time” is Alexander’s reinvention of the blues, while “Oh, Daddy, Oh” would’ve played relentless on Maynard G. Krebs‘ transistor had the song been around during the Dobie Gillis era. New Rose labelmates the Troggs caused a stir with A Girl Like You and Alexander takes the concept a step further. Not his most accessible album, but an important link in his deep and valuable catalog.
AUTRE CHOSE LIVE 1982
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Arguably the most concise overview of the prolific and quite valuable career of Willie Loco Alexander, this live album was recorded two years after he signed to what was the RCA-distributed New Rose Records label. His wailing cover of Tennesse Waltz retains the stark madness of Solo Loco, his post-Boom Boom Band release and New Rose debut. With the two prior MCA albums distributed in Paris by Barclay, there was an audience, and this band delivers the goods. The double vinyl includes a wonderful gatefold which has photos of the bandmembers with dates and cities — Bordeaux on March 7, 1982; Mont De Marsan on April 6, 1982; Paris March 23, 24, and 25 — 13 dates listed in all. Beyond the great document of a true cult figure, this is also the reunion of post-Lou Reed Velvet Underground members Alexander and Walter Powers. Though they toured the U.K. twice with Doug Yule and Moe Tucker, the eventual Polydor release, Squeeze was Doug Yule with Deep Purple’s drummer, Ian Paice. This is partially what Squeeze should have been, and, on that level, it is of great historical importance. “Gin,” the single that got Alexander signed to New Rose/RCA is here in a beautiful and rare live version. Joan McNulty, who produced the Buzzcocks live album Lest We Forget on R.O.I.R., was adamant about the recording of “Gin,” which led to the European contract. The subtle version recorded here is evidence that the Confessions were truly the band for Willie Alexander; beyond the Lost, the Bagatelle, and his extraordinary Boom Boom Band, these are musicians who treat Loco with the respect he deserves. When the Boom Boom Band imploded, there was a third album that never got recorded for MCA, so producer Craig Leon did two sets of demos, one with Reddy Teddy‘s Matthew McKenzie on vocals backed by the Boom Boom Band, and a set with Willie Alexander solo. MCA passed on both, but two years on, McKenzie joined the Confessions along with “Ricky “Rock It” Rothchild” from Gary Shane and his band. The unreleased “Killer in a Trenchcoat,” which was drenched in keyboards on the unreleased Craig Leon demo, rocks out here in its first official release. Boom Boom Band classics from “Radio Heart” to “Dirty Eddie,” “Home Is,” and “Hit Her Wid De Axe” are all catalogued in the exciting chaos that Willie Alexander projects when things are clicking. They click on Autre Chose, the album named after the French restaurant outside of Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA, where the artist had a day gig. 18 selections are here, uncensored, so you hear Loco do the things that made MCA cringe. Great stuff. The photos, the song selection, the performances, the dates of the gigs — everything is here except where each song was recorded. This is two ex-members of the Velvet Underground touring Europe years later producing an album as vital as 1984’s brilliant Lou Reed Live in Italy. An obscure single like “B.U.Baby” makes for a tremendous closer, with the band injecting the right jolts; the version here blows away the rare 45 rpm. Ricky Rothchild and Matthew McKenzie both passed away since this was recorded, but it stands as a terrific snapshot of a great band, and an artist that helped shape the rock & roll scene in Boston who, despite releases on Capitol, ABC, MCA, RCA, and myriad independents, has never been given the recognition he deserves. If they gave Grammys out for the best music recorded in a year as opposed to what is popular, Autre Chose would have been a frontrunner in 1982.
DOG BAR YACHT CLUB 2006
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When Willie “Loco” Alexander & the Boom Boom Band split after 1979’s Meanwhile…Back in the States on MCA, Alexander immediately picked up the slack by having a Boston area power trio, the Neighborhoods, back him up on-stage while he began recording the first of his many releases on the European New Rose label. The original Boom Boom Band reunited 23 years later, only to go into the studio owned by the Neighborhoods‘ guitarist/vocalist David Minehan. The results are phenomenally great, only proving that had the rock & roll minefields not existed to stand in this juggernaut’s way, Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band would have emerged as Boston’s answer to the Rolling Stones, and then some. While there is new material here, the band doesn’t shy away from recovering some of the music Alexander released after the split. “Oh Daddy Oh” from 1982’s A Girl Like You album gets a driving new finish, while “Ogalala,” originally issued on 1997’s Persistence of Memory Orchestra CD, has a new perspective that gives Alexander the platform to go “loco,” the stuff that made this group so irresistible in the first place. “Who Killed Deanna” from 1999’s East Main Street Suite is one of the album’s highlights — the “Som-Som-Somerville” hook is haunting inside a true murder mystery that happened on the outskirts of Boston. That album also featured a track entitled “Ocean Condo II,” which was a reworking of the original “Ocean Condo” from 1988’s The Dragons Are Still Out, reprised here with Billy Loosigian‘s amazing guitar work as “Ocean Condo III,” of course. The band also rocks out “AAWW” — which some of the fans decipher as “All American Woman Wife” — the flip of a 45 that was originally intensified by the band from the live Autre Chose album in 1982. It’s a tasty way for the devoted to see how this material would’ve played out had the Boom Boom Band stayed together. Even the underground classic “Telephone Sex” from 1984’s Taxi-Stand Diane EP finds itself resurrected here to good effect. Keep in mind that this group began by picking up the material Alexander was releasing on the independent Garage label in the mid-’70s, so one also gets the vibe that the group is truly going back to its roots and reinventing stuff that Willie did separately. A cover of scenester Emily XYZ‘s “Hey Kid” gives the band a different “new wave” feel, while Alexander and Loosigian combine to write four new tunes, including the interesting “Mystery Training,” which dips into Willie’s jazzier influences. The Boom Booms deliver close to 60 minutes of triumph, an album that is among their finest studio work to date, equal to the superb (and still missing in action) Craig Leon-produced demos from Dimension Studios in 1977 that landed them their deal with MCA. Dog Bar Yacht Club is no fluke; in performance Willie Alexander & the Boom Boom Band play this material flawlessly and with the fury they had when they reigned as the kings of the Boston scene.
WILLIE LOCO BOOM BOOM GAGA – FIFTEEN YEARS OF ROCK & ROLL
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Released a year after the French label New Rose issued Fifteen Years of Rock & Roll With Willie Alexander, this is pretty much the same album with different cover art and some track discrepancies. It, of course, being a year older is Willie “Loco” presenting 16 years of his solo work. None of the material from the Bagatelle on ABC Dunhill, the Lost on Capitol, or his Boom Boom Band work released on MCA appears here, with the exception of “Dirty Eddie,” the song considered “too dirty” to put out on either MCA release, it stands as a testament to what could have been had producer Craid Leon just let Willie be Willie. Boom Boom Ga Ga, references to some of Alexander’s scat remarks and his wonderfully juvenile promotional scribblings — “ga ga rock” — taking this musical form back to its primal stages, is vindication for Alexander in the same way that Didi Stewart‘s One True Heart (not coincidentally, on the same record company) made her statement away from the politics of her major group and difficult business relationships. Both Alexander and Didi Stewart are true artists, and prime examples of how the business can stand in the way of important art. The art is here, from his regional hit single with Erik Lindgren which opens both the European and American versions of this disc, “In the Pink,” to “Kerouac” and “Mass. Ave., his two Stephan Lovelace-produced local singles. The late Stephan Baerenwald, brother to Robin Lane & the Chartbuster‘s Scott Baerenwald, was the perfect producer for El Loco. His works of genius, the “You Looked So Pretty When” and “Hit Her Wid De Axe” singles included on the American release, but not the French. The two Garage Records 45’s which were the demos that landed him his MCA contract, and the single “Gin,” which got him the New Rose/RCA deal, are picture perfect moments in Willie Alexander’s career. The fans of Loco may take this album for granted, having heard the songs so many times live and on previous releases, but for the world at large, Boom Boom Ga Ga is important history of a man with incredible musical depth and insight. It exists through sheer hard work and years of relentless performing. The live versions of “Pup Tune” and “At the Rat” from the Live at the Rat album are two other key moments in the career, as is “In the Pink.” This is actually an extension of 1985’s Willie Alexander’s Greatest Hits which came out on Fan Club/New Rose in Paris, and because his catalog is so extensive, the 22 tracks make it more accurate than the single LP, but far from comprehensive. Some day Willie “Loco” Alexander will have the six-CD boxed set that he deserves, one of America’s great underground heroes who has a catalog so vast and so musical that it is scary.
LOCO LIVE 1976 CAPTAIN TRIP, JAPAN
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Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band signed a three-album deal with producer Craig Leon and MCA records back in the ’70s, but the group imploded after tracking just two albums which failed to capture their magic. Decades later, the Tokyo-based Captain Trip records has seen fit to issue this single CD, which includes portions of two live shows and a bonus 45 rpm. It achieves what the major-label releases did not. The CD begins with material engineered by Jesse Henderson at Boston’s notorious nightspot the Rat on August 27, 1976, exactly one month before the recordings this band made for the Live at the Rat album (September 27, 28, and 29 with Jesse Henderson as well). “Pup Tune,” “At the Rat,” and “Kerouac” sound much clearer on this CD, a better mix than what was released on the legendary double LP from the nightclub, and three more songs to boot. The performances are excellent. Eight additional titles were recorded in May of 1976 at the Club in Cambridge by Erik Lindgren of the band Moving Parts. Dramatically different than the Rat recordings, this earlier tape is muddier — bootleg quality, but that doesn’t stop the power from seeping through. These are historic concert tapes of the band performing “For Old Time’s Sake” (aka “Cause I’m Taking You to Bed”), “Garbage Man,” and a rare live version of “Gin,” the single that landed Willie Alexander his post-MCA deal with New Rose/RCA in Europe. The woman in the audience talking at the prelude of “Garbage Man” is totally annoying, and it is a sin marring what is a fine performance. This is a slow, very nasty version of the sexual escapade that is “Garbage Man” — as close to the sound of Alexander’s former group, the Velvet Underground, as the Boom Boom Band cared to get. This song, along with “Dirty Eddie,” caused much controversy in the “Loco” camp. Reportedly, the band became afraid of letting Alexander be Alexander on MCA, but the whole reason they got signed was because of his ability to write great rock & roll with no inhibitions. Hearing this CD will thrill as well as infuriate the devoted followers of Willie Loco because it preserves the power of his performance, and proves that producer Craig Leon and the members of the Boom Boom Band should’ve just let loose in the studio and allowed the artist the opportunity to do what he does best. The demos that secured the deal with MCA were brilliant, and there was no need to re-record them except in a live setting. “Mass. Ave.” is an all-out rocker on this CD, the May performance one of the Boom Boom Band’s earlier shows boasting a raw energy and enthusiasm resulting in total artistic expression. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Lick #76,” a masterpiece of song construction, is sublime and, along with “Rhythm a Baby,” reveal how cohesive and extraordinary this ensemble was. People say that Barry & the Remains were a live phenomenon which studio recordings failed to capture. That could be said of the Boom Boom Band as well. However, this disc, and the long out-of-print Sperm Bank Babies live radio broadcast from 1976, are able to set the record straight. This is primal Willie “Loco” Alexander with his Boom Boom Band before the politics and the recording industry did a number on them. What it lacks in production is more than made up for with the spirit and energy that sizzle in these CD grooves. The two bonus tracks at the end were released on Somor records and are outtakes from the MCA sessions recorded by Craig Leon. “Dirty Eddie” was perhaps the finest single tune produced for MCA and was rejected for being “too dirty.” The band, the label, management, and the producer attempted to “refine” Willie Alexander, and in doing so, stifled him and derailed their gravy train. “She Wanted Me (Nazi Nola),” a live reggae track recorded in the studio, is completely raunchy, and half trying, obliterates the other recordings that were released on the two MCA Boom Boom Band albums. France and Japan revere Willie Loco Alexander for the genius that he is, and this album, despite the jarring caused by the three different tape sources, is very powerful and lots of fun.
11:00 P.M. Saturday is a good title for this recording by the nine musicians who made up Bagatelle, who performed covers as well as originals. It is an anomaly in Boston rock & roll history. Covering tunes from James Brown to The Beatles, the band consisted of three main vocalists, Fred Griffith, Rodney Young, and David “Redtop” Thomas. The fourth singer also played piano and percussion, the influential Willie “Loco” Alexander. Alexander‘s tune, “Everybody Knows,” is included here in a beautiful way. It would be re-recorded by producer Craig Leon for his 1978 debut, Willie Alexander & The Boom Boom Band on MCA Records. The Bagatelle and Larry Fallon arranged this recording, the latter having worked with Keith, The Looking Glass, and producer Jimmy Miller, among others. The vocal harmonies on tunes like “Hey You” mixed with flute remind one of Rare Earth. Coincidentally, they perform Rare Earth‘s first hit, “(I Know) I’m Losing You,” but the version here is influenced by the Temptations 1966 hit. To hear a young Willie Alexander, the man who would usher in the new wave in Boston, singing “Back on the Farm” with horns and Motown style vocals is pretty groundbreaking. An a capella take of the traditional “Every Night” opens side two. Reminiscent of Boston’s the G Clefs with a mix of gospel and soul, it shows the wonderful diversity of this band. Their version of The Impressions “I’ve Been Trying” sounds like a studio take until you hear the applause at the end. The saxophone of Steve Schrell and trumpet of Mark Gould make for a jazzy version of “I Can’t Stand It,” but the lengthy improv disturbs the momentum of the album. Live covers of “I Feel Good” and the medley, including “Please, Please, Please,” “Gloria” (not the Van Morrison tune), “Crying in the Chapel,” “I Only Have Eyes For You,” and “For Your Love,” make this an interesting document, but it is the inclusion of early Willie Alexander which makes it historic.
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SAY, HEY WILLIE
GateHouse News Service
Fri Aug 03, 2007, 01:43 PM EDT
As far as rock musicians go, Gloucester’s Willie “Loco” Alexander is not your usual suspect. When he walks through a door, you don’t have to clear a path for his ego. He’s not loud, he’s not showy and instead of asking if you know who he is, he’s a lot more likely to ask who you are.
For those who don’t know Alexander, he is to the Boston music scene sort of what Andy Warhol is to art. During the ’70s, he broke down barriers and fused rock, jazz and blues into an original sound delivered with no reservations. For more than 40 years he’s been performing with a number of different bands, beginning with The Lost, later with Bagatelle and then there was a short stint with The Velvet Underground. But Boston fans know him and love him best for the music he gave them with the Boom Boom Band, a fixture at the Rat in Kenmore Square during the heyday of punk.
Along the way Alexander has been called a lot of things, from musical genius to cult hero to rock ’n’ roll survivor.
“I knew of Willie through musician friends in Boston who spoke of him reverentially (‘Dude, he played with the Velvet Underground!’),” says bass player Mike Rivard, who with his trance-funk outfit Club d’Elf is a bit of a Boston fixture himself. “I was struck by his old-school Boho persona, and admired his ability to retain a kind of child-like creative space, with a flavor of the Beats to it.”
Alexander himself gives one of the best quick takes of his own style in a short video shot a while back when he and his band, the Persistence of Memory Orchestra, were touring the Basque Country in Northern Spain.
”The first time I got here they were calling me garage rock. I never thought I was garage rock. I thought I was pretty accomplished … I mean, I don’t read music, but I know what I’m doing on my instrument,” says Alexander, who insists he never played in a garage — maybe a lot of basements, but never a garage.
“Now, it’s called punk jazz or avant-garde something or other. It doesn’t matter, they call me something different every decade.”
Then, a voice off camera asks Alexander what a group of kids milling in the background would call him.
“Old,” he laughs.
Older maybe, but never old. Alexander is busy these days spinning off a new sound from the Persistence of Memory Orchestra and digging down into his Gloucester roots for new directions.
And Gloucester should be thrilled. For centuries, artists have used colors, words and songs to make Gloucester look beautiful, mysterious and sometimes heartbreaking. Alexander’s music has done something different — it’s made Gloucester look cool.
Fisheye for the Gloucester guy
Alexander has a new album in the works from the Fisheye Brothers, the same guys who play in the Persistence of Memory Orchestra — Jim Doherty on drums, Stephen Silbert on guitar and Mark Chenevert on sax. Alexander handles the piano.
“It seemed like a good time for a new project,” he says. “We have a new name for a new vision.”
Alexander says the new music is a little more guitar-oriented than the work he’s been doing for the past few years. But that hardly describes the Fisheye Brothers. The new sound is actually a scorching, salted-earth confluence of psychedelia and pure punk abandon — a punishing, bruising sonic assault. Think Iggy meets Lemmy by way of Bevis Frond and Comets on Fire.
As for the content, the band’s name says it all.
“A lot of the songs will be about Gloucester,” he says. And why not?
“I love Gloucester, this is where I lived as a boy. My dad was a Baptist minister; I live about a block from where his church was,” he says.
The Old First Baptist Church of Gloucester, near City Hall, was directed by the Rev. Edward Gordon Alexander. Willie went to the Forbes School through the third grade and then the Central Grammar.
“They have old people in one of them, other people in the other one now,” Alexander says. “Condos are the big trend … churches don’t have choirs in them, they’ve converted to people living in them.”
His mother was in the Cape Anne Symphony. “She played the violin,” recalls Alexander. “I run into people here, they knew my dad and stuff. It’s really nice hearing reports of what life was like back then. I don’t see too many of my generation from school — I guess the people I went to school with left, they didn’t go fishing.”
Alexander already has a batch of Gloucester-inspired songs, including “Lady of Good V” ”Bass Rocks” and the somewhat eerie “Fishtown Horribles,” a song which draws on Gloucester’s annual Horribles Parade.
And like so much of Alexander’s music, the songs thump with contagious rhythms. Hear an Alexander song once and you’re safe — hear it twice and you’re doomed to have it play in your head all day.
But Alexander’s contribution to the Gloucester art community goes beyond the music he records and performs with his various bands. He recently completed the soundtrack for Gloucester filmmaker Henry Ferini’s film about poet Charles Olson, “Polis Is This.” Alexander and Ferrini have worked together before on short films that combine the filmmaker’s eye for odd visual detail with the musician’s ear for rhythms both with notes and words.
And Alexander’s own artwork, collages of images, headlines and words, are a favorite in Gloucester. Like one of his heroes, Jack Kerouac, Alexander strings together words and pictures that bump together and sometimes shoot off jarring new ideas. Call it free expression, call it poetry, call it whatever you like — it makes you think and feel, and that’s the point.
Alexander says he plans to have some of his artwork on display when he and the Persistence of Memory Orchestra play at the West End Theater on Main Street in Gloucester next month. That show may be a good chance to hear some of the material from the Fisheye Brothers’ new album.
“About half the stuff is about Gloucester,” says Alexander. The other half is about the Pacific Northwest and the “emerald green hillsides, timbered mountains and pristine lakes” of Idaho. Alexander says he makes that trip frequently; it’s home for his wife, photographer Anne Rearick.
“They’ve got hot rodders out there, the drive-in restaurants with girls on roller skates … it’s like the ’50s in Boise, Idaho,” says Alexander who was particularly impressed with the number of souped-up cars that showed up at a Fourth of July barbecue.
“Not that I know how to drive. I write songs about them,” he says. “They have a big book and record store; we saw a Snake River stampede, a rodeo out there … I haven’t written my rodeo song, but I know it will come.”
Vintage Loco
Although there is plenty on the horizon for Alexander, there are fans that still want to hear the old numbers. The best shot for that might be Aug.16, when Alexander joins blues artist Dave Sag for a night of music at the Rhumbline in Gloucester. Sag has a residency there, and he invites a variety of guest artists to perform their own music on his nights.
There’s no guarantees, but there will probably be a lot of requests for “Mass. Ave.,” a 1975 release that, to this day, still stands as a Boston rock ’n’ roll anthem. Horror writer Stephen King, who also has a popular column in Entertainment Weekly, calls the song one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll songs ever.
“(Mass. Ave.) has a rattle-box guitar and the weirdest male falsetto ever laid down,” says King, who calls it “Boston punk at its best.” King puts Alexander in a class with the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.
But so do a lot of other people. Now that there is a Music Museum of New England being put together — an online site that will eventually be a physical, tangible place to see and hear artifacts from the New England music scene — Alexander is getting more attention. And maybe a little more of the credit he genuinely deserves.
Although you can listen to the Fisheye Brothers or the Persistence of Memory Orchestra and appreciate them for the music they’re performing today, with Alexander you almost have to consider the history.
Alexander and his band, The Lost, opened The Boston Tea Party, Boston’s seminal rock club — sort of a New England version of CBGB’s — on Jan. 20, 1967. From The Lost, Willie went on to Bagatelle, an R & B-styled band that one could compare to the latter-day Boston group Tavares.
Another important name on Alexander’s resume is of course the Velvet Underground. Led by Lou Reed, the band that blazed the trail for an entire decade’s worth of punk and new wave artists that followed.
When Reed left the Velvet Underground, Alexander was invited to join and tour Europe. Alexander suggested they change the name, so as not to step on Reed’s shoes, but when he got off the plane he was disappointed to see the marquee still said “The Velvet Underground.”
Willie was signed to MCA records in 1976 thanks to “Mass. Ave.,” which was pounding out on the jukebox at the Rat, then the known as the Rathskellar Nightclub. Two albums were released, but infighting stifled the third. Willie recorded a disc on his own, “Solo Loco,” and landed on the RCA-distributed New Rose label in Europe in 1980. That’s four major labels in a span of 15 years, a vast catalog of sound and songs, but not the fame that Alexander deserved.
Still, Alexander has his loyal fans, particularly among Boston’s family of rock musicians. For a lot of people who have followed in his footsteps, he’s been the leading light who opened doors for younger peers.
Rivard remembers playing with Willie at a tribute show for Mark Sandman, who headed up the Hypnosonics and Morphine, two other big-name Boston bands, before he died in 1999.
“I was one of the many musician friends who came together that day to pay tribute to Mark and ended up backing up Willie on the Morphine song ‘Super Sex,’” recalls Rivard. “He rocked it, and I know Mark would have been proud.”
And that’s the type of comment that would probably make Alexander proud. The music, and what you can do with it, has always been the thing that’s counted most.
“I still enjoy playing — if I didn’t I wouldn’t do it,” says Alexander, who admits he still gets nervous before he performs. “But I do it, I just do it because it seems like the best way to express yourself — to communicate something.”
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We interrupt the History of New England Music for our first post on this new site from 2014. Music Business Monthly was established in the 1980s to present seminars to Boston Area Musicians
This post is from the Intercollegiate Broadcast System seminar which Joe Viglione puts panels together for at Simmons College
Simmons College/IBS Northeast Radio Conference
October 25, 2014, Boston,MA
IBS holds over 200 educational seminars with over 300 speakers/panel members attended by over 2,000 delegates every year!
IBS/Simmons College Radio/Webcasting Conference
Joe Viglione is moderating two panels, a radio panel and a record company panel.
10:30 AM Featuring
Rick Harte of Ace of Hearts Records
Tony Rocks – Session guitarist with Jonzun Crew, New Kids on the Block, Peter Wolf
Ken Evans – The Fifth Estate, first band to have a Top 10 hit with a song from The Wizard of Oz
Joseph Tortelli – critic, writer of liner notes
Joe Black – Carved In Stone Media
Steve Gilligan – bassist The Stompers, Fox Pass
Kenny Selcer
This even is hosted by Simmons College at FENWAY Radio/Webcast Conference.
Location, Registration, and Schedule
2 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA
To register at $45 per delegate (click below)(includes FREE lunch and morning beverages. donuts/bagels):
Click here to register delegates using an American Express, VISA, MasterCard, or Discover Card.
IBS Fall Conference(s) Registration Form (PDF Download)
Schedule and Promotional Materials
IBS Boston 2013 Program for 2014 Planning
The 2013 conference featured speakers/panelists for 2014 planning included:
Allen Myers (Formally of the FCC Staff). This is Allen’s 40th year of attending
IBS Conferences and Conventions keeping IBS Members informed on FCC matters.
Craig Schwalb – WPRO – Providence
Mark Wood – Executive Producer – TTN-HD Productions
Holland Cook – national radio programmer/consultant and contributor to “Talkers” magazine
CBS Boston
Greater Media Boston
Walter McDonough – founder of the FMC: Future of Music Coalition
Station Manager Roundtable Forum
Live Music at Lunch with Peter Mancini
Women in Media
Listen to “Hylas” the one hit song from the one hIT wonder band Jason and the Argonauts
https://soundcloud.com/jas-on-7/hylas
The play has performances at 3 PM October 18 and 25 (Saturdays) and 7 PM on October 19 and 26 (Sundays)
http://theplayjason.blogspot.com/2014/10/examiner-posts-information-on-jason.html
Directions to the club
DIRECTIONS TO CLUB BOHEMIA IN CENTRAL SQ at the CANTAB, 738 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139 tel: (617)354 2685
https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=club+bohemia+cantab+august+8+Thursday&fb=1&gl=us&hq=club+bohemia+cantab+august+8+Thursday&cid=0,0,8069624388703954653&ei=V1P8UZLaKpHE4AOutICQCg&ved=0CJUBEPwSMAs
THE HISTORY OF NEW ENGLAND MUSIC
CHAPTER TEN Boston – The Eighties – Joe Viglione’s History of New England Rock
Brian Maes, Brad Delp & RTZ
http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/1)til tuesday
2)Young Snakes
3)RTZ / Barry Goudreau
4)Brad Delp Tribute
5)Robert Ellis Orrall
6)Human Sexual Response
7)Hirsh Gardner
8)Robin LaneBARRY GOUDREAU
http://www.legacyrecordings.com/Barry-Goudreau/Barry-Goudreau.aspx
Together with alum from the band Boston, Barry Goudreau put together an interesting nine songs recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles. It’s the distinctive Boston guitar sound with more basic rock & roll. “What’s a Fella to Do” could be a sequel to “Rock and Roll Band”; “Mean Woman Blues” goes in an almost Foghat direction. Fran Cosmo‘s vocals feel a bit more British than Brad Delp, and “Leavin’ Tonight” leans more toward producer Mike Chapman and the sound of the Sweet than one would expect. Goudreau’s guitar and Syb Hashian‘s drums are a powerful combo — no bassist is listed. The song “Dreams” gave Goudreau’s self-titled debut the radio attention it deserved, and a bit of a following. This track definitely sounds like the band Boston which, rumor has it, upset Tom Scholz. In 1992 singer Delp and guitarist Goudreau joined Brian Maes & the Memory. They rode the Maes original “Until Your Love Comes Back Around” into the Top 30 in America, and the Return to Zero album was a nice reunion for the two major forces behind this. “Life Is What We Make It” and “Cold Cold World” are good slices of American hard rock. More refined than Grand Funk Railroad and not as slick as the Mickey Thomas version of Starship, the Barry Goudreau album is a fun record free from the restrictions of Scholz‘s meticulous production. While “Cold Cold World” may evoke thoughts of the song “Long Time,” the string quartet on “Sailin’ Away” gives the album a depth and identity. Just a bunch of professional musicians playing what they like and coming up with a gem.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:dzfexq85ldjetil tuesday First album VOICES CARRY (Epic)
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‘Til Tuesday’s debut album, Voices Carry, contains hip photo imagery (Aimee Mann‘s smile on the back is priceless and beautiful) and excellent songwriting, all credited to drummer Michael Hausman, guitarist Robert Holmes, keyboard player Joey Pesce, and bassist/singer Aimee Mann. The follow-up would be more specific as to who wrote what. While most bands from Boston suffered from lack of production, Mike Thorne does a decent job on much of the album and excellent work on the title track. Former manager Randall Barbera spoke with this writer prior to the album’s recording, when Human League/Pete Shelley producer Martin Rushent was being considered for the task. The question for fans was, like the Cars before them, what was wrong with the hit demo of “Love in a Vacuum,” which saturated Boston airwaves prior to the record deal? As good a job as Mike Thorne did on the song “Voices Carry,” the world at large has not heard the inspired and innovative recording that was the original “Love in a Vacuum.” If memory serves, Will Garrett did the production work, and like certain tracks by the band Private Lightning, the demo to “Love in a Vacuum” was superior to what came out on Epic. As Roy Thomas Baker polished “Just What I Needed” for the Cars, filling it with Queen-style thickness, the new wave edge of the demo, on release on Rhino’s Cars Deluxe, will give a good example of the transition these songs go through. The big difference is that the original “Love in a Vacuum” was perfect and needed no changing, and the Mike Thorne version is over-produced, creating a good album track when the true follow-up hit was actually in hand. Epic/Legacy simply has to expand this disc with the original ‘Til Tuesday demos. “Don’t Watch Me Bleed” has the same kind of mesmerizing bass that makes “Voices Carry” so captivating, while the final track, “Sleep,” could be the Human League going deep into the underground. The song would also work well with a girl group hero like Barbara Harris of the Toys, showing the versatility of this unique ensemble. Aimee Mann‘s major-label debut shows rapid maturity when compared to her Bark Along With the Young Snakes EP, and there’s something about this combination of Pesce, Hausman, and the brilliant Robert Holmes that would make a ‘Til Tuesday reunion a welcome thing. The haunting lyrics and dark tones of the keys and bass on songs like “I Could Get Used to This” or “No More Crying” separate this recording from the work of similar ’80s bands. “Looking Over My Shoulder” has a bubbling intensity which Holmes‘ guitar adds drama to. Voices Carry may have achieved success because of the MTV video, but there were nine other songs to go along with the hit, and this album and its follow-ups should have had as much commercial success as the Cars, because artistically, they are equal to that band’s dynamic debut.
the YOUNG SNAKES BARK ALONG WITH THE YOUNG SNAKES
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The Young Snakes were a trio of musicians who toured the Boston area relentlessly in the early ’80s, featuring Michael Evans on drums, Douglas Vargas on guitar/vocals, and the unmistakable sound of a young Aimee Mann leading the way. This 1982 release actually has half of ‘Til Tuesday, with singer Aimee Mann and a guest appearance by her eventual drummer (and eventual manager), Michael Hausman. It’s an ambitious debut with more funk than ‘Til Tuesday and latter-day Aimee Mann would display. The songs are interesting: “Give Me Your Face” is along the lines of fellow local rockers New Man, while “Suit Me” is a lighter and more professional version of what Mission of Burma was cranking out at the time. The Young Snakes are more cohesive than Burma, their attack more precise, the message more clear. With Mann co-writing all five tunes with guitarist/vocalist Douglas Vargas, the state-of-mind hook of “Suit Me” on side one melts into “Don’t Change Your Mind” on side two, a dreamy vocal with static instrumentation, the beginnings of the wonderful musical paradox which Mann would perfect on the first ‘Til Tuesday album. “The Way the World Goes” plays with the exotic rock Yoko Ono would experiment with on the flip of John Lennon singles, the scratchy “Why” or “Walking on Thin Ice” guitars Ono had the honor of working with. “Not Enough” sounds like a relationship on the skids, with the voice struggling with the dilemma and the musicians reflecting it — a very original episode. This EP is absolutely important to get a handle on the early work of the eventual Oscar nominee (Magnolia soundtrack), and maybe a re-release of this, along with live Young Snakes material and the superb ‘Til Tuesday demos (if memory serves, produced by Will Garrett), would be a treat for the fans who visit her web page. This first effort by Aimee Mann is something she can be proud of.
RTZ RETURN TO ZERO
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“Until Your Love Comes Back Around” hit Top 30 in February of 1992, and helped forge a new identity for ex-Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau as well as perpetual Boston member, vocalist Brad Delp. Definite ’80s rock, the opening track, “Face the Music,” could have worked on a latter day Starship album as well. On paper this looked like a huge act. The stadium veteran Delp fronting what became Peter Wolf‘s band, bassist Tim Archibald from New Man, California Raisins/Robert Ellis Orral drummer David Stefanelli, and keyboardist/songwriter Brian Maes. The latter three are also a self-contained unit known as Brian Maes & the Memory, and they brought a cohesion to RTZ which helped the Boston band refugees deliver the goods. “There’s Another Side” is right up there with the opening track, a grade-A effort, only overshadowed by the beauty of the hit ballad “Until Your Love Comes Back Around.” Live they would perform “Dreams,” the song from the Barry Goudreau album that Tom Scholz allegedly felt sounded TOO much like his group, Boston. They were careful with Return to Zero to lean more towards Brad Delp‘s pop side, “All You’ve Got” a perfect example proving Goudreau and Delp a formidable writing team. Chris Lord-Alge‘s production is straightforward, no nonsense let’s capture this excellent band exactly as they are. Goudreau‘s guitar bursts on “All You’ve Got” are short and sweet, and combine his masterful playing with a bit of the band Boston‘s magical sound. Delp recorded three solo songs in the summer of 1988 at Mission Control Studios which went from Beatles to Steely Dan in the influences that made up their essence. That sound would have benefited RTZ in a very big way. Sure, “This Is My Life” has some of that tension as well as some of those ideas, but like most of this disc, the band becomes overpowering, and the material, although exquisite and beautiful, tends to sound dated. They manufactured a sound and stuck with it, but had these artists thrown a few more elements into this “debut,” if it can be called that, they might have been able to penetrate part of the timeless Steely Dan/Beatles marketplace, and not just the arena rock domain they were aiming for. Perhaps what is truly amazing is that the millions upon millions of fans rabid for a new Boston album didn’t devour this package which, despite its flaws, has a lot to offer. Between the variety of musicians there was an overabundance of good material, and Giant/Reprise, by not fostering a half a dozen or more albums, did the world a great disservice. “Rain Down on Me” is hard hitting without the excess of a Mickey Thomas, or the bombast that Journey tended to overdo. The music is big, but controlled, and all involved are cognizant of the ever important pop hook. Yes, it is ’80s rock in the ’90s, but if you are in the mood for that style of music, Return to Zero has integrity and will hold your interest.
RETURN TO ZERO LOST
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The release of the 11-track Lost album by Return to Zero on the Japanese Avalon label in 2000 found U.S. domestic re-release in 2005 on keyboard player Brian Maes‘ own Briola Records, with the exotic and very artsy Ron Pownall cover on the import replaced by drummer David Stefanelli‘s more subdued graphics and the disc retitled Lost in America by RTZ. It’s terrific. Following the RTZ debut album and tour, the arena rockers recorded this material in Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau‘s basement, with Goudreau replacing Chris Lord-Alge as engineer/producer. The bandmembers embrace this sudden freedom of expression by dipping into a variety of pop bags that suit them very well. “Violent Days” is a sublime R.E.M.-style light rocker with a hook that won’t quit. The enormous talents of Brad Delp have always been restrained in the confines of the Boston project — his solo recordings along with his uncanny ability to sing the parts of John, Paul, George, and Ringo in his Beatles tribute, Beatlejuice, are evidence of his creative spark, perhaps the most underrated major star in Boston (the city). “Turn This Love Around” is certainly a strange title for a band that hit the Billboard Top 40 with Brian Maes‘ “Until Your Love Comes Back Around,” this unique and different composition written by Delp, Goudreau, and drummer Dave Stefanelli. It’s a majestic Brit-pop episode resplendent in George Harrison-style guitars. “One in a Million,” with its ’50s flavors, could easily have fit on Robert Plant‘s Honeydrippers project. OK, maybe RTZ have more of a modern edge, so they take that vintage R&B and bring it to the end of the century. “Change for Change” could be a long-lost sequel to 1989’s “Sowing the Seeds of Love” by Tears for Fears — plenty of “I Am the Walrus” flavors to go round — while the slick structure of the opening track, “When You Love Someone,” leans more toward Jefferson Starship or, dare it be suggested, Orion the Hunter by way of Bryan Adams. It’s a melting pot of styles culminating in a nod to, of all people, Eric Carmen‘s Raspberries on “Dangerous,” concluding the album with a driving pop sound good for cruising around with the convertible top down. The frivolity is welcome, as this essential follow-up has a much more relaxed feel than its predecessor. The balance brought by way of the light atmosphere does not in any way inhibit the Byrds-meets-Traveling Wilburys folk-rocker “Don’t Lead Me On” from succinctly offering some of the CD’s best moments and reiterating them in one song. It’s one of the rare moments when Uncle Irving let one get away, and that’s a pity. Much of this album deserves to be played over and over again on the radio.
BRAD DELP, AN APPRECIATION
http://www.townonline.com/northshoresunday/news/x1909635070
GateHouse Media
Fri Mar 30, 2007, 12:57 PM EDT
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Brad Delp was probably the most obscure superstar in the history of rock and roll. Think about it for a moment. The fellow who went to Danvers High School was the voice on recordings that sold in the same multi-platinum (platinum equals a million sales) league as the Beatles, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones and others in that select and elite group. But where a David Lee Roth or a Sammy Hagar could emerge as a “name” from inside the Van Halen household, the band Boston was always synonymous with Tom Scholz.
The kids who purchased Boston albums never really got to see Brad Delp, the recording artist. They got to hear a rock star reach amazing notes to complement the equally amazing guitar-based songs of Tom Scholz.
Scholz, as leader of the band Boston, has gotten a lot of negative press since the tragic suicide of his group’s most familiar lead vocalist, but that is because it sells papers. Anyone being part of something that huge has to just thank his lucky stars. Will there be battles when a band hits the big time? Absolutely — look at all the names mentioned above.
Why Brad Delp didn’t utilize the platform to go forth on his own as Steve Perry from Journey did, as Lou Gramm from Foreigner did, as so many frontmen in rock were able to do, had to do with his own personality more than his talent not being marketed properly. His talent was enormous and this writer is probably more aware of it than most: I was the manager of Mission Control Studios in the summer of 1988, and it was the solo recordings by Brad Delp that were among some of the most magical moments these ears heard that summer.
When The Cars’ vocalist Ben Orr died of pancreatic cancer on Oct. 3, 2000, it was a major tragedy — the true end of The Cars. But Ben’s five-month battle with cancer was one of those hopeless situations that one approaches with resignation, sadness, and the thought that there was nothing else that could be done. The suicide of Brad Delp, on the other hand, sent shockwaves through the New England music community. No one saw this coming, including this writer.
Loose ends, sleepless nights
I met with Brad on Feb. 10 at The Regent Theater after a Beatlejuice performance. He saw me as he was signing autographs and said “Joe, wait there!” So I patiently waited for the fellow I first met in 1988 (though he appeared on a Jim Femino track, “Party Tonight,” that my record label issued in 1983). You’ve heard the rumors about him being “the nicest guy in rock and roll,” and outside of his untimely passing and the way it was done, he truly was.
So here I am a day shy of a month before Brad would leave us and he’s talking to me about my North Shore Sunday article on the late Jo Jo Laine, a girl he dated in the early 1970s when they lived on in Danvers. These two people from the same street were drawn to the same music — both attended the Beatles at Suffolk Downs in 1966, though separately. Both became larger than life and both remained a lot more obscure than they should’ve been.
“Hey Joe…Great To Finally Meet You! Best of luck! Brad Delp Boston 88!” says the autograph on this writer’s copy of the Third Stage album from the group known as Boston. Perhaps Brad’s humility was part of what kept him from being a household name, despite being the voice on the biggest selling debut in rock history. According to About.com, the first “Boston” album has sold 17 million units as of 2003 — 17 million units and every track a staple on classic rock radio. Oldies as well as classic rock, satellite radio stations and college DJs all play “More Than A Feeling” repeatedly, the voice of Brad Delp echoing out of radios and iPods everywhere.
There are so many loose ends with this untimely death that it has generated many sleepless nights for those who knew the singer. He is larger than life in death, larger than he ever was performing to hundreds of thousands of fans over the years. Millions and millions buying his voice on record, millions and millions more hearing that voice on the radio. He is probably the biggest unknown superstar of all time. Think about it. How does one sell that many records without being a household name until his eerie and troubling death?
Those who knew Brad personally were especially rattled by the event. David Bieber of the Boston Phoenix noted that former Boston manager, Charlie McKenzie, passed away five years earlier almost to the day — I believe it was March 8, 2002. A fellow who opened for the band Boston, singer Bobby Hebb, said three words to me when we spoke: “We lost Brad.”
Bradley saw the legendary Bobby Hebb, former Rockport resident, perform “Sunny” on Aug. 18, 1966 at Suffolk Downs, opening for The Beatles. When I saw him Feb. 10, Brad agreed to do an interview regarding Bobby’s performance with Mr. Hebb’s biographer, who coincidentally lives a few blocks away from The Regent Theater where Beatlejuice played. When I mentioned that Beatlejuice, Bobby Hebb, The Remains, The Ronettes and The Cyrkle should all do a Beatles 41st anniversary reunion show, Brad noted that he would be on tour with Boston, and that he would be getting married that very day, Aug. 18, 2007.
One wonders if a man is about to be married, is going on tour with one of the biggest bands in the world, and is happy playing the songs of his favorite band, the Beatles, why he would kill himself in such a determined, uncharacteristic and harrowing way.
A man in crisis
Let me clarify this. I have only had kind, wonderful and pleasant thoughts of Brad Delp ever since meeting him in 1988. He was a nice person I knew, though we were never close friends or even associates — we were two individuals who traveled the same circles who shared a mutual respect. We had wonderful conversations when we did get to talk to one another.
Now I’m downright angry. Angry that if he had a mental illness, why no one close to him did anything about it. Why didn’t record industry didn’t have safeguards in place to protect such an important voice? That question can be said of many, many great artists, and just shows how skewed the priorities in the record industry are. Protect the copyright over flesh and blood human beings!
