octopus vs. the x-files


hanford the bear

new art

I did a couple of new collage's while I was home. I have new records too.

PENDLETON! D Numbers played...they were amazing. Sagebrush Ballroom is a fabulous music venue. James Dean Kindle and the Eastern Oregon Playboys graciously invited me to play a set with them (they are getting soooo good). The Rainbow was glorious, and Roy Scheuning is now a Ram.

PORTLAND! Thai Food! Leo Sayer Records! Aunt's! My Brother Kevin! Sarah Delamarters Wedding! Golden Retriever LOLA! BBQ with friends! BBQ'ed KALE! The TRIP home!

Wish you all could have been there with me. I miss the 'rents already.

Brazilian Tropicalia

Boy oh boy, I found a couple of really wonderful video's on youtube today. If you are into tropicalia, I suggest you check all of em out. They come from some Brazilian television tropicalia showcase. Anyhow, check these out to see what you think.



Novos Baianos



Tom Ze



Os Mutantes

Off to Oregon...

Going back home for a week to chill with the folks... I will also be finishing my as yet untitled/finished EP. Can't wait to drink micro-brews and listen to Nilsson with my pops. This jam is from "Pussycats" Harry's collaboration with John Lennon. His voice never sounded better.

Nilsson - Old Forgotten Soldier

Mahmoud Guinia

What a wonderful gift for us. Go over to Awesome Tapes from Africa to get a free Mahmoud Guinia album. This guy is really wonderful. He is from Morocco and plays an instrument called the guembri. Really good stuff. I heard him once before on Sublime Frequencies' Radio Morocco. Honestly it is hard to tell what was him on that comp., considering the chaotic nature of the Radio comps.

Below is a video that I found of Mahmoud. This is much more recent then the recording featured on ATFA.

mahmoud guinia
Uploaded by aomya

Don't Front on the Summer

I know that summer isn't here just yet, but it feels like it is going to be here soon. The sun isn't as shy these days (at least in Brooklyn), so I feel that now is as good of a time as any to get into some summertime mix-tape noise.

I'll try to post a couple of songs a week that I feel aptly express my feelings toward the summer. It's Tuesday today, so let's just say that I will do this every Tuesday.

The first track I have chosen is from Soul Jazz's "Studio One Roots vol. 3". I could easily have chosen any of the tunes off of this album. In fact, get this album if you like Reggae at all. It is a wonderful compilation of old Studio One roots stuff, and may be the best so far of the roots series.

This song is by Winston Flames, and is one of the more contains really interesting sounds (is that a phasing synth in the background?).

Winston Flames - In A Armagideon

M83 brings us our next track. This song is only good when you are riding your bike with your friends having so much fun that when you think about it later it kind of makes you feel embarrassed.

M83 - Kim & Jessie
***THIS LINK ISN'T WORKING AND I'M TRYING TO FIX IT***

Also, Don't Front on the Summer was a mix by my boy F.Y.P.C. Check out his myspace and tell him why you fronting.

Fuck You Private Citizen Myspace

Film: Alex Cox's "Walker"

Everyone has seen Repo Man, everyone has seen Sid and Nancy, everyone NEEDS to see Alex Cox's 1987 masterpiece "Walker".

This film was actually shot in Nicaragua while Reagan's forces were engaging in a bullshit war against the Sandanista's. I think that without a doubt, it is Cox's strongest film.

The film that is funny and sad all at the same time. It is ripe with political satire, but works beyond it. Films as political statements only work if they are good films in the first place. By transcending it's own politics, "Walker" is the perfect political film.

Ed Harris gives one of his best performances as William Walker, an "American soldier of fortune" who tried to annex Nicaragua for the United States in 1855.

The DVD comes with some amazing documentary features, and is definitely worth a viewing.

Alex Cox on Walker

Shadow Music of Thailand

In case you still don't know, Sublime Frequncies is one of the best labels out their right now (if not the most important). From Bollywood Steel guitar to Palestinian Radio transmissions, Sublime Frequncies seem to have it all.

This new LP is a compilation of 1960's guitar pop known as Shadow Music.

I find it to be one of the more haunting 60's compilations of recent memory. The instrumentation seems to come from a poppy mindset, yet has an intense element of darkness to go along with it.

Every song seems to have it's own personal character too. The compilation never seems to get stale. The album really works as a whole. You don't find yourself skipping tracks.

The artwork is wonderful too. I can't stop looking at the album cover. I find it mesmerizing. I want their instruments!

Anyhow, it's worth the dough to by it on 180 gram vinyl. Check it out.

Sublime Frequencies

Hooray, I have yet again figured out how to make MP3's happen on here. So, here is a Chamkila track, and a Nigerian Disco track.

The Sahara All Stars of Jos - Take Your Soul


Chamkila - Hik Utte So Ja Ve


Enjoi!

My Songs

I want to let it be know that I will be releasing my songs through this blog.

I figure that since no label will come near me do to my "bad boy of Beirut" rep, I might as well just release myself the old fashioned way. Straight to the people.

Anyhow, it will come with the high quality artwork of Daniel Douglas, and it promises to sound unlike anything else I have done.

Daniel's art Myspace:

Daniel Douglas

Awesome Tapes from Africa

My friend Tom turned me on to this blog called "Awesome Tapes from Africa".

If you haven't been there, you must go.

The whole blog consists of African tapes which are uploaded something like once a week. Everything from juju to ethiopiques pop up. Check it out.

Awesome Tapes from Africa

For more, purchasable, awesome African music, check out the new Soundway compilation Nigeria Disco Funk Special.

These are the same people that brought us the amazing Nigeria Special compilation earlier this year (which is also out on Vinyl!!!). Disco Funk special lives up to what could be the best African musical series since Ethiopiques.

This week in art.

Holy cow! Free time has been coming my way something crazy in the past couple of weeks. This of course, has allowed me the extra time to shoot up some art. So, if you want to be entertained, watch or listen to these things that I am going to tell you to watch or listen too.

Film:


if... (dir. Lindsay Anderson)

I first came across this film as an adolescent coming to grips with life after "A Clockwork Orange". This film stars Malcolm McDowell as the Malcolm McDowell character. It is without a doubt a 1960's time capsule, but thoroughly entertaining nonetheless. I suggest drinking a bottle of cheap wine with this one, and hopefully you and your friends can go and start a revolution soon thereafter.

Criterion reissued this by the way, making it all the more appetizing.

Music:

Chamkila Chamkila Chamkila!

While riding in the back of a cab, I asked the driver to put on some of his shit. (NOTE: This is always a good idea). The driver proceeded to blow my mind with the hottest Punjabi dance music that I have ever heard.

He wrote the name of the singer on a card for me. His name is Chamkila.

In researching him, I found that Chamkila is one of the most famous Punjabi singers of all time. His sound is fresh as fuck.

Apparently his lyrical content was rather controversial. They would condone drinking and extra marital affairs, which was and is still big no-no in India. So much so in fact, that on March 8, 1988, Chamkila and his singing partner Amarjot were gunned down by a motorcycle gang. Read the full story by searching Chamkila on Wikipedia.

Here is a song of his...



You got to go to 74th St. in queens if you want to buy his CD's. They are only 5 bucks a pop though.