Let go flocks of them
Diggin' the Smithsonian Institute news
The Smithsonian Institution investigates the meeting of pop culture and palaeontology in a new blog at its website. In one of the first entries Captain Beefheart's song The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or the Big Dig) has its skeleton made good by a dinosaur expert.
For all you need to know about La Brea Tar Pits and what they contain see the entry Dinosaur Blues at Smithsonian.com's blog Dinosaur Tracking.
From Genesis P. Orridge to Oh Bamalam
I seem constantly to be linking here to Gary Lucas website because of the seemingly endless Captain Beefheart related information to be found there. At his tour page, for example, you can check out how the 2009 Fast 'n' Bulbous tour is shaping up. Three European concerts of Captain Beefheart compositions are so far listed for March - in Holland, Czech Republic and France. There will be more news of that tour later I'm sure.
Gary recently mentioned at his blog that the only punk/new wave band checked by Captain Beefheart/Don Van Vliet as being any good was Throbbing Gristle, which was news to me.
I soon found an interview with Genesis P Orridge in which Genesis placed Don Van Vliet alongside Aleister Crowley, William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and Brian Jones in his pantheon, so I asked Gary about this mutual admiration.
Gary told me that someone came up to The Magic Band at York University during their soundcheck in November 1980 and asked Don if he rated any of the punk or new wave groups. He scoffed at them all (this was the period of "case of the punks" and Don's general derisive attitude toward the whole thing--ie "the new wave is just an old Toni" (a "toni" was a kind of permanent wave hair application goo for women) but then said the only group he liked and respected was Throbbing Gristle.
Genesis later told Gary that he had heard from someone close to the band that Don used to paint listening to Throbbing Gristle's Second Annual Report.
Now for the plug. Gary is keen for it to be known that his new digital only EP Rise Up To Be is out on digital portals worldwide through IODA (including emusic, rhapsody, and iTunes) . This is a collection of some of his original compositions which he gave to Jeff Buckley (one of Gary's first singers in Gods and Monsters, in 1992), music that became the instrumental basis for some of the well-known Lucas/Buckley songs like Grace and Mojo Pin. More information is available at Promonet and a free track can be downloaded here.
Also, The Du-Tels (Gary Lucas and Holy Modal Rounder Peter Stampfel) salute their favourite presidential candidate in a video clip at YouTube.
John French update
Two more entries have appeared at John French's blog.The third and final part of his story about his new album City of Refuge is supplemented with news about his new band which will soon be touring to promote the album. Go to his MySpace page for all the details.
City of Refuge will be released in Europe on November 10th and in North America on November 18th.
Meanwhile, Sebstian Palmer got in touch to promote an interview he did with John 'Drumbo' French during the 2005 tour of the reformed Magic Band. He has made it available at Sounds From the Funky Goat.
Zoot grows Finnish
Mikko Kapanen, lead singer and guitarist of Helsinki, Finland based "psychedelic hard rock" band Spektriis wrote in. The band is currently finishing up work on its debut album which they are hoping to have released some time in the first half of 2009.
"The reason I'm telling this," Mikko wrote, "is that we had the immense pleasure of getting Bill Harkleroad to record a guitar solo for one of the tracks. We have uploaded five out of the ten tracks on the album to our MySpace profile at http://www.myspace.com/spektriis including the track in question, called "Black Hole Eyes". We made a point of not mentioning Harkleroad's participation on our MySpace at this point, because the last thing we want to do - out of respect to him and ourselves - is to appear to be riding on his name. However, since we have made the track available, I just can't keep this from my fellow diehard Beefheart fans until the album's release."
Just a minuet
That Don Van Vliet's compositions are danceable is without question. Two German comedians, Ulan & Bator, have formalised that pleasure by getting close to a diamond (or a rabbit) at YouTube.
The Smithsonian Institution investigates the meeting of pop culture and palaeontology in a new blog at its website. In one of the first entries Captain Beefheart's song The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or the Big Dig) has its skeleton made good by a dinosaur expert.
For all you need to know about La Brea Tar Pits and what they contain see the entry Dinosaur Blues at Smithsonian.com's blog Dinosaur Tracking.
From Genesis P. Orridge to Oh Bamalam
I seem constantly to be linking here to Gary Lucas website because of the seemingly endless Captain Beefheart related information to be found there. At his tour page, for example, you can check out how the 2009 Fast 'n' Bulbous tour is shaping up. Three European concerts of Captain Beefheart compositions are so far listed for March - in Holland, Czech Republic and France. There will be more news of that tour later I'm sure.
Gary recently mentioned at his blog that the only punk/new wave band checked by Captain Beefheart/Don Van Vliet as being any good was Throbbing Gristle, which was news to me.
I soon found an interview with Genesis P Orridge in which Genesis placed Don Van Vliet alongside Aleister Crowley, William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, and Brian Jones in his pantheon, so I asked Gary about this mutual admiration.
Gary told me that someone came up to The Magic Band at York University during their soundcheck in November 1980 and asked Don if he rated any of the punk or new wave groups. He scoffed at them all (this was the period of "case of the punks" and Don's general derisive attitude toward the whole thing--ie "the new wave is just an old Toni" (a "toni" was a kind of permanent wave hair application goo for women) but then said the only group he liked and respected was Throbbing Gristle.
Genesis later told Gary that he had heard from someone close to the band that Don used to paint listening to Throbbing Gristle's Second Annual Report.
Now for the plug. Gary is keen for it to be known that his new digital only EP Rise Up To Be is out on digital portals worldwide through IODA (including emusic, rhapsody, and iTunes) . This is a collection of some of his original compositions which he gave to Jeff Buckley (one of Gary's first singers in Gods and Monsters, in 1992), music that became the instrumental basis for some of the well-known Lucas/Buckley songs like Grace and Mojo Pin. More information is available at Promonet and a free track can be downloaded here.
Also, The Du-Tels (Gary Lucas and Holy Modal Rounder Peter Stampfel) salute their favourite presidential candidate in a video clip at YouTube.
John French update
Two more entries have appeared at John French's blog.The third and final part of his story about his new album City of Refuge is supplemented with news about his new band which will soon be touring to promote the album. Go to his MySpace page for all the details.
City of Refuge will be released in Europe on November 10th and in North America on November 18th.
Meanwhile, Sebstian Palmer got in touch to promote an interview he did with John 'Drumbo' French during the 2005 tour of the reformed Magic Band. He has made it available at Sounds From the Funky Goat.
Zoot grows Finnish
Mikko Kapanen, lead singer and guitarist of Helsinki, Finland based "psychedelic hard rock" band Spektriis wrote in. The band is currently finishing up work on its debut album which they are hoping to have released some time in the first half of 2009.
"The reason I'm telling this," Mikko wrote, "is that we had the immense pleasure of getting Bill Harkleroad to record a guitar solo for one of the tracks. We have uploaded five out of the ten tracks on the album to our MySpace profile at http://www.myspace.com/spektriis including the track in question, called "Black Hole Eyes". We made a point of not mentioning Harkleroad's participation on our MySpace at this point, because the last thing we want to do - out of respect to him and ourselves - is to appear to be riding on his name. However, since we have made the track available, I just can't keep this from my fellow diehard Beefheart fans until the album's release."
Just a minuet
That Don Van Vliet's compositions are danceable is without question. Two German comedians, Ulan & Bator, have formalised that pleasure by getting close to a diamond (or a rabbit) at YouTube.
Posted by derek@beefheart.com at 6:44 PM
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