For the past week I’ve not been able to sleep well, ever since the news of his passing by his own hand. I could be OK with it if he had had a heart attack or passed away as Ben Orr did, because of an illness, but not this way, not an exit that is both grisly, chilling and destructive to those who loved his voice and who appreciated him.
It is shocking that I never saw this coming. Looking into his eyes and speaking to him exactly one month before his death gave me no indication that he was a man in crisis.
Meanwhile, Brad did have a hit without Boston. It came in 1992 with his band RTZ, featuring Tim Archibald, Brian Maes and Barry Goudreau, a group of musicians who created incredible music with Brad that went pretty much unappreciated.
There are three RTZ albums available and if you are looking to remember this great singer, seek them out. They are treasures and show more of the man’s talent, more than just what the world knows from the hit songs of the band Boston.
My hope is that Brad Delp pulled a Jim Morrison and vanished to parts unknown. I don’t think it is fair to blame Tom Scholz — those in the know realize it is a much more complex situation than that, and over time more of the story will unfold. In a world where life seems to have little value, where we read of so much tragedy that the old cliché “one death is a tragedy, hundreds are statistics” becomes all the more telling.
There is anger here because so many people claim they loved and cared for Brad, but if they did, it didn’t help in the end. And Brad Delp was one life worth saving.
Joe Viglione is a freelance writer.
FIXATION ROBERT ELLIS ORRAL 1981
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Producer Joshiah Spaulding released the American version of Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green‘s In the Skies disc on his Sail Records in 1979, and, two years later, the man who would run the prestigious Wang Center in Boston, Spaulding, helps keyboardist Robert Ellis Orrall create his Fixation album. Randy Roos of Orchestra Luna shows up as a guest artist here, and it is kind of coincidental because the bands that emerged from that outfit, the original Luna and Berlin Airlift, were creating many of the sounds that canvas this album. Robert Ellis Orrall takes Rick Kinscherf‘s quirky and eccentric ideas and makes them mainstream, veering off into a Joe Jackson kind of arena, especially on “How Can She (Even Like That Guy),” which is a slight re-write of the Joe Jackson Group‘s “Is She Really Going Out With Him.” The material isn’t all that original, but it is very good; a song like “Actually” has its moments, and “Call The Uh-Oh Squad” got regional play for the singer/songwriter, and deservedly so. It is a standout novelty track you wouldn’t expect to hear from this crew. In two years time, Orrall would hit the Top 30 with Carlene Carter on a song released from his Special Pain EP, and these beginnings on Why-Fi/RCA are a nice start with the calliope keyboard sounds and Orrall’s intense and heartfelt vocals. As Joe Jackson borrowed heavily from Elvis Costello, the Robert Ellis Orrall group borrows heavily from Jackson and Rick Berlin, these short two- and three-minute songs following in Costello‘s footsteps as well. Orrall’s material would get stronger, more polished, and he and his group would forge an identity of their own, but while Fixation draws from many elements, it is a worthwhile first chapter for the Lynnfield, MA, native who circumvented Boston’s underground rock scene, while becoming an essential part of it because of the major-label releases. David Stefanelli of RTZ, the Beloved Few, and the California Raisins is on drums keeping things grooving, as he always does, and Fixation has moments which hold up well years after its recording.
CONTAIN YOURSELF (1984) ROBERT ELLIS ORRAL
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As each early-’80s album by Robert Ellis Orrall progressed, they got better and better. “Walking Through Landmines” is very smart dance music, leaning towards modern rock. Fusing the slick Roxy Music avant-garde with the most commercial aspects of underground rock, Orrall’s musical journey becomes all the more inviting. “She Takes a Chance” is exotic, and the inclusion of drummer David Stefanelli‘s first wife, Jane Balmond, brings a bit of Berlin Airlift, Balmond‘s former band, into the mix. Robert Ellis Orrall was very much a mass-market version of what Rick Berlin was up to at the time, so it is all very logical. “Alibi” has producer Roger Bechirian co-writing with the singer and musician Simon Byrne, and the song is as solid as the rest of the work here. “Kids With Guns” takes Robert’s “Call The Uh Oh Squad” from his Fixation LP to another level, as this natural extension to Special Pain provides the songwriter/vocalist a chance to stretch. Keyboard player Brian Maes and drummer Stefanelli also performed on Bechirian‘s production of Simon Byrne, who sings background vocals on this disc. They would later back Brad Delp and Barry Goudreau of the band Boston, whose RTZ hit in 1992 with Maes‘ “Until Your Love Comes Back Around.” As good as Contain Yourself is, with “(I Hear) Your Heartbeat” and “Spitting in Fatsos Eyes,” one wonders if the bandmembers contributed a bit more how successful it could’ve been? Hawkwind/the Pogues engineer Paul Cobbold brings the techno sound he gave to the opening track, “Walking Through Landmines,” back to his production work on “Little Bits of Love,” the only two songs Bechirian did not have participation on; it sounds a bit like Peter Godwin‘s “Images of Heaven,” the techno of “There’s Nothing Wrong With You” following suit. “That Dream” is as consistent as everything else on Contain Yourself, an excellent effort by a group that should have put out a dozen or so records.
SPECIAL PAIN ROBERT ELLIS ORRAL
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Two years after his Why-Fi/RCA debut, Fixation, the sound of Robert Ellis Orrall here is much more polished, as is the look, and it is all ready for prime time. “Tell Me If It Hurts” kicks off this maxi-EP; a great cover photo of the singer has him looking ever so serious, and the music is just that, with the title of the disc, Special Pain, taken from a line in the opening song. Roger Bechirian‘s production is much more contemporary than that which Joshiah Spaulding got on Fixation; there is more depth, with the group sounding like the Fixx, whose “Saved By Zero” was out this same year (maybe the EP should have been called FIXXation 2!). The guitar is grittier, the saxophone subdued, and David Stefanelli‘s drums rock like that other famous Boston drummer named David, David Robinson of the Cars. It’s a major progression for the group, and it’s too bad “Senseless” wasn’t a big, big hit, but that’s OK because “I Couldn’t Say No,” a duet with Carlene Carter, was. Producer Bechirian worked with Carter‘s one-time husband, Nick Lowe, as well as Elvis Costello, the Monkees, Wang Chung, and others. He also produced Carter‘s C’est C Bon album this same year, 1983. The amusing thing is that, where Fixation copped Costello in many ways, the band found itself working with that artist’s engineer/producer and came off sounding like a Rupert Hine production — not a bad thing at all. “Facts and Figures” even has that “Saved By Zero” feel; the smart sounds of British pop for a Boston band were just what the doctor ordered. It’s great stuff, and a shame it is limited to five tracks of a mini-LP. The hit is an anomaly; it went Top 30 that spring with heavy vocals and a slick pop sound a little different from the rest of this disc, but just as exhilarating.
IN A ROMAN MOOD HUMAN SEXUAL RESPONSE
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“Andy Fell,” “Pound,” and “Land of the Glass Pinecones” are three extraordinary pieces of music on an equally extraordinary album. For those who felt producer Mike Thorne missed the mark with til tuesday and some of The Shirts Street Light Shine album, he redeems himself here recording this essential Boston band with accuracy, something many of the contemporaries of Human Sexual Response failed to get, great production. Andy didn’t fall in “Andy Fell,” nor was he pushed. He jumped. It’s a song about suicide at a dormitory, a frightening and haunting prophecy since this practice became in vogue at campuses around Boston in the late 90s. The drums on “Marone Offering” kick right in, as does Rich Gilbert‘s incessant guitar. The band’s genius was generated by the multiple vocalists fronting a perfect rock unit. Imagine a hard rock Temptations during their experimental period fronted by the B-52’s. It’s a strange mixture that worked thanks to a combination of talents, all who contributed mightily. “Keep A Southern Exposure” is not one of the band’s more well known tunes, but it provides insight towards their unlimited creativity and able to execute. Discovered by Don Rose who went on to form the legendary Rykodisc label before it was purchased by Chris Blackwell, the two HSR Passport albums were re-released on Eat Records, distributed by Rykodisc. Eat was Don Rose‘s imprint prior to the creation of Rykodisc. “Blow Up” is the closest they came to sounding like The B52‘s, a violent song about destruction with the classic line “faster pussycats kill kill.” “House Of Atreus” is a strange one, a long Larry Bangor epistle which leads into what might be their finest moment, “Land Of The Glass Pinecones.” This song takes the theme of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” even deeper. Though “What Does Sex Mean To Me” from the first album got into the film Threesome, and while both the demo and lp version of “Jackie O’Nassis” became hits as well as their signature tune, “Land Of The Glass Pinecones” is a sacred moment in modern rock. It’s pure magic with intense voices and blitzing bass and guitars. Members of this band branched off to become The Zulus, while Dini Lamot re-emerged as the successful and highly notorious drag queen Musty Chiffon, including Jackie O’Nassis in his stage act. Outside of a few “reunion” gigs, this essential act is no more, yet In A Roman Mood remains a tremendous work of art just waiting to be rediscovered. Seek out the 12″ single of “Pound from this LP.
HIRSH GARDNER WASTELAND FOR THE BROKEN HEARTS (2003)
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For fans of arena rockers New England who wanted and needed more from John Fannon, Gary Shea, Jimmy Waldo and drummer Hirsh Gardner there were obscure tapes by many artists utilizing the group’s trademark sound, Fannon and Gardner producing recordings when New England went their separate ways in 1983. 15 years after the breakup, New York’s GB Music re-issued the original three-LP catalog on CD including a 20th anniversary, 10-song collection of demos for a fourth disc, “New England -1978”. The liner notes implied that the band may reunite. And reunite they did, for a couple of moments, on Hirsh Gardner’s long awaited solo album, Wasteland for Broken Hearts. The band showed up on the excellent final track, “More Than You’ll Ever Know,” a song with a theme similar to their 1979 Top 40 hit, “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya,” and on “Welcome Home,” co-written by John Fannon: another fine song which seems like a sequel to the group’s “Explorer Suite,” the title track to their second album from 1980. As fellow Bostonian Willie Alexander found his music being released in Japan on the Captain Trip label, GB Music licensed this to the Japanese company Marquee.Wasteland for Broken Hearts is a remarkable record, engineered and produced by Gardner, who wrote all the songs, with the exception of the aforementioned “Welcome Home,” as well as a cover of John Spinks‘ 1986 Top 10 hit with his band The Outfield, “Your Love.” “Your Love” is most impressive, and though it complements the work well, the nugget here is the title track. “Wasteland for Broken Hearts” has Buddy Sullivan on bass and lead guitars with Gardner providing vocals, drums and keyboards. It is an amazing re-creation of the New England sound and is everything that group’s fans could hope for. “Don’t You Steal” continues the assault; it’s a solid picture of the music Gardner is so familiar with, the singer/composer again playing drums and keys with Jim Smith on lead and rhythm and Chris Carvallo on bass. What is happening on this disc is that different musicians step up to the plate giving the songs subtle flavoring while maintaining the precise vocal-heavy dreamy crunch New England‘s fan base adores. Andre Maquera adds his bass and guitar to “She Is Love.” The first three songs very, very strong. The pair are joined by two more musicians for “Thunder In Her Heart,” with double bass on a tune that would no doubt have garnered more chart action for the group Asia. Gardner’s wife, Tracie Gardner, who met Hirsh in the 1980s when he was producing her Boston band “The Core”, shows up on the pretty “When The Sky Cries,” along with Michela Gardner, and on “Hold Me In Your Dreams,” which former New England producer and Kiss member Paul Stanley would be wise to cover. This album is a complete and sterling work by a journeyman artist staying true to the sounds he has worked with for over 25 years.
ROBIN LANE HEART CONNECTION E.P.
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One live track, three studio, all written or co-written by Robin Lane, and the last gasp from The Chartbusters before their reunion in June of 2001 is this four song E.P. from 1984. Gone is Leroy
Radcliffe replaced by keyboardist Wally J. Baier and “additional guitarist” Billy Loosigian from The Joneses / Willie Alexander’s Boom Boom Band. Cool double entendre is this “old message” with better production values than the three Warner Brothers releases. Andy Pratt keyboard player and Arista artist himself Andy Mendelson engineered allowing The Chartbusters the total control they never had on the major label discs. It shows with vastly improved sound and fury. The Heart Connection e.p. has an authority that the band exuded in live performance at clubs in and around Boston, and would be a delight coupled on cd with their Deli Platters three song single which generated so much interest when Robin Lane hooked up with the ex-members of The Modern Lovers.
The story of MASS
MASS BIOGRAPHY
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NEW BIRTH re-released on CD! May 2007!
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VOICES IN THE NIGHT
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BEST ONES
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John Cate
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John Cate resides west of Boston, MA, and writes melodic songs with a worldly perspective. Born April 11, 1955, in Liverpool, England, to American ex-pats his parents settled in New England circa 1960. Cate began playing and singing at the age of nine after seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Many boys of Italian descent learned the accordion and that was true of Cate, whose first musical instruments included the bass guitar and cello, along with the air-powered keyboard made famous on The Lawrence Welk Show. Though the accordion has made its way onto some great pop records, it is interesting how, like other guys from his era, Cate wanted to rock. The calling of his musical influences and heroes — the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, the Beatles, and AM Radio Top 40 hits of the ’60s — is what led to the mixture Cate regards “a legitimate roots rock sound and style with pop hooks.”Cate’s musical career began as bass player with Zamcheck, named after Mark Zamcheck, a successful regional band that toured with Gary Burton and Pat Metheny, played the Newport Jazz Festival, and was managed by the notorious Steve Sesnick, who was responsible for putting the Velvet Underground on tour in Europe without Lou Reed. The six-string acoustic was always at the ready, and introspection won over technique giving way to classic American folk-rock singing and songwriting that marks his style today.Cate formed his own recording company, American Music Partners, which spawned the Rose Hip Records label, and began putting out his music in 1996. His first solo record, Set Free, was released that year and was heard by producer Anthony Resta, who worked with such acts as Shawn Mullins, Collective Soul, and Duran Duran, among others. Resta introduced Cate to Heavy Hitters Publishing, a company that keeps Cate’s five-record catalog active in network television shows like Touched by an Angel, Jack & Jill, All My Children, The Young & the Restless, and many other programs that utilize songs by the singer/ songwriter.At his record release party in January of 2001 for his fourth album, simply called The John Cate Band, with his friends the Swinging Steaks co-headlining the bill, the band showed a proficiency for combining commercial singalong pop with an earthier, more traditional American sound. It’s a nice combination that complements the Swinging Steaks country-rock perfectly as both bands don’t get in each other’s way, yet provide enough in common to entertain their respective audiences. The two bands tour the U.S. together when schedules permit. It also presents a united front apart from Cate’s initial work as a singer/songwriter.In 1996, he released his first CD, Set Free, followed by two releases in 1998: American Night and Never Lookin’ Back, his first with the John Cate Band. After the early 2001 release of The John Cate Band, he got to work on the fifth album, 2002’s V.Cate frequently performs in and around New England, in Nashville, TN, and in the Midwestern states, where he has been named an “Honorary Hoosier.” His goals are to have a domestic release with an American label similar to his dealings with Blue Rose, expanding his touring base, and increasing his visibility and presence in Nashville. He writes happy songs and loves being part of the songwriting community.John Cate’s first reaction to meeting George Harrison on a flight to London was: “Man, do you look like your Dad!” who Cate knew from Liverpool. Cate also hosts a monthly songwriter showcase at the House of Blues in Cambridge, MA. He co-ventured this long-standing series with Billy Block‘s highly successful Western Beat Showcase, which runs weekly in Nashville and Los Angeles, and includes a monthly magazine and nationally syndicated radio show. Western Beat performers have included Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Buddy and Julie Miller, and many others.
John Cate Discography
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There is a naïveté to John Cate’s first album, entitled Set Free, that escapes many groups, and it is this charm that makes songs like “Phoenix” and “Wire in the Wind” extra special. As disc jockey Ken Shelton says in the liner notes, “When I listen to the music of the John Cate Band, I hear a lot of familiar voices,” and you’ll hear the echoes of John Cafferty of Beaver Brown and Sal Baglio of the Stompers, bands that found inspiration in Springsteen and Neil Young. You’ll hear those influences, but the imprints of Set Free have Cate’s vision of life, and his lyrical perspective is much different from all of the above. There’s a pensive reading of “American Night” that would become the title of an acoustic album released after this in 1998, the mandolin from Paul Candilore just one reason why Candilore is the secret weapon in Cate’s arsenal. It sounds like the exact take from the American Night album, but that’s OK, as it is a strong song and a fine presentation. “Six Chances” rocks out fine with a fury often displayed by the singer’s colleagues, the Swinging Steaks. “Last Train Home” and “Temptation” have more of the “American music” sound, which is Cate’s home and what he does best. When John Cougar Mellencamp attempts to play Lou Reed it is second rate, but Cate successfully gets that Reed vamp down on “Temptation”; it’s more serious than Mellencamp, probably because one gets the feeling Cate hasn’t studied Reed and this is from the singer’s own experience. “Phoenix” is a standout that you’ll keep coming back to, as you’ll want to give second and third looks to Set Free, an album by an artist whose evolution keeps unfolding in interesting ways. And it’s nice to see local figure Laurie Geltman helping out on backing vocals.
1998 AMERICAN NIGHT
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For John Cate’s second album, he chose to follow the lead of one of his heroes and cut a record on his four-track at home, as Bruce Springsteen did with Nebraska. The result is a very personal 11-song CD dedicated to his dad, Louis Caterine. American Night has enthusiastic compositions coupled with pure artistic expression, with the three other members who make up the John Cate Band providing sparse accompaniment. On “It’s Allright,” Cate shows that Springsteen isn’t his only influence; the Bob Dylan vocals would make Cate a prime candidate for a Dylan tribute band. “Diamond Dust” is more original, the musicianship downright eerie. There’s something to be said for impromptu recording — the essence of the original impressions that created the songs is captured — and if the liner notes didn’t mention the lo-fi aspect (though additional recording was done at the professional Metropolis facility), the listener would be hard-pressed to think this wasn’t a more expensive endeavor. According to the copyrights, the material was written between 1994 and 1998, and this is the only one of John Cate’s annual album offerings to have a two-year space between its release and that which came before. It’s commendable that an independent artist would release such an introspective album; as the Dylan and Springsteen types know, these kinds of projects reach a limited audience, but if Cate and his bandmates reach a higher level of success, this beautifully packaged material will be appreciated down the road.
NEVER LOOKIN’ BACK 1998
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“One Last Mile” gives a loud kick as the third album from John Cate, Never Lookin’ Back, opens with Searchers riffs and Ventures-style guitars, the image of the four men coming down what looks like church steps on the front and back covers of the CD making for a mysterious movie-type photo. Cate does his best Dylan on “This Isn’t Goodbye,” the prolific songwriter playing with styles and sounds that make him happy. Going through the music on Cate’s first four albums, there are no revelations; the John Cate Band creatively package things they like and present those things to the world with their own stamp, but their mission is not to reinvent rock & roll. The title track is compact and precise, and there’s no nonsense whatsoever. For those who feel Neil Young can get too cutesy, or that John Cougar Mellencamp is spending too much time in front of the mirror, the John Cate Band attack the material with the drive of perfectionists looking for an intangible refined sound like the surfers in The Endless Summer were seeking the perfect wave. “Never Lookin’ Back” has that exciting, explosive guitar work generated from slamming the tunes out night after night in bar after bar. “Never Love Again” opens up with more anger; it seems someone never told Cate to never say never, as the word starts off three of the 11 titles — and there are more negative contractions like “won’t” and “can’t” in other song titles. “Never Love Again” has the thumping authority of Bob Seger‘s “Fire Down Below,” but what’s needed is Bette Midler to jump on-stage and teach something to these guys. As the aforementioned rock stars Cougar and Young do get indulgent, Cate and his group need to lighten up. They are as serious as a judge, where a little touch of sly humor would really bring this material home. “Can’t Let Go” comes across as perhaps the album’s strongest track, and it is up there with the best of the Swinging Steaks; it’s remarkable how much the John Cate Band resemble this other group that Cate has worked closely with. “Down in the Hole” and “Never Was Enough” are also in that pop vein with a country twang. This is almost like Boston’s version of the Eagles and J.D. Souther, with the Swinging Steaks being the Eagles and Cate being Souther. Not a bad formula to emulate, and a series of fine albums by both groups adds a dimension to New England’s vibrant music scene, a dimension that deserves more attention. “Everything Is Love” and “You Won’t See Me” are more driving pop/original music from the pen of Gian S. Caterine and his John Cate Band, essential songs that make Never Lookin’ Back the album you need as the introduction if you’ve yet to encounter this ensemble.
JOHN CATE BAND 2001
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John Cate’s fourth album, his second with the John Cate Band, is a blend of roots rock and pure pop. “Mercy Road” kicks the album off with folk guitar, keys, and a bit of songwriting that is precise. One can’t deny the appeal of the Eagles, but they were homogenized to the point where some of the songs felt like they were printed out of a computer. “Mercy Road” is a tune that radio fans wish the Eagles could’ve put together. “It’s Over” is even better: a great hook, wonderful setup, and vocals that display the sadness a breakup always creates, no matter who was at fault. Cate comes across much better on record, his live performance for the release of this disc felt like the band was trying to re-create what is on the CD. “It’s Over” is very much like the Swinging Steaks, a former Capricorn artist which tours with Cate on occasion. “No Other Place” is the kind of song we’d expect to hear from James Taylor if he were a few decades younger. Where Taylor went from Boston to London, John Cate was born in Liverpool, England, but was raised in the U.S. “Standin’ Here Alone” feels like Traveling Wilburys without the Jeff Lynne production; very appealing. The harmonica and subdued vocal in “Ride Away” is a nice change before “Circles” shifts gears. This music isn’t original, but drummer Gary Rzab, bassist Danny McGrath, and guitarist/keyboard/mandolin player Paul Candilore present a full sound behind Cate’s voice and music. “Circles” gives Candilore a chance to sing lead, Rzab getting his opportunity on the next song, “Tears,” a very McCartney/early-Beatles sounding piece. It’s all very well constructed and played pop/folk/roots rock. These cats emulate their heroes, and the result is very listenable and very radio friendly. Cate’s music has been utilized on the network television shows Touched By an Angel, All My Children, and The Young & the Restless, among others, and for good reason. His voice is tender on “Ain’t the Same,” and all the songs catch a good groove. Candilore is a more than adequate accompanist with his talents displayed on “Time Has Come,” a very nice, laid-back song with mandolin and reverb guitar. A reflection of what is on the 12 tracks on this self-titled album.
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Swinging Steaks, The Rain Dogs, Adam Sherman’s The Souls
The Lines Will You Still Love Me When I’ve Lost My Mind (1987)
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1987’s Will You Still Love Me When I’ve Lost My Mind? features future Rage TV host Eric Hafner as the main songwriter and vocalist backed up by three musicians, replacing the four other Lines who appeared on the 1984 release Dirty Water. They, in turn, had replaced the original four musicians from the 1982 release Live at the Metro, which included Jamie Walker and Pat Dreier, who split off to become the Drive and, eventually, the Swinging Steaks. That Jamie Walker was the main songwriter of the original band put a lot on the shoulders of Eric Hafner, giving extra meaning to the name of the record company he co-owned with longtime manager/attorney Paul Carchidi, Sideman Records. But the sidemen actually sound pretty good here, and it is the singer/songwriter who disappoints. Maybe Hafner had run out of creative juice after so many disappointments; he just can’t take the solid accompaniment here and hit a home run. “Snowbound” goes nowhere, and Hafner‘s voice sounds pretentious and contrived. Also, there are no cover songs, something that spiced up other releases by the Lines. Including their rendition of Olivia Newton-John‘s “Physical” would have been a treat, as it was a regional hit for this band that doubled as a suburban cover act. Listening to the song “Some Day” is nothing but painful. There are certainly worse recordings, it’s that this band had the potential and so badly misses the mark here, which is almost worse than having done nothing at all. There’s more life than on Bob Pfeifer‘s 1987 LP After Words, but the bottom line is there is so much better music out in the world that to try to like something that sounds so forced is a chore. That isn’t what entertainment is all about. “Rain on Me” abandons the simple sincerity of Split Enz, who the original Lines emulated, and replaces it with mechanical Billy Idol/Simple Minds style mid-’80s rock. Side two doesn’t fare much better; “Indian Summer” is one of the better titles and performances, but it’s still no great shakes. Jamie Walker and the Swinging Steaks broke away from this ensemble and made quite a name for themselves, while the Lines kept beating their original concept into the ground. After a decade, it became too familiar, too old, and lost any charm or enthusiasm which made the band a fun night on the town. This album asks the question Will You Still Love Me When I’ve Lost My Mind?, and in doing so risks hearing the answer, the word “no” from longtime fans. A very tough listen.
Swinging Steaks Suicide At The Wishing Well 1992
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Members of Boston’s the Drive reinvented themselves with this very strong 1992 release on their own Thrust label, and the departure from the slick pop the Drive was known for is immediate. Imagine if you will a band that sounds like the Rolling Stones when they transform themselves into their “Country Honk,” “Moonlight Mile,” and “Dead Flowers” persona to have a good idea of what the Swinging Steaks are all about. Some of these tracks appear on the band’s Capricorn debut, but this powerful collection of 15 tunes and two hidden tracks is classic and it landed them the deal after garnering airplay on Boston’s WBOS. “Bone Bag” features Rich Gilbert on pedal steel, but the song has more crunch than you’d expect for a country/pop disc. “Beg, Steal or Borrow” has a Byrds kind of vibe with intensity that shows the maturity and development the guys garnered on the Boston scene. That artistry culminates in track 15; the late Jimmy Miller steps in with a rare re-creation of one of his classic Rolling Stones productions as “Live With Me” is covered — allegedly with Keith Richards guitar lines played by the Steaks, riffs that Miller pulled from the original version. It is exquisite and a tribute to Jimmy‘s genius, recorded just a few years before his passing. Highlights on this CD are the sublime “Circlin’,” written by vocalist/guitarist Tim Giovanniello, its tentative riff and eerie ambience are just perfect for the melancholy vocal. Jamie Walker‘s title track is the exact opposite, but equally as strong. And that is the secret of the Steaks’ success. Rather than hit you with Lennon/McCartney or Jagger/Richards co-writing, the two identities give this group its identity.
Southside Of The Sky 1993
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When the Swinging Steaks were signed to Capricorn Records, the label produced seven tracks and lifted five more from their 1992 debut Suicide at the Wishing Well. “Do Me a Favor” and “Circlin'” were taken as is, while the songs “Beg, Steal or Borrow,” “Right Through You,” and the title track “Suicide at the Wishing Well” were remixed by producer Gary Katz and engineer Wayne Yergellun. For their major label debut, the failure to include Jimmy Miller‘s superior production of the Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition “Live With Me” was a definite oversight, but maybe Phil Walden‘s label was interested more in the country-pop side of this group. “Do Me a Favor” still sounds like a distant cousin to Jackson Browne‘s “Redneck Friend,” while “Circlin'” is the best overall track — a masterpiece by Tim Giovanniello. Jamie Walker‘s new title track, “Southside of the Sky,” opens the album for 45 seconds, and then is reprised with the nearly three-minute full version at the album’s close. It’s a good song one expects from these highly consistent journeymen. Their debut contained 17 songs, and this now out of print album featured seven new tracks; compiling both as a single unit of their music from 1992-1993 would be advisable.
SUNDAY BEST 2003
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Sunday Best is a sophisticated progression for the Swinging Steaks as they capture and carry the flag the Flying Burrito Brothers once held and waved so high. Released on their own Thrust Records in America and on Blue Rose in Europe, Tim Giovanniello and Jamie Walker split up the writing chores again along with a couple of tunes from the pen of keyboardist Jim Gambino. One of those tunes, “Stupid,” is simply fantastic — great pop hooks with effective playing to embellish the solid refrain. It and Giovanniello‘s “Bad Day” are among the standouts — the very special compositions that always seem to work their way onto the Steaks’ projects. “Pictures” is right up there with those two, another song of holding on — guitarist/vocalist Giovanniello just “waiting for the rain” so he can pull out the pictures he’s saved for that kind of day. It’s an inspired vocal performance to match the lyrics with the band to maintain the energy. Walker‘s contributions are to this project what Lindsey Buckingham‘s work was to Fleetwood Mac‘s Tusk album: good, consistent, and the glue that keeps it all together. His “Light of the Moon” is a nice conclusion to the effort, effective in its melancholy. Sunday Best is not the knockout punch this band is capable of, but there’s not a bad track on it, and a few sail over the fence. At close to an hour playing time, it’s an ambitious and realized effort from the veteran New England act.
Artist: Raindogs
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As the Swinging Steaks abandoned their slick 1980s pop for country-rock when the 1990s came around, Mark Cutler’s Raindogs did the same, but got it out of the starting gate a bit earlier on this Atco debut, Lost Souls. The album leans more to the rock than country side, with standout tunes like “Cry for Mercy” and “This Is the Place” among the dozen offered here. “I’m Not Scared” owes much to Gregg Allman and is decent, while “Phantom Flame” is extraordinary, up there with the best of the Swinging Steaks, Johnny Cunningham‘s fiddle and Cheryl Hodges’ backing vocals bringing it that nice Rolling Stones feel when the greatest rock & roll band in the world gave its style a Flying Burrito Brothers flavor. “The Higher Road” and “Too Many Stars” are competent rockers though they don’t burst out like some of the other tracks, and that’s the downside here. Cutler’s voice isn’t distinctive enough to elevate some of the more pedestrian numbers and like another “critic’s darling” band, the Tragically Hip, the lesser songs in the repertoire — say “Nobody’s Getting Out” — weigh the other selections down like an anchor. Lost Souls is perfectly played material and an interesting debut, but there’s not enough personality to send this over the top. “Cry for Mercy” sounds slightly like a harbinger of what Gregg Alexander and his New Radicals would bring to the world in 1998. Problem is, there’s no “You Get What You Give” here, and that’s what this singer/songwriter and his band were in dire need of. Nice to see Myanna Pontoppidan of Girls Night Out as part of the Hubcap Horns employed on this outing. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
The 80s, Boston Rock & Roll
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If the 1970s was the decade of the independent record in Boston the 80s resulted in many a Boston area group getting signed to major labels or major independents. Here is a variety of different recordings I’ve reviewed for AllMusic.com
Down Avenue
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The Dream 1983 e.p. (Early EXTREME)
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Farrenheit
The Fools SOLD OUT 1980
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The Fools – Heavy Mental
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GIRLS NIGHT OUT 1985
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Jon Butcher Axis
Jon Butcher Axis 1983
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Wishes 1987
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STIFF LITTLE BREEZE Jon Butcher Axs
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An Ocean In Motion Live in Boston 1984 Jon Butcher Axis
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Jon Butcher Axis Live At The Casbah
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New England 1st Album
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New England “Explorer Suite”
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New England Walking Wild
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New England Greatest Hits Live
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November Group November Group
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November Group Persistent Memories (1983)
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November Group (A & M Records) Work That Dream 1985
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Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
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1980 Robin Lane & The Chartbusters debut
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Imitation Life
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Private Lightning
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COMPILATIONSLIVE AT THE METRO Press A Dent Records
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WCOZTHE BEST OF THE BOSTON BEAT
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WCOZ Best Of The Boston Beat Vol 2
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Alvan Long was the drummer in Boston’s November Group on its 1982 self-titled EP, and was joined by bassist/vocalist Don Foote for 1983’s follow-up, Persistent Memories. They branched off on their own, releasing this five-song EP on the 6L6 label the same year November Group signed to A&M, 1985. “Girlfriend” sounds like the Jonzun Crew with snappy drums and ’80s club/dance keyboards identifying immediately what Down Avenue is all about: a group that was as derivative as it was engaging. The mid-’80s brought a number of artists into this sterile but interesting realm, Adventure Set and Face to Face also making noise in Massachusetts and beyond, the artist’s identities all merged into a synth/dance amalgam on radio and in the clubs. Only Michael Jonzun and his brother Maurice Starr broke out of the mold, with Laurie Sargent from Face to Face also carving a niche beyond the pack. The sad thing is that Down Avenue is among the best players of this sound just before it all fell off the ledge into manufactured disposable Muzak. This EP as well as the release by Adventure Set are the last vestiges of decent Boston music before the scene exploded and band names proliferated on a daily basis. “Nighttime” is another good melody and performance, though there is nothing here that jumps out at you as an unarguable hit. Roxy Music was performing this exact same sentiment on Avalon with far more personality, and for all the slick production and smooth musicianship, there is absolutely nothing to grab onto here. It could be anyone singing “Nighttime” and any group of musicians crafting these sounds. The three songs on side two, “Winter’s Past,” “Way Down the Avenue,” and “These 4 Walls” melt into a seamless essay devoid of peaks and valleys. “Winter’s Past” sounds like a soft rock version of the band New England‘s classic “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya.” “Way Down the Avenue” could be the band’s theme song with the hook lifted from Bruce Springsteen and Manfred Mann the decade before — “That’s where the fun is” sounds like it stepped out of “Blinded By the Light.” Nothing here is as outstanding as Adventure Set‘s “Blue Is for Boys,” but there’s nothing bad here either. The band was rumored to have signed with RCA and probably did, but then vanished as quickly as November Group did on A&M. Charles Pettigrew‘s vocals are slick and soulful, but they are pipes in need of a song that was more than just pleasant background music.
Before Gary Cherone joined Van Halen this group sold the band name the Dream to one of the major TV networks after their brilliant local manager, Joanne Codi, initiated a lawsuit (she was clever enough to trademark the name). When the TV show Dreams launched (about a rock band trying to make it), suddenly this group had the cash to cut a video of their regional hit penned by lead singer Cherone, “Mutha (Don’t Wanna Go to School Today).” This original lineup was the band that made incredible waves in Boston, opening for Nightranger at the Orpheum Theater and drawing crowds wherever they played. Along with Girls Night Out and Rick Berlin: The Movie, they were a dominant force on the live music scene in New England during the ’80s. Keyboard player Mika Watson added a dimension missing when drummer Paul Geary (famous for managing Godsmack) and singer Gary Cherone became Extreme on A&M Records. Peter Hunt‘s contributions on guitar and songs were vital. “The Mask” and “See the Light,” two of his three compositions on this six-song EP, were, along with Gary Cherone‘s “Mutha,” the songs that launched the band. Had there not been a Dreams TV show the band would not have been called Extreme. “The Mask” is quite simply a brilliant rock song, full of pop melody and progressive riffs. “See the Light” is a hard rock takeoff on “Eight Miles High” by the Byrds, while Hunt‘s “Why” is the sort of break song that an album needs to divert the listener from the musical similarities inherent in any set of recordings. Quoting Edgar Allan Poe’s line, “All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream,” is the kind of stuff that separates this early incarnation from the onslaught that was the major-label band who hit with “More Than Words” in 1991. Sure, Nuno Bettencourt‘s guitar and songwriting skills were essential to that aggregation, but there was something special about the band when Paul Mangone was on bass instead of Pat Badger, and when Mika Watson and Peter Hunt created a firm foundation for Gary Cherone‘s voice and stage antics. They were a very special band and this EP is an important and highly listenable document of what came first.
The major-label debut of vocalist Mike Gerard, guitarists Richie Bartlett and Stacy Pedrick, drummer Chris Pedrick, and bassist Doug Forman, collectively the Fools, stands as a concise and well recorded musical statement by an important Boston group. Produced by Pete Solley, the band escaped the curse of New England groups suffering inferior recordings in major studios. “Spent the Rent” is a powerful rocker, while “Easy for You” is a tender ballad and shows what a pro bunch these musicians posing as jokers were. “It’s a Night for Beautiful Girls” was a smash in the New England region but made no real dent nationally, and, for some strange reason, EMI-America put the song that established them in their hometown, a parody of the Talking Heads‘ “Psycho Killer,” entitled “Psycho Chicken,” as a 45 rpm inside the album jacket, but not included on the 12″ vinyl. Produced by guitarist Richard Bartlett, who would go on to join Ben Orr‘s solo project, and engineered by Luna producer Jay Mandel, “Psycho Chicken” was so much of what this band was about. The original four-track basement recording got tons of local airplay in and around the Boston area, and was as much a hit as “It’s a Night for Beautiful Girls.” The 45 rpm is on white vinyl, saying that either their management or the record label knew the importance of this tongue-in-cheek side of the group. A cover of the Leigh/Charlap classic “I Won’t Grow Up” just doesn’t have the sparkle that David Byrne‘s underground hit generated as re-written with Forman and Girard, the two main songwriters for the Fools. “Night Out” begins the album with a burst of three minute pop followed by “Fine With Me,” “Don’t Tell Me,” and the title track, “Sold Out” — all well-crafted pop songs with Beatles guitar lines and enough jangle to qualify them for underground pop rockers, somewhere between the radio friendliness of the Raspberries with the seriousness Badfinger brought to their work. While their contemporaries Human Sexual Response stretched the boundaries, the Fools tempered the joking and sought respectability. Years later, Sold Out stands as a very respectable and very important debut album by a band that was able to play the local circuit for more than a decade after its release as one of the major draws in New England. Not a bad accomplishment, and an indication that they deserved national recognition and could have entertained the masses had EMI kept working their discs beyond the second release, Heavy Mental, which followed in 1981. Just listen to the blend of American music and British pop that is “Sad Story,” the only song clocking in over four minutes, and a beautiful one at that.
The Fools were a phenomenally successful Boston band in the 1970s and 1980s, but, as often happens, were not presented accurately to the world on their major-label debut, or its follow up. Pete Solley‘s pedestrian production on the 1980 release Sold Out is almost indiscernible when compared to Vini Poncia‘s presentation of the band a year later. A song like “Around The Block” cries for the zaniness that this group injected into their parody of The Talking Heads a few years earlier, but even the great riff is kind of muddied. The problem isn’t so much bad production, something many of their peers from Boston had to deal with (a much more serious problem than the curse of the “Bosstown Sound”). Indeed, the problem here is what befell Willie Alexander on MCA — it feels like the record label was normalizing the group. “Local Talent” has this smooth recording which emulates John Cougar Mellencamp, to the point where lead singer Mike Girard actually sounds like a young Mellencamp on this track about ladies of the night, not local bands. “What I Tell Myself” opens side two, and it sounds like a mainstream pop version of the band Deep Purple. It is telling that while their first album yielded the excellent “It’s A Night For Beautiful Girls,” it is the Roy Orbison cover here, “Running Scared,” which is the outstanding track on Heavy Mental. These were mental times for Boston rock & roll (a local D.J., Captain P.J. actually had the phrase “Go Mental” and would create havoc at Boston area shows), but there is nothing chaotic, crazy, or even marginally psychotic about Heavy Mental. “Lost Number” is another title which should sound like The Tubes, not a subdued Eddie Cochran. The Fools really had it together, and where Mike Girard could sound like Roy Orbison and John Mellencamp, he sounds like Fee Waybill a bit on “Lost Number,” but the band sounds like someone putting handcuffs on The Tubes, where this band was a more suburban “let’s have some outrageous fun” act and needed to be given more latitude. Rich Bartlett is an incredible player, but like Elliot Easton in The Cars, he was restrained from being the blazing guitar star he was quite capable of being at this point in time. He would actually join Ben Orr of The Cars in the late 90s, and had the creative freedom to reinvent that band’s Top 40 hits. Bassst Doug Forman sings the lead on “Last Cadillac On Earth,” a heavy urban rocker with more emphasis on riffs, more like Foghat. How their management or record label intended to market a group clearly being pushed into directions different from their stage show is a good study in the problems of the record industry, but it failed to give The Fools a platform to create and grow. They were able to sell tons of records on their own label in the Northeast after their two albums on EMI-America, and maybe their record deal raised their profile and helped them affirm their position in New England, but they deserved much more. Producer Vini Poncia has displayed great pop sensibilities, but none of them are obvious on Heavy Mental, an album too sane for its own good.
One of the greatest tragedies in Boston rock & roll history, and something the world is the worse for, is this difficult document of one of the best ’80s bands from New England, Girls Night Out. For a group who approximately grossed over a quarter of a million dollars in a two-year period, they were saddled with arguably the worst cover art in Boston history, substandard production by the usually reliable Chris Lannon, and evidence that radio-station politics, mismanagement, and too many cooks can do more than spoil the stew; politics can stand in the way of important art. Nothing on this record jumps out at you like the eight-track demo of “Matter of Time,” the regional radio hit recording that helped launch GNO‘s career. The failure to re-track “Matter of Time,” a song that was like a girl group version of ‘Til Tuesday‘s “Voices Carry,” is the true crime of the heart here. The great Jimmy Miller produced a cover of “Baby It’s You” for lead guitarist Wendy Sobel in 1983, and the version is sultry, moody, and brilliant, but is not included here. The three songs Jimmy Miller did with Wendy Sobel, one-seventh of this band, blow away this entire disc. “Affair of the Heart,” “Love Under Pressure,” “Calling Doctor Love,” and “Crime of the Heart” are studied performances with none of the excitement the girls displayed on-stage. The precision is the kind of homogenization one expects from a major label, not from an independent group, and it feels like the act was being directed from the pages of This Business of Music rather than by the creative instincts of a professional. The results are disappointing. Didi Stewart wrote all the material, and there is no doubt she is a genius, but her talent was inhibited by business forces behind the scenes. Rumor has it that Madonna/Brian Wilson producer Andy Paley was interested in signing the group, but the manager allegedly would not agree to the terms. If that urban myth is true, it is a shame, for Paley could have taken “Affair of the Heart” and given it the Phil Spector treatment. The songs are all first-rate, it is just that they have nothing to them; they are two-dimensional recordings with flawed sounds (listen to the lame drum slap in the middle of “Affair of the Heart”). These are pedestrian performances from ladies who bowled people over in concert; a version of “Love Under Pressure” is included that sounds like it is stuck in a pressure cooker. There’s no mastering credit, but that essential element is thin at best. Girls Night Out’s exquisite staple, “When You Were Mine,” shows up five years later on the One True Heart album by Didi Stewart, and it is total vindication, showing what the songwriter could do away from the confines of a democracy. Bits and pieces of what this phenomenal group was all about have surfaced elsewhere. Alizon Lissance has released discs with her local group, and other members — Myanna, Wendy Sobel, and Didi Stewart — are off doing their own thing; reunions of this post-Amplifiers band Stewart fronted happen once in a blue moon. This writer brought Didi Stewart to the 1992 Marty Balin sessions in New Hampshire, and Balin was thrilled at the prospect of Stewart and her friend, Ellie Marshall of the Modern Lovers, singing on his album, Better Generation. That idea was nixed by Karen Deal, Balin‘s wife, yet another example of people interfering in important art. With the cash that was coming in through the high demand for this group and the combination of originals and covers packing their shows, Girls Night Out should have released a superb album on their own and let a major label pick it up. Seven great artists who should have had original guitarist Patty Larkin return to jam with Wendy Sobel on this were left out in the cold when these recordings failed to generate the same excitement as the band did live. The original demo tapes, the Jimmy Miller sessions with Sobel, a live radio broadcast or recording from a nightclub, and Didi Stewart solo material — all combined — could have made this affair memorable. Listening to this decades after it was recorded is still a heartbreak to those who witnessed the excitement of the girls live. This EP is a great excuse for these talented ladies to re-form on their 20th anniversary and create the album they are still capable of putting together.
