Recent music links
Here I Am I Always Am played by The Black Keys at SXSW 2008 in Houston on March 12th.
Andy Haas (former Martha and the Muffins saxophonist, now better known through his work and associations with the NY downtown music scene) offers an unusual and reflective version of Abba Zabba (two minute sample here) on Radio I-Ching’s new CD, The Fire Keeps Burning, available from CD Baby.
Another Abba Zabba involving several other NY downtown musicians performing as Fast ‘n Bulbous was recorded at WFMU in 2004. Here it is at YouTube.
Benjamin Horrendous has just put up 4 Beefheart covers, and another 5 tracks from his album ‘Fourfathers Live’ (2000), as streaming mp3s at his website.
Orange Claw Hammer performed by Eugene Chadborne and Stefan Neville was featured during a Pumice session on Dennis Tyfus’ radio show, Radio Centraal. Orange Claw Hammer begins 30 minutes into the programme.
Phil Reavis recorded a long version of Trust Us sometime in the mid-eighties. It has recently surfaced as 7 separate mp3s at The Internet Archive and is also available at WMRecordings.
Liverpool and Captain Beefheart
It was good to read in The Daily Telegraph that The Bluecoat in Liverpool, the venue for Don Van Vliet’s first art exhibition in 1972, goes from strength to strength.
Beatles Story press officer Jamie Bowman wrote at The Word that in Liverpool, ” record collecting seems to take huge significance from an early age. I can’t think of many other cities where you see Captain Beefheart grafitti on bus shelters.”
Anyone with memories of Don Van Vliet’s Bluecoat show, or photographs of vandalised Scouse bus shelters, please contact me.
What Was Lost
Catherine O’Flynn’s first novel, ‘What Was Lost’, has been picking up all manner of nominations, prizes and sales. One of the characters seems to have a mission to educate people in music, so for the record here are two links to an extract involving ‘Lick My Decals Off, Baby’ – Costa Book Awards (page 55), British Book Awards (page 11).