Jon Butcher is a journeyman guitarist whose Johanna Wilde band was legendary in the New England region in the late 70’s. While the “New Wave” and “Punk Rock” scenes were exploding, Butcher kept to what he did best: mainstream hard rock. By the time this Polydor deal materialized much of his better known tunes had been in circulation for quite some time. “New Man” originally appeared on a 1980/1981 compilation from radio station WCOZ, it opens up side two here, but, like most of the album, is hampered by Pat Moran’s pedestrian production.”Cant Be The Only Fool” and “Send One Care Of” lack personality here, the producer and record label failing to polish Jon Butcher’s consistent songwriting. Add to that mix the fact that his management company had a falling out with the major concert promoter in his hometown, you have an act that had to move to Los Angeles in order to find an environment more conducive to the creative process. “Life Takes A Life” is haunting here, and may be the best track on the record; “It’s Only Words,” “Ocean In Motion” and “New Man” were popular live and remain highlights of this record, but the power trio never got to shape their own identity. The crunching chords made Jon Butcher more like Pete Townshend performing in The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Like Robin Trower, Butcher performed in the shadow of Jimi, good material but not as creative and memorable as the prototype, and without the production and promotion skills of a Chas Chandler. A decent album that could have been so much more if the people around this artist understood what the music was all about.
Jon Butcher says he never should have bet his heart if he “couldn’t pay the price” in Wishes, which might be the guitarist’s most introspective album and most potent artistic statement. The production by Butcher and Spencer Proffer is crisp and elegant. Here’s a songwriter controlling his own destiny with help from Foreigner/Aerosmith sideman Thom Gimbel, longtime drummer Derek Blevins, and bassist Rob Jeffries. These are all Jon Butcher originals with one co-write, “A Little Bit of Magic,” which has the assistance of a person with one name only, Raun, from another Pasha/Spencer Proffer group, Isle of Man. “Living for Tomorrow” continues the spirit of the first tune, “Goodbye Saving Grace,” with the singer’s strong voice augmented by guitarmanship finally coming into its own. His musicianship takes a backseat to the song and production though, which is a good thing — leave the flash for the stage. Wishes has solid statements in each song and throughout the grooves. The old adage “If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride” is changed here to “If wishes were horses…then dreamers would ride,” written over and under a solitary picture of Butcher on the inner sleeve. He sounds like Paul Rodgers on “Holy War” taking much from the Firm, a group who hit two years before this 1987 disc. “Holy War” takes on Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Fallwell, Billy Graham, and other evangelists to great effect, while the title track treads on ground more familiar to Butcher, the music of Jimi Hendrix. “Wishes” is a wonderful tune which borrows heavily from “The Wind Cries Mary” both lyrically and musically before emerging halfway through as its own entity. “Churinga” closes out side one, a creative instrumental displaying this band’s ability to groove. These grooves immediately make their way to side two with “Long Way Home,” a blending of percussion and Jon Butcher‘s gritty guitar. “Show Me Some Emotion” harkens back to the sound of early Jon Butcher Axis, with better production than their Polygram debut. The co-write, “A Little Bit of Magic,” picks up where “Wishes” left off, and though the lyrics may be the weakest on the disc, the song’s climbing guitar evokes Santana from that guitar star’s “She’s Not There” period ten years earlier. “A Little Bit of Magic” should have been a big hit. So too “Angel Dressed in Blue,” elements of commercial artists from the day blend into the mix, making this a stronger album from Spencer Proffer than his Quiet Riot smash three years earlier. Rather than “bang your head,” the music here is articulate and determined. “Partners in Crime” and “Prisoners of the Chain” add to this dynamic effort, the final track a hard ballad which would have been a nice direction for Bad Company. It sounds like that band seeking more modern sounds and closes out an impressive work by a journeyman revising the formula which brought him regional success in the Boston area.
A Stiff Little Breeze is a superb album from the Jon Butcher Axis, getting straight As in pacing, performance, and material. Jon Butcher personally essays, the tales behind each tune found in the eight-page booklet brimming with photos and rich in band history. As the music crosses decades, Butcher cleverly splashes some of his favorite phrasings throughout the melodies and production, making it very, very appealing. “The Tiger in the Tall Grass” borrows heavily from early Rod Stewart/Faces, Beatles backing vocals, and, most notably, Paul McCartney‘s “That Would Be Something” from his first solo album. “Wicked Woman” (the title of a Janis Joplin bootleg, a fact that couldn’t have escaped Butcher’s notice) adds some culture shock from what precedes it — the kind of polished ’80s rock that Bon Jovi‘s “Livin’ on a Prayer” provided, only this Jon plays it so cool, slipping in a bit of “Purple Haze” into the mix. And speaking of such things, “Red House” is a standout. This artist has certainly come up with enough diverse sounds to separate him from his major influence — but when he dives into Hendrix territory, it is with true understanding and wild abandon. Jimi‘s friend Buzzy Linhart heard this version of “Red House” and noted that the tune has become the “Stormy Monday Blues” of the new millennium, Linhart most impressed with what Butcher did with this often overworked cover. “A Light Texas Rain,” like the title track that begins the set, is short, sweet, and gloriously simple. Many Butcher albums have seeds of greatness, but A Stiff Little Breeze is no mere collection of B-sides and outtakes; it is an impressive blend of this important artist’s thoughts, emotions, and performances. “Money” is like some catchy response to Cyndi Lauper‘s hit “Money Changes Everything,” with a clever aside from Butcher in the liner notes. “Beal St.” is Robert Johnson/Mick Taylor slide guitar blues, the final of 14 tracks that make up this favorite of all of Jon Butcher’s releases. The excellent cover art features the state of Massachusetts on a map that looks like parchment an archaeologist would read from to find hidden treasure. Most appropriate.
Jon Butcher cut a path through the Boston rock & roll scene when his Johanna Wilde band started making some noise as a terrific mainstream act like their contemporary, Charlie Farren, bucking the “new wave” trend and establishing a presence by staying true to the music’s mission. Johanna Wilde evolved into Jon Butcher Axis, and that both of his 1980s major label releases on Polydor are out of print in the new millennium certainly leaves a void for fans, of which there were many. Ocean In Motion: Live In Boston 1984 helps fill that void, despite its flaws. An allegedly “live” CD of vintage Jon Butcher Axis — said to be from Boston’s The Channel Club in 1984 — sounds too clean to be recorded in front of an audience. The same loop of applause with an annoying and lengthy whistle comes up in between tracks (most noticeably on an otherwise excellent “Don’t Say Goodnight.”) The Dayton, Ohio label Atom Records must be commended for getting Butcher’s music out there, but it’s like that studio version of “Fortune Teller” that the Rolling Stones tagged on to Got Live If You Want It!: the fake applause just desecrates otherwise fine music. Seven tunes can be found on the first Polydor LP, Jon Butcher Axis released in 1983, three also appeared on the follow-up, Stare At The Sun: the songs “Victims,” “Walk On The Moon,” and “Don’t Say Goodnight,” while the 11th title, “Not Fade Away,” is a cover of the Norman Petty/Charles Hardin song made famous by The Rolling Stones. Foreigner‘s Thom Gimbel, who performs with Aerosmith and is producing Adrian Perry, son of Joe Perry, appears on all tracks on keys, backing vocals, and saxophone, though he wasn’t an official bandmember. Jon Butcher gives anecdotes and impressions about his material in the colorful six-page liner note booklet, and that is very substantial. It’s an elegant package chock full of photos and insight. It’s too bad there’s not a Jon Butcher Axis live album from the time this group was busy opening for the J. Geils Band when that ensemble was at the height of their fame. Yes, it’s great to have this music available on CD, and maybe Scott Kinnison and Atom Records will go through the vaults for a broadcast from radio station WCOZ and/or find other material from the day. Just hearing this material again makes one point very clear — Jon Butcher put together some of the most concise and melodic hard rock/pop tunes from Boston’s ’70s/early ’80s scene, and deserved much more success than he achieved. www.jonbutcher.com is the official web page.
Jon Butcher’s first DVD is a rare concert videotaped by Bob Boyd‘s crew at The Casbah in Manchester, New Hampshire. Boyd owned a professional video company which got permission to tape New England bands like the Neighborhoods, the Stompers, the New Models, and many others in the 1980s. This exquisite 75-minute-plus concert is prime Butcher, displaying the man’s power, stage presence, and keen sense of rock & roll. More revealing than the CD Ocean in Motion: Live in Boston 1984, which Atom Records pressed prior to this release, you get to see Jon Butcher’s tight band in a fine audiovisual performance — Foreigner/Aerosmith keyboard/saxophone player Thom Gimbel (also the producer of whiz kid Adrian Perry, Joe Perry‘s son); ex-New Man/RTZ bassist extraordinaire Tim Archibald, and longtime Butcher drummer Derek Blevins. Jon says “Merry Christmas. . .see you in ’85” at the end of “When You Were Mine” (not the Didi Stewart / Girls Night Out tune from the exact same year), giving the time frame for when this important piece of New England music history happened. It’s one of three unreleased tunes that offers longtime fans something extra. There aren’t many frills on the DVD, but the audio is excellent, and the camerawork pretty steady — choppy at some points — but that just adds to the rock & roll vibe. Nice to watch next to Blue Wild Angel: Jimi Hendrix Live at the Isle of Wight, not because of the eternal comparisons between Jon Butcher and his mentor, but because of the stark differences seen between the two. Jon Butcher Axis was a band with choreography and a resume for each member that made them more than sidemen. This DVD captures the key compositions — “New Man” (the name of one of Tim Archibald‘s groups), “Life Takes a Life,” “It’s Only Words,” “Ocean in Motion,” and more — with a dynamic show that eclipses some of the singer’s studio recordings. Grade A.
Produced by Paul Stanley of Kiss who was also represented by manager Bill Aucoin, this Boston band’s debut still stands as their finest. “Hello, Hello, Hello,” much like Alice Cooper‘s use of Rolf Kemp‘s “Hello Hooray,” is a nice opener, but the lyrics are more like Stevie Nicks witchcraft and magic. Song two is the most classic statement made by writer John Fannon and his group New England. “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” is perhaps the shortest poem/song on record by Fannon, but it is his most famous. There are swirling keyboards by Jimmy Waldo and the precision the band is known for in performance. Like another Boston-based group, Private Lightning on A&M with their local hit “Physical Speed,” these groups were ahead of their time and exploring sounds that were not identified with the city that brought the world the Modern Lovers, Aerosmith, and the Jonzun Crew. But with three albums on a major label, and superb production, New England had a good shot at the brass ring and a tune with all the elements of “hit” in this track. “P.U.N.K.” is also a song that generated attention. About a punk, and certainly not punk rock, although the band frequented (and played) the clubs like the Paradise and the Rat, which, no doubt, helped inspire this. “Shall I Run Away” has a great vocal from Fannon and is the best tune next to “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” — mellow with cosmic guitars, a unique sound removed from the Asia style producer Mike Stone and the band New England became known for, almost Roxy Music. And that is where the band could’ve really made its mark, by being more experimental and less like the arena rock bands of the day. “Alone Tonight” is a great song held back by the “overproduction,” to quote the late Stones producer Jimmy Miller and his idea of the New England sound. The thick production on this music is incessant. “Nothing to Fear” has hooks a plenty and the voice more prominent; “Shoot” is like a progressive Black Sabbath riff sped up and gone pop. Fannons‘ great ideas and lyrics seem to get lost in some of the instrumentation of “Turn Out the Light.” That stage life which Paul Stanley knows so well from the Kiss hit “Beth” is the theme of “The Last Show.” “Encore” concludes the album with Fannon almost sounding like Roger Waters in delivery and idea. New England deserves recognition for years of hard work and the creation of a very important tune from the late ’70s. The cover photo has Terminator-style lightning (so did Private Lightning‘s cover, of course) and the band being delivered from out the blue.
This sophomore effort by the Boston-based group New England — produced by Mike Stone, who also worked with Queen, Journey, and Asia — is a very large-sounding work by a band that deserved to be as popular as Stone‘s other clients. “Honey Money” is certainly not ABBA; the song’s subject is the almighty dollar and its impact on musicians, and the ethereal vocals wrap themselves around a theme that could be delivered to a girlfriend as well as a fellow rocker. “Livin’ in the Eighties” has a hard-hitting melody and keyboards that fall somewhere between Gary Wright and Brian Eno. “Conversation” has Nick Lowe-style guitars (much like “Cruel to Be Kind”) — a nice change from the incessant bombast Stone and bandleader John Fannon splash on these tunes. It emerges as one of the best tracks on this release. “It’s Never Too Late” has a great pop hook, but “Explorer Suite” is the big production number, the “We Will Rock You” showpiece that New England and this album are remembered for. “Seal It With a Kiss” is rife with thick keyboards, backing vocals, and ’80s guitar. A renegade “Secret Agent Man” for the ’80s, the tune “Hey You’re on the Run” sounds like Triumvirat meeting the band Boston by way of the Sweet. “No Place to Go” is as elegant a ballad as Yes or Queen could devise, but with more of an edge. New England has that cosmic edge, making the group truly an “underground” darling among arena rock bands, and having a group with this much talent performing at regional clubs was a treat. Bassist Gary Shea and keyboardist/backing vocalist Jimmy Waldo would eventually join Alcatrazz after the breakup of New England, while Fannon and drummer Hirsh Gardner got into record production. They all remained personalities on the Boston music scene. Managed by Bill Aucoin (who handled Kiss) and with major producers and a great sound, it’s amazing that the band didn’t sell millions of records. Like another regional band, Riser (produced by Jack Richardson), New England might have just been in the wrong part of the country for this style of music. Had the band become a bit more avant-garde à la Eno, New England might have found the larger audience that Stone helped U2 garner and that this band sought so passionately. And perhaps this album is too much of a good thing. Where a Beatles album has ebb and flow, New England hits you with all its artillery. New England’s three major label releases, with bonus tracks, are being sold on the internet (http://www.newenglandrocks.com), as is a fourth CD of early material. A reunion album is planned; perhaps on this release the group will find the balance so necessary to finally achieving success.
If the first album by New England is the band’s best musical statement, Walking Wild is where the group could have gone. Todd Rundgren was the perfect choice to help tone down the ostentatious Mike Stone sounds, and the magician from Utopia brings this band a welcome and wonderful blend of progressive music and experimental rock. The very British and very cool “You’re There” is the standout; although it never got the attention of the first album’s “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya,” the second album’s “Explorer Suite,” and this album’s single “DDT” (“Dirty Dream Tonight”), it cries for attention and renewed interest. Great pop backing vocals reminiscent of Klaatu‘s “Calling Occupants” — a hit for the Carpenters — make this pure pop song a very satisfying ending to this disc, as creative as Boston area colleagues the Cars at their best. “L-5” is co-written by Todd Rundgren, keyboard player Jimmy Waldo, and singer John Fannon — the first time Fannon is not credited as the sole songwriter (Rundgren wrote the lyrics, with music by Fannon/Waldo). This is a neat science fiction kind of tune that fans of Todd should seek out. “She’s Gonna Tear You Apart” features lyrics by drummer Hirsh Gardner and music by Gardner/Fannon/Waldo — three-fourths of the band. It’s another change in style with a verse almost like one by .38 Special, before the band suddenly slips into a Cars/Roxy Music motif. The perfect example of Rundgren‘s production work being so distinctive from Mike Stone‘s is “Elevator,” which would almost be punk rock except for the precise big vocal sound and everything being in tune. Fannon‘s lyrics are succinct and almost angry, from “He’s fashionably mad/Rebel eyes/Fearless type/Raging force” on the title track to “Hit me,” the first words in “Holdin’ Out on Me.” The Cars sang “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight,” and New England countered with “Be my “Dirty Dream Tonight.” Walking Wild has found a new life re-released on the GB Music label out of New York City (http://www.newenglandrocks.com). A fourth disc by New England (demos recorded prior to the GB Music deal) has been issued on that label as well, along with reissues of the band’s first two discs. Four New England albums is not a lot for such a creative bunch of guys. Keyboard player Jimmy Waldo and bassist Gary Shea formed a band called Alcatrazz after the breakup of the group. Had they been able to develop New England’s music for a few more records, they might have been a force to reckon with. John Fannon‘s work with Boston area singer/songwriter Peter Zicko actually has many of the elements that New England forged. Drummer Hirsh Gardner did much production work in the ’80s around the Boston area, and perhaps a disc of his material would give New England fans a bit more insight regarding what might’ve been.
New England 1978 provides the world with a glimpse of John Fannon‘s music prior to it being put through the rock & roll machine of major labels, major management, and major record producers. Released about 20 years after the band’s formation, these ten “demos” are even more sophisticated than the Cars‘ early recordings from around the same period, and like those legendary Ric Ocasek compositions, these early sketches are superb. Jimmy Waldo‘s keyboard sound on “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya” is reminiscent of early Deep Purple from their Tetragrammaton days. If the hit version of this song was overpowering, this original take stands up as a terrific rendition. It very well could have been the hit with its Cars-ish thumping rhythm guitar and keyboard sweeps. This disc also contains early versions of “Hello, Hello, Hello,” “Turn Out the Light,” “Shoot,” “Nothing to Fear,” and “Alone Tonight” from their first, self-titled 1979 debut; one song, “Searchin,” from 1980’s Explorer Suite and three previously unreleased titles — “Candy,” “I’ll Be There,” and “Even When I’m Away.” Conceived as a retrospective, the CD captures the spirit of a group that “from 1977 through 1979 rehearsed 8 hours a day and journeyed to a small studio in Philly to record the demos that eventually would result in a recording contract with MCA/Infinity Records,” according to the group’s drummer. The music once heard only by heads of record labels like Clive Davis, Chris Wright, and Neil Bogart really could have been released as the group’s first disc and is as entertaining as any of New England’s commercial offerings. “Nothing to Fear” and “Searchin'” both have vocals that sound like the Beach Boys battling the group Yes, and that’s a compliment. The pop sound of “Don’t Worry Baby” combined with the heaviness of “Roundabout” works better than it might sound on paper. The 12-page booklet that comes with the material includes lyrics but not enough background information. With plenty of space on the CD, the almost 38 minutes of music would have been enhanced with a radio interview from the day, or even a new audio of the band telling its story. Regardless, New England 1978 is a real find for both fans and people unaware of the group and its unique blend of ultra-power pop.
In the eight-page booklet that accompanies Greatest Hits Live, the first ever live album from 1970s/’80s arena rockers New England, lead singer/frontman John Fannon notes that “We didn’t have a lot of live stuff recorded.” A double LP of on-stage performances following the release of their first three studio discs could have been the key to bring New England to that much wider audience enjoyed by Asia, Boston, and some of the groups they opened for: AC/DC, Journey, Styx, Rush, and, of course, Kiss. Less progressive than Focus but with enough of a stadium sound to separate them from the underground Massachusetts music community they emerged from, this in-concert disc is heavy with Jimmy Waldo‘s keyboards and gives an overview of some of the material the band made popular in the first phase of their major-label experience. As with GB Music’s Baker Gurvitz Army release, this is called Greatest Hits Live, which is a bit misleading. Missing are “Honey Money,” “D.D.T.” (“be my dirty dream tonight”), and “Walking Wild,” arguably among their most familiar tunes, and the group’s fan base may have preferred a title like “New England Live, Vol. 1.” Surely there must be more tapes out there, and they would be a welcome addition to the suddenly growing New England catalog. The liner notes don’t give much information on the source of this recording — the date, who recorded it, and so on, though Fannon does mention between songs that it is a second show in San Francisco. All the material from the 1979 self-titled first album except “Turn Out the Light” appears here along with three tunes from 1980’s Explorer Suite — the title track, “You’ll Be Born Again,” and “Hey You’re on the Run” — putting this recording in the 1980 time frame. Fannon saying from the stage, “This is a song off our album. It’s called ‘Hello, Hello, Hello’,” in the singular indicates that this recording may be before the release of Explorer Suite. The song rocks out live, as does their exquisite hit single from the summer of 1979, “Don’t Ever Wanna Lose Ya.” The instruments cut through, and the album is a fairly good representation of the band. They are four musical fellows, so everything is played very much as originally recorded. A lovely “You’ll Be Born Again” closes out the dozen-song set on this historically important document of this underrated ensemble. Impressions from the bandmembers and more specifics in the booklet — which does sport a nice array of photographs — would have been helpful, but at the end of the day it is the music that has to do the talking, and it is represented here in fine fashion.
New Man was a slick and precise Boston band who performed dance rock in the mid-’80s. Not as avant-garde as their contemporaries November Group, the self-titled album became more a platform for the individual talents of the bandmembers. Without the commercial songs which catapulted ABC, Culture Club, Spandau Ballet, and similar acts to superstardom, this debut disc stood little chance of success. Everything is recorded and performed to perfection — a song like “Way Over There” is as emotionless as “Beautiful Rose” or “Bad Boys.” What the band really needed was to latch onto a solid cover, as Stories did with “Brother Louie,” a title that could bring this listenable and highly danceable album out of the cutout bins. Scott Gilman‘s “Say Your Prayers” and Tim Archibald‘s “Love Real” are two of the more memorable pieces, but there is nothing extraordinary that jumps out and makes one crazy to buy the record. “She Can’t Let Him Go” has the machine-like thumps that the Rings put into “Let Me Go,” but the difference in those two songs is the difference between a potential hit and a song that is just average. Producer Joe Mardin appears to have recognized the individual talents of the bandmembers, with Bob Gay and others appearing on the Bee Gees‘ E.S.P. album that he also produced, while Tim Archibald hooked up with a Boston band who did climb the Top 40, RTZ and their album Return to Zero. The New Man project is likeable enough — certainly not a bad record — but it’s not a disc by the Cars or Tracy Chapman, either. New Man might be the purest example of the importance of the song as a vehicle and the lack of a breakthrough hit immobilizing years of hard work. Scott Gilman and Mark Jones do not possess remarkable or distinctive voices either, which added to the dilemma. An instrumental version of this disc could have been fun.
This debut by the ex-members of Wunderkind on a label owned by the record chainNewbury Comics contains five songs and lots of heart. Less derivative than their releases on Braineater and A&M, this is probably November Group in a pure, naïve state. “Pictures of the Homeland” sounds more searching than militant, Alvan Long‘s drums very present riding Ann Prim‘s precise and novel riff. Raphael Gasparello is playing the tight elastic bass prior to eventual Down Avenue musician Don Foote taking over making this limited edition E.P. a good document of the band while it was refining the dancey bouncy music regional fans loved.”Shake It Off” has the hollow vocals that Boston acts like The Machines were lifting liberally from Devo, reprised on side two’s “We Dance”. “Flatland” has the sparse machine gun guitar/keys trade-off and a splashy group chorus of “hey” to break things up, but it is hard to differentiate it from “Pictures Of The Homeland”, and that’s the major flaw here. Intense, professional and hard working, November Group stayed within the framework of their original concept when that concept should have included, should have demanded, creative growth.They never got out of the techno-rock rut and without melody that monotone vocal might as well have been the hammer and scythe in a machine shop it was emulating. “The Popular Dance”, like everything else on this self-titled first effort, is a cool title caught in a redundant carbon copy of a tape loop. It has charm but gets tired by the time you get to the fifth track. Too bad the Wunderkind 45 wasn’t included as a bonus track, the band’s earlier incarnation was not as serious, and was at times more powerful. A live album might have captured the magic more effectively than the black and white image this music projected and became in the studio, for November Group was something to be experienced in the dance venues, dark music echoing in dark clubs.
In the driving “I Live Alone,” Ann Prim‘s machine-gun vocal echoes a monotone Greta Garbo by way of Marlene Dietrich. The band had a powerful presence live in concert, and lots of angst that gets subdued when translated to vinyl in a studio. Good production work by Ann Prim and A. Kirby, who goes by the name of Kearney Kirby, became the trademark of these warriors. Everything is so serious with November Group — “Night Architecture” sounds and feels contrived, but that doesn’t take away from its beauty. Whether Prim and Kirby were doing this as a calculated business move (which MCA recording artist the Rings appeared to be doing before them) or if these songs emerged because it was their art at the time, isn’t the point. For what it is, it is very good. Where an instrumental version of “Put Your Back to It” might have been fun, actually putting an instrumental like “Night Architecture” on a disc is a bit redundant. All this techno rock seems to work well sans vocals on the dancefloor anyway — and the voice takes so long to kick in on “Heart of a Champion” that side two is very much like one long dance mix. “Heart of a Champion” is excellent, though it shows the group’s limitations; of all their material it sounds the most dated. This is Devo in a very serious light. “Heart of a Champion” is “Whip It” with a longer chorus. It is the first track, “Put Your Back to It,” which is the hit. This is the original long version of a song they would re-record for their A&M Records disc, Work That Dream. Don Foote on vocals and bass, and Alvan Long, the drummer who appeared on the first November Group EP, left for their own group shortly after this. Although not very original, these are good sounds worth finding and dancing to again.
When the Ann Prim Band performed around Boston in the late ’70s, they were a blues outfit. The guitarist/vocalist re-emerged and re-invented her sound with a band called Wunderkind, which evolved into November Group. This six-song release on A&M came after a four-song outing on Braineater Records titled Persistent Memories in 1983, and another six-song recording on Modern Method in 1982. “Arrows Up to Heaven” on this disc is peppered with the Jonzun Crew‘s timeless “Tonight,” flavored with Peter Godwin‘s “Images of Heaven,” and it sounds great. “The Promise” is some mixture of “Some Like It Hot,” the 1985 hit from Power Station — it’s the same chorus, in fact, and has ABC‘s “Look of Love” keyboard riff and a splash of After the Fire‘s 1983 smash “Der Kommissar.” Talk about mopping riffs — these gals make Randy Bachman and Ric Ocasek, men who admit to nicking other’s people’s music, look clandestine by comparison. “Careful (A Life Is a Fragile Thing” is blatant Eurythmics. As serious as November Group was, the blues-rock so essential to Prim as an artist was absorbed by the hip sounds of the day. “Work That Dream” was released as an A&M single and featured a six-minute instrumental version and a five-minute extended mix. Recorded in Frankfurt, Germany, by producer Peter Hauke, the music is first-class, but the real hit is “Put Your Back to It,” a two-minute shorter version of the song that was released on Braineater two years prior to this. Like some soundtrack to the film Metropolis, Work That Dream stands as a professional and entertaining set of sounds from an ’80s band that deserved international airplay.
The tremendous music created in Boston, despite the overwhelming financial success of Aerosmith, the Cars, Bobby Brown, New Edition, New Kids on the Block, and others, never received the respect and opportunity afforded other cities like Seattle, New York, Memphis, and San Francisco. Private Lighting is another case of a band with depth and an overabundance of talent, not getting a fair shake. “Physical Speed” opens this album with the ultimate car song. The theme of Jonathan Richman‘s “Roadrunner” reactivated by a band well versed with driving on America’s Technology Highway, Route 128. Vocalist Adam Sherman performed the song over the same backing tracks in French. That version, “Vitesse Physique,” never made it to the disc, but received airplay in New England. Originally produced by songwriter David Wolfert, who also recorded Peter Criss‘ 1980 solo disc, Out of Control, at Air Studios, Montserrat, A&M pulled Wolfert from these sessions and the disc ended up being produced and engineered by Robin Geoffrey Cable. The curse of not releasing the demos strikes again. Clearly, the label did not have faith in the original producer, yet the band’s versions of “Song of the Kite” and “Physical Speed” got lots of local airplay in the Boston area, as did the tapes by the Cars before them. This unique band, featuring the violin of Patty Van Ness, the songs and guitar of Paul Van Ness, Sherman‘s distinctive voice, augmented by keys, bass, and drums provided by Eric Kaufman, Steve Keith, and Scott Woodman respectively, knew how to record their music. The demos have a bite that is missing on this re-creation. Still, the album has merit. Adam Sherman‘s “Heartbeat” has tension, has drive. The drums don’t have the greatest sound in the world and they are up in the mix, à la Roy Thomas Baker‘s vision of the Cars. That sound hampers “Bright City” and the rest of the disc. John Cale would have been the perfect producer for this group. He understands string work in a rock context, and his A&R and production work for everyone from the Modern Lovers to Jennifer Warnes and Nico could have brought this mix together successfully. A song like “Cultists of True Fun” demanded that kind of eccentric professionalism. Managed by Fred Heller, who didn’t seem to know what to do with Mott the Hoople, this is a band that should have enjoyed the success that J. Geils and the aforementioned Cars worked hard for and achieved. A truly original sound, songs like “Side of the Angels” needs power rather than the homogenization here. Singer Adam Sherman came to Boston from New York when post-Lou Reed Velvet Underground member George Nardo invited him to be part of the Rockets, a band represented by Velvets manager Steve Sesnick. In 2001, Sherman found a song of his covered by ex-Modern Lover Elliot Murphy and Ian Matthews of Matthews Southern Comfort on their duo disc, proving good talent does get recognized, but also proving that record labels and management can inhibit musical growth. This album is a testament to great music being shipwrecked by the business. You can hear through the production flaws, though, and the magic, somehow, bursts through.
Robin Lane & The Chartbusters emerged in 1979 when the backing vocalist/guitarist on the song “Round & Round” from Neil Young’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere album landed an album deal of her own with Larry Uttal’s Private Stock Records and needed a band. The daughter of Dean Martin’s musical director, Kenny Lane, told AMG: “I as an x-hippie chick went looking for my knights in Rat punkdom during the summer of 1978.” She was hanging out at the legendary Boston nightclub The Rat in Kenmore Sq. and “lured” the musicians in with the recording contract offer from the label which had put out records by Blondie and Frankie Valli, an imprint which folded before they could record. The band thought she was “cute and cheeky” and they loved her songs, so they decided to stick with her and wait it out until they got another record deal, which didn’t take too long.Personally managed by Mike Lembo before she hooked up with Modern Lovers Leroy Radcliffe and Asa Brebner along with drummer Tim Jackson and bassist Scott Baerenwald (a member of Boston ’70’s pioneers Reddy Teddy as well as the live touring band for The Archies ), Lembo had secured Robin a record deal with Private Stock and a publishing contract with Leeds Music, later MCA Music, now Universal. “He managed a friend of mine, Peter C. Johnson, half man – half tape….who was using art and tape in his live performances way before what was normal” Lane told All Media Guide.The Chartbusters tracked a demo tape at Northern Studios featuring the original “When Things Go Wrong”, “Why Do You Tell Lies” and “The Letter” (a different song than The Box Tops hit and an excellent tune. ) A local disc jockey suggested they make a single out of the recordings, so manager Mike Lembo created a label, Deli Platters, and the 3 song EP was released with a black and white picture sleeve selling a phenomenal amount of copies in New England and on the East Coast, with tons of free press coming from the venture.Guitarist Asa Brebner’s web page notes that Robin Lane & The Chartbusters signed to Warner Brothers by Jerry Wexler. Two videos were made along with two albums and a live EP between 1980 and 1981. Lane told AMG years later that “We should have stuck to the grass roots, but who knew? ….we were blinded by the stars in our eyes.” One example of how tough it was “when things go wrong”, as her minor hit went, was when they recorded the 5 song live EP at the Orpheum Theater in Boston. “the kids were banging on the doors (of the theater) where we were to be recorded…there was no sound check for us, utter pandemonium erupted …they recorded us and put it out … no overdubs, no nothing”. Exit guitarist Leroy Radcliffe and The Chartbusters dissolved though Robin re-appeared with a techno/rock EP in 1984 entitled Heart Connection. It was the original group with the additions of keyboardist Wally J. Baier and Willie “Loco” Alexander & The Boom Boom Band guitarist Billy Loosigian. The “grass roots” approach that appeals to Robin so much made Heart Connection as entertaining as the original three song EP on Deli Platters which started it all.During their time away from each other the individual members kept busy, Robin wrote songs for notable artists and in 1995 released a critically acclaimed CD, Catbird Seat. Asa Brebner embarked on a solo career while Tim Jackson began teaching at a college, but in the cyclical world of music comrades often reunite and in 2001 in a Boston suburb, The Chartbusters got on stage again, captured on video by a local television program. More gigs followed and a new album, cleverly titled When Things Go Right – a take off on their signature tune – found itself being recorded with new guitarist Pat Wallace taking the place of Radcliffe on second guitar. The re-release of the group’s first, self-titled Warner Brothers album coincidentally materialized on the Collectors Choice label with liner notes by AMG’s Richie Unterberger around the time of the recording of the 2002 reunion disc. Robin Lane teaches in Western Mass, began a seminar, “Giving Youth A Voice”, and has written a biography with all the details of her legendary Boston band, The Chartbusters. Her web page is http://www.randomrogue.com/robinlane.
Her three song EP on manager Mike Lembo‘s Deli Platters label, featuring “The Letter” (an original not recorded for this album), “Why Do You Tell Lies,” and “When Things Go Wrong,” reportedly sold in excess of 10,000 units, many in the Northeast. Robin Lane’s Warner Brothers debut was produced by Joe Wissert and features the musicianship of Asa Brebner and Leroy Radcliffe on guitars, Tim Jackson on drums, and Scott Baerenwald on bass. With alum from Jonathan Richman’s Modern Lovers and all band members singing, they had the elements for mega success. These songs are all great, but the Wissert production stripped the band of what made them so popular in the Boston area. The three guitar attack onstage sounded like The Byrds with a superb female vocalist. The lack of guitar in the middle of “Don’t Cry” with just an annoying cymbal ride is the kind of sparse production which turned a powerful act into a low-key Pretenders on record. That’s the problem when a record label doesn’t understand the nuances of great musicians and the are they are creating. Warner released a five song EP of the band recorded live at the Orpheum Theater in Boston in 1980, sold at a special price — kind of admitting that the first album lacked the magic the band generated in performance. The live EP, produced by Michael Golub, captures some of that sparkle, but it too misses the mark with the guitars mixed way down. Hearing a song like “Why Do You Tell Lies” on the studio recording, without the lush guitar sound it cries out for, is discouraging. This is a band that deserved to craft pop hits for radio and were never given the proper chance. The songwriting and musicianship breaks through the thin production, and you can hear the potential. “Many Years Ago” and “Waiting in Line” actually sound very ’90s, the high end and the hollow sound would actually come into vogue years later. But that’s not what this band was about. There are some great songs here, especially “When Things Go Wrong.” One can only hope someone comes along to record this material in a way that it can be appreciated by the masses. “Be Mine Tonite” is heavier, but still feels restrained. The inner sleeve contains the lyrics and some very cool snapshots of the band.
The bane of many a band from Boston is the curse of bad record production, and that curse struck Robin Lane & the Chartbusters perhaps more than any other group. Where the Atlantics and Private Lightning only got one opportunity, Warner afforded the Chartbusters two albums and a five-song live EP. All three featured phenomenal songs that were not recorded by the label with the love and care that the artist deserved. The three-song EP, released on manager Mike Lembo‘s Deli Platters label, had all the elements that pointed to stardom for Robin Lane. A great original entitled “The Letter,” not the song performed by Alex Chilton and the Box Tops, did not get re-recorded by Warner Bros., and the sound is dramatically different from the slick treatment “Rather Be Blind” gets on this album, Imitation Life. “Solid Rock,” resplendent in Flaming Groovies riffs and girl group possibilities, gets lost in Gary Lyons souped up engineering. Tim Jackson‘s drums sound lightweight, and there are more references to angels, like the very Patti Smith-sounding first track on this album, “Send Me an Angel.” Where the bands self-titled debut the year before should have had more of the lush Byrds twelve-string guitar sounds, this album takes the group even further from that format. The guitar solo on “Pretty Mala” is almost heavy metal, so far removed from what this group was all about. The band had its own identity, but the attempts to get it to sound like the Patti Smith Group by way of the Pretenders strips away the heart and soul of a truly creative entity. Drummer Tim Jackson co-writes “Idiot” with Lane, and it is one of the strongest tracks on the disc. With better production it would have hit single written all over it. It has a neat little guitar riff, summery pop melody, and easy vocals by Lane. Just a year later she would put backing vocals on Andy Pratt‘s superb Fun in the First World album produced by the Chartbusters‘ guitarist Leroy Radcliffe, who was also Lane’s significant other for awhile. Radcliffe‘s production of Andy Pratt is everything this album needed, exactly what is missing on songs like “For You,” the moody final track with Lane’s beautifully melancholic vocal set somewhere between the instruments and not far up enough in the mix, too many effects keeping the words from being distinctive. The first album’s inner sleeve contained all the lyrics, and this second LP has etchings by guitarist Asa Brebner, which, although humorous, might’ve been better as a promo. Brebner‘s solo album, I Walk the Streets, released almost 20 years later, contains the sounds that should’ve been inserted into these grooves. “Rather Be Blind” is a driving pop tune with guitars that cry to sparkle and sound so subdued and lost in some reverb quagmire. This album is a heartbreaker, such a great performance lost in the mix. Producer Gary Lyons worked with Foreigner, Queen, and the Outlaws, a prescription that makes for an album as hard to take sonically as Extreme‘s first major label disc. “What the People Are Doing” has a great spy movie guitar riff and haunting vocals, the guitar bursts at the end of the song really striking. It’s an epic that fades into the Ramones-ish title track, “Imitation Life.” Robin Lane’s vision was stifled by poor recording and imitation art that the band and she cannot be blamed for. Imitation Life, by producer Gary Lyons, and Joe Wissert‘s ideas for the first album, Robin Lane & The Chartbusters, were forces that did nothing to further this important group’s career. The song “Say Goodbye” is classic Robin Lane, and Warner Bros. should invest in remixing both these potentially classic albums for compact disc. There are great songs here that could be rerecorded decades later by artists in need of hits.
Coming in between the first album, Robin Lane & The Chartbusters and 1981’s Imitation Life was this five song E.P. from Warner Brothers which included a cover of what was an FM hit for The Who and an AM hit for The Guess Who, Johnny Kidd’s Shakin’ All Over, it not so coincidentally follows Robin Lane’s song about an earthquake, 8.1. The band was one of Boston’s best live acts, with some of the members having gone through rigorous regimentation at the hands of the brilliant and equally difficult Jonathan Richman as his Modern Lovers. This is the best production of the three platters on Warner Brothers, but it still fails to capture that sweeping Byrds meets Flamin’ Groovies sound which made Robin so very popular in Boston. This is the fourth version of When Things Go Wrong to find its way onto vinyl, two studio versions by The Chartbusters and one by the Pousette Dart Band failed to get the national attention the song deserves. Robin Lane’s voice is shot, the liners noting that this was recorded at “the end of a grueling summer tour that took the band over 14,000 miles of highway”. It sounds it. Had Warner Brothers taped the group prior to the tour in a small Boston club where they ruled, they would have captured the nuances of Robin Lane’s beautiful voice, and the sparkling musicianship which truly broke new ground for a Boston band. They were one of the best and their major label marriage failed to document what the band was all about. Lost My Mind, When You Compromise and 8.5 are originals not on either studio album, and the band sounds more like the B52’s performing on the big Orpheum stage. That beautiful condensed sound is enlarged here, and Robin Lane sounds like a female Fred Schneider on some of this, through no fault of her own. This remains an important document of an important time. Still, it would have been nice to have more of the concert on this disc, with a better mix. Even the addition of the group’s original 3 song demo could have made this medium priced project a tool to break this essential band with.
til tuesday
LIVE AT THE METRO Press A Dent Records
Not to be confused with Live at the Metro by the Legendary Pink Dots from 1999, this 1981 compilation, sponsored by radio station WBCN, was the brainchild of advertising executive Sam Uvino and was in response to competing station WCOZ’s The Best of the Boston Beat series. Playing catch-up, WBCN endorsed an additional album, A Wicked Good Time, Vol. 2 released by local record retailer Newbury Comics. Someone & the Somebodies start things off, the only band represented on both WBCN discs, while the Stompers close out side one, that band also being represented on WCOZ’s The Best of the Boston Beat, Vol. 1 and The Best of the Boston Beat, Vol 2. The dynamics (or politics) of the two competing stations certainly had an impact on how the Boston scene, already damaged from the ridiculous “Bosstown Sound” of the ’60s, was perceived outside the city limits. That WBCN allowed fake applause to be added to this disc is reprehensible, but the studio owner where the tapes were mastered (uncredited here, but it was the Sound Design facility in Burlington where the Lines often recorded) fessed up to it. If you can ignore the stadium applause on a disc taped at a 1500-seat venue, you can enjoy some of the music by City Thrills, Someone & the Somebodies, the Stompers, and Private Lightning. Keep in mind The Metro used to be the legendary Ark/Boston Tea Party, evolved into a gay bar known as Cabaret, turned into Boston-Boston and 15 Lansdowne Street over the years, with dominance in the ’80s while known as The Metro. It was the happening place for bigger bands during the week, and morphed into a disco on weekend nights. Live at the Metro contains early work by the original Lines, featuring members who would go on to form the Swinging Steaks, some of Sal Baglio‘s choice tracks with his Stompers, and material from rock critic Tristram Lozaw when his band, Someone & the Somebodies, were happening. The New Models come off as pretentious and drab, Casey Lindstrom lost without his producer Ric Ocasek to inject some life into uninspired material. But Barb Kitson and Johnny “Angel” Carmen rock on “Don’t Come Back” and “Last to Know,” the former WERS DJ Kitson tossing the “F” word nonchalantly as only she can. Their band comes out unscathed, as do the Stompers, in a strange merging of mainstream and underground styles. In theory, this was a good idea, but WBCN did a very poor job of documenting the scene’s important music, and the result is a curious artifact that doesn’t respect the artists performing on the disc or the scene in general. Carter Alan, who should know better, probably cringes now that he put his name on the liner notes to this. Despite WCOZ’s inconsistent choice of musicians, that radio station wins the battle when it comes to integrity on these compilation discs. Fake applause, sheesh. What ever happened to having respect for art? From the community that launched the brilliant Live at the Rat and the important Live at Jacks albums, much more was expected, and the potential for something very special went unrealized.
1981 Press A Dent Records 616717
WCOZ
THE BEST OF THE BOSTON BEAT
Boston radio station WCOZ went to number one in the ’70s when radio programmer John Sebastian (no relation to the Lovin’ Spoonful‘s singer) created his Led Zeppelin format. Thanks to the energies and devotion of DJ Leslie Palmiter and her “Boston Beat” Sunday night radio program, music from the New England region obtained airplay on this 50,000 watt mega station on 94.5 FM (replaced years later by dance and rap Top 40), a signal as instrumental in the breaking of the Cars‘ demo, “Just What I Needed,” as the rival WBCN. This 1979 release is a real time capsule and despite the flaws — a few suburban bands who lack sparkle and innovation — there are some rarities by groups who went on to national prominence. Johanna Wild became Jon Butcher Axis and their “Suzanne” was a Boston area classic, the antithesis of the new wave so important to 1979, but still relevant. Rick Berlin‘s original Luna is here, and he’s listed as Rick Kinscherf, but the 45 RPM “Hollywood” from the notorious Jay Mandel production sessions which cost the band a deal with Cleveland International is included here, the natural extension of Orchestra Luna gone rock. There’s a live tape of the Stompers, who would later sign with Boardwalk, recorded February 13, 1979, at the Paradise Theater — the band is always more energetic live. A pivotal track from the Atlantics is “I’m Hooked” — it was the band with original guitarist Jeff Locke, who was their essential pop songwriter. He was replaced by Fred Pineau when the band signed a label deal and released Big City Rock, so this is one of the few places to find music from the original act, who were one of the biggest draws in their day. When you look at the lineup of Johanna Wild, the Fools, the Atlantics, Thundertrain, the Stompers, the Johnny Barnes Group, and Luna you are seeing an impressive roster which could have put 5,000 people in a hall if presented on one bill; they were all that popular. Thundertrain‘s version of the Standells‘ “Dirty Water” is classic. It is not on their 1977 Teenage Suicide LP; this song was released two years later with blues master James Montgomery on harp and with production by Duke & the Drivers‘ “Earthquake” Morton. Five years later, Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry would record “Dirty Water” with a band called the Lines, while Mach Bell was Perry‘s lead singer on MCA Records, that coincidence making this release all the more historically important. Bell‘s insane vocals on the WCOZ compilation — rambling about “the Boston strangler” and such — give his version the edge, even over that West Coast band the Standells. Joanne Barnard‘s “Don’t Break My Heart” is wonderful pop recorded out at Long View Farm, as was the Thundertrain track. Permanent Press record exec Ray Paul shows up with an interesting “Lady Be Mine Tonight” which features local scenester Mr. Curt Naihersey. All in all, this is one of the better time capsules of Boston music and the first of three compilation albums from radio station WCOZ.
1979 LP WCOZ L331021
The Best Of The Boston Beat Vol. 2
Radio stations sponsoring compilations of local recording groups was the rage in the ’80s, and some important musical time capsules were created. When acts hit from those discs, those time capsules turned into collectors’ items. The first volume of now-defunct radio station WCOZ’s The Best of the Boston Beat (named after DJ Lesley Palmiter’s excellent Sunday night local music program) was issued on WCOZ Records, manufactured by Infinity Records, in 1979 (the station’s major competition, by the way, was Infinity Broadcasting). This second set, released in 1981, is on the Starsteam label out of Houston, TX. Starstream Records/Big Music America may have been a company which specialized in radio station LP projects, as the disc came with a ballot for voting on the album’s best track and there was a national 25,000 dollar grand prize and a “record contract” (no specifics other than that). “Big Music America has gone into major cities all across the country to solicit tapes,” is the claim on the back cover. Years after the regional album’s creation, no such “battle of the bands” mentality is necessary. Classic tracks by the Jon Butcher Axis, Balloon (who featured future Joe Perry Project lead singer Charlie Farren), soon-to-be Boardwalk recording artists the Stompers, along with Johnny Barnes and a band with future producer Chris Lannon as guitarist, Midnight Traveller, give the album credibility the contest could not. Musically, the best tracks are “Shutdown” from the Stompers, “Roll Me” from Johnny Barnes featuring the gifted Craig Covner on guitar, Charlie Farren singing “Political Vertigo,” and a classic early rendition of “New Man” by the Jon Butcher Axis, more driving than the remake on their Polygram debut. Anne English gets a nice runner-up status with “All I’m Waiting for Is You,” while the other artists provide a snapshot of a moment in Boston music history. “Rock on the Radio” by Mark Williamson and American Teen is mainstream hard pop, while Midnight Traveller travels that same road. It’s a good thing the tracks were not put back to back, as they sound very similar. Keep in mind, this is when radio programmer John Sebastian (not the singer/songwriter) brought WCOZ to 9.1 in the ratings by offering the world a steady diet of Led Zeppelin. That was the format of the station and this second volume reflects the album rock mindset. Powerglide is another band who made some noise, but like the aforementioned American Teen and Midnight Traveller, they were not part of what was considered the “underground” of the day. The Stompers, Jon Butcher, Balloon with Charlie Farren, and Johnny Barnes were able to cross into both arenas — the suburban club scene as well as the Boston rock & roll crowd — but none of these groups were totally embraced by the world where the Nervous Eaters, Willie Alexander, the Real Kids, and other members of the Live at the Rat clique performed and/or caused trouble. This album’s lack of music from that world is a drawback — the artists who got airplay on DJ Palmiter’s show were not fully represented by ‘Coz’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Album: The Best of the Boston Beat, Vol. 2. Trapper, the Smith Brothers, and Witch One may have names that evaporated as quickly as their respective careers as bands did; their inclusion is a departure from the first volume, which had an impressive nine artists of the 12 being those who were more firmly established, but the “I exist therefore I am” philosophy earns them their place when someone picks up this rare collection and gets to hear some voices from the past. When you put this collection alongside Wayne Wadhams‘ 1975 Chef’s Salad compilation and the Live at Jacks and Live at the Rat recordings, along with other collections of local music, you get a better focus. There were three compilations in radio station WCOZ’s series before they changed call letters and went dance music/rap.
WARREN SCOTT of THE CHANNEL
Warren Scott of THE CHANNEL Profile in Medford Transcript
Warren Scott
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Scott managing Chevalier venue
Warren Scott has close to three decades of experience as one of the major booking agents in New England. As talent buyer for The Channel nightclub, he brought national and international acts into the Boston area. Two of Roy Orbison’s last three performances before his passing were at The Channel; Greg Kihn had the room completely jammed when “Jeapordy” was a hit in 1983, while local legends Rick Berlin: The Movie and Girls Night Out featuring Didi Stewart were able to bring a huge audience into a Boston venue and generate the stir that made them two of the areas most exciting artists.
Today the city of Medford hosts Scott’s company, Boston Event Works, managing the prestigious Chevalier Theatre. The Marvelettes, Shirley Alston Reeves, local heroes New England and The Fools, all participated in recent memorable nights at the historic concert hall. The same hall, which, in the past, has also hosted immortal names such as Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and John F. Kennedy.
Recently, Scott sat down for a Q&A about his business and managing the Chevalier.
Q: Warren, when did you open Boston Event Works?
Q: Concerted Efforts used to be located on Salem Street in Medford, John Gentile and Mickey O’Halloran worked in the suburbs in the 70s – Mickey working out of Mass. Ave in Arlington. How do you find working five miles north of Boston compared to Boston proper, and how has Medford responded to having a major booking agency within the city limits?
A: You don’t necessarily need to be in a metro city to run an office like BEW. With phones and e-mail, you could be anywhere as long as you are in touch and in tune to the needs of the market you are servicing.
It’s great to be here in Medford, it supplies a great business atmosphere with location and local amenities, especially being located in the Chevalier Theater; it’s a natural fit.
Q: Warren, you’ve certainly worked some of the finest rooms in New England. The Pia Zadora show at the Opera House that you were involved with was a real treat. Here’s this movie actress in films that weren’t memorable onstage with Sinatra’s band and holding her own. She brought the house down if I recall.
Would it be fair to say that the Chevalier is as acoustically perfect as the Opera House, and as important to this region?
A: Most definitely, it’s a beautiful room. Acoustically it’s perfect, not a bad seat in the house, a beautiful structure, with as many seats to challenge any national concert hall.
Q: Could you introduce us to the staff of Boston Event Works?
A: Well I’m not as “news shy” as they may be, but we have a full-time staff with Julie in administration, Kevin and Ron in the contemporary club booking department, Aaron heads up the college division, Dave in the wedding and me at the helm of special events. Then we have show production managers that work out of the office producing the shows and events we put together for clients all over the USA.
http://www.townonline.com/medford/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=624580&format=&page=2
[continued from previous page]
Q: You have a large roster of artists. Who are some of the most in-demand performers you represent?
A: Good question, and me not being right in the contemporary department, I’ll try to answer …Let’s see, Boston Event Works represents, Audible Mainframe, Eclective Collective, The Well, The Brightwings, NBFB, Gordon Stone Band, Fungus Amungus, Sucka Brown, Parker House & Theory, VINX, Oneside, Arcoda, Lucy Vincent, Ramoniacs, Jumpstreet.
Q: The region has changed dramatically since the 1970s with The Rathskellar, The Kenmore Club, The Club in Cambridge, The Channel, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Jack’s in Cambridge and other vital clubs fading into memory.
What are your thoughts on the changing marketplace?
A: It’s happening too fast and without care for the music industry itself. Music is a driving force in many people’s lives, whether it’s recorded or live, and it’s the live portion of music Boston metro is lacking.
There is swiftly becoming far too few live entertainment stages. For a region this large, the amount of actual viewing space for start-up, new bands, is small. We’ve got a fair amount of large venues to see nationals but the younger bands are sacrificing terribly.
There is just nowhere to play, far less rooms are functioning now from even five to 10 years ago. One time there were 20 plus moderate sized clubs that presented live music, what are there now, six, eight??
If you are a band who is releasing a new product and wants to showcase in a strong 400-seat room, it’s tough to find. If the room is out there, if you don’t mind waiting three months to get a slot. (Problem is) the production (professional lights and sound) is not.
Again, a lessening support for live music.
Q: Malden has My Honey Fitz, Arlington’s “Right Turn” has major acts in for charity events, do you think a nightclub in Medford, or a consistent music presence at the Chevalier, is something the suburbs are ready for?
A: It’s always up to the city. A regular rotation of events at The Chevalier would work as long as the interval of time between shows worked.
Q: What are Boston Event Works immediate goals?
A: To continue to grow, booking the hottest bands into (what’s left of) the clubs in this region, allowing us to bring visiting businesses and corporations to this area the best entertainment with the best and newest production.
Q: What fun things can Medford residents look forward to from the Chevalier?
A: We’ve got a bunch of events happening – Brendon from Nashville will be in for three nights, Whoopie Goldberg will be visiting in April and the region’s best theatrical shows on the Chevalier large stage.
Q: Boston Event Works specializes in all aspects of live music presentation, event management and promotional support. How do you choose the entertainment?
A: Besides the many national attractions we work with, the locals and regionals are decided on by reviewing websites and promotional packages they submit to the agency.
For people interested in submitting material, the address is: Warren Scott Boston Event Works PO Box 180 Medford, MA 02155 (PH) 781-395-1732 (FX) 781-395-1733.
Q: Would you kindly give us some of your most memorable moments in rock & roll in the Boston area.
A: Working the Sarah Vaughn and Muddy Waters show at Berklee Performance Center, one of my first was unbelievable, Fela Kuti at The Hynes, Bunnie Wailer at The Wang Center, Ray Charles at Lynn Auditorium, Frank Zappa at Winter Island in Salem, The Ramones at The Main Event in Lynn (a.k.a. “The Harbor House”) circa 1978; The Repacements, Miles Davis, Pobert Palmer, Morrissey at The Opera House, Bo Diddley and Roy Orbison double header in Volvo Tennis Chamionship opening, John Denver, same place, different night, or Jerry Lee Lewis: who admitted some profound news to (former Globe critic)Jim Sullivan and I, Divine and John Waters, Jello Biafra & the Dead Kennedy’s whos name was changed to The DK’s per order of The State House, Cameo, Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel who when I paid, showed me who was in charge by using a 38 for a paper weight, The Gap Band, Charlie Watts Orchestra, The Young Snakes, Johnny Thunders, Billy Bragg, Dwight Youkum, Ian Dury and the Blockheads who opened up for an unknown John Cougar, Wendy O & The Plasmatics (no ping pong balls), Joan Jett, The Slits, Big Black, The Speedies, Motorhead, Meatloaf, Eisterzende Neubarton, Alice in Chains, Fine Young Cannibals with a fire alarm, everybody left the club then everybody went back in, there where 2000 people there that night, James Brown, who I had to talk into not flying back to Detroit because of his suite, it was at the embassy suites hotel in Allston and he was told him it was a full $3,000 suite, come to find out , it cost $149, Getting drunk with AC/DC; when I drank…George Clinton and The P-Funk Allstars, Iggy Pop, Pere Ubu, Gary Glitter, The GoGo’s, Thompson Twins, Gary Newman, GNO, Freddie Kruger, Freddie McGregor, English Beat; our House Band, The Birthday Party, John Cale, JJ Cale, Tony Bennett, The Cramps at Halloween, multiple years in a row, Putting together the first ever Spinal Tap performance (and they did 4 shows!), Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones again & The Mysterians, The Jam, Dennis Brown, Sly and Robbie, B-52’s regular yearly X-Mas gigs, Phillip Glass, and Goo Goo Dolls who I used to pay $400 a night … all happened at the best nightclub America has seen…The Channel.
Thanks for sharing those memories with us, Warren.
BERLIN AIRLIFT 1980
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Released eight years after the brilliant Orchestra Luna album on Epic, the eclectic music of Rick Berlin takes a more pop aim, which can be described as “progressive underground.” Emerging from the same Boston scene as Willie Alexander and the Nervous Eaters, the commercial local hits “It’s You I Love,” “Over The Hill,” and “Don’t Stop Me From Crying” garnered them a huge audience, while tunes like “Can I Fall in Love” and “Airlift” were explorations in stretching the boundaries. Taking the Beatles into Journey’s arena rather than the world of the Velvet Underground, this album is actually producer Bill Pfordresher’s re-working of an album cut when the band was known as the original Luna. They had dropped the Orchestra from the name and replaced Randy Roos with Steven Paul Perry, giving the band a harder edge. The “Hollywood” 45 was released in between Orchestra Luna and Berlin Airlift under the name Luna. The band had a deal in hand with Cleveland International (yet another CBS label — this album as well as the former were on CBS affiliated labels) but the producer of Luna held out for too much money, keeping the band from signing, and changing history. This album would be dramatically different had the original Luna tapes seen the light of day. Also, “Don’t Stop Me From Crying,” a driving ballad with superb vocals that Queen made popular, was pretty established locally, making it difficult to re-launch a song people were already familiar with. Aerosmith faced this when “Dream On” charted twice nationally, once because of Boston airplay, and later because other cities picked up on it. Berlin Airlift, its wonderful music aside, is a perfect example of politics interfering in the recording process. It, unfortunately, is a big part of this album’s legacy. The film themes run throughout, as usual. The album’s back cover dressed up like a frame from celluloid, and the line “sad movies they take me away” makes the emphasis. The incessant chant of “Don’t Stop Me” is a grabber, and not your usual radio hook. Rick Kinscherf Berlin’s lyrics are direct and controversial as well as innovative. “Over the Hill” is the reverse of Gary Puckett’s “Young Girl,” about an older man, out “to rob the cradle,” dating a seventeen year old. Stevie Knicks worked that theme as well, but, somehow, a woman going there isn’t as frightening for radio programmers as men in a spring/summer fling. The song was a big smash in Boston, but Handshake Records was busy putting out the Pope’s spoken word disc, which might’ve been a financial detriment — executive Ron Alexenburg’s label went by the wayside, further affecting this effort. Jane Balmond’s keyboards and Rick Berlin’s performances are nicely complemented by Steven Paul Perry’s Mick Ronson-style guitar, and tunes like “My Heart Ain’t Big Enough for You” and “It’s You I Love” bring the original Orchestra Luna concept to a place where rock fans can appreciate it without having to think too much. Despite its production flaws, the sound is a bit thinner than the band was used to, and some of the material having been overworked, Berlin Airlift is still a very good document of an important band. They would re-emerge as Rick Berlin: The Movie after this, recording more radio-friendly songs, many of which have yet to see the light of day. Epic/Legacy would be wise to combine Orchestra Luna and Berlin Airlift with some of the more popular rarities on a single CD as vital early work from Rick Berlin, who continues to write, record, and perform his unique musical vision.
RICK BERLIN LIVE AT JACQUES
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“The monster arrives in the dark,” Rick Berlin sings in “Miracle,” one of 15 songs recorded live at the notorious drag queen bar in Boston’s Bay Village, Jacques. Located across the street from where the Cocoanut Grove nightclub burned to the ground forcing changes in laws, it is probably the only bar in New England with a midnight license. Captured here is the ambiance with veteran singer/songwriter Rick Berlin, whose Monday night performances at this venue rivals Little Joe Cook’s work at the Cantab for longevity. It is amazing what one man can do with a voice, piano, and audience. “(I Like) Straight Guys” is humorous in the pitter patter piano and the effective vocal, ending with a climactic “honk if you love Jesus…” — the “f” word (three letters, not four) trailing off in the distance. Berlin, formerly known as Rick Kinscherf when signed to Epic Records in the ’70s with his group Orchestra Luna, is in total control with piano runs and a vocal sound moving closer to John Cale than Berlin’s work with his fusion and hard rock bands ever displayed. Jane Friedman, who worked with Cale, also represented Rick Berlin at one point in time, and she’s thanked on the disc, but the comparison between the two artists was never evident until Live at Jacques. The recording is excellent, with keyboards and voice spaced nicely, violin, harmonica, and backing vocals coming in on different titles. “Police Boy in Prague” is simply a title that may have been a bit much even for the CBS release when the band was known as Berlin Airlift. Then things were subtle, innuendo, and double entendre. Berlin compares a boy in Prague lying in his arms to a violin, as the violin plays behind him. This is Rick, as he sings in “Be Yourself,” totally immersed in his art in an appreciative arena, dangerous music being generated in a dangerous nightclub. It’s a far cry from the days when Berlin opened for Roxy Music or drew thousands of patrons into the Channel club, where his band was among the top draws. “I would rather have a fag for a son than a drunk for a husband,” he sings in “Be Yourself.” Berlin hasn’t gone after the gay market as other artists position themselves. He is just performing because he has to, and producer Dan Cantor has captured the moment in all its glory.
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George Thorogood is forever consistent and Maverick is more of the blues/rock driving sound the journeyman guitarist is known for. John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake” is what you expect from this crew while “Memphis, Tennessee” bursts at the seams with George’s trademark slide and Hank Carter’s saxophone. Recorded at the legendary Dimension Sound Studio in July of 1984 on the outskirts of Boston, the earthy sound catches all the band’s primal energy from opener “Gear Jammer” to the wailing sax of “Long Gone.” There are only four originals from Thorogood, the album chock full of Johnny Otis, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, John Lee Hooker and others. It is territory that the group has covered on pretty much every previous record, but it’s done with the artistic passion that makes it real. The vocal on “What a Price” full of torment, it’s a nice contrast to the rocking numbers.
– Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
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THE PIXIES Loudquietloud: A Film About the Pixies
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This is a well-deserved documentary film on the Pixies, though a bit ostentatious in its premise. The band is one of the greats that emerged out of the 1980s Boston scene, but the opening quip calling them “one of the most influential bands of all time” is the kind of overreach that takes away from the fun, and a philosophy that holds this elegant — and at times gorgeous — production back. What should be an important addition to their musical catalog quickly evaporates into a DVD fanzine — not a bad thing in itself, but not the type of vehicle that will recruit many new fans or beg repeated plays. Frank Black (aka Black Francis) doesn’t have the presence of a Willie “Loco” Alexander, a huge Boston cult figure who is a most intriguing and captivating character. As the first artist to perform at the Boston Tea Party, and later as a member of the Velvet Underground, Alexander has the “street cred” that would make a mere phone conversation compelling. Watching Black Francis engaged on the telly about the ego conflicts with Kim Deal is hardly as enlightening as, say, Ralph J. Gleason presenting a legendary 1965 Bob Dylan press conference. Therein lies the problem: David, Kim, Joey, and Frank (or is it Black?) are not John, Paul, George, and Ringo, nor does this film contain the supreme irreverence of A Hard Day’s Night or Help! And just as one Boston area WZLX disc jockey asked on-air, in all seriousness, “Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starkey? Who is this Starkey guy?,” few people on the planet could ever find the missing Pixies link, Charles Thompson. This film is not for the masses, but for Pixies fans, a cult that loves the sound and wants the music, and it’s the music here that is the most powerful thing. Sadly, there’s just not enough of it. The personalities don’t jump off the screen, so the home movie’s best footage outside of the snippets of music are some of the sights — the band recording in Iceland, a hotel front in Chicago. The DVD becomes as frustrating as the group’s breakup.You can’t put bald ego on tape and expect to find the magic. The magic with the Pixies has always been the music — not their looks, not their persona — but simply the sound they blasted from the stage of the Rat in Boston way back when. Gee, if only if only that fantastic set was what was inside this DVD case. Kelley Deal wielding a camera and asking a woman why she’s there is supposed to be ironic. “My daughter Kim‘s in the Pixies; I’m here to see her.” The home movie is great stuff, Kelley, of course, and being the woman’s daughter is as well. But wouldn’t it have been more fun to see mom running the camera and a great Breeders song appear from out of nowhere? Now, had these drawn-out moments been edited down and dropped into one of the many Pixies music videos out there — for example, the December 15, 1986, appearance at WJUL (now WUML) in Lowell, MA, or the Los Angeles footage from October 30, 2004 — this project would have taken on lots more meaning and historical importance. There is a cool 16-page black-and-white booklet with commentary from directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, but what they fail to note is that many of the bands that the Pixies influenced, with the exception of Nirvana and perhaps a handful of others, never reached the level of Roxy Music, the Cars, R.E.M., or other latter-day pioneers that the Velvet Underground spawned. The Cars inspired many more bands than the Pixies, for example, and a quirky documentary on those personalities would be more entertaining. Without the Cars there would be no “Every Breath You Take” from the Police, arguably their greatest hit. Without the Pixies there’s a very good chance Kurt Cobain would have still made his mark. The filmmakers do nothing here to dispute that, which renders Loudquietloud: A Film About the Pixies a great concept that misses. The group — and these filmmakers — need to borrow the Barre Phillips Live in Vienna DVD (on the same label, Music Video Distributors) to see pure genius, and a simple interview with more value than egos continuing to get in the way of the creation of intriguing sounds. One would think after all these years they’d get it.
copyright 2017 joe viglione, all rights reserved
Pamela Ruby Russell, Peter Calo, Carly Simon, Alex Taylor, Bellvista, Ingrid Saxon
A Chapter of Joe Viglione’s Guide to New England Music write jvbiographies@yahoo.com
Guitarist/Songwriter/Producer Peter Calo, Pamela Ruby Russell, Carly Simon, Liv Taylor, Alex Taylor, Kate Taylor, Ingrid Saxon
http://rocktableofcontents.blogspot.com/Peter Calo plays guitar on the soundtrack to the new film HAIRSPRAY (2007). He is also working with Carly Simon and Jimmy Webb on their upcoming recording project.Bellvista THE PAINTER 1982 with PETER CALOhttp://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gjfrxqw0ldde
The Painter
Bellvista
Jazz guitarist Peter Calo‘s brilliance is all over this 1982 debut by his band Bellvista. Years before his film soundtracks and work with Carly Simon, this out-of-print six-song instrumental album contains 36 minutes of exquisite musicianship. Chris Brown does a fine job of capturing Calo‘s borderline rock solo in the opener, the nine-minute-and-22-second “Once Upon a Fantasy.” Jeff Potter‘s drums hit Chip Graham‘s electric bass head on. Boston Globe critic J. Harper is the executive producer and writes the liner notes. He heard the band at Ryles, a famous Boston area jazz club, two years prior to this recording and says that the band was together only six months before he saw them. In a bit of hyperbole he states “Bellvista means ‘good view’ — of the sound of the ’80s and beyond,” but decades after the critic penned those words, it would be hard to disagree with him. Calo proved himself with his fine solo releases along with his efforts on recordings for luminaries of the film and music world. The band theme “Belle Vista,” separating their name, is pretty and more restrained than the fiery first track. These are all Calo originals, with an interesting suite that makes up side two. There’s “The Poet (For Elaine),” followed by the album’s shortest tune, a three-minute “The Dancer,” and the tour de force nine-minute title track, “The Painter.” This is an album that needs to be re-released with anything the band may have left in the tape vaults. Perhaps there’s a live show that could fill out a full-length compact disc. It’s extraordinary from top to bottom in sound, performance, and packaging.
Spoonerism 1983
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From AMG ReviewsPeter Calo’s Spoonerism six-song EP from 1983 displays his clever grasp of pop, especially on “When It’s Good,” which has the markings of multi-format smash written all over it. This was released on Calo’s own En Route label and is another example of how record companies in the ’80s failed to do what they did in the ’60s — to pick up great regional music once it found its way out into the world on its own. The black-and-white cover is as clever as the music, unique artwork by Richard Fitzhugh on the front, the four-piece band facing each other at a coffee shop, with Calo peering at the listener from inside a mirror on the back. Side one is titled “Concave” and is hollow and curved like the inside of a circle, while side two is called “Convex” and is curved out, like the outside of a sphere. Three songs have vocals, while three are instrumental. “Next to You” is George Benson-style jazz-pop, some scat singing with dancing guitar and keys. “Sunbathing” contains no voices, and needs none — it is just a stunningly beautiful piece of music. With the high profile this artist would receive working with singer Carly Simon, along with crafting Hollywood soundtracks, it is really a shame that this exquisite song hasn’t been rediscovered and had the chance to penetrate the consciousness of the masses. Both “Sunbathing” and “When It’s Good” are outstanding finds, well-produced statements packaged with care. The record was engineered and mixed by Phil Green, former guitarist in the band Swallow, and some of the music goes into territory explored by another great Boston jazz artist, ex-Orchestra Luna guitarist Randy Roos, whose Mistral album has much in common with Peter Calo’s Spoonerism. The curve of a spoon and the curve of a circle reflect this sound, which takes diverse elements from Atlanta Rhythm Section, Genesis, and other artists, but comes up with its own uniqueness. “There’s a Reason” is the only song which has a collaborator, co-written with Elaine Davies, while the fine musicianship of the bandmembers is on display in another instrumental, “Captain Squirrel Cheeks.” PCB, the Peter Calo Band, released another track, “Fine Line,” on The Boston Rock Roll Anthology, Vol. 7 around this time. All of this is music which should be made available again, and perhaps will, as journeyman Peter Calo is an artist who many respect and appreciate.- Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
The Boston Rock & Roll Anthology Volume #7 1987 PCB (Peter Calo Band) “Fine Line”
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Cape Ann 1995
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Genre: New Age
Peter Calo‘s delightful instrumental album, Cape Ann, was recorded in between his work on two records by Carly Simon, 1994’s Letters Never Sent and 1997’s Film Noir. Simon says “What a joy and what a find!” about her guitarist in the accompanying booklet, and for fans who go all the way back to his 1982 jazz group Bellvista‘s four-song EP, The Painter, or 1983’s Spoonerism by the Peter Calo Band, this is a unique and exciting setting for Calo. The virtuoso guitarist brings forth creative bursts and ideas over 14 titles, many in the four-minute range. Outside of sounds from his own voice as an instrument on “Candlelight” or Bob Patton‘s soprano sax on track four, “Pashka,” the CD is filled with bright, lightly played guitar improvisations. Each melody has its own distinct character and is very pleasant. “The Devil’s Game” and “Early Sunday Bells of Summer” clock in at one minute and 55 seconds and one minute and 57 seconds, respectively, the former acting as a nice bridge between longer essays, while “Early Sunday Bells of Summer” brings the CD to a close. A photo of Calo on the rocks of Cape Ann with the water behind him reflects the easy mood of this new age/jazz solo instrumental album. Very pleasant.
~Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
Wired to The Moon (1998) Peter Calo
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Peter Calo has worked with Kate Taylor (sister of James Taylor), was musical arranger for Carly Simon, performed on the soundtrack to the DeNiro film Flawless, among other admirable exploits in the business of music. A journeyman from Boston, relocated to New York City, this album is chock of full of the smooth pop and finely crafted tunes that Calo is known for. On “Situation Totally Insane” Calo plays mandolin, shakers, acoustic guitar, whistles, and sings the lead and backing vocals. He sounds like one voice of the Everly Brothers on “Memory of You” and evokes the sound of Hall & Oates if they were successful solo. “Way Up on a Mountain,” the tune which starts off the CD, “The Way You Looked,” the exquisite “Full Moon Tango,” the title track, and “The Wind and the Waves” are all fascinating. In fact, these five songs make strong candidates for appearance in film — perhaps that is where Calo is shaping his career. Lilting and smart pop, it’s adult contemporary with spirit and soul. If you admire Harriet Schock and Laura Nyro, Calo writes on that level. It’s the kind of music you wish Billy Joel would put out… it’s more serious than Joel and deserves to be as commercial. Calo’s musicianship is so fine he could easily crossover to other formats. “Driftwood” is simply acoustic guitar, dobro, bass, and vocal riffs of Lauren Kinhan and Rob Markus. Ever hear bluegrass-jazz? From the wah-wah guitar of “Guns Are Not Enough” to the final track, “I Don’t Know If It’s Love,” Calo does things vocally and lyrically that seem to be missing in pop today. This is not just Triple-A format; there are more than a couple of hits in this compact disc. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
Cowboy Song
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Artist: Peter Calo
Flags: Lyrics are included with the album
Peter Calo is known as both a jazz performer and session man, but on Cowboy Song (“Contemporary Arrangements of Songs From the American West”) he turns his attention to traditional songs of the American frontier. The liner notes explain that the artist was inspired by the composition “Red River Valley,” with its theme of parted lovers. Calo found many of these tunes in a book published in 1910 by University of Texas professor John Lomax, as well as in poet Carl Sandburg‘s collection The American Songbag. What he’s created is an extraordinary 13-track collection of new interpretations of timeless melodies. Both ambitious and commendable, the artist flavors these renditions with his impeccable timing, sparse but eloquent instrumentation, and a sense of adventure. “Shenandoah” starts the album off, followed by a medley of “I Ride an Ol’ Paint”/”St. James Infirmary.” These are the performances with the most jazz influence, but things get decidedly more Old West with “A Cowboy’s Lament,” featuring Antoine Silverman’s very nice violin work. Calo essays his thoughts on much of the material in the liner notes, and the eight-page booklet is very detailed. The musicians attack this material as if it is their own, and that’s the beauty of Cowboy Song — sincere reworking of music, much of which came from a time before tape recorders. In probably the same fashion as classical music has floated down the rivers of time, so too “Red River Valley” is reborn with cello, violin, and Calo’s acoustic guitar. “The Old Chisholm Trail” gets a slinky, eerie treatment, with Mike Harvey’s vocals and what sounds like wah-wah meets slide guitar. The guitarist calls these “songs of the cowboys, the way I hear them now,” and his vision is itself as exciting a find as the old sheet music that inspired him. The almost instrumental of Hank Williams “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is a far cry from B.J. Thomas. Mike Harvey adds only dashes of vocal sound, blending it in with the electric guitars and violin. “Home on the Range” plays like Jimi Hendrix doing an acoustic version of his classic “Star Spangled Banner,” while Calo’s jazz roots invade the country picking of “Oh, Dem Golden Slippers.” “The Streets of Laredo,” “Yellow Rose of Texas,” “Jesse James,” and other selections get the treatment, and it is most enjoyable. There are lyrics to nine of the songs and even a bibliography. A really different kind of project worthy of attention. ~ Joe Viglione, All Music Guide
Peaceful Easy Feeling: The Music of The Eagles by Peter Calo
All Music Guide / Barnes & Noble
Multi-instrumentalist Peter Calo is a familiar name to fans of Carly Simon, Linda Eder, and contemporary film soundtracks, here putting his energies into no vocal takes on a dozen songs made famous by the Eagles, just as his Here Comes the Sun disc on the same label, Rhode Island’s North Star Records, is an “instrumental tribute to the Beatles.” It’s a far cry from the smooth jazz/rock of his PCB unit which performed in Boston two decades prior to this in 1983, the artist moving into a Roger Williams/Ferrante & Teicher/Perry Botkin Jr. area with this work. Calo plays piano, banjo, lap steel, guitars, and additional string and percussion programming with appearances by Anja Wood on cello, Clint deGanon on drums, and other players all laying back and letting the popular melodies take center stage. They succeed at supplying a pleasant and entertaining backdrop without going overboard. That’s the dilemma for fans of Calo’s work as on many of the songs he has to be technician rather than innovator. They do embrace “One of These Nights” and create a haunting work which pulls away from the pack, the strings taking the place of the Eagles’ backing vocals with the guitars bringing the copyright to a different time and place. “Hotel California” gets a lovely Spanish feel as does, naturally, “Tequila Sunrise.” These tracks show the most improvisation and because of that stand out to those who have followed Calo’s work. “Lyin’ Eyes,” “Desperado,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” and “New Kid in Town” are more by-the-book — soothing to listen to but sticking to the program as the Eagles’ own performance on “Best of My Love” does. The band’s success came from keeping it all very simple and what is interesting here is a virtuoso like Calo holding back. It’s a lovely work that will appeal to many, though fans would be more interested in the guitarist putting more of his creative spark into the mix as he did on his introspective and very satisfying Cowboy Song album. Joe Viglione
Here Comes the Sun: An Instrumental Tribute to the Beatles
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PETER CALO article from Arts Media Magazine
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Peter Calo Article
PETER CALO RETURNS TO BOSTON, ORPHEUM THEATER 11/19/05
Peter Calo was born in a small town in Alberta Canada and moved to Boston with his family when he was in high school, 9th grade. At that point in time he took up the guitar and within two years or so was invited by the MIT Classical Guitar Society (founded in 1971 by Vo Ta Han) to perform a concert at Kresge Auditorium in Cambridge. “I started out playing classical guitar, that was my first love along with the blues and funk” the guitarist said from his home in Croton on Hudson, New York in an interview mid-October, 2005.
By 1982 his jazz band Bellvista released a six song E.P. followed by his own “Spoonerism” in 1983 and a track, “Fine Line”, on 1985’s “Boston Rock & Roll Anthology Vol. #7” (Varulven), the first real look at Calo on record performing rock & roll.
With Sarah Caldwell and Leonard Bernstein in Bernstein’s masterpiece, “Mass”, Peter Calo was the only person to have performed both the singing role of the rock musician in that opera as well as playing the guitar. “After the performance Leonard Bernstein came up and gave me a hug as I took my bow – I’m looking for the photo of that” (in Calo’s personal archives).
A mainstay of the Boston scene, Calo was involved as an original member of both Down Avenue (the band which had Charles Pettigrew of Charles & Eddie “Would I Lie To You” fame) and The Heavy Metal Horns. After his stints with both groups Peter moved to New York where
he began doing session work, producing and eventually hooked up with Carly Simon, beginning what is now a ten year relationship with the legendary singer/songwriter.
Calo noted, on his work with Carly: “we’ve been working off and on for ten years…the first tour was 1995. I met her in August – we did an impromptu gig.” They also did a concert taped exclusively for “Lifetime” and Calo’s datebook filled up quickly. Over the years he’s performed on shows with Dobey Gray, Debbie Boone, Lesley Gore as well as “The New York Voices”, a four
piece vocal band which toured with Peter as part of the backing trio, performing on their 1993 GRP album, “What’s Inside”, as well as their 1998 RCA disc “New York Voices Sing The Songs Of Paul Simon”. He also worked on Carly Simon’s 1994 disc “Letter’s Never
Sent” (Arista” and her Grammy nominated 1997 disc “Film Noir”. A long-time member of the Broadway show “Hairspray”‘s orchestra, he is on their Grammy winning 2002 cast album on Sony. ” He goes to bat for the artist when he’s producing” said well-known Boston
vocalist Pamela Ruby Russell. “He’s very inspiring, I learned so much from him. He’s kind, professional, very organized, great producer …and a guitarmaster.” Russell also feels that Calo’s
musical vocabulary is phenomenal “because he plays in so many genres, in so many types of music.” With so many accolades a second opinion was needed, so Arts Media Magazine contacted New York chanteuse Ingrid Saxon, daughter of Vaudeville star David Sorin-Collyer
– the man who was vocal coach to Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Paul Simon and so many others. “It was awesome recording with him, he’s brilliant” said Saxon – echoing Pamela Russell’s sentiments from hundreds of miles away. “Before we even went into the studio he
came to my voice studio with his equipment, recorded my rehearsal with Paul Trueblood so that we could hear it back, and started giving us input. His ears are so incredible, (and) he directed both of us. He really directed us musically like the third set of ears, it was incredible.” Saxon knows show business, having appeared on “Ryan’s Hope” and “Days Of Our Lives” soaps, continuing with ” He’s very encouraging, really suportive. Peter knows so much about the recording process – he’s been on so many sessions; he knew how to work with the engineer, work with the pro-tools. He had every angle covered.”
Along with involvement soundtrack to the 1999 Robert De Niro film “Flawless” and other movies, Calo’s recorded output is becoming voluminous – work with Linda Eder, Rosie O’Donnell, Joe Pesci, David Osborne, Kate Taylor, Kate’s nephew Ben Taylor, and, of course, Ben’s mom, Carly Simon. Which brings us back to Boston and the Orpheum show, November 19, 2005. Peter Calo will be performing with opener Ben Taylor – son of both James Taylor and Carly Simon, as well as with Carly. The songs, of course, will truly move the audience along
with Simon’s presence (her star-power cameo in 2004’s “Little Black Book” made that movie so extra special), but Calo’s signature guitar lines can’t be ignored. In a concert with Mary Gatchell in Epping New Hampshire in May of 2005 his guitarwork fit with Gatchell’s keyboards so hand-in-glove. Mary Gatchell’s “Indigo Rose” album was produced by Calo, who may tour New
England in 2006 with a number of his acts including opera singer Adelmo, Ingrid Saxon, Mary Gatchell, Pamela Ruby Russell and others.
With all this output his own work gets somehow lost in the shuffle. It shouldn’t. Peter Calo’s “Cowboy Song” album is historical and an instant classic that should be in libraries across the country. The artist recorded contemporary arrangements of songs from the American West including “Shenandoah”, “Red River Valley”, and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” A big departure from his instrumental tribute albums to The Eagles and The Beatles, two separate discs, on the North Star label, and his own “Wired To The Moon” and “Cape Ann” albums. For more information on this influential and important artist who worked many a Boston/Cambridge nightclub and theater, go to http://www.petercalo.com
A Lot of Livin’ To Do Ingrid Saxon – Produced by Peter Calo
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Ingrid Saxon’s extraordinary voice, October 14, 2006
Intuition is the key element a vocalist must possess in order to move an audience with a recorded or live performance. Ms. Saxon may have achieved that intangible force on her own, or perhaps by osmosis as her dad, the legendary David Sorin-Collyer, vocal coached Bette Midler, Paul Simon, Michael Bolton, The Ramones, Melissa Manchester, Buzzy Linhart, Moogy Klingman and so many others. Young Ingrid grew up in that environment and went on to put her voice to children’s recordings on
the Polygram and Playskool imprints, some produced by another legend, Bugs Bower, (credits including Burt Bacharach, Bing Crosby, Bobby Rydell and Ingrid!). Producer Peter Calo understand’s Saxon’s enormous talent and creates a mood with Paul Trueblood’s piano not unlike the sparse John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album where the accompaniment adds flavor but the voice is allowed to work its magic. Taking on chestnuts like “Tenderly” or Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” is a gargantuan task. The trio know the risks and superbly reinvent these standards with this formula of bare elegance. On contemporary standards, Melissa Manchester and Carole Bayer Sager’s “Come In From The Rain”, it is without The Captain and Tennille’s wonderful backing tracks, so all that is there is the voice with the 1 AM cabaret piano and producer creating the closing time drama. Though Saxon seems to spend more of her time with her television work and live show, “A Lot Of Livin’ To Do” is so strong that it requires an immediate encore. Perhaps a live disc if her workload is too demanding and if Trueblood isn’t off on tour with Marianne Faithful. The Petula Clarke medley appears on a very cool compilation disc which also features Doris Troy, Ray Manzarek, Marty Balin and Bobby Hebb. Superb company indeed.
Highway of Dreams Pamela Ruby Russell Produced by Peter Calo
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“Tengo Razon,” a beautiful essay, is sung in Spanish, embellished by Evan Harlan‘s accordion, which is on four of the ten tracks that embody Highway of Dreams by Bostonian Pamela Ruby Russell. An album that boasts Carly Simon guitarist and arranger Peter Calo playing numerous instruments and co-producing, ‘Til Tuesday guitarist Robert Holmes, and others finds incredible unity and a truly original sound. “Avenue of Tears” combines these talents for a rather complex presence behind Russell’s dominant voice. The pan flutes and charango of Roberto Cachimuel play along the dirge-like guitar. Imagine Black Sabbath getting subdued and backing Marianne Faithfull. Comparisons will also be made to Loreena McKennitt, with lots of haunting keyboards, voices, and flutes finding their way into these folk-rock arrangements. Calo is a formidable talent, and he brings so much out of Russell — the party atmosphere of “Is There Any Love” takes the sounds Lulu and Twiggy were crafting in ’60s pop, redefines them, and re-establishes them. Co-producer Bob Patton‘s baritone saxophone comes out of nowhere on “Is There Any Love,” replaced by Ana Pacanoska‘s violin, more flutes, and more accordion. This music is dense and thought-provoking, but it doesn’t take away from the performance. “Sounds of the Sea” features kena, soaring solos, and Miguel Jimenez on the pan flutes. Russell is a character, and her very serious music has a charm that many musicians fail to express in the recording process. “Boxcar” is a great opening, specifically the drone of “Walk Thru Fire” where “we glimpse through fire and the future.” It feels like gypsies spying on a black mass listening to this tune — incredibly moody and perceptive. There is little of the shrill homogenized Top 40 production that stops so many good records from becoming great. Ernesto Diaz plays strong gothic percussion on “Walk Thru Fire,” setting up the listener for the tour de force performance: the title number. The singer walks across a roadway that reaches over water and into the stars with a full moon above her and a red rose piercing the blue. The cover is an exquisite reflection of this great song, with heavy contributions from Holmes. It’s rare to find a statement like Highway of Dreams; music this good shouldn’t get lost in the shuffle of life.6 CARLY SIMON SONG REVIEWS by JOE VIGLIONE:
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THE RIGHT THING TO DO
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THAT’S THE WAY I’VE ALWAYS HEARD IT SHOULD BE
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HAVEN’T GOT TIME FOR THE PAIN
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SONG REVIEWS FROM:
THE BEST OF CARLY SIMON, Jim Newsom review
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SISTER KATE KATE TAYLOR
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ALEX TAYLOR WITH FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS
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MAN’S BEST FRIEND 1980
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LIFE IS GOOD 1988 LIVINGSTON TAYLOR
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CHAPTER TWELVE THE RECORDED COMPILATIONS
Boston Compilations
Boston Area Compilations, The Rathskellar and other oddities
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In 2001 the legendary building that housed Boston’s infamous Rat was demolished, but this recording (catalog #528, same as the address for the establishment on Commonwealth Avenue in the heart of Boston) remains as evidence of what transpired in that “cellar full of noise.” Inspired by Hilly Kristal‘s Live at CBGB’s, this is truly the companion double LP to that disc on Atlantic, though the Boston compilation came close but failed to obtain major-label release. Recorded September 27, 28, and 29th, 1976, at the dawn of the “new wave,” important and historic live recordings of some of the scenemakers live on within these grooves. Far from a definitive document — you won’t find early Jon Butcher, Charlie Farren, Fools, or Nervous Eaters here, despite the fact that the Eaters ruled at The Rat — but you will find classic Willie Alexander after his stint with the Velvet Underground and before his MCA deal (which came when Blue Oyster Cult wife/rock critic Debbie Frost, played Alexander‘s single on The Rat jukebox for producer Craig Leon). Along with Willie Loco there is very early DMZ, so early that the drummer is future member of The Cars, David Robinson, as well as an early, vintage version of Richard Nolan’s vital band Third Rail. This is the only place where you can find the original Susan with guitarists Tom Dickie and John Kalishes — years before Joan Jett guitarist Ricky Bird replaced Kalishes, and decades before John Kalishes joined the late Ben Orr of the Cars in solo projects in the 1990s. The rock history lesson is important to understand the impact of not only the musicians on this album, but the influence of the nightclub which spawned Live at the Rat. Willie Alexander‘s manic “Pup Tune” is perhaps the most concise representation of the Rat sound — it is grunge, it is deranged, it is a no-holds barred performance which has been re-released on best-of compilations and treasured over the years as a true musical gem. Of the 19 tracks, Willie Alexander is the only artist who gets three cuts: “At the Rat,” the club’s anthem; the aforementioned tribute to Ronnie Spector that is “Pup Tune”; and a live version of the original Garage Records 45 which began this new phase of his career, his ode to “Kerouac.” Marc Thor, a legendary performer who never got a full album out, utilizes members of Thundertrain, DMZ, the Boize, and Third Rail for his “Circling L.A.,” co-written by scenemaker Nola Rezzo. Eventual Roulette recording artist Sass do “Rocking in the USA,” and, like Susan, and even Thundertrain, bring a more mainstream sound to the underground rock represented by the Boize, Third Rail, DMZ, the Infliktors, and the Real Kids. The Real Kids add “Who Needs You” and “Better Be Good” to the party, while this early Mono Mann phase has his “Ball Me Out” and “Boy From Nowhere” titles. Thundertrain crackle with “I’m So Excited” and “I Gotta Rock,” Mach Bell‘s growl and stage antics the thing that made this otherwise suburban band an essential part of this scene. Bell would go on to front the Joe Perry Project on their final disc on MCA before Aerosmith reformed, and the resumé action of some of these players makes their performances here all the more valuable. Loco Live 1976, an album which includes tracks by Willie Alexander recorded exactly one month before Live at the Rat, is available on a Tokyo label, Captain Trip Records, and it serves as a good glimpse of what was going on before this pivotal center of new sounds brought in tons of recording gear and taped for posterity a very magical period in Boston history.
Chef’s Salad: The Sound Of Boston From Studio B
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Prior to Live at the Rat there were few compilations documenting the vital Boston music scene. Producer Wayne Wadhams, who hit the Top 40 in the ’60s with his band the Fifth Estate and their version of “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead,” recorded this collection along with Miles Siegel and Allen Smith. It survives as an important document of excellent music from New England in the mid-’70s. A black and white photo on the back features 25 of the participants — their hairstyles and clothing quite telling — making for a warm community atmosphere. “30 Seconds With Michael Fremer” is perhaps the best-known bit and the highest-profile personality from this point in time. Michael Fremer was a comedian and disc jockey who used to emcee major concerts in the region. A full-length album with his bits was released on Kant Tell Records (a take-off of K-Tel, and it is as funny as this highlight on Chef’s Salad. Wadhams was pushing “the sound of Boston,” and his original composition for the Gang Band is a good ribbing at the Sound of Philadelphia that Gamble & Huff made so popular in the ’70s. It’s an excellent instrumental, and is a good indication of where the Fifth Estate might have headed. Samadhi‘s “Freedom Spark” is another instrumental, and it is a cross between Traffic and Full Circle (the CBS band produced by Wadhams). Moon Over Miami made a little noise during this era, and they would have been perfect on a bill with the Average White Band. Stu Nunnery‘s pop/adult contemporary “Suddenly” opens the album. The performance is great, but the song doesn’t have that something extra that Randy Edelman and Tim Moore were able to instill into their well-crafted singer/songwriter albums. Don Ebbett fares a little better, as do Ervin & Ford. “The River and Your Wings,” written by Jonathan W. Helfand, has a gospel/funk feel, and despite all the styles poured into this Chef’s Salad — the folk-rock of Denis O’Neill, country sounds of Bill Ervin and Kenny Dulong — the reggae, pop, and comedy come together seamlessly, probably due to Wadham‘s experience. What remains is a snapshot that the music scene it represents can be proud of.
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The Allen Weinberg cover of this CD features a beautiful photograph by Chip Simmons showing fields, a mountain reaching up to fluffy white clouds against a blue sky, and a young girl holding a white Hula-Hoop above her head. This cover is a good reflection of the instrumental sounds recorded in Studio A of Boston’s Berklee College and mixed at Rainbow Studios in Oslo, Norway. The music of keyboardist, arranger, and composer Karl Lundeberg is pretty and mellow. Anders Bostrom‘s flute glides alongside Philip Hamilton‘s percussion and use of voice as an instrument, especially in the third track, “Croton Drive.” Producer Wayne Wadhams, who had a hit in the ’60s with his group the Fifth Estate, is known for getting a sparkling clean sound, while allowing the group members to be themselves. He’s the perfect complement to this five-piece group. Their performance on “San Sebastian” is smooth and inspired. If Enya performed with Edgar Froese, it might sound something like this subtle but intense series of compositions.
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Susan was the hard rock band that got the gigs at the Rat in Boston in the ’70s. Their thunderous sound was created in no small part by John Kalishes, who could have passed as Leslie West‘s little brother. Kalishes would join the late Ben Orr to create a Led Zeppelin-meets-the Cars group toward the end of the ’90s. It is that powerful sound that is missing from Falling in Love Again. The original Susan was documented on the Live at the Rat album and those two tracks give a hint of their significance. By the time they landed a management contract with Tommy Mottola, Ricky Byrd had replaced Kalishes and despite Byrd‘s enormous talent — he would eventually join Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — the change came too quickly. This album sounds like a band in transition rather than a strong debut. Byrd shines on “A Little Time,” one of two strong tracks on side one, but the band’s performance on another Byrd composition, “I Was Wrong,” is downright embarrassing for a group once so mighty. “Marlene,” which features Marlene Dietrich, and “Falling in Love Again” have that “Be My Baby” drum sound and comes closest to what Susan was all about. The Leland brothers were a phenomenal rhythm section, and Charles Leland had that Bowie look down pat. It was Leland who was the star during their club days, but on this debut, Leland doesn’t fit with the Tom Dickie and “Ricky Bird” material he has to work with. Dickie brings some life to the record with his vocals on “Really Gonna Show,” but the material is still substandard. Tom Dickie maintained his relationship with the Mottola organization, moving over to Mercury to record two albums as Tom Dickie & the Desires. Falling in Love could have been so much more — it’s a document of a band recording after their prime, and even decent songs like “Don’t Let Me Go” and “Love the Way” aren’t strong enough to carry this disappointing and fragmented production.
TOM DICKIE COMPETITION
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Tom Dickie reinvented his formula after the failure of Susan on RCA. He brought half of Boston’s underground band Fox Pass on board — guitarist Mike Roy and singer/songwriter/poet Jon Macey (formerly Jon Hall, who changed his name to Macey to avoid confusion with John Hall, leader of the group Orleans). “Downtown Talk” kicks off the Competition LP and remains the best song by this pop band. Resplendent with drug references, “Downtown Talk” has a hard-hitting riff and catchy melody. The title track’s calypso feel is a nice diversion from the rest of the LP. “Waiting, Waiting” has a boss riff and is perhaps the album’s best performance. With Champion Entertainment and Tommy Mottola to open doors for Tom Dickie & the Desires, including gigs with Hall & Oates and Cheap Trick, this band had multiple opportunities, but Competition is a pastiche of sounds, and the record misses the mark. The very creative album cover, with the band members looking in and out of mirrors, hints at the potential. “Downtown Talk” was a regional hit, but the great underground songs that Macey and Dickie forged in the ’70s playing Boston area clubs are conspicuous in their absence. “You’ve Lost” and “Count on You” have melodies and are catchy pop, but something is missing. Perhaps producer Martin Rushent was miscast for this recording. The Velvet Underground/Tommy James roots, so much a part of the regional success of Fox Pass, have been traded in as the Desires emulate .38 Special and Survivor. The result is much too calculated and homogenized for these talented people.
THE ELEVENTH HOUR Tom Dickie 1982
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With a crisper sound than its predecessor, the Competition LP, Ed Sprigg‘s production of The Eleventh Hour helps the revamped Tom Dickie & the Desires, but not enough. Singer/songwriters Tom Dickie and Jon Macey as well as guitarist Mike Roy are all playing synthesizers, replacing Gary Corbett from the first album. Mickey Currey has departed, and Chuck Sabo handles the drums and percussion on this disc. With the band having a chance to jell since Competition, the songs are more concise, perhaps even a little more determined, yet they are hampered by the big ’80s sound, which was not what these pop fellows were about. “Victimless Crime” is probably the best-known song from this collection, presenting the baseless philosophy that drug abuse creates harm only to the addict and no one else suffers effects from it. Interesting that, years after writing this, Macey became a drug counselor preaching the tenets of Narcotics Anonymous. For songs tinged with drug innuendo when they aren’t being blatant about it, there is none of the abandon that marked groups from the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith to Blue Cheer when they invoked psychedelic privilege. “Stolen Time” may be the best example of where the record goes wrong, with its poppiness mired in ’80s production that, as stated, hardly fits this band. “Gone to Stay” is nice enough, but where are the guitars? For three musicians who are proficient with their axes, the album has a singular guitar sound. “Our Eyes” would be a nice album track for Brian Hyland, a summery pop song covered in too much technology, a bit reminiscent of Macey‘s ’70s song “When I Say Good-bye” without the bite. “So Mystified” has experimentation, which the record needs more of (and not just the songs that dabble in it on side two). This track could have been the band’s “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)” with a little more time in the incubator. “Don’t Want to Live Without You” cries for the jangly guitars to be up in the mix, but it’s the drums that slap back from this clean production. “What Happened” has clever riffs, but Trevor Horn could have made it more radio-friendly. Therein lies the problem with the second Desires album: it is closer to where the band should be, but it still misses. “What Happened” is the question. “Patience Is a Virtue” has an eerie, almost Beatlesque ambiance; it picks up where “House of Mirrors” from the first album left off. “They Don’t Know Anymore” could be from the Velvet Underground‘s Loaded album, and as The Eleventh Hour comes to a close, the band members start providing some of the sounds that they love so much. But there is no breakthrough hit, no single identifying sound or song. “If I Could Paint” is a nice idea and indicative of the songs and performance here. Good ideas that never quite jell, music that needed a stronger personality to help in its creation. A Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, or ABBA‘s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson — someone these musicians have respect for — could have helped shape the sounds and get the performances. Both albums by Tom Dickie & the Desires showed promise and have their moments, but they could have been so much more.
1982 LP Mercury 4055
DMZ RELICS
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When DMZ made their debut on Sire, it was as disappointing as major-label debuts by fellow Bostonians Private Lightning, the Nervous Eaters, and Willie Alexander’s Boom Boom Band. As Alexander‘s locally produced demos by Dr. & the Medics madman Craig Leon (who also produced the Ramones) were superior to the final product by Willie on MCA (also produced by Leon), the Turtles‘ wacky Flo & Eddie just didn’t know what to do with DMZ. Four Craig Leon-produced tracks released on BOMP — which is the parent company of Voxx — and five demo tapes that were recorded on four-track comprise this excellent collection. “When I Get Off” was the number two Garage Record of the Year in 1978 in Boston’s Real Paper, and it is a psychedelic masterpiece. The dueling guitars, slashing riff, and great Corraccio bass complement Mono Mann aka Jeff Connolly‘s blitzkrieg vocals. Here is a slice of pyschedlia that is the fans outdoing the bands they idolize. Also, as with Willie Alexander‘s demos, it seems Craig Leon did a much better job on smaller budgets. The lyrics are sexist, but fun in “Barracuda” — definitely not the Heart song — “Lift up Your Hood,” and the aforementioned “When I Get Off.” There is also a cool cover of Roky Erickson‘s “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and a fantastic album jacket of the band photographed at what looks like the Rat nightclub inside a red background covered in barbed wire fence. There’s even a cool inside joke, Bomb records instead of Bomp, the famous label founded by Greg Shaw. A definite statement about the heart and soul of demos having a special something major-label homogenization fails to establish. Rudy Martinez of Question Mark & the Mysterians has even covered a Connally composition written for Mono Mann Jeff’s current group, the Lyres.
THE VARMINTS ASSORTED VARMINTS
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Assorted Varmints 1989-1997 is a collection of 13 tracks by the Boston underground “supergroup,” compiled by rock critic/Endora’s Box Records label owner Nancy Foster in 2002. It’s an impressive set of majestic, no-nonsense rock & roll tunes by former Real Kids guitarist Billy Borgioli, who handles most of the vocal and songwriting chores. For those who felt the Real Kids missed the mark, the answers can be found here. Borgioli is not only a better rock & roll singer than John Felice; he has some crunching rhythms that could have propelled the Real Kids to true stardom had Felice let a partnership blossom rather than make himself the focal point of the Kids. Listen to the undercurrent of “Dreamin'” or the punk angst inside “Ain’t No Good,” the track originally released in 1997 on Boston Rock & Roll Anthology, Vol. 20. “Ain’t No Good” takes on corporate shoddiness, buying a product and taking it home only to find out it “ain’t no good.” Nine of the 13 tracks feature Classic Ruins driving force Frank Rowe adding his precision guitar (and lead vocal on “In This Town”). Borgioli/Rowe make a formidable pair leading a two-guitar attack that the rhythm section of Death in the Shopping Malls drummer Pete Taylor and Tea in China bassist Carl Biancucci complement perfectly. Biancucci‘s band was one of the first Boston acts Stones producer Jimmy Miller worked with in 1983 via his Johnny Thunders associations, and similar elements can be heard in Ducky Carlisle‘s production on the nine titles tracked at his Room 9 From Outer Space studio. The three songs from a live radio show (no date or call letters mentioned) feature a different lineup behind Borgioli: Chris Flavin on second guitar, Billy Daly on bass, and Matt Burns on drums. It still works, making it clear this is Billy Borgioli‘s vehicle and that the painter/guitarist has a vision beyond what the Real Kids tracked on their self-titled debut. For those who liked the heavy guitars of Reggae Reggae from that 1977 landmark outing, this music from a dozen years later expands that concept proving where the original group truly could have gone. Short guitar bursts and creative riffs à la the Kinks with solid drumming by Taylor and Burns across this disc help make Assorted Varmints shine. It is refined rock & roll by guys who do it because they have to.
THE REAL KIDS
1)ALL KINDSA GIRLS
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Covered by Swedish power pop band Psychotic Youth on the 1998 compilation ^I Wanna Be a Real Kid: A Tribute to the Real ids and Mercury recording artist Klover on their 1995 disc Feel Lucky Punk, this is one of the key titles from vocalist/songwriter/lead guitarist Jon Felice and his Real Kids. While ex-bandmate Jonathan Richman was content to find one “Girlfren” in the post-Felice Modern Lovers mainstream Boston scenester Johnny Barnes was not so content -he wanted “100 Girls” – a similar sentiment to what comes into play on this underground classic. The three minutes and thirty-seven seconds that start off the 1977 Red Star album produced by Marty Thau are called “great” by Brownsville Station guitarist, the late Cub Coda. It’s an onslaught of Billy Borgioli and Jon Felice guitar work, a tempo somewhere between The Modern Lovers laid-back songs of romance and the slamming sound of The Ramones, but with more dexterity than Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny and Marky (Ramone). Felice takes Chuck Berry riffs and speeds them up throwing a few power chords in to keep things interesting. It is creative songwriting with guitars up over the vocals and Howie Ferguson’s relentless drumming. Minimal for sure and tailor made for the underground.
2)BAD TO WORSE
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The two minute and forty-five second “Bad To Worse” by John Felice and The Real Kids kicks off Norton Records compilation live lp Grown Up Wrong with an additional version finding its way onto track 2 side 2 of the New Rose Records release All Kindsa Jerks Live from a 1983 French tour. Inverted Kinks riffs are the foundation of this hard driving rocker with scattered lead notes flying over the rhythm. American sixties flavors mixed with British Rock flow through the veins of this punk rocker held together by a solitary beat and decorated with a mini chorus of backing vocals and the title. “You thinking you got me beat/but look out girl ’cause I’m back on my feet” John Felice tells the former object of his affection adding a blitz of emphatic guitar just to rub some salt in. On the New Rose disc it is followed by Ray Davies’ “She Got Everything” and those Kinks riffs disguised yet more pronounced on the Norton release are found out in all their glory.
3)BETTER BE GOOD
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Composed By Other Links
John Felice All Performers that have performed this Title
At four minutes and twelve seconds this is the third longest of the dozen tunes on The Real Kids debut, a fascinating fifties/sixties style rocker from the pen of singer/lead guitarist Jon Felice, a tune which goes through twists and turns and is rhythmically one of the more complex pieces of that band’s repertoire. Again it is the strength here which is the main weakness, Felice’s creativity impeded by his inability to sing the material he composes. This is an extension of former bandmate Jonathan Richman’s observant nods to Boston landmarks, the singer referencing the Massachusetts “south shore” as well as cultish groups Teddy & The Pandas & The Rockin’ Ramrods, an ode to 1964 when these musicians were barely ten years old. It’s a quick set of rhythms which speed up at the end, a quirky mod/neo-doo-wop song that mutates into punk. Outside of their devoted following The Real Kids found resistance, the lead vocals on most of the record having that unfinished demo feel. But the structure of “Better Be Good” proved that there was more than meets the ear going on here, some bottled up energy blending cohesively, something producer Marty Thou deserves some credit for. Mini blasts like “Rave On” precede this, the punk rockers wanting backing vocals like The Shangri Las and doing their best New York Dolls imitation to fill that need right down to the handclaps that fit in with the “sha la la’s”. Howard Ferguson gets a real work out, his drums having to throb with the tight guitars and bass in the vibrant musical interludes necessarily holding the fort when the band goes The Plasmatics route at the song’s conclusion. “Better Be Good” is another piece of the enigmatic Real Kids puzzle, traces of Modern Lovers philosophy mixed with the mid-1970’s underground rock scene of the Northeast.When played against the tape of an earlier version of this group called The Kids from The Rat nightclub, December 10, 1974, the musical evolution comes into clearer focus.
4)COMMON AT NOON
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Originally released in the Spring of 1977 on the French Sponge label backed with “All Kindsa Girls” this mellow 45 was Jon Felice at his most Jonathan Richman. As Richman sang “Fly Into The Mystery”, a song covered by Felice on a live show from Boston’s Rat nightclub taped December 10, 1974 after the singer/guitarist left The Modern Lovers to form The Kids, the younger Jon emulated his mentor with the double entendre title. To non-Bostonians it might imply “ordinary” girl at noon, but the “common” here is most likely Boston Common – a few miles from Cambridge’s Harvard Common, the greens where Mr. Richman often performed live open air concerts. “Summer nights/down by the Harbor dreamin’ “, the chords chug harder on the February 2, 1983 live show from the Bataclan of Paris, mixed by Andy Paley and released on the All Kindsa Jerks Live album from New Rose Records that same year. Felice gets the point across better on the earlier studio take included on a compilation album entitled Better Be Good. made available again in November of 1999 on New York’s Norton Records label. The original version with the first Real Kids line-up of Billy Borgioli, Howard Ferguson, Alan Paulino and Jon Felice works the best in its mellow power pop format. Jon’s vocal limitations had an awkward charm as supervised by a local college d.j. whereas on the live album from France the singer bashes the lyrics around like he’s still singing “She Don’t Know”, the song that precedes this classic on the 1983 disc. “Common At Noon” just cries out for a folky version, something nearer to that original 45, the closest these Real Kids got to the jangle jangle that could have really launched them. “No more looking for you…the common at noon – thinking i’m gonna find you.” Very Modern Lovers. Had Jon Felice taken this approach for more of the group’s repertoire, combined with the hard edge of “Reggae Reggae” (the final track on the Red Star self-titled lp debut) for the rest of the songs in their sets, this band just might have ruled the world.
5)DO THE BOOB
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Speedy Chuck Berry riffs inverted and expanded is the formula at play on this song from the debut album from songwriter Jon Felice and his Real Kids. Where Boston area legends The Nervous Eaters played the style heavier and dirtier, and as The Ramones had incessant power chords as the undercurrent to their message, Felice keeps it all in treble tone and ultra energetic. Power Punk is what it is and it isn’t for everyone. The gay slur was more than just a fancy way to grab attention, at least two of these boys displayed homophobia in the 1970’s (though they’ve all reformed and entered the realm of policital correctness – somewhat -decades later). It’s no Mark Knopfler jive as found in “Money For Nothing”, Felice spits out the bigoted attack with venom and perhaps the idea of “punk rock” once immunized groups from potential fallout, at least in their own minds. The Sex Pistols’ hype, after all, was founded on being obnoxious. Chubby Checker and Dee Dee Sharp with their respective “let’s do “The Twist” and “Do The Bird” were able to inject some art into their Top 10 performances. For all The Real Kids debut’s high points “Do The Boob” is one of the songs which shows the limitations of the album, and the band. Venturing into this territory means going all out, and Steve Cataldo’s Nervous Eaters did just that on “Degenerate”, driving to the extreme Felice merely dabbles with in both attitude as well as the intensity of the guitar riffs employed.
6)Reggae Reggae
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Former bandmate of Jon Felice, one Jonathan Richman, had a hit with “Egyptian Reggae” in Europe while The Real Kids, sons somewhat of The Modern Lovers, had an underground sensation with “Reggae, Reggae”. The fact that neither tune had any reggae to speak of in their respective grooves doesn’t take away from the brilliant artistic license of both compositions – two of the best examples of these songwriters apart from their work together. “Reggae, Reggae” owes more to the grunge of the second Velvet Underground lp, White Light/White Heat, than it does to Jimmy Cliff or the “Ice Cream Man” chronicles of Jonathan Richman on tour. At five minutes and one second it is the longest of the dozen tunes on the Red Star Records debut of the band, concluding the album with a diligent Billy Borgioli lead. Borgioli is the band’s rhythm guitarist, but tears away from those duties to add some riveting sounds, an exclamation point to this disc that is so cherished by many in underground circles. Jon Felice blurts out something that sounds like “Your brother thinks I’m a fag”, and again employs that right-wing mentality that the band thought was cool in the seventies, but wasn’t. At least when Lou Reed made comments they came from a space which accepted life’s mutations and variations. The Real Kids played to a narrow cult and were never able to catapult themselves onto the stages where Cheap Trick, The Ramones and other larger acts played to bigger crowds. “Reggae, Reggae” was a step in the right direction and sounds like nothing else on this interesting work by a punk band that took themselves very seriously. It is said that this is the true direction that the group was heading in until the heart of the band, rhythm guitarist Billy Borgioli and drummer Howard Ferguson, left with the revamped lineup recording with producer Andy Paley five years after this. A pity asthe fuzzy sound and condensed energy suited Jon Felice’s muted vocals much better. It’s a powerful statement, imagine “Sister Ray” from The Velvet Underground finding some kind of form halfway through, the frazzled elements of that assault coming together in a powerfully fused focus. “Reggae Reggae is a dynamite statement to conclude the first Real Kids lp, and is arguably their finest moment.
7)ROBERTA
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Huey “Piano” Smith/John Vincent All Performers that have performed this Title
It starts off as a diversion on the Red Star debut by The Real Kids, Mono Mann of the band DMZ adding a catatonic piano a la Willie “Loco” Alexander to open up the tune, and Mono (a.k.a. Jeff Connolly ) has big shoes to fill on this, one of the three non- Jon Felice titles that make up the 12 song self-titled lp. “Roberta” is a Huey “Piano” Smith co-write originally released by Frankie Ford of “Sea Cruise” fame on the Ace label and it develops as an interesting cover choice among the other material presented on an album by one of the original ex- Modern Lovers. The underground band blasts out of control but Howie Ferguson, one of the most undervalued drummers in Boston rock & roll, somehow keeps it together putting all the guitar and bass noise in a vacuum. It clocks in at two minutes and thirty-seven seconds, not-so-subtle blasts of fifties New Orleans pop previously embraced by The Animals the decade before Felice, Borgioli, Ferguson and Paulino gave it their treatment. As the aforementioned Willie “Loco” pulverized (in a good way) “Too Much Monkey Business”, this gem contains some of Mono Mann’s best piano work actually resembling Willie Alexander’s mania.You can feel the reverence inside the energy, the guitars going from simple rock & roll to sliding power chords towards the end, elements that have helped sustain this disc’s cult classic status.
8)SHE COME ALIVE
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“She Come Alive” is two minutes and fifty-nine seconds of live Real Kids from the 1993 Norton Records compilation album Grown Up Wrong. It was taped at the Penny Arcadein Rochester, New York on May 4, 1978 with a quick chugging guitar blast that begins this uptempo hard rocker smothered in John Felice’s snarling and unintelligible vocals. The beauty of his song composition, truly merging punk and power pop, is overshadowed by the band leader’s inability to bring it home with a voice that can make the music mean something special. There’s a clever guitar run taken from Simon & Garfunkel’s “Hazy Shade Of Winter” or The Monkees’ “Valleri” by way of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, though not as precise. It’s a creative rhythmic riff right after the chorus leading into the guitar solo/drum explosions which conclude the song in ragged Rolling Stones-ish fashion. “She Come Alive” is yet another example of energetic Chuck Berry chords thumping efficiently at high speed, assembled with thoughtful and creative changes to enhance the Real Kids repertoire. If only a Johnny Rotten or Iggy Pop got ahold of this title to really make it shine.
9)SHE’S ALRIGHT
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As with “Do The Boob”, the title written for fanzine editor Bob Colby, “She’s Alright” is a riff rocker from The Real Kids debut album along the lines of The Beatles’ rendition of “Slow Down”. And as with everything on that self-titled disc it is precisely played energetic rock & roll, admirable for a punk rock band, the one drawback here the same disability that plagues the entire collection of songs: Jon Felice simply does not have an appealing voice. As a front man he’s got the attitude, but rhythm guitarist Billy Borgioli – as evidenced on his The Varmints cd – or bassist Alpo, Alan Paulino, are said to have had more of a grasp of how to get the message across via microphone. Maybe that’s why the lead-off track on side two is a production like most of the album, guitars up in the mix on this quick, one minute and forty four second vintage excursion into early rock & roll. There’s no John Lennon swagger or vocal chops, though the band chugs along witha solid thumping rhythm. The lead guitar is a burst of wild abandon which comes back to a sexist Jon Felice lyric “she get down on her knees on all fours.” No Bob Dylan is Mr. Felice, and one might expect something a bit more clever from the fellow who worked with Jonathan Richman and who authored “Common At Noon”, but the charm in these grooves is the feeling generated by the four rock & rollers as a unit, Howie Ferguson’s drums an essential platform for the string instruments to blast away. Felice maintains the theme in the very next track, “My Baby’s Book” featuring a chorus of “I’m Alright”. As Yvonne Elliman sang “Everything’s Alright” back in the day it was a minimal message from a minimal time.
10)TAXI BOYS
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At 1:47 the song is the third shortest by Jon Felice and his mates on their eponymous debut lp, but it made an extra impact as the name of a reconstituted Real Kids when heart-throb Bobby McNabb replaced Howie Ferguson on the drums – not on this song – but in the band named after it. The eventual addition of McNabb (recruited, surprisingly, from semi-drag act Lou Miami ) gave the band some pretty boy charisma they were lacking though Ferguson is tough to beat when it comes to beating on the drums. The group named after this song featured only half the original Real Kids, Felice and Paulino, thus the latter ensemble was dubbed by one scenester “The Tacky Boys”. Falling in-between the grit of “Better Be Good” and mellow mood found on “Just Like Darts”, “Taxi Boys” is almost British by way of The New York Dolls “Frankenstein”, the original band at its most explosive and fun. No wonder Miriam Linna of Norton Records liked them so much, this record’s producer, Marty Thau, had worked with The New York Dolls prior to signing The Real Kids to his Red Star imprint. An album full of episodes like this would have brought The Real Kids out of cult status to the level of a Ramones, the splashes of punk guitar by the team of Borgioli and Felice gliding along with Ferguson’s cymbals make it the most appealing song on the entire album.
THE COWSILLS
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Galt MacDermot/James Rado/Gerome Ragni All Performers that have performed this Title
From the Broadway play Hair, music by Galt MacDermot, book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, the late ’60’s extravaganza also launched a huge dual platinum hit for The Fifth Dimensionin “Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine, one that spent a month and a half at #1, no doubt keeping The Cowsills at bay. That The Fifth Dimension influenced The Cowsills is a given, just a/b the family band’s “We Can Fly” to Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.’s family’s “Up Up And Away” for comparison.Equalling the #2 position garnered by group’s first hit, “The Rain, The Park and Other Things”, this final trek up the Top 40 charts has superb stereo separation self-produced by Bill Cowsill and Bob Cowsill. Though not as spectacular as Bob Crewe’s presentation of Oliver singing “Good Morning Starshine” three months after this hit, taken from the same stage play, the acoustic opening, heavy vocals and pageantry inherent in the performance make for a genuine statement by this deserving group, three and a half minutes that became MGM single #14026. “Hair” is also the direction the group needed to head off into – covering soon-to-be standards made famous off and on Broadway. That they failed to enjoy the fame found by what they spawned, The Partridge Family tv program, should have been inspiration for this talented bunch to fly to greater heights finding more gems like this cover. “Hair” was that golden opportunity that opened the door to life after bubblegum. It is The Cowsills performing on all instruments, sounds generated by the two founding brothers, and promoted by the group itself, according to the liner notes accompanying ^The Best Of The Cowsills: The Millennium ollection. The booklet explains that where MGM first balked at this single, airplay on a Chicago station and the immediate positive response fueled the label’s decision to back this eventual huge hit. The paradox of a clean cut group doing something so hip and counter culture is more extreme than The Carpenters covering Klaatu. The break where the female voice wants “it combed straight…” sounds like it’s taken off of “Friend & Lover’s” “Reach Out Of The Darkness” from the year before, showing they learned their craft well under the aegis of legends like Artie Kornfeld and Wes Farrell.
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Opening with a truncated bass riff lifted straight from the first notes of Tommy James & The Shondells’ “I Think We’re Alone Now” (keep in mind, the arranger of that hit, Jimmy “Wiz” Wisner arranged The Cowsills’ first hit) and with Beach Boys’ bass vocals (a Cowsill or two would end up working with The Beach Boys after this!), “Indian Lake”, a song about a day at the amusement park, could almost be considered a delayed sequel to “The Rain, The Park and Other Things” the way Lesley Gore told us how it was “Judy’s Turn To Cry” after her first hit (and, of course, Steve Duboff, who co-wrote The Cowsills first hit, wrote for Gore). The six degrees of separation intentional non-coincidences go much deeper for songwriter and arranger Tony Romeo and producer Wes Farrell. They were the team who concocted “I Think We’re Alone Now” for The Partridge Family, the family group which was modeled after The Cowsills. It must have been tough to take knowing that a hit like “Indian Lake” came from a more pure space, integrity that the manufactured Partridge Family could only feign, and to get slighted after going Top 10 in the summer of 1968 with this two minute and forty-four second delight was total injustice so typical of the industry. Farrell’s production is no-nonsense with the bass guitar holding up the bottom, the drums way behind the tambourine, and keyboard a sort of laid-back “Palisades Park”. It’s got that feel of Wes Farrell’s hit on MGM the summer before, “Come On Down To My Boat ” by Every Mother’s Son, and this MGM single, #13944, kept the momentum going for pop’s singing, smiling family. One can hear “Heroes And Villains”, traces of “Words Of Love’s piano sound, rather than be subtle as Kornfeld and Wisner were on “The Rain, The Park and Other Things”, Farrell and Romeo just go for broke taking all the influences they can and giving the group another big hit, inspired by a bit the band was aked to perform on a television fashion special, The Wonderful World Of Pizzazz, according to the liner note booklet accompanying ^The Best of The Cowsills: The Millennium Collection.
THE RAIN THE PARK & OTHER THINGS
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It starts with quick and simple rainstorm sound effects, ultra light pop written by Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff who composed for Connie Francis The Angels, Jan & Dean, Crispian St. Peters, Lesley Gore and others either individually or as a team. This break-through hit for the family group, The Cowsills, clocks in at just around three minutes, MGM single #13810, a bubbly performance full of stunning harmonies with magical production by Kornfeld, accompanied by Jimmy “Wiz” Wisner’s arrangement. Wiz is the man who put his touch on “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Mirage” for Tommy James and The Shondells just a few months before this mini-epic was blocked out of the #1 position by The Monkees’ huge “Daydream Believer”, adding to the formidable team. These three pop pros writing/producing/arranging had the power and smarts to play in the same league as hitmakers The Monkess and The Shondells, and with a quarter of a million dollars in promotional support from the label as noted in the booklet to ^The Best Of The Cowsills, The Millenium ollection, this 45 brightened up the end of summer/early autumn of 1967, when flower power was in full bloom. Harbinger of The Osmonds, a group that would look very much like this outfit on the very same record label just four years after “The Rain, The Park and Other Things” brought these Mamas & The Papas meet The Beach Boys harmonies to the world, The Cowsills were the real thing, paving the way for The Jackson 5 and other acts who would take the concept even further. This is quintessential bubblegum, the hipness of the record offset by the cheeky image of the name and band look, but it’s the music that matters and the cascading vocals were as complex as anything John, Michelle, Cass & Denny had put together. A dominating lead vocal to tell the story coupled with the crisp bass/drums and swirling bells, harp and water sounds swimming in the mix, it made for irresistable and unforgettable AM radio and a wonderful launching pad for a group of musicians who paid their dues and deserved a much bigger slice of the rock and roll pie.
WE CAN FLY
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Less than a year after The 5th Dimension went “Up – Up and Away” with Jimmy Webb’s song and production, The Cowsills took their harmonies and crafted a short and clever sequel of sorts. A definite sign of the times, The Cowsills put elements of all sorts of sixties groups into their mix as evidenced on most of their work, but “We Can Fly” is more 5th Dimension than anything else. Clocking in at only two minutes and fifteen seconds, MGM single #13886 is an exhilarating array of uplifting horns and bells over a tense rhythm which sounds like it was inspired by the soundtrack to The Wizard Of Oz. The foundation allows the group’s impeccable vocals to glide over the arrangement slipping lines like “isn’t it groovey in a daydream” right by the listener with adult-bubblegum efficiency . Produced by brothers Bill Cowsill and Bob Cowsill, the song was written by that pair along with Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff, the men who penned the brilliant “The Rain, The Park and Other Things”, the team effort taking this tune up into the Top 25 in the early months of 1968. Though they could lift material with the best of them, The Cowsills innovated as well and the music here is true adult contemporary pop that holds up many years after making its mark. Nice arrangement work by Artie Schroeck deserves mention.
THE BEST OF THE COWSILLS
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Material on this, The Best of the Cowsills, came before they hit with “Hair” in 1969, that song missing from this otherwise decent compilation. There are 12 tracks taken from their first three MGM albums — The Cowsills, We Can Fly, and Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools — plus the excellent Top 50 single from 1968 with its unmistakable Beach Boys influence, “Poor Baby.” “The Rain, the Park and Other Things,” of course, is the starting point, and it is a wonderful and enduring pop single, all two minutes and 57 seconds of it. In between there are “In Need of a Friend,” “Mister Flynn,” “Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools,” and the hit from the beginning of 1968, “We Can Fly.” “Meet Me at the Wishing Well” is listed on the back cover of the LP, but a Tony Romeo song is actually on the vinyl, “The Path of Love.” Romeo has three titles on this best-of, but perhaps the most remarkable thing is that eight of the dozen tracks are either written or co-written by Bob and Bill Cowsill. Where Wes Farrell produced “Indian Lake” and “Poor Baby,” and Artie Kornfeld did the exquisite production honors on “The Rain, the Park and Other Things,” the brothers Cowsill produced “We Can Fly,” “In Need of a Friend,” and most of this album, nine of the 12 tracks to be exact. Where the Beach Boys‘ harmonies devour “Poor Baby,” the Mamas & the Papas‘ vocal style envelopes the Beatlesque “In Need of a Friend.” Thirty-three years after its release, Universal issued The Best of the Cowsills: The Millennium Collection. That all-too-short CD has five tracks from this collection and five other titles. What it all shows is that the band was more creative and productive than they were given credit for and it really is too bad they didn’t get to be The Partridge Family on television. This early best-of is evidence that they deserved it.
MICHAEL FREMER I CAN TAKE A JOKE
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Comedian Michael Fremer was a staple in Boston on the radio airwaves and in the club scene. Those who were fans of radio stars Charles Laquidara and Little Walter DeVenne no doubt heard these insightful and ridiculous skits when their popular programs aired on a once alternative Boston station, 104.1 FM. The re-enactment of Mayor Kevin White’s “My City’s In Flames” Speech is hilarious. This writer was at the oston Garden in 1972 when The Rolling Stones were arrested in Rhode Island and when then Mayor White had to appease the fans who were on the verge of rioting. The parody on this disc – along with the tape of that show Stones fans have traded over the years – are evidence of a magic moment in rock and make this classic collection all the more special. Some of these advertisements were specifically for record retailer New England Music City and legendary weekly news source The Real Paper. If you never realized how close Dylan’s 1976 hit “Hurricane” is to his 1968 hit (via Hendrix) “All Along The Watchtower,” Fremer makes it painfully clear. Lou Reed’s Transformer image gets taken over the coals in a take-off on “Walk On The Wild Side,” and Neil Old’s “Hopeless” is Neil Young’s “Helpless” upside down. Michael Fremer was allegedly bounced off of the radio station for making fun of the commercials that were themselves walking parodies. It made no sense, and it was an unpopular move by the station, but this excellent recording preserves some of the majesty. The comedian MC’d some of the major concerts in Boston during this period, 1970-1976 – some of the material was recorded at the 104.1 FM’s studios, some live at the nn Square Men’s Bar, various recording studios and portions probably taped in Fremer’s bedroom! His contemporaries like Paul Lovell a.k.a. Blowfish took their cues from Fremer, who was last found in the 1990’s publishing a magazine.
SOMEONE & THE SOMEBODIES BOPS ON THE HEAD
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After the initial blitz of the 1970s new wave in Boston, MA — a movement of singer/songwriters fronting bands, spearheaded by Willie “Loco” Alexander and Jonathan Richman — the college city found techno and industrial sounds infiltrating the scene with the dawn of the ’80s. The Modern Method record label, a division of retailer Newbury Comics, began issuing some of this music on sampler albums as well as EPs by November Group and writer Tristram Lozaw‘s outfit, Someone & the Somebodies. The music on the four-song EP Bops on the Head might seem innocent enough, but Lozaw‘s cover design is beyond politically incorrect a couple of decades after its release. A man with what looks like a golf club has it raised over his head as if about to strike someone, while a larger male head is seen with a hand around his throat. The 45 RPM 12-inch disc is at its most violent on “Mombo Sombo,” a drifting, weaving industrial folk tune with percussive sounds playing against the guitar bursts and dark, incoherent vocal. Where Willie Alexander was employing the dissonance by merging jazz with his primal scream on Solo Loco at this point in time, Someone & the Somebodies take an electronic sledgehammer approach. Mao Tse-Tung, a woman hitting her child with a hammer, and a beach bully punching another guy out are the images on the back cover which accompany the sternutatory sounds of “It’s Only Extazy.” As Mission of Burma embraced aggravating noise and attitude, Someone & the Somebodies brought the tempo and level down a notch or two, massaging the electronics. Lozaw put together an interesting arrangement of prizefighter Lee Dorsey‘s 1966 hit, the Allen Toussaint composition “Working in a Coal Mine,” which obtained heavy regional airplay. Synth/guitar player Rob Davis contributes “We Were Only Kidding,” a staccato guitar-phrased chant over heavy bass. Not for everyone, Bops on the Head is a good document of a day when the new wave morphed into heavier sounds, which eventually led to modern rock. It’s what came in between and is worth a listen.
THE OUTLETS 2000 on Hendrix Records
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The lost art of rock & roll is rediscovered with a vengeance by David Alex Barton and his Outlets on this self-titled album. Co-produced by John McDermott with Kevin Army, the band is in good hands after slugging it out in the trenches of Boston during the ’80s. John McDermott co-produces Jimi Hendrix‘s catalog releases along with Janie Hendrix, and the affiliation can only help artists this serious about their craft. This is a rock & roll onslaught — “Sorry” is a refreshing blast of guitar-oriented garage rock. This is the music that can save so-called “modern rock radio,” a term that is already an anachronism. What is really needed is a three-minute burst of sound that is “Eddy.” Barton doesn’t stay on key — he never did — and his vocal style is much like Jon Felice of the Real Kids, but the Outlets drive their songs faster and with more ferocity than the Real Kids, and the jangly guitar tends to extend its claws with a nice buzzsaw edge. “You Don’t Need Them” changes the mood with tension and lyrics that take a Joe Jackson riff and re-evaluate it, while “Wired” goes where Smashing Pumpkins‘ “1979” tried to. As the album progresses, the drums and guitars start melting into a solid unit that makes you want to turn the volume up. There is none of that technical wash that strips away the substance and heart of new records, creating dissonance and unnecessary high end. This is the real thing, solid as a rock, and a guitar starts going haywire two and a half minutes into “Wired” — possibly the most explosive track on a very explosive record. The Outlets had much promise in the past, and one wonders if a record this good can cut through all the politics and just get substantial airplay. Here’s a second chance for the world to hear their classic “Sheila.” It’s still bouncy and driving, and deserves a long ride on the airwaves. The fun that the Buzzcocks brought to their best recordings is inherent in this disc, tempered by the American sound the Nervous Eaters helped forge. Despite their veteran status, the Outlets still rock like teenagers on this 13-song disc, and that’s what it is all about.
WHOLE NEW WORLD THE OUTLETS (ENIGMA)
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Whole New World by Boston’s Outlets, released on Restless Records/Enigma in 1985, is a raw document of a good pop band with enthusiasm that rises above the group’s limitations. Where the rock & roll voice of the Buzzcocks‘ Pete Shelley would tatter and tear, he managed to stay somewhat on key; lead singer/lead guitarist Dave Barton clearly emulated Shelley, but his vocal limitations inhibited his otherwise interesting material. “Sheila” is OK on Whole New World, but sounds so much better re-recorded 14 years later by producers John McDermott and Kevin Army on Hendrix Records’ 1999 release simply titled The Outlets. Whole New World is the Barton brothers — Dave on vocals and lead guitar and Rick on guitar — with Mike County on bass and Walter Gustafson on drums. “Tilted Track” rings with the same undertones of “Whole New World” and “The War Is Over”; they don’t deviate much from the formula, and producer Rob Dimit simply captures what the band was all about at this point in time. “A Valentine Song” has enough creativity to stand out from the pack and, while Dave Barton‘s guitar work on “Tilted Track” and “The Provider” really shows strength, the song similarity and redundance of the vocals kept this band from making more of an impact, both in Boston and on the national stage. There’s more polish on the 1999 release, but Whole New World had its moments and is also a nice glimpse of a band making noise while it was also making some waves.
THUNDERTRAIN TEENAGE SUICIDE
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Crunch. That’s what happens when you mix two parts Slade with one part Rolling Stones and feature the future frontman for the final incarnation of The Joe Perry Project. Teenage Suicide by Thundertrain is a rare look at rock & roll attitude which slugged it out in the trenches of Boston with the likes of Charlie Farren‘s Balloon, Ralph Mormon‘s Daddy Warbux, the Real Kids, mainstream rockers Susan, Willie Loco Alexander‘s Boom Boom Band, and so many others. Thundertrain were not punks, but they were more accepted in the punk environment than the Beams and the Dead End Kids, probably because Mach Bell‘s stage antics were proof that they acted like underground rockers, despite the band’s music being so slick, tight, and hard edged. The album starts off with “Hot for Teacher,” their second 45, and college radio hit. The presence of ex-Velvet Underground pianist Willie “Loco” Alexander gives the disc an authentic rock & roll feel, and it is a great opening track. The bulk of the material is written by lead guitarist Steven Silva, and features creative, sludgey riffs which give Bell‘s “I just gargled with Draino” voice a board with which to ride the electric surf. Rhythm guitarist Gene Provost contributes three songs to this debut: “Love the Way,” the anthem-like “Hell Tonite,” which kicks off side two, and “Forever & Ever.” He’s no mere rhythm guitarist; like Keith Richards, he can make the instrument snarl as Steve Silva goes off on a tangent. Produced by Earthquake Morton and Nighthawk Jackson, engineered by George Lilly, one gets the feeling the Duke & the Drivers guys were behind this project — the Drivers being one of Boston’s major blues-rock outfits. Eight of the nine tracks were recorded at Northern Studios, while the final cut, their showstopper “I Gotta Rock,” was tracked live at the Rat nightclub in Boston — the song is one of their two tracks on the legendary Live at the Rat album. Teenage Suicide can’t show you Mach Bell‘s enormous stage presence, and that was a big part of their appeal — we can only hope videos from the time have survived. It also doesn’t have the polish a major label might have afforded them, but it does capture the energy and creative spark of a major Boston personality who would go on to work with a member of Aerosmith, and his bandmates who were a formidable and powerful bunch on stage.
MACH BELL
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“Cowboy” Mach Bell was born in Yellow Springs, OH, on January 23, 1953. Inspired by heroes such as Liberace, Leonard Bernstein, Bo Diddley, Keith Relf of the Yardbirds, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Noddy Holder, Dick Dodd, the Standells, Roger Daltrey, Eric Burdon, T. Rex, Howlin’ Wolf, Brian Jones, Jeff Beck, Mark Lindsay, Jim Dandy, John Kay, Willie “Loco” Alexander, and James Brown, his stage show reflects the eccentricities of many of those legends. His first instrument was the cello, something Bell studied for four years. The Mechanical Onions was his first band in 1966 at the age of 13. AMG asked the future lead singer for the Joe Perry Project how he joined his first significant group, Thundertrain: “After several years playing the Middlesex County, MA, ‘battle of the bands’ circuit as a lead guitarist, I made the switch, in 1972, to lead singer. Drummer Bobby Edwards and I started playing the local teen centers as Biggy Ratt. I split that group in early 1974 and hitchhiked to LA. I spent weeks hanging out in Hollywood, on the strip, in front of the Whiskey and at Rodney Bingenheimer’s English Disco. The glam scene was in full bloom and I was inspired to bring some of the sunset strip vibe back to Boston. When I got home to Holliston, MA, I found Bobby was playing drums with bass player Ric Provost and his brother, guitarist “Cool” Gene Provost. They had just disbanded their successful club band Doc Savage. The four of us teamed up and moved into the basement of Jack’s Drum Shop on Boylston St. Sussing out an ad in the Boston Phoenix, we found our lead guitarist, a disciple of Rick Derringer and Johnny Winter by the name of Steven Silva (who came from) down in New Bedford. Thundertrain (1974-1979) was born!”Indeed, Thundertrain‘s metallic pop was like Slade meets the Rolling Stones, Bell giving further evidence of bandmember influences which molded their sound: “‘Cool Gene’ was a Keith Richards/Gram Parsons fan while ‘Young Bobby’ was into Kiss and Aerosmith. American garage rock was the first love of bassist Ric. On top of this thick mix I laid down my suburban Otis Redding impression, dressed like a chick…literally hanging from the rafters.” In 1975, Thundertrain released one of the first singles from Boston’s pivotal underground movement, “I’m So Excited” b/w “Cindy Is a Sleeper.” That was followed by 1976’s “Hot For Teacher,” which featured Willie “Loco” Alexander of the Lost, Bagatelle, and the Velvet Underground on keyboards. Some say that Van Halen lifted much of the style and sound for their song of the same name which appeared on the multi-platinum 1984 album, released in that year. The single, backed with “Love the Way,” was also released on Chiswick Records in the U.K. Jem Records pressed up a sampler in the U.S.A., which included not only Thundertrain‘s “Hot For Teacher” but the first appearance of the Sex Pistols on a U.S. recording. Van Halen had plenty of opportunities to hear what this important Boston band led by Mach Bell was up to. In 1977, Jelly Records, part of the organization which was involved with Duke & the Drivers, released a full length LP, Teenage Suicide. That same year the legendary Live At the Rat LP was produced, including live versions by Thundertrainof “I Gotta Rock” and “I’m So Excited.” As Willie “Loco” Alexander was getting signed to MCA, a legitimate “bootleg” authorized by Alexander and his Boom Boom Band was released on Varage Records, a play on Boston labels Varulven and Garage. This limited-edition 500 copies, released incognito as the Sperm Bank Babies, included a live version of Chuck Berry‘s “Around & Around” by Thundertrain. Mach Bell was so infuriated by the actions of the club owner that he did a long rant before the tune opens the disc. The club owner’s name is bleeped out repeatedly; it is a hilarious and legendary recording. In 1978, the group released a version of the Standells‘ “Dirty Water” on radio station WCOZ’s The Best of the Boston Beat, a compilation of songs and bands played on DJ Leslie Palmiter‘s Sunday night program on 94.5 FM.In 1979, lead guitarist Steven Silva left Thundertrain to pursue an acting career on the West Coast. The band continued to perform and record with Boom Boom Band guitarist Billy Loosigian as Silva‘s replacement, a group they called the Hits. After scoring heavy airplay with a tape of “Storm Brewing,” “Cool” Gene Provost left the band. Ric Provost and Bobby Edwards continued with Mach Bell on guitar as the Mag IV. This band released a single on Pure And Easy, “Mag IV Go Monte Carlo” b/w “Man With No Name.”Pure and Easy Records then sent the group to Longview Studio (where the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, and other notables practiced and recorded), crafting the second Mag IV disc when Bell got a call. “Thundertrain‘s original producer, Earthquake Morton of Duke & the Drivers was on the line calling from manager Tim Collins‘ office. Tim had just signed Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and he needed a new lead singer. I auditioned in February 1982 and days later I became the vocalist with the Joe Perry Project.”Coming off of my rough and tumble experiences with Thundertrain, this was finally my opportunity to perform nationally, on a huge scale, rocking arenas and festivals as well as theaters and concert clubs. The Joe Perry Project was first and foremost a touring rock & roll band. Living like pirates, we criss-crossed Canada, South America, and the States. Our mission was to inject some guitar fueled rock & roll energy into the synth/new wave dominated early-’80s scene. Tim Collins and Joe Perry were finally able to ink a deal with MCA, who released the third and final Joe Perry Project album, Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker in September 1983. I contributed the lyrics to seven of the ten songs on the LP, (including) “Once a Rocker,” “Four Guns West,” “Crossfire,” “King of the Kings” “Adrianna,” “Walk With Me Sally,” and “Never Wanna Stop.” Joe Perry and Harry King produced.”In 1989, the Teenage Suicide LP by Thundertrain was reissued on Habla Records in Italy. In 1991, the radio hit “Counter Attack” was finally issued on CD on Varulven’s Boston Rock & Roll Anthology, Vol. #15. 1993 saw the release of the MCA Joe Perry Project album Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker on compact disc and, in 1999, Raven Records of Australia released The Best of the Joe Perry Project: The Music Still Does the Talking featuring tracks from all three of the band’s incarnations. But what was life for Mach Bell after fronting the band of one of his heroes?”Joe Perry returned to Aerosmith in mid-1984, leaving me reeling. Joe Perry Project bassman Danny Hargrove and I teamed up with drummer Hirsh Gardner (from the group New England ) as the Wild Bunch. We spent two years opening for national acts and headlining clubs and then I split back out to Hollywood. I spent a few years out there doing some producing and searching for the next big thing. In 1989, I married Julia Channing (manager of the Cars‘ recording studio, Syncrosound ) in London. We moved to the Massachusetts’ South Shore, and I’d gone on to other pursuits when former Buckingham guitarist Dave Zolla suddenly appeared in 1996. Together we put together Last Man Standing , a metallic quartet that grafts progressive chord structures and riffs to my raw-and-rowdy vocalizing. At the close of 2001, we released (the album) Last Man Standing, an 11-song album produced by Zolla. I wrote all the lyrics and Dave wrote the music. Former L-88 member Aartie Knyff handles bass and Jon Gutlon is on drums. My hope is that we can get out touring and keep the albums coming. I dig wild showmanship, over-the-top players, and a soulful rocking feel. It’s up to guys like us to keep this kind of energetic music alive.”In 2002, Gulcher Records of Bloomington, IN, re-released Thundertrain‘s remastered Teenage Suicide LP, originally recorded in 1976. Pure & Easy Records founder John Visnaskas restored the work from the original tapes. Several bonus cuts are featured on the album. Thundertrain was Mach’s launch pad, and he calls it “a great rocket ride. 1977 was probably our craziest year; we got tons of airplay, press, and found ourselves gigging with the Runaways, the Dictators, Thin Lizzy, and of course all the great Rat bands: Willie Alexander, DMZ, the Cars, Reddy Teddy, and so many more. Our credo was ‘Thundertrain: unchained and shameless,’ and from our band house to every stage we tore up we always lived the life of a true outlaw rock band.” 16 Magazine called the 18-year old singer “sexy and sensational.” Thundertrain got mentioned in Time Magazine’s cover story on punk rock, and there has been a renewed interest in Bell’s rock & roll career. All of his Thundertrain and Joe Perry Project recordings continue to be re-released internationally. Dozens of bootlegs, concert videos, and Internet fan sites have sprung up. “Black Velvet Pants,” the MTV video featuring Mach with the Joe Perry Project has been replayed on VH1 and MTV. Let’s hope the unreleased songs from the Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker album get their day in the sun, as well as a live album or two from that legendary unit. Mach Bell is a powerful stage performer with energy and vision, his past and his future are important pages in the history book of rock music.
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If you think Sly Stone took a long time to record an album in his heyday consider this, Bostonians Mach Bell and Dave Zolla began writing the songs that make up the self-titled Last Man Standing 11 song CD in the spring of 1996 and completed the recordings on August 29, 2001. The result is the most polished and exciting disc featuring the former lead singer of Thundertrain and MCA recording artist that was the third and final version of the Joe Perry Project before Aerosmith took Perry back into the fold. This record is an absolute assault, and for fans of hard rock and heavy metal, the boys just rip it apart. Artie Knyff from L-88 is on bass, his band reaching #1 on the reginal charts in the early 80’s, opening for Blue Oyster Cult when that band was hot stuff, and garnering interest from Arista, while co-songwriter and producer Dave Zolla was one of the mainstays of Buckingham, a progressive unit that had an immense regional following. These veterans of New England’s hard rock scene come back with a vengeance as this album has everything all their previous outfits did not. To put it plainly, had this Zolla/Bell cd come out as the third Joe Perry Project album, Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker, Aerosmith might’ve not come back when they did. It is that good. In the second to last track, “Miles And Miles,” Bell yells out “…meanwhile, I was still thinking…” The Chuck Berry line that Marc Bolan re-immortalized in “Bang A Gong.” “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” was cut by the Perry Project, as Aerosmith re-made a killer version of “Helter Skelter.” The “when I get to the bottom I go back to the top” line follows T.Rex here, Mach Bell giving an ode to his past and to his favorite band which took his most famous lead guitarist away. This elaborate package was crafted with care and excellence, from the superb cover art and lyric booklet, to the thunderous sound of the band. Mach Bell has never sounded this good, and the guitar playing sounds like it is straight out of the Randy Rhoads school of non-stop crunch. “New Day Blues” opens up with a flurry of Jimi Hendrix riffs starting with “Stone Free” while “Dr. Doctor” gives a nod to Bell’s original band Thundertrain’s New England hit “Hot For Teacher.” Many of T Train’s rabid fans felt Van Halen lifted too much from that local hit, but this new edition plays more like West, Bruce & Laing. The nearest thing to a ballad is the Alice Cooper-ish “Still Dreaming (What Could Be)” on an album chock full of Mach Bell’s trademark tongue-in-cheek humor and Dave Zolla’s real debut as a guitarist to be reckoned with. Few are playing traditional hard rock like this veteran singer and it will be interesting to see if Bell’s friends in Aerosmith are influenced by this powerful stuff – you know they found copies in their mailbox. Superb hard rock played to the hilt.
Mach Bell and Charlie Farren were two lead singers for
THE JOE PERRY PROJECT
JOE PERRY PROJECT
THE MUSIC STILL DOES THE TALKING
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Australia’s Raven Records has released another important retrospective — a focus on guitarist Joe Perry’s three solo albums and the three frontmen who put their voices on those discs. Ralph Mormon performed on Let the Music Do the Talking prior to his stint in Savoy Brown, and that may have been the better band for his bluesy voice. The excellent liner notes by Ian McFarlane give a very clear history of “The Project” and their accuracy is amazing. Given Aerosmith‘s success, it is odd that Sony hasn’t released a similar compilation — or that this one isn’t being imported in droves, since Perry is a legend, and his work while estranged from the hard rock phenomenon that is Aerosmith deserves attention, no matter how dark the period was for the guitarist personally. The album is a very good overview while purists and fans would, of course, prefer two CDs and all the tracks. “Listen to the Rock” from I’ve Got the Rock & Rolls Again is missing, and that was one of their key tunes; also, there were numerous outtakes or demo tapes from the period of Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker — lead singer Mach Bell played one for this writer called “When Worlds Collide” and it is incredible — those aforementioned tracks and other goodies would have really rounded this out. But these are minor quibbles. Hearing each phase of the Joe Perry Project from start to finish is textbook rock & roll and highly enjoyable. Charlie Farren eventually landed his own deal on Warner Bros. with Farrenheit, but imagine if Perry had stayed along for that ride? The music in the middle of this disc — “East Coast, West Coast,” “Buzz Buzz,” and “I’ve Got the Rock & Rolls Again” — were indicators of a developing sound, and Farren was the perfect partner for Perry to develop a sound to rival, not revisit, Aerosmith. Thundertrain lead singer Mach Bell, on the other hand, is truly the guy to add chaos to this touring unit. Bell is one of the most charismatic frontmen from the New England music scene, and his Thundertrain band mixed Rolling Stones with Slade, so Perry traded a vocalist/songwriter for a total madman. The video of track 16, “Black Velvet Pants,” is a story in itself, and it shows Bell in all his rock & roll glory, while the inclusion of T. Rex‘s “Bang a Gong” is the one cover, and perfect for Mach with his British rock leanings. The three phases of the Joe Perry Project — blues singer Mormon, songwriter/vocalist Farren, and stage performer Bell — is a vitally important chapter in American rock & roll, which Raven and McFarlane have lovingly packaged and preserved. If any reissue has a chance of finding a new audience, this is it.
FARRENHEIT First album
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Charlie Farren was lead singer of the Joe Perry Project six years prior to the release of this Keith Olsen-produced record. It is arena rock, make no doubt about that, but it is great arena rock. Farren is a tremendous singer, frontman, and songwriter. He’s appeared on Bad Company‘s Fame & Fortune disc as well as The Heat by Nona Hendrix, but the industry has failed to give him his due. “Lost in Loveland,” “Fool in Love,” and “Shine” on this Warner Bros. debut are outstanding titles. This is not your annoying, whiny Steve Perry/Mickey Thomas eunuch rock, all due respect to those gentlemen. But where their voices tend to grate upon repeated listening, Farren is smooth as silk. He’s got the grit along with the range, a very nice balance. “Bad Habit” might not be his most legendary tune, but it still rocks better than most. Deric Dyer‘s saxophone adds an element to “Impossible World,” which lifts it beyond the genre Farrenheit knows so well into a jazz/rock territory Steely Dan keeps a tight grip on. Dyer would perform with Tina Turner on her Live in Europe album in 1988, just a year later. This is grade-A stuff. “Goofy Boy” has to-the-point lyrics by Farrem about the underdog in a dating situation. His way with words shouldn’t be overshadowed by the musicianship and his vocal prowess. The Australian company, Raven Records, re-released six of Farren‘s tracks with the Joe Perry Project from I’ve Got the Rock ‘N’ Rolls Again on a compilation, The Music STILL Does the Talking in 1999. A good argument for keeping songs like “New Days,” “Wildness,” and especially “Staying Together” from this album in circulation.
FARRENHEIT RAISE THE ROOF
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The title track says it all: “Raise the Roof” is a rock & roll anthem and the follow-up to the Warner Brothers debut Farrenheit by Charlie Farren‘s trio. The 1987 Warner’s release was produced by Keith Olsen, and this is most likely the material the band was preparing but never got to release. In 1999, vocalist/guitarist Farren published three albums at once on his own label: the brilliant Deja Blue, a third Farrenheit disc with pretty much a new band minus the services of David Hull, and this collection. Along with the ten songs here the other discs contain another 22 titles. Thirty-two songs in one year is a bit overwhelming from any artist unless it is a boxed set, but it is better to have than to have not. As good as the intense riff of “Sister of Mercy” is, without massive exposure on radio or TV, it and its fellow album tracks “Shaking the Chains,” “Walking Out Loud,” “Tougher Than Nails,” and others get lost in the overabundance. This material really needed to come out at the end of the ’80s to fill the void that was left when the excitement of the Warners deal waned. Here is a great example of how timing can effect substantial music. No doubt the artists involved are thrilled to have this work available on the Internet and on the fixed medium that CDs are, but for a group that should have at least equaled the notoriety of Billy Squier, Farrenheit is relegated to the status of a great metal band with a cult following. Farren’s smooth voice is like nothing on radio — his liquid phrasings have more grit than
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30 Teams to Vie for Honors at US$5-Million Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020 in Abu Dhabi - News in Sierra Leone
30 Teams to Vie for Honors at US$5-Million Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020 in Abu Dhabi
Teams Representing Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and UAE to Compete in Four Iconic UAV and UGV-Related Challenges
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 11 February 2020, (AETOSWire): Khalifa University of Science and Technology, organizers of the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge, announced a total of 30 teams will be competing for honors at MBZIRC 2020, the second edition of US$5-million biennial competition to be held from 23-25 February in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in parallel with the 4th edition of Unmanned System Exhibition (UMEX) and Simulation & Training Exhibition and Conference (SIMTEX) 2020.
Around 500 top robotics experts from 30 international teams representing Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and the UAE are preparing for the final leg of MBZIRC 2020. They will compete in four iconic categories that will test advanced embodied AI technical skills. The competition, to be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC), will include three challenges and a triathlon type Grand Challenge.
Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “Building on the success of the inaugural edition of MBZIRC 2017, the second edition will bring a total of 30 teams to the UAE to display their advanced innovations in some key robotics technologies. These finalists represent top internationally-renowned academic and research institutions with well-established robotics labs and we believe MBZIRC 2020 will showcase the creative best in robotics and stand testimony to its reputation as a leading global competition.”
MBZIRC Challenge 1 will focus on drone safety, testing whether a team of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can autonomously track, capture and neutralize intruder UAVs.
Challenge 2 will test how a team of UAVs and an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) can collaborate to autonomously locate, pick, transport and assemble different types of brick-shaped objects to build pre-defined structures, in an outdoor environment.
Challenge 3 will assess how a team of UAVs and a UGV will collaborate to autonomously extinguish a series of simulated fires in an urban high rise building. The Grand Challenge requires UAVs and UGVs to compete in a triathlon-type event, combining Challenges 1, 2 and 3.
For more information, please visit: http://www.mbzirc.com/ & http://www.ku.ac.ae/
APCO Worldwide
Abdullah Al Sayed, Account Director, +971504887044
aalsayed@apcoworldwide.com
NATCOM DG Commences Nationwide Visits on Zonal Offices
Training Course on Pottery Production Techniques Successfully Completed in Sierra Leone
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ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS LADIES SCOTTISH OPEN
North Berwick, Scotland, UK
The Renaissance Club
Q. One off the lead. How are you feeling after the second round.
JENNIFER SONG: I'm very happy where I'm sitting going into the weekend, and I'm really excited to play the third and fourth round.
Q. This is one of those courses where I guess this year you really don't have to shoot that low to keep in contention. How important is it to you to keep the consistency that you've been having over these two days?
JENNIFER SONG: Like you said I think consistency is very important. Just trying to be patient out there. It can get gusty, and you just never know what's going to happen on a links course, so I'm just trying to take one shot at a time and trying to really be patient out there and when I have a chance for birdie, I'm trying to take advantage of that.
Q. How comfortable do you feel on links-style courses, or is it a challenge that you're just hoping to accept?
JENNIFER SONG: Actually, I'm really enjoying it because over the -- during the quarantine, I practised a lot of punch shots and trying to keep the ball low a little bit. It really suits my game, and I'm having a lot of fun out there right now.
Q. Having a lot of fun, despite some of the weather challenges here, too, you talked about the wind earlier but what does that do for your game and how do you prepare for that going into each round here in Scotland?
JENNIFER SONG: Well, it's very tough, so just being out there, it's very hard to judge how much I need to fly, because sometimes the wind -- the gust will get it to you. So I'm just trying to keep it low so that I don't have to really think about the wind. Yeah, the fairway and the greens are firm, so I think it's all about placing the ball in the right position, and I've been doing that pretty good over the last two days.
So I think if I just keep doing the same thing and just feel comfortable out there, I think I'm going to shoot some good scores.
Q. Scotland is definitely different than what we've been experiencing in America these last two weeks in Toledo. Since coming over here, what has it been like for you adjusting to links golf and the different protocols?
JENNIFER SONG: It's been very interesting, but the protocol's been very good. We are all safe and I think the big difference is the weather. I'm not really -- I'm not a big fan of chilly weather, but a lot of nice clothes by PXG apparel, so I think I'm ready.
Q. What does that do to you when you have to deal with chilly weather instead of warmer weather? Are you in a different mind-set or does that affect your play at all?
JENNIFER SONG: Well, most importantly, I try to keep my body warm, and I think when it's cold, I tend to get dehydrated a lot, so I drink a lot of water. Just keep myself moving to I don't get all rigid. So I think it's been good.
Q. How confident are you going into the weekend here after coming off two consistent rounds to be near the top of the leaderboard? What's some of the things you've been focusing on, not only here in Scotland but over the last two weeks of play?
JENNIFER SONG: I feel very comfortable and confident going into the weekend. I think my game is ready, and I put a lot of work during the quarantine. I think it's just about getting the pace right in my putting and whenever I have a birdie chance, just really take advantage of it and just be aggressive when I need to, but most importantly, I think I just need to stay patient during my third and fourth round.
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Giroud's appeal rejected -Wenger's predicament -Arsenal make history -The Ox is feeding
Morning Gooners.
Sadly unsurprisingly the Football Association has turned down Arsenal's appeal of Olivier Giroud's red card. It means his three game ban starts immediately and the handsome Frenchman will miss the games against Manchester United, QPR and Wigan.
Luckily the appeal wasn't adjudged to have been frivolous and Giroud will have chance to add to his 11 league goals this season at Newcastle away if selected. However seeing as he's only hit the back of the net once away from the Grove in the league - our first goal at Upton Park in our 3-1 win there - I'm not sure we'll see it happen in the north east.
It leaves Arsene Wenger with a predicament. Who does he pick to lead the line on Sunday and for probably the remainder of the season. I know the majority of fans want to see Lukas Podolski given a chance but for me playing through the middle isn't his best position and when he's had his fleeting chances with this team he's not risen to the occasion.
Maybe the work the manager has been doing with the German on the training pitch will make him into the player who can lead the line. But at the moment for me, the jury is still out. I'm not saying he can't play there. I just don't think at the moment there is enough evidence to say he can.
Theo Walcott is another option. But since he signed his new contract injuries and form have kept him from playing through the middle and I believe his best position is on the right hand side of our attack, cutting into the box between the full back and the centre back.
My preference would be for Gervinho to be handed the front man's role, especially for the game on Sunday. He's had his chances to play as our centre forward on a few occasions this season and while isn't a natural target man, his trickery will bamboozle the Manchester United defence and could lead us into some good positions where we're able to score. He's recently had a good run in the team, was taken out of it for the Everton and Fulham games, but should be given a chance against the Champions.
I'm of the belief that we should welcome the Manchester United players on to the pitch with a guard of honour. It's the classy thing to do. And hopefully it will send a message to the board that Manchester United won the title this season because we sold them our best player. And if we're to compete for trophies - like they claim our ambition is to do - then we can't afford to sell to our rivals.
Bayern Munich's model is to pick off the best player from their rivals each season and have snapped up Borussia Dortmund's Mario Gotze for the start of the Pep Guardiola era. He's a player we tried to sign last summer but weren't prepared to meet his buy out clause.
Last night's Champions League semi final was a sight to witness. Let's forget the dodgy refereeing decisions. They didn't change the game. Barcelona were completely dominated for the large majority of the game and this Bayern team deserved their win. And to think that Arsenal have been the only European team to beat them on their own soil this season. That's special.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been talking about that now famous victory.
"The win over Bayern Munich [last month] wasn't enough to get us to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals, but it was still a massive boost for us as a side.
"We are still feeding off the momentum of that and a win over United can have the same effect.
"Obviously it is a massive game for us with a Champions League place at stake, but it is also massive for next season with the confidence we can get from winning."
Five wins and a draw have seen us put together a fantastic run. And that should continue on Sunday with a win against one of our fiercest rivals.
That's it for today. More tomorrow.
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Home News Parliaments NewsLetter of Mr. Yahya Ali al-Ra'ee, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Yemen to the APA President (1 August 2017)
Letter of Mr. Yahya Ali al-Ra'ee, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Yemen to the APA President (1 August 2017)
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Date: 1 August 2017
Republic of Yemen
His Excellency the President of Asian Parliamentary Assembly,
Kind greetings and next,
The House of Representatives of the Republic of Yemen presents its kindest greetings and wishes you success in your activities.
Attached to this for you is the initiative which was set forth by the House regarding the current situation in which Yemen is living. Furthermore, it is my pleasure to clarify for you that most of the state’s resources including oil and gas, and most customs ports are under the “Coalition’s” control.
And these resources represents more than 85% of the state’s total revenues at a time when the budget of the Republic of Yemen relies by a share of 75% on oil and gas revenues, and by a share of 25% on other income sources and Yemen’s customs ports.
And we, in the House of Representatives, count on your cooperation and support for the implementation of this initiative which actualizes security and stability in Yemen and the region in general.
And please accept our regards,
(Seal and signature)
Yahya Ali al-Ra’ee
Speaker of the House of Representatives
The Initiative of the House of Representatives
Regarding the Current Situation in Which Yemen Lives
In view of Yemen’s suffering from the catastrophic human situation which threatens human life by the danger of hunger, where more than 17 million people in Yemen suffer from the lack of food security and 7 million others face the possibility of hunger,
Also while 462 thousand children suffer from severe malnutrition, as the statement of the president of Security Council described the danger of hunger in Yemen as the harshest of emergency situation concerning the lack of food security in the world, all of which reflects the magnitude of human crisis in Yemen as a consequence of war and military operations on Yemeni lands which have resulted in the death of thousands of civilian victims most of whom are children and women and the elders in addition to tens of thousands of injured and destruction of infrastructure including seaports, airports, roads, bridges, factories, farms and water wells, hospitals and health centers, schools and universities, power plants, communication centers, private sector institutions and companies, public installations, and other public and private properties in the reports and statistics issued by local and international, humanitarian and legal and relief organizations including:
• UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
• World Health Organization (WHO)
In addition to the spread of killing diseases including Cholera which has led to the death of more than 1,700 people as 297,438 cases suspicious of Cholera infection in 288 directorates and 22 governorates in Yemen till 20.07.2017 and approximately 16 million people do not get sufficient water, sanitary purification services, and healthy cleanliness which expose them to falling victims of Cholera as a consequence of the lack of means for fighting this dangerous epidemic,
And responding to the directions and initiatives which have been launched by a number of brother and friend countries and international and humanitarian organizations with respect to the importance of protecting Yemen’s integrity and the cessation of all military operations in Yemen and putting an end to the land, sea and air blockade imposed on Yemen and calling to the resumption of comprehensive and constructive talks,
Moving along what was said in the statements issued by the president of UN Security Council and the briefings of Mr. O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, and especially what was mentioned in the statement of UN Security Council which was issued by the council’s president in Security Council meeting 7974 dated 15.06.2017 regarding the call for resumption of a comprehensive political process for all parties … and its emphasis on the importance of keeping all of Yemeni seaports active considering them the extremely important lifeline for human support and other forms of basic supplies. … And the statement’s emphasis on the Security Council’s commitment to the integrity, sovereignty, independence, and regional security of Yemen.
Based on the national responsibility of the House of Representatives toward the Yemeni nation including its entire political spectrum, which represents all people of Yemen inside and outside of Yemen, therefore the House of Representatives of the Republic of Yemen would like to present the following initiative:
1. Inviting all parties to cease war and all sorts of military operations, and lift the land, sea, and air blockade imposed on Yemen.
2. Inviting the United Nations to devise an appropriate mechanism for monitoring the progress of activities in all land, sea, and air ports in all corners of the Republic of Yemen without any exception … to guarantee the collection of their revenues through the Yemeni Central Bank so as to ensure rendering all state duties including payment of the salaries of government employees and provision of food and pharmaceutical materials and fighting the specter of deadly epidemics which kill the Yemeni people in different governorates of the Republic of Yemen.
3. Inviting the Security Council to shoulder its human and legal role in nullifying all decisions and procedures which were taken during the past period including the decisions of Security Council which led and lead to tearing down and dispersing the national solidarity and the lack of food and health security and ripping the national unity and dispersing the state’s general revenues and damaging Yemen’s sovereignty and security and the integrity of its lands.
4. Inviting the concerned parties to an unconditional, constructive and comprehensive negotiation under international supervision in order to achieve a just political solution which guarantees actualization of peace and security in Yemen and the region and reaching a righteous, national and political partnership.
The House of Representatives invites all parties to put the highest interest of the nation at the top of all trivial interests and projects and to accept the other to put an end to the suffering of Yemenis from the scourge of the destructive war and the suffocating blockade and deadly epidemics.
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Boron trifluoride
Boron fluoride, Trifluoroborane
7637-07-2 Y
13319-75-0 (dihydrate) Y
3D model (JSmol)
CHEBI:33093 Y
EC Number
RTECS number
ED2275000
7JGD48PX8P N
UN number compressed: 1008.
boron trifluoride dihydrate: 2851.
InChI=1S/BF3/c2-1(3)4 Y
Key: WTEOIRVLGSZEPR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
FB(F)F
Molar mass 67.82 g/mol (anhydrous)
103.837 g/mol (dihydrate)
Appearance colorless gas (anhydrous)
colorless liquid (dihydrate)
Density 0.00276 g/cm3 (anhydrous gas)
1.64 g/cm3 (dihydrate)
Melting point −126.8 °C (−196.2 °F; 146.3 K)
Boiling point −100.3 °C (−148.5 °F; 172.8 K)
Solubility in water
exothermic decomposition [1] (anhydrous)
very soluble (dihydrate)
Solubility soluble in benzene, toluene, hexane, chloroform and methylene chloride
Vapor pressure >50 atm (20 °C)[2]
Dipole moment
Heat capacity (C)
50.46 J/mol K
Std molar
entropy (So298)
254.3 J/mol K
Std enthalpy of
formation (ΔfH⦵298)
-1137 kJ/mol
Gibbs free energy (ΔfG˚)
Hazards[4][5]
Safety data sheet ICSC 0231
GHS pictograms
GHS Signal word Danger
GHS hazard statements
H280, H330, H314, H335, H373
GHS precautionary statements
P260, P280, P303+361+353, P304+340, P310, P305+351+338, P403+233
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
Flash point Non-flammable
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
LC50 (median concentration)
1227 ppm (mouse, 2 hr)
39 ppm (guinea pig, 4 hr)
418 ppm (rat, 4 hr)[3]
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
PEL (Permissible)
C 1 ppm (3 mg/m3)[2]
REL (Recommended)
IDLH (Immediate danger)
25 ppm[2]
Related compounds
Other anions
boron trichloride
boron tribromide
boron triiodide
Other cations
gallium(III) fluoride
indium(III) fluoride
thallium(III) fluoride
boron monofluoride
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
N verify (what is Y N ?)
Infobox references
Boron trifluoride is the inorganic compound with the formula BF3. This pungent colourless toxic gas forms white fumes in moist air. It is a useful Lewis acid and a versatile building block for other boron compounds.
1 Structure and bonding
2 Synthesis and handling
2.1 Laboratory scale
4.1 Comparative Lewis acidity
4.2 Hydrolysis
5 Uses
5.1 Organic chemistry
5.2 Niche uses
6 Discovery
Structure and bonding
The geometry of a molecule of BF3 is trigonal planar. Its D3h symmetry conforms with the prediction of VSEPR theory. The molecule has no dipole moment by virtue of its high symmetry. The molecule is isoelectronic with the carbonate anion, CO2−
BF3 is commonly referred to as "electron deficient," a description that is reinforced by its exothermic reactivity toward Lewis bases.
In the boron trihalides, BX3, the length of the B–X bonds (1.30 Å) is shorter than would be expected for single bonds,[7] and this shortness may indicate stronger B–X π-bonding in the fluoride. A facile explanation invokes the symmetry-allowed overlap of a p orbital on the boron atom with the in-phase combination of the three similarly oriented p orbitals on fluorine atoms.[7] Others point to the ionic nature of the bonds in BF3.[8]
Synthesis and handling
BF3 is manufactured by the reaction of boron oxides with hydrogen fluoride:
B2O3 + 6 HF → 2 BF3 + 3 H2O
Typically the HF is produced in situ from sulfuric acid and fluorite (CaF2).[9] Approximately 2300-4500 tonnes of boron trifluoride are produced every year.[10]
Laboratory scale
For laboratory scale reactions, BF3 is usually produced in situ using boron trifluoride etherate, which is a commercially available liquid.
Laboratory routes to the solvent-free materials are numerous. A well documented route involves the thermal decomposition of diazonium salts of BF−
4:[11]
PhN2BF4 → PhF + BF3 + N2
Alternatively it arises from the reaction of sodium tetrafluoroborate, boron trioxide, and sulfuric acid:[12]
6 NaBF4 + B2O3 + 6 H2SO4 → 8 BF3 + 6 NaHSO4 + 3 H2O
Anhydrous boron trifluoride has a boiling point of −100.3 °C and a critical temperature of −12.3 °C, so that it can be stored as a refrigerated liquid only between those temperatures. Storage or transport vessels should be designed to withstand internal pressure, since a refrigeration system failure could cause pressures to rise to the critical pressure of 49.85 bar (4.985 MPa).[13]
Boron trifluoride is corrosive. Suitable metals for equipment handling boron trifluoride include stainless steel, monel, and hastelloy. In presence of moisture it corrodes steel, including stainless steel. It reacts with polyamides, Polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, and polypropylene show satisfactory resistance. The grease used in the equipment should be fluorocarbon based, as boron trifluoride reacts with the hydrocarbon-based ones.[14]
Unlike the aluminium and gallium trihalides, the boron trihalides are all monomeric. They undergo rapid halide exchange reactions:
BF3 + BCl3 → BF2Cl + BCl2F
Because of the facility of this exchange process, the mixed halides cannot be obtained in pure form.
Boron trifluoride is a versatile Lewis acid that forms adducts with such Lewis bases as fluoride and ethers:
CsF + BF3 → CsBF4
O(C2H5)2 + BF3 → BF3·O(C2H5)2
Tetrafluoroborate salts are commonly employed as non-coordinating anions. The adduct with diethyl ether, boron trifluoride diethyl etherate, or just boron trifluoride etherate, (BF3·O(Et)2) is a conveniently handled liquid and consequently is widely encountered as a laboratory source of BF3.[15] Another common adduct is the adduct with dimethyl sulfide (BF3·S(Me)2), which can be handled as a neat liquid.[16]
Comparative Lewis acidity
All three lighter boron trihalides, BX3 (X = F, Cl, Br) form stable adducts with common Lewis bases. Their relative Lewis acidities can be evaluated in terms of the relative exothermicities of the adduct-forming reaction. Such measurements have revealed the following sequence for the Lewis acidity:
BF3 < BCl3 < BBr3 (strongest Lewis acid)
This trend is commonly attributed to the degree of π-bonding in the planar boron trihalide that would be lost upon pyramidalization of the BX3 molecule.[17] which follows this trend:
BF3 > BCl3 > BBr3 (most easily pyramidalized)
The criteria for evaluating the relative strength of π-bonding are not clear, however.[7] One suggestion is that the F atom is small compared to the larger Cl and Br atoms, and the lone pair electron in pz of F is readily and easily donated and overlapped to empty pz orbital of boron. As a result, the pi donation of F is greater than that of Cl or Br.
In an alternative explanation, the low Lewis acidity for BF3 is attributed to the relative weakness of the bond in the adducts F3B−L.[18][19]
Boron trifluoride reacts with water to give boric acid and fluoroboric acid. The reaction commences with the formation of the aquo adduct, H2O−BF3, which then loses HF that gives fluoroboric acid with boron trifluoride.[20]
4 BF3 + 3 H2O → 3 HBF4 + B(OH)3
The heavier trihalides do not undergo analogous reactions, possibly due to the lower stability of the tetrahedral ions BCl−
4 and BBr−
4. Because of the high acidity of fluoroboric acid, the fluoroborate ion can be used to isolate particularly electrophilic cations, such as diazonium ions, that are otherwise difficult to isolate as solids.
Boron trifluoride is most importantly used as a reagent in organic synthesis, typically as a Lewis acid.[10][21] Examples include:
initiates polymerisation reactions of unsaturated compounds, such as polyethers
as a catalyst in some isomerization, acylation,[22] alkylation, esterification, dehydration,[23] condensation, Mukaiyama aldol addition, and other reactions[24][citation needed]
Niche uses
Other, less common uses for boron trifluoride include:
applied as dopant in ion implantation
p-type dopant for epitaxially grown silicon
used in sensitive neutron detectors in ionization chambers and devices to monitor radiation levels in the Earth's atmosphere
in fumigation
as a flux for soldering magnesium
to prepare diborane[12]
Boron trifluoride was discovered in 1808 by Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Louis Jacques Thénard, who were trying to isolate "fluoric acid" (i.e., hydrofluoric acid) by combining calcium fluoride with vitrified boric acid. The resulting vapours failed to etch glass, so they named it fluoboric gas.[25][26]
List of highly toxic gases
^ Prudent Practices in the Laboratory. nap.edu. 16 August 1995. doi:10.17226/4911. ISBN 978-0-309-05229-0. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
^ a b c d NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0062". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
^ "Boron trifluoride". Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health Concentrations (IDLH). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
^ Index no. 005-001-00-X of Annex VI, Part 3, to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures, amending and repealing Directives 67/548/EEC and 1999/45/EC, and amending Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. OJEU L353, 31.12.2008, pp 1–1355 at p 341.
^ "Boron trifluoride", Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-149, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2005, ISBN 9780160727511 .
^ Inc, New Environment. "New Environment Inc. - NFPA Chemicals". www.newenv.com. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
^ a b c Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997). Chemistry of the Elements (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.
^ Gillespie, Ronald J. (1998). "Covalent and Ionic Molecules: Why Are BeF2 and AlF3 High Melting Point Solids whereas BF3 and SiF4 Are Gases?". Journal of Chemical Education. 75 (7): 923. Bibcode:1998JChEd..75..923G. doi:10.1021/ed075p923.
^ Holleman, A. F.; Wiberg, E. (2001). Inorganic Chemistry. San Diego: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-352651-5.
^ a b Brotherton, R. J.; Weber, C. J.; Guibert, C. R.; Little, J. L. "Boron Compounds". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a04_309.
^ Flood, D. T. (1933). "Fluorobenzene". Organic Syntheses. 13: 46. ; Collective Volume, 2, p. 295
^ a b Brauer, Georg (1963). Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Academic Press. p. 220 & 773. ISBN 978-0121266011.
^ Yaws, C. L., ed. (1999). Chemical Properties Handbook. McGraw-Hill. p. 25.
^ "Boron trifluoride". Gas Encyclopedia. Air Liquide. 2016-12-15. Archived from the original on 2006-12-06.
^ Cornel, Veronica; Lovely, Carl J. (2007). "Boron Trifluoride Etherate". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. doi:10.1002/9780470842898.rb249.pub2. ISBN 978-0471936237.
^ Heaney, Harry (2001). "Boron Trifluoride-Dimethyl Sulfide". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. doi:10.1002/047084289X.rb247. ISBN 0471936235.
^ Cotton, F. Albert; Wilkinson, Geoffrey; Murillo, Carlos A.; Bochmann, Manfred (1999), Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (6th ed.), New York: Wiley-Interscience, ISBN 0-471-19957-5
^ Boorman, P. M.; Potts, D. (1974). "Group V Chalcogenide Complexes of Boron Trihalides". Canadian Journal of Chemistry. 52 (11): 2016–2020. doi:10.1139/v74-291.
^ Brinck, T.; Murray, J. S.; Politzer, P. (1993). "A Computational Analysis of the Bonding in Boron Trifluoride and Boron Trichloride and their Complexes with Ammonia". Inorganic Chemistry. 32 (12): 2622–2625. doi:10.1021/ic00064a008.
^ Wamser, C. A. (1951). "Equilibria in the System Boron Trifluoride–Water at 25°". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 73 (1): 409–416. doi:10.1021/ja01145a134.
^ Heaney, H. (2001). "Boron Trifluoride". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. doi:10.1002/047084289X.rb250. ISBN 0-471-93623-5.
^ Mani, Rama I.; Erbert, Larry H.; Manise, Daniel (1991). "Boron Trifluoride in the Synthesis of Plant Phenolics: Synthesis of Phenolic Ketones and Phenyl Stryl Ketones" (PDF). Journal of Tennessee Academy of Science. 66 (1): 1–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
^ Sowa, F. J.; Hennion, G. F.; Nieuwland, J. A. (1935). "Organic Reactions with Boron Fluoride. IX. The Alkylation of Phenol with Alcohols". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 57 (4): 709–711. doi:10.1021/ja01307a034.
^ "Boron Trifluoride (BF3) Applications". Honeywell. Archived from the original on 2012-01-29.
^ Gay-Lussac, J. L.; Thénard, L. J. (1809). "Sur l'acide fluorique". Annales de Chimie. 69: 204–220.
^ Gay-Lussac, J. L.; Thénard, L. J. (1809). "Des propriétés de l'acide fluorique et sur-tout de son action sur le métal de la potasse". Mémoires de Physique et de Chimie de la Société d'Arcueil. 2: 317–331.
"Safety and Health Topics: Boron Trifluoride". OSHA.
"BORON TRIFLUORIDE ICSC: 0231". International Chemical Safety Cards. CDC. Archived from the original on 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
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"Fluoride Compounds: Overview". National Pollutant Inventory. Australian Government.
"Boron trifluoride". WebBook. NIST.
"Boron Trifluoride (BF3) Applications". Honeywell. Archived from the original on 2012-01-29. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
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Pygmalion (play)
For other works with this title, see Pygmalion.
Illustration depicting Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Eliza Doolittle
Professor Henry Higgins
Colonel Pickering
Alfred Doolittle
Mrs. Pearce
Mrs. Higgins
Mrs. Eynsford-Hill
Clara Eynsford-Hill
Freddy Eynsford-Hill
Date premiered
16 October 1913 (1913-10-16)
Place premiered
Hofburg Theatre in Vienna, Austria
romantic comedy, social criticism
Pygmalion is a play by George Bernard Shaw, named after a Greek mythological figure. It was first presented on stage to the public in 1913.
In ancient Greek mythology, Pygmalion fell in love with one of his sculptures, which then came to life. The general idea of that myth was a popular subject for Victorian era British playwrights, including one of Shaw's influences, W. S. Gilbert, who wrote a successful play based on the story called Pygmalion and Galatea that was first presented in 1871. Shaw would also have been familiar with the burlesque version, Galatea, or Pygmalion Reversed. Shaw's play has been adapted numerous times, most notably as the 1938 film Pygmalion, the 1956 musical My Fair Lady and its 1964 film version.
Shaw mentioned that the character of Professor Henry Higgins was inspired by several British professors of phonetics: Alexander Melville Bell, Alexander J. Ellis, Tito Pagliardini, but above all, the cantankerous Henry Sweet.[1]
1 First productions
2.1 Act One
2.2 Act Two
2.3 Act Three
2.4 Act Four
2.5 Act Five
3 Critical reception
4 Ending
7 Notable productions
8 Adaptations
9.2 Television
First productions
A Sketch Magazine illustration of Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Eliza Doolittle from 22 April 1914. Shaw wrote the part of Eliza expressly for Campbell, who played opposite Herbert Beerbohm Tree as Henry Higgins.
After creating the role of Col. Pickering in the London production, Philip Merivale (second from right) played Henry Higgins opposite Mrs. Patrick Campbell (right) when Pygmalion was taken to Broadway (1914)
Shaw wrote the play in early 1912 and read it to famed actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell in June. She came on board almost immediately, but her mild nervous breakdown contributed to the delay of a London production. Pygmalion premiered at the Hofburg Theatre in Vienna on 16 October 1913, in a German translation by Shaw's Viennese literary agent and acolyte, Siegfried Trebitsch.[2][3] Its first New York production opened on 24 March 1914 at the German-language Irving Place Theatre.[4] It opened in London on 11 April 1914, at Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree's His Majesty's Theatre, with Campbell as Eliza and Tree as Higgins, and ran for 118 performances.[5] Shaw directed the actors through tempestuous rehearsals often punctuated by at least one of the two storming out of the theatre in a rage.[6]
George Orwell claimed that "The central plot of Shaw's play, Pygmalion, is lifted out of Peregrine Pickle [by Tobias Smollett], and I believe that no one has ever pointed this out in print, which suggests that few people have read the book." ("As I Please" TRIBUNE July 7, 1944)
A group of people are sheltering from the rain. Among them are the Eynsford-Hills, superficial social climbers eking out a living in "genteel poverty", consisting initially of Mrs. Eynsford-Hill and her daughter Clara. Clara's brother Freddy enters having earlier been dispatched to secure them a cab (which they can ill-afford), but being rather timid and faint-hearted he has failed to do so. As he goes off once again to find a cab, he bumps into a flower girl, Eliza. Her flowers drop into the mud of Covent Garden, the flowers she needs to survive in her poverty-stricken world. Shortly, they are joined by a gentleman, Colonel Pickering. While Eliza tries to sell flowers to the Colonel, a bystander informs her that a man is writing down everything she says. The man is Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics. Eliza worries that Higgins is a police officer and will not calm down until Higgins introduces himself. It soon becomes apparent that he and Colonel Pickering have a shared interest in phonetics; indeed, Pickering has come from India to meet Higgins, and Higgins was planning to go to India to meet Pickering. Higgins tells Pickering that he could pass off the flower girl as a duchess merely by teaching her to speak properly. These words of bravado spark an interest in Eliza, who would love to make changes in her life and become more mannerly, even though, to her, it only means working in a flower shop. At the end of the act, Freddy returns after finding a taxi, only to find that his mother and sister have gone and left him with the cab. The streetwise Eliza takes the cab from him, using the money that Higgins tossed to her, leaving him on his own.
Lynn Fontanne (Eliza) and Henry Travers (Alfred Doolittle) in the Theatre Guild production of Pygmalion (1926)
Higgins' home – the next day
As Higgins demonstrates his phonetics to Pickering, the housekeeper Mrs. Pearce, tells him that a young girl wants to see him. Eliza has shown up because she wishes to talk like a lady in a flower shop. She tells Higgins that she will pay for lessons. He shows no interest, but she reminds him of his boast the previous day. Higgins claimed that he could pass her for a duchess. Pickering makes a bet with him on his claim, and says that he will pay for her lessons if Higgins succeeds. She is sent off to have a bath. Mrs. Pearce tells Higgins that he must behave himself in the young girl's presence, meaning he must stop swearing, and improve his table manners, but he is at a loss to understand why she should find fault with him. Alfred Doolittle, Eliza's father, appears with the sole purpose of getting money out of Higgins, having no paternal interest in his daughter's welfare. He sees himself as a member of the undeserving poor, and means to go on being undeserving. With his intelligent mind untamed by education, he has an eccentric view of life. He is also aggressive, and when Eliza, on her return, sticks her tongue out at him, he goes to hit her, but is prevented by Pickering. The scene ends with Higgins telling Pickering that they really have got a difficult job on their hands.
Act Three
Mrs. Higgins' drawing room
Higgins bursts in and tells his mother he has picked up a "common flower girl" whom he has been teaching. Mrs. Higgins is not very impressed with her son's attempts to win her approval because it is her 'at home' day and she is entertaining visitors. The visitors are the Eynsford-Hills. Higgins is rude to them on their arrival. Eliza enters and soon falls into talking about the weather and her family. Whilst she is now able to speak in beautifully modulated tones, the substance of what she says remains unchanged from the gutter. She confides her suspicions that her aunt was killed by relatives, and mentions that gin had been "mother's milk" to this aunt, and that Eliza's own father was always more cheerful after a goodly amount of gin. Higgins passes off her remarks as "the new small talk", and Freddy is enraptured. When she is leaving, he asks her if she is going to walk across the park, to which she replies, "Walk? Not bloody likely!" (This is the most famous line from the play, and, for many years after the play's debut, use of the word 'bloody' was known as a pygmalion; Mrs. Campbell was considered to have risked her career by speaking the line on stage.[7]) After she and the Eynsford-Hills leave, Henry asks for his mother's opinion. She says the girl is not presentable and is very concerned about what will happen to her, but neither Higgins nor Pickering understands her thoughts of Eliza's future, and leave feeling confident and excited about how Eliza will get on. This leaves Mrs. Higgins feeling exasperated, and exclaiming, "Men! Men!! Men!!!"
Higgins' home – midnight
Higgins, Pickering, and Eliza have returned from a ball. A tired Eliza sits unnoticed, brooding and silent, while Pickering congratulates Higgins on winning the bet. Higgins scoffs and declares the evening a "silly tomfoolery", thanking God it's over and saying that he had been sick of the whole thing for the last two months. Still barely acknowledging Eliza beyond asking her to leave a note for Mrs. Pearce regarding coffee, the two retire to bed. Higgins returns to the room, looking for his slippers, and Eliza throws them at him. Higgins is taken aback, and is at first completely unable to understand Eliza's preoccupation, which aside from being ignored after her triumph is the question of what she is to do now. When Higgins does understand he makes light of it, saying she could get married, but Eliza interprets this as selling herself like a prostitute. "We were above that at the corner of Tottenham Court Road." Finally she returns her jewelry to Higgins, including the ring he had given her, which he throws into the fireplace with a violence that scares Eliza. Furious with himself for losing his temper, he damns Mrs. Pearce, the coffee and then Eliza, and finally himself, for "lavishing" his knowledge and his "regard and intimacy" on a "heartless guttersnipe", and retires in great dudgeon. Eliza roots around in the fireplace and retrieves the ring.
Act Five
Mrs. Higgins' drawing room – the next morning
Higgins and Pickering, perturbed by the discovery that Eliza has walked out on them, call on Mrs. Higgins to phone the police. Higgins is particularly distracted, since Eliza had assumed the responsibility of maintaining his diary and keeping track of his possessions, which causes Mrs. Higgins to decry their calling the police as though Eliza were "a lost umbrella". Doolittle is announced; he emerges dressed in splendid wedding attire and is furious with Higgins, who after their previous encounter had been so taken with Doolittle's unorthodox ethics that he had recommended him as the "most original moralist in England" to a rich American founding Moral Reform Societies; the American had subsequently left Doolittle a pension worth three thousand pounds a year, as a consequence of which Doolittle feels intimidated into joining the middle class and marrying his missus. Mrs. Higgins observes that this at least settles the problem of who shall provide for Eliza, to which Higgins objects – after all, he paid Doolittle five pounds for her. Mrs. Higgins informs her son that Eliza is upstairs, and explains the circumstances of her arrival, alluding to how marginalised and overlooked Eliza felt the previous night. Higgins is unable to appreciate this, and sulks when told that he must behave if Eliza is to join them. Doolittle is asked to wait outside.
Eliza enters, at ease and self-possessed. Higgins blusters but Eliza isn't shaken and speaks exclusively to Pickering. Throwing Higgins' previous insults back at him ("Oh, I'm only a squashed cabbage leaf"), Eliza remarks that it was only by Pickering's example that she learned to be a lady, which renders Higgins speechless. Eliza goes on to say that she has completely left behind the flower girl she was, and that she couldn't utter any of her old sounds if she tried – at which point Doolittle emerges from the balcony, causing Eliza to relapse totally into her gutter speech. Higgins is jubilant, jumping up and crowing over her. Doolittle explains his situation and asks if Eliza will come with him to his wedding. Pickering and Mrs. Higgins also agree to go, and leave with Doolittle and Eliza to follow.
The scene ends with another confrontation between Higgins and Eliza. Higgins asks if Eliza is satisfied with the revenge she has brought thus far and if she will now come back, but she refuses. Higgins defends himself from Eliza's earlier accusation by arguing that he treats everyone the same, so she shouldn't feel singled out. Eliza replies that she just wants a little kindness, and that since he will never stop to show her this, she will not come back, but will marry Freddy. Higgins scolds her for such low ambitions: he has made her "a consort for a king." When she threatens to teach phonetics and offer herself as an assistant to Nepommuck, Higgins again loses his temper and promises to wring her neck if she does so. Eliza realises that this last threat strikes Higgins at the very core and that it gives her power over him; Higgins, for his part, is delighted to see a spark of fight in Eliza rather than her erstwhile fretting and worrying. He remarks "I like you like this", and calls her a "pillar of strength". Mrs. Higgins returns and she and Eliza depart for the wedding. As they leave, Higgins incorrigibly gives Eliza a number of errands to run, as though their recent conversation had not taken place. Eliza disdainfully explains why they are unnecessary and wonders what Higgins is going to do without her (in another version, Eliza disdainfully tells him to do the errands himself; Mrs. Higgins says that she'll get the items, but Higgins cheerfully tells her that Eliza will do it after all). Higgins laughs to himself at the idea of Eliza marrying Freddy as the play ends.
The play was well received by critics in major cities following its premieres in Vienna, London, and New York. The initial release in Vienna garnered several reviews describing the show as a positive departure from Shaw's usual dry and didactic style.[8] The Broadway premiere in New York was praised in terms of both plot and acting, described as "a love story with brusque diffidence and a wealth of humor."[9] Reviews of the production in London were slightly less unequivocally positive, with the Telegraph noting that the play was deeply diverting with interesting mechanical staging, although the critic ultimately found the production somewhat shallow and overly lengthy.[10] The London Times, however, praised both the characters and actors (especially Sir Herbert Tree as Higgins and Mrs. Patrick Campbell as Eliza) and the happy if "unconventional" ending.[11][12]
Pygmalion was the most broadly appealing of all Shaw's plays. But popular audiences, looking for pleasant entertainment with big stars in a West End venue, wanted a "happy ending" for the characters they liked so well, as did some critics.[13] During the 1914 run, to Shaw's exasperation but not to his surprise, Tree sought to sweeten Shaw's ending to please himself and his record houses.[14] Shaw returned for the 100th performance and watched Higgins, standing at the window, toss a bouquet down to Eliza. "My ending makes money; you ought to be grateful," protested Tree, to which Shaw replied, "Your ending is damnable; you ought to be shot."[15][16] Shaw remained sufficiently irritated to add a postscript essay, "'What Happened Afterwards,"[17] to the 1916 print edition for inclusion with subsequent editions, in which he explained precisely why it was impossible for the story to end with Higgins and Eliza getting married.
He continued to protect what he saw as the play's, and Eliza's, integrity by protecting the last scene. For at least some performances during the 1920 revival, Shaw adjusted the ending in a way that underscored the Shavian message. In an undated note to Mrs. Campbell he wrote,
When Eliza emancipates herself – when Galatea comes to life – she must not relapse. She must retain her pride and triumph to the end. When Higgins takes your arm on 'consort battleship' you must instantly throw him off with implacable pride; and this is the note until the final 'Buy them yourself.' He will go out on the balcony to watch your departure; come back triumphantly into the room; exclaim 'Galatea!' (meaning that the statue has come to life at last); and – curtain. Thus he gets the last word; and you get it too.[18]
(This ending, however, is not included in any print version of the play.)
Shaw fought against a Higgins-Eliza happy-end pairing as late as 1938. He sent the 1938 film version's producer, Gabriel Pascal, a concluding sequence which he felt offered a fair compromise: a tender farewell scene between Higgins and Eliza, followed by one showing Freddy and Eliza happy in their greengrocery-flower shop. Only at the sneak preview did he learn that Pascal had finessed the question of Eliza's future with a slightly ambiguous final scene in which Eliza returns to the house of a sadly musing Higgins and self-mockingly quotes her previous self announcing, "I washed my face and hands before I come, I did".
Different versions
First American (serialized) publication, Everybody's Magazine, November 1914
There are two main versions of the play in circulation. One is based on the earlier version, first published in 1914; the other is a later version that includes several sequences revised by Shaw, first published in 1941. Therefore, different editions of the play omit or add certain lines. For instance, the Project Gutenberg version published online, which is transcribed from an early version, does not include Eliza's exchange with Mrs. Pearce in Act II, the scene with Nepommuck in Act III, or Higgins' famous declaration to Eliza, "Yes, you squashed cabbage-leaf, you disgrace to the noble architecture of these columns, you incarnate insult to the English language! I could pass you off as the Queen of Sheba!" – a line so famous that it is now retained in nearly all productions of the play, including the 1938 film version of Pygmalion as well as in the stage and film versions of My Fair Lady.[19]
The co-director of the 1938 film, Anthony Asquith, had seen Mrs. Campbell in the 1920 revival of Pygmalion and noticed that she spoke the line, "It's my belief as how they done the old woman in." He knew "as how" was not in Shaw's text, but he felt it added color and rhythm to Eliza's speech, and liked to think that Mrs. Campbell had ad libbed it herself. Eighteen years later he added it to Wendy Hiller's line in the film.[6]
In the original play Eliza's test is met at an ambassador's garden party, offstage. For the 1938 film Shaw and co-writers replaced that exposition with a scene at an embassy ball; Nepommuck, the blackmailing translator spoken about in the play, is finally seen, but his name is updated to Aristid Karpathy – named so by Gabriel Pascal, the film's Hungarian producer, who also made sure that Karpathy mistakes Eliza for a Hungarian princess. In My Fair Lady he became Zoltan Karpathy. (The change of name was likely to avoid offending the sensibilities of Roman Catholics, as St. John Nepomuk was, ironically, a Catholic martyr who refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional.)
The 1938 film also introduced the famous pronunciation exercises "the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain" and "In Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen".[20] Neither of these appears in the original play. Shaw's screen version of the play as well as a new print version incorporating the new sequences he had added for the film script were published in 1941. Many of the scenes that were written for the films were separated by asterisks, and explained in a "Note for Technicians" section.
Pygmalion remains Shaw's most popular play. The play's widest audiences know it as the inspiration for the highly romanticized 1956 musical and 1964 film My Fair Lady.
Pygmalion has transcended cultural and language barriers since its first production. The British Museum contains "images of the Polish production...; a series of shots of a wonderfully Gallicised Higgins and Eliza in the first French production in Paris in 1923; a fascinating set for a Russian production of the 1930s. There was no country which didn't have its own 'take' on the subjects of class division and social mobility, and it's as enjoyable to view these subtle differences in settings and costumes as it is to imagine translators wracking their brains for their own equivalent of 'Not bloody likely'."[21]
Joseph Weizenbaum named his chatterbot computer program ELIZA after the character Eliza Doolittle.[22]
Notable productions
Lynn Fontanne as Eliza Doolittle in the Theatre Guild production of Pygmalion (1926)
1914: Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and Mrs Patrick Campbell at His Majesty's Theatre
1914: Philip Merivale and Mrs Patrick Campbell at three Broadway theatres [Park, Liberty and Wallack's] (USA)
1920: C Aubrey Smith and Mrs Patrick Campbell at the Aldwych Theatre
1926: Reginald Mason and Lynn Fontanne at the Guild Theatre (USA)
1936: Ernest Thesiger and Wendy Hiller at the Festival Theatre, Malvern
1937: Robert Morley and Diana Wynyard at the Old Vic Theatre
1945: Raymond Massey and Gertrude Lawrence at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (USA)
1947: Alec Clunes and Brenda Bruce at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith
1953: John Clements and Kay Hammond at the St James's Theatre
1965: Ian White and Jane Asher at the Watford Palace Theatre
1974: Alec McCowen and Diana Rigg at the Albery Theatre
1984: Peter O'Toole and Jackie Smith-Wood at the Shaftesbury Theatre
1987: Peter O'Toole and Amanda Plummer at the Plymouth Theatre (USA)
1992: Alan Howard and Frances Barber at the Royal National Theatre
1997: Roy Marsden and Carli Norris (who replaced Emily Lloyd early in rehearsals) at the Albery Theatre[23]
2007: Tim Pigott-Smith and Michelle Dockery at the Old Vic Theatre
2007: Jefferson Mays and Claire Danes at American Airlines Theatre (USA)
2010: Simon Robson and Cush Jumbo at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
2011: Rupert Everett (later Alistair McGowan) and Kara Tointon at the Garrick Theatre[24]
2011: Risteárd Cooper and Charlie Murphy at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin
Julie Andrews as flower girl Eliza Doolittle meets Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins in the 1956 musical adaptation of Pygmalion, My Fair Lady.
My Fair Lady (1956), the Broadway musical by Lerner and Loewe (based on the 1938 film), starring Rex Harrison as Higgins and Julie Andrews as Eliza
Cinematographer Harry Stradling poses with Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle on the set of the 1964 movie musical My Fair Lady.
Pygmalion (1935), a German film adaptation by Shaw and others, starring Gustaf Gründgens as Higgins and Jenny Jugo as Eliza. Directed by Erich Engel.
Hoi Polloi (1935), a short feature starring The Three Stooges comedy team. To win a bet, a professor attempts to transform the Stooges into gentlemen.
Pygmalion (1937), a Dutch film adaptation, starring Johan De Meester as Higgins and Lily Bouwmeester as Elisa. Directed by Ludwig Berger.
Pygmalion (1938), a British film adaptation by Shaw and others, starring Leslie Howard as Higgins and Wendy Hiller as Eliza
Kitty (1945), a film based on the novel of the same name by Rosamond Marshall (published in 1943). A broad interpretation of the Pygmalion story line, the film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young guttersnipe, Cockney girl.
My Fair Lady (1964), a film version of the musical starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza and Rex Harrison as Higgins
The Opening of Misty Beethoven (1976), an American hardcore pornography film take-off starring Constance Money and Jamie Gillis
She's All That (1999): a modern, teenage take on Pygmalion
The Duff (2015): based on the novel of the same name by Kody Keplinger, which in turn is a modern teenage adaption of Pygmalion
A 1963 Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Pygmalion, starring Julie Harris as Eliza and James Donald as Higgins
Pygmalion (1973), a BBC Play of the Month version starring James Villiers as Higgins and Lynn Redgrave as Eliza
Pygmalion (1981), a film version starring Twiggy as Eliza and Robert Powell as Higgins
Pygmalion (1983), an adaptation starring Peter O'Toole as Higgins and Margot Kidder as Eliza
The Makeover, a 2013 Hallmark Hall of Fame modern adaptation of Pygmalion, starring Julia Stiles and David Walton and directed by John Gray[25][26]
Selfie, a 2014 television sitcom on ABC, starring Karen Gillan and John Cho.
Classic Alice, a webseries, aired a 10-episode adaptation on YouTube, starring Kate Hackett and Tony Noto in 2014.
Totalmente Demais, a 2015 Brazilian telenovela, starring Juliana Paes, Marina Ruy Barbosa and Fábio Assunção.
Non–English language
Pigmalió, an adaptation by Joan Oliver into Catalan. Set in 1950s Barcelona, it was first staged in Sabadell in 1957 and has had other stagings since.
Ti Phulrani, an adaptation by Pu La Deshpande in Marathi. The plot follows Pygmalion closely but the language features are based on Marathi.
Santu Rangeeli, an adaptation by Madhu Rye and Pravin Joshi in Gujarati.
A 1996 television play in Polish, translated by Kazimierz Piotrowski, directed by Maciej Wojtyszko and performed at Teatr Telewizji (Polish Television studio in Warsaw) by some of the top Polish actors at the time. It has been aired on national TV numerous times since its TV premiere in 1998.
A 2007 adaptation by Aka Morchiladze and Levan Tsuladze in Georgian performed at the Marjanishvili Theatre in Tbilisi
Man Pasand, a 1980 Hindi movie directed by Basu Chatterjee
Ogo Bodhu Shundori, a 1981 Bengali comedy film starring Uttam Kumar directed by Salil Dutta
My Young Auntie, a 1981 Hong Kong action film directed by Lau Kar-Leung
Laiza Porko Sushi, a Papiamentu adaptation from writer and artist May Henriquez
Gönülcelen, a Turkish series starring Tuba Büyüküstün and Cansel Elcin
Δύο Ξένοι, a Greek series starring Nikos Sergianopoulos and Evelina Papoulia
The First Night of Pygmalion (1972), a play depicting the backstage tensions during the first British production.
Willy Russell's 1980 stage comedy Educating Rita and the subsequent film adaptation are similar in plot to Pygmalion.[27]
Trading Places (1983), a film starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.
Pretty Woman (1990), a film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), a film starring Lindsay Lohan where she auditions for a modernized musical version of Pygmalion called "Eliza Rocks".
Mighty Aphrodite (1995) a film directed by Woody Allen.
She's All That (1999), a film starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr.
Ruby Sparks (2012), a film written by and starring Zoe Kazan explores a writer (played by Paul Dano) who falls in love with his own fictional character who becomes real.
Moonlighting's second-season episode "My Fair David" (1985) is inspired by the movie My Fair Lady, in a plot where Maddie Hayes makes a bet with David Addison consisting in making him softer and more serious with work. She is her Henry Higgins, while he is put in the Eliza Doolittle position, as the funny, clumsy, bad-mannered part of the relationship.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s third-season episode "The Galatea Affair" (1966) is a spoof of My Fair Lady. A crude barroom entertainer (Joan Collins) is taught to behave like a lady. Noel Harrison, son of Rex Harrison, star of the My Fair Lady film, is the guest star.
In The Beverly Hillbillies episode "Pygmalion and Elly" Sonny resumes his high-class courtship of Elly May by playing Julius Caesar and Pygmalion.
In The Andy Griffith Show season 4 episode "My Fair Ernest T. Bass", Andy and Barney attempt to turn the mannerless Ernest T. Bass into a presentable gentleman. References to "Pygmalion" abound: Bass' manners are tested at a social gathering, where he is assumed by the hostess to be a man from Boston. Several characters comment "if you wrote this into a play nobody'd believe it."
In Doctor Who, the character of Leela is loosely based on Eliza Doolittle. She was a regular in the programme from 1977 to 1978, and later reprised in audio dramas from 2003 to present. In Ghost Light, the character of Control is heavily based upon Eliza Doolittle, with Redvers Fenn-Cooper in a similar role as Henry Higgins; the story also features reference to the "Rain in Spain" rhyme and the Doctor referring to companion Ace as "Eliza".
In the Remington Steele season 2 episode "My Fair Steele", Laura and Steele transform a truck stop waitress into a socialite to flush out a kidnapper. Steele references the 1938 movie Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, and references the way in which Laura has "molded" him into her fictional creation.
In the Magnum, P.I. episode "Professor Jonathan Higgins" of Season 5, Jonathan Higgins tries to turn his punk rocker cousin into a high society socialite. Higgins even references Pygmalion in the episode.
The Simpsons episode titled "Pygmoelian" is inspired by Pygmalion, in which infamously ugly barman Moe has a facelift. It was also parodied to a heavier extent in the episode "My Fair Laddy", where the character being changed is uncouth Scotsman Groundskeeper Willie.
The Family Guy episode "One If By Clam, Two If By Sea" involves a subplot with Stewie trying to refine Eliza Pinchley, his new Cockney-accented neighbor, into a proper young lady. He makes a bet with Brian that he can improve Eliza's vocabulary and get her to speak without her accent before her birthday party. Includes "The Life of the Wife", a parody of the song "The Rain in Spain" (from My Fair Lady). The voice of Stewie was in fact originally based on that of Rex Harrison.
The plot of the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Someone to Watch Over Me" is loosely based on Pygmalion.
In the Boy Meets World episode "Turnaround", Cory and Shawn learn about "Pygmalion" in class, paralleling their attempt with Cory's uncool date to the dance.
The iCarly episode "iMake Sam Girlier" is loosely based on Pygmalion.[citation needed]
The Season 7 King of the Hill episode "Pigmalian" describes an unhinged local pig magnate who attempts to transform Luanne into the idealized woman of his company's old advertisements.
In The King of Queens episode "Gambling N'Diction" Carrie tries to lose her accent for a job promotion by being taught by Spence. The episode was renamed to "Carrie Doolittle" in Germany.
In 2014, ABC debuted a romantic situational comedy titled Selfie, starring Karen Gillan and John Cho. It is a modern-day adaptation that revolves around an image-obsessed woman named Eliza Dooley (Gillan) who comes under the social guidance of marketing image guru Henry Higgs (Cho).
In the Malaysian drama Nur, Pygmalion themes are evident. The lives of a pious, upstanding man and a prostitute are considered within the context of Islam, societal expectations and norms.
^ George Bernard Shaw, Androcles and the Lion: Overruled : Pygmalion (New York City: Brentano's, 1918), page 109. (Note: Alexander M. Bell's first wife was named Eliza.)
^ "Theses & Conference Papers". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
^ Shaw, Bernard, edited by Samuel A. Weiss (1986). Bernard Shaw's Letters to Siegfried Trebitsch. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-1257-3, p.164.
^ "Herr G.B. Shaw at the Irving Place." The New York Times Archived 23 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine 25 March 1914. In late 1914 Mrs Campbell took the London company to tour the United States, opening in New York at the Belasco Theatre.
^ Laurence, editor, Dan (1985). Bernard Shaw: Collected Letters, 1911–1925. New York: Viking. p. 228. ISBN 0-670-80545-9.
^ a b Dent, Alan (1961). Mrs. Patrick Campbell. London: Museum Press Limited.
^ The Truth About Pygmalion by Richard Huggett, 1969 Random House, pp. 127–128
^ "The Modest Shaw Again: Explains in His Shrinking Way Why "Pygmalion" Was First Done in Berlin ;- Critics Like It". New York Times. 23 November 1913. ProQuest 97430789.
^ "Shaw's 'Pygmalion' Has Come to Town: With Mrs. Campbell Delightful as a Galatea from Tottenham Court Road – A Mildly Romantic G. B. S. – His Latest Play Tells a Love Story with Brusque Diffidence and a Wealth of Humor". New York Times. 13 October 1914. ProQuest 97538713.
^ "Pygmalion, His Majesty's Theatre, 1914, review". The Telegraph. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
^ "The Story Of "Pygmalion."". The Times. 19 March 1914. Retrieved 19 September 2016 – via Gale.
^ "Viewing 1914/3/19 Page 11 - The Story Of "Pygmalion."". www.thetimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
^ Evans, T.F. (ed.) (1997). George Bernard Shaw (The Critical Heritage Series). ISBN 0-415-15953-9, pp. 223–30.
^ "From the Point of View of A Playwright," by Bernard Shaw, collected in Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Some Memories of Him and His Art, Collected by Max Beerbohm (1919). London: Hutchinson. Versions at Text Archive Internet Archive
^ Shaw, Bernard, edited by Dan H. Laurence. Collected Letters vol. III: 1911–1925.
^ Shaw–Campbell Correspondence, p. 160. Shaw's "Final Orders" letter to Mrs. Campbell on the first night. He wrote to his wife the next day that the audience's wild appreciation of the third act – which he had warned the actors would happen – impelled Tree instinctively to begin playing to please the house, much to Shaw's disgust but to the play's guaranteed popular success. Collected Letters, vol. III. The same day he withdrew his recommendation to Lee Shubert that Tree be included in an American tour.
^ Shaw, G.B. (1916). Pygmalion. New York: Brentano. Sequel: What Happened Afterwards. Bartleby: Great Books Online.
^ "The Instinct of An Artist: Shaw and the Theatre." Catalog for "An Exhibition from The Bernard F. Burgunder Collection," 1997. Cornell University Library
^ "The Project Gutenberg E-text of Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw".
^ Pascal, Valerie, The Disciple and His Devil, McGraw-Hill, 1970. p. 83."
^ "The lesson of a Polish production of 'Pygmalion.'" The Independent on Sunday, 3 July 2001. The Independent
^ Markoff, John (13 March 2008), "Joseph Weizenbaum, Famed Programmer, Is Dead at 85", The New York Times, retrieved 7 January 2009
^ British Theatre Guide (1997)
^ Tointon's indisposition on 25 August 2011 enabled understudy Rebecca Birch to make her West End début in a leading role (insert to Garrick Theatre programme for Pygmalion).
^ "Julia Stiles Stars in The Makeover".
^ "IMDb: The Makeover".
^ "Willy Russell: Welcome".
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pygmalion (Shaw).
Pygmalion at the Internet Broadway Database
Pygmalion stories & art: "successive retellings of the Pygmalion story after Ovid's Metamorphoses"
Pygmalion at Project Gutenberg
Pygmalion public domain audiobook at LibriVox
Shaw's Pygmalion was in a different class 2014 Irish Examiner article by Dr. R. Hume
"Bernard Shaw Snubs England and Amuses Germany." The New York Times, 30 November 1913. This article quotes the original script at length ("translated into the vilest American": Letters to Trebitsch, p. 170), including its final lines. Its author, too, hopes for a "happy ending": that after the curtain Eliza will return bearing the gloves and tie.
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For other uses, see Club (disambiguation).
For the video game community service by Rockstar Games, see Rockstar Games Social Club. For the hip-hop group, see Social Club (band).
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Find sources: "Social club" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The Houston Club is a private social club.
A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal headquarters (e.g., the Cage[1][2] or the Ravenite Social Club), final club, fishing club, gaming club, gentlemen's clubs (known as private clubs in the US), hunting clubs, military officers' clubs, politics clubs, science clubs, university clubs, Christian Fellowships. This article covers only three distinct types of social clubs: the historic gentlemen's clubs, the modern activities clubs, and an introduction to fraternities and sororities. This article does not cover a variety of other types of clubs having some social characteristics.
2 Legalities
2.1 England and Wales
2.2 United States of America
3 Social activities clubs
4 Sororities and fraternities
5 Christian Fellowships
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Working men's clubs developed in Britain during Victorian times as institutes where working class men could attend lectures and take part in recreational pursuits. The Reverend Henry Solly founded the Working Men's Club and Institute Union (CIU) for this purpose in 1862. Many middle class social reformers founded these clubs during the temperance movement as a place to relax without alcohol, but in time this changed. They became a combination of public houses (pubs), music-halls, and clubs, becoming places to be entertained, to drink socially, and to play bar games. Working Men's clubs are still prevalent across the United Kingdom, though not as popular.
Sociëteit in Palembang, Sumatra
In the Dutch East Indies, sociëteits were established in various cities.
Modern clubs include: San Francisco's Urban Diversion, which opened in 2003 as a general adventure and activities social club; and Soho, London's Groucho Club, which opened in 1985 as "the antidote to the traditional club." The "traditional club" referred to is the elitist gentlemen's club, a fixture of upper class male British society. This is not to be confused with the modern use of the phrase, which now stands as a euphemism for a strip club.
Clubs in England and Wales were not controlled by the licensing system until the Licensing Act of 1902 was passed, or in Scotland until the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1903 was passed. They were passed mainly to check the abuse of “clubs” being formed solely to sell intoxicating liquors free from the restrictions of the licensing acts, but it applied to all kinds of clubs in England and Wales. The act required the registration of every club that occupied any premises habitually used for the purposes of a club and in which intoxicating liquor was supplied to members or their guests. The secretary of every club was required to give a return to the clerk to the justices of the petty sessional division with this information:
the name and objects of the club
the address of the club
the name of the secretary
the number of members
the rules of the club relating to:
the election of members and the admission of temporary and honorary members and of guests
the terms of subscription and entrance fee, if any
the cessation of membership
the hours of opening and closing
the mode of altering the rules
Social and recreational clubs may be considered tax-exempt 501(c)(7) organizations under certain circumstances.
Social activities clubs
Views of the Toledo Commerce Club rooms as seen in "Bramble's views Toledo, Ohio : diamond anniversary 1837-1912"
Social activities clubs are a modern combination of several types of clubs and reflect today's more eclectic and varied society. These clubs are centered on the activities available to the club members in the city or area in which the club is located. Some have a traditional clubhouse, bar, or restaurant where members gather; others do not.
Events can include a broad range of activities from sporting events and social parties to ballet, arts or book clubs. Unlike traditional clubs they are not limited to one kind of event or special interest but include a broad range of events in their monthly calendars. The members choose the events in which the club is going to take part, based upon the changing interests of the members. The members themselves determine the events they will attend of those offered.
Because the purpose of these clubs is split between general social interaction and taking part in the events themselves, both single and married people can take part. However clubs tend to have more single members than married,[citation needed] and many clubs exist for only single people, only married couples, or only people with certain sexual preferences (homosexuality, pansexuality, bisexuality or heterosexuality).
Membership can be limited or open to the general public, as can the events. Most clubs have a limited membership based upon specific criteria, and restrict the events to members to increase their feeling of security, creating an increased sense of camaraderie and belonging. There are many examples of private social clubs including the University Club of Chicago, The Mansion on O Street in D.C., Penn Club of New York City and New York Friars' Club.
Social activities clubs can be for profit, non-profit, or a combination of the two (A for profit club with a non-profit charitable arm, for instance).
Some social clubs have function halls which members or, sometimes, the general public can rent for parties.
A number of Jewish community centers and other organizations such as the YMCA have social clubs for people with social anxiety and learning disabilities. Membership in these clubs is limited to individuals with these conditions.
Sororities and fraternities
Fraternities and sororities are part of "Greek life" prevalent in universities. Many young men and women pledge during their freshman year of college in order to become a brother or sister of a fraternity or sorority. The club is founded on principles of camaraderie and communal bonding. As a social club they may be philanthropic as a body, hosting fundraisers for charities or on-campus events.
Christian Fellowships
Main article: Koinonia
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)
Association of Conservative Clubs
List of American gentlemen's clubs
Membership discrimination in California social clubs
Socialist societies
Urban Diversion Adventures & Activities Social Club
^ Connelly, Sherryl (July 20, 2013). "Real life 'Sopranos' exposed in Mike Russell's new book 'Undercover Cop'". New York Daily News.
^ Jeans, Chris (Director and Producer) & Russell, Mike (Narrator) (1988). "Confessions of an Undercover Cop". America Undercover. HBO. CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link) Documentary featuring the work of ex-New Jersey State Trooper Mike Russell, whose undercover work for the New Jersey State Police led to the arrests of 41 members of the Genovese crime family, and of corrupt prison officials, and a state senator
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The Groundlings
This article is about The Groundlings comedy club. For a person called a groundling, see groundling.
The Groundlings building on Melrose Avenue
Date of premiere
The Groundlings are an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles, California. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniques were used by Del Close and other members of the Second City, located in Chicago and later St. Louis.[1] They used these techniques to produce sketches and improvised scenes.[2] Its name is taken from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act III, Scene II: "...to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumbshows and noise."[3] In 1975 the troupe purchased and moved into its current location on Melrose Avenue.
The Groundlings School holds new sessions every six weeks with over 300 students per session, with more than 2,000 students per year going through the program. The competitive program, with admission by audition, consists of five levels (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced Improv, Writing Lab, and Advanced Lab). Participants must satisfy instructors in order to advance.
The program takes years to complete, as 18-month to two-year wait-lists between upper levels are common. Students may be asked to repeat Basic and Intermediate classes multiple times. By the late 2000s, students had one chance to complete classes in Improv and Writing. Failure to pass either of these classes means a student cannot complete the program, nor be invited into the Sunday Company.
Students may be voted into the Sunday Company, where they may remain for no more than two years. Many move on sooner than that. Many Groundlings performers have found success in movies and television, including several who have become cast members and writers on Saturday Night Live, MADtv, and Reno 911!.[4]
2 Operations
3 Shows
4 Creation of The Pee-Wee Herman Show
6 David Blaine Street Magic
7.1 Current Main Company
7.2 Notable Main Company alumni
7.3 Notable school and Sunday Company alumni
7.4 Notable acting instructors
In 1972, Gary Austin Jr. (a veteran of San Francisco's "The Committee") assembled a group of performers in Los Angeles who just wanted to work on their craft. Together they would improvise, perform monologues, scenes, characters, songs, dances, and classic plays. After about a year, they started doing performances and inviting friends to come and watch. Word got out about the workshop, more people started coming, and soon a core group of performers began to showcase their material at various venues around Hollywood.
In January 1974, Austin announced that he wanted to create a theatre company. There were fifty founding members of the company (membership at that time required payment of $25 to attend workshops). They developed material in the workshops and performed the best pieces in the weekend shows. This new group produced its first show in the 30-seat basement of the Oxford Theatre (now The Met) near the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Western Avenue. Esteemed LA Times theatre critic, Sylvie Drake, was in the audience that first weekend, and wrote a rave review. "This could be the start of something big," Drake predicted.[5]
As the buzz about the new company increased, the entertainment industry started taking notice. Comedian Lily Tomlin was a regular in the audience, and she hired several Groundlings to perform on her eponymous The Lily Tomlin Show. Later that year, Lorne Michaels, who produced Tomlin's TV special, asked Groundling Laraine Newman to be a cast member for his new late night comedy series Saturday Night Live.
Before long, membership in the company grew to 90. To keep the size down, the company required selection by audition. (Phil Hartman, then a graphic designer, tried out in the first audition. He was accepted but, due to the stiff competition, he had to wait more than a year before starting to perform in shows.) With such a large company, workshops seven days a week, and sold-out shows going up three nights a weekend, The Groundlings needed a place to call their own.
The Groundlings School of improvisation officially began in 1978 with 17 students and staff members Gary Austin, Tom Maxwell, Phyllis Katz, Cherie Kerr, Laraine Newman and Tracy Newman. In the 21st century, it has an annual enrollment of more than 4200 students. The Sunday Company was formed by Suzanne Kent in 1982 to further develop the talent coming through the school.
In 1975 the company acquired what became The Groundlings Theatre at 7307 Melrose Avenue (the building was previously used as an interior decorator’s studio, a furniture showroom, a gay bar, and a massage parlor). Through equity and with the use of their own funds, company members set out to modernize the building and convert it into a performance space. They battled through four years of red tape, building codes, and parking restrictions before producing any shows on the stage. During that time, The Groundlings performed their revues at a handful of theaters all over town, including The Improv, The Matrix, The Hollywood Canteen, and the White House. Finally, in April 1979, the revitalized 99-seat theater opened its doors to audiences.
In November 1979, Gary Austin stepped down from his position as artistic director. Tom Maxwell was elected as his successor, and he served for the next ten years. In 1989, The Groundlings began the enduring tradition of having Groundlings or Groundlings alumni direct each new revue. The Main Company of no more than 30 members, collectively makes artistic, business and creative decisions. In April 2017 Groundlings paid tribute to passing of their founder, Gary Austin, by gathering at the theatre and laying flowers at his plaque.[6]
Students must pass an audition to get into Basic class. Auditions are run by a Groundlings teacher and are mini versions of a first day of class. The audition is free, a group audition, and is all improvisation. Auditions are held every week and can be scheduled online. If one does pass the audition, their results are valid for one year. If a student does not pass the audition, they are allowed to audition again in four months. Students are allowed to audition a total of three times.
After completing the Advanced Lab level, a student may be voted into the Sunday Company, which performs every Sunday at 7:30pm. During this time, students write, rehearse and perform new material every week. After six months of performing in the Sunday Company, students are either voted to remain in the company for another six months, voted to be dismissed from the school, or voted into the Main Company (aka The Groundlings). No one can stay in the Sunday Company for longer than 24 months nor less than six months.
All members of the Main Company are selected from members of the Sunday Company. All Main Company members can remain in the company for as long as they desire. Usually members do not stay for longer than a decade; most Groundlings retire sooner from the company. The Main Company (capped at no more than 30 members at any time) collectively acts as the organization's artistic director, democratically making business and creative decisions as a group.[7]
The Groundlings Revues (now commonly referred to as the Main Shows) were the first shows performed by the company and they established the Groundlings improv, character, and sketch comedy style. In 1981, the revue was given a title, "L.A. 200, Groundlings 3". From that point on, every revue would have its own name, and have the word "Groundling" in the title. Initially, one or two revues were performed in a year, increasing to three by the 1990s, and four in 2007, in addition to a special holiday show in December. Main Shows are performed every Friday at 8:00 p.m. and every Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
In 1992, Melanie Graham created Cookin With Gas, a weekly short form improv show performed by Groundlings, Groundlings Alumni, Sunday Company members, and special celebrity guests. The show continues every Thursday night at 8:00 p.m., and is now the longest running improv show in Los Angeles. It was followed in 2001 by the long-form improv Crazy Uncle Joe Show, which runs every Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m.
Creation of The Pee-Wee Herman Show
Starting in 1981, the company added alternative format shows to the theatre's regular line-up. The first one was The Pee-Wee Herman Show, created and co-written by Paul Reubens as a showcase for his Pee-Wee Herman character, which he created in Groundlings workshops and revues. Pee-Wee and his friends (played by and co-written by other Groundlings like Phil Hartman, Lynne Marie Stewart, John Paragon, Edie McClurg, and John Moody) started performing Saturdays at midnight, after the regular revues. Quickly, the show became a huge LA hit; it transferred to The Roxy Theatre on Sunset Blvd and was filmed for an HBO special. In the following years, Pee Wee became a pop culture icon, spawning films, toys, and a children's television show. An updated revival of the original stage show (with many of the Groundlings reprising their roles) had a successful run in Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre and in New York on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on November 11, 2010.[8][9] This production was filmed for another HBO Special.[10]
Groundlings cast on Saturday Night Live and Mad TV have often adapted their sketches and characters developed at The Groundlings into TV audience favorites. Former members of The Groundlings have further developed such materials into shows and films, such as Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, A Night at the Roxbury, and Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.
In 1998, the Groundlings were given an improv television program on the F/X network called Instant Comedy with The Groundlings.[11] In September 2008, The Groundlings began producing short-form sketch episodes for Crackle.[12]
On September 12, 2011 the Groundlings featured a sketch titled "Resting Bitch Face" (written by Patric Cagle,[13] co-starring Nate Clark,[14] and directed by Mitch Silpa). The sketch was uploaded to YouTube on October 11[15] and performed repeatedly throughout the Fall of that year.
The film Bridesmaids was written by Groundlings alum Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo and featured a cast consisting heavily of members of The Groundlings, including Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Wendi McLendon-Covey, and others in supporting roles. The film was a box office success and nominated for two Academy Awards. In the same year, Groundlings Jim Rash and Nat Faxon won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Descendants.
David Blaine Street Magic
In 2006, The Groundlings recorded a skit called David Blaine Street Magic performed in the alleyway behind the theater. After being uploaded to YouTube,[16] it has become one of the most popular videos on the website.[17] As of October 2014, the video has had more than 38 million views and 60,000 comments since October 12, 2006.[18] The skit stars Mitch Silpa parodying David Blaine in both the topics of Blaine's performances and his mannerisms. The skit is written by Michael Naughton and Mikey Day, who play the two innocent bystanders on whom Blaine performs his tricks.
Current Main Company
Tony Cavalero
Michael Churven
H. Michael Croner
Samantha DeSurra
Allison Dunbar
Josh Duvendeck
Chris Eckert
Julian Gant
Ryan Gaul
Chris Guerra
Patty Guggenheim
Kiel Kennedy
Andrew Leeds
Lyric Lewis
Laird Macintosh
Edi Patterson
Emily Pendergast
Jessica Pohly
Ariane Price
Leonard Robinson
Lisa Schurga
Annie Sertich
Elliot Schwartz
Greg Worswick
Notable Main Company alumni
Tim Bagley[19]
Jordan Black
Patrick Bristow[20]
Maryedith Burrell[4]
John Cervenka[21][22]
Jennifer Coolidge[23]
Stephanie Courtney
Christian Duguay[24]
Nat Faxon
David Roy Banks
Will Ferrell[20]
Will Forte[25]
Daniele Gaither[24]
Ana Gasteyer[20]
GloZell
Kathy Griffin[20]
Rachael Harris[23]
Phil Hartman[20]
Sandy Helberg[26]
Cheryl Hines[25]
Michael Hitchcock[19]
Jan Hooks[27]
Alex Kapp Horner[28]
Chris Kattan[20]
John Kilduff[29]
Taran Killam
Lisa Kudrow[20]
Phil LaMarr[19]
Jon Lovitz[20]
Tress MacNeille[30]
Karen Maruyama
Tim Matheson
Edie McClurg[31]
Michael McDonald[20]
Wendi McLendon-Covey[32]
Pat Morita[33]
Fernando Muylaert
Laraine Newman[20]
Tracy Newman
Deanna Oliver
Cheri Oteri[20]
Brian Palermo
John Paragon[34]
Chris Parnell[20]
Cassandra Peterson[35]
Jim Rash
Paul Reubens[20]
Jeremy Rowley
Maya Rudolph[25]
Kevin Ruf[36]
Mary Scheer[19]
Glenn Shadix[37]
Mitch Silpa
Mindy Sterling[20]
Lynne Marie Stewart
Julia Sweeney[20]
Cynthia Szigeti[38]
Judy Toll[39]
B. J. Ward[40]
Michaela Watkins
Kristen Wiig[25]
Jim Wise[19]
Notable school and Sunday Company alumni
J. J. Abrams[41]
Cecily Adams[42][43]
Steve Agee[44]
Joey Arias[45]
James Adomian[46]
Tyra Banks[47]
Adam Carolla[48]
Eliza Coupe[49]
Abby Elliott[50]
Jimmy Fallon[51]
Bob Flanagan[52]
Craig Taro Gold[53]
Daryl Hannah[54]
Mariska Hargitay[55]
Echo Kellum[56]
Chase Masterson[57]
Tim Matheson[47]
Heather McDonald[58]
Lee Newton[59]
Oscar Nuñez[60]
Conan O'Brien[61]
Kaitlin Olson[62]
Nasim Pedrad[47]
Joe Ranft[63]
Stephen Rannazzisi[64]
Lou Romano[65]
Dax Shepard[66]
Sherri Stoner[67]
Nancy Sullivan[68]
C. C. Swiney[69]
Michelle Thomas[70]
Rita Wilson[47]
Michael Zegen[citation needed]
Vanessa Taylor[71]
Fortune Feimster[72]
Notable acting instructors
Upright Citizens Brigade
ImprovOlympic
ComedySportz
Under the Gun Theater
Annoyance Theatre
Footlights
^ "GARY AUSTIN WORKSHOPS – NEW YORK CITY". garyaustinworkshops.com.
^ Fult, Josh (February 19, 2007). "Gary Austin – Part 1 – 2/19/07". Improv Interviews. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
^ "Shakespeare's Audience: The Groundlings". Shakespeare-online.com. 2000-08-20. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ a b "Alumni". Groundlings. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
^ Gary, Austin. "Groundlings History". groundlings. Groundlings. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
^ Gonzalez, Richard (4 April 2017). "Gary Austin Dies". NPR. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
^ "Groundlings School Information Page". Groundlings.com. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ "The Pee-wee Herman Show Broadway @ Stephen Sondheim Theatre - Tickets and Discounts - Playbill". Playbill.
^ Pull Up a "Chairry": The Pee-wee Herman Show Is Heading to Broadway Archived 2012-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
^ "HBO to Film Broadway's The Pee-wee Herman Show for Subsequent Broadcast - Playbill". Playbill.
^ TV.com. "Instant Comedy with the Groundlings". TV.com.
^ "Crackle Launches New Original Programming". PRNewswire. 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
^ "Patric Cagle". The Groundlings. The Groundlings. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ "Nate Clark". NateClark.net. Nate Clark. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
^ "Resting Bitch Face". Patric Cagle. October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
^ "david blaine street magic - YouTube". www.youtube.com.
^ "Groundlings", LA Times: Entertainment, 22 June 2008. Collected 9 October 2008.
^ David Blaine Street Magic at YouTube. Collected 26 April 2011.
^ a b c d e Liner notes, 7307 Melrose Ave CD. 1996, rip hummer music (634479552052).
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o DIG THE GROUNDLINGS; L.A.'S PREMIER IMPROV COMEDY TROUPE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS, Los Angeles Daily News, September 24, 1999.
^ "Groundlings website, alumni list". 2007-07-31. Archived from the original on July 31, 2007. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ From Takeshi's Castle to MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge!, BBC, August 18, 2004.
^ a b When Groundlings Attack, Backstage West, February 22, 2001.
^ a b 'Hostage' pushes Alliance's limits, Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2003.
^ a b c d Groundlings going digital, Variety, April 21, 2008.
^ The Groundlings: improving improve in L.A. for 40 years., L.A. Times, May 24, 2014.
^ Burton, Tim. Burton on Burton. Faber & Faber, 2006, ISBN 0-571-22926-3, p. 47.
^ "CBS network website Alex Kapp Horner". 2008-07-24. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ "John Kilfudd resume". Resumes.actorsaccess.com. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ Nancy Cartwright Chats with Tress MacNeille, Animation World News, December 18, 2008.
^ It's Edie in Here, Back Stage West, October 30, 2003.
^ Groundlings prove comedy is all about teamwork, Daily Trojan, July 2, 2008.
^ COMIC 'GROUNDLINGS' HAS ROOM FOR IMPROV-MENT, New York Daily News, September 7, 1998.
^ Just Shoot Me Official Site Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine, Sony Pictures Television.
^ In Praise of Silliness – Los Angeles' own Groundlings are celebrating two decades of, well, just plain silliness. Is this someone's idea of a joke? You bet and it's paid off, Los Angeles Times, September 18, 1994.
^ Groundlings sputter, singe, Los Angeles Times, December 12, 2003.
^ https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/glenn-shadix-from-alabama-to-hollywood-and-back/
^ a b Barnes, Mike (2016-08-19). "Cynthia Szigeti, Groundlings Improv Teacher and 'Seinfeld' Actress, Dies at 66". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-09-06.
^ "Judytoll.com"
^ "The Groundlings". The Groundlings Website.
^ [1], Q&A: Kathy Griffin (The Hollywood Reporter).
^ Beaver, Jim. Life's That Way, 2009, Putnam/Penguin Books
^ "Life's That Way – About Cecily Adams". Lifesthatway.com. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
^ Interview with Joey Arias, Bowie LiveChat, March 18, 1999.
^ a b c d "The Groundlings". The Groundlings Website.
^ "The Groundlings and Improv in L.A". Trazzler.com. 2008-05-24. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ Eliza Coupe – Ten Comics to Watch, Variety, July 17, 2006.
^ Live From New York: Introducing New SNL Star Abby Elliott, People magazine, March 9, 2009.
^ Jimmy Fallon's pleasant tomorrow, USA Today, October 7, 2004.
^ "bob flanagan, 1952-1996". Hnv.nin.net. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
^ "Del Mar's Own Taro Gold". The Del Mar Times. Main Street Communications. November 2005. pp. 11–12.
^ "Groundlings, The - ProductionHUB". ProductionHUB.com.
^ Virtel, Louis (4 March 2010). "Was Kathy Griffin's Censored SVU Scene Payback from an Injured Mariska Hargitay?".
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-04-05. CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Administrator. "Star Trek: Of Gods and Men". startrekofgodsandmen.com.
^ "The Official Website of Heather McDonald". heathermcdonald.net.
^ "Sunday Company". Groundlings. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
^ Oscar Nuñez "Accounts" for The Office's Success, TV Guide, May 10, 2007.
^ Conan O'Brien Biography, A&E Biography.
^ Q&A with Kaitlin Olson, Oregon Daily Emerald, August 20, 2007.
^ "A conversation with Joe Ranft". 2719hyperion.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2013-01-08. CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "Lou Romano bio". Louromano.com. 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ Famous Michiganders Archived 2006-08-14 at the Wayback Machine, Outdoor Michigan.
^ "Building Character From the Ground Up". Articles.latimes.com. 1991-01-11. Retrieved 2013-01-08.
^ "Dan Schneider - Nancy Sullivan - DanSchneider.com - DanWarp". www.danschneider.com.
^ CC Swiney, Ultimate Improv.
^ "Michelle Thomas". www.dsrct.com.
^ Meyers, Lawrence (June 2, 2010). Inside the TV Writers' Room: Practical Advice for Succeeding in Television. Syracuse University Press. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8156-3241-2.
^ Feimster, Fortune. "Fortune Feimster's Bio". Fortune Feimster.
The Groundlings on IMDb
Coordinates: 34°05′01″N 118°20′56″W / 34.083694°N 118.349001°W / 34.083694; -118.349001
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White County, Illinois
For other uses, see White County (disambiguation).
Find sources: "White County, Illinois" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
U.S. county
White County Courthouse in Carmi
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°05′N 88°11′W / 38.09°N 88.18°W / 38.09; -88.18
Named for
Leonard White
Largest city
502 sq mi (1,300 km2)
• Land
7.1 sq mi (18 km2) 1.4%
• Estimate
29/sq mi (11/km2)
UTC−6 (Central)
UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district
www.whitecounty-il.gov
White County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 14,665.[1] Its county seat is Carmi.[2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as "Little Egypt".
2 Geography
2.1 Climate and weather
2.2 Major highways
2.3 Adjacent counties
4.1 Cities
4.2 Villages
4.3 Unincorporated towns
4.4 Townships
White County was organized from Gallatin County in 1815, and was named after Captain Leonard White (some accounts say Captain Isaac White), a Gallatin County legislator who is credited with the idea of extending the Illinois-Wisconsin border a few miles north of the southern tip of Lake Michigan and was also in charge of the salt works at Equality. He was killed in 1811 at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The county seat, Carmi, was founded in 1814, and incorporated in 1816. The first courthouse was in the log cabin of John Craw.
The first white settlers came to White County between 1807 and 1809. The first settlements were near the Little Wabash River and Big Prairie, one of the numerous prairies in the county. These families—Hanna, Land, Hay, Williams, Calvert, Ratcliff, Holderby, Robinson, Stewart, among others—typically had spent time in the Carolinas, Kentucky or Tennessee before moving into Illinois, and most were of Scots-Irish descent. Many came through the land office at Shawneetown, Illinois, which was a port for flatboats which traveled the Ohio River.
Other early settlements were Grayville, located at the mouth of Bonpas Creek and the Wabash River, settled by the Gray family around 1810; Phillipstown, on the bluffs above the Wabash and Fox River floodplain; and New Haven (mostly in Gallatin County), which was home to a brother of Daniel Boone around 1818. Old Sharon Church (Presbyterian), located near the later village of Sacramento, was organized around 1816, and the village of Seven Mile Prairie was established a few miles north of the church in the 1830s. The parents of longtime Abraham Lincoln girlfriend Ann Rutledge were part of this group, along with families named McArthy, Miller, McClellan, Pollard, Storey, Fields, and Johnson.
About 1839, a group of Irish immigrants began moving into the extreme western part of Enfield Township, led by Patrick Dolan, as well as members of the Mitchell and Dunn clans. Dolan was auctioneer in 1853 when the village of Enfield was platted, as Seven Mile moved west in anticipation of a railroad line, which was not built until 1872. German families moved into the middle portion of the county in the 1840s and onward, especially from the Baden region, and included the family names of Rebstock, Dartt, Brown, Sailer, Stanley, and Drone.
The second half of the 19th century saw the establishment of the towns of Norris City, Springerton, Mill Shoals (once the home of a thriving barrel-making industry which depleted the nearby virgin forests), Epworth, Herald, Burnt Prairie (previously known as "Liberty"), Crossville, Phillipstown, Concord (also known as Emma), Maunie and Rising Sun (commonly called Dogtown)--the latter two villages are located on the Wabash and attracted several African-American families. A number of villages which no longer exist were also formed: Trumbull, Roland, Middle Point, Stokes Station, Gossett, Bungay, Calvin, Iron, and Dolan Settlement.
In 1925, White County was the last of five Illinois counties effected by the infamous Tri State Tornado. Although the storm spared the towns of Carmi, Enfield and Crossville, significant damage was done to the surrounding rural areas, where 28 people were killed, dozens were injured and scores of homes and farms were destroyed.
Agriculture was the primary industry of White County until the summer of 1939, when oil was discovered in the Storms and Stinson fields in the Wabash River Bottoms. The population of Carmi doubled within two years, from 2,700 to 5,400, with corresponding increases at Crossville and Grayville—in 1940 it was said one could walk between these two towns by simply walking from rig to rig. Many of these workers migrated from previous oil booms in Texas and Oklahoma. As of 2013, fracking is underway near Carmi.[3]
The current population of White County is a little over 17,000, with 6,500 in the county seat of Carmi. There is a high number of retired people, and many citizens work in the factories of Evansville or Mount Vernon, Indiana, located 45 and 25 miles to the east, respectively. Besides oil and agriculture, industries include auto parts manufacturing, plastics, a convenience store distribution center and underground coal mining.
White County, Illinois was also the site of the ill-fated Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival also known as the Bull Island Fest in 1972. Three county sheriffs were the only police force present at the festival.
White County between its 1815 creation and 1818
White County between 1818 and 1819
White County in 1821, reduced to its current borders by the creation of Hamilton County
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 502 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 495 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 7.1 square miles (18 km2) (1.4%) is water.[4]
Carmi, Illinois
Climate chart (explanation)
Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
Precipitation totals in inches
Source: The Weather Channel[5]
Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
Precipitation totals in mm
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carmi have ranged from a low of 22 °F (−6 °C) in January to a high of 89 °F (32 °C) in July, although a record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was recorded in January 1994 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) was recorded in August 2007. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 2.61 inches (66 mm) in October to 5.00 inches (127 mm) in May.[5]
Major highways
Illinois Route 1
Illinois Route 14
Adjacent counties
Edwards County (north)
Gibson County, Indiana (northeast, now separated by Bonpas Creek instead of the Wabash River)
Posey County, Indiana (east)
Gallatin County (south)
Saline County (southwest)
Hamilton County (west)
Wayne County (northwest)
1820 4,828 —
1830 6,091 26.2%
1860 12,403 39.0%
1910 23,052 −9.2%
1920 20,081 −12.9%
2018 (est.) 13,665 [6] −6.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[1]
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,665 people, 6,313 households, and 4,142 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 29.6 inhabitants per square mile (11.4/km2). There were 7,181 housing units at an average density of 14.5 per square mile (5.6/km2).[4] The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 25.5% were German, 15.8% were Irish, 14.0% were American, and 11.8% were English.[12]
Of the 6,313 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.4% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age was 45.2 years.[11]
The median income for a household in the county was $39,728 and the median income for a family was $48,666. Males had a median income of $41,712 versus $26,168 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,081. About 10.1% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.[13]
Burnt Prairie
Maunie
Mill Shoals
Norris City
Phillipstown
Springerton
Unincorporated towns
Gossett
White County is divided into ten townships:
Heralds Prairie
Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[14]
2016 76.9% 5,640 19.3% 1,412 3.9% 283
2004 62.4% 5,180 37.0% 3,071 0.6% 50
1996 39.2% 2,878 48.3% 3,553 12.5% 921
1992 34.7% 3,057 48.9% 4,308 16.4% 1,446
1964 40.2% 4,000 59.9% 5,963 0.0% 0
1912 11.2% 591 51.1% 2,708 37.7% 1,999
National Register of Historic Places listings in White County, Illinois
^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ Webber, Tammy. "Illinois high-volume 'fracking' underway". The Associated Press. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
^ a b "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^ a b "Monthly Averages for Carmi, Illinois". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
White County Official website
White County Sheriff's Department
History of the Battle of Tippecanoe
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1 Comment on Dustin Nguyen
Had he not died an early and unexpected death at the age of 32, Bruce Lee would have turned 70 years old this November 27th. We can only imagine what he would be doing if he were still alive, but what is for certain, his influence as an icon of cinema and Asian culture continues to this day. The 2010 installment of the Tokyo International Film Festival included a program of films that pay homage to the late star, as well as remastered prints of the handful of performances he was able to complete in his short career.
One of the films in the program is The Legend Is Alive, the story of Long, a Vietnamese man who has mental and physical disabilities due to Agent Orange exposure. His mother tells him his father, who he has never met, was the famous Bruce Lee, as a way of giving him courage and to inspire him to learn martial arts to protect himself. When his mother also dies, he is left to fend for himself as he attempts to take her ashes to America, where Bruce Lee is buried, unaware of how far it actually is. Long is played by Vietnamese-American actor Dustin Nguyen. Nguyen’s family immigrated to America shortly after the fall of Saigon, and were the first Vietnamese family to settle in a small Midwestern suburb outside St. Louis. Nguyen started acting in small roles in TV shows such as “Magnum P.I.,” before landing a regular roles on the hit show “21 Jump Street,” which also helped start the career of Johnny Depp. After appearing in films in the US and Little Fish with Cate Blanchett, which was filmed in Australia, Nguyen has recently returned to the country of his birth to help revitalize the Vietnamese film industry.
I had the chance during the Tokyo International Film Festival to speak to Dustin, who had just come through festivals in Pusan and Vietnam. He talked about new opportunities for Asian-American actors, working on a budget in Vietnam, and the enduring influence of Bruce Lee.
Dustin Nguyen at the Tokyo International Film Festival
This year marks 25 years since your acting debut—Congratulations.
It is hard to believe so much time has passed.
Since the time you first started with small roles on Magnum P.I. and other shows, how do you think the situation has changed for Asian-American actors?
Certainly there have been improvements, but how to quantify that is a bit tricky. When I started out, there were fewer good roles. When I say good roles, I mean ones that venture more into three-dimensional aspects of the character. There were a lot of one-dimensional characters, which were usually some kind of martial arts expert, and in what I refer to as “The Chinatown Episode.” Every show that is on the air for a while eventually does a Chinatown episode. When I started, you would see the same actors in those roles. In recent years there have been changes because of the influx of Hong Kong action stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, which has created a lot of work opportunities for other actors. But I question the quality of the roles, especially for Asian men in movies. I think TV makes more strides in that department, because TV has more mass influence. For instance, “Lost” had a Korean couple, which I thought was wonderful and quite progressive for network TV. I do wish the male character, who is played by a friend of mine, Daniel Dae Kim, could have spoken more English on the show. But in terms of an Asian character, I think they went into so depth, which was nice. If you look back over these 25 years, I think it has been a long, hard road. There have been improvements, but it has not been as fast as we would like to see it.
One of the breakthrough roles was your part in “21 Jump Street.”
To this day it astounds me that I wound up on that show! It was very progressive, because the character was written so that it could have been played by a white actor or a black actor. When they were casting, they saw everyone, including Asian Americans. After I landed the role, the writers treated that character in a very progressive way. After I was cast, they did try to infuse a little Asian character into the role, but it was still a character that was not dependent on his ethnicity. Thinking back on it, I think I was very lucky.
Nguyen and the cast of "21 Jump Street"
The film you have brought to the Tokyo International Film Festival, The Legend is Alive, is part of a program to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s birth. Does he have any special significance for you as an actor or a movie icon?
As a cultural icon, sure. I mean, what Asian child in our generation grew up without the influence of Bruce Lee? For better or for worse, he iconified the image of the Asian-American male, as a virile, strong, intense presence in the cinema world. For me, he was initially a kind of super martial arts star. But when I got into the business, I found a strong aspect of his that really motivated and inspired me, which was that he really fought against the system. He had to go back to Asia to make his own mark on his own terms. He overcame the obstacles that were presented to him in the Hollywood system at that time. At that time, there were really no opportunities. That aspect of him, his rebelliousness, his resilience, his will of steel, really inspired me in terms of how I walked my own path in my career. The flipside of it is that every Asian man is expected to be a super martial artist, an invulnerable superman, which is getting a little old.
And you paid tribute to Bruce Lee in your Levi’s commercial.
That was a great opportunity for me. It was a lot of fun and it was a great homage. It was also quite progressive, as it was the first time Levi’s used an Asian man in a campaign. And the director, Jonathan Glazer, was wonderful. There was some criticism when it first came out, as some people didn’t realize that it was a tongue-in-cheek homage. There was an Asian man doing martial arts in a laundromat, so we were throwing all these stereotypes in one pot. But they were missing the point that it was a tongue-in-cheek but respectful tribute to Bruce Lee.
[youtube]F1Xe0QY1m7w[/youtube]
Your role in The Legend is Alive is probably the most challenging in your career so far.
Definitely. There was a lot of pressure on me relating to how to create a character who is mentally challenged. It has been done so well by so many great actors and that was intimidating, even though it is only a Vietnamese film. You have great performances such as Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump and Sean Penn in I am Sam, and many others. So there was great pressure but also excitement for me to come up with a character who has his own path. There is a bit of genre blending, as martial arts are thrown in as well. I spent a lot of time trying to understand the different consequences of mental disabilities and illness, from Downs Syndrome to Alzheimer’s to turrets to create a character that is believable and still works within the framework of the script. In the script, he is obviously able to learn martial arts and to control his body to some degree. So it was a challenge of how to balance that with how his body has been affected by Agent Orange. It was also interesting to discover how people who have mental disabilities due to Agent Orange think. They do not think linearly like we do. They are very visual, and see what is around him, and visualize each word. By the time they put it together, there is a delay in their speech, which is mistaken for stuttering, but it is not. So the nervous system is compromised, but then it is a question for me as to how much it should be compromised. If it is too compromised, then it is not believable that he has mastered martial arts. So that was one part of the challenge.
Then the actual fight choreography was difficult. He has a physical disability in his left arm. So I had to work around that and create something that is cinematic and still stay within the bounds of his disabilities.
Dustin Nguyen in The Legend is Alive
Throughout most of your career you have been acting in English, but what is it like to act in Vietnamese?
It is very intimidating. My first film in Vietnamese, The Rebel, was like a crash course on how to speak Vietnamese, but it was something that I had been dying to do for a long time. The Rebel is set during the French Colonial period, so the Vietnamese is very stylized, almost as different as Shakespearean English is to what we speak. With The Legend is Alive and my latest film, I really have to dial into the pronunciation, so I do not sound like an overseas Vietnamese, which I am sure I did when I first started. But the good thing is that I already speak the language. It is not like I have to learn French and then try to act in French, which I cannot imagine. For me it was a matter of spending a lot of time looking up words I didn’t know. It is no different than doing Shakespeare. Even if you speak English, you have to look up a lot of the words and their various meanings. And then you have to get to a point where you are comfortable with these words and it becomes an organic part of your performance. It is a lot of work, but it is very satisfying for me.
An action scene in The Legend is Alive
And how about working with a film crew in Vietnam as opposed to Hollywood or Australia or the other places you have worked?
The technical aspect of filmmaking, in terms of lighting and so on, is the same everywhere in the world. It is a matter of the level of experience the artist or the technician has. In Vietnam, we make between 8 and 12 movies a year, maybe 15 in a good year, but it is still very small. So the crew does not have the chance to practice their craft like someone in a country that makes 300 or 500 movies a year. That is always a challenge, especially when you are producing. You are also limited in terms of budget, because the country’s box office is only so big. You are limited by the budget, and therefore have less shooting days, but on the flipside, you are forced to be more creative. Creatively, there are wonderful, talented filmmakers in Vietnam who have a lot to say, and are emerging in the last three years. Vietnamese cinema is going through a re-emergence that I am very optimistic about. We literally have nowhere to go but up—we have been asleep for the last 30 years.
← Strangers With Candy → The Great Muppet Caper
1 reply on “Dustin Nguyen”
Is this movie available on DVD anywhere?
I would like to watch this.
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Biography – LALEMANT, GABRIEL – Volume I (1000-1700) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography
First Paragraph
DCB/DBC News
New Biographies
Minor Corrections
Biography of the Day
d. 21 Jan. 1906 in Halifax
Responsible Government
Sir John A. Macdonald
From the Red River Settlement to Manitoba (1812–70)
The Fenians
Women in the DCB/DBC
Winning the Right to Vote
The Charlottetown and Quebec Conferences of 1864
Introductory Essays of the DCB/DBC
Exploring the Explorers
Canada’s Wartime Prime Ministers
Source: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
LALEMANT, GABRIEL, priest, Jesuit, missionary and martyr; canonized by Pope Pius XI, 29 June 1930; b. 3 Oct. 1610 in Paris; killed by the Iroquois 17 March 1649.
Gabriel Lalemant was the son of a lawyer in the judicial court (Parlement) of Paris. The 1649 Relation implies that he belonged to the nobility: “Although, in leaving the world, he had left the share which his birth gave him in honorable offices. . . .” He was 20 when he entered the noviciate in Paris on 24 March 1630. Two years later he was granted permission by his superiors to add to the three usual religious vows that of devoting himself to foreign missions; 14 years were to elapse between the taking of this vow and Gabriel’s arrival in Canada. In the interval he was a teacher at the Collège in Moulins (1632-35), studied theology at Bourges (1635–39), was minister to the boarding-school pupils at the Collège in La Flèche (1639–41), was philosophy teacher at the Collège in Moulins (1641–44), and prefect of the Collège in Bourges (1644–46). The Journal des Jésuites records his arrival under the date 20 Sept. 1646. We know little about his stay in Quebec (1646–48). Early in September 1648 he arrived at Sainte-Marie-des-Hurons and he was diligent in the study of the language. His success was so prompt that in February 1649 he replaced at the Saint-Louis mission Father Noël Chabanel, who had been called away.
On 16 March 1649, a war-party of 1,000 Iroquois overran the little town of Saint-Ignace and captured it before sunrise, almost without striking a blow. From there they went on to the Saint-Louis mission, about a league away. Here the Hurons defended themselves stoutly, and drove back two separate attacks. But by weight of numbers the Iroquois were victorious here as well.
Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant were at that time at the Saint-Louis mission. They were urged to flee; they refused, “and, during the heat of the combat, their hearts were only fire for the salvation of souls.” As soon as they were captured they were stripped of their clothes, their nails were torn out, and they were taken to the little town of Saint-Ignace (half-way between Coldwater and Vasey, in the county of Simcoe, Ontario).
Brébeuf died 16 March, at four in the afternoon. Was Lalemant aware of his fellow missionary’s suffering? We do not know. As for him, his martyrdom began 16 March at six in the evening and lasted until the following morning. Here is the account of it given in the Relation: “At the height of these torments, Father Gabriel Lallemant lifted his eyes to Heaven, clasping his hands from time to time and uttering sighs to God, whom he invoked to his aid.” He “had received a hatchet blow on the left ear, which they had driven into his brain, which appeared exposed: we saw no part of his body, from the feet even to the head, which had not been broiled, and in which he had not been burned alive, – even the eyes, into which those impious ones had thrust burning coals.”
His body, buried with Brébeuf’s beneath the chapel of the Sainte-Marie residence, was taken up and moved to Quebec in the spring of 1650.
Léon Pouliot
Almost all that we know about Gabriel Lalemant we owe to the Relation of 1649 (JR (Thwaites), XXXIV, 24–36). JJ (Laverdière et Casgrain), passim. See also ACSM, “Mémoires touchant la mort et les vertus des pères Isaac Jogues . . .” (Ragueneau), repr. APQ Rapport, 1924–25, 3–93, passim. Positio causae. Christophe Regnaut, “Récit veritable du martyre et de la bien heureuse mort, du Père Jean de Breboeuf et du Père Gabriel l’Alemant en la Nouvelle France, dans le pays des hurons par les Iroquois, ennemis de la foy,” 1678, in PAC Report, 1884, Note E. 1xiii. Léon Pouliot, “Notice sur Gabriel Lalemant,” dans Les saints martyrs canadiens (Montréal, 1949), 25–28; 115–21. Rochemonteix, Les Jésuites et la Nouvelle-France au XVIIe siècle, II.
General Bibliography
© 1966–2021 University of Toronto/Université Laval
Revised 1979
Related Biographies
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Léon Pouliot, “LALEMANT, GABRIEL,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 21, 2021, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/lalemant_gabriel_1E.html.
The citation above shows the format for footnotes and endnotes according to the Chicago manual of style (16th edition). Information to be used in other citation formats:
Permalink: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/lalemant_gabriel_1E.html
Author of Article: Léon Pouliot
Title of Article: LALEMANT, GABRIEL
Publication Name: Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1
Publisher: University of Toronto/Université Laval
Year of revision: 1979
Access Date: January 21, 2021
© 2003-2021 University of Toronto/Université Laval
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Category: M.E.
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The University of British Columbia recognizes its moral and legal duty to provide academic accommodation. The University must remove barriers and provide opportunities to students with a disability, enabling them to access university services, programs, and facilities and to be welcomed as participating members of the University community. The University's goal is to ensure fair and consistent treatment of all students, including students with a disability, in accordance with their distinct needs and in a manner consistent with academic principles.
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